Gareth Bunkham of TV or Not TV, a TV-centric blog, has issued an “open letter” to 24’s showrunners regarding the statement released by Carlos Bernard about Almeida-less Season 8. He makes reference to Tony being “God-like” and to “Almeidaists”, so I assume he has at least a passing familiarity with this site. Read on for the letter, re-printed in its entirety in the interests of Almeidaism.
Dear Sirs,
I am writing to address the recent revelation that the eighth season of your sublime show ‘24’ will be tragically Almeida-less.
I’m sure you are sick of hearing about the God-like Tony Almeida but I could not just sit by as you prepare to soil what looks like a blistering eighth season by leaving the heart and soul of the show on the bench.
When Tony Almeida was resurrected for season 7 thousands of Almeidaists the world over rejoiced, and although it hurt when you turned him to the dark side (and back again, several times) he eventually was at least slightly redeemed. I, like many of my fellow fans, feared the worst for Tony as we approached the 24th hour of day 7.
Given Jack’s propensity for killing those close to him, the signs were ominous for Almeida, yet in spite of indeed receiving a Bauer bullet, he lived to brood another day.
So as you can imagine it was assumed that he would be back for season 8 and his eventual redemption would occur. Yet the mighty Carlos Bernard has now announced that he will not be returning to his most famous role this year, and my impalpable excitement for the new season of one of the most consistently addictive shows on TV has now turned into contempt.
I am well aware of Bernard’s penchant for tomfoolery and the fact this may all just be a carefully crafted means of building hype and debate over the new season by riling up the rabid Tony fan base (such as myself) but I could not sit back and not address the issue.
If this is indeed a ruse then kudos for achieving your goal, but if Mr. Bernard does in fact speak the truth and he will not be returning for day 8 when the likes of Annie Wersching (Renee) and Mary Lynn Rajskub (Chloe) are then I believe you will have nothing short of a riot on your hands (at least in terms of a geeky blog riot)
It has long been muted that this will be the final season of ‘24’ and if that is the case then to have it Almeida-less is a crime. Our final visions of this great and deeply complex character cannot be of him being carted away in handcuffs ranting like a mad man – the character, and the fans deserve better than that.
If there is in fact a season 9 down the line then this current stinging will be soothed slightly should season 9 include a certain soul-patched bad ass, but there’s no escaping the fact the upcoming season 8 is going to fall way short of what it could have been if there is no Tony.
You have delivered us one of the greatest shows on TV now almost a decade and for that I thank you but the decision to leave Almeida out of season 8 would be the worst decision you have made for this show since you (fake) killed him off mid-way through season 5 (and look how season 6 turned out without Tony).
I thank you for your time and hope that this potential catastrophe can be avoided.
Yours Faithfully,
Gareth Bunkham
This guy perfectly sums up the feelings of the people on this site, I’d say. So it basically goes without saying that he is familiar with this site, and I’m certain he’s going to check whether you’ve caught on to his letter and reprinted it. if so, kudos, gareth and I think you should definitely join the site
).
as for the topic, there’s nothing more to say, really. my interest in the seasoon is… uh… “oh wait, what’s on the other channels?”
I have to say, too, that on the off-chance that this *is* some kind of elaborate ruse to (in the words of Mr. Bunkham) “build hype and debate over the new season by riling up the rabid Tony fan base”, while I would be glad that Tony is in the Season, I would be disappointed in the showrunners for such a blatantly disingenuous manipulation of the fans.
Basically, if that’s the case (a *big* “if”, of course), then they will have played all of us for fools, AIG peeps most of all.
Yeah, but I have always wondered how we would have reacted if they hadn’t announced Tony’s comeback before season 7 started. IF Tony came back in season 8, it would be a real shock for all of us, because we now think he won’t be back. It would have a bigger impact. Like “Woah! OMFA! I can’t believe he’s back!”. I would like that. But I guess all of this is just wishful thinking anyway…
Well, yeah, of course. That would be the whole purpose of a misdirect like that, to throw us off track so we really would be shocked by his return. I think there will be a small part of me still hoping against hope right up until the final seconds of the finale that Tony will make an appearance.
Now this really sounds like something one could’ve said when season 6 aired. I remember all those rumours that he’d be back in the final seconds of the season. The resemblances between s6 and s8 are… fascinating.
Ooh, I remember those rumors too… the parallels are eerie. Has any other TV character sent it’s fans on an emotional roller coaster like this, both on and off the show?
I can’t see them flat out denying that Tony would be on the show if he actually was going to be though. They’d just stay mum on whether he’d be back and not answer either way, like that certain Lost character between Season 4 and 5.
yeah i have to agree with johanley. both about the rollercoaster and the second point they’re making.
as for the manipulation, it would definitely be a cruel thing to do, but I must admit that I’m not doubting his not-return since I had never taken for granted that he’d be back in the first place. I’m not happy about not seeing him again, I just hope that the parallels of s8 with s6 will end here. it’d be so sad for the show to have bounced back in s7 just to dive again. I don’t think they will, but I just thought I’d say it, so that it’s out there.
I was pleasantly surprised to see my humble letter picked up by A.I.G. – the largely inane musings of TV or not TV are usually ignored by most!
Of course I am familiar with the great work you guys do on this site and as a raging Almeidaholic I check in from time to time to get my fix. Being from the UK makes it kind of hard to get involved during the season sadly, as we are always a week behind you, and I, for the most part, don’t like seeing spoilers – although my curiosity usually does get the better of me, more so than ever in the wake of Tony/Larry last season.
I’d been pretty hyped up for season 8 after seeing the trailers, but this announcement has put the kibosh on any enthusiasm I might have had. I can only hope that this is in fact all a ploy to give us a shock down the line and maybe pop a cheap ratings spike, as manipulative and unnecessary as that may be.
People say you can’t have 24 without Jack, which is pretty much a given, but for me you can’t have 24 without Tony; and regardless of how awesome this season may turn out to be without him, it won’t change the fact that it could have been so much more with him – no matter what they pull out of the bag this year.
Now where do I sign that petition…?
To be honest, I hadn’t heard about your blog until your article about the open letter got picked up in my Google Alerts for Carlos Bernard. But as soon as I read your letter, I rushed off to re-post, because it was fantastic. As J_A said above, it sums up the feelings of most people on this site perfectly.
Very glad to have you as a member now!
http://www.almeidaisgod.com/2009/11/sign-our-petition-bring-tony-back-to-season-8/
yeah… just the way we feel… I thought the showmakers had actually understood that, and that this had been part of the reason they’d brought tony back in s7. what a bummer to see they haven’t learned.
very cool that you’ve joined the site! welcome!