Thoughts on "24"
There are few shows that garner as much debate on national issues as 24. Pat Buchanan, last year, wrote a column on the topic, proving, if nothing else, that he's a huge fan.
Still, I prefer to shift from the far-right crazies and talk about the show itself.
A good, good friend of mine got an advance copy of the premier of season six, and told me the sixth season was the best so far. Many people have made this argument.
The first four hours were great, I can't deny that.
But I will always remain partial to the first season. As I re-watch the first-ever episode, I'm struck by a few things:
1. Tony Almeda started the series with a rather stupid quasi-Mexican accent, and
2. We are nearly a half hour into the first episode, and no one has been killed, and no one has been blown up yet.
It was a slow build in the first season, but it worked to perfection. Oh, and Nina Myers was there, the only season in which she was in every episode. Turning her evil at the end of season 1 turned the series into a classic, but her turn as Jack Bauer's "sidekick with an underlying sense of sexual tension" was missed in later seasons.
OK, let's kick it old school:
Magnificent 7: Thoughts on this season
1. I think Wayne Palmer ranks just below Charles Logan as the worst President ever. Sure, Logan broke laws and killed an ex-president, but at least he was competent. Well, more competent than Wayne.
2. Wow, I am watching the first episode, and Teri Bauer is having a conversation with Jack on the cell phone, only to have it short out. Details. These days, not even a nuclear bomb can prevent cell phone calls from being heard clearly.
3. Why didn't Jack just shoot Curtis Manning in the leg?
4. Does anyone else think Morris O'Brian is the coolest character since George Mason?
5. I do appreciate how Bill Buchanan has evolved to the point where he no longer even questions Jack. He just assumes, as we do, that he knows what he's doing.
6. I just don't buy Regina King in the role as a high-profile attourney. Maybe it's because I saw three of the four Scary Movie films. And what's with the Ally McBeal recasting? Peter MacNicol and Regina King are both cast in high profile roles. Is Robert Downey Jr. going to join the cast? Actually, that'd be pretty interesting.
7. I really hope the Logans come back. And soon.