So just wanted to mention that I finished Season 1 last night. I was a little surprised Nina was the other Mole. I mean I know there'd be another one, but I figured it was either Tony, or Milo...or Mason. From what I hear I'll be playing this guessing game for the next few seasons...ah hell. I mean all of them
All in all, I really enjoyed it. It went some places I didn't expect, and some places I did expect. So it was pretty evened out. I loved it and look forward to starting on season 2 soon (and continuing to watch 'Live Another Day' of course).
Season 1 is pretty solid. Did you know/expect Teri (Jack's wife) dying?
The way that was handled with the flash backs and the silent count-down was well handled.
Season 2 is good as it does ramp up the tension pretty good.
Of note: When Season 1 first ran it wasn't guaranteed to last beyond episode, I think, 12. This is the episode where Jack rescues Teri and Kim from the compound and things seem to have ended. But the rest of the season was picked up so we get the episode-ending clock sting setting off the next course of events for the day.
Sort of setting up another 24 trope when it comes to an episode's final clock usually being some-sort of cliff-hanger punch.
And I STILL want to see Jack do that thing where he pulls out someone's stomach lining with a towel.
And doesn't Jack start out the series as the head of CTU? I hope they end it the same way.
Head of CTU:Los Angeles (S1), something else (not sure it's clear what) brought in for this special case (S2), a CTU field agent (S3), Assistant/Aide to the Secretary of Defense (Heller) (S4), and it's after that point I think he's mostly on the run or trying to stay off the RADAR and then some other things that happen to him that'd be fairly spoilery to Aldo at this point.
People consider the first season arc of Jack getting his family back to be the best storyline on 24 because it was actually mapped out for a certain number of episodes in case they didn't get the back 11. It also felt like real time. Jack even fell asleep!
S1 probably managed the real-time aspect the best. It even seems like they had the best handling of the diurnal, the times of day, sunrise, morning, noon, evening, sunset all seem to happen pretty naturally and feel like those times of day. (Though I think in the episode where they're looking for the secret prison in one episode it's late evening and literally in the very next episode (two minutes later) Jack and George are using flashlights in pitch-black.
And, yeah, we did see Jack slightly nod off when he's in the foreman's office with the snarky waitress. Keep in mind, in that season Jack was awake at midnight, meaning he likely had already been up for many hours and was likely preparing to go to BED. So he was up for well over a day. Hell, we even see an implied meal from Jack (when back in custody at CTU) and even some moments where he likely couldn've gotten a deuce in.
When S2 was being planned they considered making each episode span a day, rather than hour, but instead stuck with the one episode=1 hour format. But from S2 on it does seem implied that at least Jack isn't running on his last sleep being more than 12 hours ago when the day starts.
I need to watch through the series again, I'll have to start into S1 this week.
I still think S2 is the best but only edging out S1 by a hair sense I think the stakes are a little higher in S2 making the season "mean more." S3 still accomplishes a lot of good as well as introducing us to Chloe and leather-clad Michelle. (Granted, Michelle was in S2 in all her glory as well. But something about her look in S2 really worked for me.)
Man, this was such a good series, I'm going to need to watch through it again for sure now.
