May 21, 2002

10:19 PM

Since we're doing season finales here, 24 ended its run tonight. I thought it was amazing. Anybody else out there fall in love with this show ?(and especially this episode, wow)
posted by dig_duggler (37 comments total)

If you stuck with this all along, it payed off (for me anyway). This is probably one of my favorite shows ever based on pure entertainment value (if only we could get rid of that amnesia subplot). What an ending!
posted by dig_duggler at 10:20 PM on May 21, 2002

Absolutely. 24 was one of the most uncompromising series ever, and as such, it should end now. No season 2. I'd respect it quite a bit if it left me wanting more, even though that's the exact opposite of what most of its fans want.
posted by Jeff Howard at 10:25 PM on May 21, 2002

I didn't miss a single minute of the season, and the final episode was amazing! Since this is my only must-see show, now I can turn my TV off for the summer.
posted by troybob at 10:31 PM on May 21, 2002

24 was great, though I think the entertainment value of it was probably quadrupled if you also kept up with the Television Without Pity Recaps.
posted by rusty at 10:52 PM on May 21, 2002

So when is the 24-hour marathon coming?
posted by Erendadus at 11:20 PM on May 21, 2002

We just got as far as 11am in the UK so I haven't followed the link just in case of potential spoilers. With Star Wars I didn't care about spoilers, with this I'll make anyone and everyone live the worst day of their lives and then write it all down for the inevitable (let's face it there's going to be) 24 - 2. Or will it be 24 - 7? Who knows.

They do a nasty trick when they show it over here. It shows at 10pm on Sunday night and runs until 10.45. (BBC - no adverts so they spoilt the premise already) At 10.45 BBC Choice, the BBCs digital channel for repeats show the following episode immediately after. This Sunday was the first time I couldn't resist and switched over to watch two new ones back to back. I couldn't help it, they made it look like Jack was going to find his wife and daughter. They made me do it. Now I'm on midday and the rest of the office are on 11am so I have to miss a week of new episodes if I'm to break back into my little social circle of people who stand outside and smoke on Mondays and talk about it.
posted by vbfg at 12:21 AM on May 22, 2002

BTW, don't fret about posting UK spoilers on my account. This is the last time I'm looking at this thread. :)
posted by vbfg at 1:03 AM on May 22, 2002

I read in the paper the other day that:

a) the series will continue next year. i guess that was pretty heavily hinted at in last night's episode.

b) the DVD set is already in production. too bad the episodes won't be in "real time" when the commercial breaks are cut out. i'm still excited to hear it's coming out.

anyway, i guess it's best to keep things spoiler-free here... but i thought the ending was great. after having read that there would be a plot twist allowing the show to continue into another season, i was a little worried that they'd mess things up. but they managed to wrap it up nicely while leaving enough loose ends to to into another season.
posted by chrisege at 1:29 AM on May 22, 2002

A second season will still be very tricky, though they handled the hook in the finale very well. No one has two days like that. I was very impressed all around, and wish I had started watching before noon. (I caught up on the web site)
posted by Nothing at 2:43 AM on May 22, 2002

I watched every episode. In my opinion, the show ground down to a rather turgid end after building such a high level of suspense in the first four or five hours. I thought Dennis Hopper was wasted (figuratively) in his role. The final dispatching of the baddies didn't carry the emotional heft it could have.

"24" was a TV show that dared to be different, was brilliantly executed in its first few hours, and was full of interesting twists. For me, the sum failed to add up to the whole of its parts.

Oh.. and what on earth was Nina doing with a TiBook in the final moments of the final episode?? ;)
posted by russh at 3:38 AM on May 22, 2002

I enjoyed the show for the most part, but I agree. Another 24 hours is going to be difficult to pull off. And there's no way they can run the next immediate 24 hours, or the show will consist of, as my SO said, Jack sleeping for 23 hours then getting up to get a bagel.

My main gripes with the show were:
1. Soap opera amnesia sub-plot. Is this Days of Our freaking Lives or an interesting new TV drama?
2. Palmer's Wife. How one dimensional and can you paint one character? Everything she did in the entire series was motivated by a lust for power. I doubt the woman shat unless she thought it would help her become first lady.
3. Dennis Hopper's accent. Jesus wept.
posted by jennyb at 4:21 AM on May 22, 2002

Oh.. and what on earth was Nina doing with a TiBook in the final moments of the final episode?? ;)

I think she was attempting to install OSX, and get it to work.

Loved the show and this last episode, I agree no season 2 please, and yes Dennis Hopper=Milosevic, puhleeeze.
posted by bittennails at 5:35 AM on May 22, 2002

Even though my local paper had prepared me for the last episode and pointed out the Jack-shoots-Nina hole that had bothered me all week, I still watched and enjoyed it.

