24--Season Five
I just finished watching the entire season for the first time tonight, so I thought I'd collect my thoughts.
I find it easiest to share my thoughts on the whole season by discussing it by character.
-JACK BAUER: As I mentioned in my overview of S4, I find that I have a love/hate relationship with Jack. It started around the end of S3 and has been pretty prominant ever since. I still love to root for him, even when he grates on my nerves. It was nice seeing him with a family again, even though his alias was Frank and Diane and her son had no idea who he really was. I thought it was a little harsh the way he just kind of brushed them aside after returning to CTU and seeing Audrey again. I mean, they helped give him stability for almost a year. Watching him reunite with Kim, briefly, was perfectly tense. At first I was worried it just be an overly emotional gimmick but I liked how restrained it actually was and how angry Kim was (not that I blame her). Moments like those really give the viewer a way in which to see the way Jack has broken down over the years, as his personal life is pretty much destroyed by his job. I have a tendency to root for the villains in 24 just as much as those at CTU, so it was a welcome surprise to see the Chinese return at the very end to collect Jack. I was wondering how he'd avoid jail time in China. He couldn't possibly have thought that the death of the Chinese consul would be forgotten? It was a good cliffhanger.
-CHLOE O'BRIEN: She didn't get as much action this season as she did in S4, but her character continues to grow on me, although she will never be my favourite. Her loyalty to Jack is unwavering, although the actual reason why she's loyal kind of remains unclear to me (especially considering how much of a rule-follower she can be). She had a really genuine moment of emotion when Edgar (shockingly) died from the syntox gas. I loved how you couldn't hear the words they were saying to one another through the glass. It made the moment all the more powerful and, for me, redeemed Chloe a bit for me, because it proved that she was more than a socially-ackward genius.
-AUDREY RAYNES: Alright, I was fine with her in S4 mainly because I felt sorry for the situation she was in regarding choosing between Jack and her ex-husband, Paul (I still love that fantastic scene, though, where she just attacks Jack out of grief right after Jack lets Paul die). However, this season she did nothing but irritate me the entire way through. I think it's mainly because she was so irrelevant to plot this time around. I hated the little gimmick they did midway through the season where we are briefly supposed to think that Audrey was working with the terrorists to smuggle in the syntox gas. I just rolled my eyes, fearing that all that Nina Meyers stuff would be regurgitated with yet another Jack Bauer love interest. Essentially, for me anyway, Audrey has become the new Kim Bauer, albeit without the "attack of the couger" (oh god, tell me there's no couger facing off against Audrey in S6! lol.).
-TONY ALMEIDA, MICHELLE DESSLER and DAVID PALMER: What the hell? I'll admit that I admire the fact that the writers of 24 have no qualms about killing off characters. It really adds a lot of tension to the series because fans never know who is going to survive the day. But these three characters were my favourites, especially Tony and Palmer. To kill ALL THREE in the same season (TWO in the opening hour alone) was a little...overwhelming. Especially because, as it turns out, Tony and Michelle were essentially killed as a diversion from the true intention of Palmer's assassination. It was a bit of a tease to have Tony initially survive. I was hopeful that he would at least make it through, despite the loss of Palmer and Michelle. His reaction to Michelle's death was so sad, and so well done. However, to have him in surgery for the first half of the season and then have him killed soon after he wakes up? That's just mean. I think it would have had a better impact had Tony and Michelle gone into hiding after Palmer's assassination only to die later on in the season (if they had to die anyway). Jack's reaction to Tony's death was so sad, though. Although it bothered me a little bit that a lot more attention was paid to Edgar's death (he was, in general, mentioned a lot more after he died. And the picture that was given to Chloe at the end). Tony had a very prominant and important role in the entire series so far and he was barely acknowledged after his death. I don't know how I'm going to like S6 with Tony, Palmer and Michelle gone.
-PRESIDENT LOGAN: What a disgusting man. I knew he was a sleaze from S4, but I had no idea that he was so corrupt. I just thought he was idiotic and not at all capable of assisting in terrorist acts against his own nation. It was definately interesting of the writers to write the President in as one of the main villains and it definately made for some tense moments. Earlier in the season I found that his scenes really dragged because they were never particularily interesting. After the "big reveal" kicked in he became a more interesting subplot, although I found it interesting mainly because of the three people below...
