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24***1/2

 
If one were to pick any one show that offered more suspense, drama and human adrenaline at its throbbing peak than many Hollywood big-budget films, it would definitely be the award-winning series 24.

Now running in its 6th season, 24 is one show that continues to work all over the world, despite the fact that many of its lead cast members get killed, shot or blown away almost every season. The reason: it's the story that drives the plot and other than two-three recurring members, new faces bring a different angle to the story.
 
For those of you who have yet to see this show, here's a brief glimpse in the last five years of 24...
24 is about Jack Bauer, played to perfection by Kiefer Sutherland, a field operative of CTU (Counter Terrorism Unit) based in Los Angeles. Along with his team at CTU, Jack investigates and stops terrorist activities against the people and the government of the United States. The terrorists are usually Arab/Islamic militants, who are trying to prove a religious point by taking on the US government, sometimes with the unofficial support of their own governments and at others, through a team of followers or believers. Most often, it is a fictional take, driven by a very real situation, on the atrocities of the US, the superpower it has become and the fact that many, if not all, Muslim countries now feel threatened by America' ever-growing domination in the modern world.

This year, 24 is back with its biggest bang yet. The show protagonist Jack Bauer is brought back from China, after being held hostage for two years. Unlike the last few seasons where the ultimate goal is to stop nuclear bombs from detonating, this time, bombs have already detonated and Jack is needed to lead the investigation and to stop further nukes from detonating on American soil.
 
One reason why 24 works brilliantly and is able to set itself against all crime/suspense genre dramas is the 'real-time' factor. 24 is 24 episodes but each episode shows one hour. A lead that is followed up, a young romance that takes place, a Presidential pardon that is signed, all in one hour. The biggest plot-definer in the show is that it's shot in the duration of one hour and a digital clock tells us how many minutes are left in the show. This actually means that the commercials that come in between the show are kept in mind when the show is shot. Through this factor, 24 becomes the ultimate race against time treat that makes one want to watch what happens next.

Another interesting is that it takes a close look behind the politics in Washington. Like the brilliant award-winning series, West Wing - where one learned how policies were devised by the president, the real battle between the House of Representatives, Congress and the White House, why certain laws couldn't be approved even though the most powerful leader in the world thinks that it should, why and how budget was being allocated and a lot more - here, too one learns what goes inside the White House at intelligence briefings.
 
America is no different than the rest of the world, especially when it comes to protecting civil liberties. Where there are those who believe in the first amendment of every citizen, there are many within the US government who belief that national security should hold an exception (aha, the Patriot Act!). This means, illegal detention facilities to held suspects who can be tortured and if the approval comes from Washington, what happens next?

There are many things wrong about the way the US government operates with its allies. That said, their justice system is remarkable to say the least. But even a justice system that should be followed the world over cannot always be the problem-solver. In 24, one is made to think, how American law fell from grace. If The Practice and now Boston Legal made you salute the system, defense lawyers who defend criminal and yet one ends up empathizing with them, its 24 that breaks all the pre-conceived notions. Therein lies the beauty of the show.

Like many shows, 24 is also not without its flaws. Every year, the terrorists are Muslims. Okay, so post-9/11, everyone thinks Muslims are terrorists but to blow it on television every year is discrimination and also boring.

1 billion Muslims all over the world aren't fundamentalists who kill in the name of religion. Even if there is general consensus that they make for the most frightening and believable terrorist, the writers could still do without them. There could be the French or the Japanese.

Where the last big intelligence/suspense show Alias emphasized on Russians and former Americans gone wild on power and 500 old prophecies, here its Muslims who form the bad guy wrap sheet.
Television, like media, governs thought. If one is made to watch Muslims detonating bombs on US every year, at some point, many will actually take Muslims to be terrorists as a breed. That is a dangerous road to be on, especially since this thought has crept into the psyche of many without 24 calling the shots.
Every thing else about this show, from the scary, screwed-up, obsessive players to the direction and acting, is brilliant. Now if they loose the hold on 'Muslim terrorists', 24 will be one of the most creative (Desperate Housewives, Lost and Heroes are other great names) shows to hit television in the last decade. That is not an overstatement. The last full five seasons as well as the first few episodes of the latest season is out in the market, get it NOW!
--Maheen Sabeeh

*YUCK
**WHATEVER
***GOOD
****SUPER
*****AWESOME