I got addicted to 24 on the first episode of day 4, when the evil terrorist mom was doing dastardly deeds like killing her son’s girlfriend.
That year had a great plus in the casting: the mom and son were played by Shohreh Aghdashloo and Jonathan Ahdout who also played mother and son in House of Sand and Fog, making it rather amusing to see how they got along without gloomy Ben Kigsley who also played Ghandi. Ghandi would have never lasted a minute in that household. Never mind that the really bad guy, Marwan, had been The Mummy and was a great bad guy.
After I watched the entire season 4 I rented the DVDs and spend a couple of weekends catching up with days 1, 2, and 3. My favorite character (other than Jack) is George Mason, brilliantly played by Xander Blakely.
George married evil Nina in real life.
President David Palmer Dennis Haysbert, is another favorite – you did feel you were in good hands with him. Unlike his brother, President Palmer #2 who whispered his way through a nuclear attack in LA. Obviously the writers were sorry they got rid of PP#1.
Best of all, I loved the pacing in day 4. I was addicted to the pacing.
Well, I sat through the whole day 6 and I’m missing the good old days.
One thing for sure, things were never the same after they killed off Edgar. Edgar wasn’t good-looking but he was reliable and solid. On day 6 they killed Milo, who was not only reliable, he was PDG-looking.
Having started day six with a nuclear explosion that apparently didn’t affect street trafficin LA, the whole season’s pacing went AWOL and, with still 20+ minutes to go in the final episode the net result was, as Blogs4Bauer said,
’24’ stops at this point. The next twenty minutes are actually an episode of ‘General Hospital’ that somehow got spliced in by mistake.
You know things were off when Jack came out of the ocean and I was wondering if his cell phone still worked. Back on day 4 you knew the phone would work because it was Jack Bauer’s phone, dammit!
Will I watch day 7 next January? Probably.
But let’s hope they cut out so much soap. The minute I see Chloe bringing her baby to work, it’s curtains, guys.
Update, Thursday, May 24: The Carnival of Bauer is on!
I have to say that I liked the ending. Perhaps because I was in a similar situation in my life once – I had worked very hard trying to please all those around me – other lawyers, judges, politicians, the system in general, and my wife, and one day I was rejected by all of them. I was injured, had no where to live, no job, no family and absolutely nothing remaining of my life other than myself. I knew exactly what Jack was feeling as he looked over that cliff. I don’t know that I can express it in words – the closest is a mix of disappointment, exasperation and bewilderment. Maybe you have to experience something similar to understand.
Rumors are that 24 will take a different path next year. I hope that path includes using one or two writers, as the first seasons did, and not the group of writers that bumbled through this season.
I did like the final scene, which was very good. The problem was with what everything else they threw in.
One or two writers absolutely do a much better job than a committee of writers. Let’s hope they go back to 1 or 2!
I agree with you – this was the day I both loved and hated. More dead (no pun intended) spots than previous days.
Annnnd I liked Mason much better than Buchanan as the head of CTU. Nothing like a little nuclear poisoning to make you set your affairs in order. But to his credit, Buchanan, did grow a pair right at the end. When it counted. Maybe he’ll keep them and divorce Karen.
Lileks is always hilarious – ‘Tauer of Bauer’… ROTFLMAO!
One thing though – and this is important, I think – we never saw Darth Bauer (Phillip) really DIE, now did we? So who’s to say he won’t be behind some shadowy plot to assassinate somebody next year? Even his own son? Maybe Jack will pull a Jack Ryan and turn up as VP or POTUS. Now that would be REALLY cool…
I kind of like Buchanan married to Karen.
Darth Bauer would be a good return character, but the problem with the actor was that I kept thinking of the pig movie. “Well done, pig!”