Entry No. 3

I agree that the "imminent threat" of 24 was what made it a good show (and now makes it an only "meh" show). I think the plot needs a little jump-starting. My idea:

Jack is forced to doink Nina to prove his loyalty. In the act, she reveals that she intends to kill President Palmer with the virus. Jack escapes the hacienda as the Mexican hottie reveals to Hector her infidelities, causing a large gun battle, costing her life and disposing of Chase (until he reappears later in the season to save the day). Jack now has to rush cross-country, "Every Which Way But Loose"-style, to save the president in California. I'm still working on how he acquires an orangutan.

-- Luke Crownover

Wow. You basically predicted half of the stuff that went on in last week's episode. You even predicted that I would mandate the inclusion of a smart-talking animal. And you spelled orangutan correctly! Go back to tending the ant hospital, you're intimidating me.

Entry No. 4

While I don't think "24" is beyond repair, I do think this season feels too much like the writers are making it up as they go. Here's what could make the rest of "Day 3" better.

1) Make the virus threat more immediate, just like the assassination in the first season, or the bomb and then the threat of a trumped-up war in the second. Bring it back to L.A.

2) Get rid of all the petty CTU squabbling: Chloe, Kim and Michelle all seem like transplants from "Sorority Life" and not people charged with defending the country from terrorism.

3) Forget Nina, bring back Sherry Palmer ... it's more conceivable that she'd be out of prison (something I'd hope they'd explain about Nina), and she's a better character.

4) Remember how, at the end of Season 2, the terrorist fallback plan was to infect President Palmer with ... something? Explain where that went. Millions of fanboys across the country would give a kidney to the producers if they brought back Mia Kirshner ...

5) ... or they could bring back all of the evil women: Mandy, Sherry Palmer, Nina and Marie Warner. They could team up in Day 4. C'mon, Fox, the clock is ticking.

-- Tom Coombe

You predicted the return of Sherry Palmer! Either that, or the writers at "24" hacked into my computer and found all of your suggestions. I'm onto you people! Go ahead and start casting orangutans, and I'll slap a lawsuit on you so fast, you won't be able to pass me on the street without getting a look that's really disconcertingly disapproving!

Entry No. 5

I'm inclined to agree with you, "24" seems off and rather ho-hum this year. Here's what I think might bring some of the edge-of-your-seat luster back to the show:

1) The Salazars, out of the virus game thanks to Nina, should discover that Poor Man's Angelina is working against them -- maybe her dad is undercover Mexican CIA (is there such a thing?) and they force Jack to kill her ... dun dun duh! But then he wriggles out of it by shooting one of the Salazar brothers and flying out of there on a convenient rescue helicopter piloted by Gael. But the copter can't fit Gael, Jack, Poor Man's Angelina, the kid, Chase and Mexican CIA Dad -- so CIA Dad stays behind to provide cover. He takes out Salazar No. 2 but dies in a hail of henchman gunfire. Little kid sees -- screams "Abuelo!"

2) Jack, back in the States, gets some methadone, and tries to figure out who Nina is working for. It unravels pretty quickly and leads us to what we really need to do. Which is: Kill Palmer -- the White House worked great last year but this year ... it's one big yawn. If Palmer were to try to intervene -- say Nina's buyer is an ambassador or some such in cahoots with brother Wayne -- and Palmer goes down literally fighting his brother for his country, well that should hit us where we live and give Jack a needed dose of rage-to-avenge. Plus, Sherry could come back and cry and assist Jack with her own formidable rage-to-avenge.

3) Jack and Sherry take out Nina and Wayne, respectively, only to discover that the buyer has released the virus in Costa Rica or some other semicontainable spot. End of season.

Next season, the world is different (virus fear is everywhere!) and Jack is protecting a team of doctors who are this close to finding a cure for the virus. But of course, someone wants them dead -- maybe even someone on the team! And Kim just developed a cough ...

-- Allie Gerlach

It's funny, isn't it? Claudia dies, but instead of making Jack kill her, which would be troubling and dramatic, she kicks the bucket quietly out of Jack's sight. Yet another dead end this season -- first Kyle Singer, then Palmer's lover Ann, and now Claudia. It seems like the writers' habits of throwing things together at the last minute is really backfiring these days. As well it should, really. What other show could it make less sense to write at the last minute, than an intricately plotted suspense thriller?

Then again, how can I bag on the "24" writers when I feel exhausted just from contemplating the plot possibilities for a few brief moments? In fact, the more I focus on it, the more I wish there were a simple solution to the whole problem.

Entry No. 6

Two words: Musical. Episode.

-- Jim Treacher

Congratulations, Jim! You won the "Fix 24 Contest"!

Oh wait, I forgot. This is a democracy now. Rats! I guess that means everybody needs to choose Entry 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 and send me their votes for who should win the contest, and I'll count up all the votes and then pick the one I like best anyway.

Recent Stories