Do you remember a time before Jack?
January 8th, 2007
It’s a question that my wife posed to me as the glorious return of 24 approaches (officially that is - unofficially some light bulb has leaked the first four episodes of season 6 to the internet). The reason why my wife asked that question apart from the fact that I’m quite certain she would leave me for Jack Bauer in a heartbeat which honestly I couldn’t hold against her, is that we didn’t see season one. We didn’t see season two either, season three wasn’t even on the radar.
To be accurate we watched a couple of episodes of the first season and didn’t get hooked straight away. So we missed the whole 24 experience until one very clever marketing ploy by Channel 7 here in Australia. We were moving at the time and so we lived amongst boxes and questions such as ‘have you packed that yet’, ‘are you kidding you are not keeping that’ and ‘when did we get this?’
So there we were about to move out of the cardboard city, all of our stuff packed except the big furniture. My precious DVD collection already entombed and nothing on the television. In the mail that day came a DVD from Channel 7. They thought it was a good idea to send out the first episode of season four of 24 to try and get people hooked.
We had nothing else to watch so what the hell.
The ground didn’t noticeably move. We watched it and said that it was ok. But then Tracey asked me the following week when they were showing the episode one and two if I was going to bother watching the next episode. I said maybe and didn’t think much more on it until they were showing episode one and I wasn’t doing anything else so I sat and watched. It was whilst watching the end of the episode again that I realised that I did actually really like it. Tracey came in and watched all or some of the second episode (we don’t recall) and then we were addicted.
We devoured season four and then season five was even better. The sickness is complete - we bought all of the DVDs, the game, the comics, the books and I even have a Jack Bauer Man Bag or if you will the ‘Jack Sack’ with the CTU logo (official from Fox!). My phone has the CTU ring tone.
Hey when we get hooked we really get hooked!!!
Jack Bauer is one of the greatest non super ’superheroes’ in popular culture right now and rightly so - forget the political hot potato of his methods he is just a very easy character to cheer for. He’s Die Hard, Lethal Weapon, Rambo, Rocky all rolled into one.
So in honour of the Bauer Power Hour - i’ll be ending each post in a ‘Jack Fact’
The city of Los Angeles once named a street after Jack Bauer in gratitude for his saving the city several times. They had to rename it after people kept dying when they tried to cross the street. No one crosses Jack Bauer and lives.
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We did not get hooked on 24 when it first started either. My inlaws bought the DVD’s and then we started watching them and we fell in love. To be honest, with all of the tension each episode brings, I dont think that I could watch it on TV and wait a whole week until the next episode. So each year, we have waited until my inlaws buy the season on DVD (usually comes out around xmas just before the next season begins), watch it themselves again, pass it off to my sister in law and her husband, and then we get it (see how the food chain goes around here?@!)! But it is so worth the wait. 24 marathons are great!
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It’s addictive!!
I dunno if I could wait that long to see new episodes but I know what you mean about waiting a whole seven days between each episode - say hypothetically that one had downloaded and watched the leaked four episodes of the new series which also happens to be the best - then those people would have to wait a whole 5 weeks for the tv to catch up - man am I glad that’s not me - it would be agony considering the episodes are simply amazing!!!
Have you seen season 5 yet?
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For the past few years, I’ve never really sat down and watched this show. Albeit, if I walk in, and it’s on, then yes, I watch it.
But, this season, I will make a serious effort! Thanks for the reminder, Lee.
ps: I hope the wife does NOT leave you for Jack…
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LOL - you and me both Nav!!!!
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I just spoke with my inlaws and they are watching season 5 right now. So we should get it in a couple of weeks, atleast!
I am looking forward to it.
Its even more exciting that the “hypothetical one” thinks the new episodes are amazing!
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Jack Bauer’s calendar goes straight from March 31st to April 2nd; no one fools Jack Bauer!
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When bad things happen to good people, its probably fate. When bad things happen to bad people, it’s probably Jack Bauer.
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