Moxie Hearts Jack Bauer
May I just say how much more complete my life feels now that Jack Bauer is back in it? I know, he's violent, dangerous, has a tendency to drop off the face of the earth and then just come back with little or no explanation, but I love him, I need him, and I prefer not to live without him.
This season seems like it could shape up to be the greatest or the wonkiest season yet. Regina King is a fierce ass-kicker, but D.B. Woodside seems like a tough sell as the president. Would the U.S.A. ever elect another Palmer? Really? After all that scandal? (Wait a minute... this is starting to sound vaguely familiar). And Peter MacNichol is a fantastic actor, but his type is so predictable on the show, just like Stephen Spinella last year. Wiry, off-center, kinda bug-eyed and arch guys can't be trusted with important government decisions. Yeah. We get it.
However, none of this detracts from the joy I get watching Jack Bauer bite someone's neck out. *Sigh*... I'm so easy to please.
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3 comments:
Buffy hearts Jack Bauer too.
mox don't you think that Jack's "biting the neck out" was inspired, ever so slightly, by Hannibal Lecter? Could Jack be a counterpart on behalf of the forces of good of Hannibal on the side of evil? And did his biting of the neck suggest that extreme evil and extreme good are oddly, mystically connected with one another. what do you think, mox?
Whatup anon.
Your comments are interesting - I'd never thought of the Lecter connection! I don't think the show's creators are aiming for such a counterpoint, but I do think you're onto something. The show depics Bauer, season after season, committing heinous acts (like the neckbiting) for the greater good of the country. He oftentimes toes the line of dropping to the level of the terrorists in order to combat them. Remember last season, when Bauer shot an innocent woman in the kneecap in order to gain information from her evil-doer husband?
I think the shows creators are stating in Bauer's actions that good can come through non-traditional approaches, even actions that may seem "evil" to some. In that way, the two are inextricably linked. Likewise, there are characters like Sherri Palmer who have good intentions, but ultimately commit heinous deeds that do not steer the country back on track.
The closest example of extreme evil and extreme good being "mystically connected," as you say, is the romance/feud between Bauer and Nina Meyers. Their relationship, and battle, is almost mythical - they are both skilled liars and manipulators, but Bauer for good, and Nina for evil. However, the attraction between the two was always kindling somewhere deep beneath the surface. I think it's this fascination with the good and evil that keeps Bauer at it, through losing his family and loved ones. As long as the two are at odds within him, he will never stop battling the evildoers of the world.
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