Hollywood time-space physics and other thoughts about "24"

Just watched the season finale of "24," so it goes without saying that spoilers abound. . . .

- What a rip-off!  Not only did the first "hour" end at about 55 minutes, to be filled with commercials, we had a "previously on" segment to start the next hour!  What's up with that?!?

- And then, at the end, we're teased with a special "inside look" at "24," which I thought might be a hint about season 6, but instead, it was just a freaking recap of the season we just watched!

- Speaking of time-space physics, the First Lady's, um, tactic to delay the President lasted only five minutes -- including undressing AND dressing time?!?

- I've only met one Secret Service agent, so it's not like I know a whole lot about them, but I'd think that they would know one another on the same protective detail, so that you couldn't just show up with some laser-printed document and claim to be a replacement for another agent.

- Ever wonder how Jack Bauer got really good at his version of the Vulcan neck pinch?  I mean, he manages to choke good guys into unconsciousness without killing them or (one presumes) brain damaging them.  How exactly does one go about getting such training?  Do CTU washouts have to be the guinea pigs?

- Doesn't 6:40 AM seem like an awfully inconvenient time to be having a national press conference to commerorate a fallen ex-President?  I realize that's Pacific time, so most of the country is awake, but still, what harm could there have been in having the body leave L.A. at noon?

- Even if the Attorney General could be convinced in five seconds by a digital recording that hadn't been authenticated or even tested for tampering, and decided to order the President arrested, how is it that the Secret Service agents would stop taking orders from the President?  The Secret Service is part of the Treasury Department, not the Justice Department.

- Finally, "China has a long memory."  Yeah, and apparently some ability to warp time-space even more powerful than CTU's.  Inside ten minutes, Chinese agents subdue Jack Bauer, beat the hell out of him, stick him aboard a freighter bound for China, and have the freighter steam off!

Comments

[Milbarge]

I can't help you solve any of the space-time riddles. I just started watching this season, so I don't know if they were worse this year than before. But they were so ridiculous (along with the "plot" twists) that I'll never watch again.

But, I do have an answer for your first item: re-runs and syndication. When the show re-airs, the last hour will air separately, requiring the "previouslies." Plus, I suppose that Fox might have been worried that some folks would tune in at the usual starting time.

[Lugosi]

I guess next season Jack will spend his day trying to escape from that freighter.

[Milbarge]

Maybe the freighter will be flipped upside-down by a giant wave, and Jack will have to go deeper into the hull to get out!