24: Season 5

While Season 2 is still the best season of 24 for me, Season 5 is very close 2nd. I can see why this season is so beloved by fans of the show and consider it the best. I still think Season 2 is slightly better but this 5th Season surprised me in a lot of ways. It carries over certain things from the previous season and handles of a lot of different threats that pushes Jack Bauer to the limit. And it ends on a very satisfying conclusion I didn't expect to happen.

I initially learned about "24" from watching it on the Fox channel during Sunday nights. Having only read a variety of Jack Bauer quotes and hearing much mythology related to the series, I was eager to give it a chance. Of what I saw, it pleased me greatly, but I was still only receiving an unconnected series of episodes relating to Jack Bauer and CTU (his agency).A few months later, I decided that I wanted to watch a whole season at a steady pace to get a true feel for the series. I came onto Amazon and browsed Season 5's page, as I was recommended it by many fans. Seeing it for $20, I made the purchase and eagerly awaited it's arrival in the mail.---Now finished watching Season 5, I can say with certainty that this is one of the finer shows on television and among the few i'd recommend collecting on DVD.In this season, we're presented with a masterful blend of action, conspiracy, drama, and espionage that doesn't let up until the end. It's amazing experience to compare the progression of events all the way from the first hour to the final hour.The character of Jack Bauer is given an incredible amount of detail here by scenes that illustrate to us his two sides: his professional side and emotional side. The former shows us his unwavering dedication to the United States and why he does what he does, the latter shows us that he is indeed like everyone else with his friendships and romantic relationship. When the two clash, it truly becomes relevant to the story as a whole and the growth of Jack.On the villainous side, there are two masterful performances here by actors Peter Weller and Julian Sands. Weller's "Christopher Henderson" is a man motivated by duty of his country like Jack, but in a fashion that is in all other ways antithetical to the protagonist of the story. Needless to say, they clash with explosive results. Sand's "Vladimir Bierko" maintains a chilling silence about him and manages to instill fear in the viewer without becoming an over-the-top comic book villain.The organization of CTU is given the full treatment as well - we see politics, power plays and personal relationships that formed and will form the way Jack interacts with them in Season 6.Also, I can now vouch for why this season is best for beginners: while it is five years in, not many of the previous plots and subplots have an overbearing presence on the show which necessitates being knowledgeable of past events. In short, it's an excellent way to get into the series, as well as way to spend the evening around the TV to the uninitiated alike.Finally, while there has been some dissent on the new slimmed down packaging for the DVDs, I must say that they are made well enough and damaging them shouldn't be an issue unless you place heavy objects on the empty box.

It's hard to fathom that Vice President Logan at first barely had a spine to be the leader of the country when he had to be sworn in as President after President John Keeler was unable to continue his role of serving the country after Air Force One was shot down by a domestic terrorist. It was actually extremely funny that President Logan looked as if he had his head cut off from the rest of his body after he was sworn into office from Season 4. He clearly wasn't ready to run the country as President of the United States. He looked like a glorified middle manager. It was refreshing seeing President David Palmer come in as an advisor. He showed the dynamic leadership we expected a president should represent. It's amazing that as an actor, I sure wish we had a President in the same manner in which Dennis Haysbert portrayed. John Keeler represented a fairly decent president from Season (Day) 4 although it was very brief.And then from all the conspiracy and assassinations that had occurred that had victimized President David Palmer, Tony Almeida, Michelle Dessler and almost Chloe O'Brien, it was almost hard to image that President Charles Logan was behind it all. He looked spineless and appeared to be a weak leader from Season 4. And then was this power mad egotistical evil man that almost pulled it off while watching all of Season 5.To a degree, I have a love/hate relationship with Jack Bauer. Yes, he stops at nothing to save the day and is indeed a patriot. The bad thing about him is that too many people directly and indirectly die because of him. I like the fact that despite being an extremely elite federal agent and former Army Delta Force Operator, he is an extremely emotional and conflicting guy deep down inside. He misses his wife and daughter dearly and despite loving what he does as a field agent because it keeps him busy. Deep down Jack Bauer is very miserable inside. It was nice seeing Jack Bauer step down from being a field agent and working for James Heller (Secretary of Defense).I only watched bits and pieces of 24 while it was on television. I enjoy this series very much and look forward to binge watching Season 6.