24: Solitary Clip – Tony Almeida is back!

Here’s the first clip of 24: Solitary featuring the return of Carlos Bernard as Tony Almeida.

We learn that Tony Almeida was sentenced to life in solitary confinement eight years ago, which means this scene takes place approximately two years after the events of 24: Live Another Day.

In the clip Tony is requesting to be moved to general population so that he can serve as an undercover “inside source” and provide actionable intel about other prisoners. He states that his desire for revenge consumed him and that Michelle “never would’ve approved of the man I became” following her death. He accepts the fact that he’s going to die in prison, but hopes to save at least one life so that he can be worthy of Michelle’s love again.

To see if Tony’s request was granted you’ll have to buy the 24: Live Another Day Blu-Ray set this Tuesday (it’s not available on the DVD release in the US). The full featurette clocks in at seven minutes.

It seems the writers are setting up a redemption arc for Tony. Would you forgive him for all the bad things he’s done?

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Standard straight-to-DVD fare, it seems. But I’m not in the Tony camp, so my reaction is probably to be expected.

I’m not on board for any redemption story arc: Tony died for me in season five. This preview didn’t change my mind.

24 fans haven’t seen Tony Almeida since the end of Season Seven. Not quite so sure if he’s still the same bad-ass Tony was in Day 7.

Like the way Tony mentioning Michelle Dessler the woman who got killed by a car bomb in the Season Five premiere.

WouldntYouLikeToKnow
September 27, 2014 at 12:54 am
That’s the Tony I know and love. True to his character, perfect.

Doesn’t sound like it’s connected to the 9th season in anyway. Which would mean Jack has been held in Russia for two years then.

please don’t fuxk up this redemption, they did it to sherry palmer when she redeemed herself in season 2, went back a villain in. season 3 . and charles logan on season 6, came back a villain on season 8……..

It sounds to me like they are talking about saving Jack in that video.

Interesting….

Helllll yeah!

I’d been really curious to see what his state of mind would be in Solitary. I’d have bought it if he was still consumed by all the bad stuff, but I like that he’s come around to some acceptance of responsibility that what he did was wrong, and he wants to atone for it in some meaningful way.

So great to see Tony again, can’t wait to see the rest of Solitary, in the meantime if anyone needs me I’ll be at the bottom of a bottle with my feels because this bugger breaks my heart.

I know, but this is great. This is honestly perfect and heart-breaking.

I never expected Tony to return. It was crazy enough that he was brought back from the dead, but after Season 7…I thought his story was over.

But here it is again. I think it’s the timing. It’s been a while. And I completely buy that Tony’s seen the light again. I do. He will always be defined by his love for Michelle, but he has changed, he wants to make it right in the most selfless way, and that brings some peace of mind, knowing that Tony is Tony again.

And just maybe, this actually will be a set-up for the next 24 story, with Tony and Jack reuniting. Fingers crossed.

I wonder if he’s got a bit of a deathwish. Volunteering to be a snitch, he probably figures that after he helps to foil a terrorist plot he will inevitably be found out by the people he betrayed, who will then kill him. Do one final good deed to try and make up for the crap he did, then get some eternal peace and see Michelle again. If he knows he’s gonna die in there anyway, may as well die for something worthwhile, (hmmm, now where have I heard something like that before).

Well…ummm…hmm.

I honestly don’t know how I feel about this. I love Tony. I’m one of the few who praise the writer’s decision to take him down a darker route in Season 7. I’m just not sure if the ‘redemption’ angle is appropriate.

Does anyone know when Solitary takes place? Like before or after LAD?

Cause if it’s before he could already on his way to Russia…

oops, just read the description. Sorry ;-)

TONY’S BACK!!! Love that clip, another heartfelt performance by Carlos, welcome back dude…

It’s been said before but is worth mentioning again that both Jack and Tony are essentially two sides of the same coin, and on parallel paths; both have been an and out of CTU, both have loved and lost, both let vengeance override their better instincts, and both are now in prison, albeit in two different countries. Was this short just a gift to the innumerable Tony fans, or is it – as billed – a potential bridge between this past season and a new one?

Time will tell.

Oh come on.. You gotta give us another season for sure now!!! Let tony go undercover with the russians, free jack, and get rid of the terrorists back in Los Angeles!. We Need one more real season with Full-time jack.. and Tony!.

