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We just finished watching the first season of 24 and what a treat it was! It’s probably one of the best shows I have seen in a while. What made it unique was the unexpected development of events all during the show and the ‘non-Hollywood’ ending that kept us on the edge of our seats. Keifer Sutherland’s performance was exceptional. I just can’t agree with anyone criticizing the role as he presented it. He is indeed the star of the show and one of the main reasons behind its success. We are leaving in a bit to return the six-disc set, which contained all of 24’s first season. We are hoping to get our hands on the second season. It might be hard work to watch all of it before our trip to Jordan, but we’ll manage somehow! |
Heh heh heh. Yeah I’ve been after The Shield. They were running it on America Plus uncut as part of Orbit. But I never could seem to make the timings work right. And I’ve seen it sitting on the shelf at our local DVD rental shop calling to me “Jeff… I might be good” etc.
West Wing: Got tired of it being so preachy. It really got out there when George W. began this bizness. They have too much of a holier than thou approach. And I got tired of the president spewing Chaucer and Aristotle. I like these things to have a semblance of reality.
Band of Brothers: I’ve maybe heard of that but know nothing about it.
As for now, we are firmly hooked on 24…three episodes down tonight, about to enter our fourth! 🙂
If you are into DVD rental of serieses I have a couple of suggestions .. “The West Wing”, “Band of Brothers” .. and there is this R-Rated series called “Shield” that Jeff may like more than you do (it depends on how much you like dirty cops stories)
I’m really enjoying too. Isam, you are right there are tons of twists and turns. This show is just so well written. They’ve thought out all the possibilities and they let the characters act upon them, sometimes even bringing out something you’d not think possible. I always hate when you can second guess or simply know something the characters do not. This show is succeeding where few TV or even films do: the characters are smart, the plot twists many and varied and the ending … REAL.
We enjoyed seeing and hearing how they thought about leaving Jack’s wife in the show at the close of Season 1, even shooting the sequence. But they opted to do what was real and in keeping with the show’s sensibilities. Now Season 2 got off to a bang, literally with the beheading and such.
I can only hope it keeps to this tightly scripted reality and doesn’t go for broke by making up something just insane because it feels it has to top its last amazing moment. We’ve been prepared for disappointment with the whole Middle East terrorist angle but so far have only had a chuckle at the pseudo-Arabic things going on (soft whispers that the subtitles calls ‘speaking in Arabic’ and so on).
We are also enjoying the ability to watch the episodes back to back and without commercial. Unlike CSI, where you have no indicator, aside from fades to black or audio roll offs, that a commercial was intended, 24 has the tick down, which can get tedious if you sit through four episodes straight. But for the two or three we normally get through it is tolerable. And not having to wait a week for the next big moment is really fantastic.
And in contrast to CSI, there is little resolution from episode to episode keeping you hungry for more. It’s like a good book you don’t want to put down. CSI, especially Miami Season 1, would introduce what could have been some nice storylines but they felt they had to wind them down in the 40 odd minutes given them. No such problem here. 24 goes for broke each episode and leaves you hanging, always winding up the final minutes with as many cliffhangers as imaginable. This show is highly recommended!
It seems season 2 is about Arab/Middle Eastern terrorists. I’m finding it very amusing to listen to their version of Arabic. It is a mesh of classical, Iraqi and something else I can’t decipher, so in a nutshell, it is a mess!
Nevertheless, it is still enjoyable especially hearing the character Nina Mayers babbling in Arabic!
Isam,
You have already spoiled it for me, just kidding;-)
I am sure you will like the second season even more.. The thing with it is that it has a new set of bad people, which will be redefined more than once during the 24 episods 🙂 I don’t want to be a spoiler .. Enjoy it..