Tuesday 1 April 2008

24: Mole

Tuesday 1 April 2008
I suppose it had to happen, given the year-long delay 24 is facing because of the WGA strike and Kiefer Sutherland's stint in jail, but a sneaky "mole" has seen the first 8 episodes of season 7 that were completed before the strike stopped work. Episodes 1-5 were broadcast edits, but 6-8 are still being tinkered with.

Warning: 9 spoilers for the new season, which won't air Stateside until 2009.

1. Former CTU Agent Tony Almeida is definitely season 7's main villain -- although he's seen reporting to an unseen superior in a luxury apartment that overlooks a coastline of palm trees (possibly Florida) in episodes 6 and 8.

2. President David Palmer will return to the show, despite the fact he died in season 5! Actor Dennis Haysbert has returned to film a 30-second "archive interview" that the current female President is seen watching for inspiration in episode 3.

3. Chloe's baby is a 2-year-old boy called Edgar (but "only on the birth certificate"). She instead refers to him as Eddie.

4. Disasters to be averted include: an airline crash in episodes 1 and 2. A crippling traffic jam also hits Washington D.C in episode 4's climax, meaning characters are forced to run around on foot after episode 5. A helicopter is used a lot in episode 6 and the traffic starts flowing again in episode 8. An oil tanker is also put on a collision course with a New York harbour as the climax of episode 8.

5. Jack''s nephew Josh and Marilyn Bauer are seen in episode 4 during a phone conversation with Jack (they now live in Seattle.) Marilyn reveals to Jack that Josh wasn't her husband's son – but was her father-in-law's. This means Josh is actually Jack's younger brother! Apparently this was a twist the writer nearly went with in season 6.

6. It's mentioned in episode 8 that President Logan survived his stabbing in season 6. He's still under house arrest, but Bill Buchanan remarks that Logan's ill health has left him bed-ridden.

7. Season 7 will apparently lead directly into season 8, with a cliffhanger finale being resolved in season 8's 2010 premiere.

8. The recently announced 2-hour "bridge movie" (set between seasons 6 and 7) will take place in Africa, using scripts abandoned during pre-production drafts of season 7. Kim Raver is currently is negotiations to appear. The first Africa-based hour won't be real-time, but the last US-based hour definitely will be. A phrase bandied around to describe the last hour of the prequel has been "a real-time Die Hard-style hostage crisis."

9. The RoboCop love-fest continues on 24! Kurtwood Smith (Clarence Boddicker) appears in the premiere, and Ronny Cox (Dick Jones) plays an Assistant Director of the FBI in episodes 6-8.

For a few more titbits, and a deeper analysis of episodes 1 and 2, check out the full story here.