24 - Season Six

I have to admit I'm addicted to "24" and I don't wanna miss any season or single episode. So I for my part can recommend this series only absolutely. That applies to season 6, too!

I have never seen any of the previous seasons, so don't have any of the baggage other reviewers seem to have. This is the best television I have ever seen, the casting, acting and plotting is of the highest standard throughout, we kept throwing on more and more episodes till we had to sleep...

If 24 was just a run-of-the-mill television series, this would be an acceptable season. In this sixth season, there's drama, some interesting characters at play, and an epic situation, but it's ridden with over-used plot devices and cliches. Pretty much what you could expect from generic TV. The only problem is, 24--up until this point--was not generic television.

Granted, the creative staff of 24 must have had a lot of pressure on them during this season. The show was just coming off it's strongest run, so they had to keep up the momentum. Well... they didn't. This is easily the dullest season to date, and the struggle that the writers went through with the plot becomes clear while watching it. The "terrorists have nuclear bombs" plot was stretched out so much already that, about 3/4 through the season, they realized that the story couldn't be extended any more. So, for the first time in 24 history, this season consists of two arcs. I'll break it down for you.

The first 3/4 of the season focus on Jack Bauer and CTU trying to stop Muslim and Russian terrorists from launching nuclear attacks on America. The first four episodes of the season were what we've come to expect from 24 (heart-racing action and great character moments) but the rest of this story arc, aside from the finale, was duller than toast with no butter. Each episode is bogged down by the cliched, overdone drama between the staff of CTU. Chloe doesn't get nearly enough screen time, and whenever she does, it's only to show her and Morris being disfunctional. If this was all for the good of character development, I'd like it, but to be honest it was 100% filler. I have to say, though, that this story arc was tied up nicely with a climactic final face-off between Jack and Abu Fayed, the leader of the terrorists. If the entire story arc had been as good as that episode, it would be a classic season.

The rest of the season consisted of an entirely new story that picks up minutes after the "terrorist threat" arc finishes. It's an improvement from the first 3/4 of the season, except for one thing: lack of Jack. Oh, he's still there, and the final episode (it's a great one, by the way, which almost makes amends for this season sucking) is more about Jack himself than anything else, but--for a few of these episodes--he wasn't around as much as usual. Instead, we get a lot of Mike Doyle, played by Ricky Schroder. But trading Jack-screen-time for Doyle-screen-time is like trading your favorite food for a steaming plate of waste. Doyle is the worst character 24 has every created--yes, even worse than Dina Araz--and, as you watch, his character will begin to embody the mediocrity of this season. However, again, this arc--the season finale, in this case--was very, very strong. It was back to the basics: Jack Bauer in an impossible, but plausible, situation. And that's how 24 is supposed to be.

So, as you might notice from reading the reviews, most fans consider this to be the weakest season of 24. Trust them. They're very, very right.

5/10

Every time we begin another season's DVD of 24 it's like returning home! I gave it a 4 instead of 5 stars because so much of this series is simply unbelievable. But who cares? It's exciting, heart pounding, and my stress is reduced cause I know that Jack Bauer will be alive at the end!!

24 Season Six is not as good as the other seasons. I guess the producers got lost on the track. I felt this one is more violent and senseless, and by the end I can tell they are thinking about Season Seven, but I don't!