season 1 top episodes

So a lot of message board threads discuss people's favorite episodes. This inspired me to write about my favorite episode, but since picking ONE favorite episode is as hard as deciding what I like better, hockey or the beach, I've decided to pick three from each season. I think I'll do a season a week.

A lot of times I forget how good season 1 is, since I went on such a 24 watching blitzkrieg. I love how every episode starts with Jack saying, "Right now, terrorists are plotting to assassinate a Presidential candidate" and "I'm federal agent Jack Bauer, and this is the longest day of my life." He also says "on the day of the California presidential primary" after what hour it is. My friend and I continued to say this after the hour well into season 3, which for some reason, never seemed to get old to us. Season 1 is Jack Bauer before he's "Jack Bauer" the invincible superhero. He makes mistakes. He's a regular guy, albeit one with an unusually stressful job, who is trying to fix his marriage and improve his family life. Jack is a family man and a CTU agent. After season 1, there's no line between "at home Jack" and "federal agent Jack" which leads to his emotional downfall.

1. 8:00 a.m. -9:00 a.m. This episode is directly after the terrorists try to make Jack assassinate David Palmer (which came extremely close to being in the top 3.) He's been taken into Secret Service custody and tries to explain that he's protecting Palmer and that his family is in danger. They don't believe him and he escapes custody, while handcuffed. That alone is enough to make this a top episode but the thing that sets this episode apart is when he accosts a driver, Lauren, and they hide out in an office. I think some of the best moments from the show are the times when it slows down, and we can see Jack as more human. As he waits in the office, he expresses to Lauren how afraid he is.

I used to be in the military. Used to do field work for the CIA. I've been to some horrible places. I've seen some pretty terrible things. I don't think I've ever been this scared in my whole life.

He also threatens her in a really sweet way: "I have killed two people since midnight. I haven't slept in over 24 hours. So maybe you should be a little more afraid of me than you are now."But more importantly, he's vulnerable. He dozes off the only time in the history of the series. He naively trusts Lauren to not call the police when he tries to make a run for it. After season 1, Jack barely trusts anyone. We can see in this episode how much Jack loves his family, and what he's willing to do to protect them.

2. 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. This is the Jack in the limo episode. While trying to find his family, Jack hijacks a guy named Ted Cofell in his limo and proceeds to threaten to torture him for a long time. He wears these awesome bada** sunglasses, puts on an awesome soundtrack and drives him to an empty parking lot. Jack threatening to shove a towel down his throat (which I believe I just quoted in my previous post) is one of my favorite moments of all time on the show. He's so calm about it, and you know he'll do it. I don't remember anything else that happens in this episode, because Jack in the limo steals the show.

3. 11:00 p.m. - 12:00 p.m. This is the last episode of the season. So many unconventional things happen in this episode, and it really sets the tone for the seasons to come. Nina, who we find out in the episode before this one has been working for the Drazen's all day, calls Jack and tells him that Kim is dead. This is so that he'll go into where they are and they'll have the opportunity to kill him. We see Jack overwhelmed with grief and unable to keep himself together. Once he calms down, we only see a violent rage as he goes into the warehouse where the Drazen's are holding Kim, who had gotten away and is actually safe back at CTU. He takes out like 6 guys in a matter of 5 minutes. Then it's just him and Victor Drazen, the man behind the attacks all day. Drazen's out of ammo and Jack is clearly not in any danger. A "good guy" on any other show, or in any other movie, would have learned that revenge isn't worth it and would have just arrested him and put him in jail for life. Instead, he unloads the rest of the bullets into his body, even continuing to shoot him when he falls off the dock into the water. This was the first time I realized Jack was not a conventional hero.

Back at CTU, Teri overhears Nina speaking German and Nina ties her to a chair as she prepares her get away. Jack realizes that Nina's the mole when Mason tells him that Kim's fine. He comes back to CTU and finds Nina trying to run away in the parking lot. He explodes at her, and it takes George all of his powers of persuasion to keep Jack from killing her.

Jack: I trusted you!
Nina: I was just doing my job.
Jack: Your job!?!?! My wife and daughter almost died today!!! How many people that trusted you lost their lives today because you were doing your job!?!? Walsh Jamey? Ellis? How many others?
Nina: How many people died because of you Jack?

Then, Jack is reunited with his family. Finally this day is over and Jack can relax. He's debriefed and him, Teri and Kim head home. Right? No. The closing shot of the season is Jack sobbing as he holds Teri's lifeless body. Even though I hated Teri, this is not what's supposed to happen. Jack is supposed to fix his marriage, bond with his daughter and live happily ever after. But 24 doesn't care about happily ever after. This episode shows that you will never know what's coming, and that really no one is above being killed. It sets the precedent for future episodes. It gives Jack's character a completely different dynamic, and it makes him much darker.

I never thought that 24 would be a show that I could watch repeatedly. But like many shows, the more you watch them, the more details you pick up on. Knowing what's going to happen makes you watch it and notice things in a different way. I might have to go back and watch season 1 again, since it's been so long since I watched the whole thing.