24 Rewatch: Day 1, Episode 1 (12:00am - 1:00am)
12:00am to 1am
Original Air Date: November 6th, 2001
Before I dig into 12:00am, it needs to be noted when this episode aired. While filmed in the months prior to September 11th, 24’s pilot episode didn’t air until November 6th, 2001. The show unintentionally played on the nation’s newest, biggest fear, domestic terrorism. I didn’t watch the pilot live, so I can’t say how it affected me, but I can’t help but think that Mandi’s blowing up of the plane probably would have startled me a little bit, despite its utter ridiculousness. But it was that initial controversy that fueled 24 to be a hit right out of the gate, and despite the critical fervor surrounding the show and its ground breaking qualities, one has to wonder if 24 would have been so successful had it not tapped into the nation’s consciousness?
It’s ironic, because this first episode feels like the most conventional the show has ever done. The first time we see Jack Bauer, he’s domestic Bauer, playing Chess with his ‘angelic’ daughter Kim. We don’t know that he will eventually become the all mighty BauerGod, but rather see him as a mere mortal, a man who after a period of separation from his family, is trying to get his life back on track. We immediately have empathy, and how can we not? He’s human, and no matter how ridiculous his actions get in later years, Bauer was meant to be the average guy’s superhero, and that comes across perfectly in this first episode.
Once Jack enters CTU and begins to deal with the threat on Dennis Haysbert’s President Palmer, we get a taste of the character we’ll become so familiar with. He’s a natural leader, and appears to be damn good at his job. His people seem to trust and like him, with the exception of Tony Almeida!, whose dislike for Bauer is revealed to be because Bauer stole Nina Meyers from Tony. Nothing like a woman to keep two potential soul mates apart. The tension between Nina and Jack is evident from their first scene together, and it doesn’t take long for the viewer to connect the dots between Jack leaving his family and his affair with Nina. But that doesn’t matter, because in CTU, Nina is Jack’s biggest ally, the one person he appears to trust implicitly.
He’s also at his breaking point. The Jack Bauer prior to the show towed the company line, he sold out two agents, he regrets it, and he’s done compromising for the government. He takes on his superior, George, and in a classic BauerGod moment, tranqs him, blackmails him and forces him to tell him the source of some government intel. It’s our first taste of the Jack Bauer we’ll know and love, the one who will do anything to get the truth, no matter who he’s trying to get it from.
By the time Mandi blows up the airplane, we’re invested in Jack saving the day, we want him to win, and even though we knew very little about President Palmer, we don’t want him die. I mean come on, any Presidential nominee who has time to rub his wife’s feet cant be all bad, can they?
And unfortunately for the show, familial spats just can’t compete with that. Leslie Hope’s Teri Bauer ends off feeling like a disposable character, and then there’s Kim, played to bitchy perfection by Elisha Cuthbert. I could put up with her petulant spoiled brat act until she proclaimed to the obviously dangerous guy that her dad was dead. I just, there’s no excuse for that, no matter how much you resent your parent. And that moment right there pretty much ruined Kim Bauer for me. I never really cared about her fate whenever she decided to get herself in stupid situations, and honestly folks, I’m saying this to get it out of the way, I wanted the mountain lion to win.
The pilot ends on a cliffhanger, not only is there a threat against President Palmer, but the terrorists have now attacked. The consequences are real, and we want Bauer to win.
Discussion Questions:
• Do you think 24’s structure is innovative and groundbreaking?
• Would 24 have been such a big hit without the emotions surrounding 9/11?
• Initial thoughts on Kim Bauer, did everyone else hate her immediately too?
• Without spoiling who the mole ended up being, did everyone else think it
was obvious from the first episode?
• 24 without Chloe O’Brian, how much does that suck?
Guys, feel free to pose your own questions, as I’ll add them to the post if
you do.
So that’s it, my first 24 Rewatch. There’s no screencaps today because my Macbook drive has decided to die, so screencaps will go up on Thursday with episode two. I hope you guys liked it, and if you have any suggestions, just add them to the comments.
As for episode 2, here are your links:
Amazon
iTunes
Sidereel (free)
See you guys on Thursday.
Tags: 24, Day 1, Elisha Cuthbert, FOX, Jack Bauer, Kim Bauer, Nina Meyers, President Palmer, RewatchRelated Stories
POSTED IN: 24 Characters, Carlos Bernard, Chloe O'Brian, Elisha Cuthbert, Jack Bauer, Kiefer Sutherland, Kim Bauer, Rewatching 24, Season 1, The 24 Cast, Tony Ameida
2 opinions for 24 Rewatch: Day 1, Episode 1 (12:00am - 1:00am)
I Heart Jack Bauer
Feb 25, 2008 at 12:57 pm
I have to say that it’s been a really long time since I’ve seen this episode and I admire your commitment to be able to go back and live it all over again.
On the structure question… At the time that this season aired, the real-time, ticking clock format was something that I had never seen before and I have yet to see anything that rivals it since. So, was this show groundbreaking? In the sense that it was unique, absolutely. Did it lead way for other shows? Not so much. But honestly, I wouldn’t be able to respect a show that copped the style of 24.
On the mole question… I didn’t see it coming until probably half way through the season. That’s because I wasn’t expecting that there was going to be a mole. I started watching this show taking everything at face value. After season one however, I realized that anything goes and started to deduce the twists and turns. Sometimes I’d catch it, sometimes they’d throw a complete curve ball. That’s what I love about this show. The ability to mind-fuck.
On the Chloe O’Brian question… Chloe’s character is amazing. Season one wasn’t ready for Chloe yet though. I really feel that the show needed to come into it’s own before it could handle the sheer awesomeness of a character such as Chloe.
I look forward to reading episode 2!
*hangs up phone without saying goodbye*
James
Feb 26, 2008 at 8:37 am
To be quite honest, I don’t think the first episode of Season 1 was that enthralling. When I first saw it, I didn’t expect Jack Bauer to be playing chess and discussing with Teri about how they trusted her to have her own e-mail account. It felt personal but in hindsight, all it really did was just provide character background for the remainder of the day. Later seasons skip this entirely which can be a good or bad thing.
I do think 24’s structure is very innovative but also think it can be very limiting. In some seasons, terrorist threats seemed to be rushed in order to fit the story within the real-time format.
I think 24 still would’ve been a hit even if it had not been for 9/11. However, I don’t think it would have enough fuel power to last as long as it has. I heard somewhere that the explosion of the plane wasn’t aired when the pilot was because of those same 9/11 concerns, although I could be wrong here.
I hate Kim Bauer but Season 1 is the only season in which her appearance was necessary.
I didn’t think it was obvious from the beginning about the mole. In fact, I was fooled the entirety of the first 23 hours.
I don’t think Chloe O’Brian fits well with Season 1, mainly because Season 1 tuned down technology a lot. In Season 1, the writers make a big deal about a GPS system when in Season 4, where Chloe’s character truly begins to flourish, she’s able to get surveillance video from anywhere at the touch of her fingertips.
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