| |
|
I was a hardcore fan of this show until season 6. I haven't watched a second of the series since, I dropped it that hard.
Be forewarned -- the producers/writers are very right-leaning so understand that Jack is like George Bush's wet dream come to life. Breaking and entering, torture, and a general "shoot first, ask questions later" approach.
Season 1: First half incredibly well done, intricate plot, more twists and turns than any other season. Second half: Lame, turgid, ponderous. Why? Fox Network only greenlit 12 episodes; halfway through the show was a smash so Fox picked up the rest of the season -- and since producers had already written out the 12 episodes, they had to scramble to produce new twists and turns to cover the remainder of the season. (This is why Season 1 seems to end halfway through.) Cons of this season: It's low-budget compared to the others. And Sutherland's hair is ultra-blonde.
Season 2: With an improved budget, the show gets a glossier look. I think this one plays like a well-done action movie from first episode to last. Cons: Everything with Jack's daughter -- her plot has zilch to do with anything else and contains the infamous moment in which she is chased by a wolf through the woods. However Lost fans will be happy to see Jin himself as Jack's sometimes-associate here; he only appears a handful of times though.
Season 3: A mess in the first half -- Jack's a heroin addict and he's trying to kick the habit. Plus he's got a new partner who is dating Jack's daughter. Nothing much happens. Second half improves in a tremendous way: the heroin addiction "disappears" and a virus threat is introduced to the plot, with some of the most tense scenes in the series. The final episode features one of the most shocking surprises in 24, a scene involving a school room's fire-emergency axe. In a way Season 3 is the opposite of Season 1 -- it starts off like crap but becomes great. Also this season introduced Chloe, pretty much the only main character other than Jack to survive for several seasons.
Season 4: Fans were mixed but I liked this one. Has the glossy look of Season 2. Also features two of the greatest action scenes in the series: In the first half where Jack storms a terrorist compound to free the father of the woman Jack's dating, and two: toward the middle half where Jack and a gun supply storeowner must fend off a group of night-vision sporting commandos. Lost fans will appreciate the minor appearance of Desmond in this season.
Season 5: By far my favorite season. Everything was perfect in this one, from beginning to end. No slow moments, no stupid stuff -- and plus it featured a return of the twists and turns of Season 1, but coupled with the slam-bang high-budget action of later seasons. Peter Weller showed up as Jack's mentor and proved to be one of the best villains the show ever had. Also, Jack's daughter showed up for one single episode -- and incredibly it turned out to be the best episode of the season! (Perhaps of the series!)
Season 6: All of which made this season such a kick in the crotch. The season was so fucking bad that it made me, a fan for years, stop watching cold turkey. I made it almost halfway through and then stopped: I mean, they exploded a goddam NUCLEAR BOMB in downtown LA in one episode...and barely mentioned it afterwards! Also, the pig's owner from the movie "Babe" showed up as Jack's dad, but it was a retread of the Peter Weller/Jack Bauer relationship from the previous season -- a mentor of Jack's now gone bad. I believe even Sutherland and the producers came on to say that this season had been a stumble and they realized they'd turned off a lot of fans.
Seasons 7 on: Haven't seen any of them and don't plan to. It's my understanding though that Season 7 features the return of a "dead" main character from a previous season...which is 24 heresy and plunges the series into "Alias" territory. Because, in 24, when you're dead, you STAY dead...and so the reintroduction of this character as a villain is just further proof of the show's decline. |
|
|
