Support NeoGAF

[whytemyke]

I started watching a bit of 24 during this most recent season, and a ton of GAFFERS told me that I should watch the first three seasons and catch up, as they're all great. Well, after about 30 bucks in rental costs for each one, I'm finally caught up.

I actually think I liked Season 3 the best. Jack having to

Spoiler

kill Ryan

was about as fucked up as it gets, and him just breaking down and crying at the end of the day was exactly how anyone would react who has been through so much shit.

And right when

Spoiler

Palmer found out that Cherie was killed

I thought to myself, "Man, I wouldn't even wanna be President anymore." Then sho' nuff, he agreed.

Damn good show, though.

 

[Memles]

The 3rd Season gets far too much flack...it has its issues, but it has some fantastic moments and its main storyline flows really, really well...the Palmer stuff was terrible, though. Just terrible.

 

[ocelittle]

Every season of that show is brilliant...

That one scene you described in 3 being 'fucked up', was probably the most powerful moment in television drama. Amazing stuff...so hard to watch, but so hard to take your eyes off.

 

[LakeEarth]

Yeah I'd put the first half of 4 up there, but as a whole, I'd put season 4 in last place. Things just got annoyingly over the top during the second half. Nevermind 'plan B', I think Marwan was on plan ZX by the time he was done.

 

[Boogie]

Yeah I'd put the first half of 4 up there, but as a whole, I'd put season 4 in last place. Things just got annoyingly over the top during the second half. Nevermind 'plan B', I think Marwan was on plan ZX by the time he was done.

:lol No kidding.

Train crashes to steal a key to the US nuclear power plants, then the Sec of Defence is kidnapped and tried, only to serve as a decoy in order to gain access to the nuclear power plants.

BUT really, we're planning to steal an F-117 (which INEXPLICABLY is armed with air-to-air missiles ) to shoot down Air Force One, to steal the nuclear notebook, to steal a nuclear warhead, and fire it at LA, where the head bad guy still is (rather than, say, WASHINGTON, or NEW YORK).

But, of course, I loved every minute of it :lol

 

[jenov4]

I welcome you to the 24 fan club. I've notice a lot more of my real life friends are starting to get into this show as well.

 

[MIMIC]

Yeah....Season 3 gets way too much hate.

 

[Memles]

I think one of the next great 24 debates will be whether or not Season Four will be ranked as a whole or as two separate parts. Because, as LakeEarth points out, there is clearly a lot of bullshit in the second half that REALLY dragged it down as a whole. I think that the same should be done for Season 2, to be honest with you.

Even with that, it's a matter of how you watch 24 that dictates how you rank them. You can either pay more attention to the larger story arcs or you get caught up in cool moments and giant explosions. Leaning to the prior, I think it is impossible to really enjoy Seasons 2 and 4 all the way through. However, I fully understand that if someone subscribes to the latter school of 24 Watching that they'll simply see all of the explosions and ignore the fact that the realm of possibility was long ago surpassed.

Of the four seasons, only the 1st and 3rd really stayed consistent on their original storyline. Both were all about solving the exact same mystery, as everything was related to either the kidnapping or the virus...even the entire red herring at the beginning of Season 3 was all a recon mission for the purpose of finding the virus. This storyline consistency grounds the seasons and allows them to flow. While the 2nd season stays consistent, the entire second half has no real flow, no real reason and absolutely no conclusion. We never got a clear picture of who, why, and the cliffhanger ending? Ignored.

It's Season 1>>Season 3>Season 4>>Season 2 to me...splitting up the seasons just isn't right.

 

[Boogie]

I think one of the next great 24 debates will be whether or not Season Four will be ranked as a whole or as two separate parts. Because, as LakeEarth points out, there is clearly a lot of bullshit in the second half that REALLY dragged it down as a whole. I think that the same should be done for Season 2, to be honest with you.

Even with that, it's a matter of how you watch 24 that dictates how you rank them. You can either pay more attention to the larger story arcs or you get caught up in cool moments and giant explosions. Leaning to the prior, I think it is impossible to really enjoy Seasons 2 and 4 all the way through. However, I fully understand that if someone subscribes to the latter school of 24 Watching that they'll simply see all of the explosions and ignore the fact that the realm of possibility was long ago surpassed.

Of the four seasons, only the 1st and 3rd really stayed consistent on their original storyline. Both were all about solving the exact same mystery, as everything was related to either the kidnapping or the virus...even the entire red herring at the beginning of Season 3 was all a recon mission for the purpose of finding the virus. This storyline consistency grounds the seasons and allows them to flow. While the 2nd season stays consistent, the entire second half has no real flow, no real reason and absolutely no conclusion. We never got a clear picture of who, why, and the cliffhanger ending? Ignored.

It's Season 1>>Season 3>Season 4>>Season 2 to me...splitting up the seasons just isn't right.

You know, I can recognize your criticisms of Season 2, but despite them, I loved that season. I dunno, I think it just had too many moments of greatness despite falling apart in the second half.

I completely agree with your ranking of the other three seasons though.

 

[Memles]

You know, I can recognize your criticisms of Season 2, but despite them, I loved that season. I dunno, I think it just had too many moments of greatness despite falling apart in the second half.

My issue is less the falling apart and more that it has no consequence and really no resolution. It's shoddy ass storytelling, is what it is. While it should have carried a large amount of weight, a nuclear bomb going off and all, it instead felt hollow and slow-moving.

It's one thing that 24 has yet to accomplish: taking these terrorist attacks and making them resonate in an uncontrived manner. The only way they ever succeed is by actually making them personal, throwing characters or loved ones of characters into harm's way (See: Michelle vs. The Virus and Edgar's Mom has Radiation Going On). When the Nuclear Reactors melted down, we had to see the people inside actually like melting...they couldn't give us great cinematics or anything of that nature. I think shots like the final shot of Season 4 could go a long way in expressing the effect of a situation, moreso than making everything so damn personal. The lack of resonance of each individual attack only made the end of Season Two and the constant stream of them in Season 4 that much unbelievable and contrived, and I think it's something that they should really work on in Season 5. I know that the idea behind the camera work is to really bring the camera into the space of the actors, but the fact remains that I think the "news coverage" way of covering tragedy's welcome is wearing damn thin at this point.

I was listening to an interview on the CBC and Jon Cassar, Lead Director, was talking about how the portrayal of Arabs as helpful, gun-toting shopboys in Season 4 was planned before the outrage over the initial portrayal, as if that somehow vindicated their lame characterization. I found it quite entertaining; it was an entertaining listen otherwise, although I wish that there had been more focus on the problems with the show. As much as I enjoy it, there are some serious issues that get in the way of some awesome TV.