So, hour one of the two-hour season finale of 24: Eh. I almost slept through it. Almost. Then the second hour kicked in. Yet as action-packed as this final hour of season six was, it's that last ten minutes or so that sticks to my bones

Let's talk about hair. Specifically, the hair of one Mr. James Cromwell, the heavyweight Special Guest Star whose off-handed gravitas has added immeasurably to this sixth season of 24

The invasion of CTU pretty much takes the cake for this week's episode, with the rest of the action dwelling on stale plot points a bit too long. Suddenly, the Lisa Miller thread has grown stale, since we've already enjoyed the comeuppance part; she's hated by the Vice-President of the United States, and she's committed treason, so escaping without serious prison time is probably the best she can hope for

When I started watching this season of 24, I expected the thrill ride. I expected the loopy plotting and cliffhanger endings, the ticking plunk of a clock at the end of every hour telling me it would be another seven days before I'd find out the fate of 24's free world. What I didn't really expect was to become so involved, so engaged, with the CHARACTERS

The worm turns slowly, but it turns. That seems to be the theme emerging in this unexpected "coda" to the main storyline of 24's sixth season. Up until a few weeks ago, we all thought we'd be chasing Fayed and the crazy Russian right up until the end of May, when some shocking and explosive finale would result in the country saved (yet again) and probably Jack Bauer unhappy (yet again.)

As I mentioned last week, the idea of ending what seemed to be the season's main storyline early so that a form of suspense-packed "coda" could evolve, slightly connected but seemingly unrelated to the main storyline...it's an interesting concept. In theory

Hey, everybody! It's Fake-Out Week on 24! Seriously, was it pure plotting kismet, or a supreme act of laziness that left us with not one, but TWO major plot twists that hinged on totally PSYCH moments

Nutty. Just freakin' nutty. That's my overall reaction to this episode. Which is funny, because for the first half or so, my overall reaction was more like, "Yawn. Can I get away with reading this comic book AND following 24 at the same time?" (Answer: Not really.)

Ostensibly, this week's hour hits a plot mark that we've been waiting for weeks to occur--Gredenko is finally brought in by CTU. So it's a pretty big week, as Gredenko is one of the major villains of the season. There should be lots of shooting and fighting and Jack grumbling into cell phones, right

First and foremost, we get the "Oh, by the way, Jack. The love of your life from before your time being tortured in a Chinese prison? She died trying to save you. We forgot to mention that. Sorry." I suppose it's possible that this is a seed being planted for later, and thus cementing Jack's reputation as perhaps the WORST judge of character in the history of people