There are few shows I can remember that symbolize good old fashioned ass-kicking as well as 24. Not only does 24 consistently offer thrilling, interwoven storylines that eventually coalesce into a climactic sequence of events that takes several hours of real time TV watching to resolve, but it also has Jack Bauer. You should already be aware of Jack Bauer’s unrelenting magnetism by now, so it should be no surprise that he is back, yet again, for a seventh season.
Jack’s seventh adventure began back in November 2008 with a two-hour event called 24: Redemption in which the events of the seventh season take root: a civil war embroils ex-counterterrorism agent Bauer in a life-or-death situation with a handful of orphans from the fictional African country of Sengala. Jack eventually leads the orphans to safety, but in doing so surrenders himself to the American authorities who have a warrant for his arrest regarding his history of torture, thus concluding the two-hour prologue.
Season seven starts out in much the same way as fans of the show are accustomed: terrorists manage to steal/kill/blow up an important technology/senator/sewage plant, thus starting phase one of their multi-phased plan for death, destruction and chaos. Meanwhile, Bauer finds himself in the all too familiar situation of not being given credit for saving the world many times over. It would seem as though season seven has relatively little to add to the blockbuster franchise, but that was before the second night of the two-night, four-hour season premiere.
Now, I won’t ruin it for those who haven’t seen it, but let’s just say Tony Almeida is actually alive and working undercover for Bill Buchanan and Chloe! Sorry, I couldn’t help myself there. You see, for the writers to come up with a plot twist that can surprise and excite even longtime 24 veterans takes something really special. The show’s main plot hasn’t even begun to unravel yet, and it already feels like the later episodes from past seasons.
For those who haven’t caught on to the 24 craze yet, now might not be the best time to get into it. Season seven so far feels like the producer’s way to apologize for a lackluster season six, so they’ve decided to pull out all the stops, and so far I couldn’t be more excited.
Characters from previous seasons have already started to make appearances (which may confuse new viewers) but don’t think for a second that you won’t regret avoiding getting into 24. Do yourself a favor and rent, buy or go online to watch past seasons. If season seven is of any indication, 24 has a bright future still ahead of it.