A Final word on Torture

As often happens I got sent a link to an article on ’24’. But this time around the article I got a link to I so completely disagree with that I really feel as if I should post my own honest opinion.

I don’t want to do harm to the writers views, so I won’t try and summarise the article, expect to say it’s on the subject of torture on the show, and that I disagree with his view on the matter.

link : new.ifmagazine.com

I know many are sick to death of torture, so I really hope that this can be a final word on the subject, but I have a feeling this may be a debate which will run as long as the show is on the air.

My opinion of torture on the show is simple, especcially the sixth series, is that it’s just a really cheap lazy way to fill air time and try and build tension that the show has done so often now that it’s actually getting stupid, even silly. I quite frankly fail to see the entertainment value, and I can’t imagine it was ever in the creators original plans for the show (“yeah, and we’ll have these heavy torture scenes every 3 or 4 episodes”). The closest thing to torture in Day One is a threat of a painful death for a suspect Jack had kidnapped in a limo, and if you look at that scene carefully, analyse why it works, why its tense, it’s because we don’t know if the suspect Jack has kidnapped has anything to do with the ongoing threat and there is the very real possibility that the emotional stress of the day so far has started to take it’s toll on Jack and his judgment – leaving us thinking is Jack about to fall off the edge and kill an innocent man?. It’s a scene which is played out the way it is for the development of character as well as story.

I’m not neccesarily against all torture on the show, but when it’s nothing more than a way to play for time then I as a viewer feel as if the writers are insulting me, and I feel like sending them home to rewatch series one to take notes about how to build tension properly.

I have personally defended the show against a lot of critism from all sides, but for me the show has crossed the line with the amount of torture in the lastest series, and if the levels had continued to increased I would have stopped watching – or atleast waiting for the DVD releases so I could fast forward the torture.

Feel free to share your views on the subject in the comments, but please keep them measured – any nasty or abusive comments will not make it on to the site.

Russian Around

After last week’s sermon on faith, 24 was back to this season’s usual method of operations: torture, … torturing us.

In the rockiest, lumpiest season of 24 to date, this was another herky-jerky episode. I mean, it’s not as if I were asking 24 to make sense.

Fun review of episode 12.

source :  ew.com – episode 12 & 13 spoilers

Cast Interviews

I’ve got links to two new cast interviews. One with Marisol Nichols, the other with Roger Cross.

How is it working with Kiefer Sutherland? Is he anything like Jack, is he intense on-set?

I have been around him several times but I haven’t had to work with him. From what I’ve heard, he’s extremely serious when he works, extremely dedicated, a very focused, serious guy. Every time I see him, though, he’s goofing around, playing games, having fun, like totally opposite. From what I’ve met and from what I know of him, Kiefer’s way more laid-back than Jack Bauer.

24 is probably the most intense show on TV; there aren’t a lot of light moments. Does the on-set atmosphere reflect that at all?

It is actually the opposite. It is the most laid-back atmosphere I’ve ever been on. You would think that we’d all have to be so serious, but we’re goofing around like mad in-between takes and we might do a little dance and tell a joke, I’m always telling jokes. It’s very laid-back. And then as soon as the cameras role, you get back and you do your job and it’s very, very serious but I think that comedy balances out a little bit.

source : buddytv.com

Coming into this season, Season 6, did you have any sort of idea that you were going to be killed off?

(laughs) You know at the end of last year, I asked them what the plans were for the character. Because there were times where you know my character wasn’t doing a whole lot and it was kind of like well, do we have greater plans for him and what’s going to happen? And we discussed it, my management discussed it with them to see what they were talking about, was going to happen, just sort of where to take the character and things like that. We kind of together said, well if you’re going to let him go out, what kind of death scene would it be? So I had a pretty good inkling that they were going to use it for a dramatic moment.

When did you find out for sure?

Before the season started they talked to me and said that we’re going to be definitely through the first four and that’s what they’d like to do and that they’re going to shoot him. He’s not going to definitely be dead but they want to shoot him. So I was like oh, okay, and that was it.

source : buddytv.com

Secret agent work can be torture

“I think that’s very dangerous,” he says. “When you start taking a fantastical world like this, and try to apply the logic of this show to the real world, [it] is absolutely ridiculous and insane. I very strongly disagree with the idea that we need Jack Bauers out there in the world doing that.”

Article looking at the politics of the show, includes a brief interview with Kiefer.

source : suntimes.com