24 Tonight

I like 24. There. I've said it. I spent years avoiding it, enduring the gaping-mouth stares of friends and family saying, "You don't watch 24? You would love it!" So, last January - March, my hubby and I watched Season 1...and 2....and 3....and 4.....and 5...and 6. At some point during nearly every episode, my adrenaline kicks in and I sit and just shake. No, I'm not cold, thank you. No, I'm not sick. I'm watching 24. This is how I watch it. Teeth chattering, and body quivering.

As an aside, a year or two ago, we had a night where the teens in our youth group were assigned to find certain parents in the mall. I had gotten a new cap and hoody, knowing my daughter wouldn't look for me like that. I don't even wear my hair up much, let alone in a ball cap...ANYWAY. I was having so much fun. My secret agent-FBI moves gave a new meaning to "stealth". I've gotta tell you, though, my adrenaline was pumping. Every time I ducked behind a display or slid into a store to get out of sight, my heart pumped and my breathing all but stopped. I decided then and there, life as a real secret agent isn't for me. This is all the excitement this ol' girl can handle. So, you see how it is when I watch 24. My excitement level has exceeded anything I hear on Adventures in Odyssey, so my adrenaline goes into overdrive.

Some seasons I like better than others. I wasn't crazy about the first season, and I didn't like the one where he was addicted to heroine fighting the Mexican drug lords. I still watched it, glued to every scene, but it wasn't as enjoyable as other seasons.

Now, this year, I'm liking. I think Jon Voight makes a great bad guy. I'm suspecting who the other bad guys are. You know, the surprises. My issue with this season is, how stupid do the writers think folks are? If they are going to take the time to write complex, plot twisting stories, at least let's try to make it a little believable! There have been too many times when I want to say, "Hello? Use the cell phone?" or "Yes, while Jack stood in front of you, he was really rigging the a/v feed to loop so you couldn't see what he was doing and you would think he was really still standing right in front of you. Larry Moss, you are a MORON!" Unfortunately, although I tell myself it's all scripted and not real, I fear there is a bit too much "reality" in this drama. The writing works well, in part, because although it is a work of fiction, we see alarming similarities to our own bureaucrats. It draws us in, as we root for the good guys to win, again and again. It gives us hope that maybe in real life, they will.