24: Legacy Review: 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. (Season 1 Episode 2)

On the second hour of 24: Legacy, events cue up to an awesome episode. The wrinkles from the premiere have been ironed out, and adrenaline is pumping in true 24 fashion.

What has changed from the premiere episode’s first hour, you may ask.

To begin with, the photography is up close and personal. No wide shots where irrelevant bystanders are caught in the action sequences. With no reaction to what just has happened!

Now, what matters, is what you can see. The focus is back on track!

Similarly, the dialogues are shot tight too. Now they don’t seem to belong in a staged rehearsal. They feel alive, and moving, as we get a more intimate connection to the participants in all scenes.

On the second hour, 24: Legacy has changed producers, and it really is noticeable.

Secondly, we now know a couple of plots for the upcoming hours. Those are being pursued, and with the knowledge from the first hour, we can fill in the blanks and enjoy the plots thickening. I say fill in the blanks, as we don’t have much to work with from the production.

What we have been given, is that CTU has a very inapt screening policy when recruiting personnel, that security at headquarters is minimal, and that company policy is lacking proper procedures when receiving visits from assets no longer in the employ of CTU.

We also know very little about what happened to Eric Carter over in Yemen. Not very much is handed us to build a bond with him, or his fellow rangers from the mission.

We do, however, get quite a good read on what’s been happening to his wife Nicole and his  brother Isaac Carter (Ashley Thomas). Apparently the two had something going on in the past. This leads to a subplot that is bound to cause some friction with Isaac’s girlfriend Aisha (Tiffany Hines).

Furthermore, in the presidential campaign of Rebecca Ingram’s husband, congressman John Donnovan is having news about his campaign manager, Mariana Stiles (Coral Peña) who seems to be linked to a radical Islamic group.

The main plot remains to be the hunt for the two remaining US Army Rangers, Carter and Grimes (Charlie Hofheimer). The hunters are Bin-Khalid’s son and his men. Too little is given on the background to why they are hunting the Rangers, and we still have no hard facts on what actually happened in Yemen.

What we learn on the second episode, is that a flash drive containing a list of sleeper agents, who are operating on US soil, is in strong box that disappeared during the Yemen operation.

We can argue that anyone we’ve seen so far possibly could be a sleeper agent for the terrorist group under Bin-Khalid’s command. I wouldn’t put it past the producers to put one or two inside CTU itself.

My argument from the first hour, that the supporting cast felt bland is giving way to that it’s maturing and looking better and better.

A special mention goes to Eric Carter’s old hood. It has some vibes from The Wire right there.

I still have my doubts about the CTU staff. It looks nothing like a professional organization to me.

The build up towards the credits is awesome. This should have been the premiere episode, not the follow-up. To be fair, the producers tag both episodes as a two-part premiere. But, still, it should have been reversed. This would be impossible, though, with the 24 formula. Things happen in order.

As the second hour winds down to its last seconds, everything that could go wrong is pretty much going sideways. And this is a good thing! Next episode, please!

Notes from the flash drive:

• Is it only I who thinks CTU operative Andy Shalowitz (Dan Bucatisnky) is a double for Jack Bauer? He even has the same kind of glasses as Kiefer Sutherland in Designated Survivor.
• The list of sleeper cells. It’s a reverse NOC list of Mission Impossible, right? But why would anyone keep such a list on a hard copy? This seems absurdly silly.
• The main character of 24: Legacy is supposed to be Eric Carter, but I can’t help but seeing Rebecca Ingram as lead player in this drama.
• With monetary issues, why not ask the campaign office for a donation? It beats robbing the bank or something equally stupid. Just offering advice here.
• I’m hoping for a flashback in the coming hours which will give us some solid intel on the mission that went so wrong.
• The split screens during the 24 countdown ought to have more diverse content, showing more locations and not the same scene from five different angles!

What did you think of this episode of 24: Legacy? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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24: Legacy airs Mondays at 8/7c on FOX.

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