A Dollop of Ketchup – 24

24 is great television. It might be one of the best "television shows" ever. Seriously. It's pure entertainment. It's doesn’t try to transcend the medium it just tried to entertain. It doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not. It's not art, it's a television show and a damn fine one.




At this point in the season Tony has gone from being a bad guy to being a bad guy who's really an undercover good guy to being a bad guy who's posing as an undercover good guy but is really just an undercover bad guy. It's awesome!

Jack Bauer's been gassed twice, framed for two murders and been in and out of FBI custody at least half a dozen times, and the day ain't even over yet! He's barked "GET DOWN", "DROP IT" and "NOW" too many times to count, but still not enough to satisfy me.

Also we've seen a full range of Jack Bauer emotions this year. He was remorseful when he Bill died. He was hurt when betrayed by Tony. He was sad when he said good-bye to Kim. He was contemplative when facing his mortality after that second gassing. Keifer is really getting his acting on.

Speaking of acting, Jon Voight has been phenomenal as an evil CEO who just so happens to chew scenery like no one's business. It's like Voight is playing Pacino playing a character. It's a sight to behold.

Another thing I love about this season is the hourly updates that the President gets, which are, possibly intentionally, hilarious. One hour it's "Jack Bauer killed a Senator? You don't say?" and the next is "Wait, Jack was framed for the murder, but Tony's a bad guy again?" The meta factor this season has been stupendous.

In terms of action and story, this season is a return to form for the show. But it's also enjoyable on the meta level too, be it Jack attacking his critics or those presidential phone updates.

I really can't wait to see how Jack gets cured of his most recent gassing. Especially since he just invoked the name of President Palmer during a screaming mental lapse.

God, I love 24.