24 Season 8 Premiere Review

Jack Bauer is finally back with another much anticipated season of 24 (at least for me) and the big question on everyone's mind is without a doubt if it's going to be any good.

Season 8 begins with a Jack Bauer we're not used to seeing. Jack is relaxing on the couch, watching his granddaughter and seems to be settling into the role of being a grandfather. For those that have followed Jack since season 1, we know he has had a very traumatic life and seeing him relax is almost strange but also very well deserved. Having finally worked things out in his relationship with his daughter, it seems like he's got a nice family that loves him.

As I sit there and watch the reborn Jack, I know that the next 24 hours won't be there if Jack somehow doesn't get pulled into some sort of national emergency and as the first hour goes on, it becomes a little bit more clear what is going to happen.

With the President of the USA discussing a nuclear treaty with the President of Kamistan (nicely disguised Iran), there appear to be those not too happy with the peace that is being discussed. A plot to assassinate President Hassan is in the works and Jack Bauer ends up in the middle of it.

When an informant from a previous bust shows up at Jack's place, he has no choice but to get in touch with CTU and bring the informant in. A series of unfortunate events lead to the death of the informant and a couple of CTU agents. The informant has enough time to point to someone close to the Kamistanian president as being involved but not who. CTU, headed by director Hastings, finds a reporter that allegedly has hacked the UN databases and with special access to the president, he suspects that she is involved.

Chloe is back as an analyst and she's quick to point out that they find the involved a little too quickly. Hastings won't have any of it and clearly seems to be on a one-track mind. He seems to be headed for disaster.

The plot is typical of 24 I suppose. We know from spending seven years with Jack that unexpected things must happen and we must be left hanging at the end of the hour. That's all the same. However, in the first couple of hours, we've been introduced to a number of new characters and they all have the potential to make things interesting in the next few hours.

Take Director Hastings, for example. It appears he believes he can do the job while others are not so sure. He's quick to make decisions without analyzing all information available and once he makes that decision, he completely ignores additional input. Although he works for CTU and tries to protect the target, he could very well be the one that contributes to one disaster or another.

Analyst Dana Walsh is clearly hiding something, something her fiance doesn't even know about. A past life of some sort is intruding in her new life and there is a lot of potential her for plot twists. Is she a bad person with bad intentions or is she just someone that had a rough life and is trying to leave that all behind?

Cole Ortiz, the man Dana Walsh is to marry, seems to be one of the few brilliant guys at CTU. He confronts Hastings after an operation doesn't go according to plan and seems to be the one that knows how things should be done correctly operationally. As a result he clashes with Hastings and I can easily see him turn into someone that ignores Hastings just to get things done. He reminds me a bit of Jack.

President Hassan is obviously not surrounded by people that wish him all well and it will be curious to see what those around him actually do.

Overall, the first two hours were pretty good and has set the stage for what can turn into an exciting season. With two more hours tonight, I can barely wait.

The big question in my mind is this: is season 8 it? From what I've read, it seems like Kiefer wouldn't mind going forward with another season but that may also depend on how this season goes. I can definitely see Jack Bauer retire for good after this season, in one way or another. Time will tell. Until then, I plan to enjoy every minute of the new season.

Alaska State Troopers - A Review

The last couple of years, Alaska has become a household name. Starting with TV shows like Deadliest Catch to the failed Vice Presidential bid of Governor Sarah Palin, everyone is curious about Alaska. It is no surprise then that more and more shows are popping up on the good old TV, displaying the last frontier and all its dangers. So, when I heard that the Alaska State Troopers were making their contribution to the Alaska mania, I was pretty excited.

Surprisingly, Alaska State Troopers on NGC is a cop show unlike any other cop show and whether that's good or bad is up to the viewer. Someone from Alaska will most likely come away with a different impression of Alaska than their grandma down in Florida.

At first, I was a bit embarrassed. The first part of the show takes us along with the Troopers as they have to deal with drunks, fights, people spitting blood and such. Being understaffed obviously doesn't help. I was thinking that "gosh, Alaskans look like a bunch of drunks."

Later on, a woman turns up on a porch completely wasted and is taken to the hospital, all while calling the Trooper who responded to the call "her friend." Another lady is pulled over for an equipment violation, who turns out to be on probation for something involving drugs. The canine unit, which happened to pull her over, takes a peek, indicating on a pack of cigarettes. Fortunately for the driver, no drugs are found.

Later on, we witness a dead moose in a lake, illegal trapping and a few other things. Mixed in with all of this are the monologues by the officers, as seen on many other cop shows. There's also a bit of showing off with the snowmobile if you ask me, although I wouldn't be surprised if that's more of a production stunt. The law riding wild on the side of a mountain looks better on TV.

The one thing that comes up several times during the show is staffing. One of the challenges for the AST is staffing. Very often they're spread out over large areas with very little support that at times can put them in sticky situations, situations that at times can make it very dangerous for them. It's not like Cops where you call for backup and you have five other cars there within minutes. Alaska Troopers must often act independently and alone and it makes it a very dangerous job. They definitely need more staff.

AST isn't like Cops or Police Women of Broward County. It isn't all action every second of the show. On most shows, something exciting happens all the time. That's what keeps you glued to the TV. In fact, there's a lot of build-up at times that results in nothing exciting. Take the dead moose on the lake, for example. We see the pilot go check it out but then nothing much more happens. The lady on probation us pulled over but no drugs are found. The most exciting part of the show must have been the snowmobile accident that required a helicopter to pick up the injured person. Taking close to three hours, you can see the agony of the guy on the stretcher and you sympathize...and wonder why in the world would you do such a thing.

Being an Alaskan, I'll watch all the coming episodes as well. Although AST is a bit slower compared to other shows, it does present a unique picture of the challenges of law enforcement in Alaska. It may not be all guts and glory, it may at times be a matter of staying alive because you're the only Trooper around. Let's just hope for the sake of all other viewers that the pace picks up a bit in the next few episodes.