Hour 10 - Galaxy Financial Poised for a Big Year

A friend of mine has some money in a fund called Galaxy Financial and last night he sent me their year end letter to investors. There is one paragraph in the letter that is particularly relevant and I thought I would share an excerpt.

“The partners at Galaxy are very bearish on the future of the North American equity markets. While we are confident that we will see modest earnings growth and low interest rates throughout 2005, we are quite concerned that geopolitical factors could negatively impact the equity markets in the year ahead. In particular, some of our intelligence suggests that 2005 will be marked by major terrorist activity that is not limited to the Middle East. We think that the there is a strong possibility of a North American event and that is why we have initiated a very bearish bet on US Equities. In particular, Galaxy has also shorted a basket of electric utilities and insurance companies on the belief that an attack could target the United States electricity grid.”

For the first time in show history, it looks as if the producers of 24 are taking on Wall Street, and hedge funds in particular. That is my general conclusion based on the evidence presented in Hour 10 last night. In a patented 24 twist, it now looks as if the Turks are merely a pawn in a larger chess game being played by Galaxy Financial. I’ve been waiting for this changeup and it came right on schedule. As we have seen in previous seasons, storylines tend to end and begin around the halfway point of the show. In this instance, it looks as if the Turk storyline is about to conclude, or at least move into an entirely new direction. But as the Turks move off into the sunset, a new group of bad guys will emerge and in this case, the bad guys will be the folks a Galaxy. In fact, it looks to me like we could have an event on the Galaxy trading desk next week.

I don't have much to say on Paul Raines other then he is an idiot and in real life, he probably ends up with someone closer to Chloe then Audrey. However, I do think the writers screwed up one part of his storyline. If I were the show's top scribe, I would have had Jack interupt a good old-fashioned attempted rape scene. So as Jack breaks down the door of the hotel, he gets a birds eye view of Paul doing an impression of Kobe Bryant at the Lodge and Spa in Cordelia Colorado. I would love to see Jack cleanup that situation.

Now I am not certain of the following conclusion so it remains only a thesis at this point. But with a gun to my head, I gotta think the guys who took down Curtis and killed Marianne are linked back to Galaxy. I am pretty confident in my theory, but I remain a bit cautious on the call. As an alternative, I think there is a shot that they are renegade feds. Don't rule out some fed involvement in this whole debacle.

As for Curtis, some people may think that my call to buy his stock last week was a real loser. After all, he has been taken prisoner and the previews for next week don’t look promising. I will concede that his stock pulled back a bit this week, but I see this as a big buying opportunity. Curtis would be dead by now if he didn’t have a role going forward. With every breathe he takes, I get more confident Curtis will be pivotal down the road. In fact, I would consider him a rising start at this point.

Another star on the rise is Sarah. What a few hours she has had. First she gets accused of treason and then she gets electrocuted within an ounce of her life. When its disclosed that she isn’t a treasonous mole, she forgives her torturers and goes back to her desk. Now that is a team player. No moping back to the clinic. Instead, its put me in coach, I am ready to play. I have electrical burns all over my neck but I am ready to set up a level three protocol if need be. But I do have to question her demand for only a modest pay increase. She should have held out for much more then two paygrades (that is like an additional $600/month for civil servants) and I hope she didn't forfeit any of her future legal rights. I am not an employment attorney, but I think plaintiffs usually get seven-figure settlements when their employers are found guilty of shocking them into submission.

Tony Almieda had a very strong week and that should quiet those of you who doubted his commitment to solving this caper. Jack put him on the spot this week, but Tony came up large with an Almeida classic: “Thanks Jack, I’ll do it!” My no mistake about it, Tony is now “all in.” And how about his return to CTU? It was like a king returning to his lands after being wrongly exiled. Powerful stuff indeed.

Ok, Edgar didn’t have a great week but even Hakeem Olajuwon took nights off. I wouldn’t go crazy selling Edgar short just because he didn’t have those meltdown reports updated for Driscoll. On the plus size, Edgar played a key role in unraveling the corporate structure of Galaxy and I did love his briefing for Sarah which concluded with, “we have to mobilize tactical to support Jack.” Great stuff if you ask me.

One thing that caught me by surprise last night was the difficulty Jack had in putting away Navi. Jack has handled much tougher opponents in the past and I was expecting a first round knockout. But Navi took that fight into the third round and scored a few points before Jack was able to put him away. Nice supporting move by Tony to come in and bully Beruz into a surrender. On a realted note, i think its worth noting that Beruz did kill two guys in about five hours, one of which was his dad. That is pretty good work for a kid who eats a ton of shit at school.

