24: Season 5
The show that has consistently been the best on television has their Day 5 here, and while not reaching the highs (or the lows) of the series in its past, should always be remembered as the one that captured the Emmy for Best Drama and got Kiefer his win for Best Actor. Itâs clear to see why Sutherland deserved it: Few actors have ever given everything theyâve got towards one role as he does for Jack Bauer, one of the most intense badasses in the history of pop culture. As for the others, Kim Raver continues to fill the slot of Love Interest for Jack, even if she isnât exactly the most likable character; Mary Lynn Rajskub goes on giving us reasons to really like the socially awkward Chloe (her bit with the tasering of a potential bar pickup is probably the highlight); Carlos Bernardâs Tony Almeida is used sparingly, though his âendâ seemed rather rushed; James Morrison really grows into making Bill Buchanan one of the coolest cats on the series, with his no-nonsense approach while still trusting Jack to do the right thing; Roger Crossâ Curtis Manning continues to give solid backup, and shows balls of steel when he manually carries an armed nerve gas canister out of a hospital; Louis Lombardi succeeds in making his Edgar a lovable slob, with his demise being an emotional high point; and then thereâs Gregory Itzin and Jean Smart as the President and the First Lady: Charles Logan is a fascinating, complex role, if not having quite the swagger of David Palmer, he still evokes empathy from the viewer even at his lowest point, while Martha Logan, beautiful yet unstable, wrestles with her conscience as she realizes the long-term effects of her husbandâs actions. The guest star roster is probably the best itâs ever been here, especially with multiple âBigBadsâ as played by Forever Knightâs Geraint Wyn Davies, Julian Sands, and Peter Weller (as Jackâs old mentor), plus Jude Ciccolellaâs Mike Novic continues to impress in his chief advisor role, and itâs nice to see Glenn Morshowerâs Aaron Pierce and DB Woodsideâs Wayne Palmer get caught up in the action and kicking ass this time. Cuthbert comes back for an abbreviated appearance as Kim, and while some may find her bitchy, I found her position understandable, and Devane still kicks ass as the Secretary Of Defense, plus itâs nice to see Ray Wise and C. Thomas Howell get some work as the Vice President and Kimâs boyfriend. Best of all, we get Sean Astin (looking like a lovable stuffed cod) as a suit from Division who takes over CTU, cracks under the pressure, but then gets to go out like the man in the best tradition of George Mason and Ryan Chappelle. However, the story here is not as watertight as one would hope (the German agent, how David Palmer found out the intel that he did), and worse of all some unanswered questions (Exactly WHO were the men in the office that seemed to be telling Logan what to do during the final hours??), and the âHomeland Security Takeoverâ subplot seems to be just an excuse to have some more inter-office politics (never the showâs strong suit), however ya gotta love Jack storming the Presidential retreat to beat a confession out of the corrupt Chief Of Staff (in front of the President no less!) as well as his cold-blooded execution of certain bad guys when theyâve outlived their usefulness. In the end, while not having the ultra-dark nature of Season 3 nor the fast-paced consistency of Season 4, an extremely solid entry in the mythos of perhaps the greatest show everâŚ
8/10