Monday, February 20, 2006

Not Enough Hours In The Day...

Like most fans of 24, we sometimes have to justify some of the odder things that happen during each day/season. There's been impromptu torture sessions [electrical wire and Laser Floyd], terrorists with all kinds of bad accents, the most tactless IT person of all time, rogue nukes, killer viruses, and even cougar attacks.

Worse yet, 24 is beginning to suffer from The Island Effect.

As in Gilligan's.

Basically, the Island Effect occurs when the strongest plot device of a show becomes it's weakest. Examples:

The Shield
Sure, it's a complex and gritty drama, but the main hook[how long can Vic Mackey stay ahead of his enemies] is becoming meaningless. It's becoming less and less of a issue. You no longer question if he's going to get away this time, because the show's been picked up for another season.

Lost
Again, the strengths of this show are rapidly turning into weaknesses. This is a side argument, but it seems that the runaway success of the show has taken the creative team by surprise. So much so, that there seems to be no coherent thread throughout.

Now with the recent deaths of President Palmer and Michelle Dessler, 24 is adding some unpredictability to the mix. But like the above shows, there's a Catch-22. If Jack Bauer doesn't save the day, there's not much of a reason to watch. But if he succeeds, it's not much of a shock.

Oh well, hopefully Kim will show up in a few hours/weeks.

Courage,
Mike G.

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