24 Becomes Farce And Risks Jumping The Shark

"Pray with me, Mike," says the President to his closest advisor in tonight's episode. This imitates an infamous episode in Richard Nixon's career when he supposedly asked Henry Kissinger to do the same. The moment in 24 felt wrong. Very wrong. Laughably wrong, even.

This entire season has teetered on the verge of the ridiculous. We've seen the President who just signed an anti-terrorism treaty agree to allowing two attacks by terrorists on the Los Angeles area. Both within one morning. The character of the President is a weak-willed man but his actions strain all credibility.

24 has always made it a point to portray Americans at the highest levels of government, business, and the military as conspiring with terrorists to carry out attacks against the United States. This year the writers have gone all the way and made the President a co-conspirator. Unwilling and coerced but a co-conspirator nonetheless.

The show has always required some suspension of disbelief but the events this season are pushing the limits. Even the show's trademark cliffhanger episode endings are starting to wear thin. It's beginning to remind a bit too much of an old-time Saturday serial ala The Purple Monster Strikes or Flash Gordon.

It's nice to see Buckaroo Banzai (Peter Weller) acting again, however.

-tdr

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