24: Live Another Day. Discussion Thread. (Spoilers)

[Aragorn]

Season 4 isn't terrible, it's just not as good as the previous years. The only year where I really started losing interest was 6. I can't even remember who the bad guys were in that anymore. 8 is another total blank slate for me but to be fair I only saw it a single time.

Season 4, 6 and 8 were the absolute worst seasons of 24. Season 4 gave us the Rube Goldberg Houdini villain who had a plan for a plan for a plan and could escape CTU perimeters without breaking a sweat. It also gave us the "daughter subplot" from hell and Edgar Stiles.

 

[Mr Light]

Even when the show was at its worst I still really enjoyed it. I seem to recall Season 6 just started to lose my interest, though, that's when it REALLY got repetitive. But then they changed it up a lot with 7.

 

[Aldo]

Season 4 isn't terrible, it's just not as good as the previous years. The only year where I really started losing interest was 6. I can't even remember who the bad guys were in that anymore. 8 is another total blank slate for me but to be fair I only saw it a single time.

Season 4, 6 and 8 were the absolute worst seasons of 24. Season 4 gave us the Rube Goldberg Houdini villain who had a plan for a plan for a plan and could escape CTU perimeters without breaking a sweat. It also gave us the "daughter subplot" from hell and Edgar Stiles.

I like Edgar!

I will say that so far this is the weakest season out of the first four (and even Live Another Die, which I am finding quite thrilling).

I just reached the halfway point and was equally excited and equally rolling my eyes when Michelle turned out to be the replacement for Erin. Strangely enough I remember the EMP blast...this might have been one of the few episodes I sampled when the show was on and was trying to get into 24.

 

[Aragorn]

I like Edgar!

I will say that so far this is the weakest season out of the first four (and even Live Another Die, which I am finding quite thrilling).

I just reached the halfway point and was equally excited and equally rolling my eyes when Michelle turned out to be the replacement for Erin. Strangely enough I remember the EMP blast...this might have been one of the few episodes I sampled when the show was on and was trying to get into 24.

You didn't think everything up through the Heller rescue was tightly written (for a change)? Once we got the the computer controlled nuclear meltdown, that's when I thought the season started to go to hell. Then we had the psychotic daughter of the head of CTU who manages to commit suicide despite being the only patient and Regina/Evil Queen gets fired in the middle of a terrorist threat because she wants Michelle to honor Driscoll's pay raise.

 

[Aldo]

I did enjoy everything up to Heller's rescue, yes. I did say it's weak, but I'm still enjoying it, I'm just not feeling the threat so far. The nuclear meltdown scare was interesting, but they resolved that pretty quickly, so I'm just waiting to see what his next big threat is, right now I'm just at the point where Jack and Paul are stuck in the building that just had the EMP blast go off.

 

[Trekker4747]

Yeah, Season 4's Nuclear X-Box kicking off the Rube Goldberg terrorist plot.

 

[Base_Delta_Zero]

Whenever Jack is alone, or with one or two helper characters, and has to improvise how to engage and win against entire squads of badguys, it's always awesome, because Jack is one ruthless motherfucker and he clearly 100%'s games like Splinter Cell and Hitman, but also MW and Battlefield. I recall the post-EMP sections being really fun.

I still remember the scene

Spoiler: awesome Jack stuff

in whatever season he teamed up with Wayne Palmer where they're at the bank and cornered by the badguys, so they up the GTA wanted level a few stars to draw in police, who engage the badguys, which ups the wanted level another few stars, which draws in the National Guard, who jackhammer the baddies with the 50 cals mounted on their Humvees.

I burned through the first two seasons this week up to George's heroic moment, and despite Kim and Agent Cougar antics, I still think 2 is one of the best seasons. One is good, but 2 is where Jack the super badass comes to the fore and all of the tropes are etched into the very makeup of the show, including Agent Baker (who later moved to Hawaii and changed his name to Chin Ho Kelly) the unkillable & competent CTU redshirt.

I mean, Jack ate food on Day One! Twice! (Jello cup & a TV dinner) And he changed his clothes like 3 times, with at least 1 implied poo being taken. And he took a 30 second catnap. On Day Two he shaves, puts on a new shirt and that's about it, he's off to the races.

 

[Trekker4747]

Whenever Jack is alone, or with one or two helper characters, and has to improvise how to engage and win against entire squads of badguys, it's always awesome, because Jack is one ruthless motherfucker and he clearly 100%'s games like Splinter Cell and Hitman, but also MW and Battlefield. I recall the post-EMP sections being really fun.

Jack Bauer plays those games to wind down after a hard day at the office the same way most people play Candy Crush.

 

[Enterprise is Great]

Time jump spoilers

Spoiler: ---

The final episode of the season is called 10:PM to 11:00 AM so the time jumps occur within an episode and not in between episodes.

