I'm so tempted to click on the link to see what the Fury has to say but I'm adamant about staying spoiler-free for this season of 24. I've even gone to the length of deleting the bookmarks of two of my favourite 24 websites to make certain that I don't stumble onto anything important.

Thankfully Sky One will be showing episodes within the same week as Fox, as of next week anyway, so that will make spoiler avoidance all that much easier, he says with fingers crossed.

I have to add, having now seen the first four episodes of season six, this is shaping up to be the best season yet. I've been on the edge of my seat for the entire four hours. Brilliant stuff.

D-Monik | February 04, 01:56 CET

I'm kind of disappointed in 24 this season. It seems a little tired, as series go. Maybe I'm just tired as a viewer. Either way, I feel like I've seen these scenes before. I'll keep watching as it's early in the season, but I miss David Fury's writing on LOST and (of course) Buffy and Angel.

orphea | February 04, 04:01 CET

Also avoiding spoilers, so not reading the link...

Also not wowed by this season so far, although I'm a huge fan of the show. It hasn't gripped me like last season did (brilliant), but I'll be watching all the way, so here's hoping there's some real good stuff coming.

jam2 | February 04, 12:08 CET

I'm surprised that neither of you have been impressed with the season so far. For me it has got off to it's strongest start since possibly season one. Having the terrorist attacks in progress as the show begins, rather than building up to them, gave me a real sense of being dropped into the story at full force.

I wonder, and this is pure speculation on my part, whether it's Jack's state of mind that is causing you to not enjoy the show so much. I'll admit that seeing him second guessing himself and doubting his actions is a jolt. We are so used to having Jack take charge that it seems strange to not have the leading man actually wanting to lead. For me, seeing Jack learning to cope with being back in the world and being back in the line of fire immediately after months of constant torture has been fascinating but I could certainly see how it could change the show a little too much for some fans.

I don't know. Just a theory. :)

D-Monik | February 04, 16:11 CET

Roxtar, I loved the 4 hour season opener for just the reasons you describe -- Jack's mental state and his doubts, opening with a big bang, etc. It's actually the episodes that have followed that leave me underwhelmed. I think the side stories (White House drama, President's sister has a cause, etc) just feel too familiar. By now that part of the show's structure seems threadbare. I understand, it's hard to fill up an hour with non-stop action, but the side stories don't seem relevant or believeable given the high-stakes nature of what's going on. I won't say more in case peeps here haven't seen the episodes yet.

orphea | February 04, 23:24 CET

I have to admit that the two side stories you mention are probably the weakest points of the season for me as well, especially the Sandra Palmer one. I really feel for Wayne. Having to lead your country against a massive terrorist attack is hard enough without your sister deciding that today is the day that she gets on her soapbox, just in time to make your life that little bit harder.

Mind you, last season it was the Martha Logan storyline that bugged me initially and that turned into a very interesting part of the story so hopefully this will be a similar outcome.

D-Monik | February 04, 23:40 CET

The Brother/Sister side story seems really similar to last season with Rudy and his drug addict sister. He had to deal with the crisis at CTU, but also his sister and her boyfriend. Hopefully Wayne won't have to face a similar fate to Rudy.

theyarescientists | February 04, 23:46 CET

Er, by "Rudy" do you mean Sean Astin's Season 5 character, Lynn McGill ? Ohhh, I remember now, Astin did a film about a football player called Rudy, that's right. Never seen it. More familiar with him through his role as Mr. Smith on the short-lived J. Michael Straczynski (of Babylon 5) sci-fi/drama Jeremiah, as well as Sam in Lord of the Rings and last season's 24 of course.

The Sandra Palmer storyline is lame, but otherwise the White House drama is fine and the rest of the show is brilliant this year.

I'll admit to feeling a little worn out over this series during the first two or three episodes, though I liked that the writers had the balls to start the country out in a state of chaos right from the get-go...there is absolutely no coming back from this and pretending in any subsequent season that the United States in the 24-'verse functions similarly to the real-world States. Too much has happened that Jack and CTU haven't thwarted. I'm surprised the citizens of 24 weren't living in a police state after the events of Season 4!

