One would think that after seven years on the air, audiences would know who Jack Bauer is. Yet, as the new season of “24” began last week, we saw Bauer in a different light. He was not fighting terrorism; he was spending time with his granddaughter at the zoo. And Bauer was not the only character who has changed since last season. It turns out that one of the best things about the new season of “24” is how many of the characters on the show have been reinvented.
As with many seasons before, Bauer’s day began with him trying to stay as far away from anti-terrorism work as possible. This season, he started his television day (each season captures a different day in the life of Bauer) as a family man before inevitably being called back by an informer with inside information about a terrorist plot. It took a lot of convincing for Bauer to leave his family life. Both his daughter Kim and his former coworker Chloe had to convince him to return to the Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU) to assist in taking on a terrorist plot.
Chloe O’Brian, one of the best characters on the show, had only recently returned to CTU and she’s there when Bauer arrives. She’s the acerbic computer expert who was previously quite confident about her own technological expertise. This year, though, she lacks that confidence as the computer systems at the new CTU are more advanced than what she was used to before she left the old CTU. As usual, though, she has been quick to pick up on clues that could lead to real terrorist threats, rather than decoys, which is why she enlists Bauer to help her.
Additionally, Renee Walker is back on the show. Last year Walker was a professional agent who matched wits with Bauer. This year, after an offscreen suicide attempt, Walker seems to be on the edge and off-balance. At the end of episode five, Walker begged a violent criminal to shoot her, and Jack and many in the audience likely believed she really was willing to accept her own demise.
Lastly, President Allison Taylor is back, this time negotiating a major peace agreement with a foreign leader. Even in the first few hours of the new season, we have seen changes in President Taylor. Last year, she was often a woman trying to protect her husband and her politically-driven daughter. Because of the choices she made at the end of last season (she refused to cover up for a crime her daughter committed), she has started this season as a loner. Her daughter is gone and her husband has left. Like Bauer, who lost his wife in the first season’s finale, Taylor is still dealing with the aftermath of that.
Many have criticized “24” for silly and distracting subplots and like past seasons, this season has those too. For instance, viewers likely don’t care about the private life of one of the CTU agents with a “secret” past she’s trying to keep away from her professional career.
However, “24” is still an entertaining show often full of surprises. With its strong cast of characters in unknown personal territory and solid new additions like Freddie Prinze Jr. and Anil Kapoor (the game show host from “Slumdog Millionaire”), “24” is still worth watching and worth getting excited over as minute upon minute unfold on the show … in real time.
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