TV TALK: Accustions of racism aside, 24 is still a good watch
Confined to a chair, thanks to a pair of handcuffs and a few well-placed cables, your hands and face swell with pain after a few excruciating blows from a guy by the name of Fayed.
Never mind the fact that your entire body aches from nearly a year of brutal torture in addition to a few of these fresh bruises. You’ve got only a few minutes to break free, get past the near-by guards (not to mention past Fayed himself) and find a way to inform the Los Angeles-based Counter Terrorist Unit that the biggest terrorist threat to the United States is not coming from the man they sacrificed life and limb (literally) to get. You see, the president of the United States recently secured your release from Chinese imprisonment.
The only catch was that your life was intended to serve as a bargaining chip for the capture of infamous terrorist Hamri Al-Assad. But as it turns out, this trade-off was just a way to disguise the real threat: Fayed and a few recently acquired nuclear weapons left over from the Cold War.
Just another day in the life of Jack Bauer.
One of television’s most compelling and suspenseful primetime dramas, “24,” has been popping up all over the headlines as of late in the form of recognition for the show’s critical acclaim and popularity and for the controversy that many of the show’s portrayals has created. Since “24” premiered on Nov. 6, 2001, the topical drama has grown from a cliffhanger-laden experiment in bringing real-time storytelling to the television format to a gripping, intricate examination of the human condition during times of crisis and the fear that can drive people with good intentions to make morally ambiguous decisions.
While viewership has fluctuated over the course of the show’s first four seasons, “24” finally became a breakout hit with a fifth season that drew widespread acclaim for the series’ stunning performances, jaw-dropping twists and the ethical questions that it frequently posed.
The show was nominated for 12 Emmy awards in 2006 and became the recipient for the award for Outstanding Drama Series.
The man behind “24’s” grizzled American hero, Kiefer Sutherland, also walked away with the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.
Despite the series’ well-earned praise, “24” has often been subject to criticism not only for its portrayal of Muslims but also for the content of the drama’s terrorism-centric storylines.
During the show’s fourth season, one of the series’ principal characters was Behrooz Araz, a 17-year-old Muslim boy who rebelled against his family after they murdered his girlfriend for being seen at a compound that housed the terrorist operations of season antagonist Habib Marwan.
Several Muslim groups protested the show for casting the only Muslim characters on the show in such a negative light. The problem appeared to be solved during the show’s fifth season, which featured Russian revolutionaries as the villains and explored an elaborate web of corruption within the United States government that led all the way up to the president.
The show’s current season, however, once again features Muslim terrorists as the central villains, including a young conspirator (played by “Van Wilder” alum Kal Penn) that takes his friend’s family hostage in order to prove himself to Fayed’s troupe.
Muslim groups are once again protesting the series’ current direction, with organizations like the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee urging those offended to make their reservations about the show heard.
News anchor and political commentator Keith Olbermann has even accused the series of having a right-wing agenda and serving as a tool to keep the fear of local terrorist attacks fresh in the minds of Americans to fuel support for the conservative War on Terror.
Considering the “demonization” of the Muslim family and of anti-government activists that occurred during the show’s fourth season in addition to the fact that the program vindicates the torture of prisoners under specific circumstances, Olbermann would appear to have a point.
But for viewers to actually accept that “24” is conservative propaganda, they would have to ignore the moral and political complexity that has elevated the series from an empty, serialized diversion to a poignant, thought-provoking thriller.
For examples of how “24” dives head first into the increasingly murky waters of the War on Terror, viewers should look no further than the show’s current season.
After 20 months of continual torture under the confinement of the Chinese government, Jack Bauer has emerged a broken man uncertain about his role in a world where the lines between right and wrong have become blurred.
Despite strong disapproval from CTU agents Bill Buchanan and Curtis Manning, Jack sides with a redemptive former terrorist that now seeks political means to achieve his goals. Jack’s new alliance puts him at odds with Manning, who harbors a deep-seated hatred for the former terrorist and forces Jack to make an impossible decision after Manning acts on his darkest impulses.
Moral uncertainty also extends to the White House, where Chief of Staff Tom Lennox is trying to convince United States President Wayne Palmer that the recent string of suicide bombings has provided justification for the establishment of Muslim “detention camps,” while Palmer’s sister Sandra, an attorney for the Washington-based Islamic-American Alliance, must deal with the questionable actions of FBI agents that are using her husband Walid al-Rezani as a mole to infiltrate a local terrorist cell.
Despite the controversy surrounding the show’s portrayals, “24’s” sixth day is shocking and provocative, and it represents one of the finest, most socially and politically relevant hours of television this season. It’s also one hell of a way to spend Monday night.
Mack Perry is one of The Utah Statesman’s pop culture gurus. Send comments to him at mackp@cc.usu.edu.