Re: 24- The Bauer Hour series discussion (spoilers)
Found this and thought it was worth posting ----
Season Five of 24 concluded with one of the most memorable cliffhangers in series history, and that was only one of the moments that made us stop and say, "Damn… that was a great season of 24!. Here are 24 reasons this season kicked all ***—terrorist or otherwise…
Not like you have to be told, but …
SPOILERS ABOUND BELOW…
24. The Nonstop Season
The show didn't take a monster-sized gap between episodes, a la Prison Break. Instead, it trucked on non-stop, waiting every Monday night like an old friend. An old friend with a Glock.
23. The VP Scam
The casting of former Twin Peaks heavy Ray Wise as the vice president was a stroke of genius. Sure, all manner of suspicion was cast on him from multiple sources, but just his face alone does half of the work. Would you trust this guy to marry your sister? The answer is no.
22. The Rat
Moments after earning the confidence of Karen Hayes, Miles the Homeland Security ***** Boy calls President Logan to rat out her plans to aid everyone's favorite rogue agent Jack Bauer. Miles then destroys evidence implicating the reptilian president in all of the terrorist activity of the day. Can you say douche?
21. The Chloe Bail-out
Which one, you ask? All of them. This geeky, asocial chick must have a thing for Jack because she risks her job weekly to help him out. In fact, you might be able to make a drinking game out of how many times she helps Jack out in any given episode.
20. The Diaphanous Blouse
Audrey Raines (Kim Raver) is a gorgeous woman, but as she strode toward Jack in the diaphanous blouse at the end of the final episode, she reminded us all just how comforting the presence of beauty can be after a grueling day.
19. The Sean Astin Sacrifice
Remember that scene in Rudy… well, any scene in Rudy? We all know Sean Astin is a stand-up guy, and he got yet another chance to prove he's a sweetie on this season of 24. Who else would gobble a dose of nerve gas so that others might live? Well, that dude who was stuck with him, for one. But who else? Way to go, Samwise!
18. The Never-ending Cellphone Battery
One thing Kiefer Sutherland hasn't yet pimped is cellphones, and more specifically, cell batteries. This season, he used his cell/PDA/comm more than ever, and although he worked that sucker for almost 24 hours straight, it kept on tickin'. Call Duracell!
17. The Sands
Julian Sands is a grossly underutilized actor, and seeing him getting a nod brought a little tear to our collective eye. The androgynous, vaguely Euro blondie is the perfect villain, and his turn as Bierko was notable.
16. The Humanity!
They had the balls to kill Tony Almeida. In a season with tons of meaningful deaths, Almeida was pretty big, if somewhat expected. Killing off his wife, Michelle Dessler, at the same time was just cold.
15. The Hot Daughter
Although she didn't return for long, Jack's daughter Kim (played by Elisha Cuthbert) reappeared. Any show that puts Cuthbert back on TV is by definition cool.
14. The Stall
Talk about putting your country first! After First Lady Martha Logan discovered her husband Charles was perhaps the biggest scumbag alive, she had to sleep with him in order to stall him so that Jack could board his plane. Ick. How many showers would one have to take after such coitus?
13. The Airplane Marionette
When Jack took over the plane in order to locate the stolen recording implicating President Logan, he ended up in the luggage compartment, and promptly cut open the plane, reached inside, and began jarring it by "pulling the strings." This prompts the question, "Is Kiefer Sutherland the new Chuck Norris?"
12. The Unkillable Secretary of Defense
You know that expression "Takes a lickin', keeps on tickin'"? That double applies to Secretary Heller, who plummeted off of a cliff about a million feet into icy water and managed to survive. In Season Four, he endured torture and the humiliation of his daughter seeing his junk.
11. The Chloe is Getting Nookie "What?" Moment
That sound you heard during the first episode was millions of Americans at once saying in unison, "Chloe is getting laid and I'm not?"
10. The Body Count
24 has never shied away from littering the screen with bodies, but this season wasn't content until it had logged stabbings, shootings, stranglings, a neck snap or two, thousands dying from nerve gas, gunshot wounds, and even a few burns. Any way you can think of to kill a person (well, not any way, you sicko) was represented this season, and the death-dealers at Fox should be proud that they can now serve as poster children for violence on TV.
9. The End of Palmer
It's a pretty bold move when your season begins with the assassination of a President. Of course, parents will just tell little Johnny that the President went to a better place… a place where he could run free and be a happy puppy (that place, which is arguably not better, was CBS' The Unit). We will miss David Palmer, but we are happy he went out in a blaze of glory.
8. The Suicide Attempt
If one scene in TV stood out this season, it was Charles Logan's near-suicide, played out in dramatic fashion. We honor Gregory Itzin elsewhere in this list, but this couple minutes of drama was better than anything on TV this season.
7. The Attack on CTU
You gotta love terrorists who attack the Counter Terrorism Unit and succeed. The attack on CTU was bold, to be sure, but it was also effective. It threw the office in a state of chaos, and allowed Homeland Security to come in and set up shop. Did we mention that the attack killed more than half of the CTU staff?
6. The Weller
Peter Weller's presence in any film or television show almost automatically guarantees its quality (we'll look the other way on Robocop 2), and this season of 24 proves it. Watching him slink and connive his way through every episode masked as a patriot was a joy.
5. The Smile
Was there anything sweeter than the smile shared by First Lady Martha Logan and Mike Novick as President Logan was led away? We think not. Perfectly played by the cast.
4. The Audacity!
They killed Edgar! This show proves that no one is safe. Not Tony Almeida, not Edgar's Mom… Not Edgar himself.
3.The Cold-blooded Killer
Seconds after Christopher Henderson tries to shoot Jack and his weapon goes "click," Jack unloads into him. Jack, you vindictive toughie, we love you. High road, my ***.
2. The Slimeball
Gregory Itzin's performance as President Logan. Itzin tongue-flicked and squinted his way to one of the most memorable and sleazy characters in television history. This jelly-spined would-be mastermind shall live in the minds of 24 fans always.
1. The Cliffhanger
The #1 nod has to go to the final sequence, which sees Jack captured by the Chinese folks he so righteously pissed off at the end of Season Four. That locked in our viewership for next season.
