24 hours of TV for THAT????

Granted I'm a little slow on the uptake here but my wife and I just spent a few weeks watching the entire first season of 24. And I'm pissed, though it may be a symptom of watching a whole television series like it was a movie.

Now, first let me say that I really liked most of the series. It seems to fall somewhere between a James Bond movie and the X-Files. I'm not a big fan of Bond, but I was of X, and I have to say were it not for the season finale of 24 Season 1 - I would be of this.

Here's my problem (and in case you're as remedial as I am in your television watching, consider this a SPOILER alert. ) The season runs it's course, Jack's family is in danger, they're out of danger, Jack's going to kill Senator Palmer, he saves senator Palmer, Jack's family is BACK in danger, Jack's still going to kill Senator Palmer... Up, down, up down, suspense, suspense, suspense, minor resolution, more suspense, more suspense, more suspense. They did a pretty good job of it. Sure there were a few things that strained credulity, but what the hell, it a TV show.

Then they get to the last episode and we're on a roller coaster ride to a happy ending.

Then they kill Jack's wife - OFF CAMERA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I mean WTF????????????? Number one, they killed a sympathetic character. Number two it was the story telling version of being raped. (Hey, we've gotten you this far, 24 hours of edge of your seat television down the road and just when you've fallen in love with these characters and just when you thought it was going to turn out well, F.U. I mean if we were writing it, Luke Skywalker wouldn't have blown up the Death Star and Leia would have been killed by Chewbacca. ) AND They did it off camera. God damnit. Talk about an anti-climax.

Then again, it could turn out to be like the moment Bruce Wayne's family is killed thus turning him into Batman.

I'll probably watch Season 2.

Sigh.