One last thing I wanted to point out, did anyone notice the following? When Navi calls the head Turk, there are a bunch of Arabs sitting down at a table in the background. Its hard to tell, but I think they are playing cards. We have six nuclear plants melting down and these guys are playing Go Fish?

Hour 9 Recap

The count is 2-0 and there are runners on first and second with no one out. This guy doesn't want to go 3-0 and so I am looking fastball all the way. I got the green light and if its down Broadway, I am taking this deep. In this situation, I don't think the pitcher has the confidence to throw me a breaking ball or change up. His best pitch is the heater and that is what he is coming with. Ok, he's in the stretch and here it comes. I am going yard with this. Oh crap, I am way out in front. He threw me the Change. Can you believe he threw me the fucking change. Grounded to third - double play.

The exchange up above describes what the producers of 24 did to me with Hour Nine. After last week, I was expecting the heat. We had a huge close in Hour 8 and I was expecting some follow through. At the very least, I was expecting a major plot twist and possibly the death or wounding of a main character. So at nine o'clock, I am at my TV looking for the gas and what do I get? I get the change and not just the ordinary change. I get the real nasty stuff. The stuff that looks like its coming at you 95 miles per hour but is really clocking out at 70 mph.

But what a change up it was. Nuclear reactors are melting down, terrorists are bleeding to death, guys are getting shot on helipads and what do the producers do? They go soft! They give us perhaps the most powerful show of emotion in show history. Yes that's right. The conversation between Edgar and his mother is arguably the most touching and emotional scene in show history. I do not say this lightly. Sure, Mason reaching closure with his son was great. And who can forget the anguish that Tony faced while waiting for word of Michelle's safety and then the relief he felt when told that she had escaped infection. Both of these were classic moments, but last night goes right to the top of the list. I was tearing up when the brave Mrs. Stiles was offering Edgar some final words. What a dignified performance by Mom and son alike.

And here is where I have to do a little self-congratulating. I have been pushing this Edgar kid for weeks. For a goof, I bought his stock when it was dirt cheap back in hour four. People were telling me he was only a bit player on the Sopranos and he was never going to become a player on 24. Well, these critics aren't saying much now. Edgar has become HUGE and my stock has nearly tripled in four weeks. This guy has not only moved from C-level to B-level, he has an outside shot at cracking the A team. As I mentioned last week, this has never happened once in show history. Two bump ups in a single season is outrageous. Edgar's got a shot at it and that is why I haven't sold a single share of my stock. If this guy saves a few million lives while his mom is dying, he goes into the Hall of Fame immeidately.

Edgar and Momma Stiles stole the show last night but there are a few other issues I want to bring up. The first concerns Jack and his great skill in the area of exploiting "leverage." Here is the situation. Dina Araz has been taken into custody and Jack immediately recognizes that she is not a candidate for torture. So what does Jack do - he seeks out the leverage. A lesser field agent would have gone after Dina's wound and gotten nothing. Jack takes the time to consider the situation and then he comes up large. Bauer relies on leverage like Kareem used to rely on the sky hook. It is his bread and butter and he uses it better then anyone in cop show history.

Lets now take a closer look at Jack's excellent move last night. This is the way I see it - Jack could have done two things. First, he could have claimed to have captured Beruz and threatened to kill him if Dina didnt talk. This may have scared her into talking, but what if she called the bluff and demanded to see Beruz. Jack would have been left high and dry under this scenario. If he goes all in with nothing and she calls, the show is over. Jack knows this so he goes with option two. This option calls for Jack to claim Beruz will be hunted down by his father unless Dina cooperates. This was a very shwred move given that Dina had just been shot by her husband and was probably a bit peeved in the first place that he wanted to kill her son. Its amazing how in the middle of a national catastrophe, Jack sees every anlge and usually pulls the ace to complete his full house.

The big factual error that I pulled from last night was a referrence to the nuclear reactor at San Gabrial Island. There is a San Gabrial Valley in Southern California, but it is land locked. Hence, no island. The big nukes in Southern California are at San Onofree and are owned by EIX. I will assume that the San Gabrial plant, as envisioned by the producers, is also owned by EIX, and so there is no change to my short call on Edison.

Anyone notice how shabby a job Navi Baraz did when he went searching an apartment early in the show. The guy barely glanced around the apartment before concluding that his wife was not present. It seems a bit odd considering the execution of his master plan depends in part of finding her. Hey Navi - the game is on the line - how bout at least looking under a bed? Staying with the Arabs, it doesn't strike me that anyone in the Baraz family will be signing up to run the New York City Marathon. Did you see Beruz running through that hospital? He looked like Richard Simmons. And I can't believe that a guy who runs like that would have had a girl like the one Beruz was dating up until today. And Berus wasn't the only one who was running like a yearling. His uncle didn't exactly look like Deion Sanders as he raced after Beruz in the hospital. Are the producers of the show trying to tell us something?