-MARTHA LOGAN, MIKE NOVIK and AARON PIERCE: I love that the three of them prevailed in the end. They worked so well together and I love how they had complete trust in one another to bring President Logan to justice. Yes, CTU made it happen, yet it couldn't have been done without these three. Their characters grew so much as the season progressed and, at times, I found what they were doing to be more interesting than Jack's heroics.
-CHRISTOPHER HENDERSON and VLADIMIR BIERKO: Both were interesting enough as villains. I like that Henderson had an actual history with Jack, having trained him in the early years. It made him a formidable foe because he'd be equally smart and as hard to beat as Jack. I didn't like that he seemed literally invincible to that green stuff they inject as a torture method at CTU, though. I mean, how did he not die from that shit, but Tony did? That's another thing, I didn't want to enjoy hating Henderson because he killed Tony. As for Bierko (the Russian terrorist with the beautifully calm, proper and crisp English accent. lol.) he wasn't given a lot to do other than threaten to release the syntox gas, but I did love those snazzy suits he was wearing, while making threats against America. I mean, come on! If you are going to be a terrorist, you have to do it in style. ;)
-THE REST: I like Bill Buchanan and I'm glad he's still hanging around CTU. I warmed up to Karen Hayes after she sided with Buchanan in helping Jack. That Miles guy was an asswipe. That Sexual Harrassment Girl was likely the most pointless addition to the show. Ever. Seriously, what was the point of that? Sam Gamgee of the Shire (sorry, I mean Lynn McGill) was irritating and then, oddly, sympathetic when he eventually died. I hope Secretary of Defense Heller doesn't pop up again (and survive another dive off of a cliff in his car).
-Overall, it was enjoyable, as 24 always is. It had a few plot points and minor characters that I saw no point too, however, I still liked it better than the mediocre S4. In the end, S3 is still my favourite so far (the Salazars, Stephen Saunders, Chase, Michelle and the hotel...it was all awesome). I'm a little worried about S6, though, because most people seem to bash it. I'm just hoping that people will have bashed it so much that it will turn out to not be as bad as I fear it will be.
-Things I Hope 24 Stops Doing:
1)Stop saying "hundreds of thousands of innocent people WILL die." For the love of all things 24, WE KNOW lots of people will die.
2)Killing fan favourites all in one season.
3)Jack doesn't need a new love interest every season. Enough with the females in distress.
I find it easiest to share my thoughts on the whole season by discussing it by character.
-JACK BAUER: As I mentioned in my overview of S4, I find that I have a love/hate relationship with Jack. It started around the end of S3 and has been pretty prominant ever since. I still love to root for him, even when he grates on my nerves. It was nice seeing him with a family again, even though his alias was Frank and Diane and her son had no idea who he really was. I thought it was a little harsh the way he just kind of brushed them aside after returning to CTU and seeing Audrey again. I mean, they helped give him stability for almost a year. Watching him reunite with Kim, briefly, was perfectly tense. At first I was worried it just be an overly emotional gimmick but I liked how restrained it actually was and how angry Kim was (not that I blame her). Moments like those really give the viewer a way in which to see the way Jack has broken down over the years, as his personal life is pretty much destroyed by his job. I have a tendency to root for the villains in 24 just as much as those at CTU, so it was a welcome surprise to see the Chinese return at the very end to collect Jack. I was wondering how he'd avoid jail time in China. He couldn't possibly have thought that the death of the Chinese consul would be forgotten? It was a good cliffhanger.
-CHLOE O'BRIEN: She didn't get as much action this season as she did in S4, but her character continues to grow on me, although she will never be my favourite. Her loyalty to Jack is unwavering, although the actual reason why she's loyal kind of remains unclear to me (especially considering how much of a rule-follower she can be). She had a really genuine moment of emotion when Edgar (shockingly) died from the syntox gas. I loved how you couldn't hear the words they were saying to one another through the glass. It made the moment all the more powerful and, for me, redeemed Chloe a bit for me, because it proved that she was more than a socially-ackward genius.
-AUDREY RAYNES: Alright, I was fine with her in S4 mainly because I felt sorry for the situation she was in regarding choosing between Jack and her ex-husband, Paul (I still love that fantastic scene, though, where she just attacks Jack out of grief right after Jack lets Paul die). However, this season she did nothing but irritate me the entire way through. I think it's mainly because she was so irrelevant to plot this time around. I hated the little gimmick they did midway through the season where we are briefly supposed to think that Audrey was working with the terrorists to smuggle in the syntox gas. I just rolled my eyes, fearing that all that Nina Meyers stuff would be regurgitated with yet another Jack Bauer love interest. Essentially, for me anyway, Audrey has become the new Kim Bauer, albeit without the "attack of the couger" (oh god, tell me there's no couger facing off against Audrey in S6! lol.).
