24 (4/4/05) Spoilers!!!

[Banshee16]

24 does take liberties with real life technology to better fit the storyline, but I don't mind because the show is so damn cool.

For example, the F-117 would have become visible to radar when the armament bay doors opened to launch the missile, and the nearby F-15s that were escorting Air Force One could have pounced the stealth like a pack of cats on a mouse. However, by some freak bending of the rules of physics, the F-117 remained stealthy even during the missile launch.

I'm no air force guru, but wouldn't the doors only need to be open long enough to launch the missile, which is a few seconds? Then they could close again? And once closed, it would disappear again? Or would a radar lock, once achieved, remain, even when it tried to go stealthy again?

It was pretty predictable that they were going to shoot down Air Force one...I wasn't sure whether the producers would actually let them succeed though. And what would the terrorists do with those keys if they got them? Aren't the nukes pointed only at other countries?

Unless it's a matter of assuring destruction by causing one or many to be fired, resulting in other countries retaliating, even though it's a terrorist act that caused the initial fire? Then it would be basically mutually assured destruction of everyone.

Seems like this season features a plot dependent upon a lot of factors happening exactly right. If one fails, the whole thing fails.

Banshee

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Well, even if air-to-surface is the typical payload for an F117 the average person won't know that. I'm ok if they stretched it. I can see how it would affect someone's view of the show if they have the knowledge though. I get annoyed with the computer networking jargon they throw around all the time.

Hehe. I study computer sciences, but luckily, in Germany, and so I don´t recognize most of the words they use (even if a lot of terms in computer science is English). Since I don´t know what they are really talking about, I just see it as the same type of fake science used in Startrek & co.

Seems like this season features a plot dependent upon a lot of factors happening exactly right. If one fails, the whole thing fails.

Oh, I am not sure. A lot of the things the terrorists planned did not succeed entirely. (See Hellers abduction, the nuclear plant scenario).
Basically, this is 24´s over the top version of "9/11" - multiple, well planned attacks against the USA to shock everybody...
The plan of Marwan and his associates was to hit the USA, badly. He really puts the Terror in Terrorismn back...

One question came to my mind - what if Jack fails this time? Marwan escapes, and lifes for another day (and another 24 hours)?

 

[Silver Moon]

One question came to my mind - what if Jack fails this time? Marwan escapes, and lifes for another day (and another 24 hours)?

Nah, he'll get killed. But we'll also find out that he was an associate of the East European Warlord from season one and had been recruited by Nina.

Persoanlly I'm waited to find out that the pieces of Air Force One fell onto Kim's back yard and crushed Chase. This season could really use more drama about the families of CTU members dying.

 

[David Howery]

just who was the woman who was searching Anderson's apartment? I first thought she was the same girl from season 1 who blew up the plane and the one who gave Palmer the poisoned handshake, but apparently it wasn't her. Has that woman shown up this season yet?

 

[fett527]

Nah, he'll get killed. But we'll also find out that he was an associate of the East European Warlord from season one and had been recruited by Nina.

Persoanlly I'm waited to find out that the pieces of Air Force One fell onto Kim's back yard and crushed Chase. This season could really use more drama about the families of CTU members dying.

LOL!

It's more like pieces of the airplane crsh into a nearby zoo and an escaped lion threatens Kim and Chase's kid.

 

[Terath Ninir]

The episode was well acted, which was good. I liked that Jack shot the chick through the wall. Most walls are NO protection against a bullet of any size.

Like Morrus, I yawned when they revealed that Air Force One was the target. I knew that last week; they made it unbelievably obvious.

I'm going to have to suspend disbelief on a lot of things. AFO has a lot better defenses than that. Stealth fighters are only kind of stealthy. I'm pretty sure that the US government has no trouble whatsoever finding them on radar, because the stealth capabilities don't work as advertised. I don't know the exact details, but those are classified for a good reason.

Stealth fighters are also notoriously hard to fly. They wobble and they don't like actually staying in the air. I have trouble believed Some Dude, even if he has Air Force training with other jet fighters, can just get in and fly one.

Most importantly, though, is the inane stuff about the "football". Even if the terrorists get a hold of it, it doesn't matter. The football contains activation codes that the President can send to launch nuclear missiles. Actual people in actual silos, planes, and submarines do the actual tasks required to launch the missiles. The codes can be deactivated, and would be as soon as AFO went down. Hell, when it was hit, maybe, if the Pentagon and/or the Veep were on the ball. (I'm not 100% sure who would deactivate the codes but, again, that's no doubt classified, and again for a good reason.)