Following this show from beginning to end would have been impossible without my new best friend: Mr TiVo.
posted by idiolect at 5:42 AM on May 22, 2002

I must agree with russh. It started out very well but the writing got mired down to cheap subplots.

How often can you use and reuse the compromise of a "safety" house (and don't forget Kim's constantly being held hostage). I lost interest after about 5 hours.

While it didn't do much for me, I'm sure the sales of duct tape have skyrocketed.
posted by Taken Outtacontext at 6:10 AM on May 22, 2002

Pathetic. They pick a charecter at random to turn into the final mole, then kill off another charecter almost at random for pure shock value. As one poster pointed out over at aicn, if the death had been because of an ironic choice that Jack made, or because of Jack's trust in the mole, etc... that would have been gutsy. But to make it due to a few random coincidences (like the mole accidentially mentioning Germany), that was just cheap.

And what is with the mole, anyway? They didn't lay any foundation for her charecter! None! And **spoiler warning!** if Nina is the mole, then why did the Drazen's order Jack to kill her way back at the beginning of the season? Why take that risk with your best mole?

The episode was dramatic, but cheap. I was disappointed.
posted by gd779 at 6:14 AM on May 22, 2002

gd779, the Drazens didn't order Jack to kill Nina -- Gaines did. The going argument (which I buy) is that Gaines wasn't privy to the fact that Nina was a mole (after all, she was part of "Plan B," while Gaines was "Plan A"). But I kind of agree with you on the "coincidences" argument -- although any 24-hour-long dramatic show would have to turn on some coincidences.
posted by pardonyou? at 6:24 AM on May 22, 2002

Best. Series. Ever.

Watched/loved every minute of it.
posted by Hugh2d2 at 6:25 AM on May 22, 2002

My wife and I really enjoyed this show. Besides 6 Feet Under, it was the only weekly show that was a must-see. Too bad I missed the first episode. Although it had started to become a bit too "Perils of Pauline" after the climactic first rescue, the last 2 or 3 episodes were back on track.

The plausibility got stretched pretty thin, but it was a lot of fun. Most of the low points have already been mentioned - the amnesia, Hopper's accent, some of the acting. I disagree with jennyb, though. I thought Palmer's wife was outstanding. Nina was the one that I was starting to tire of. Apparently, so did the writers.

I would love to see what the final body count for this sucker was. It may have set a single season record.
posted by groundhog at 6:27 AM on May 22, 2002

I watched 24 religiously for the first six weeks or so, but then, for reasons beyond my control, I missed about a month and sorta gave up figuring I'll just catch a marathon or buy it on DVD.

I'm glad to hear it was able to stay pretty good to the end, though.
posted by Cyrano at 6:33 AM on May 22, 2002

I would have to watch it again, but some of these holes could probably be explained. Nina didn't want Jack to get caught (by the cops anyway), and probably trusted him. She was only helping him get to the Drazens.
Saw that the dvd would probably have the supposed 3 alternate endings they shot.
I was trying to count the number of major characters killled in the series and I lost count.
posted by dig_duggler at 6:42 AM on May 22, 2002

I mostly enjoyed it all of the way through (though I agree with the laments about Dennis Hopper's accent and amnesia, not to mention the horrible actor who played the CTU sniper). If you think about it as 12 feature-length movies, they did a damn good job of holding the whole thing together.

My running theory for a while was that we would find out Palmer was in league with the Drazens, and that the original assassination setup was a herring. Then next season could be spent getting the bad guy and his bad wife out of the White House. Probably better that this didn't pan out, but I do hope next season doesn't similarly stretch the limits of what can be put in a single day. (Like jennyb's SO, I was wondering if they'll ever let Jack sleep!)
posted by precipice at 7:10 AM on May 22, 2002

I loved the multiple camera angles on screen at once. They really helped convey a sense of simultaneous action.

The ending left me with such a hollow, hurt feeling that I'm glad they used it and not another. Anything more "happily ever after" would not have been in line with the show's tone and would have ruined the series for me.

No second 24, please. Leave it as it is.
posted by onhazier at 7:58 AM on May 22, 2002

If only Nina could have killed Jack at the end... for the good of Germany!
posted by Palafo at 8:00 AM on May 22, 2002

yeah for the good of Germany.. after that ending I would hate to be Germany after ctu agent Jack Bauer gets through with it!
posted by dig_duggler at 8:42 AM on May 22, 2002

Sure, it was amazing, perfect. Bring on "season 2", but with a completely different cast, location, etc...

