(S08E10) This episode hat it all – action, suspense, tension, and dead bodies on parade. The plot is really heating up now that Jack is "all in" and motivated to stop the terrorists from detonating their "dirty bomb."

But saving New York City from a radiological nightmare isn't the only thing pushing Jack to nab the baddies. The man is smitten. He wants to keep Renee safe and sound and free from government prosecution. I guess everyone needs some personal motivation, right?

Take Samir and the IRK terrorists, for instance. Detonating the bomb would be a huge win for them. Not only will they demolish NYC and leave the area uninhabitable for 40 years, but they'll also plunge the US into a war with Kamistan, successfully thwarting Hasan's peace negotiations.

What is going on with Jack Bauer? Have you been watching '24' this season, the first time set in New York City? There were high expectations that this might be the best season yet for '24' because we'd be seeing a lean, mean, older Jack who has been through the wringer and knows all the tricks and turns of the business. Comparisons were made to Jason Bourne, but with the Bauer edge.

Unfortunately, we're not seeing the vim and vigor of 'The Bourne Identity' or any of the other Bourne pictures. We're not even seeing the quality of '24' from seasons past. Instead, '24' has turned into something else entirely -- an empty shell of its former self. It's time to call it a day for '24.' The show has definitely jumped the you-know-what.

(S08E06) "If you're talking about what I think you're talking about, we don't do that anymore." - Hastings to Jack, on using unsavory methods with the Russians

Oh, snap. The Russians may have bought Renee's cover, but that doesn't mean she's out of danger. Just the opposite, especially given the fact that she's a loose cannon and doesn't seem to care whether she lives or dies at this point. Or maybe that's not necessarily true.

(S08E05) "I think this operation just blew up." - Jack

I think this season just blew up. After loving the first four hours in last week's two-night 24 premiere, hour five of Jack Bauer's eighth bad day crashed and burned pretty hard. While the main plot involving Jack and Renee is worth watching, it still has one big glaring misstep that I had a hard time getting over last night. As for the rest of the minor subplots? We can only hope they tie in to the rest of the story, because right now, very little of it is interesting.

(S08E03/S08E04) "Renee, I know where you are and it's a dark place." - Jack

24's two-night four-hour season premiere continued tonight with the season's third and fourth hours and, by the end of it, we finally got a pretty clear picture of what the larger threat is and where it's headed... at least until next week.

Renee finally made an appearance, Hassan didn't get taken out, and Hastings figured out that Chloe actually knows what she's talking about. But was any of that enough to make up for the numerous shortcomings this season has already displayed?

'24' season 8 premiered last night, and it took all of about 15 minutes before Jack Bauer was getting in someone's face and watching a helicopter blow up on a rooftop -- even though he's "retired." Oh, how we've missed you, Jack!

What's more, he actually has something to live for, now that he's back in daughter Kim's life and scoring one-on-one time with his sweet granddaughter. Last season was just meh for us, but we can't wait to see what happens this season.

Watch the video from TV's Top 5! after the jump.

(S08E01/S08E02) "You don't look like a Grampa..." - Jack's granddaughter, Teri

As if we needed another reminder that, yes, 24 has begun its eighth season and maybe, just maybe, Jack Bauer is getting too old for this crap. Good thing for us, this guy doesn't know how to say no.

Bauer's eighth very bad day kicked off tonight with a bang (literally) and with NYC as the show's newest (gimmicky?) setting, there's hope that season eight can reclaim some of 24's lost glory because, lest we forget, seasons six and seven started off wonderfully, too, only to falter as the clock kept ticking. Can Grampa Jack do the one thing that all old folks yearn to do and turn back time?

Hang onto your hats because '24' season 8 premieres this Sunday! The new season begins with a two-night, four-hour premiere on January 17, and star Kiefer Sutherland told TV Guide that it will be "absolutely mind-blowing."

"Jack Bauer is going to have a bad day," said Sutherland. "He's going to face impossible odds and moral dilemmas. And in the end, he's going to triumph." Of that, we have no doubt!

If you'd rather not be spoiled for the new season, we suggest you stop reading here. Those of you who want to know about all the upcoming terrorists, explosions, gunfights, and torture scenes, follow us after the jump.

"WHERE CAN I BUY A METROCARD?!?!"

Though it's not something you'd expect to hear an angry Jack Bauer scream at an unsuspecting tourist, people familiar with New York City are going to be amazed that he doesn't need to.

