Breaking Down Bauer: Tackling the New Season of 24
Written by: Rob Van Winkle, CC2K Staff Writer
1-25-07
First of all, I apologize for the delayed update. Monday night has now become clogged with shows to see, and I have to make my decisions on a week-by-week basis. (Full disclosure: the previous sentence is a lie. My decision to watch Heroes over 24 had nothing to do with my whims, and everything to do with what my wife told me to do.)
At any rate, I have seen the latest hour of 24, and all I can say is…when did this show turn into a soap opera? I have never watched serialized daytime dramas before (except for a two-week bout of bronchitis in fourth grade, when my babysitter reserved 12:30-1:30pm every day for The Young and the Restless), but I know enough about them to know that missing twins, evil siblings, and scheming parents are de rigeur for their storylines. These sorts of plot twists are easily done, and inevitably hackneyed. As a result, they are more often seen in these cranked-out-daily shows, but typically avoided in the higher-budget fare found in prime time.
If I think about it, there were signs from the very beginning that 24 was going to head down this road. In season 1, Senator Palmer's wife eventually turned out to have her own agenda, and she and her husband had a falling out. Soon after that (maybe even in season 2, though I can't remember), she was actively plotting evil against her now-ex-husband, and she even resurfaced in season three for just long enough to cause one person's death, and get herself shot in the process.
In addition to this, the show was built in its pilot season around Jack Bauer's personal life being as treacherous as his professional life, when his daughter was kidnapped while he was trying to save Palmer's life. In subsequent seasons, the efforts to keep his daughter (and actress Elisha Cuthbert) in the cast led them to have her working as a nanny for a psychotic father, getting lost in the woods and being chased by a puma, working at CTU as a junior analyst, and perhaps most distressingly, dating C. Thomas Howell.
The point here is that 24 has an established track record of these lame plot devices used to "shake things up." I shouldn't be surprised by it…but I can't help but feel like it's gotten worse this season. Consider this:
* The current president is WAYNE Palmer…David's brother. Come ON! The American people would NEVER elect someone to the highest office in the land just because they recognize the name…right? RIGHT? (crickets…)
*If that weren't enough, we were also introduced to Wayne (and David, though he's dead)'s sister, who is an activist lawyer. So far, she has done nothing but be irritating, and get in the way. Awesome character, guys.
*In the latest hour, some random connection led CTU to Philip Bauer, who is apparently Jack's father. Jack reveals that he has not seen his father in nine years, but will (of course) take point on finding and questioning him. Unfortunately, Bauer Sr. was unavailable when Jack called, so Jack's next call was to…
*Jack's BROTHER…who we have seen before! It turns out, this OTHER Bauer was the creepy Blue-Tooth-Earpiece-Wearer from previous seasons, who seemed to be the evil mastermind behind the evil masterminds. His motives were never revealed, and his methods were never discussed. Clearly, the writers thought having a character like that was cool, but didn't know what to do with him. Why not make him a Bauer? Awesome.
Of course, with the show ending with Jack punching out his brother, and putting a plastic bag over his head, it's clear to see why he hasn't been invited to any family picnics recently.
In other 24 news, the subversive campaign to justify the Patriot Act continues, as the Arab-American detention center is revealing vital information, attained when the innocent man thrown in there (and the boyfriend to the president's sister, naturally) found his way into the trust circle of men who clearly SHOULD be detained. He's on the verge of getting secrets that these men have acquired and kept for years…in a matter of hours! Beautiful.
Basically, after five hours of Season 6, I'm still enjoying it, but now, I find myself inexplicably coughing, and calling out to Mrs. Sandner for some more ginger ale and saltines.