24 review

Okay, so I admit it, I've been living under a rock for the past month (or at least more than usual). But at least it's been a very exciting rock, named 24. Fry's Electronics has had the first five seasons on sale at one time or another for $20 each, so I quickly snatched them up and added them to my DVD collection. Just in time for Sunday's premiere of season 6, I finished up all five seasons and am not sorry or disappointed in the purchase at all. Here's my take on each of them (warning: spoiler alert!!).

Season 1: Groundbreaking. Unique. Exciting. I can clearly see why this series took viewers by storm when the first season hit the airwaves. After seeing the other seasons, it doesn't stand out on top, but still holds its own pretty well. Things slow down after the Bauer family gets reunited 13 hours in, but that's because the original concept was for a completely self-contained 13-episode story. The studio was so excited about it that they ordered 24 episodes for a full season. The DVD set's extras were pretty sparse compared to the other seasons.

Season 2: Kim Bauer's storyline was pretty silly and annoying. I really could have done without the cougar, the lonely guy in the woods, and the abusive father. George Mason's sacrifice in flying the plane with the nuke was definitely a well-played highlight of the season, but I can't recall too many other memorable moments in season two. Not too bad compared to many other shows currently on the air, but definitely the weakest season of 24 in my opinion.

Season 3: This is my second favorite season out of all of them so far. You have a high tension level pretty much from the start of the story with millions of lives at stake thanks to the biological weapon. How can you go wrong by throwing the bad but oh-so-sexy Nina Meyers in the mix again? I had my doubts in the first episode after they revealed Jack's heroin addiction and the introduction of Chase who is secretly seeing Kim Bauer (with her horrid hairdo). Despite a few bad plot holes, the action doesn't let up until the very end. The highlight of the season for me was Sherry Palmer's much-deserved death.

Season 4: Season four was a mixed bag in my opinion. I didn't feel much of the intensity until late in the season after you see how relentless the terrorist Marwan really is and how dedicated he and his followers were. More annoying plot holes left me yelling at the television constantly this season, but it still didn't dip into season two's cougar territory, so I did my best to ignore it. Many of the new characters seemed like pointless and useless plot devices to fill in until the regulars from season three finally returned. Season four's highlight? It's a tie between Tony Almeida getting back into the game, blowing away the bad guys and rescuing Jack, and the "Rambo" Chloe scene.

Season 5: Having seen the first four seasons already, I'd already learned about suspension of disbelief, especially in travel times across Los Angeles, so my feelings toward season five may be unfairly skewed. However, it feels like the writers took everything that was good from previous seasons and incorporated them here. Plot twists abound, tension levels remain consistently high, and the body count keeps rising each episode. From the shocking assassination of former President Palmer in the first episode to the unintentional self-implication of President Logan in the end, I could not wait to find out what would happen next. It was sad to see so many good characters get killed, especially poor, innocent Edgar. There wasn't really any specific high point to the season, because it was all one giant high point. Now THIS is entertainment!

Season 6: Like I said, I caught up just in time to jump in to season six with the rest of the world. The first four episodes are being aired over the course of two nights, then being released on a special DVD on Tuesday. The action starts slow as we see Jack coming back from China and immediately being turned over to terrorists. So far, there have been quite a few shocks (and bites!) and it looks like it's going to shape up to another fantastic season. Prepare yourself for the end of episode four... I ended up bawling for the last five minutes. It's amazing story combined with fantastic acting and is further accentuated by the music. I really feel sorry for Jack and everything he's been through, but I'm also looking forward to seeing more of him this season. Bring it on!