Not a whole lot else to discuss this week. There were no particularly gross product placements. Tony was quiet. I am wondering whatever happened to Maya. That storyline seems to have fallen off the map. I think its about time for me to sell her out. Marianne's recovery should be interesting next week. She has some bills to pay. Quite frankly, a few characters need to step up. Rumsfeld has seen his role diminished of late. Audrey has become a bit player and I dare the producers to let her husband resurface at CTU again. Driscoll seems to be teetering on the edge of a nervous breakdown. You know where I see some potential. Curtis. I think Marianne's recovery is going to pave the way for him to assume a larger role. So I am selling some Maya this week and buying some Curtis. I am buying a little more Tony on this week's pullback and I am considering taking up my position in Edgar even further. Edgar has run, but I still think there is a lot of upside in the lispy leghound. My shorts continue to be Audrey and Beruz.

Hour 8 Recap

I am still basking in the aftermath of another Patriot World Championship and so I will rely on football to describe my general feeling of last nights "24." In a nutshell, hour eight reminded me a bit of Super Bowl 38 (February 2004) where not a whole lot happened before halftime, but then the action grew hot and heavy in the fourth quarter. In that game, future Hall of Famer Tom Brady was simply unstoppable and led the Pats to victory with two huge drives late in the game. Last nights episode was carried by another Hall of Famer - Tony Almeida.

This guy has about the most riveting storyline in show history. He betrays his country, goes to jail for treason (somehow avoids the chair), gets a pardon, loses the wife that he went to jail for in the first place, and is now back in the fold as a tormented soul who may just have an opportunity to set things right. Tony's storyline has TREMENDOUS potential in S4. And I mean tremendous. Hey, Tony is already in the Hall of Fame, but he has a chance to have a Barry Bonds like career. Bonds won three MVPs in Pittsburgh before he even got to San Franciso in 93. He then went on to have several good seasons in San Francisco. Based on this resume he was already a Hall of Famer by the time he exploded in 1999 and became the modern day Babe Ruth. Tony has the same type of potential. This guy was a superstar in seasons two and three. But I see a Bonds like explosion in s4. I thought the highlight of last night's show, notwithstanding some of the late game action, was Tony's sitdown with Jack. It was some of the most emotional acting we have seen to date on 24 - up there with Chapelle's execution in S3. Tony also had a great line last night. In the middle of an effort to save the country from a major environmental catastrophe, he offered: "anybody want a beer?" Are you kidding me? That is Bonds, down a run in the seventh with two on, crushing a 0-2 Clemens splitter into the cheap seats at Minute Maid Park! I see Tony playing an intergral part in CTU's effort to regain control of the nukes. I also think there is a strong chance he doesnt survive the day. I can see him laying it all on the line to recapture his lost honor.

In the meantime, he is a devastating offensive threat. He has great lines and great poise. Also, I love how he treats his new "girlfriend." No respect there whatsoever. If "24" were on HBO, we would have heard something like,"bitch, get off the phone before I hit you over the head with this Chicago Cubs mug!" The director must be a huge cubbies fan because that was a pretty overt product placement. Also on that point, who drinks beer out of a coffee mug - Tony loses a point for that foul. The new girlfriend, but the way, is a horrible trade down for Tony. Michelle Dessler, his estranged wife, is number four on my list of "24" starlets and the new girl looks a bit like the amish kid from Witness.

There were not many big developments last night but one point worth discussing is the emergence of Edgar as a central player. I got to hand it to myself - I saw this one coming. Last night, Edgar broke through the glass ceiling and rose from a C-level player to a B-level player. I think he has potential to become an A-player, but keep in mind, no one has ever leapt from C to A in one season. His play on Marianne was very solid and I loved the move to get an audience with Driscoll before Marianne could fire off her best shot. Points, by the way, to a friend who mentioned that Marianne was on Talk Soup. Nice call there.

For all you stock jocks out there who are looking for shorts - my best guess is that the affected utilities are EXC, XEL, FPL, D and SRE (SRE plant could be an EIX plant so be careful.) The sixth plant looks to be in the Portland area. This would be owned by Portland General, the utility formerly owned by Enron. I am not sure whether it is still owned or whether it was sold off in bankruptcy. I suspect most of the aforementioned companies will not be able to handle the flood of litigation that will result if a core actually melts and there is significant radioactive leakage. I would love to be short D when the news hits the tape that North Anna I's safety measures have failed and a radiation plume has been detected. GE and Westinghouse (Viacom) may also have some exposure and there are probably some insurance plays as well.

