In preparation of the return of 24 in 24: Live Another Day on May 5th, I am running a series of roundtables to look back at previous seasons of the show. Here is our discussion for season four, involving myself, Sean M, George N and popcultureguy.
Season 1 Roundtable | Season 2 Roundtable | Season 3 Roundtable
Overall thoughts on the season?
Bradley: This is my second favourite season of the show. While the first three seasons are great, this season changed things up. A new CTU, a lot of new characters, a new Jack (for about 40 minutes but still). The use of only one main villain worked well. it was intense - the story was fantastic and really kept me intrigued.
Sean: I enjoyed season 4 but felt that it was too over the top. You had a train bombing, kidnapping of the Secretary of Defense, 100 nuclear reactors melting down, an EMP going off, Air Force One being shot down, the nuclear football being stolen, and a lot more.George: I enjoyed this season very much. How could anyone not like this show? This season had everything from major plot twists to great character development. One thing that stands out from the previous three seasons is that season four has one major villain as opposed to three or more. Not my favorite of the first four seasons, but I still really enjoyed Season Four.
popcultureguy: Season 4 was actually my first full season of “24.” I had read about the show, but this was my starting point and I got hooked right away by the ticking clock storytelling, the constant twists and turns, and the great modern hero that is Jack Bauer. And because it was my first season, story elements that were expected clichés in later years (character deaths, frustrating superiors, moles with CTU, etc.) were fresh and surprising.
Favourite episode of the season? Why?
Bradley: My favourite is episode 13, when Jack and Paul have to take cover at the sporting goods store. I found that to be a very intense episode that also helped to highlight how Michelle and Tony were clearly letting their past get in the way of doing their job.
Sean: The episode where Jack goes on a one man rescue operation to save Heller and Audrey. The action was great, it was cool to see Jack and Heller providing cover fire for each other, and I especially loved when all the marines came in to save the day.George: My favorite episode has to be the finale. The buildup was fantastic and having just one main enemy made it all the more intriguing. I was on the edge of my seat. Plus, I thought Jack walking off into the sunset was really cool.
popcultureguy: “Day 4: 1:00 a.m. – 2:00 a.m.,” hands down. Probably better known as the episode where Chloe goes on a field mission and kicks some ass with an assault rifle. She’s a fan favorite for a reason and this is the one that sealed the deal for me.
What did you think of Jack’s relationship with Audrey? Was it time for him to move on from Teri?
Bradley: I liked that Jack was trying to move on from Teri, but I don’t think Audrey was portrayed in the best way. She was still technically married yet was with Jack for a year, and I wasn’t particularly fond of the way that worked.
Sean: I was fine with Jack moving on from Teri, but I didn’t like how Audrey immediately became a “damsel in distress” type character for Jack to rescue. George: I definitely thought it was time for Jack to move on from Teri, but I didn’t care too much for Audrey. I didn’t really care for her scenes at first.
popcultureguy: Like I said, this was my first season of “24” so I didn’t really have any investment as a viewer in Jack’s
relationship with Teri or whether it was appropriate for him to be moving on. I liked Jack and Audrey well enough. Audrey became a more dynamic character the following year, but their romance added some interesting dramatic stakes (particularly when Audrey’s ex Paul got mixed up in the terrorist investigation).
Thoughts on the villains?
Bradley: I really liked Marwan. Like Saunders in the previous season, he had planned everything carefully and, unlike Saunders, didn’t have an exploitable weakness. However, I feel the Araz family really stood out. Seeing the comparison between Dina and Navi over Behrooz was fantastic, and seeing how the family as a whole had been living under the radar to plan for the day, all the while making a life for themselves, was equally fantastic.
Sean: The Araz family were my favorites. There’s something really creepy about the friendly family next door being terrorists. Marwan was a great villain too, but I feel that he overstayed his welcome a bit - the constant escapes started to become tiresome.
George: Habib Marwan was a perfect villain and the writers did a great job having him be the main antagonist throughout when the audience had been used to three or more villains in previous seasons. Mandy was also a fun villain to watch. I enjoyed all her scenes and looked forward to them.popcultureguy: Arnold Vosloo was effective as main antagonist Habib Marwan, but overall, it was two more minor villains who I remember most. Shohreh Aghdashloo’s Dina Araz was a fascinating anti-heroine, a woman steadfastly committed to her cause, but who would ultimately sacrifice her beliefs (and her life) for her son. And in the final stretch, Mia Kirshner’s delightfully off-kilter assassin Mandy really upped the stakes with her antics, particularly for President Palmer and Tony/Michelle.
How shocking was it when Jack faked his death?
Bradley: It was quite shocking. I was, for a second, worried that he had actually died. It was a massive twist, and it worked fantastically well.
Sean: I truly thought Jack Bauer was dead for a moment. The scene afterwards with Jack saying his goodbyes to all his friends (and Palmer) and walking off into the sunrise felt like the perfect way to end the series.George: I thought it was appropriate given the circumstances. It gave the writers so many different avenues to go down for the following season. It was done well and unexpected which ‘24’ is known for doing. If it wasn’t shocking and unexpected they wouldn’t do it.
popcultureguy: I don’t know if shocking is the right word because, obviously, there’s no “24” without Kiefer Sutherland and Jack Bauer. But I did think it was a solid way to wrap up the season. And I thought it opened the door for a wide variety of dramatic options going into the next year.
Thanks to all for participating, and thanks to you for reading. We'll be back in a couple of days with season five's roundtable, but for now please leave a comment with your thoughts, and follow us on Twitter at the handles below.
@Bradley_STV | @geonak19 | @24spoilers | @popcultureguy