-TONY ALMEIDA, MICHELLE DESSLER and DAVID PALMER: What the hell? I'll admit that I admire the fact that the writers of 24 have no qualms about killing off characters. It really adds a lot of tension to the series because fans never know who is going to survive the day. But these three characters were my favourites, especially Tony and Palmer. To kill ALL THREE in the same season (TWO in the opening hour alone) was a little...overwhelming. Especially because, as it turns out, Tony and Michelle were essentially killed as a diversion from the true intention of Palmer's assassination. It was a bit of a tease to have Tony initially survive. I was hopeful that he would at least make it through, despite the loss of Palmer and Michelle. His reaction to Michelle's death was so sad, and so well done. However, to have him in surgery for the first half of the season and then have him killed soon after he wakes up? That's just mean. I think it would have had a better impact had Tony and Michelle gone into hiding after Palmer's assassination only to die later on in the season (if they had to die anyway). Jack's reaction to Tony's death was so sad, though. Although it bothered me a little bit that a lot more attention was paid to Edgar's death (he was, in general, mentioned a lot more after he died. And the picture that was given to Chloe at the end). Tony had a very prominant and important role in the entire series so far and he was barely acknowledged after his death. I don't know how I'm going to like S6 with Tony, Palmer and Michelle gone.
-PRESIDENT LOGAN: What a disgusting man. I knew he was a sleaze from S4, but I had no idea that he was so corrupt. I just thought he was idiotic and not at all capable of assisting in terrorist acts against his own nation. It was definately interesting of the writers to write the President in as one of the main villains and it definately made for some tense moments. Earlier in the season I found that his scenes really dragged because they were never particularily interesting. After the "big reveal" kicked in he became a more interesting subplot, although I found it interesting mainly because of the three people below...
-MARTHA LOGAN, MIKE NOVIK and AARON PIERCE: I love that the three of them prevailed in the end. They worked so well together and I love how they had complete trust in one another to bring President Logan to justice. Yes, CTU made it happen, yet it couldn't have been done without these three. Their characters grew so much as the season progressed and, at times, I found what they were doing to be more interesting than Jack's heroics.
-CHRISTOPHER HENDERSON and VLADIMIR BIERKO: Both were interesting enough as villains. I like that Henderson had an actual history with Jack, having trained him in the early years. It made him a formidable foe because he'd be equally smart and as hard to beat as Jack. I didn't like that he seemed literally invincible to that green stuff they inject as a torture method at CTU, though. I mean, how did he not die from that shit, but Tony did? That's another thing, I didn't want to enjoy hating Henderson because he killed Tony. As for Bierko (the Russian terrorist with the beautifully calm, proper and crisp English accent. lol.) he wasn't given a lot to do other than threaten to release the syntox gas, but I did love those snazzy suits he was wearing, while making threats against America. I mean, come on! If you are going to be a terrorist, you have to do it in style. ;)
-THE REST: I like Bill Buchanan and I'm glad he's still hanging around CTU. I warmed up to Karen Hayes after she sided with Buchanan in helping Jack. That Miles guy was an asswipe. That Sexual Harrassment Girl was likely the most pointless addition to the show. Ever. Seriously, what was the point of that? Sam Gamgee of the Shire (sorry, I mean Lynn McGill) was irritating and then, oddly, sympathetic when he eventually died. I hope Secretary of Defense Heller doesn't pop up again (and survive another dive off of a cliff in his car).
-Overall, it was enjoyable, as 24 always is. It had a few plot points and minor characters that I saw no point too, however, I still liked it better than the mediocre S4. In the end, S3 is still my favourite so far (the Salazars, Stephen Saunders, Chase, Michelle and the hotel...it was all awesome). I'm a little worried about S6, though, because most people seem to bash it. I'm just hoping that people will have bashed it so much that it will turn out to not be as bad as I fear it will be.
-Things I Hope 24 Stops Doing:
1)Stop saying "hundreds of thousands of innocent people WILL die." For the love of all things 24, WE KNOW lots of people will die.
2)Killing fan favourites all in one season.
3)Jack doesn't need a new love interest every season. Enough with the females in distress.