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Review: '24'
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Some television shows are a hit in part because they capture a certain moment in time. They reflect the current sentiment of the nation in a way that makes resonate with importance above and beyond what viewers see on the screen.
It's difficult to imagine "M*A*S*H" without the aftermath of the Vietnam War, or "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" without the increasing influence of women in the workplace. "All In The Family" perfectly reflected the pro-Nixon "Silent Majority" of the 1970s and "Friends" mirrored the growth in urban twentysomethings who delayed marriage in favor of friends and career.
And it's also the case that "24" has mirrored the experience of America during the Bush presidency. The show premiered in November, 2001 and it seemed amazingly relevant in a post-9/11 America. The story of a man who stops at nothing to protect the country from outside terrorist threats seemed ripped from the headlines. And that relevance is part of the reason it has consistently remained a solid ratings hit.
But as the fortunes of the Bush Administration and the war on terror dipped, so did the underlying relevance of "24." If a growing number of Americans believe that the ends don't always justify the means and if they believe torture of suspects is wrong, then what does that mean for Jack Bauer?
That challenge is part of the reason season six of the show was the weakest season of the series run. Bauer and the rest of the cast almost seemed an anchronism in this real-life world where it's not always black-and-white. Maybe his methods aren't always right, and even if he gets the right results....well, maybe it's not worth the psychic pain to the country.
Season six wrapped up in May, 2007, and you would hope that producers would have figured out a way to move Bauer and the story past the relentless violence and lawbreaking.
As it turns out, they seem to still be stuck in 2001.
"24" has had some well publicized creative challenges. Season seven was supposed to kick off In Africa, and instead that idea seems to have morphed into a somewhat standalone movie ("24: Redemption"), which premiered in November. The show shut down production for three weeks over the summer, apparently to give writers a chance to rework the final six episodes of season seven.
But after all the work, "24" seems to be remarkably unchanged from its roots. While Fox has been teasing a scene in which Jack Bauer (Keifer Sutherland) is testifying in a front of a congressional subcommittee, he is back in the breaking heads game within minutes of the start of the first hour of the season.
In the middle of testimony, he is whickes away by the FBI, asked to track down and help in the capture of a former CTU partner Tony Almeida (Carlos Bernard), who seems to be working for terrorists.
Almeida and his group have kidnapped a computer expert and forced him to create a module that will allow them to penetrate the government firewall which protects important infrastructure like airports and power plants. He's soon asked to use extra-ordinary methods to wring information from suspects, and while officials in the FBI protest loudly, by the third hour some of them are treating suspects the same way. Like Bauer, one FBI official explains that "we need answers and can't afford to wait for other methods to work."
All of this takes place in the backdrop of a crisis in the fictional Africian country of Senegala. Throw in yet another conspiracy that "reaches into the highest levels of government," and some bad guys who seem to have an unrealistic amount of money and expertise, and you have yet another reworking of what viewers have seen in the previous six seasons of "24."
I have no idea how this season will ultimately play out. I'm hoping these first four hours are some sort of clever creative fake which will make this review seem foolish when the season is done.
But I worry that I am reading the events of season seven in the same way. That for all of the talk about changes in America and the way we handle terrorism, what this show is doing is nothing more than an endless loop of "the ends justify the means" violence.
I'll watch the season play out, and I hope it does improve.
But if not, maybe the optimism of the Obama administration will bleed into season eight.
Season seven of "24" premieres on Sunday, January 11th, 2009 on Fox.
Click here to read more about "24" from our "24" Examiner.
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