Before I discuss today's 24 Top 5, I just wanted to briefly talk about two recent newstories. Yesterday came the unsurprising announcement that, yet again, President Bush decided to ignore all advice offered to him and deploy a further 20,000 troops to Iraq. He has sentenced yet more Americans to their death. For the meantime, the UK has not decided to follow suit and deploy further UK troops, but the situation just appears to be getting worse and worse with no end in sight.
The other piece of news was the transfer of David Beckham from Real Madrid to LA Galaxy, where he has signed a contract worth £128m over 5 yrs, that's £492,000 per week! What an astonishing amount of money to play football in a country which isn't even serious about it. The funny thing is, he probably wasn't even after that much, but why refuse when such an offer is made? All the media will now focus their attentions to what he gets up to in the US and when he inevitably makes a movie of some sort.
Back to today's blog and another top 5 for all the 24 fans out there - the top 5 'Jack Bauer moments.' These are scenes that only Jack could do, certain actions or scenarios which require drastic action which only Jack seems to be capable of, regardless of the consequences. It's what makes Jack Bauer so unique and Kiefer Sutherland was fully deserving of his recent Emmy Award for Best Actor in a TV Drama.
Jack Bauer moment no. 5 - Prison Break (season 3)
To avert the spread of a lethal virus across LA, the President is ordered to release Ramon Salazar, a major Mexican drug dealer and terrorist. Obviously the President cannot comply as he does not negotiate with terrorists, Jack decides to take charge and help the prisoner escape from prison. In doing so, he releases all the in-mates from their cells and creates a horrific lockdown situation. He, Ramon and the prison guards are captured and Jack has to watch as the prisoners kill the prison guards and he even survives a game of Russian roulette.
The tense series of events in the prison, probably inspired the later introductions of another rather enjoyable TV show; Prison Break, also on FOX, which has followed the formula of 24 to reasonable success.
Jack Bauer moment no. 4 - Go in Commando (Arnie) style (season 4)
Jack has finally managed to locate the whereabouts of his girlfriend and her father, the Secretary of Defense, held hostage by terrorists. However, the President has decided to launch a missile attack on the location in order to sacrifice the hostages and prevent the terrorists from succeeding in their mission to embarrass the US government. The CTU Director warns Jack that he has 5mins to leave the area before it is attacked.
Does that stop Jack? Does it hell. In true Arnie style he enters the building and saves the hostages single-handedly and manages to alert CTU and prevent the missile attack on the location. And there's no need to worry about the terrorists, he kills them as well. All within the first 15 minutes of the episode. Marvelous.
Jack Bauer moment no. 3 - Electrocuting his girlfriend’s husband (season 4)
Having just recently saved his girlfriend and father from imminent death at the hands of Arab terrorists, Jack's upset by the arrival of her worried husband (Paul Raines) who she had planned to divorce but now seems to be showing signs of affection for. CTU then discover a rather vague and weak link between Paul and the terrorists and Jack then takes things into his own hands.
Rushing to the hotel that Paul is staying at, having already sent his girlfriend (Audrey) to delay him, he barges in demanding information. Paul comes across all innocent but that's no reason to stop Jack. He ties him to a chair and pours a bucket of water on him. Audrey insists on staying hoping to prevent Jack from doing anything too damaging, Jack simply ignores her and proceeds to electrocute him, with the wires of a lamp, for information. Good way to keep hold of your girlfriend - torture her husband right in front of her eyes. Incidentally the information he obtains remains vague and something that surely could have been achieved without such drastic measure, but hey, this is the world of 24, nothing is too drastic.
Jack Bauer moment no. 2 - Shooting people in the leg (season 4 & 5)
This was actually used as an interrogation tactic twice by Jack. The first was at the beginning of season 4. Jack was visiting CTU in his new role as advisor to Secretary of Defense to discuss the funding of a new contract, and at the same time a terrorist was being brought in for questioning. As CTU obtained information that a serious attack was going to occur and the stalling terrorist new of the location, Jack barges into the room, locks it from the inside and yells at the terrorist in true Jack-style. With no success, there seems to be only one option left for Jack - he shoots him in the leg, much to the shock of the on-looking CTU staff. It works; Jack gets the information, but the attack is not foiled.
A similar scenario occurs in season 5, this time Jack is at the house of an ex-CTU agent, one who was in fact his mentor in his early days at CTU. He's refusing to give Jack the information he needs, so yet again Jack sees only one option, he shoots his wife in the leg! It doesn't work, the agent refuses to budge, obviously being his mentor means he would be better than Jack and he doesn't crack and even more obvious is the fact that their marriage will need some serious counselling! This technique has provided Jack with a 50% success rate so far, who knows whether it will come in handy again at some stage.
Jack Bauer moment no 1 - "I need a hacksaw" (season 2)
By far, the most outrageous Jack moment has to be at the beginning of season 2. Having reluctantly agreed to help CTU foil a nuclear attack on LA, Jack needs to obtain information from a FBI prisoner who will provide him with the location of the man behind the attacks. Instead Jack shoots him in the chest and proceeds to cut his head off, much to the shock and horror of the CTU Director, George Mason: "the problem with you George, you want results but aren't prepared to get your hands dirty." Not if it involves cutting off someone's head, we all think! Regardless, the tactic works and Jack is able to locate his man!
These are my top 5 Jacck Bauer moments so far. All extremely entertaining and unique to the man who is Jack Bauer. Hopefully the 24 fans out there will have there own Jack Bauer moments and again, I ask you to discuss some in the comments section.
Take care all,
Thoughts just flow, when do they have to make sense?