Season eight of the real-time drama drops Bauer into the borough of Manhattan and when 24 returns in just a few days (it premieres this Sunday January 17 at 9 p.m. ET and Monday January 18 at 8 p.m. ET on FOX), it's almost comical how easy Bauer seems to get around the city. That's half the fun of it though -- eight seasons in and haven't the terrorists learned their lesson yet? Jack Bauer will always find you.

However, that doesn't mean Jack's alone in this. As many of the previews for the new season have pointed out, Bauer is a retired man, a grandfather to boot, and there's a whole new crop of CTUers ready to pick up the torch.

Details and spoilers on the new season after the jump.

(S07E23/S07E24) "You don't know what I've done." - Jack

When 24 first premiered back in 2001, we were all taken off guard. It was so different, innovative, and action packed - like nothing we'd seen on TV ever before. But do you remember why it worked so well? Sure, there was a vast conspiracy that enshrouded the whole day in darkness, but for the most part, it was all about Jack and his family. The Bauers were what made Day 1 so memorable.

You felt horrible when Jack held Teri's lifeless body in those final seconds, and it was because the season focus was weighted towards them and not Drazen or Nina. Because of that formula, the show took off and with each season from then on, 24 became bigger than itself and so did the conspiracies. Then the bubble burst with Day 6 when it all came crashing down - we'd seen enough nukes, bio-pathogens, and Middle Eastern terrorists. The difference? All of that became more important than Jack. After Day 7's stellar finale, I think we can all agree that 24 has found its roots again.

(S07E22) "Why did you betray me?" - Jack

Since next week's finale is actually the last two hours of the season back-to-back, I think it's safe to refer to tonight's hour as Day 7's penultimate episode. As is so often the case with pivotal installments that precede a finale (especially with 24), going into it, I couldn't help shake the feeling that the bio-terror threat would be erased for good only to reveal one more crisis ready to spill over into next week. I'm not trying to say that it was predictable, but ... well ... nevermind. It was predictable.

(S07E21) "I have to see this through." - Jack

After a run of so many good episodes, it had to happen sooner or later - the calm before the storm. Hour 21 wasn't much more than that. A lot of filler and only a little bit of action.

All the events that are going to play out over the season's final three episodes were set in motion, but it was done with such a deliberately slow pacing that you probably would have been fine just watching next week's "Previously on 24" clip.

Early on in 24's run, and long before Fox knew it was going to be a staple of their network and one of their few reliable sources for solid ratings, Kiefer Sutherland talked about the possibility of the show going on without him. But that was before 24 became a phenomenon and Jack Bauer became an icon in his own right. Now, it's hard to imagine the show without him. And there hasn't really been any talk of it lately, but you do have to wonder if Fox isn't thinking about it.

Don't get me wrong, Season 7 is shaping up to be the second best season of the series so far (sorry, I don't think it will be possible to top Season 5), but what Monday's two-parter showed me was that 24 can be just as compelling without Jack Bauer. For the first hour of the night Jack was behind bars or being lead around by Secret Service agents. And yet there was plenty of action and excitement to keep the adrenaline pumping. Annie Wersching is a blast to watch as FBI Agent Renee Walker. Her ballsy dive both onto Juma's boat and off of it was pure Bauer.

There's been some scuttlebutt stirred up to suggest that next season's two-hour 24 prequel TV movie will be considered part of the 24 hours in Day 7, therefore leading some to think that there'll only be 22 episodes. But how could there only be 22 hours in a day, right? Well, TV being what it is, I'm sure they'd find a way to do two hours in one -- other shows do! -- but that won't be the case. There will be 24 hours, 24 episodes in the 2009 season of 24.

Part of the reason for all this confusion is an interview that actor Robert Carlyle (The Full Monty) gave to Premiere.com. Carlyle, who will be playing someone who'd been a mentor to Jack, said that the 24 TV movie, which is meant to cover what's happened since the end of Day 6 with the new Day 7, would apply to the Fox episode commitment. He told Premiere.com, "This is two hours in real time, and there'll then be 22 episodes."

Here's an interesting casting choice: Janeane Garofalo is joining 24. According to TV Guide, she'll be a regular cast member on the next season. Her character is a government agent who will be investigating Jack Bauer and his CTU co-workers. I can imagine her playing someone Jack (and the rest of the audience) really hates.

This is Garofalo's first return to mainstream television since she her role as Louise Thornton on The West Wing in 2004-2005. She also starred in a dramatic pilot for CBS called Law Dogs, but it has not been picked up by the network.

So, 24 fans, does the news about Janeane get you more excited for the next season? Or, would you rather have a decent plot line this time around rather than celebrity casting?