Hell Yea

Yeah Tony’s back! This has to be a set-up for another season. Tony gets transferred to a Russian prison in order to find and break Jack out or something. He could then help Jack in order to try and redeem himself. I know it’s implausible as hell but if it means more Jack and Tony who cares!

Who says Jack even made it to a Russian prison? It really stood out for me that before handing himself over in exchange for Chloe, he never thanked Belcheck for everything he did that day, gave no indication this could be their last meeting, and Jack almost always thanks people for their help… maybe it means nothing or maybe the writers were leaving their future options wide open…

Also, Jack and Chloe briefly held hands during the exchange. Perhaps, Jack passed Chloe a note – perhaps the frequency of the secrete transmitter implanted in Jack’s body. Remember Jack had a “push button” transmitter in his wrist at the start of 24LAD which CIA did not detect.

I think this really is one of the few ways it could have gone in order for Tony to have a shot at coming back ( unless they kill him when he is released to the genpop) The audience needs a significant amount of time to pass for true remorse and a credible rationale as well. I’m seeing either a spec ops from the intelligence he gets or a provision break to save Jack or Chloe or someone in the presidents inner circle from this clip…

I don’t quite buy Tony and Jack as two sides of the same coin because Tony’s bad acts are almost always in furtherance of a self centered end result and because his ego.gets in the way so it’s a combo of ruthless and petty that Jack has never displayed.

He is not the hero or the anti hero and never reaches a nobleness of spirit that would allow an audience to forgive him most everything — and that is in part where his pettiness comes from -Jack gets our loyalty and the benefit of the doubt where Tony has to earn it and even then we reserve judgment.

That being said Carlos Bernard kicks it out the park and the set is so much more interesting when he is part of the show so I do hope they can get him into season 10.

Tony and Jack’s ‘bad acts’ were both rooted in the exact same source; vengeance over the death of a loved one whose murderers seemingly acted with impunity, the only difference was Chloe managed to talk Jack out of crossing the line he could NEVER have returned from had he pulled the trigger on Yuri Suvarov, whereas there was no-one to pull Tony back from the abyss before he murdered Larry Moss… and by then, it was too late, a line had been crossed for Tony that wasn’t for Jack.

Tony and Jack are absolutely two sides of the same coin, it doesn’t mean they have the exact same character traits or respond the same way when the worst happpens – they clearly don’t, in fact, they both act in opposite ways – but they are both on parallel tracks… wherever those tracks are leading.

Just my own humble opinion of course. Welcome back Kiki sweetie, hope you’ve recovered from the finale in July :-D…

Agreed, Gerry! Good post.

Its not that they are acting in opposite ways– they make very similar moves to one another.

I think the real key to understanding the dynamic is to know that the acts are similar but their motivations are polar opposites.

Tony is motivated by selfish desires– almost every move starts and ends from a place that is self-interested and even the ones that are not are still about fulfilling something inside him. For example, saving Jack and Audrey in S4 was because he owed Jack and Palmer for getting him out of prision and now they are even so he did it to settle the score so he wouldn’t have to owe Jack anymore.

Jack is always motivated by selflessness– he will hurt the ones he loves if on the balance the action will be for the greater good. He almost never takes action based on pure self interest. To the point where actually you don’t much like him — maybe you admire his resolve but think he is an idiot– best example is S2 with flying the plane to the desert and talking to Kim when piloting the plan– even Tony calls him on it– there has to be someone else Jack, someone without a family. And so the fact that he is able to push aside his own emotional connections to be hyper task oriented is a flaw that Tony doesn’t have.

To be honest I am not sure which is better– I almost would rather have Tony in my corner except that at any given point i time he could betray you if there was something else that provided a better upside for him or his loved ones and then he would push aside fulfilling a mission to pursue the more self-interested action, With Jack, you at least know what you will get– start to finish soup to nuts his moves are predictable and therefore reliable and therefore as long as you do not find yourself in the crosshairs you want him to be in charge because the moves are more expected as opposed to Tony who can be a wildcard– but if he is your wildcard you are better off.

My sense is that the writers wrote and filmed the Tony scene to either 1) support the “tie the series up in a bow” premise they entered the season with; or 2) provide a back-story they could tap into if there were a Season 10 to come. If the first reason is the one, giving Tony a sense of doomed closure would parallel what they set Jack up in the finale.

