Another Day In Paradise

There aren't many things that bring me pleasure. There are a few, but I don't go around whistling a happy tune most of the time. I enjoy being with "Wife" and "Daughter" (most of the time), having a good meal, relaxing in the Comfort King, and oh yeah, watching Jack Bauer chew the throat out of a terrorist.

I was so excited by the premiere of "Day Six" of "24" that I was almost levitating out of my chair. Very few TV shows warrant the dedication that I feel toward Jack and his terrorist fighting comrades at CTU. I doubt that there are any true Americans who don't know what I'm talking about, but in case you spend your Monday nights watching lame sitcoms or reading old copies of Readers Digest in the bathroom, let me, as the kids say, give you the 411. In a nutshell, "24" follows put upon Federal agent Jack Bauer as he spends one day trying to save the world from various, nefarious, (I love to rhyme. I do it all the time.) villains who are out to destroy this country. Each season is one day, with each episode representing an hour. Got it now? It's not to late to get on board the Jack express, but it will be pulling out of the station soon.

Why am I , a savvy media veteran, so drawn in by a TV show? Because it rocks! Over two nights, and four hours, this season's premiere let everyone know that Jack's sixth day with us was going to really suck for him and rule for us. I'll save you some time. Jack was released from a Chinese prison and asked to sacrifice himself so that the government could capture a renowned terrorist. Most of us would have begged off, telling the President that we had just gotten off a long flight, not to mention the two years of torture we endured at the hands of the godless Chinese. I know I would have asked for a steak and a conjugal visit before I would even consider letting myself be handcuffed to a grate in a storm sewer. Not Jack though. After being handed over, while being interrogated, he went all McGruff the Crime Dog and gnawed the jugular out of one of the terrorists, enabling him to escape. He didn't even wipe his mouth for two scenes. Talk about taking a bite out of crime. If that doesn't get you to watch a show, how about, domestic terrorism, suspension of civil liberties, a nervous breakdown, Jack having to kill one of his friends/fellow agents and, wait for it...a nuclear explosion in the suburbs of LA. That's more action in the first four hours than most regular Federal agents will see in a week, and more than a prisoner of his recliner will see in a lifetime.

Sure, I know it's just a TV show, but if you put aside the fact that Jack can't be killed, Chloe is always able to set up a clear satellite picture in a minute and a half and that for some reason, the elite agents that are in on the raids always seem to step on a stick, or trip over a bottle, thus alerting the bad guys, "24" asks some scary questions. What if this country was under attack, would you be willing to give up some freedoms for the illusion of safety, how did the former President's brother become the new President, and who is the annoying British guy that grabbed Chloe's ass? In the end, it all comes down to what Bonnie Tyler sang way back in 1984, "we're holding out for a hero." Jack's back, and I'm all in. Later...Brian