Make it a vehicle, shares the same name, the same urgency/drama, twists, but with a completely different set of drivers.
posted by jkaczor at 8:55 AM on May 22, 2002

Sorry, "Alias" is much, much better. In all ways.
posted by sassone at 9:17 AM on May 22, 2002

Yes, Alias is MUCH better.
posted by Taken Outtacontext at 9:48 AM on May 22, 2002

I seem to recall that Nina wasn't working for Drazen, just assisting. This and the Giles/Drazen disconnect effectively clear up the earlier confict, yes?

If only Nina had taken out Palmer's wife as well...
posted by daver at 10:12 AM on May 22, 2002

I loved the show, except for the part where Dennis Hopper is about to shoot Jack at point-blank range and runs out of ammo. How hackneyed! I can't believe they fell back on that. Still, since it was free programming, I definitely can't complain.
posted by Samsonov14 at 10:31 AM on May 22, 2002

I loved the show, except for the part where Dennis Hopper is about to shoot Jack at point-blank range and runs out of ammo. How hackneyed!

'Cuz, ya know, stuff like a car rolling (and not even very fast) down a hill and then blowing up- THAT'S truly imaginative TV! ;)
posted by mkultra at 11:10 AM on May 22, 2002

24 has been a massive disapointment all the way through. Too many plot holes and silly writing, and the ending last night was nothing more than a f_ck you to the audience. We won't be watching next year.
posted by Captain Ligntning at 5:13 PM on May 22, 2002

24 lost me after about hour 3. Way too much unbelievable and coincidental crap happening to too many people and the 'real time' crap doesn't work when you have commercial interruptions. The movie "TimeCode" used the fourway simultaneous camera shots to better effect, and that show sucked almost as much as 24.

There was something else opposite which was better, though for the life of me I can't recall what it was cuz I can't even remember what day 24 aired. ..Wait. I think it was Smallville but I could be wrong. Smallville does at times spit heretically at the source material which inspired it, and often appears to be a blatant attempt to attract young teens to the tv simply for purposes of selling commercial time to advertisers. However, it was still better writing and acting than what I saw in 24.

Russh: ""24" was a TV show that dared to be different, was brilliantly executed in its first few hours, and was full of interesting twists."

It was a blatant commercial ploy to attract viewers. Add the 'real time' device to big names like Sutherland and Hopper, you get automatic viewers. I gave it a shot but for me it didn't add up to entertainment. I felt like I was being tricked simply for the device. Watching it felt like being duped by a practical joker. Smallville might be a joke too, but despite the occasional crapping on the original source material, they modernize Superman thus keeping the spirit of the story alive. I like that. I felt empty from 24. Somehow I feel almost enriched from Smallville. Curious, that.

Hugh2d2: "Best. Series. Ever."

The Honeymooners. M*A*S*H. Seinfeld. The Star Trek franchise. All In The Family. Hill Street Blues. West Wing.

24 hasn't the balls to hold a candle to even Captain Kangaroo or Mister Rogers Neighborhood or Sesame Street. I tire of the facetiousness of "Best. [fillintheblank]. Ever." There is so much better in the history of television than 24.
posted by ZachsMind at 7:19 PM on May 22, 2002

Ah, if it isn't Zachsmind, who defends shows he doesnt even watch(ala' buffy thread) and then trashes shows he doesnt even watch (lost you at hour 3 did it?). Not much commercial about 24. A show that ends by killing the main character's wife and his unborn child is hardly commerical.
As for automatic viewers, it had fairly low ratings and barely got picked up for a 2nd season.
Smallville occasionally craps on the source material? After the S and the names, there is no similarity.

Please stop commenting on things you know absolutely nothing about.
posted by dig_duggler at 8:36 PM on May 22, 2002

Dig? Do you even *read* my posts? I'm quite open and detailed about what I have and have not watched. Unlike most politicians, I'm quite honest and up front about how I waste my time. I watched 24 enough to know it's a stupid, brainless attempt to draw audiences based on star power and contrived plot devices. However, Buffy is a wondrous and entertaining show which draws audiences based on star power and contrived plot devices.

I will continue commenting on things I know absolutely nothing about you snivelling kaaaaanigit! Your father vuz a hampster, unt your mother smelt of elderberries! =P
posted by ZachsMind at 8:43 PM on May 22, 2002

know it's a stupid, brainless attempt to draw audiences based on star power and contrived plot devices

...well that's summed up pretty much the whole of television drama...

...comedy...

...news...
posted by inpHilltr8r at 2:18 AM on May 23, 2002

true dat inpHilltr8r
posted by dig_duggler at 12:05 PM on May 23, 2002

not to mention the horrible actor who played the CTU sniper

He reminded me of Ferris's Principal.

That's all.
posted by holloway at 1:07 PM on July 16, 2002