TV Roundup

Thought I might review some shows I watch:

24 - This 6th season was a real disappointment for most fans. To much of the same old terrorist threats. I remember daydreaming with my friend Todd after the finale of season 5 with Jack now imprisoned by the Chinese. 24! Escape from Little Trouble in Big China! Starring Jack Bauer! Instead we picked up months later with a Jack Bauer, still imprisoned and badly tortured by the Chinese. Instead of breaking out of imprisonment, his release is secured by the USA, only for the purpose of offering him for sacrifice to middle eastern terrorists who have seized control of LA. Sound Familiar? However, we're treated to something new at the close of the episode when a nuclear bomb goes off on US soil. OK they've managed to shock us a bit. But that's not the prize at the bottom of the box. We see a Jack Bauer who still has the instinctive drive of a Hero, but lacks the means to do it. The loss of so many loved ones, combined with the psychologically devastating isolation and torture by the Chinese has left us with a hero ambivalent about his own life. He cringes when he sees a colleague torturing a prisoner. He drops to his knees and vomits when he sees the mushroom cloud in the sky. It shows us Bauer is not the invincible god who contends with Chuck Norris in ass-kicker of the year online polls. He's a human who has an amazing tollerance which has been worn down by these 6 awful days in his life. Where does he go from here?
Well, the producers decided not to go down that path. instead they have Jack lace up his boots and go into soldier mode for most of the season. The only break is when he discovers that his family was behind many of the dirty dealings of season 5. However, this swerve feels a little empty and belongs on a daytime soap. Only once the day is won in the 24rth hour do we see the humanity of Jack Bauer resurface. After acting out against Audrey (JB's love interests) father, he realizes he's in no position to care for her in her debilitated state. Jack wanders off into the sunset unsure of what hope is left for his life.
Despite this unsatisfactory season. I do have hopes for next year. The producers publicly acknowledged the shows staleness and I hope that means we'll see Jack in a new situation next year. Remember: the show's called 24. The only restriction is time.

HEROES- The ads for this show were all over last summer and while out visiting my parents in Cape Cod, I watched the opening episode and was intrigued. All the trappings of a superhero comic, many staples of Campbell's the Power of Myth, serialized storytelling. What's not to like. I continued to watch and then the 5th episode clonked me on the head. with minutes to go, The subway car Peter Petrelli and Mohinder Suresh are riding in stops as does time itself. Out of nowhere Hiro appears sans glasses but carrying additude, a samurai sword and a lot more hair. He is, in fact, a version of Hiro from the future who has come with a message for Peter: save the cheerleader, save the world. This appeared to be a message for me that this show was going to be something special. Unfortunately, it ended up being somewhat mediocre. The dialogue was cliche at times as were the situations. Flashes to a dystopian future were old hat when Claremount and Byrne did it in the X-Men. The prediction of Hiro stabbing Sylar occurred too early leaving us with several episodes that treaded water. When we finally get to the NYC showdown which has been alluded to for half the season, the fight is over before it began. We're also supposed to accept Hiro just got the jump on Sylar, that he didn't slow time to speed himself up? I'm also assuming a cop out to the Petrelli's suicide mission. Nathan could drop Peter b4 the explosion and Peter could somehow live through the meltdown as did the guy who had the nuclear power before. This is nice to keep the characters in but as Joss Whedon has taught me, every so often you need to pull the trigger and show that the stakes in your narrative are real.

I'll be back with LOST, and a small Veronica Mars and Smallville writeup