But if the second reason is the motive, I can definitely see some linkage being made to Russian cartel members (now in prison) conspiring with the Wilson conspiracy group of S7 (who may be still be free), and thereby allowing Tony’s undercover work in a prison assignment be the foundation for getting Jack free.

so exited when i saw this clip, loved every second. Tony has always been my favourite, second to jack of course. When i think of his last scene in season 7 it reminds me of a true sympathy, for all the evil and pain he has caused, he didn’t deserve this, he didn’t deserve to cross the line, i think redeeming him is the smart play here, it will please the hardcore tony fans that have loved him since day 1 when he was nina’s bitch, to think how much the character has been through since that day is remarkable, 24 would have been so different without carlos and that can be seen in the above video.
just my own opinion but im sure a lot of fellow hardcore alemida fans feel similar?

What a great performance by Carlos, but I wonder what the exact purpose of this clip: just to satisfy the always handsome Tony’s fans, giving news about him, and maybe a closure to his story, or to prepare an arc for next season: Tony finds a way to help Jack, and so will he definitely redeems himself?

I must admit to being a trifle disappointed they seem to be going the (oh so boring) redemption route. If this was classic 24 I’d have every faith that Tony was volunteering his services as an inside source so he could gather some connections to round up some muscle on the outside to take out Wilson and Jack, but we’ve come off of a season completely devoid of classic 24 twists and surprises so I suspect things will be handled in a very cookie cutter way.

I guess I could live with the Redemption angle, but I cannot live with him being pally with Jack again or letting the Wilson conspiracy go. What would be cool is Jack and Tony working together, but with Tony having every intention of having it out with Jack when the threat is over.

In any case, it’s just great to see Carlos back as Tony Fucking Almeida, whether you’re on a good or bad season 24 is always better with Tony than without.

Will you put the full clip on the website for all of the people who don’t have the blu Ray copy?

Probably not, but we definitely plan to do high-def screen captures and transcribe all of the dialogue (along with a review of the DVD/Blu-Ray).

Okay it sucks that it’s not going to be on regular DVD though. Must people have that!!:(

He is probably just full of crap and wants to get out in the general population to get at Wilson and his group some how. Maybe Wilson is in the same jail, if he’s still or even ever was in jail, and he just wants to finish what he started.

24 spinoff series it could be. 24: Prison Break? 24: Shawshank Redemption? 24: Big Stan?

First time I watched it I was second guessing him a bit, because well, he wasn’t being entirely trustworthy the last time he was acting like a good guy. But he mentions Michelle and credits her with his current state of mind, which I don’t think he’d do if he were bullshitting. Even when he was at his asshole-iest, there was never a question that the driving force behind his actions was his devotion to Michelle. So if he says that 8 years in a solitary cell constantly dreaming of Michelle’s death has led him to realise that he was wrong and he wants to be a man she could be proud of again, I think he’s being legit. I don’t think he’s got a nefarious ulterior motive like when he was playing along with the Scooby Gang at the start of Day 7 as a means to get to Wilson.

That being said, I wouldn’t be opposed to them playing with a Wilson-related story some more. Maybe it’s not a thing that Tony’s actively looking for, but he inadvertently gets caught up in some terrorist plot that leads back to Wilson or someone he was associated with. That could be interesting because it would test Tony’s resolve to not get all consumed with blind vengeance again if he’s presented with an opportunity to finish what he started on Day 7.

True, that would be a great way to test his resolve indeed. Comes face to face with Wilson again at the end of season 10. Jack steps aside and let’s Tony make the decision this time. Tony decides to throw him in jail. Wilson shoots Jack and then Tony blows Wilson away. Jack lies dying after telling Tony he made the right choice this time seconds beforehand. Tony lives, Jack dies, the end

Turns out Almeida was locked up in Oz and while in gen pop he has to avoid getting a dick in his ass in the shower

24: Russian Retrieval
Plot- Tony Almeida grasses up a group of prisoners and deters a terrorist strike on the US for the 5th time, in doing this he has earn’t the trust of his government. After careful consideration, President Ethan Kanin grants Tony a temporary furlough for a very special mission. Tony is escorted by heavy guard to the white house, and to his surprise he is met with former CTU agent Chase Edmunds, Data analyst Chloe O’Brian and CTU DC director Brian Hastings, all sitting in restraints. President Kanin Walks in to the room followed by secret service agent Aaron Pierce and chief of staff Mike Novick, along with the national security advisor Karen Hayes. Tony is seated next to his former colleagues as the president begins to speak. There is going to be an attempt on the presidents life at some point over the next 24 hours, CTU have identified the group behind the plot, a group of whom jack has worked undercover before, Tony, Chase, Chloe and Hastings must leave on a special flight to russia, to run a mission to break out jack bauer and return him to prevent the assassination plot

You might want to read the latest 24 book….

those books shouldnt count as the majority of the fanbase and audience only view the television show

The books are official. Chase is dead.

