Jack is back, with another day to remember

Television • Kiefer Sutherland, who plays agent Jack Bauer, is back again in the fourth season of FOX's nail-biting television series,"24."FOX Television

 

By Gerry Wachovsky
Online Forty-Niner
Diversions Editor

Jack Bauer has had a tough three days, as we all know from the past three seasons of FOX's "24." He worked to rescue his wife and daughter from terrorists, averted a nuclear disaster in Los Angeles, and stopped a deadly virus from infecting the public. Each season "24" seems to get better, but season four, which begins in January, is already shaping up to be the best yet.

What makes "24"so good is that the plots seem ripped directly from today's headlines, which contributes a certain sense of realism to the show. Each season takes place in a 24-hour period, and contains 24 action-packed episodes, each of which is an hour long in length. The concept works wonderfully and chances are if you watch just one episode of "24," you will be itching to see what happens next.

Like many suspense movies, the show contains more plot turns and pulse-pounding sequences than most shows on television, and the cast is always selected with care and for a reason. During the third season, we found Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) called back to the Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU), a government agency with offices in Los Angeles, by the President of the United States, David Palmer (Dennis Haysbert). The stakes were high in season three. The cast only added to the excitement of the show, and this season is continuing that trend.

This time, 18 months after the end of season three, we find Bauer working for the new president's defense secretary, James Heller (William Devane). In addition, Bauer is involved in a relationship with Heller's daughter, Audrey Raines (Kim Raver), a secret that they have kept from her father.

One of my favorite characters of the new season is CTU newbie, Edgar Stiles, played by Louis Lombardi, who fans of "The Sopranos" will recognize as Agent Skip Lipari, the man who was somewhat responsible for the death of Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero (Vincent Pastore). Lipari offered comic relief to fans of "The Sopranos," with his slight lisp and funny mannerisms.

Among the few characters that return to season four of "24" besides super-agent Jack Bauer, is Chloe O'Brian (Mary Lynn Rajskub). O'Brian, a supporting character who was first introduced in season three, promises to have a more crucial part this time around.

Without giving too much away, this season of "24" has a plot bigger than any of the previous seasons. Also, as with the previous seasons, the viewer is left in the dark about many things. Will there be another mole, much like Nina Myers (Sarah Clarke) at the end of season one? Will there be friction between ex-CTU agent Bauer and new hard-nosed CTU Director Erin Driscoll (Alberta Watson)? Will there be interesting sub-plots, like CTU Agent Chase Edmunds' (James Badge Dale) illegitimate child in season three?

Completing one season of "24," according to the Internet Movie Database, takes a whopping 10 and a half months, and the final episode is not filmed until the season is well underway and airing. Also, in season one, Bauer killed 24 people, while in season two he killed 26, which makes the total death count by the hand of Jack Bauer in a two-day period, 50 people. We can only hope that in the new season Bauer is attempting to tie his terrorist-killing record, and from the three episodes I saw, he does not disappoint.

"24," because of its innovative filming style and intense plotlines, is what I believe to be the best show on television today. Viewers scramble home from work or school each week to flip on the television and see what will happen next, since they know, as well as the show's characters, that every second counts, and the clock is always ticking.

The two-hour season premiere of "24" debuts Sunday, Jan. 9, at 8 p.m., on FOX, and continues on Monday, Jan. 10, at 9 p.m., during the show's new timeslot.