Harry’s Place Arts

Jack Bauer is back in the 7th “day” of 24. He’s changed. Supposedly he has been hijacked by the liberals, upset by his use of torture.

And in an apparent bid to get in tune with the new president, the new season opens with Bauer facing a congressional investigation probing his use of torture and summary executions in previous series. “It’s better that everything comes out in the open,” Bauer says, echoing Democrat demands for greater transparency over US counter-terrorist tactics.

“We’ve done so many things in the name of protecting this country, we’ve created two worlds. Ours and the people’s we’ve promised to protect. They deserve to hear the truth and decide how far they want to let us go.”

The transformation of Bauer has left the American Right fuming.

“It’s clearly a sign the producers are trying to adapt to a new political reality,” said the conservative commentator Christian Toto.

Aside from the fact that the political reality is that torture has always been illegal, my viewing of the first extended episode didn’t tally with the idea that Jack Bauer has become an gun-toting Philippe Sands willing to protect the US by the nicest means possible. His view seems to be that torture is wrong, and that when he engages in it he should be held accountable for it. Which was the position in Feb 2007 when the US military expressed concern about the programme and said “The disturbing thing is that although torture may cause Jack Bauer some angst, it is always the patriotic thing to do.” Bauer seemed to have little time for the “agenda” of the people in the congressional hearing. He still crack heads, and has already subverted a pleasantly freckled FBI agent with scruples. Perhaps he has turned a corner. We’ll see.

As for being captured by the liberal elite, the series has always run plot lines about fairly unrealistic right wing plots, as well as the stereotypical Middle Eastern threat. After all, realistic threats aren’t enough, you need the internal traitors to keep watchers on their toes. Quite why the US right want to argue attempts to recalibrate the usefulness of torture in the programme is indicative of a left wing takeover I don’t know. Is torture a right wing issue they want to hold on to?

The new series is as topical, discussion about humanitarian intervention (damned if you do, damned if you don’t) in an African country (seemingly a cross between Rwanada and Zimbabwe). There’s a female Clinton-like President in place, but 24 was already ahead on the black President stakes. The terrorist threat seems to hinge on the same plot device as Die Hard IV so far. One concern is the return of an old cast member, which if it doesn’t shape up soon will be the moment the series jumped the shark.