"24" To End With May 24 Finale

By Jeralyn, Section Media
Posted on Sat Mar 27, 2010 at 12:00:44 PM EST
Tags: "24" (all tags)

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Fox's "24" will end its run with the season finale on May 24.

I'm not surprised. Not only have their been rumblings this would be the case, but at least so far, it's been a very badly plotted season.

What's been most troubling for me is the show's reliance on not one or two, but three stereotypes of flawed, weak women. First, there's FBI Agent Renee Walker, who they turned into a zombie-like suicidal crazy person, blaming it on a past rape. Then there is Dana, who they stereotype as white trash jail bait who, despite being somehow smart enough to work at CTU, is dumb enough to slide right back and risk her job to help her ex-boyfriend, also white trash, pull off a robbery. (Now she's about to be the mole, so it remains to be seen how they finish her story. I won't be surprised if her motive turns out to be nothing more than she fell for a terrorist and is acting out of blind devotion.) Third, there's Kayla, the daughter of President Hassan, who's portrayed as weak (again because she's hopelessly over her head in love with a traitor/terrorist. [More...]

Even Chloe is played as trembling with fear as she sticks up for what's right. President Cherie Jones, the strongest female character, has barely been seen this year. And President Hassan's wife, who has all the makings of a strong character, is prevented from being viewed as such because they decided to also tag her as the cheated on spouse.

It's not that they don't know how to portray a female as a strong villain. Last year they had two. President Jones' daughter was evil but tough, and went down while still hard as nails. Same for the female terrorist who went out in an inglorious blaze.

This year the show has not been about ticking time bombs or torture. It has become banal, relying on old stereotypes of deeply flawed, weak, insecure females. If this is all the writers are able to come up with, I'll agree, it's time for the show to end and make its way to DVD heaven.

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"24" To End With May 24 Finale | 15 comments (15 topical)

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also it used to be much more (5.00 / 1) (#6)
by Jeralyn on Sat Mar 27, 2010 at 02:50:34 PM EST

action packed, which is why I liked to watch it on my ipod on the treadmill, the 45 minutes flew by. Now it's so dialogue and relationship driven it's like watching a soap.

Good riddance. (5.00 / 1) (#7)
by scribe on Sat Mar 27, 2010 at 04:42:59 PM EST

That show was one of the cultural prime movers for torture. It was written and produced by Rethugs, to always justify torture andviolating hte law, and was religiously watched by the Cheneys (among others) who relied upon it to validate their pro-torture worldview.

Rather reminds me of (5.00 / 0) (#9)
by jondee on Sat Mar 27, 2010 at 05:44:24 PM EST

certain network cop shows that, in the interests of "gritty realism", seemed to suggest that it was acceptable practice for our thin blue line heroes to slap around and intimidate suspects.


Absolutely, scribe (none / 0) (#14)
by Zorba on Sat Mar 27, 2010 at 09:16:56 PM EST

I haven't been able to watch it since it became clear (very early on) that the pro-torture idiots in the last administration were very obviously using the program to justify their human rights abuses.


: It never ceased to amaze me (none / 0) (#15)
by scribe on Sun Mar 28, 2010 at 11:26:31 AM EST

how supposedly intelligent people - the Cheneys, the Scalias, and many of the high-ranking Republicans - were nonetheless unable to recognize both the circularity of the propaganda that "24" was deploying against them - to encourage, reinforce, and justify exactly the outrages they were perpetrating and that they were the intended audience - whose behavior had to be modified and guided by this program.
While that now-former AEI employee got fired his wingnut welfare gig there this past week for openly stating that the Republicans thought Fox News was working for them when in reality they were working for Fox News, this particular show and its undue influence on how US policy and practice was carried out makes quite clear that the Rethugs have been working for Fox for a much longer time.

Probably best that the show (none / 0) (#1)
by MKS on Sat Mar 27, 2010 at 12:14:26 PM EST

that advocates torture is going off the air.....

The women this year have been given bad roles....

However, Walker was the Knight riding (none / 0) (#2)
by tigercourse on Sat Mar 27, 2010 at 12:28:00 PM EST

in on a horse to save Bauer in this last episode.

The President is indeed useless though.

Who knew... (none / 0) (#3)
by MileHi Hawkeye on Sat Mar 27, 2010 at 01:39:19 PM EST

...terrorists get so much action! I thought they waited for all those virgins in heaven.

Maybe I should be a bad boy...

: Im starting to get (5.00 / 1) (#4)
by jondee on Sat Mar 27, 2010 at 01:55:48 PM EST

the point where one 72 year old virgin is sounding better and better.

: I wonder (none / 0) (#10)
by ZtoA on Sat Mar 27, 2010 at 05:49:31 PM EST

after a terrorist has all those virgins and every one of them is now pissed at him how's eternity going to look then?

I've dipped in this year and it's barely watchable (none / 0) (#5)
by jawbone on Sat Mar 27, 2010 at 02:38:04 PM EST

Plus, the same lines, the same intonations, the same hoarse whisphers or shouting are the same old, same old.

First season, the women were the one doing really dumb things as well. His daughter couldn't do something sensible if her life depended on it (literally, as the plot evolved) and made me furious.

Pains me not to watch (none / 0) (#8)
by Babel 17 on Sat Mar 27, 2010 at 04:46:02 PM EST

the episodes featuring Katee Sackhoff/Dana Walsh as I'm a fan but I abhor how the show has pandered to the mindset that has gotten us so much grief.

On a lighter note ...... :)

Jack Bauer interrogates Santa

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6yUCbqAGrg

Well, look. Jack is a Grandpa (none / 0) (#12)
by jimakaPPJ on Sat Mar 27, 2010 at 06:11:08 PM EST

I mean us Grandpa's are tough as steel, but still we are limited to the amount of torture and mayhem we can pass out in attempts to keep the radical Muslims from torching off a dirty bomb in New York City....

And I don't care. It isn't as good as it was but it is still better than watching fake survivor shows or judges snarl their noses at someone singing (?).

kinda (none / 0) (#13)
by txpolitico67 on Sat Mar 27, 2010 at 07:44:36 PM EST

taken aback (not offended) by the "w.t" labels. It's unlike JM to say those kinda things...verdad?

: the point is they are creating the labels (none / 0) (#16)
by Jeralyn on Sun Mar 28, 2010 at 06:32:12 PM EST

through their portrayals of the characters. The sterotypical portrayals are what I'm objecting to.