Jack Bauer and Renee Walker covered a lot of ground on last night's episode of 24.  I don't pretend to know the geographical layout of Washington, D.C., but to go from the hideout to the White House to the FBI meet-up to Vossler/Vossler's house and finally to the Dubaku Mini-Mart hideout with enough time to gun down some terrorists seemed unreasonable.  But, it's best not to dwell on such things, 24 not a beacon of truth or a city travelogue.  No – 24 is a forum to explore the overly simplistic political views that allow Jack Bauer to make Tough Decisions and yell and murder evil-doers.  And, holy crap, Jack did work on last night's 24.  His man-handling of Vossler was a joy to watch (except for the horror on his wife's face) especially the wrong-way driving leading up to the collision with Vossler's car.    All in all, it was one of the best episodes of the season, which got me to thinking: What exactly are we looking for from 24 at this point?

Ideally, the audience would want more than violence and action.  We wouldn't only be satisfied by Jack yelling at people and being a general bad ass.  The political intrigue, the intertwining plots, the twists – ostensibly, this is the draw of 24.  However, seven seasons in, the formula old hat, has 24 become a show that can only entertain when it allows Kiefer Sutherland to act like a crazy patriot, beating information out of people?  Has the action become more important than the story?

I think so.  No matter which direction the story goes, I, like most long-time viewers, aren't going to be surprised.  A character we know, who is supposedly a good guy, will turn out to be a mole.  In the end, Jack Bauer will win.  Innocent people will die, sacrifices will be made, but again, ultimately, Jack will come out on top.  With this knowledge at the forefront of the viewers' minds, it makes sense that Jack Being Jack has become 24's main draw. 

Look at last night: I've had enough of Henry Taylor.  I could not care less about Dubaku's girlfriend situation, and I didn't bat an eye when the fake Mutobo and a couple of agents were blown up by a bazooka.  The best parts of the episode, by far, were Jack's confrontation with Vossler and the final scene underneath the mini-mart.  In those two scenes, we got a maniacal Jack, being the superhero that he is.  That was enough to entertain me. 

24 doesn't work without Kiefer Sutherland.  The formula isn't what brings the fans, nor is it the action.  It's Kiefer's portrayal of a broken man, a man who will do everything he can to get a mission accomplished, usually in a deliciously over-the-top manner.  It's possible that I'm in the minority here.  Perhaps fans are still caught up in 24's story lines, in the political aspects of the series, but I doubt it.  When it comes down to it, 24's success comes from its protagonist.


-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Image Courtesy of FOX)