24: Season 4

If you have never seen this series let me explain the meaning of the title. Each season is 24 episodes representing a 24 hour period of time and each episode is one hour in "real time" of the 24 hour period. That simple but novel premise sets the stage for one of the best series to come to prime time. Believe me when I say there are no boring moments in this groundbreaking series. It seems to get more intense with each season with Terrorists from both without and within viewers are always wondering who will be the next victim or the next surprise terrorist to crop up. I am glad I never watched it on prime time TV because each episode is left with a cliffhanger and I have sat and watched several episodes at times. It is addicting to say the least what with all the conflicts, egos, romance and action along with enough plot twists that make an Alfred Hitchcock film seem mediocre to say the least.In season one Kiefer Sutherland who plays the main character of Jack Baur is in charge of the Los Angeles Division of the governments Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU). An ex special forces tough as nails man who can really kick butt, he does most of his work in the field because that is what he was trained to do and does it well. But as tough as he is he is not invulnerable to getting shot or knocked on the head and has his "inner" toughness really put to the test in each season. Every man has their limit to how much they can keep their emotions in check in a bad or tough situation in order to do the job that needs to be done. Jack Baur can do torture or whatever it takes to save thousands of American lives, but in one episode, after he is forced to shoot his own boss and friend in the head execution style he broke down and cried (season 4). But then ol' Jack he just keeps bouncing back against all odds because he knows he is the best at what he does. In season 5 the body count at CTU goes really high and that's all I'll say about that. Don't want to give away too many spoilers here. I just watched five episodes of season 5 in a row and needed to stop for a chance to catch my breath. LOL. So I'm writing this review. Truly the production values of this series equals that of many action feature films, and as each season progresses it seems to only get bigger. I always appreciate a good musical score that accompanies a film or TV show, and in season 4 and 5 composer Callery has really outdone himself in adding tension and excitement to that effect. If being taken to the limit of excitement in entertainment is your cup of tea then, may I say, 24 fits that order like no other series before it. Just be warned there are scenes of torture throughout that may be too intense for younger or more sensitive audiences. But when millions of lives are at stake, a man, or sometimes even a woman, has got to do what they have too do. Whether it's a nuclear threat, or deadly nerve gas or a threat from within CTU can be counted on to come through, no matter the cost to their selves, including their own safety or personal lives.Filled with great performances that can make you feel empathy for some characters and outright hate for the baddies, and anger at some of the a-hole bosses at CTU. One of my favorite characters is Chloe O'Brian (Mary lynn Rajskub) who came on board in season 3. One of the brightest and most indispensable operatives at CTU she has a problem controlling her smart-mouth attitude and always looks like she needs a good dose of ex-lax :) Miss Rajskub (some one pronounce that name for me please) has one of the most complicated characters in the series. One which I am sure she loves getting to sink her actors teeth into. In season 5 (wait, isn't this supposed to be a review of season 4?) she reluctantly gets pulled in to do some "field" work and even gets to shoot a few baddies.All I can say is, I hope the edge of your seat is real comfortable because this show will keep you there. A lot. Okay, I'm done. Now where's that remote?

