24 Season 5

[jducoeur]

Now that is more like it.

Suffice it to say, the fifth season of 24 really hits on all cylinders, after a couple of years of drift. Last year was the nadir of the series, with entirely repulsive politics (among other things, an extended defense of torture as being simply necessary to get anything done) and a story that got a bit shrill. But this year turns completely around.

Mind, it's not high art -- 24 requires extensive suspension of disbelief at the best of times, with a massively intertwined plot that only a LARP GM could love. But it dispenses with the right-wing wet dream politics of Season 4, replacing them with a rather idealistic but satisfying anti-authoritarianism. The story keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout, in both the espionage plot and the political plot. (I can't say too much without spoilers, but suffice it to say that the two primary plots are much better integrated than in any previous season.) They startle you from the very beginning with a ruthless willingness to kill off major characters, and even the acting and direction aren't bad. (Unsubtle, but there's a lot of inter-character chemistry that succeeds admirably.)

And the ending -- well, they've got me hooked now. I'm really curious to see what happens next time...

Comments

[nazrynn.livejournal.com]

Is it me, or are there plenty of parallels to the sort of plot vehicles Tom Clancy uses in his books?

Or maybe I've read too many of his writings.
Not that I think this is bad. I love his books, just haven't read enough of them lately.

[jducoeur]

Could be, but I haven't read much Clancy. I could easily believe it based on the movie or two based on his work that I've seen.

That said, the solution space is kind of limited. Every season of 24 is obliged to have The Terrorist Plot and The Political Plot; these usually intertwine, but aren't required to do so. The plots are required to be at least mildly apocalyptic (destruction of a major city, and the possible downfall of the Presidency; sometimes a threat to the entire country). Every episode has to have *something* big and loud happen, and you need 24 of those (more or less) over the course of the season.

Combine all of that, and the formula demands a certain kind of roller-coaster. Whether they manage it well or not is what determines whether the season is good...

[etherial.livejournal.com]

I was thinking the same thing when I was watching Superman Returns. Do I have the Superman Theme memorized, or have I simply got John Williams' brainwaves down?

[querldox.livejournal.com]

Minor, vaguely written, spoiler for the first episode of Season 5 and pointing out something that doesn't happen during the rest of the season....
S
P
O
I
L
E
R
I still have problems with Season 5's opening episode, in which certain things happen to a specific set of people...but they never explain how this set of people was known to the instigator, and why do these things when the only possible result is to bring Jack Bauer back on the board, which should be the last thing the instagator would want. The actions towards one person are later explained, but not the rest.

[mentalgiant.livejournal.com]

Its a great show on a great network.