Ladies and Gentleman, it pains to write today's post
(Harder yet to believe it in my heart)
I must confess, in a reluctant manner akin to a tortured detainee, that my favorite show may have jumped the shark.
I still claim 24 as my favorite show. Over its first 5 years the show has created an immense chasm between itself and all other favorite shows. Also adding to the separation was the cancelling of Arrested Development, the predictability of The Office and the absenteeism of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
The show has become addicted to itself. The very points that made the show amazing are the very same points bringing it back down to earth. And unless they correct themselves soon (the next 6-8 episodes), it will undoubtedly mark the beginning of the show's demise. I'm referring to the "roller coaster" appeal in the framework of plot twists. The peaks of new villains and the valleys of fallen heroes was also a factor. The show has taken these once strong points to pornographic levels.
Season Six appears incapable of going a half hour without either killing a main character or starting a frenetic action sequence. Did the creators forget that the most thrilling point of a roller coaster is the climb upward? The point when you are getting higher not knowing, but expecting, the coaster to drop?
It's sad that a show, created with an original concept, is falling victim to the Materialistic "Bigger therefore Better."
The most promising aspect of Season Six is the deconstruction of Jack Bauer. The indestructible, never failing, protagonist seems out of place and uncomfortable with his surroundings. Although the character of Jack Bauer is highly unrealistic (which is the source of most of his popularity and appeal, granted) these flaws create more tension that a computer generated special effect could ever accomplish. The most obsessed fan in me rationalizes that Jack Bauer is awesome enough to transcendentally acknowledge the decline of the television program based on his life.
To reiterate, this show is no longer a roller coaster. The better analogy would be an EKG monitor during cardiac arrest. Just as modern physics wouldn't allow such a roller coaster to perform .. I doubt that viewers have the biology to withstand this show's current path. The vast majority of 24's loyal fans will gladly walk hand in hand into a flaming tar pit behind the show's creators .. singing it's praises until suffocation.
Currently, I'm still in that pack of fandom.
But let it be known that I'll be screaming for the show to be better.
