24 -- my first (and final) season

[Tom Chick]

Watched the first season on DVD. I was *so* on board with this!

Until noon. After which everything starts getting silly. She’s captured, she escapes, she’s captured, she escapes, she’s captured, she escapes, now he’s captured. I knew the amnesia was coming, but I didn’t realize it was the result of failing to use the parking break. After noon, character development takes a back seat to the contrived plot twists, some really weak writing kicks in, and then the painful guest appearances from Lou Diamond and Dennis Hopper happen. And, yes, Kim Bauer is hot, but isn’t she supposed to be, like, 16 or something? Why are they encouraging 16-year-old girls to dress like that? For Pete’s sake, missy, cover up your cleavage for at least a couple more years!

I have no interest in watching the second season, so whenever Oppressor comes to Shoot Club, I’m just going to let him spoil everything that happens. I now know about George Mason’s glorious Brunnhilde finale and I didn’t even have to watch however many episodes it took to get there! You go, Xander Berkeley!

-Tom

[Thierry Nguyen]

This probably won't convince you, but the creators admitted that they only plotted the first twelve hours of Day 1, in case the show got cancelled in mid-season. Once they heard they were going for the full season, they started making up stuff on the fly after noon.

Also, amnesia was something forced on the writers by the producer, or something like that. The writers hated the amnesia also.

[Tyjenks]

The Kim thing: Granted. Dennis Hopper had possibly the worst accent I have ever heard. Period. Well, maybe, next to Kevin Costner's Robin Hood accent which ranged from poorly done to fading in and out to non-existant.

But the Keifer=badass factor trumped most of that. For me at least. If there was an over-abundance of decent dramatic programming on TV, then I could side with you. This is about the best we have and I watch precious little because of that fact.

This season has some of the same formulaic failings (The Kim subplot is worse, if you can imagine), but as a whole, I am still enjoying it.

I hope you are not about to have Sparky create a FUCK TWENTY-FOUR banner.

[wumpus]

Read my other thread to learn why 24 is The Show That Hates Women. I swear to God, it's true.

[Anonymous]

Dennis Hopper had possibly the worst accent I have ever heard. Period.

Suggested viewing:

Keannu Reeves in BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA
John Wayne in THE CONQUEROR
Mickey Rooney in BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S
Leonard Nimoy in his rendition of "Proud Mary," where he enjoins Proud Mary to "keep on boynin!"

[Bub, Andrew]

Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins... but after seeing the film again, for the first time since childhood, 'is horrid haccent hasiiiide, I'd say he was fantastic and irreplaceable in the part.

"Is 'im wot says chim-chim-cherree-chim-cheroo"

[Sparky]

Fuck 24 -- I like that. It also makes for a good 80s synth-band name, like Haircut 100, Level 42 or Heaven 17.

As for bad accents, the evil Julia Roberts in Michael Collins, trying desperately to sound Irish but ending up more like a chorus member in a community-theater production of Finian's Rainbow. How are things in Glocca Morra, bitch?

[Tom Chick]

This probably won't convince you, but the creators admitted that they only plotted the first twelve hours of Day 1, in case the show got cancelled in mid-season.

Yeah, I figured that's what they were doing. They needed to be able to wrap it up for a mid-season replacement. But couldn't they have shown some of the same creative initiative for the latter 12 hours that went into the first 12 hours? Sakes alive.


But the Keifer=badass factor trumped most of that. For me at least.

I guess that's the best thing I came away with: a renewed appreciation for Keifer Sutherland as a leading man. I've recently watched some of Donald Sutherland's earlier leading man roles (Klute, Don't Look Now) and it's great to see his son living up to that potential. C'mon, Keifer, get out of TV and do some action movies to fill the void of Vin Diesel's rapidly deflating career!


If there was an over-abundance of decent dramatic programming on TV, then I could side with you. This is about the best we have and I watch precious little because of that fact.

Fair enough. However, I don't get any television reception, so for me, 24 is competing for movie time. Actually, I was torn between watching the first season of The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, or 24. When someone loaned me her 24 DVDs, that sort of clinched the deal.

-Tom

[Tyjenks]

Two words:

So - Pranos!

Now that is exquisite drama. Writing, acting, strip club, violence, cursing, drugs....

For the Networks, which have to play to the lowest common denominator all to often, I think 24 is as good as we are going to get.

