Saturday, January 14, 2006

Get A Grip

Jack's back! Thank goodness because this tv season could use a little irrational excitetment.
Best check your sanity at the couch. '24' takes 10 minutes to go nuts.: "Which brings us back -- even more clearly -- to the precepts of '24.' They are stupid. First season -- a near-revolutionary TV trick; an entire season played out in real time, each episode imagining an hour of time, ending in one full day. A whole lot of implausible situations, sure, but crackling action abounded. Speaking of crack, Season 2 hit the pipe hard, burning logic at every turn. And yet, we watched. '24' had this magic spell, this thrilling quality that allowed you to forgive the gaping holes. Each episode felt like chugging Red Bull and running recklessly and pointlessly down the streets of Pamplona.

By Season 3, the Kim Bauer Drinking Game (been there!!) had pretty much made alcoholics of an entire viewing nation. At some point, Jack Bauer may have worn a cape and flown. Does it matter? By Season 4, nobody in his or her right mind lived in Los Angeles, which had become a redundant terrorist target. And watching '24' was no longer tenable in the same way that 'Alias' was, for example. At least in 'Alias' everybody knew it was stupid. The Polar Bear Moment in 'Alias' was the costume change. Waify Jennifer Garner was going to put on a hot little number -- don't forget the wig -- and foil the bad guys. But at least no one in his or her right and centered mind thought it was the best show on television. '24,' on the other hand, really wanted to be taken seriously despite a previous 72 episodes of Swiss cheese logic."

Palmer, Palmer, Palmer, wherefore art thou?


I hear he's on another show.

No comments:

Post a Comment