24... You Complete Me.

I have loved 24 since the first time I laid eyes on it. And that's been a while. [Anyone else remember when Jack had super-blond hair, preppy clothes and a wife?] 24 was like nothing I'd ever seen. From it's golden countdown clock to it's multiple camera "boxes" showing three different things happening at the same moment, I couldn't get enough.

24 spares no expense when it comes to it's action. From helicopters to car chases to explosions, I'm never disappointed by bad special effects or unreal action. And the storylines! Ever year has conspiracies and betrayals and the who's-really-behind-this questions... the villains are always perfectly-cast, and there are always characters you can't quite figure out. Not to mention that 24 presented America with it's real first black president! Sorry, Barack. I'm all about President Palmer. He was the man. To this day, I can't see an Allstate Insurance commercial or an episode of The Unit without thinking back to the days of President Palmer.

I SO APPRECIATE the fact that once 24 starts a new season, there are NO RE-RUNS! The show runs every single Tuesday, every week, from start to finish. No reruns. No breaks.

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I've always been impressed at the way the show is in real-time. I remember wondering how anyone could take one day and break it down into real hours and have it not be... Boring. I wonder no more.

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There are characters on 24 that I just adore. Of course, you can't say enough about Jack, the reluctant hero. Constantly put in desperate situations in which he has open a can in order to save the country. Or the president. Or African children soldiers. He always does his duty. I'll leave it at that.

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And what about Chloe O'brian? Rememeber when she was a tech-savvy geek with an oops-I-probably-shouldn't-have-said-that sarcasm?

Well, Chloe's out of the purple-flower cardigan! She's evolved into an uber-smart agent who is ever-loyal to Jack- though she's still got the sharp tongue. And the eye-rolling. And better hair.
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Oh, Tony. Tony Almeida has been around forever. A CTU agent and Jack's frenemy, Tony rocked. But he also died. No worries... this year he's be back. And he's... Bad?! I almost didn't recognize him with his Ricky Martin-esque facial hair and pose:

But I do love me some Tony, and I'm excited to see if he's really bad, or if there's more to that story...

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I suppose I should bring this Ode to a close, as you're probably becoming awkwardly embarrassed at my adoration for this... TV show.

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Let me just say that it was a long and boring spring without 24 this past year. The 24 movie last night was like a conjugal visit, reminding me how much I've missed my 24. In January, 24 finally gets released from writer's-strike prison and our love affair shall begin again.