WHO ARE YOU WORKING FOR??!?!
Fans had to wait a long time to see Season 7 of 24 due to the Writer's Strike of 2007/2008. Several promotions had already aired in the US and had indicated the dismantling of CTU, as well as the return of a key player to the 24 Universe, TONY ALMEDA! But wait… wasn't he dead? Well unfortunately for us, only a few of the 24 episodes had been filmed before the strike began and production had to be postponed. After the strike ended, producers at Fox decided to postpone the airing of Season 7 until early 2009… The Power That Be decided that 2009 was a bit too long to wait for new adventures of our hero and made a two hour TV movie called "24: Redemption" (aka Jack Bauer's Adventures in Africa!) to serve as a prequel to the upcoming season. Now that the new season of 24 has been aired in the US, Fox has released the complete 7th season set!
After realizing that the last two seasons were falling flat with fans, the writers made a point that this season was changing the status-quo:
-Set four years after the end of season 6, the show would not be set in LA for the first time in the series run, but instead, would be focused in Washington DC. The season begins with Jack Bauer being questioned by the Senate Hearing committee to answer for allegations against himself and CTU. Jack's methods of interrogation play a huge part of this season. Guess who was leading the Senate interrogation? RED FOREMAN (aka Kurtwood Smith, the father from That 70's Show).
-CTU NO MORE!- The Government decided that CTU wasn't working out and decided to pass off their responsibilities to the FBI, CIA, and Homeland Security. Jack would be called upon to assist FBI Agents Larry Moss and Rene Walker in stopping the newest threat against the country. But what happened to Bill, Chloe, and the rest of the former CTU Agents? You will find out very early in the season.
-The President of the USA would be a female! Cherry Jones took over the role as President this season during the 24 TV movie in November. Unfortunately for her character, Allison Taylor, she would be put to the test this season as her family would come under attack from outside and from within!
-Not just one threat: Not only did we discover that African Terrorists lead by Colonel Dubaku were up to no good and planning to attack the US, but we also had a threat from within in the form of Jonas Hodges who wanted his private military force to have a large part in protecting US citizens. But Hodges will go to extreme lengths to get what he wants and is willing to sacrifice lives to accomplish his goals. Not everyone will make it out alive this season and who knows what will happen next! The level of suspense was definitely stepped up this season as the show got back to its roots and started making those suspenseful cliffhangers that we used to love from early on. Murder, bio-weapons, betrayal, and a few other surprise cameos kept this season moving along at a very fast pace.
-Tony Almeda: Well the biggest surprise of the season was actually given away during the trailers for the season. Everyone and their mother already knew that Tony was coming back. It was actually rumored that he was going to return at the end of Season 6 (an alternate ending that never came to be). When those trailers hit the airwaves it did get a reaction and people were interested, but I think it would have been more exciting as a reveal within the show. How Tony survived his death is revealed early on as well. If you go back and watch his death from the previous season, you will note that he never had a silent running clock at the end of the episode. Every time a major character has died in the series, the producers always have ended the episode in silence…but Tony's death didn't have that so fans assumed that things weren't as they seemed.
Episodes and Special Features
-8:00 AM – 9:00 AM Commentary by Executive Producer/Director Jon Cassar and Carlos Bernard
-10:00 AM – 11:00 AM Commentary by Executive Producer Manny Coto, Co-Executive Producer Brannon Braga and Carlos Bernard
-The Fimucité Festival Presents: The Music of 24
-12:00 PM – 1:00 PM Commentary by Executive Producer/Director Jon Cassar and Annie Wersching
-4:00 PM – 5:00 PM Commentary by Executive Producer David Fury and Hakeem Kae-Kazim
-5:00 PM – 6:00 PM Commentary by Executive Producer Manny Coto, Co-Executive Producer Brannon Braga and Annie Wersching
-7:00 PM – 8:00 PM Commentary by Co-Executive Producer/Director Brad Turner and Tony Todd
-8:00 PM – 9:00 PM Commentary by Co-Executive Producer/Director Brad Turner, Composer Sean Callery and James Morrison
-9:00 PM – 10:00 PM Commentary by Executive Producer Juan Carlos Coto, Annie Wersching and Bob Gunton
-1:00 AM – 2:00 AM Commentary by Executive Producer Howard Gordon, Carlos Bernard and Jeffery Nording
-Hour 19: The Ambush
-5:00 AM – 6:00 AM Commentary by Executive Producer Evan Katz, Mary Lynn Rajskub and Glenn Morshower
-6:00 AM – 7:00 AM Commentary by Executive Producer David Fury, Co-Executive Producer Alex Gansa and Glenn Morshower
-7:00 AM – 8:00 AM Commentary by Executive Producers Howard Gordon and John Cassar
-Deleted Scenes with Optional commentary by Co-Executive Producer Stephen Kronish and Producer Paul Gadd:
-Jack Talks About His Daughter
-Colonel Dubaku Sends a Message
-Larry Confronts Sean
-President Taylor Recites Her Message
-Jack Helps Henry Until the EMTs Arrive
-Chloe disseminates Dubaku’s Files
-Agent Walker Tells Kim that Jack is Sick
-Kim Visits Her Father
-President Taylor and Tim Woods Discuss the Emergency Response Protocols
-Tony Drags Jack
-President Taylor Doubts Herself
-The Contingency Plan is Revealed
-Agent Walker Orders that the Suspect be Transported back to FBI
-Tim Worries About President Taylor
-24-7: The Untold Story
Overall
I can't remember the last time a studio released a season box set the day after the season finale aired. I don't think it has been done before. This set is definitely in line with how great 24 sets tend to be. The team behind the show go out of their way with all of the commentaries and extras each year. This is also the first year that they released a season on DVD and Blu-ray. If you missed out on this action packed year, make sure you go back and check out this new release!
ComicsOnline gives 24 Season 7- 5 out of 5 new attempts to make 24 entertaining!
