24

1st season - 85% - It is quite surprising how raw the atmosphere is right from the beginning. Unlike the following years, which are more action-thriller oriented, the start focuses more on basic psychology and political twists, with action taking a backseat. The main problem is how the viewer can accept occasional clichés. Fortunately, they are all presented in such an attractive package that I have no problem swallowing them. The last two episodes are filled with tension until the last second. 2nd season - 90% - The action has intensified, Jack's personal tragedy adds to his toughness and determination, Kim continues to function in the realms of "sexy" and "hysterical" at the same time, and the best character with a change of sides is Nina. The action-packed ending adds a touch of timelessness. 3rd season - 85% - The first half of the third day brings a charismatic new partner, a highly unpredictable plot, and an amazing villainous duo, reaching its peak. However, the second half is filled with schematic situations that have no place at CTU and, in their predictability, can sometimes even be boring. Fortunately, the finale brings an almost breathless catharsis, adding significant points to the overall impression. The feeling of the story's completion is perfect, yet the golden period is yet to come. 4th season - 90% - The notion that everything should have ended at the end of the third day was fortunately just an illusion. This time, CTU gets a formidable opponent, which gives the term "main antagonist" a completely new dimension. The only criticism this time are the characters. Whether the unnecessarily prolonged storyline of the Araz family or Jack's new partner. Her repeated transformations of the overall perception of things due to her ex-husband somewhat spoil the feeling of a realistic-looking relationship plot. However, the story gains its greatest strength in moments when old acquaintances return and with the growing night atmosphere. Who would have guessed after an incredible finish that it could be even better next time? 5th season - 100% - An unstoppable ride from a shocking start to an emotionally charged final episode. The best antagonist (a duel between student and teacher), the best atmosphere (you never know which of your favorite characters will be affected next) and unequivocally the best season. And a very dark ending. 6th season - 65% - To some extent a return to its roots in terms of emphasizing family relationships. Noticeably better effects and this time even slightly surprising brutality, which fans of the first seasons might be astonished by. But the most important thing is that it is the worst season. After an effective start, in the middle of the third day, I got the impression that not everything went as it should have, and the series needlessly stretches its juicy but repetitive taste of what has already been seen in previous seasons. However, the last episodes take off into unprecedented twists and the final ten minutes are unrepeatable with their unique atmosphere. Therefore, two sharp contradictions are conflicting inside me. On one hand, the creators showed me that they can still come up with sufficiently nerve-racking plots, but on the other hand, I wouldn't like to feel that I hardly want to watch the next episodes. Redemption - 70% - We all know that Jack suffered the most from the strike of the A-list TV series. Therefore, with his first appearance, there comes the expected excitement that he has finally licked his wounds from this low blow. He can still toughen up the music for the right cause, take anything to neutralize the enemy, and when he has someone close to him with whom fate did not spare, he swiftly moves. However, since I am a supporter of the classic look of Los Angeles, I must also add in the same breath that relocating to this location was probably not the luckiest idea. We (10.01.2006) (weniger) (mehr)

Eight hard day’s nights (i.e. eight seasons over the course of nine years) for Jack Bauer spanning almost fifteen “series" years. 24 has countless flaws (imbalance between separate episodes both in terms of quality and screenplay, sometimes needlessly dragged-out), but in terms of the conspiracy/action series genre it is incomparable. True, it is in essence pure B-grade, but mostly a darn high quality B which, in the better seasons, beats other regular action series hands down. The advantage with 24 is that the creators push back the limits of just how far non-cable TV productions can go. The characters as such aren’t particularly interesting (apart from Jack, of course), but they mostly catch your interest thanks to the actors. Basically the biggest mistake is that each episode is divided into thirds. Bauer in the field, political machinations and what goes on at CTU headquarters. And the CTU bit soon starts to get boring (and later actively annoying; the dialogs in this part of the episodes are a real “experience"), the