 

[Trekker4747]

Right now, the President of the United States was just blown up, but good and something tells me the terrorists won't stick to their word.... And is it odd to anyone else that one his arguments for doing this was that Margot would lose her credibility if she continued her terroristic activities after I submitted myself? I mean... we're worried about her credibility... with other terrorists? Anyway, Job well-done Jack? I dunno, I'm sure something will happen. I'm Federal Parolee Jack Bauer and today is the shortest longest day of my life.

The following takes place between 7:00 PM and 8:00 PM.

 

[Tom]

Right now, the President of the United States was just blown up, but good and something tells me the terrorists won't stick to their word.... And is it odd to anyone else that one his arguments for doing this was that Margot would lose her credibility if she continued her terroristic activities after I submitted myself? I mean... we're worried about her credibility... with other terrorists? Anyway, Job well-done Jack? I dunno, I'm sure something will happen. I'm Federal Parolee Jack Bauer and today is the shortest longest day of my life.

The following takes place between 8:00 PM and 9:00 PM.

Um, tonight is 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM easy to remember because Heller had to be on the field at 7:00pm at the end of the episode.

 

[Aldo]

I am now 4 episodes away from the end of Season 4. I have to say it's getting better, especially with the reintroduction of David Palmer, but I still have big issues with what's happened so far:

-The Secret Service showing up in the middle of an operation and ruining it so Marwan can escape.

-Edgar (and everyone else at CTU) ignoring a flagged Police Report that could potentially have lead them to the pilot a lot sooner than they did.

-Ronny (I mistakenly called him Ryan above) getting gunned down by a suspect because he doesn't know how to stay in cover (again, I get that they did this to elevate Jack, but they could have done it a different way).

Basically what I'm having problems with is the forced drama that is present this season. The character's are acting in weird ways (sometimes really dumb ways) in order to steer the plot. This may have been true for past seasons, but the writing at least did a much better job of disguising that fact.

Oh, and as much problems as I've had so far...Chloe with an assault rifle nearly made up for it

 

[Trekker4747]

I am now 4 episodes away from the end of Season 4. I have to say it's getting better, especially with the reintroduction of David Palmer, but I still have big issues with what's happened so far:

-The Secret Service showing up in the middle of an operation and ruining it so Marwan can escape.

-Edgar (and everyone else at CTU) ignoring a flagged Police Report that could potentially have lead them to the pilot a lot sooner than they did.

-Ronny (I mistakenly called him Ryan above) getting gunned down by a suspect because he doesn't know how to stay in cover (again, I get that they did this to elevate Jack, but they could have done it a different way).

Basically what I'm having problems with is the forced drama that is present this season. The character's are acting in weird ways (sometimes really dumb ways) in order to steer the plot. This may have been true for past seasons, but the writing at least did a much better job of disguising that fact.

Oh, and as much problems as I've had so far...Chloe with an assault rifle nearly made up for it

Yeah, as said Season 4 is really when things got goofy and CTU stopped being able to make a perimeter that didn't have the containment abilities of a sieve.

But Chloe certainly rocks it in this season.

 

[Aragorn]

So Aldo, how do you feel about the plot to steal a device that can remotely control nuclear power plants that requires kidnapping Heller as a diversion to make those power plants go critical which is a diversion for stealing a stealth fighter so you can shoot down Air Force One and steal the football for your ultimate plan which will cause way less damage than exploding every single nuclear power plant?

 

[Aldo]

So Aldo, how do you feel about the plot to steal a device that can remotely control nuclear power plants that requires kidnapping Heller as a diversion to make those power plants go critical which is a diversion for stealing a stealth fighter so you can shoot down Air Force One and steal the football for your ultimate plan which will cause way less damage than exploding every single nuclear power plant?

I don't mind it as much now that I know that it was all interconnected. OK, it's still extremely silly, but at least it's not a series of unrelated events like I originally thought.

Also, I'm thinking the Stealth Football was a Plan B, in case the Nuclear Power Plant meltdown's were averted.

 

[DarKush]

In the final episode they should show Jack looking solemnly out from the Oval Office like Conan as newly elected president.

I don't know how or why he'd be elected....

This sounds cool.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

It would've been great to have Kim there to become the new drone target after the betrayal of the deal.

 

[Aragorn]

In the final episode they should show Jack looking solemnly out from the Oval Office like Conan as newly elected president.

I don't know how or why he'd be elected....

This sounds cool.

How would that even work?

PRESIDENT BAUER *pulls out gun* "Vote yes for the tax reform bill, Senator, or else I WILL shoot you."

 

[Mr. Adventure]

oooh, double defenestration, Jack Bauer porn...

 

[Mr. Adventure]

In the final episode they should show Jack looking solemnly out from the Oval Office like Conan as newly elected president.

I don't know how or why he'd be elected....

This sounds cool.

How would that even work?

PRESIDENT BAUER *pulls out gun* "Vote yes for the tax reform bill, Senator, or else I WILL shoot you."

Maybe he's head of CIA but calling the shots for a puppet president. I didn't really think it out much (obviously).