24: Series Four

With season five about to begin on Sky I finally managed to catch season four on DVD, spread over about 3 months. I came to this franchise very late to begin with - almost two years after series one first aired - but lost no time catching up. The first day in the tragic life of Jack Bauer was a revelation; the second day was a real thrill and still probably the best season; by series three there were some repetitions, but the team stepped up to the bar to deliver some exceptionally tense episodes. By season four daughter Kim is gone, President Palmer is nowhere to be seen and Jack has a new squeeze in tow, daughter of the senator he is employed to protect now that CTU no longer require his services. 24 has always been about the cliffhangers - taking a situation to breaking point and then leaving us dangling there till the next episode, the famous clock ticking all the while. The context for series four is once again international terrorism, and the producers address the modern world in a very compelling way, balancing our fascinations with spies, technology and backstabbing politics to create a seductive whole just on the edge of believability. But the real secret to 24 is the characters, their inter-relationships, the way we care about their lives in situations of mortal danger, whether from a bomb, a bullet or a broken heart. At times it becomes laughable, descending into soap opera or sickening American gung ho-ism, but it is never less than entertaining no matter how ridiculous the plot becomes. It is quite a feat to make a show that fits 24 hours in the lives of dozens of characters into, er, well 24 hours of film (about 20 if you take away the commercials), so any criticism is pretty redundant; it simply is Top Telly and there can be no doubt about its classic status, or, indeed about the cult status of its central hero Mr Jack Bauer: all purpose action man for the 21st century. Where does this last series rate? Well, it's up there at times, perhaps getting a little flabby in the middle, but there is a lot of innovation and some expertly timed re-introductions of old characters that have you cheering at the screen. Certainly, there is nothing to put me off watching a fifth series from beginning to end - and with Jack officially dead now the new hook is a stroke of near genius. 24 is what it is and I love it. 8/10 Kx