24's LEGACY Intact

Article first published as 24 LEGACY Review on Seat42F.

24 is back tonight! OK, so it’s not classic 24, as our hero, Jack Bauer, is nowhere in sight. But other than missing Jack, this version is pretty much the same thing. There are terrorists and sleeper cells, betrayals and moles, CTU agents and politicians, people who just won’t listen even though their deafness gets in the way of saving the day, and, of course, the ticking clock as events unfold in real time.

Our new protagonist is Eric Carter (Corey Hawkins, The Walking Dead, Straight Outta Compton), the leader of an elite CTU squad that took out a major terrorist six months ago (think SEAL Team Six and bin Laden). Back in the states, Eric is trying to move on with his wife, Nicole (Anna Diop, The Messengers). But he isn’t doing a good job of it, Nicole even hypothesizing that Eric misses the killing and the danger. Can he settle into suburbia?

24: LEGACY quickly proves he doesn’t have to. The son of the assassinated terrorist is in town with a squad, and begins picking off Eric’s team one by one. With only Eric and mentally unstable Ben Grimes (Charlie Hofheimer, Mad Men, Black Hawk Down) left, Eric has to go on the offensive, trying to stay alive and stop the son from recovering his dad’s sleeper cell list. This means Eric is like later-seasons Jack, already violent and willing to do what needs to be done, even if it’s against the law, so yeah, I’m sure he can do it.

Of course he can. That is never in doubt. This is 24, so the bad guys will get to kill some people along the way, but not as many as they’d like. In fact, the blood starts flowing (in a not-particularly-gory way) only moments into the first hour. There are always casualties in war, but 24, taking its queue from the superhero genre, always makes sure that our hero wins the day, albeit with some cost. 24: LEGACY looks to follow that same format.

Also, as in other seasons of 24, high-level politicians enter into the story. This time we have Rebecca Ingram (Miranda Otto, Homeland, The Lord of the Rings), the former head of CTU, whose husband, Senator John Donovan (Jimmy Smits, Sons of Anarchy, The West Wing), is running for president. This dynamic allows for the in-agency stuff to tie in to election drama in a satisfying way.

Having watched two hours so far, 24: LEGACY almost makes me forget about Jack Bauer. They wisely have brought in a heavy cast, which also includes Dan Bucatinsky (Scandal), Teddy Sears (The Flash), and Gerald McRaney (This Is Us), who along with those above, make the story gripping and well-acted enough that, even with the popcorn-style, unrealistic plot, it’s a lot of fun. So much going on with so many fine performers, and family drama tossed in, too, keeps us from dwelling on what we don’t get.

Which isn’t to say that 24: LEGACY isn’t without its ties to past seasons. One of the new CTU staff members is Mariana Stiles (Coral Pena), the cousin of Edgar Stiles, whom this new version reminds us was one of the best the organization had to offer. But it also stands enough on its own that new viewers could jump right in without missing a beat.

Like the last Jack-led season, 24: LEGACY will only present twelve of the twenty-four hours in this all-important day. This is a wise move, as most seasons of 24 suffered from dragging or vamping in the middle, and the twelve hour format (with hours skipped to still cover an entire day) is a tighter, more enjoyable one. 24 banks on intensity, and the shorter season makes it easier to keep up the adrenaline.

My overall impression of 24: LEGACY is that the franchise is resilient and will fare just fine without its lead. As much as I hope Jack does return for future installments, the rest of the 24 ensemble has always been rotating, and the format works as long as the cast stays strong, which it does here. 24 isn’t the best show on TV, not by a long-shot, but it’s action-packed entertainment that gets your blood pumping, and as a fan or the original, I’m not disappointed at all by the latest incarnation.

24: LEGACY premieres tonight after the Super Bowl, then moves to its regular timeslot tomorrow at 8/7c.

THE FLASH Zooms Past the Competition

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: 'The Flash - The Complete Second Season' on Blogcritics.


Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this blog post. The opinions I share are my own.

While the DC comic universe fails to find success on the big screen, it excels on the small, especially for the shows that air on the CW. The best of these is The Flash, which follows speedster Barry Allen and his friends as they fight metahumans in Central City. The Complete Second Season of The Flash comes to Blu-ray and DVD this Tuesday, September 6th, with the four-disc set providing all twenty-three episodes and a host of extras.

