A List Of Things Thrown Five Minutes Ago

BLOGGING BLIND: Occasionally, the spoilers get it right. I would have had no problem being spoiled as to the 24 premiere this week, given that 24 isn't a show I normally watch. But reading through all of the TV columns of which I am an avaricious consumer, I noticed that no one was giving anything away about the premiere except for "WATCH IT. ESPECIALLY THE FIRST FIFTEEN MINUTES." With advocacy like that, I figured I'd watch the first fifteen minutes and see if it compelled me to continue. So now, having watched not just the first fifteen minutes, but rather four hours over the span of 26 hours, I can confirm that yes, this season of 24 seems to be quite compelling.

(My problem with 24 was always that the episodes I happened to watch tended to be the ones where nothing much was happening. 15 minutes spent watching Jack drive/fly/run someplace with a determined look on his face and the like. Plus, especially during the early seasons, there was something of a divide between 24 people and Alias people, and I was adamantly in the latter camp.)

While I've seen enough 24 over the years to have been suitably shocked by the events of the first fifteen minutes, I will confess that I need a bit of background assistance before feeling suitably prepared to blog about the show. (And the thought of reading 500 pages of overlong TWoP coverage kind of makes me want to cry.) Those who have watched Season 4, please help me out in the comments.

• What's the back story on Jack and Audrey?
• Do we like Bill Buchanan? How and when did he become the head of CTU? (That is, before Samwise Gamgee showed up and took over the joint.)
• How long has Logan been a character? And has Walt always been eeeeevil? Where does Walt fit into everything?
• More generally, who besides Mrs. Logan and Lyn Gamgee is a new character this season? Edgar? Spencer? Others?