political intrigues are sometimes interesting (in season one) and sometimes not (in later seasons) and so the Jack storyline is the only one to maintain the quality level in all days; whether it’s over-the-top or not. This certainly isn’t the best series of all time, but it is an above-average affair that maintains some potential even in later seasons. Day 1 4/5: Compared to the rest of Bauer’s days, this is very “raw" and unpolished. It isn’t about anything big, and remains on a personal level. Unlike the later seasons, it relies heavily on the last few episodes, without them it is merely a solid affair, sometimes too full of cliché. Personally, I came to appreciate this season only after some time. Day 2 5/5: The best balanced season in terms of quality, pace and story; it works wonderfully as a whole and none of the episodes stick out or fade into the background. It’s the first day where Jack’s dark side starts to emerge and, mainly thanks to the creators, this time the story doesn’t lead up to one final climax, but has a series of “sub-plots" that take up 3-4 episodes. Just a shame about the dumb storyline involving Kim and the boring two first episodes. Day 3 4/5: Too bad that this season wasn’t shorter by a couple of episodes. There are no downright weak episodes in this season, but around half way through, they could have done a lot of cutting. Certainly still above-average quality and several memorable moments (how one of the main protagonists dies). Day 4 4/5: Basically a restart without most of the original cast and overall the approach in this season is a little different; this time we know who the main villain is from the beginning; the entire day is treated as one long chain of action episodes without any significant twists. Definitely excellent and, luckily, before it starts repeating itself like a scratched record, in the last third the creators kick off with another storyline that results in a wonderful finale that ties up loose ends to close 24 in style. Day 5 3/5: A splendid and bold beginning to the season, lots of excellently developed themes, ideas and twists. More than one episode ingrain themselves in your memory. Despite all the pluses, this season works in terms of individual instances rather than as a whole. Day 6 2/5: This season suffers from the same ailments as the last one. Separate fragments of it are often great, but it doesn’t hold together much as a whole. But still, it takes off intriguingly. Especially the last ten minutes or so of episode four are probably the best that 24 has come up with so far. Unfortunately, it also all too obviously borrows from itself. In fact, it’s occasionally started to get my goat. If it weren’t for the excellent beginning and decent ending, I would have gone even lower with the score. This is due to the creators trying out whether it would work even without Jack and so he is missing for the whole middle section. Which is a suicidal mistake because the only reason that this series hasn’t fallen apart yet is Bauer... Before his “week at work" was over, Jack managed to find time for a quick trip to Africa to make a feature movie24: Redemption 3/5. Day 7 1/5: The first episode is a parody of itself and is seriously boo standard, but Jack’s storyline soon pulls itself together and now it looks like one of the best in this season. The problem is that the president storyline seems to have remained in the land of boo. However, half way through the season the wtf attack on the White House and what follows is Boo City, D.C. To preserve my positive attitude toward the good old 24 that I love, I have decided to stop watching. Damn it! Day 8 4/5: In the end I didn’t manage to stop watching and so I put on the last season. The rumors about a return of quality do not lie; Day 8 really goes back to grass roots. Perhaps a little big, because all the storylines and suspenseful moments simply recycle the best moment of past and better seasons (mostly season two and four). But it works, flows by nicely, doesn’t come up with any particular surprises, but is a solid average. But then the moment arrives: about two-thirds through the season everything turns out well, all threats have been eliminated and a new story begins. A story that has obviously been collecting dust in a drawer, waiting for the order from above to get it out and use it. No threats, no terrorists, the CTU shenanigans are sidelined; it’s a return to the personal level of Day 1. Gripping, wonderfully thought through and even emotionally fully functional. In other words, ingredients that have been lacking in 24 for years now. Yep, an ending just as it should be. An ending that makes you forget all the crap you saw in the worse seasons and also that the ending should have come a good while ago; the only thing that matters is that they leave some (exceedingly) loose ends for a potential follow-up. It needs a definitive period... You know what kind. (19.02.2004) (weniger) (mehr)