The Flash – The Complete Second Season picks up right where the first year left off. Barry (Grant Gustin) saves the world from a temporal vortex, but in the process, attracts the attention of the people on the other side. Let’s call where those other people live Earth 2, because that’s what the show names their locale. Like their counterparts on our Earth (Earth 1), Earth 2 residents deal with metahumans, but while many of their faces seem familiar, with all of the main cast popping up in alter ego form, their personalities do not.

Introducing Earth 2 is convenient for The Flash. It lets the actors on the show have some fun, with heroes tapping into their inner villain. It also keeps things unpredictable, including who someone is at times, since there’s always another character who looks exactly the same lurking nearby. It opens the door for another version of The Flash from the comics, this one named Jay Garrick (Teddy Sears, Masters of Sex), and a new big bad, Zoom. Most importantly, it allows The Flash to retain Tom Cavangh in the cast, whose Harrison Wells turned out to be the bad guy in season one, and was promptly killed.

Normally, I would worry that having Cavangh come back as a very different Dr. Wells cheapens the other Wells’ death. In this case, however, it does not, partly because fans weren’t sad about the first one’s death. The Flash has firmly established the differences between the various characters that each cast member plays, and because the tone of the series is fun, rather than high drama, it enhances things to bring back a solid actor as someone else. I don’t want to give much away about the ending of the season, but I found myself very, very grateful for the convention at year’s close.

Which is not to say that The Flash doesn’t have some new players this year, too. Wally West (Keiynan Lonsdale, Dance Academy), Joe’s (Jesse L. Martin) long-lost son, shows up, as does Harrison’s daughter, Jesse (Violett Beane, The Leftovers). Again, I often find it annoying when TV programs bring in new family members, but again, The Flash bucks the trend and makes these two worthwhile contributors who help the show, not hurt it. This is a rare series that can go in expected directions, but use its charm to make that all right.

There are a LOT of extras on The Flash – The Complete Second Season. There’s the now-obligatory shortened Comic Con panel that we all wish was longer, along with deleted scenes and a gag reel. I am also very excited about the inclusion of an episode of Arrow from the shows’ two-part crossover, both halves of which are also in Arrow’s recent release, the doubling up beneficial for those who only follow one of the series (though you should watch both).

There are also a ton of featurettes on special effects, which is great for a show that has so many, and some shorts focuses on important story points, such as Barry and Iris’ (Candice Patton) relationship, the backstory of Firestorm, an introduction to Dr. Light, and many more. A lot of these maybe should have been in the DC’s Legends of Tomorrow DVD set instead, given that some of those featured are main characters on that spin-off, but at least fans get them here, better than never seeing them at all. Overall, it’s a ton of material, much of it good (though some is fluff), and I give the set high marks for its bonus features.

The Flash – The Complete Second Season will be released this Tuesday.

American Horror Story celebrates "Halloween"

     This week and last, FX's big horror drama, American Horror Story, pulls out all the stops for a two-part "Halloween" showdown. Because of the holiday, the walls between the ghost world and the "real" one are thin, and the house's previous residents manifest more than ever. What's more, they can leave the property, and they do. This provides trouble for Ben (Dylan McDermott) when Hayden (Kate Mara) insists on telling Vivien (Connie Britton) the truth, and possibly microwaves her dog. A gang of teenagers come after Tate (Evan Peters) as he tries to enjoy his date with Violet (Taissa Farmiga). And feuding gay couple Chad (Zachary Quinto, Star Trek, Heroes) and Patrick (Teddy Sears, Torchwood, Raising the Bar) try to help decorate their former home.

     When a series hinges on the creepy, as American Horror Story does, it makes total sense to celebrate "Halloween" in a big way. As such, the series brings in a ton of guest stars for this episode. Not only do Chad and Patrick, the most recently deceased residents, pop up, but so does virtually every ghost seen in the first few episodes, including Nora (Lily Rabe), Charles (Matt Ross, Big Love), Angie (Missy Doty, Shameless), and Maria (Rosa Salazar, Parenthood). As if that isn't enough, the gang of teenagers that chases Tate boasts some recognizable faces, such as Alessandra Torresani (Husbands, Caprica) and Ashley Rickards (Awkward.). One would think that this means "Halloween" is just a stunt episode, but it's not. Each extra performer is used sparingly, but importantly. They enhance the plot without distracting from it. Good thing American Horror Story gets a full two hours to tell this tale, because there is far too much going on for a standard episode length.

