April 12, 2005
The Total Erosion of the Fourth Wall

[Updates below.]

When Jack Bauer saves the day for the nth time, arriving just before he would be too late to save a life and when he faultlessly predicts what the terrorist’s next step will likely be, can 24 be called "suspenseful"? Last night's episode had some of the more egregious violations of viewer credulity I can remember.

  • How does one get a visual on and then shoot down a F-117 Stealth Fighter at night? With what, the nose cannon of the F-15s providing close air support on Air Force One?
  • Bauer asking the campers to deactivate their cell phones in case of "passive tracking" moments before Marwan begins to...passively track cell phone signals.
  • Bauer, without any obvious aid, knowing some fairly detailed information on the Nuclear Football. He may be a secret super agent, but I would think the information on that particular piece of federal equipment would have a far tighter ring of security around it.
  • After understanding that at least two terrorists are speeding after the campers who have the Nuclear Football; after associates of these terrorists have shot down Air Force One with the President on it; after these terrorists have nearly caused a nationwide nuclear power plant catastrophe; after knowing the terrorists have found the reserve power substation where the campers are hiding out...the combined law enforcement/CTU/military presence on the ground to retrieve this most important of briefcases is: Jack Bauer and One Other Guy?! They couldn't load any more men into the assault/chase helicopter? One Other Guy, of course, gets blown away by submachine gun fire moments after arriving and Bauer doesn't even call in to CTU for backup or a situation update.

Gotta be hard to be the President's son. Warmly introduced one episode. Killed in a plane crash the next.

I'm thinking there's something fishy with the Vice President's bald aid.

Haven't seen the Secretary of Defense (or his son...) in a while.

What happened to Behrooz Araz?

Will Michelle and Tony do it in the heat of the moment behind a bank of computers?

Will Bauer ever charge his cell phone batteries?

UPDATED 4/18/2005 11:03pm
The 24 Embrace of Contemporary Politics

UPDATED 5/2/2005 10:55pm
Humanity Revealed in FOX's 24

UPDATED 5/17/2005 2:07pm
Quickie '24' Blog Items with an Emphasis on Richard Heller

UPDATED 3/13/2006 9:47am
My Take on FOX's '24' Ethics



Posted by Drizzten at April 12, 2005 08:40 AM

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