What else of note this week? The arabs took this week's credibility title with their appearance at the hospital. Who did Madame Beruz think she was kidding in that emergency room. "Doctor, I scraped myself on a gate in my backyard, could you patch me up?" "Sure lady, but this is some coincidence, you also have a bullet lodged in the wound." Another credibility stretch this week: How does the guy Rumsfeld brings in to find the mole get to CTU so quickly. he works for Rumsfeld so shouldn't he be at the Pentagon?

So Marianne - the "Super Temp"- is now gone. Does anyone care? That storyline was going nowhere from the start. I guess she was slightly unlikable which is important, but she is replaceable. The just need to call the temp agency and order up a new gal who happens to be a computer jock with level four clearance. My bet is the Super Temp is still alive but only barely. They have to get something out her because CTU's leads are drying up and those cores are getting hot. The assasination at the helicopter was a big setback for the investigation and so Marianne will be needed to get Jack headed in another direction.

Hour 7 Recap

The great champion was hurt in round seven. Not floored, but the champ’s knees were buckling and you could see the fighter wandering aimlessly around the ring. After winning the championship in 2002 and gloriously defending it in both 03 and 04, the champ seemed tired. Perhaps this was the year the title would be vanquished. Perhaps the tank was finally on the cusp of running dry. Sure, the champ had gotten off to a good start, but it had begun to tire in recent weeks. A spark at the end of round six was a bit encouraging, but for the first time in years, there were chinks in the armor. Credibility gaps and storyline blunders were weighing on the champ and some ringsiders were privately hoping that the fight should be stopped. Round seven was not encouraging. The champ started slowly and took a few good shots. The champ was bloodied and on the verge of being beaten. But champions don’t go out with whimpers and deep in round seven, this champ rallied with a vengeance. While pinned against the ropes and looking helpless, 24 uncorked one of the great left hands in show history. One second, it looked liked Monday nights were back in play – a second later, TONY ALMEIDA IS BACK!

This almost goes without saying – Tony Almeida’s return in season four is unquestionably a top-5 24 moment and it just may save the season. From here on out, Tony’s save will rank up there with Nina’s flip, Nina’s seduction, George’s stowaway/suicide and Chappelle’s execution as legendary moments in show history. Tony Almeida is a first ballot Hall of Fame inductee and his re-introduction will add adrenalin to a show that was overdosing on sedatives. Granted, the circumstances surrounding his return are a bit extraordinary – after all, shouldn’t he be serving life in prison for treason. Moreover, how the fuck did he get to Jack’s location so quickly? I don’t care that these questions linger and long for an explanation. All I care about is my boy is back.

Truth be told, before Tony’s return, last night’s show was hurting. What the fuck are the writers doing with Audrey’s husband. They think we are going to be concerned with his little heartache. What is this – Days of our Lives? You think the Secretary of Defense is going to take some time out of his schedule with North American nuclear holocaust looming to give this kid some advice about his daughter. Stop the insanity. Kill this storyline before someone gets hurt.

I am also a bit disappointed by where the Maya storyline is going. The freaked out psycho daughter showed some promise, but it looks like she will only amount to a distraction. Unless of course she comes out of her drug induced coma and hooks up with the kid who was tortured. That would be a Melrose moment but it would not live up to 24’s lofty standards.

Kudos this week to Edgar who showed some mettle under pressure. “Hey back off guys, let me breathe and I may just be able to save the eastern seaboard and the shareholders of Entergy!” I am a little curious why no efforts have been made to bring back Chloe despite her actions earlier. Edgar largely came through but don’t you want your stopper in there with the game on the line? Marianne’s storyline showed a bit more promise this week, but she has thus far failed to generate much hate. She is no Sherry Palmer, although I like how it appears that she has framed Michelle Driscoll’s replacement at station four. As for the Arabs – it is all too predictable at this point. The kid seems to sweat a lot although he did act swiftly once his mom got drilled in the arm. Who knows, he may become the first Turk to drive NASCAR.

Hour 6 Recap

Nice comeback for the show although the scripts are getting a bit predictable and that is worrisome given the unpredictability of seasons past. Jack was definitely a rock star last night, killing at least 23 arabs and only taking one incoming off his bulletproof vest. It was a little surprising seeing how easily James Heller used his weapon given the fact that his profile on the 24 website makes no mention of previous military experience. hey, serving on the House Armed Services Committee does not usually provide a representative with much experience using a hand gun.

