So it’s about a double agent who, in front of the man who ostensibly discovered him yet gives him the opportunity to make an outside phone call, tells his daughter, just when he’s about to get tortured or killed, not to take the highway because it’s jammed. And, obviously, Rutger Hauer isn’t alarmed at all, because he knows he’s only a guest star and, whatever happens, he’ll be dead at the end of this episode or the next. I don’t mean to complain, but it’s just a little stupid to have overlooked the starting point for such an important episode.

As for the second one, well… despite the presence of two Ethan Hawkes, including one naked (the face does get a bit old, but the body shows that someone’s been intent on staying in shape; not like Tarantino being absolutely ridiculous the previous year) and even though I’m rather happy we’re rid of the annoying roommate, it’s far from great. Not only that I’m not interested at all in the Face/Off rip/off, but I find much less charm in this sub-James Bond invention than in Rambaldi’s antiques, as far as science-fiction goes. Well, let’s just say it was an exposition episode, introducing the Francie replacement.

Anyway, I can’t wait to find out how the writers intend to fill the time now that the Bristows aren’t double agents anymore. And I want to make a public apology to them writers, by the way, for all those times I was desperate to see the accumulation of improbable twists to endanger then save the Bristows, those times when I thought the show was going to dive into monotony quickly, whereas in fact it was part of completely coherent construction leading to the show being turned upside down in the course of one single, unannounced, unexpected episode, after only a year and a half (funny how I feel like I’ve been watching this for three or four years now, with all that already happened). Summarized in one word: Bravo.

This post was sponsored by my mother’s TV. Now I have to decide if I want to have a new TV set before Sunday’s 24 episodes, and whether I’m ready to pay the price. (You can’t imagine.)