The new and improved Jack?

All right, I haven't even checked other blog posts around the blogosphere about "24". I imagine that there are hundreds of bloggers posting about this today. If you don't watch "24" I suggest you navigate away because this post will bore you. If you haven't watched the premiere yet, I suggest you navigate away because this post contains spoilers. If you do watch "24", I'll try to add some links later in an update for other posts discussing the premiere. For now, please bear with me in my teeny tiny world of thoughts about last night's premiere.

Honestly, I'm a little bit undecided about it. My anticipation is that the second part tonight will enliven my hopes for this season.

The new Jack is obviously fragile right now, having just stepped off a 14 hour flight back from China where he was submitted to horrific and unimaginable torture of the worst kind--judging from the scars on his back and the burns on his right hand. Who wouldn't be? The writers earned their salt at the first twist, by having Jack return without knowing hardly anything of the past two years. This was where some significant gaps, unanswered questions, bothered me. In my writing world, I had pictured Jack returning triumphantly to take back America. Instead, he returns broken and not sure if he wants to do this anymore. His line about "dying for something instead of dying for nothing" was then picked up and used throughout the night by every other character.

Paraphrase: "Our plan has to work or Jack died for nothing." "You have to shoot him to pieces so that Jack died for something." "This was our only chance to help Jack die for something instead of nothing."

Moreover, Sutherland's depiction of Jack's emotional trauma seemed a little bit ambivalent, as well. Is Jack happy to be dying for something instead of nothing even though dying for something means more torture and ineffective CTU intelligence that has targeted the wrong terrorist?

"Okay, I haven't spoken in two years--they throw me on a plane--I'm here to be chained to a grate as the sacrificial imperialist American pig for President Palmer, but not the President Palmer I knew and laid down my life for, over and over and over--oh yeah, and this Fayed is really behind the attacks--superpowers return, please--I think?"

It's okay, Jack, I was a little confused with you as well. Hang in there, buddy. I'm sure you'll get your terrorist-stomping feet back under you in no time. You have a reputation to consider.

I also had a problem with the Ahmed storyline. That actor is easily in his late 20's and trying to pass for a 14 year old, from the looks of his friend "please wear my good luck charm necklace" guy? Why can't terrorists use adults for these critical "do you have the package?" mission jobs of world supremacy and domination? It seemed to definitely be a do-over rendition from day 4. At least that was a whole family affair of terrorists.

Lest you think this whole post is a whine about the premiere. Things I liked included Jack's McGyverian resources of escape, sabotage and terrorist-dispatching. I loved seeing Chloe's petulance on behalf of Jack, and her soft side with Morris reminded me of Tony and Michelle--great storyline. I love the Karen-Bill relationship. And seeing Jack work with a known terrorist to stop a worse known terrorist is very clever writing. The imaginable twists and turns of that co-patriotism are fascinating speculation. I'm sure perfectly planned by the writers.

I'm curious to see who the "moles" will be in the White House and CTU. You gotta have a mole. And I'm interested to see what will be the switch that throws Jack back into full throttled Jack-mode. Let it not be the return of Kim is in trouble.

At this point, my husband says, "It's. A. Television. Show."

Ha! He knows nothing. This is reallllll stuff. The known world is in danger of being blown to pieces, bit by bit by a miscreant terrorist. We need Jack--the full Jack--back to take names and ask governmental pardon later.

I'm hopeless. I'll be watching tonight for more of "Jack's back!"