Furthermore, your idea is pretty wank anyway.

I just got the Blu Ray in the mail and watched the full featurettes:

That whole thing was a ploy to break Tony out of prison. The DOJ lawyer passed off some glasses that featured some electronic blue prints on how to break out of the prison. The lawyer is working for someone.


Sounds pretty fucking cool!

Well then surely that answers the question as to whether this was meant as “closure” or “Day 10 setup”. There’s no way that qualifies as closure.

Did they hint at a specific reason he wants out? Or did it seem like whoever the lawyer was working for instigated the whole thing?


Now if true, that would be awesome. Definitely signal there will be more 24, unless they are just doing that to feck with the fans.

I think your second point is the answer.

its not that the idea is “wank” fool, its just one to many returning characters, but its basically the same outline everyone else is going for :)

russian retrival or live a second day?
anywho love the idea,get rid of chase and hastings, otherwise great, maybe have richard fuckin walsh as a ghost

Don J, how did u get the DVD yet it hasn’t been released?

It’s not uncommon. I got both season 3 and season 5 dvds 10 and 4 days before their official release. I guess they must just sit in the warehouses, and the vendors aren’t too fucked about holding them back till the official release date.

I bought it through Fox Connect and it arrived early, which was a pleasant surprise. Everywhere else won’t release it until tomorrow.

Wow, really? If that’s true, that kinda sucks. I was more than ready for evil Tony to return. But when he gives that speech….it seems very genuine and heart-breaking. And now what, it was just a ploy? COME ON WRITERS, don’t play like that! Either make him bad or good!

The worst part is, we might never get an anwser after this for years. It’ll be like “Chloe’s arrest”. They don’t know where there’s going to be a follow up or even if, this might be the last we see of Tony, some cliff hanger!

What do you mean if true? I have the Blu Ray in my hands and watched the entire feature.

Someone wants to get Tony out of prison and hired or paid off that DOJ lawyer to do it. There was a mystery person on the phone who the DOJ lawyer called and asked if she passed off the glasses to him with the electronics blue prints on how to escape. We don’t know who that person is. For all we know, that person could be using Tony, his knowledge and skills to help get Jack out of that Russian prison in a potential season 10.


That works for me — and typical 24…..Wonder who is behind it and why?

I don’t think they would have spent the dough to film it unless they thought S10 had actual potential to happen.

Exactly. Why please fans with a Tony clip. Money well-spent to link up with a new series/movie/mini-series whatever they decide.

Could the mystery person be Chloe? Her or Kim(stretching it) would be the only two that would make sense to want him out to help Jack. Kate doesn’t know him. Can’t see why Mandy would care, Karen Hayes wouldn’t much. So unless it is something cabal related, has to be Chloe.

Plausible. Can’t think of anyone else who’d want him out unless it’s someone Tony worked with pre-season 7 while he was with David Emerson.

That could be why Chloe breaks him out, as he has connections in Russia through his work with Emerson.

“But when he gives that speech….it seems very genuine and heart-breaking. And now what, it was just a ploy?”

Could still be a little from column A and a little from column B.

MysteryPerson wants Tony out of jail to do whatever, and gets word to him to make up a sob story to get himself out of solitary so he can be in position to make a jailbreak. It’s not a chore for Tony to concoct and deliver a convincing sob story because what he said about reflecting on Michelle’s death and hating the person he became could very well be true.

Whether or not he knows the specifics of what the MysteryPerson wants him to do once on the outside, he could just be playing along because he wants to get out for his own (not necessarily nefarious) reasons anyway. Maybe he does plan to genuinely work for them even if it’s something bad. Maybe he knows they want him to do one particular thing, but he’s already planning to double cross them to take them out and save some innocents and use the unsupecting badguys to get his redemption, (similar to how he used LeftoverCTU to further his own Day 7 agenda).