I am very confused where Paul Raines came from. Doesnt he live in Washington? How did he get to LA so quickly? So Marianne is a mole? I saw that coming hours ago and thus it cant belumped in as a great "24" moment. Certainly nothing like Nina's flip in season one. A big question, how can a temp be given free reign to penetrate CTU. In a crisis, they have to call in outsiders to work the computers? One of last nights strongest moments involved Heller authorizing curtis to use torture to extract info from his son. That is a Rumsfeld moment!!!!!

I think the producers are missing a great opportunity with Maya Driscoll. she has plenty of potential and I am expecting big things from her as the afternoon wears on. Beruz had his Bar Mitzvah last night, ie, he became a man. But then, he has to go out and blow it with that faggy jog back to the car. That kid should have eased up on the acting lessons as a kid and got out there onthe playground a bit more. He looked a bit like AROD slapping the ball out of Bronsons glove in that very disconcerting "24" moment. bits and bytes -the marines were much more effective last night then they were down in Meixico when they were acting with Chase and trying to take down the virus. And where is Chole? They sure got her out of the building quickly. And Curtis - boy did he put that briefccase story together quickly. That pretty much wrapslast night. As far as the preview goes, how is Edgar put in charge of bringing the nation's nukes back on line. There is no one more qualified then that guy?

Ten Hottest chicks on 24

10 Linda ( season 3) She dated Kyle Singer, the kid who brought the fictitious virus over from Mexico. She was San Fernando Valley trash, but she was definitely the next door neighbor in the apartment that would blow you if you were a lower middle class latch key child.

9 Claudia (season 3) She sure bailed out Chase down there in Mexico when he was strung up by his thumbs. Hot Latin spice that was sexy even though she had a ten year old son on the show. She reminded me a bit of Charo during her Love Boat days.

8 Marie Warner, a villain from season two. Not as naturally gorgeous as her sister Kate, but definitely the bigger whore of the siblings. Marie had a bad streak that was very alluring. If she didn’t get caught up in a plot to destroy the West Coast, she probably would have ended up in the adult film business.

7 Lynn Kresge, Chief of Staff to President Palmer in Season Two. A little bit older then the other starlets on this list, but very sexy in a business suit. Kind of a sleeper but I believe much underrated by my peers. She had a big mole on her chin that was a bit freaky, but she was a middle age all-star. Its too bad she had to fall down that stairwell.

6 Teri Bauer – Jacks first wife form Season One. She gets points in my book for the short hair. She was a bit wimpy especially when she was hanging out with Alan York, but she had nice long legs and great eyes. She could have used bigger tits and that is why she didn’t crack the top five. I thought it would have been great if the writers could have somehow inserted a scene where Teri had lesbian sex with her adversary Nina Meyers.

5 Kim Bauer – Jacks Daughter. In my estimation, has shown steady improvement from season to season. However, in 24, she has never approached the level that she achieved when she played an eighteen year old porn star in the fine film: The Girl Next Door. She is one of the few gals in entertainment under the age of 25 that can go up against Lindsey Lohan in the rack department.

4 Michelle Dessler: Very sexy Latina who emerged as a star in Season Two. I am not sure why she comes to work dressed in leather, but who is arguing. Michelle was an athletic chick with a rock hard body. This is a bold statement given my love for Tony A, but Michelle is probably too much women for T to handle. For his sake, I hope he has conjugal visitation rights while he serves out his term for treason.

3 Kate Warner – Season Two. Upscale broad whose sister was a rock star. Kate was very hot in the traditional sense. Ms. Warner is probably the one gal on the show who is most likely to be the face in a cosmetics ad. She was a bit pale and conservative, but I always suspected that she was an aspiring whore. There is no doubt in my mind that Jack fucked up when he didn’t lock her up to a long-term contract.

2 Nina Meyers – How can Nina Meyers not be number one on this list? She was the siren who dominated seasons one, two and three. Her move to kiss Jack while he is handcuffed in Mexico is one of the top five scenes in 24 history, right up there with Chapelle’s execution and George Mason’s flight to immortality. Nina had a rock hard body that simply exuded sex. Although she only makes runner-up on this list, she tops my list of the greatest characters that have appeared in the 72 episodes to date.

1 Mandy – In a huge upset, I put the terrorist from season one at the top of my list. Although she didn’t have a large part, she was the most stunning of all the 24 chicks. I am partial to brunettes and that is perhaps the reason for her lofty placement. But I also felt that Mandy was at least one- third lesbian and that helped propel her to the top of this list. The other thing about Mandy that is interesting is that her story was never resolved. She is out there lurking somewhere – maybe she will re-emerge on Day 4 and have sex with ex-con Marie Warner.