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24 Season One: Some afterthoughts (1 Viewer)

Ronald Epstein

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Ronald Epstein
Since doing my review of 24: Season One,
many of you have asked me to keep you up-to-date
on how I have been progressing through the set.
I started a new thread here to draw attention
to the fact that I finally finished Season One
last evening.
I really am proud of myself for getting through
this set so fast. Most of the episodes I watched
on my portable DVD player during my plane ride to
and from Los Angeles last week. I also went back
up to my hotel early a few nights, locking myself
in the room, while lying in bed watching a few more
episodes.
It's sort of miraculous how addictive this series
became for me. I have never been addicted to any
television show from watching a single episode. As
my review of 24 indicated, it's very easy
to get hooked within the first 30 minutes of the
show.
The only problem with 24 is that it really
became too preposterous at times. It's as if the
writers really stretched themselves to find some
unusual predicaments for its characters. Still,
the show remained so riveting, it was easy for
audiences to accept most of what was being thrown
at them.
I particularly enjoyed the fact that the show
did not whimp out in its final 10 minutes. Having
now watched the alternate ending with commentary,
I can truly appreciate what the show's producers
were trying to do. Even in the end, the show
remained true to its ability to give us the unexpected.
After all, the thing I enjoyed most about 24
was the fact that it wasn't predictable. Every
episode seemed to have a new twist.
So, here I am, a full-fledged 24 fan.
Suffice to say, I'll be watching the second season
live this year, and perhaps joining you guys in
weekly conversation in the television area.
 

CaptDS9E

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Joey
Ha ha another person hooked. 24 had a excellent first season but as you said there were a few bumps along the road. Mainly because originally fox only ordered 13 episodes. So in case the rest of the season wasnt picked the writers closed the story up and then when it was picked up they blew the story up again. This next season they have it all planned out ahead of time so hopefully it will be even better

capt
 

Adam_WM

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Adam Moreau
Ron, I have to say, it was YOUR recommendation in the review thread to pick it up that I listened to. Many other members felt it doesn't have an rewatch value, but this baby will have a place on the frontline of my DVD collection for quite some time.

People I have know have finished the entire series in:

1 week
2 days
3 days
5 days

Man, oh man. 16.5 hours of television in less than a week! PHEW!
 

Adam_WM

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Adam Moreau
My friends have dubbed it: "DVD Crack". Once you start, you can't stop. If you do, you go into withdrawal.
 

Michael Reuben

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Michael Reuben
True story:
My wife and I saw every episode on its initial broadcast, and we're both 24 fans. But when I told her I was ordering the DVD set, she said, "Why? It's not worth watching again." Then she rewatched the first episode with me. Now every night at dinner, it's "Can we watch some more of 24 tonight?" :)
When you watch them spread out over an entire season, it's easy to forget, as the conclusion draws near, just how intricately plotted the early episodes were. The last 11 episodes weren't as tight, mainly because the writers had to invent new ways to put Teri and Kim in jeopardy once they'd been rescued, and not everything worked. But it's still a great ride, and well worth taking again.
M.
 

Lew Crippen

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Thanks for the update Ron.

My wife and I time-shifted this when it was just repeated on FX! and watched it all in one weekend (and I am sure that this is no record).

We plan on watching this season. But, for me, there is no repeat value. I don’t think that I’d really want to see the flaws in some of the middle episodes again—I’m happier to just remember the excitiement.
 

Josh Lowe

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The only problem with 24 is that it really
became too preposterous at times.
The show has moments of sheer brilliance but there's been some hip-wading through stupidity in order to get to them. Mostly due to really inconsistent and silly behavior by certain characters. If you took their behavior and stretched it out over the period of weeks, it makes sense. But if you look at the behavior across a 24 hour period, which is what the show of course is set within, then there are some serious behavioral disorders going on in Jack Bauer's household.
 

Richard Michael Clark

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but of course in the US you guys don't know that Nina KNEW Teri was pregnant before she shot her in the stomach!!!!!!!!! In fact in the US version Nina never even finds out after the fact!
It's a scene that was cut from the US broadcast of episode 23. In the UK we got it intact and when the dvd arrived without this scene (and other scenes cut in the US) fan anger forced FoxUK to withdraw the set and repress it (it had been made with the US masters! d'oh!). We should now be getting the re-issued un-cut 24 on Oct 15th in the UK!
 

Mike-M

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Jul 21, 2002
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Richard...

Do you think there are significant scenes that were shown in the UK but not the U.S? Besides the spoiler you just mentioned, was there anything else omitted of much substance?

On one hand I want to re-buy this "new" version when it comes out but on the other hand I figure if it was edited out then the director must not have wanted it in there.
 

Dave Barth

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I have never been addicted to any
television show from watching a single episode. As
my review of 24 indicated, it's very easy
to get hooked within the first 30 minutes of the
show.
Ron, man, one word of advice: avoid Alias, unless you want to be visiting the TV forum twice a week.
 

Andy Sheets

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Alias? Pffft! I gave that show a standard 3 episode trial and had no problem running away from it :)
I pretty much agree with the general thoughts about 24. It's really very good a lot of the time but after the mid-point of the season, when the producers found out they'd be on for the full run, it started having trouble holding it together. Had a strong finish though. I think what I like best about the show is seeing Kiefer Sutherland crack up over the course of the season. He's very believable as someone who's at risk of going over the edge, probably because he's played so many sinister characters in career that you kind of expect the worst from him :) Favorite episode like this was the one in which he threatens to tear out a suspect's viscera with nothing more than a wet sock. He seemed pretty sincere to me ;)
 

Will_B

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Does the Region 2 version of 24, with the longer scenes, suffer from PAL speedup or is it ok?

I'm probably going to go for the UK version once the replacements are available.
 

Christopher D

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Guys, I've said it before and I'll say it again. Don't assume that just because unusued footage was shot it truly belongs in the program; that's what editors are for.

Case in point: the whole issue with whether Nina knew that Teri was pregnant.


Someone who had spoken with Sarah Clarke about this was kind enough to post notes of the conversation on Television Without Pity -- Sarah said, essentially, that in her opinion the only question that went through her mind before shooting Teri was whether or not she could use her as a bargaining chip because the character was ruthless. Whether or when she knew about the pregnancy
would thus be completely irrelevant.
 

Josh Lowe

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just finished watching the first season.

i dunno. that was asking a -lot- from the viewer. it really started getting illogical and beyond the suspension of disbelief at the end.
 

Patrick Sun

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It's much better if you watch one episode per week, that way, you don't get so uptight with the episodic implausibilities. :D
I watched it on TV last season, but did not buy the DVD set because there's so much new stuff on the horizon, I don't know where I'd find the time to revisit the show again, especially since "Another 24 Hours" is about to start up soon.
 

Josh Lowe

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on a side note
we use those cisco IP phones like what they have at CTU where i work. but they don't have those "beeeeep-boop-BOOP" rings or i'd change mine. instead i have the austin powers/in like flint ring. :D
 

Scott Weinberg

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I started the Season One set around 4:00 am on Friday. I finished it up around 7:00 pm Saturday. (Today.)

Whoever dubbed this set as "DVD Crack" wasn't far off the mark. Sure, the show isn't perfect and offers more than a few "gimme a break" moments, but overall I think it's one of the most entertaining TV seasons I've ever seen.
 

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