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6 comments:
Top 5 Bauer Moments:
5) Bauer shoots Mrs Henderson in the leg - the woman who looked after Bauer's own daughter while he was away - in order to make her baddie husband, Christopher, talk. Surprisingly, he doesn't and the Bauer tactic fails - but it was still awesome in a gruesome/shocking kind of way!
4) Bauer runs up the side of a wall, a la Keanu Reeves in the Matrix, in order to somersault and escape from a chokehold of a baddie in a football stadium and then beat him up. (This takes place on the same day that Bauer actually returns, literally, from the dead, via CPR).
3) Bauer guides his teenage daughter, Kim, over the phone, on how to kill her mad wife-beating, child-beating employer who is about to grab her. She shoots and kills him as he shouts at her on the phone with instructions. Truly bizarre and awesome.
2) Bauer basically executes his boss Ryan Chapelle, with a bullet to the back of the head, on the orders of the President to satisfy the demands of a British terrorist baddie. It is a truly dark moment - especially Bauer's final words: "I'm sorry Ryan..." etc
1) Bauer takes a knife to the eye socket of baddie Walt Cummings, in front of the President of the United States, and says to Cummings: "You've read my file you know what I'm capable of!" Unsurprisingly, Cummings spills the beans. This scene follows Bauer persuading (charming?) the Secret Service agent in charge to release him from custody. Seriously - Bauer could sell snow to the eskimos!
Finally a bonus moment:
BAUER KILLS TONY ALMEIDA WHO COMES AND SAVES THE DAY OUT OF NOWHERE IN SEASON FOUR - BEFORE HIS TRAGIC RIDICULOUS DEATH IN SEASON FIVE - in fact, Tony's death ranks as my most ridiculous 24 moment.
Sorry - the "anonymous" above is me, Watford Man. For clarification.... :-)
Well well Watford Man, you have "come out" as a 24 obsessive and listed some interesting moments.
I would add a few random thoughts, being a secret 24 addict myself:
First, I think that all of these blogs should carry with them a big bold WARNING to those who have yet to enjoy the delights of 24, and especially those who might be about to (you can now get all 5 seasons on box set if you are feeling particularly flush with cash).
Now, the classic moments that make 24 24. First I agree that Jack guiding his daughter through the killing of a man is an important bit for the same reason that all the best bits are important in 24 - because they are symbolically significant: indeed Bauer's relationship with Kim is central to the plot and underlies every season, if you think about it from a wider perspective. 24 is full of blood, guts and shocking gore; but it is also a sensitive tale about a complicated man encompassing the big themes of all our lives: love, sadness, regret, joy. (Sorry if that was a bit unmacho for some of you 24 fans!) For me therefore the 'phone conversation between Bauer and Kim - while Jack believes he is going to die while flying a plane with a bomb into the desert in season 2, before discovering that the legendary George Mason (dying from che,mical poisoning) was also on board - is one of the most moving, and best, moments of 24. As is Mason's unveiling (though I did predict that one!)
Referring to the previous example with Kim that Watford Man refers to, I would point out that this isn;t the only example of Jack guiding someone to kill - he did it with a young Naval officer in season 5 towards the end, in another classic piece of 24 action.
I agree that the cold blooded shooting of Ryan Shapelle is among the darkest moments: he actually says "God forgive me" as he pulls the trigger - a sign that Bauer is a Christian? :-) I just remember one solitary teardrop falling down Ryan's face as he faced his fate with bravery, courage, and just a touch of bemusement.
I also agree with the previous blog that the prison break with Ramon Salazar is a "best bit" - I actually think that is my favourite episode of all (and season 3 my favourite season, with a really strong plot, and one that doesn't characterize Muslims).
And finally I agree completely with the point about Nina and the twist. You will notice that it is a trait of 24 to apparently make up twists as they go along. Now, twists are the best element - when you don't predict them, which tends to be most of the time - but the Nina one was absurd (as is the one lowpoint of season 3 when Jack produces a pre-recorded video message to the President about how everything that took place in the first 5 or so episodes was part of an elaborate hoax to get Salazar out of jail - hmm). The Nina twist is, as you say, brilliant, brilliant television - sends a real shiver down the spine. But if you watch season 1 after knowing it it becomes completely implausible, and Nina's role too complicated, with lots of bits leaving you wondering why she'd have done that if she was working for the baddies - but all that has been listed properly in the other blog. What I would say - and perhaps this can be a mini talking point - is that I believe the explanation for this is that the plot writers do it as they go along, rather than write it all out at the beginning. They probably justify it by the view that life takes twists in real time, as it goes along as it were, that are not pre-arranged. But it makes for disappointing inconsistency in what is - agreed - the best thing I have ever seen on television.
Dissident Voice.
PS - another talking point - is 24 hawkish and rightwing, or secretly liberal?
Oh - and for those of you who like shocking gore - how could you forget the moment Jack chops off Chase Edmunds arm? Chase is rumoured to be back in season 6 by the way, which makes sense. And Bauer's father and brother (?) allegedly feature. Is Kim still with that weird bearded therapist by the way?
Finally, my other favourite scene comes in around episode 2 or 3 in season 3, after Kim has idiotically told Jack that she is dating Chase, and they discuss it in the car. I quote loosely:
Jack: "Relationships and this job don't go together. This job has destroyed every meaningful relationship I've ever had"
Chase: "It's you Jack"
Jack: "It's the job."
Sorry - that was me again, Dissident Voice.
Thanks for the comments and additions, there are many Jack Bauer moments so the varity of choices is huge.
One point, Jack didn't kill Tony, it was Henderson. But I agree, the most pointless death in 24!
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