24: Live Another Day - Enjoyable? Definitely. Predictable? Absolutely.

Now that 24: Live Another Day has been back for 7 episodes, I feel this overwhelming need to discuss it. First off, I'm really enjoying this new season. The acting is well done, the overall plot is exciting, and frankly, who doesn't love Yvonne Strahovski or anything she touches? Just seeing her play a CIA agent makes me pretend she's Sarah Walker (Chuck) all over again.

My biggest pet peeve though with this new season is the extreme predictability. It would've been nice to see the writers finally break out of the mold they had for all eight seasons, and unfortunately, with it being a short 12 hour day instead of 24 hours, these predictable plots have exposed themselves far sooner than they should.

Before the season began, I predicted the following things: someone in the White House will be conspiring with a trusted member of the CIA to kill the president (my eye was always on Benjamin Bratt), the president will be threatened to be removed from office, someone will commit treason, the president's life will be threatened, the CIA will undoubtedly be compromised at some point during the day, and the days events will revolve around either a missile or a deadly toxin.

I know what you're thinking. Wow. Quite a few things on that list have already happened. For those of you who never watched 24 before, you may have found all of the plot developments shocking. For those of us who watched every season, I'm going to assume that you know what I'm talking about.

Not a season of the original show passed without each of these events taking place. Some seasons were less predictable than others and it had to do with that season's progression. In season 1 and notably season 7, Nina Meyers and Tony Almeida were two characters written to develop trust with the viewer. Nina, of course, had it easy. It was season one and unless you saw the later seasons first, it was very unlikely you would predict that Jack's confidant was the mole - especially since the writer's didn't even decide until almost the final episode!  Tony, was a different animal entirely. For the first four and a half seasons, Tony was a trusted and beloved character. So during the events of season 7, his evil turn was all the more shocking. I'm still sitting around hoping that 24 will return for another season just to redeem Tony!

Jack and Tony Almeida (Season 7)

This season, I'd be lying if I said I didn't see Benjamin Bratt as the mole from a mile away. First of all, with only 12 episodes, they had no time to develop him as a trusted confidant. Instead, he's been the guy trying to get Kate to leave, the guy who miraculously survived the explosion (hello, if that isn't a clear sign, I don't know what is!), and the guy who's trying to get the job done without actually getting it close to done. I'm sorry, but he's had mole written all over him. It reminds me of how easily I predicted the turn of Dana Walsh in Season 8. However, with a much less annoying character. Thank you for that, 24: Live Another Day! I can't say that I was at all surprised that he was conspiring with Adrian Cross. That guy had evil written all over him from hour one.

I will give the writers props for figuring out a new way to kick the president out of his presidency. Instead of being forced out by a conspiring White House employee, Heller has taken it upon himself to remove himself due to his illness. While they still had to figure out a way for the president to be forced to resign, I'm glad it was finally his own decision and not someone else in the shadows. Of course, they then followed it up with him deciding to sacrifice himself to Margot Al-Harazi. It was the only move the writer's could make that would make sense with the current situation. I get that. But again, this isn't the first time someone important has decided to sacrifice themselves for the sake of the country. I'm looking at you Ryan Chappelle! Even Heller decided to sacrifice himself for the greater good in Season 5. So this development may not have been shocking, but at least it was consistent. I couldn't help tearing up as I had flashes of Audrey's reaction to his near death in Season 5.

The one moment I was truly surprised over was the survival of Jordan Reed in the latest episode. I really did assume he would get shot and that would be the end of it. I have no idea what their plan is for him and I look forward to seeing it roll out.

To be honest, after eight seasons of a similar story, it would be hard for them to not repeat some story lines. The only way to shock the viewers would probably be to turn Jack evil! Which would be horrible but kind of awesome as far as twists go.  I've also begun to trust Kate. However, I think it would be more shocking for her to actually be 100% good at this point. I honestly believe that with 24 episodes instead of 12, they may have been able to smooth out these predictable moments. Without the extra hours, the storyline has been moving too quickly and there hasn't been enough time to develop the characters. While 12 episodes work very well for shows like Dexter or Homeland, those shows are about growing stories throughout a period of months and the characters twist and turn throughout the season.

For 24, they only have one day to develop. One day to earn your trust. And for 24, that's what the show always relied on. Earning your trust and taking it away in a shocking moment.

What do you all think? Have you predicted anything this season? If you have, do you think it's because of the writer's using the same formula or because of the short day? I want to hear your thoughts!

Can You Get Seasick from a Computer Game? And is Don Draper dying?

As I predicted, yesterday (and today) I got far too caught up playing The Sims 3 Island Paradise. And hey, my first game crash took only a matter of about 10 minutes! That's always fun. I remember the days when I used to get stressed out that my game wouldn't work. Now I pretty much expect to fight it for the first few hours. Huh. That's actually quite sad. Anyways, here's a picture of my sim on her lovely new houseboat, making out with a co-worker:

I have spent most of my game time today building a resort for my sim to run. I'll show a picture tomorrow when it's done! I'm loving this new game so far, although, I have to say, the boat bobbing continuously is a little hard for me! I think I was getting seasick and dizzy by just watching it! I actually had to step away from the computer yesterday to feel better. I'm happy to say though that I had an easier time today!

I watched the Mad Men season finale last night... It was weird. I'm not really sure what happened exactly or why Don suddenly decided it was time to be honest - especially in the middle of a big meeting that was actually going well. It seemed a little too random. Although, I am curious if he now plans to tell his kids the details of his childhood. How would he break that to them? "Sally. Even though my last name is Draper, it's not really my last name. I stole it. That's right honey. You're not really a Draper." Awkward. And he thought she hated him before? She's a teenager and trying to figure out who she is. This news should really help with that. Not. I felt really bad for Megan when Don told her they weren't moving. He's been so against her career all season and then he tells her they're going to move. She was so happy because California is full of obvious possibilities for a rising actress. So, of course, she gets written off of her current soap opera in New York just in time for Don to come home and say he changed his mind. With her walking out the door, I have to wonder if that's the end of their marriage? Speaking of marriages, I found it funny that Ted decided to sleep with Peggy and then move to California to keep his family together. Sorry Ted but if you're unhappy at home, you're unhappy at home. Moving to California isn't going to change that. He's not like Don Draper, who's just unhappy being Don Draper. Ted actually has specific things in his life that he's not happy about. Why? I have no idea. I guess that's part of the beauty (or lackluster) writing of Mad Men. They don't give you the chance to feel for some of the characters dilemmas. It's one of the few shows where I truly do feel like an outsider looking in. I'm not attached to the characters at all, could care less what happens to them, and yet I am still curious to see what does happen to them.

The one thing I am getting increasingly curious about is Don. Particularly his shaking hands and terrible cough. Does anyone else think he might be dying? I'm not sure of what but he seems to be getting worse and worse; unless it's just the alcohol and cigarettes finally kicking in.

Have you played TS3 Island Paradise yet? Is anyone else getting seasick from it? And what did you think of the Mad Men finale? Or Mad Men in general? Is Don going to tell his kids the truth? Is his marriage over? And will Ted's problems magically go away because of a change in scenery?