Or maybe this IS about Jack, and he’s that “one life on the outside” Tony’s got it in mind to save. I just dunno if anyone on TeamJack would trust Tony to help them in that regard. Guess I could maybe see Chloe giving Tony a second chance the way Jack gave her one on Day 9, but she’d be taking a pretty big risk so would probably have to be pretty desperate. Mind you, building schematics hidden in a pair of super fancy high tech glasses totally sounds like a thing Chloe could come up with.

*twiddles thumbs and taps foot and impatiently waits for the whole thing to end up on youtube so she can over analyse it properly*

Some good points there, but I’ll believe it when any of that actually happens. It was a miracle we got this, and now I’m just like ………. And I’m someone that hated the Chloe’s Arrest minisode because it was so cheap.

Would Chloe trust Tony though after all that happened in S7?

If she were desperate enough, she might. If she’s spent a couple of years devising a plan to get Jack out (and raising funds to execute said plan) and now she needs a field ops team who she knows would be invested in accomplishing the goal, her options would be limited. Belcheck’s in, because he hearts Jack. Kate’s in because she believes she owes Jack for having let Audrey die. And they could round out the team with Tony, who Chloe might think is less of a risk if he’s got Belcheck and Kate to keep him in line. Stick them on a flight to Russia immediately after Tony gets outta jail, time jump, then have a Day of Jack’s former sidekicks working together to set him free, (during which at least one, possibly two of them end up dead).

If something like that happened, I’d like to see Chloe warily work with Tony. She might know now that losing your partner and child can push you to a dark place and as such have some measure of empathy for him, but he lied to and used herself, Bill, and Jack, damn near killed Jack, so I wouldn’t buy it if she just automatically completely trusted him.

She’d trust him 100% if say she had Wilson’s whereabouts. Told him in return for freeing Jack she’d give him Wilson’s whereabouts. That could set up a 6 episode break out in Russia, then fly to LA and the last 6 episodes going after Wilson.

Plus she does know what it is like to lose family, as said.

MysteryPerson has to be Belcheck.


Love it! But don’t buy it…..he is a doer not a thinker he will execute the plan but not necessarily. Mastermind. Kate is a more obvious choice with the timeline being what it is.

Dark horses would be Aaron Pierce or Karen Hayes if its a good thing. Logan or Olivia Taylor or Mandy if it’s a bad thing .

Could easily be Belcheck is he’s working for Chloe. Kate would have to be working for Chloe too, as I highly doubt she knows much about Tony and if she does, she wouldn’t trust him at all.

Karen Hayes I could see, but in some way she may blame him for Bill’s death. Aaron highly doubtful. Logan never as he knows Tony would just kill him for his part in everything.

Heck, maybe it’s the voice Nina talked to at the end of season 1.

That voice always cracks me up reminds me of Frau Farbassina in Austin Powers….

I would give Logan more credit than that esp if he could entice Tony by promising to deliver the real person responsible I could see him smarm his way out of getting killed by Tony

Very very good featurette, and that means another season…

Found it pretty funny that Xander Berkley (Mason) did the voice for the “mystery person”. Wonder how many people are going to try and speculate how Mason survived nuclear radiation.

The entire video , if that could pose a problem, just delete it

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x26yg8o_tony-almeida-is-back_webcam

Voice of the Handler –
Xander Berkeley


I smiled, I smiled so fucking hard when I saw that!

GREAT share, thanks fellas!

I hereby declare that they put Adam DaSilva at the head of the writers room for Day 10.

Oops! Sorry for calling you a fella Catherine.

Thanks for the links!

Would be shocked if there is not another season now.

Yeaaaah Tony is back. Definitely going to see him in Day 10 (maybe for Jack!).



That shot at the end! Doesn’t Tony look just like a younger, thinner Jim Royle? Fucking lol!

He reminded me of that guy in person of interest.

The bit where he’s on his knees in his cell, with the music, it reminded me of a scene from Arrested Development, (When George Bluth is in solitary after attempting escape, and “sees the light” and instantly becomes Jewish), which is both awesome and distracting. LOL

I know time would have been an issue but I would have lovede if they put this as the last scene of lad say 3 years later and show this scene and have Bernards return a surprise because the casual 24 viewer proberly doesn’t know this exists.

Anyone else notice during the credits that the voice on the phone is Xander Berkley aka George Mason (seasons 1 &2)
THE PLOT THICKENS!!!