Late to the Party: 24 Series 1-4

I was never that interested in 24. When I eventually saw the first series, I was mystified: why were so many viewers so impressed? In fact, I declared that I would turn it off if Kim was kidnapped again after the 13th hour. Then she was. I admit, I did not turn it off...but nevertheless, I was quite annoyed.

However, deciding that the series was crap was really liberating. I went into series 2 with no expectations, and quite enjoyed it for the nonsense that it is. I had been told by many that they stopped watching after series 3 because the series became silly. Became silly? Perhaps the hype and the political climate blinded viewers to the fact that Jack is like some kind of rabid MacGyver.

By series 4, the writers' efforts to pad the story out reach epic proportions. For example, put yourself in this situation: you need to hinder an incognito terrorist for ten minutes at a gas station so a satellite tracker can be set up. I would puncture one of his tyres: the gas station is too public for him to kill anyone and steal their car - the terrorist could easily change the tyre and maintain his cover. Doing so would take around ten minutes. Job done. Instead, Jack dons a balaclava and holds the entire gas station at gun point. Subtle. Still, the writers milked that situation for nearly an entire episode.

I look forward to the ridiculousness of series 8.

Two asides.

• The 24 drinking game: every time Jack shouts 'get down' or 'now', take a shot. Every time a female character makes a decision that one of the male leads knows to be "the wrong call", take a shot. Every time CTU is "compromised" by a mole, take a shot. [warning: following any one of these criteria could result in hospitalisation]  
• The first three series begin with the statement that 'Events happen in real time'. As it transpires, there is a fine line between stating the obvious and making profound philosophical assertions.