I’m not gonna bury the lead. Day 4 is my favorite season of 24. And after watching it all over again, I’m certain that I will be putting it at the top of the list when I finish this journey. This is the only season that did what I wanted 24 to do; introduce a threat and watch Jack Bauer chase it down for the entire day. There was no political B-plot. There was no right turn halfway through the day. We didn’t watch Jack bust his ass to catch one guy just to find out that there are 2 more dudes worse than him waiting on deck. And best of all not a single Kim Bauer storyline as far as the eye can see. So yes, Day 4 is the shit.
How did Jack Bauer distinguish himself in season 4? Well his one-man assault to free the Hellers was the height of his badassery. I could watch him annihilate in the double digits whenever it is offered. He also robs a convenience store, hung out at his buddy’s house, engaged a team of mercs with 3 civilians, and generally chased Marwan ass through the night. Unlike Day 3 where they went for the big shocks for Jack, Day 4 was more about showing Jack back in the field where he belongs. This was done to show that Jack may be happy in a suit with Audrey, but when his country needs him Jack becomes a different person to do what is necessary. And what is necessary is torturing the shit out of Paul in front of Audrey. I know this season is about Jack and Audrey but the stronger scenes were Jack bringing Tony back to life.
And there is the other key to the 4th season, Tony Almeida. Yeah, making a character darker is a cheap out but that doesn’t mean it can’t work when done right. So after 3 seasons of professional CTU Tony, Day 4 gives us drunken angry Tony. His introduction was phenomenal. His bitterness when Jack and Audrey are hiding out at his house was palpable. And I also give him points for the ratty ass shirt he wore for most of his time at CTU. But mostly it was fantastic to see Jack partner with Tony in the field. It felt like they had done this for years, but Day 4 was really the first time. And he even gets to make out with Michelle at the end of the day, I’m sure they will live happily ever after.
Others returning for season 4 include Choe O’Brian, Michelle Dessler, Mike Novick, and David Palmer. We got the full Chloe treatment this season. Although she was sidelined for a handful of hours, Chloe got plenty awkward moments with every single person at CTU. We also got the first in a long line of Jack and Chloe reuniting to save the day. On top of that, Chloe killed a guy and it was beautifully over-the-top. Michelle came back mainly as a piece in Tony’s story. She did little more than stand around CTU and worry about her relationship with Tony. But in the end, that’s really all her character was about. Mike Novick’s return was nice to see. He got a new President to bounce off of and Logan is nothing like David Palmer. This will get much better next season. And speaking of Palmer, after Day 3 this was the perfect use of him. Have David pop in to lead during a crisis and then leave before we have to deal with any bullshit personal storyline. Oh yeah and Mandy made her final appearance on 24. They should bring her back for the movie. She can be hanging out in Europe when Jack needs some help staying off the radar.
Outside of Day 1, Day 4 introduced the most new significant characters of any other season. The second half of 24 will be populated by Audrey Raines, James Heller, Curtis Manning, Bill Buchanan, and Charles Logan. Audrey was interesting because it’s hard to get behind a character that doesn’t want Jack to do the all the fun stuff we tune in for. But on the annoying girlfriend scale, Audrey ain’t half bad. James Heller, on the other hand, is exactly what I want in my Secretary of Defense. He totally picked up a gun multiple times during his kidnapping and dropped some thugs. Then he put the suit back on and agreed to have his son sci-fi tortured to find out his secrets. Heller rules in the fourth season. Curtis Manning is a solid CTU agent who feels like a replacement for Tony Almeida. Everyone looks cooler when they get to play around in the field and Curtis takes advantage throughout the day. He will get better and better until he gets one of the worst deaths of any main character. Whereas Curtis was swap for Tony, Bill Buchanan was a complete change of pace from Ryan Chappelle. He does his job well and doesn’t stand in Jack’s way. What a surprise that that would make the character likeable? Bill rocks. And then there is Charles Logan. Who would have thought that from this introduction you would get the most villainous villain that 24 will ever create. He is just a scared shitless man in over his head during Day 4. He will be fun to watch evolve into a damn near comic book villain.
Even the dumb shit that occurred during the day can’t drag my opinion down. The two deaths that happened within CTU medical were easily the low points of the day. Why Maya Driscoll was stored there in the first place I will never understand, but to use her suicide as an excuse to get rid of Erin Driscoll was just weak sauce. Erin may have sucked but she deserved a better plot turn for her exit. As for Paul Raines, I can’t even marshal the energy to rip this apart. The whole day was about showing Audrey what Jack will do to protect his country, but was this really necessary? Hire another damn doctor or at least a medic who can help when there are more than two patients at a time. The only thing else worth mentioning is Richard Heller because, man, that guy can wail.
So if I were to change the history of 24, this is where the show would have ended. Knowing what seasons 5-8 will do, Jack walking off into the sun after faking his death is the ending for Jack Bauer. His job was done and his friends were alive. Ah well, Day 5 is actually a great season even if it burned the house down in order to accomplish it. Then Day 6 destroyed the magic of the show and Days 7 and 8 tried in vain to recapture what it once was.
No comments:
Post a Comment