[Anonymous]

For the Networks, which have to play to the lowest common denominator all to often, I think 24 is as good as we are going to get.

There have been better written shows on network TV.

Examples:

* Homicide: Life on the Streets
* Knight Rider
* Team Knight Rider
* A-Team
* Tori Spelling Gets Wet

[Anonymous]

Dennis Hopper had possibly the worst accent I have ever heard. Period.

Just hearing him say "Bauer" cracks me up everytime.

[GMicek]

There have been better written shows on network TV.

Examples:

* Homicide: Life on the Streets


Homicide was a mighty show.

As for the Sopranos, the last episode this past season was almost unwatchable in my opinion.

[voltaic]

Kingpin. Bow-chicka-bow-bow!

[Jason Becker]

To make a show thats supposed to show a single day hour by hour their is obviously going to be allot more plots twists than normal to keep the pace up. If they went reality then we would see people having a 30 minute conversation played out in real time about what they saw on TV last night. Not exactly exciting.

[Anonymous]

TOM

I would tell you to give season 2 a chance. It has been really well done except for the F*@*&ing daughter. I think it is time to kill off or get rid of her. if she gets captured or beaten or anything else, I will bust my tv.

Spoiler for season 3 ahead

In season 3 Kim wil uncover a plot to start WW3 only to be captured by Iraq. She gets away by having sex with her guard and escapes only to be captured by a group of remmant nazis, who will use ww3 as means to come back into power. One of the nazis will have a change of heart and let her go. She makes her way home till she is captured by French special forces who think she is a spy and condem her to death. She laughs and walks out of the special forces camp taunting the french soldiers all the way. She falls down a hill a breaks her leg only. She happens to fall right next to the hidden command center for US forces that noone knows about. Finally, Kim makes it into the hidden command center, where Jack and the president are about to start WW3 (all because Kim had been kidnapped). She say everythings alright. everyone relaxes and Kim. jumps up and sits on the computer console accidently hitting the red button which launches all the U.S. 's nuclear weapons at America's Hat, Canada. This all takes place during the first 6 hours 12 hours of the show.


Shieldwolf

[Anonymous]

Doh

excuse bad spelling and grammer I meant to view and not post

[Tyjenks]

Doh

excuse bad spelling and grammer I meant to view and not post

SPOILER ALERT:

Registering allows you to edit your posts. :wink:

[Shieldwolf]

actually i am registered i just couldn't get my password to work

[Ranulf]

My only real complaint with season 2 so far is.. you guessed it, the Kim storyline. It just isn't that interesting besides the booby (she has them and she is one) factor. I've had no desire to see season 1 again but I can definately see me buying this seasons dvds when they come out.

[wumpus]

http://www.wallswithballs.com/walls/elishacuthbert.jpg

[Tyjenks]

I am sure this is from a "celeb" site with doctored photos, but I do not care.

wumpus - I will never say a negative word about DDR, dancepads, or rhythm games and their accessories ever, ever again.

[wumpus]

More here

http://perso.wanadoo.fr/twentyfour/multimedia/multimedia.htm

[Lunch of Kong]

I have no interest in watching the second season

Too bad, because episode 19 was worth all the tedium. It's a corker. Not for the squemish.

[graller]

Thats a shot from a Stuff photoshoot.

[John Merva]

Dennis Hopper had possibly the worst accent I have ever heard. Period.

Suggested viewing:

Keannu Reeves in BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA
John Wayne in THE CONQUEROR
Mickey Rooney in BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S
Leonard Nimoy in his rendition of "Proud Mary," where he enjoins Proud Mary to "keep on boynin!"

Tony Curtis in The Cossacks(?) - 'yonder lies the castle of my fadder.'

[Jason Levine]

That's "da castle" to you.

[Sander]

I keep watching 24 after the first dozen or so shows hooked me in, unfortunately the show's really heading in the wrong direction. The biggest problem is that outside of Jack "body count" Bauer none of the other characters are worth a damn. Characters routinely turn out to be double agents or villans for no real ryhme or reason, and the occasional firefight or shocking ending is offset by unbeleivably bad soap opera back plots that strain credibility.

The fact that it's on before the Shield, for comparison's sake, doesn't help it any. The Sheild is the best thing I've seen on TV in many a moon and I would see if you can sponge the first season from your friend. :P

FX, the seemingly quirky, leftish wing of ol' Rup's empire is making a bid to be the poorman's HBO, and sometimes they pull it off.

