May 20, 2015. That is the date on which the events of 24: Season 8 occur, the real-time thriller serial’s timeline having gradually skipped ahead of the real world’s. So with the action moving to New York* and CTU getting resurrected in a glitzy new HQ, are we in for thrills of a more sci-fi nature than usual? Well, yes and no…
Empire was among a select few invited to attend yesterday’s premiere of the Season 8 premiere, at the Skirball Center in New York’s Greenwich Village. In a private screening room (security grading: blue), we were handed a bottle of special 24 water with Jack Bauer’s face on the label (not only refreshing, but handy for bludgeoning terrorists with in close-combat situations) and seated next to the show’s creators and stars. A slideshow of the actors’ faces rotated by on the screen before the episode began, which prompted some of them (including Annie Wersching and Freddie Prinze Jr) to pose for grinning camera-phone photos of themselves in front of their own giant visages. Kiefer Sutherland, who appeared on David Letterman’s show earlier this week in a natty dress, was sadly in his own clothes, a suit and waistcoat, this time.
Then a familiar flickering yellow double-digit number appeared on-screen, a just-as-familiar voice growled, “The following events take place between 4pm and 5pm”, and we were plunged straight into some white-knuckle action, involving an informer named Victor (who, we later learn, was involved with the Salazar brothers from Season 3), being hunted by scuzzy Eastern European types. It seems Victor has an inside lead on an imminent assassination attempt on Middle Eastern President Hassan (Slumdog Millionaire’s Anil Kapoor), and needs to get his information to Jack Bauer stat.
Those who have been with the show since the start may now be experiencing déjà vu, since Season 1 began in much the same way, with Bauer receiving intel about a hit on President Palmer. Making it even more of an eerie callback, turns out Hassan’s wife (Necar Zadegan) is a bit of a Sherry Palmer type, a cold fish who seems bent on manipulating her powerful husband. Are the writers rehashing a set-up, or cunningly setting us up for a major twisteroo? Time will tell.
If that element seems familiar, it’s all fresh at CTU. Seems the Counter-Terrorism Unit has finally woken up to the fact its LA bureau was as secure as a distressed shed, since they’ve stepped up security in a major way. The new, uber-high-tech headquarters is located deep underneath Roosevelt Island, accessible only by tunnel, while alert guards with submachine guns stand sentry at each entrance, an upgrade from the red-shirted simpletons from seasons past. Outside, it’s a fortress; inside, a glossy spaceship, all gleaming glass, ginormous monitors and futuristic computer consoles. So futuristic, in fact, that fan-favourite keyboard-jockey Chloe O’Brian (Mary Lynn Rajskub) is out of her depth for once, losing a verbal duel over face-recognition software with new analyst Dana Walsh (Katee Sackhoff, hot off Battlestar Galactica). Meanwhile, there’s more future-tech in the shape of drones, operated by smartass surveillance dude Arlo Glass (John Boyd), which soar over the New York streets hunting for trouble.
While it’s got all that, CTU ain’t got Jack. Bauer’s retired, out of the game, a man at peace at last. In fact, the first time we see him, he’s enjoying that most elusive of pleasures: sleep. That doesn’t last long, as he’s poked back into wakefulness by a cuddly polar bear toy, wielded by his equally cute granddaughter. And the retirement thing doesn’t last long either. By about the midway mark of this episode, he’s running down 18th Street with a handgun, about to get into a three-way firefight with NYPD and Uzi-toting terrorists. Oh, and remember that bit from the opening of Season 2 where Jack cut a perp’s head off with a hacksaw? There’s a moment here, involving an improvised weapon, which matches that for sheer, vicious badassery.
So high-tech wizardry and low-tech brutality, side by side… in other words, business as usual for 24. It’s too early to tell where all the threads are leading, or whether the writers will be able to take Jack Bauer — and us — to new and exciting places. But the New York setting feels fresh (though virtually all of the season was filmed in Los Angeles) and there are some thrilling things promised: the return of lunatic ex-President Logan (Gregory Itzin), Renee Walker (Wersching) going spectacularly off the rails, and the biggest explosion in the history of the show. Look out for more reports here soon.
Oh, and if you’re playing the 24 Drinking Game, prepare to sink two shots: Chloe and Jack get one “Dammit!” apiece.
24 Season 8 begins on Sky 1 on January 24.
