24: Looking Back on Season 6

Thursday, 31 May 2007

By John Keegan    Visit Critical Myth for an archive of John's TV Review archives, with more than 1100 entries.   Coming into the sixth season, “24” was riding high. Despite criticism by long-term fans, the fifth season saw widespread critical acclaim and Emmy success. The expectation was that the sixth season would build on that success and use the goodwill as an excuse to explore aspects of the “24” universe, politically and socially, that would otherwise be left alone. My expectations were more moderate. Ever since the third season, I had been concerned with a growing trend in the storytelling. The history is already well-known. In the third season, the producers and writers had conceived of an unusual story involving Mexican drug cartels and biological warfare. Right from the beginning, the critical and fan backlash was harsh, and the producers scrambled to change things to adjust, changing plans on the fly until the final third of the season hit on a formula that worked. The Critical Myth average for the third season was 7.4, or somewhat above average. In every subsequent season, the producers have thus assumed that this kind of frenetic, seat-of-your-pants writing style was the right way to run the series. It didn’t matter that the first and second seasons were largely considered flawed because of late-season improvisation; it was the method that had saved the third season and was therefore preferable. The seasonal formula was established: the first four episodes would be mapped out, introducing several plot and character threads, and the rest of the season would be improvised, allowing maximum flexibility. The fourth season was the first to adopt this format, and the first to demonstrate the formula’s shortcomings. While the beginning of the season was complex, delving into philosophical aspects of counter-terrorism, the season slipped quickly as the writers quickly fell behind and scrambled to complete scripts. The Critical Myth average rating for the fourth season was an average 6.9. The fifth season, despite rampant critical acclaim, fell into the same traps. In particular, the popular President Logan went from a complex character to a two-dimensional villain when the writers ran out of ideas. More than that, the fifth season was full of shock-value character deaths right from the beginning, with the illogical and unnecessary exits of Edgar and Tony topping the list. The Critical Myth average raring for the fifth season was also dead average at 7.0. So coming into the sixth season, the challenge was clear, even if the likelihood of repair was minimal. The writers would have to set things up well and then have a clear battle plan to overcome the predictability of shock and awe. This would be best accomplished through introduction of depth to the storytelling, either through exploration of Jack’s psychology or “big picture” social issues. The sixth season started off well with a four-episode premiere that introduced all of the right elements. The main plot was a highly-charged series of terrorist attacks, the culmination of weeks of planning, and the country had fallen into a siege mentality, leading to a serious debate between national security and civil liberty. Meanwhile, Jack Bauer had returned from Chinese imprisonment under unusual circumstances, his confidence shaken to the core, partnered with a former terrorist leader named Assad. The challenge, it seemed, would be to stop the terrorists without giving in to darker impulses and fear, while Jack found a path back to himself. It took very little time for those concepts to fall by the wayside, as the “24” writing method dropped all the subtlety and intrigue in favor of an ill-conceived soap opera involving the Bauer family. Initially it seemed that the writers would use the Bauer family travails as a lead into a more complex explanation for the past several years worth of plot twists. Those hopes were quickly dashed, placing all the burden of the season’s success on a handful of plot threads. The main terrorism plot, perhaps due to vocal protest by anti-defamation organizations, fizzled to something of an afterthought for much of the season. The White House intrigue that began as a charged debate mirroring real world concerns fell apart when the writers had no clue were to go with it. CTU, already reeling from several seasons of idiotic relationship-driven plot elements, lost enormous ground with a cast of unmemorable characters and a watered-down Chloe, played more as a semi-hot tech girl than the feisty spitfire of previous years. For all those faults, however, the most egregious error was the wasted opportunity to delve into Jack’s psychology. As ill-advised as the Bauer dynasty plot might have been, it added a slew of potential to Jack’s restoration arc. Unfortunately, very little of that potential ever found expression, and Jack’s journey was sporadically explored. In fact, for much of the season, Jack was out of the picture, effectively taking the marquee name off the board for weeks at a time. The result was a Critical Myth average rating of 6.7, the lowest rating for the series to date (and the lowest average rating for a returning series for the 2006-2007 season). In retrospect, this season is very similar to the third season, with one key exception: the writers never found that late-season hook to salvage the story. Instead, the season ended with several plot threads unresolved and the series at a crossroads. The producers have admitted, however grudgingly, that things need to change for the series to find its legs again. How much of the critical and fan derision will stick, however, is anyone’s guess. Looking back over the course of the season, an interesting structure emerges, one that might bode well for fans, provided the writers can turn things around for the final stretch. The first three seasons were all about Jack and his immediate family and friends: the Bauers and Palmers, struggling side by side. Jack was a vital part of CTU and David Palmer was president. The third season, for better or worse, saw the end of Jack’s tenure in the leadership of CTU and the first Palmer presidency. At the same time, Jack’s relationship with his daughter Kim came to something of a conclusion. The first three seasons can be seen as the introductory trilogy to the “24” saga. The fourth season saw the introduction of Audrey Raines and the beginning of Jack’s attempt at a new life outside of CTU. Despite several plotting flaws, the sixth season finale ended on a powerful emotional note, very similar to the end of the third season, where Jack had to say goodbye to Audrey. Jack had to sacrifice himself symbolically and literally during this time, with his psychological core shattered and his personal life in ruins. Jack is left at a crossroads, in search of purpose and meaning in his life. In parallel, the stability of the Palmer presidency was shattered as a result of the Logan administration and the machinations of Philip Bauer. Together, in some fashion, they threw the presidency into turmoil and left the nation at a major crossroads. CTU, without Jack at the helm, slowly but surely fell apart through attrition, wiping out nearly every ally Jack had found over the years. So just as the first three seasons (“The CTU/Kim Years”) as an introductory trilogy, the next three seasons (“The Freelance/Audrey Years”) could be considered the complication trilogy. In a classic three-act hero’s journey, this makes perfect sense. The first act would have the hero struggling yet still largely triumphant, setting the seeds for the events that would bring him down, as seen in the second act. The end of the second act is usually the hero in his darkest hour. The third act is typically when the hero is restored. “24” has been renewed for at least two seasons, at which point the series would likely end with a major motion picture. That time span seems realistic for closing out the third act of the series. While it’s unlikely that Jack will ever find the happiness and stability of his life before “24” began, it’s quite possible that the producers’ realization that things must change will lead to a restoration for the series as a whole.

 

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