Coming after one of the best and most unanimously praised seasons of the series, Season 6 of 24 really did have a lot to live up to. However, not only did it fail, but it resulted in some of the worst TV the series has ever churned out.
Season 6 got to a solid start with its first four episodes, with a tense race to stop a nuke as Jack struggled to reel from his kidnapping. It's unique for a season to put Jack Bauer in such a vulnerable position from the start, and it was very enjoyable. Signs of problems started to show in episode 4, with Curtis's weak and anticlimactic death and the nuclear cliffhanger that didn't go anywhere. However, the quality took a massive slide right when episode 5 began as Jack Bauer's family became involved in the storyline. The decision to have Jack's father be the main villain of the season was a horrendous choice, but even worse was the reveal that the intriguing man behind Season 5 was Jack Bauer's evil brother. Graem Bauer is easily the dumbest character in the whole show, and a waste of a potentially interesting villain.
The subplots weren't great either, as Wayne Palmer from Day 3 became president. That was a unique idea at first, until the storyline became pretty much identical to Season 2 as the 25th amendment was utilized as a plot point again. There were also a bunch of terrorist plots throughout the season, but they felt like padding made to stretch out the season to 24 episodes, none of it was memorable in the slightest. CTU fared much better, as the character-driven subplots involving Bill and Karen, Chloe and Morris, and Milo were some of the most engrossing stuff of the season. However, even that resulted in a CTU-assault storyline that felt like a recreation of Seasons 2 and 5. While the Bauer family drama was the worst part of Day 6 by far, it didn't help that most of the season, the terrorist plots, the nuke, the CTU attack, and the presidential storyline, just all felt like copies of storylines from much superior seasons.
There aren't many notable episodes this season, outside of a small amount:
9am-10am: Curtis's anticlimactic death aside, Jack Bauer's race to stop the nuke was insanely intense and lent an energy to most of the episode. It's just a shame that the nuke didn't actually affect anything, and the season immediately jumped the shark after this episode.
10pm-11pm: I didn't like Fayed as a villain, I thought he was very bland and boring, but his final battle with Jack Bauer was easily the best part of the season. It was such an intense and emotional action setpiece with Jack at his most brutal, a scene that's way too good to be a part of this season.
5am-6am: I actually thought this finale was pretty solid. The final battle on the oil tanker was climactic enough, and the character resolutions from Bill and Karen leaving CTU, to Chloe learning she's pregnant, to Jack being essentially forced away from the Hellers. The final scene in particular was a brilliantly somber end to the season.
Season 6 is easily the worst 24 season with bad villains, repetitive storylines, and an awful usage of Jack Bauer's family. It had a solid start and some good character arcs, but that's not enough to make up for all of the season's failings.
1.5/5 Stars
No comments:
Post a Comment