So, even if the terrorists get the codes, whoop de do. They can't do a darn thing with 'em.

24 is still entertaining, but it's just not as good as seasons past, I fear...

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

The episode was well acted, which was good. I liked that Jack shot the chick through the wall. Most walls are NO protection against a bullet of any size.

Like Morrus, I yawned when they revealed that Air Force One was the target. I knew that last week; they made it unbelievably obvious.

I'm going to have to suspend disbelief on a lot of things. AFO has a lot better defenses than that. Stealth fighters are only kind of stealthy. I'm pretty sure that the US government has no trouble whatsoever finding them on radar, because the stealth capabilities don't work as advertised. I don't know the exact details, but those are classified for a good reason.

I thought the same, but it´s probably the same "liberty" as the plane being armed with AA missiles. (The AOF does have at least chaffs and flares to defend itself against the missiles. Though they are by sure not failsafe...).

Stealth fighters are also notoriously hard to fly. They wobble and they don't like actually staying in the air. I have trouble believed Some Dude, even if he has Air Force training with other jet fighters, can just get in and fly one.

Apparently, he had flight simulation software for this. Sure, that´s not as great as flying the real plane, but it might be sufficient. He did´nt have to make any fancy maneuvering, after all. (And we can now wait and see if the air defenses able to shoot him down)

Most importantly, though, is the inane stuff about the "football". Even if the terrorists get a hold of it, it doesn't matter. The football contains activation codes that the President can send to launch nuclear missiles. Actual people in actual silos, planes, and submarines do the actual tasks required to launch the missiles. The codes can be deactivated, and would be as soon as AFO went down. Hell, when it was hit, maybe, if the Pentagon and/or the Veep were on the ball. (I'm not 100% sure who would deactivate the codes but, again, that's no doubt classified, and again for a good reason.)

So, even if the terrorists get the codes, whoop de do. They can't do a darn thing with 'em.

24 is still entertaining, but it's just not as good as seasons past, I fear...

It is defintely entertaining, but sometimes, it´s a bit to over top this year, I guess. On the other hand, what else could they do?

 

[Terath Ninir]

I thought the same, but it´s probably the same "liberty" as the plane being armed with AA missiles. (The AOF does have at least chaffs and flares to defend itself against the missiles. Though they are by sure not failsafe...).

Well, depending on what the stealth fighter was scheduled to do, it might have AA missiles on board. Especially after 9/11, the government has made preparations to shoot down planes over US airspace. You're right, though, that it does seem a tad unlikely that they'd use stealth fighters for that duty.

Apparently, he had flight simulation software for this. Sure, that´s not as great as flying the real plane, but it might be sufficient. He did´nt have to make any fancy maneuvering, after all. (And we can now wait and see if the air defenses able to shoot him down)

I've never even played a flight simulator game, but I have trouble believing it would simulate things *that* well. But, since that was the least unbelievable point, I'll let it go.

It is defintely entertaining, but sometimes, it´s a bit to over top this year, I guess. On the other hand, what else could they do?

That's the rub. How do you keep a series like this going? Especially since you're supposed to be even more over the top each time? And yet you have to keep it believable. That's why I'm still watching and not complaining too badly (for me). I don't know what else I'd do with the plot, either.

 

[fett527]

...
That's the rub. How do you keep a series like this going? Especially since you're supposed to be even more over the top each time? And yet you have to keep it believable. That's why I'm still watching and not complaining too badly (for me). I don't know what else I'd do with the plot, either.

This is the reason I feel it is not keeping my attention as well. They aren't keeping it believable. I was very interested until they saved the plants from melting down. It is still entertaining enough and it has given me enough enjoyment in the previous seasons taht I will keep watching.

 

[Terath Ninir]

This is the reason I feel it is not keeping my attention as well. They aren't keeping it believable. I was very interested until they saved the plants from melting down. It is still entertaining enough and it has given me enough enjoyment in the previous seasons taht I will keep watching.

One of the things I really don't like about this and the past couple of seasons is that they put training wheels on. Story arcs get resolved within 8 episodes or so, making it possible for the casual viewer to keep up. One of the things I liked the most about season 1 is that if you missed episode 1, you were screwed. You were going to be lost from there on out. It was a refreshing change from "normal" TV.

I imagine lots of people prefer the training wheels, though.