What 24's Jack Bauer Taught Me About Revenge

TheCypressTimes.com ^ | 05/12/2010 | Julie Arduini

[Patriot1259]

Monday night I watched with hands over half open eyes the torturous scene the character Jack Bauer inflicted on the villain of the episode. The bad guy was a Russian terrorist involved with the murder of Jack’s love interest and colleague, Renee Walker. If I had been watching the episode in a movie theater, I’m pretty sure it would have been Rated “R”. It was a gruesome and difficult scene.

During the climax of the scene, Jack needs a SD card that the terrorist swallowed. In what appeared to be a psychotic rage, the episode ends with a very dead terrorist and Jack holding the card. As this took place, the effect multiplied with the music backdrop, God downloaded something to my heart:

This is what unforgiveness looks like.

[bigbob]

What bullcrap.

This is what retribution looks like. Something “we” have forgotten since 9-11, or we wouldn’t be playing pussy games with KSM, calling US soldiers ‘murderers’ and giving lawyers to terrorists. Think back to 9/12 and the weeks that followed...as a nation we HAVE forgotten.

Jack never forgets.

[trisham]

The author is a fool and a sissy.

[LibLieSlayer]

Psssssst... don’t tell anyone... it’s make believe... you know... TV.

LLS

[The Sons of Liberty]

One of my all-time favorite scenes on TV. The scumbag he killed deserved to suffer more, but time was of the essence.

[11Bush]

I consider myself a nice guy. I hold doors open for people, let cars merge in front of me, wait patiently in line.

That being said, if anyone ever hurt one of my family, their death would be long, loud, and bloody.

Guess I was wrong about that nice guy thing.

[Red_Devil 232]

Nice and wise axiom!

[Michael Barnes]

walk into a grocery store and buy a box of friggin’ tampons

Don't knock 'em, those things are great for deep wounds.

[Grampa Dave]

“Now let’s see what Jack has in store for ex President Logan.”

I agree. The lying hate America/former President is facing a bad hair day.

[ResponseAbility]

****Don’t knock ‘em, those things are great for deep wounds.****

Is that whet they are calling them now a days?

[Hot Tabasco]

THAT’s WHY! 24 is O-V-E-R, let’s try to remember the good ‘days’...

OK, you don't like "24"........thanks for sharing with us but the truth is, nobody cares what you think...........

I don't like beets so lets make a thread of it.........

[Rennes Templar]

I think the current episodes are great. You’re missing out.

[ConservativeMan55]

bttt

[montag813]

Awesome last season. Jumped the shark my ass.

[Rockingham]

Taken was quite good, except for the pat early bit with family to show Neeson's character as estranged from his daughter, and then the final sequence to show them happily reconciled. Spartan, with Val Kilmer, is similar and in some respects better, being more uncompromising and cynical.

[Retain Mike]

I left this comment at the article.

Revenge and retribution are close to each other in the dictionary and have nearly the same definition. The only difference being that in the latter case an authority person or organization gives their blessing to process and outcome, while retaining a chosen level of deniability. The Russian terrorist was collateral damage in the process of obtaining the information, which was a legitimate objective.

Over the years Jack has not indiscriminately killed or tortured, but has kept sufficiently focused on the objective to evaluate an enemy’s value. However, Jack has never subscribed to the author’s asymmetrical definitions of sweetness and light, which allow good people to become perpetual victims. The author should try reading about Dietrich Bonheoffer sometime.

[pnh102]

I think they did a really good job highlighting the diff between water-boarding and real torture in that hour.

I know that 24 is fiction but I couldn't help but think that was waterboarding?

[BufordP]

FWIW, Julie, I didn't lose a minute of sleep over pulling that SIM card out of that Russian's intestines.

36½ posted on 05/12/2010 8:06:25 PM EDT by Jack Bauer (Chuck Norris wears Jack Bauer pajamas)

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To: 3D-Joy; 50mm; AGreatPer; calcowgirl; cindyTrueSupporter; concretebob; Disco Dave; Doctor Raoul; ...

ping!

If you want off my ping list get over it!

FWIW, Julie, I didn't lose a minute of sleep over pulling that SIM card out of that Russian's intestines.

ping!

If you want off my ping list get over it!

[goat granny]

Had a freeper who had a son in Iraq and said sanitary napkins, tampons and expecially the thick napkins are great on the battle field, easy to carry and weigh practically nothing...a little knowledge about a subject is better than none......

[Texas Songwriter]

I thought the scene of the Russian being interrogated was restrained. The implication of him dying with the opening of his peritoneal cavity and then the stomach would not have killed him. I have had many people come into the ER with their hands holding their bowel. It was not believeable to think that Jack could surgically locate the simm card so quickly. That being was it was, I remarked to my brother that I had hoped the "blow-torch" scene might have been a little more.....well,...bacon sizzling...type of coersion. He simply remarked he believed that was an opener to what Jack will do with Logan.

The thing which disappoints is that the moral seems to be leading up to a conclusion that we (American) are no better than the islamofascists.....a conclusion which I summarily reject.

That being said, it is just a fiction inside a television show, which has been 'bedi,bedi, good' to Kieffer Sutherland. $43,000,000.00 plus residuals and reruns.

[3D-JOY]

I wish I had Jack Bauer pajamas! Oh do I want to get in his pajamas? OOPS!!