24 - Season 1 (TV Show)

This show came out one school semester before I went off to BYU. I watched the first 6 episodes or so and loved it. My brother and I would talk about the show throughout the week, speculating and waiting for the next episode. I then went off to college and never saw an episode of 24 again. I've always wanted to see the show.

So now I've finally done it. I just finished watching season 1. It was an amazing show from start to finish. It wasn't perfect but it was well worth my time and I can't wait to start season 2.

What was good:

• The acting. Everything was believable. No one seemed amateur. Sutherland was awesome, and so was the Allstate Insurance guy that played Senator Palmer.
• The story. There's actually a "con" with "the story" as well (see below) but it was a "pro" as well. The story was VERY in depth and naturally as a writer I thought about the writing process as I watched. It was very hard for me to conceive of how the writers of the show could put together such an intricate and twisting plot line. Well done guys.
• Intensity. I love Lost and Heroes because they keep you on the edge of your seat and the story continues from episode to episode as if it were one long movie. 24 fit that same bill. I knew the good guys would win but there was no telling how right up to the last few minutes.

What was bad:

• The filming. I loved the split screen affect they did, showing a number of things going on at one time, but I kid you not, twice I saw a camerman in plain view off to the side of the screen. One time I had to pause and just stare at it because it was so perposterous. Unbelievable. Fire the guy in the editing room!
• WARNING. THIS "CON" HAS A SPOILER: Moles. There were a couple of people in the CTU (Counter Terrorist Unit) that were moles (working for the bad guys). But the one they revealed at the very end was SO STUPID. There was NO WAY this person was a mole. I can point out a dozen things she did earlier in the show that are perfectly against her end goal if she were a bad guy. There were many times that she went out of her way, on her own, by herself, to help Jack. But if she really wanted him dead, then why did she do those things? It was more than silly. It was perposterous!
• The Story. It was interesting to see everything happen in real time because you couldn't argue with the fact that a lot of stuff could really happen in 24 hours; you were watching it happen. Still... there was just TOO much stuff that happened in 24 hours. When you sit back and look at everything that happened, it's... just... insane and highly inprobable. On the otherhand, it made for awesome entertainment value.
• The commercials. This was a mistake right up there with the cameramen off screen. The show takes place in real time. This means that when you go to a commercial your TV will tell you that the time is 8:43:23 and when you come back from commercial it's 8:47:11. Okay so 4 minutes have passed while we were away at commercial. Then why is Jack still closing the same car door he was closing before we went to commercial? Why is the bad guy still loading the cartridge into the same gun? Why is Nina still hanging up the phone after a disturbing phone call? You get my point. While they tried to make a realtime show, including commercial time, they didn't do it correctly. I'm hoping this is a problem they fixed in future years of the show.

So there it is. 24 Season 1 has finally made my list. If you like Lost or Heroes, I HIGHLY recommend this show. Netflix it. Buy it. Rent it. There are even websites online where you can watch it for free.

My Rating: 5/5 (even though I pointed out a bunch of flaws, that was only for the sake of the review. The show was amazing and easily deserving of a 5).
My Recommendation: See above: Netflix it. Buy it. Rent it. SEE IT!