I have been a 24 fan since the series premiered & I must say this past 4th season has been not only its best season, but the best season of drama tv I have ever seen. I don't say that lightly-I'm a big fan of other shows such as Nip/Tuck, The West Wing, Lost, Rescue Me, Over There, and House. The concept of 24 is simple: it follows a day in the life of superagent Jack Bauer in real time. Here is a concise episode guide following the events in Jack's day in Season 4-(7 AM - 8 AM) Jack returns to CTU, where he was formerly director, to discover a train explosion which he believes to be a diversionary target.(8 AM - 9 AM) Jack gets reinstated by CTU when the Secretary of Defense is kidnapped. His only lead is a hacker who hacked into the terrorists' database.(9 AM - 10 AM) The terrorists get to the hacker first and Jack has no choice but to follow them.(10 AM - 11 AM) To buy time for a satellite tracker, Jack is forced to delay the terrorist by robbing the grocery store he's in.(11 AM - 12 PM) Jack's diverson is successful as the terrorist leads Jack to the compound where the Secretary of Defense and his daughter Audrey are held.(12 PM - 1 PM) Against orders, Jack infiltrates the compound in a dramatic rescue. Meanwhile, CTU learns that the kidnapping was a diverson & the terrorists plan to melt all the nuclear plants in the continental US.(1 PM - 2 PM) Now safe, Audrey, also Jack's girlfriend, goes with Jack to try and ID one of the men she recognized when held captive. Soon afterwards, they get ambushed and Jack relies on his old friend Tony Almeida to help them.(2 PM - 3 PM) Temporarily safe, they make an ID on Audrey's captors.(3 PM - 4 PM) Jack and Tony follow up on the lead, where they meet a reluctant Dina and Behrooz Araz.(4 PM - 5 PM) In hopes of finding the terrorists ultimately responsible, Tony interrogates Dina.(5 PM - 6 PM) Dina reveals the orchestrator of the terrorists' plans-a man named Marwan. Jack also learns the location of the override device to prevent the nuclear plants from melting down.(6 PM - 7 PM) Jack heads over to Marwan's employers, whom decide to destroy evidence in order cut their ties to the day's events.(7 PM - 8 PM) Jack has some help as he fends off the mercenaries sent to kill him.(8 PM - 9 PM) Jack orchestrates a mock-hostage situation so he can get close to Marwan.(9 PM - 10 PM) Now kidnapped, Jack is released when his kidnappers plan a trade to buy time for their contingency plan.(10 PM - 11 PM) CTU raids Marwan's compound only to have him escape. Things get even worse as the terrorists shoot down Air Force One.(11 PM - 12 AM) Jack and Marwan struggle to obtain the nuclear launch codes that dropped from the plane.(12 AM - 1 AM) A suspect is brought in with information about Marwan's plans & Jack has to use alternative methods to extract the information.(1 AM - 2 AM) Jack's latest efforts at finding Marwan are stalled by the Secret Service.(2 AM - 3 AM) Jack illegally breaks into the Chinese Consulate to extract a man who knows Marwan's whearabouts.(3 AM - 4 AM) Jack gets closer to finding Marwan as the terrorists launch a nuclear missle.(4 AM - 5 AM) Jack captures Marwan only to find him uncooperative. Meanwhile, an unexpected lead pops up from the Secretary of Defense's son.(5 AM - 6 AM) Jack follows up on the lead as the Chinese Consulate discovers what happened on their grounds.(6 AM - 7 AM) The lead pays off as she reveals both the whereabouts of Marwan & the location of the missile. Though the terrorist plans are thwarted, Jack is ultimately forced to feign his death to prevent his capture by the Chinese. As the season wraps up, Jack Bauer must take on a new identity.

This show is worth revisiting. I stopped watching it during this season, because it was getting a little too on the nose with what was happening in the USA and the rest of the world. I just couldn't. But I'm glad I decided to revisit my decision. Day 4 has a lot to commend it. For one thing, except for the fact that torture always seems to lead to the truth on this show, the moral problems with it don't just get brushed off. At the same time, there's no pandering or handwringing over it, either. It's very nuanced, especially for a show that is telling a multiplot action story set within a 24 hour time period.For another thing, there are a lot of women in this show, and they have agency and points of view and important jobs. The one thing that I thought was kind of a drag about this season was the [SPOILER WARNING scroll down past the end of the review to see the drag part]* but even that wasn't too bad.Alberta Watson and Lana Parilla are two of my all time favorites. As Driscoll and Sarah, they are flawed and competent and very believable. Mary Lynn Rajskub - I think - plays Chloe to perfection. She's hard to take sometimes, but I think it's because she's neurodiverse and a little too smart. Kim Raver is good, but I like her better in a more morally ambiguous role (see, e.g., Revolution). She's fine here, though.The plot is a bit hit and miss, but it stays plenty exciting, maybe a little more so even than Season 1. And there are plenty of surprises along the way.****inevitable damsel in distress effect of Jack having a love interest, but

Excellent show