Oh and by the end of episode 4, I was as "back" on this show as Jack was, determined to see Season 6 through fully (was almost tempted to give it up and go back to DVD-only viewing. Hadn't been caught up since the last several eps of Season 2, that's the only other time I've watched the series "live").

I think the guy with glasses (Graem Bauer), who was part of the group pulling Logan's strings in Season 5, turning out to be Jack's brother has a lot of potential. However, I wasn't surprised to see Fury admit that it was a late development, not planned since his first appearance. I appreciated some of the in-show explanations as to where these characters have shown up (or not) in Jack's life in recent years--his brother hasn't seen him since Teri's funeral, Jack and his father estranged for 9 years for a reason yet to be disclosed.

Exactly how many years have passed since Season 1, anyway? With all of the seasons having anywhere from a year to three years leaps in between them, by now the series is far beyond the year 2007. Which is appropriate to me since, as with the 24 creators' previous spy drama/terrorist series (La Femme Nikita), I've always felt that 24 is a bit sci-fi, at least from a tech standpoint and of course the near-apocalyptic happenings that aren't mirrored in real life.

Anyway, I just finished Season 5 on DVD last week (incredible. Traumatic though. I hated at least a couple of the kill-offs. Some felt more driven by shock-value and ratings than necessary to the story or to Jack's character development/degradement) and caught up on Season 6 this past weekend, so to say I'm going through withdrawls with only 1 episode a week is an understatement.

The show feels like it should be ending this year, though. I felt that way a little bit at the end of Season 4 as well, what with Tony and Michelle deciding to leave CTU and finally go live happily ever after (y'know, like how at least one couple we give a shit about in this series needs to go on and do eventually), and Jack disappearing, which in theory is really the only way he can ever be safe from the many people with grudges against him and go on to have something resembling a normal life. Jack is tired, his two years in China wore him down good (anyone else catch the "Season 6 prequel" on the Season 5 DVDs that features something pretty awful that happens to Jack seven months into his imprisonment? Not necessary to understanding what's going on now in Season 6, but a nice touch all the same). I don't think saving the day one last time will re-energize him enough and re-confirm his beliefs in what he's doing so much that he'll be all gung-ho about staying on with the agency.

Kris | February 05, 21:58 CET

Some lovely posts about 24 and quite insightful (I haven't watched the show since season 1) but did anyone read the interview?

Simon | February 05, 22:01 CET

I still haven't risked the interview, Simon. Can anyone who has read it tell me if there are spoilers for beyond episode six? If not then I can give it a look now that I'm all caught up (until tonight on Fox anyway).

Kris, Kiefer has actually signed on for a seventh and eighth season already so I'd have to assume that it will be going on for at least one further year after this one, if not two. I guess ratings will determine the exact season count, same as any other Fox show. It's not as if they have ever let quality or the storyline determine how long a show goes on before, with Firefly and the X-Files being great examples of both ends of the scale. ;)

D-Monik | February 05, 22:16 CET

I've read the article, and it doesn't have any spoilers past any of the aired episodes. There's a mention of a big-name guest star who'd been cast, but who is no longer appearing on the show.

k8cre8 | February 05, 23:18 CET

I read the interview, and the only spoilers I noticed were a sort of vague reference to the direction they may take with Bauer and his family. If I missed other spoilers it's because I'm a few episodes behind and don't know what all has aired yet.

I don't really care about 24 spoilers as I'm always a year behind everyone else and I can never avoid info about the show because it's so high profile. I'm also more casual about watching it than other shows.

electricspacegirl | February 05, 23:23 CET

Thanks to you both. I can give it a look now. :)

I think I'm being especially spoiler-phobic with 24 and Lost this year simply because for the first time in either show's history we UK fans actually have the chance to see the episodes of both series on television within the same week as they air Stateside. Before now we were always weeks, if not months (I'm looking at you, E4), behind making avoiding spoilers practically impossible.

I'm really enjoying the not knowing every detail of what I'm about to watch.

D-Monik | February 06, 00:07 CET