"Paul Levinson's It's Real Life is a page-turning exploration into that multiverse known as rock and roll. But it is much more than a marvelous adventure narrated by a master storyteller...it is also an exquisite meditation on the very nature of alternate history." -- Jack Dann, The Fiction Writer's Guide to Alternate History

Monday, April 19, 2010

24 8.18: Blinding Peace

Episode 8.18 of 24 tonight has something you've never seen before on 24:  Jack turns against a President he has up until now supported at all costs.   Even more incredibly:  Jack turns against Chloe.

How did this happen?

On the one side, President Allison Taylor wants peace - "a peace that's escaped the world" until now.  She needs the Russians to do that.  Logan has brought them back to the signature table by threatening to reveal their orchestration of President Hassan's assassination and the dirty nuke that almost took out half of Manhattan.   The Russians' cooperation with the peace treaty is Logan's price for not outing what the Russians did.

On the other side, Jack wants justice, and sure, some revenge for Renee's death, too.  He's only human.  But as Ethan told the President, how can she work for peace with people - the Russians - who assassinated of the leading peace advocate (Hassan) and tried to blow up Manhattan.   Jack makes this point, too, in a great conversation with President.   How can she not want to get the bottom of who killed Hassan and almost took out the Upper West Side?   How can she be so blind as to prevent Jack from questioning Dana, who may well have some answers.

Her response is she wants peace, and can't let anything get in the way.

And in this one move, in this razor episode, Allison Taylor has moved a big step away from being a great, morally commanding President.  Is she on her way to becoming a Neville Chamberlain whose pursuit of "peace in our time" in the 1930s emboldened Hitler and paved the way for all horror that followed?

We'll see in the final six episodes.  But one thing's for sure:  24 has taken another wild turn, with Chloe, now in charge of CTU,  ordering planes to bring down the helicopter that Jack has commandeered to get to the Russians.


6-min podcast review of 24


See also Season 8 reviews: Hours 1 and 2 ... Hours 3 and 4 ... Hour 5 ... Hour 6 ... Hour 7 ... Hour 8 ... Hour 9 ... Hour 10 ... Hour 11 ... Hour 12 ... Hour 13 ... Hour 14 ... Hours 15-16 ... Hour 17

And see also Season 7 reviews: Hours 1 and 2 ... Hours 3 and 4 ... Hour 5 ... Hour 6 ... Hour 7 ... Hour 8 ... Hour 9 ... Hour 10 ... Hours 11-12 ... Hour 13 ... Hour 14 ... Hour 15 ... Hour 16 ... Hour 17 ... Hour 18 ... Hour 19 ... Hour 20 ... Hour 21 ... Hour 22  ... Hours 23-24 






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3 comments:

snape said...

I'm pissed off at President Taylor for turning Jack down like that.....he surely doesn't deserve to be treated that way....

ad you know what??? I'm seriously worried that Jack/Chloe fantastic friendship won't survive this day...and I don't want it to happen..

Paul Levinson said...

Me too, on both accounts!

MC said...

See, I guess I am more pragmatic than you two. While I don't particularly like what Taylor is doing, I completely understand her rationale.

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