reviewed by Rissi C.
      

In general my family doesn’t watch TV shows. We have an evening routine that only includes the local news and the occasional game show. 24 certainly wasn’t something we ever considered watching, but after my mom’s favorite talk show host continually praised it and my cousins expressed shock that we’d not seen it, we took their advice and gave this hit series a try.

There is really no one like CTU agent Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland). He constantly is going against protocol and has numerous personal problems, but when it comes to serving his country and the President, he will do whatever it takes to protect them both. After an undercover drug bust in which Jack had to get in with a group of violent men who were drug addicts, Jack is now suffering from a drug problem and the only person who knows is his partner Chase, who has a secret himself…and it’s something Jack won’t like. The rest of the team at CTU is working on their newest problem; the release of a deadly virus... unless drug lord Ramon Salazar is set free from prison. Jack finds this to be his only option and opts to break the man who he helped put in jail back out to freedom. Since an injury put CTU director Tony Almeida (Carlos Bernard) out of his position, his wife, Michelle Dessler (Reiko Aylesworth) is worried that he may be pushing too hard and is concerned for his health. When Tony learns a disturbing piece of news, he insists Michelle release him from the hospital in order to get back on the job; the events that follow drive a wedge between husband and wife. Despite personal relationships being tested, they put them aside when a drastic event takes place involving the virus; the perpetrators release it in a hotel full of guests. Leading the team, Michelle is sent out and ends up being exposed to it. 

Meanwhile, President Palmer (Dennis Haysbert) has his own worries that include campaign issues, something he finds might only be solved by his conniving ex-wife, Sherry. Back at CTU, the whole team is fervently working on this perplexing dilemma, including computer genius Chloe (Mary Lou Rajskub) who has her own set of tribulations that involve another CTU agent and Jack’s daughter Kim (Elisha Cuthbert) who now works at the Counter Terrorist Unit, to contain this deadly disease and ensure America’s safety. As the members of CTU work together to stop the outbreak, relationships will be tested, risks taken…and heroes will fall. 

Despite my thinking back on all of the content in season three, I can’t help but think that this was more enjoyable than season two, which happen to be the only two seasons I’ve seen thus far. This is really quite an intriguing show. It has sequences of fantastic action, a great political figure and a really nice respectful friendship between Jack and the President. While the end to the Presidents story comes with consequences, the writers gave him class and I was pleased with it. However, all the positive aspects come at a high price. For the few touching scenes of this show, there is triple the amount of graphic violence. While there is still a certain amount of extreme torture, it is not as prolonged or graphic as former seasons and appears in the first half of the series. There are numerous deaths but three stand out as being more disturbing. One comes after the bad guys “demand” it and an agent must carry it out by shooting the person in the head; it’s shot from afar, but we can clearly see what is happening. The other two come in a home; one being a suicide, the other is a victim, all while having an audience. 

There are various other tense situations; a particular sequence that comes to mind is a prison riot. An inmate demands Jack and another man have a “contest” that involves placing a gun to your head and firing and is nothing short of repulsive, ending in a man’s death. A prominent character is tortured. Jack must use an ax in order save a man’s life by removing a limb; some blood is present. Guns are fired on plenty of occasions, sometimes ending in death; Jack kills someone after no longer needing them for information. Drugs are shown being injected on occasion, including by Jack. There is a brief sensual scene between a minor character and his girlfriend in the first few episodes; we see them together in a screen montage and then afterwards dressing again. We learn a character has a child out of wedlock. There are implications that a man had an affair with a married woman; she is still interested in continuing it.

Various characters die because of the virus and that in itself is a very tense and potentially disturbing part of the show; Michelle is forced to shoot someone who attempts to leave the hotel. The whole theme of agents learning they only have hours to live is depressing as they all contemplate their families’ lives and we feel emotional turmoil along with each of them; they aren’t able to call them to say good-bye due to the fact that the virus can’t be known. We see some people with blood running out their nose as they get the first symptoms; the agents give them the option of taking a pill to end their suffering. Agents die after being exposed. 

Something rather pleasant in this season is the addition of Chloe. She adds some comic relief which is such fun; she has these serious expressions yet is quick witted. We found ourselves looking forward to her and Jack’s next conversation. There are still numerous faces from previous seasons and while that is always a pleasant thing to see, it was nice to see some new faces too. In this new season, Tony and Michelle have gotten married and are still working together. Not everyone feels that the two actors have much chemistry or intensity in their acing, but I liked the two of them together in their roles and felt a spark there. However, there are various moments that Tony receives potentially devastating news and when he talks with his wife you feel like slapping them both silly for their uncommunicative conversations. Jack’s continuing trials with daughter Kim is still present in this season although not as prominent. Both father and daughter have come to a somewhat agreeable understanding, yet when it comes to his only child’s safety he will stop for nothing to protect her. 

I really have liked 24…but there is such a disturbing about of violent content that one has to wonder if it’s even worth viewing. There are some genuine moments that make you feel good, such as President Palmer’s leadership skills, Jack’s relationship with Kim and the CTU agents’ devotion to stopping a national disaster. There is a key plot point in this particular series that my family found unnecessary came in the form of an agents death. Now we didn’t find this character likable, but still didn’t want to see the person die that way. With the mature elements involved and extreme violence this is a show best watched by an older audience. The concept for this show is really quite riveting; a complete twenty-four episode season that spans one twenty-four hour day is unique and interesting. All brilliance aside there is the fact that I must agree with other reviews that it comes as rather unrealistic that so many things could or would happen to one person in one day or at the very least that the person involved could rebound so quickly.

The plot twists are intriguing, despite shifting back and forth between characters; CTU, the President and Jack, you are generally able to follow everything. For any die hard action fan this is brilliant, no thriller enthusiast could want more; our hero is constantly on the move, without a moment’s peace as soon as he thinks something has been taken care of, something else arises and the gear is always state-of-the-art and is in abundance. In the end most everything works out, but there are consequences and some were very costly; some deserved and some due to characters making foolish, rash decisions, even if they were meant well. Since each forty-five minute episode ends in a cliffhanger, you can’t stop watching these and therefore they become addictive. If you are thinking of trying this series, watch the DVD sets as it makes the season easier to watch, because as I now have learned, once you start you don’t want to stop. Still for a new thriller in your collection, I’d be more apt to recommend the Bourne trilogy or The Sentinel (which also stars Sutherland) as they don’t make you cringe every time tense situations occur and you won’t feel so overwhelmed by what you’ve just sat through.