     Of course, horror stories are not nearly as scary without death. "Halloween Part 1" delivers a significant, and unexpected, one when Adelaide (Jamie Brewer) is hit by a car. Desperate to save her, her mother Constance (Jessica Lange) pulls Adelaide frantically towards the property where the haunted house sits. This seems to support what has been suspected, that people who die on the property do not follow the same rules as the ordinary dead. Sadly, it looks like Constance doesn't quite make it, and so Adelaide will be absent for the remainder of the series. Unless the creators are just trying to trick the audience, a possibility they could choose to utilize right away, or save for years from now. Or she can still return next Halloween, either way.

     There are further rules revealed for the ghosts in "Halloween." It is already known to viewers that Moira (Frances Conroy) is dead. But it seems that she cannot normally leave the property, except on Halloween, when the barriers are down. She uses this opportunity to visit her mother in the hospital, and ends her mom's life. Her mother asks Moira to come with her to the other side, but Moira says that she can't. Why not? What holds Moira back? The house must have a draw that not only lets the dead speak to the living the dwell there, but also keeps them from crossing over to peaceful bliss. It's evil as well as scary.

     Of course, Hayden causes the most trouble by far. Upset that Larry (Denis O'Hare) kills her, and Ben builds a gazebo over her body, she is determined to let Vivien know that she has Ben's unborn child in her belly. When Vivien doesn't want to listen, Hayden grows more and more upset. It is unclear if she actually microwaves Vivien's dog, making it now one of the house's many ghost inhabitants, or a tomato, as she tells the security officer, Luke (Morris Chestnut, V). I suspect the former. But learning that Vivien is also with child seems to change things for her. She thinks that might be why Ben didn't leave Vivien, though in reality, that's hardly the only reason. Either way, it appears that Hayden may stop causing trouble, at least for now.

     Is Tate a ghost? This is a question that lingers throughout American Horror Story. The teenagers that chase him at "Halloween" claim that he killed them. They also say they would be in their thirties if he hadn't. Since Tate still looks like a teenager, that means he must be dead, too, not aging. A brief cut scene also might back up their story. Unless they have the wrong guy, as Tate says. Since Tate is only seen on the property, except in "Halloween," and he can easily get in through some unknown way, he may very well be a ghost. The teens might only be able to appear on Halloween, not having been killed on the property. Did Tate then go there, maybe because he might live in the house, and kill himself?

     Equally interesting is the revelation that Tate is Constance's son. Constance worries what the news of Adelaide's death might do to him. This would lend credence to the ghost teens' story, showing that Tate has a temper, and can act violently. As such, Constance's conversation with Violet lends as much support to the Tate as a ghost theory as the teenagers hunting him do. Whatever is real or not, Tate is a vital part of the house's story, and thus, an important thread of American Horror Story.

     So what might change, now that Vivien hires Luke to help with security? Clearly, he lends a hand with the angry Hayden, and can cart her away, at least temporarily. But now he's going to suspect some stranger happenings, considering that Hayden disappears from his patrol car as morning breaks. It doesn't make a lot of sense that a security guard can provide much protection against the dead. But if he knows what's really going on, maybe he could be some sort of help. If nothing else, it will give Vivien some peace of mind.

     She'll need all the peace of mind she can get once she's in the house alone without her husband.  Now that Vivien has kicked out Ben, it makes her all the more vulnerable. True, Vivien is a tough lady, and can take care of herself. But when facing off against ghosts, the more help one has, the better. Without Ben around, that is one more protection that she doesn't have. Or maybe she's safer without Ben, considering what the house drives Larry to do when he lives there.

     Larry must be permanently changed by the house, unable to leave it, unwilling to stop interacting with the current owners. Larry is probably not a ghost, because Ben interacts with him outside of the home in a previous episode. But he still looks like he's from another time, and is heavily involved in the goings on there, like Constance. Thus, Larry is likely to keep going after Ben for money, if for no other reason than to stay involved. How soon until his continued presence tips off Vivien about Hayden's fate, and Ben's part in it?


     For anyone who likes a good scare, or a decent mystery, American Horror Story is a series to watch. Having just been renewed for a second season, like its ghosts, it is not going anywhere.

     If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter!

Article first published as TV Review: American Horror Story - "Halloween: Part 1 & Part 2" on Blogcritics.