Reviewed: 24 - Live Another Day (Eps 1 & 2)

Read our interview with Executive -Producer David Fury here...

Against all odds, Jack Bauer has been caught by the London branch of the CIA. The capture comes just as President Heller is formalising an international treaty linked to the US's military drones. The CIA thinks Bauer might be masterminding a diplomatic incident, but as they get ready to scrutinise their captive, little does anyone know that Jack is exactly where he wants to be...

Elsewhere a drone-strike in Afghanistan goes horribly wrong and back in London the ramifications could be more dramatic and dangerous than even the elder statesmen such as the US President (William Devane) and the British Prime Minister (Stephen Fry) can realise...

Though there's an immediate and speedy cat and mouse game at the start of Live Another Day, one could argue that there's also something of a slow-burn to this intro for Jack Bauer's problematic new day... with the first hour being a set-up (in more ways than one) for what will be the main thrust of the story to come.

Though a significant part of the opening salvo's first  two hours is set within the confines of an anoymous but somewhat  industrialised version of the infamous CTU or consulates, what we do see of the British capital itslef seems to have a much greater authenticity than many of the US shows which have sent over their casts and production teams for quick UK specials.  Yes, to some extent it's simply generic housing estates ("the British versions of our 'Projects'..." comes the translation for international audiences) and London back-streets (with brief glimpses of landmarks thrown in for good measure) but  the vibe defintiely feels more like an  energised version of our own shows... think of this as 'Spooks on crack' rather than the the previous, LA-based and brasher seasons of 24 with a few different landmarks as background.  That being said, there's more firepower on show than one might expect in even some of the UK's inner-city areas, though the first two hours also make use of up-close-and-personal blades as much as bullets.

Even in these first chapters there feels a slightly tighter mesh of stories than one has seen before. Of course, there are the multi-layered narratives within the main structure and characters at different levels of the command structure (military and political) with conflicting agendas - which are already starting to conflict in violent and fatal ways. But with only twelve hours in total to account for, it's tempting to think the whole mini-series will indeed feel more streamlined and less scattershot.

By the time the first two 'hours' are up, sharp-eyed fans will note the most subtle of tweaks to the format, with the second hour not quite picking up at the moment the last one ended. Though the episodes themselves remain in almost real-time, it is these almost invisible pause-for-breath interludes that should also help the over-all momentum of the piece.

It's good to see Chloe O'Brian (Mary Lynn Rajskub) back - now supporting a grungy gothic look and apparently an unspoken four-years of life-changing outlook, but thankfully no less of the obstinate pout  and grumbling attitude for which the character has become infamous. Stephen Fry's first (albeit brief) apperance as the British Prime Minister is also nicely played and devoid of the tempted whimsy one might expect. (Though it's worth remembering that Hugh Laurie also played a political role in earlier seasons of Spooks, so perhaps the casting is not as unlikely as one might have thought).

Even with the best of intentions, this could all have gone horribly wrong. Yes, this is still simply wish-fulfilment cops and robbers played out with a higher body-count and on a more earnest, brow-furrowing canvas. No, it's not Shakespeare but on the strength of what has been broadcast so far, 24 remains the bruised and battered but still guilty pleasure it always was... with a slightly tweaked flavour. The transplant from Los Angeles to London seems to be working better than expected and with more than just lip-service to the Secret Service... though the success of the adventure will have to be formally judged when the whole mini-series has fully played out.  

In the past, many seasons of 24 have flagged around the Episode 15-18 mark, so twelve may yet be 24's magic number...