[Woolen Horde]

Yeah, it's gotten *really* contrived lately. It was bad enough when they kept trying to find idiotic pitfalls for Kim to constantly fall in, but I think I lost it with the annoying brother/psycho ex-boyfriend. Jeezus, it's like watching one of those horrible episodes of ER when one of the characters has a close relative who is utterly useless, helpless, and totally annoying.

AND WTF is with the urgency on the military action? It just doesn't ring true, since we have proven over and over again that we can annihilate virtually any opponent with literally one hand tied behind our back. Whether we take them on in 2 hours or 2 months, they're still as good as dead.

[countzero]

Late to the party. So I just finished watching the first season on DVD. At first I was hooked, then it got more and more annoying (like a lot of you said). So my question: Is any of the later seasons worth it? I liked the concept but in the end I was fed up with the "I can't walk 200m without being captured" girl and the missing focus.

[Kevin Grey]

Late to the party. So I just finished watching the first season on DVD. At first I was hooked, then it got more and more annoying (like a lot of you said). So my question: Is any of the later seasons worth it? I liked the concept but in the end I was fed up with the "I can't walk 200m without being captured" girl and the missing focus.

I'd say yes. I think the second season is probably the most consistent- there is still some novelty left and it upped the stakes sufficiently. The third season is kind of aimless for the first 2/3 but I think the final 1/3 of the season is probably the best the show has ever been and more than redeems the season.

Season 5 is up there (and many consider it the best) but I think by that point it's pretty much impossible for any plot twist to come as a surprise so the show really starts to lose something. I still find it entertaining but I think it's pretty much impossible for it ever to match the addictive nature of some of the first seasons.

[Morkilus]

This has to have won some kind of necro contest.

[Woolen Horde]

Late to the party. So I just finished watching the first season on DVD. At first I was hooked, then it got more and more annoying (like a lot of you said). So my question: Is any of the later seasons worth it? I liked the concept but in the end I was fed up with the "I can't walk 200m without being captured" girl and the missing focus.

Oh, boy. Wait till Kim literally gets stuck in a Cougar Trap, this after fleeing from the police, and right before she stumbles upon the creepy militia dude. And this is just a fraction of her adventures in Season 2.

[Damien Neil]

24 lost me permanently in season 2 when Kim failed to die painfully in the first three episodes. I couldn't face the thought of watching one more second of that character.

[krayzkrok]

I'd say I enjoyed S2 and S3 of 24 the most despite the presence of the world's most annoying character, Kim Bauer. People say she's hot, but I can't find anyone remotely attractive who is that dense. They finally get rid of her in later seasons, but by then the producers are running out of ideas anyway. In fact, I've got an idea for one of Tom's future "top 3" in his movie podcast: potentially good movies ruined by annoying characters. (emphasis on good, so nobody can pick Binks).

[Paul_cze]

Bah I love this show, seasons 6 and 7 are weakest and 7th especially pissed me off sometimes. But I love first 5 even with its "stupid as shit sometimes" storylines. Bauer just kicks so much ass.

I would like to see some Bauer-Only cut where every scene not involving Bauer would be cut.

[Blackadar]

Suggested viewing:

Keannu Reeves in BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA
John Wayne in THE CONQUEROR
Mickey Rooney in BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S
Leonard Nimoy in his rendition of "Proud Mary," where he enjoins Proud Mary to "keep on boynin!"

Those are nothing compared to the cringe-worthy Boston accent that Kevin Costner tried to perpetrate in Thirteen Days. It just about ruined an otherwise great film.

[RyanMichael]

Season 2 was awesome, Season 3 was equally awesome, if memory serves, yeah, 4 was a unmemorable, 5 was good, TOTALLY downhill after that.

[Tyjenks]

This is old. I got busy with life and the wife took over the TiVo and I had to bail somewhere in Season 3. I got behind and wanted to wait to see them all and never made it back.

Now that we can record, like, 4 shows at once with AT&T U-verse, I am going to pick it back up. With an action-y dram, I can forgive much more than your run of the mill TV drama.

A good show in this vein...Daybreak on Hulu.

[Marcus]

Read my other thread to learn why 24 is The Show That Hates Women. I swear to God, it's true.

This is so true. I think I even made a post about it. 24 is a horrible show.