Last season I used the term ...
Question: Last season I used the term "breathless" to describe how I felt after watching
24. I would have to say that this season's words are "dark" and "gruesome." I had no idea Jack Bauer could bite someone's jugular to get free; but then again, he is JB after all. To think he kept saying, "I don't think I can do this any more," worried me a bit. Especially after he had already done so much. (By the way, wasn't he stabbed in the back by an ice pick or something? He seems to be fine. What is up with that? Do they honestly think the fans forget something like that?) I was wondering just a few things: First, why was Curtis killed off? I really liked him, and he always seemed to be there for Jack. Second, will
Rick Schroder be a breath of fresh air, or will he bring some of his
NYPD Blue character with him?
Answer: I think we've lived long enough with
24 and Jack Bauer to accept it on faith that our hero can take a serious licking and keep on ticking, no matter what. To fret over it misses the point. Here's a guy who'll go vampire, if he has to, to achieve his goals. As for killing Curtis: Why ever would you think this character wouldn't eventually be sacrificed? I just never figured he'd go out this way. Every time a character leaves a show, violently or otherwise, the question arises: Why? The answer: Because shows of this sort, even procedurals like
NCIS and
Criminal Minds, need to shake things up once in a while. Sometimes the actor wants out (as in the case of Sasha Alexander of
NCIS). More often it's a creative decision, one that we should learn to live with and move on. Losing familiar characters is a staple of
24 that many fans have a hard time dealing with (especially last season). While I sometimes agree that
24 can be too bloodthirsty — after watching this season's flat CTU scenes so far, I bet the producers regret offing Edgar — it comes with the exhilaratingly intense territory. I'm not about to prejudge Rick Schroder or his character until I see him in action. On paper, he appears to be a perfect fit for this world.
