"24:" Terminating the Bad Guys with Extreme Prejudice

Did you see the season premier of "24" on Fox last night? Absolutely awesome! If you're disturbed by violence, I wouldn't recommend you watch, though, and definitely don't let your young children watch it.

I've been a 24 fan since the first season, when I tuned in the first time because I've long been a Kiefer Sutherland fan, and I was intrigued by the new concept of a show that covered one hour--real-time--of a 24-hour period in each episode. Though I've seen a lot of action shows over the years, this show does to me what few can: it keeps me riveted to the TV and my stomach in a knot for the whole hour.

My wife occasionally gives me grief because of some of the unrealistic aspects of 24, such as the fact that the characters keep going 100 MPH even thought they've had no sleep for a day or two, not to mention that Los Angeles and the US typically get saved countless times during that 24 hour period. I tell my party-pooping wife that I just turn off the logical center of my brain for an hour, sit back and enjoy the fun! (Having had some law enforcement and counterterrorism training in my youth, I can say that a lot of it is realistic, though). Besides, so much action, twists and surprises come at you so fast during that hour, that you hardly have time to worry about how unrealistic parts of it are.

The show can also be annoying sometimes with all the petty backbiting and whining done by some of the CTU (Counter Terrorism Unit) office personnel; they act like a bunch of spoiled rich kids from 90210 sometimes.

But out in the field, Jack Bauer can always be counted on to kick major and countless terrorist butt! Though sometimes he crosses the line to disturbing degrees, one thing I like about the character is that he understands that sometimes you have to get a little rough to protect the country and the people who live here.

The Jack Bauer character understands dedication and devotion to the mission, and he understands loyalty, which he gives completely if you've earned it. He also understands sacrifice, and is willing to go the whole distance if that's what it takes to get the job done.

There's no trying to understand why the terrorists hate us so from Jack Bauer. There's no worrying about the latest Supreme Court decision on whether you can tickle a terrorist with a feather. There's no quibbling about what a bunch of pansies from "human rights" organizations are going to think. He just gets about the sometimes dirty business of protecting the country and stopping the bad guys.

Rush Limbaugh said last week (he got to pre-screen the first 4 episodes of the new season) that this season would go places we've never gone before, and each episode would leave you going, "Man, I don't believe they did that!!!" And he was right.

That has always been one of the most interesting things about 24--you never know what they're going to do. It's completely unpredictable, from the character interactions all the way to the major and minor plot twists. Things that you think will be a major development end up going nowhere. And things that you didn't expect suddenly dominate the story. And no character is sacred (except maybe Jack Bauer). I think Jack is the only character remaining from the original season; they killed off the last two original characters last season--one of them in the first 15 minutes of the season. And there are hints that Jack may not last through this season.

So if you're not a "girly man"--and you're old enough to handle it--consider tuning in tonight for the second two hours of the season. It's not too late to catch up.