What I’m Watching: 24

24: Season 8, Episode 11 “2:00AM-3:00AM” (D)

I feel like they’ve done this before – using someone’s family member to make them break down and pretty much surrender themselves to the authorities. This guy was practically crying about being about to explode when only minutes over he was some hardened terrorist ready to blow the whole hospital to pieces. These terrorists spend so much time making backup plans just in case the people they select to carry out missions decide to flip at the last moment, which hardly seems like an effective use of their time. On the flip side of the terrorist-turned-tearjerker there’s the typical character that seems all nice and lovey-dovey who immediately starts frowning and plotting devilishly as soon as it’s revealed that they’re bad. I’ve had it with all this flip-flopping. Having one person be accused of something and then everyone go out of their way to defend his innocence only to find out he’s really guilty is just tiresome. It’s like last season when Jack and Tony were considered the most trustworthy good guys in one episode and then the most wanted people in America in the next by President Taylor. It just doesn’t make any sense. I had really hoped that Cole finding out about Dana’s secret past would put that whole plotline to rest, but instead we have the unfortunate necessity of dragging it out in the coming episodes by a parole officer who seems intent on finding this guy at three o’clock in the morning. At least he’s played by reliable character actor Stephen Root, most famous for playing Milton in “Office Space,” though he recently proved his dramatic abilities with guest spots on both “Pushing Daisies” and “True Blood.”