I need 24 Help
I have no tolerance for watching TV series on the network's schedule. If a series gets good reviews, I will watch it on DVD (e.g. Serenity, Deadwood, Rome, Sopranos, Alias, Wonderfalls, etc). In this same vain, I watched the first season of 24 straight through and really enjoyed it. The second season was OK but weaker and less believable (even a hard-core libertarian paranoiac like myself had trouble buying the cabinet coup). Plus I got about the same feeling when the Kim Bauer character was on-screen as I did when there was Anakin-Padme dialog in the last Star Wars movie.
So I am a third of the way through season 3 and I am having trouble really getting into it -- maybe the threat is not immediate enough at the mid-point. Should I stick it out? Is there anything out there left worth seeing? Is there anything interesting in seasons 4 or 5 that bring back what made the first season great?
Anonymous:
bittorent is your friend.
February 26, 2007, 3:50 pmKeith Casey:
Netflix has been a great resource in this regard.... I was so disappointed when Wonderfalls was cancelled. It was pretty good and had some great potential.
Oh, and just skip season 3 of 24. It's not all that interesting. I gave up on 3 and 4 but DO NOT skip season 5.
February 26, 2007, 3:54 pmkurt:
I thought season 3 was a letdown after 1-2. I wouldn't feel bad about skipping the rest of it.
February 26, 2007, 3:56 pmSol:
You might try season 4 -- I vaguely remember it being better than season 3, which I think was the show's lowest point.
You should definitely give 5 a shot.
February 26, 2007, 4:32 pmCraig:
Season 3 is the virus, right? The Mexico part of the plot should end for you soon, then the scenery and targets change. I'd stick it out.
February 26, 2007, 4:39 pmRex Pjesky:
Certainly stick it out. The story is about to change quite a bit, and the season, while it is the worst, has some of the best "Jack Bauer is a major, bad a**" moments of the entire series."
February 26, 2007, 5:28 pmRichard Nikoley:
I like them all, some more that others, but I think a less-than-perfect season 3 is still better than most everything else. I'd stick it out at least until a few hours after the Mexico stuff is over. The show diverges pretty well from there.
We don't watch anything on the network's schedule either. Couldn't live without DVR. In fact, even if we do happen to watch "when it's on," we wait until 20 minutes-per-hour of program duration after start, so we can race through the commercials. iTunes is also becoming very cool to download stuff I hadn't the foresight to set up on DVR. $1.99, no commercials. I'm just about to get one of these:
http://www.apple.com/appletv/
Even though I have one of Apple's 30" HD cinema displays hooked up to a PC, it's still inconvenient to watch downloaded TV shows in the office.
February 26, 2007, 5:41 pmDan:
I've been watching through 24 recently, as well. Just finished with Season 3. I figure, even if it is weaker than the first two, it's still better than everything else on TV.
Plus, there's always the possibility that some of the novelty may be wearing off after the first couple seasons, which doesn't necessarily mean that the later seasons are worse.
February 26, 2007, 6:41 pmDoug G.:
If my memory serves, season 3 does get better. Season 4 I actually stopped watching because I couldn't accept the storyline -- but my wife stuck it out and claims I missed some good stuff. The good news is that it has been steady improving since. Season 5 was the best yet in my opinion. The current season is shaping up to be just as good, and includes many references to previous seasons.
February 26, 2007, 7:06 pmpaul:
Stick it out. I liked 4 and 5 the most, but just try not to expect the behavior to match that of what you'd see in our world. You really have to remember this is a fantasy world to stomach the machinations and personalities of otherwise skilled people behaving incompetently. If you can't do that, don't watch.
Check out the Wire if you want something else to watch. Season 4 is the best yet.
February 27, 2007, 8:58 ameddie:
Having started Season Three, definitely finish it.
I can't recommend Seasons Four or Five. My wife and I both thought Season One was excellent, were disappointed with Season Two, enjoyed Season Three (but not as much as One), and felt like we were trapped in an abusive relationship for both Season Four and Season Five. "Well, that episode was awful... but maybe it will be good next week, like it used to be."
Tastes are different, of course, but if you really liked One and have been underwhelmed by Two and Three, there probably won't be anything worth your time in Four and Five.
February 27, 2007, 10:27 amettubloge:
The only way to watch it is to give yourself a week in between (even if it is being viewed at your preferred schedule). The week's break allows you to read the hilarious Blogs4Bauer, enjoy the TIVO recap and anxiously wait for the next Monday night (or whenever you watch it). The break gives you time to absolve the writers of any plot issues you have, allows you to discuss the show with friends (it is a communitarian experience)and to remove from your over-analytic brain the inconsistencies or silliness. Because, as many prior posts have stated, it is still much better than anything else on TV (except sports).
February 28, 2007, 1:19 pmSameer:
Season 5 was definitely the best. The current season is probably the weakest yet.
February 28, 2007, 6:48 pmtsiroth:
etubloge: That's an interesting perspective, as I feel the opposite. I find I enjoy several programs a lot more watching it all in one go than a week at a time. The break in between makes all the various cliffhangers more frustrating, and if there is a bad episode, or one where nothing really happens, following it up immediately with a better episode makes the program more enjoyable.
There are several programs I probably never could have sat through on a week to week basis, but which I have enjoyed a great deal by watching all at once. Lost, Alias, and Angel, for instance.
I am watching Veronica Mars week to week right now and I think I might enjoy it more in one block.
Heroes, Supernatural, and Jericho on the other hand are perhaps paced better for weekly viewing, and I'm enjoying those just fine.
March 2, 2007, 9:55 am