... but I stopped. Now I'm a dad, and may blog again...

Monday, January 16, 2012

499: 24, 11 years after

Just a quick post. I haven't got time to be writing blog posts and such nonsense what with all these episodes of 24 I've got to be watching. See, despite this programme starting eleven years ago, and me having heard so much good stuff about it, from friends, and from Charlie Brooker (whose words on Deadwood lead me to the best TV programme ever), I had never watched a single episode. The other day on a whim, I signed up for a free one month trial to Netflix (a kind of Spotify for film and TV) and was disappointed to discover it is mostly shit. Their are lots of crappy American comedies for stoned teenage dudes and people on dates getting a lovely little fumble up the jumper, and a small selection of mostly shit stand-up.

Really the only two things on Netflix that I have wanted to watch are 24 and Spongebob Squarepants. Both great, and Netflix is free for the first month. Anyway, I gave the first episode of 24 a tentative try on, I think, Friday night, and since then I have been completely gripped. Every second is tense, there is literally no downtime from the action. I really need to try and get in about twenty minutes sleep between now and work. Maybe a bit more than twenty minutes would be better, but Jack Bauer doesn't need sleep, and his job looks quite a bit more difficult than mine. Rarely does my day consist of kidnapping colleagues who may or may not be conspiring to kill me, my family and a famous politician. I always get two fifteen minute breaks and an hour for lunch. Poor overworked Jack Bauer doesn't get that. The only down time he gets is a sit-down in the back of a bullet proof limo, but even then he is threatening to force a wet towel down the throat of some crooked businessman.

Spongebob Squarepants is good, but it neglects cliffhangers and genuine peril. For that reason I have yet to find myself watching episode after episode without breaking for drinks and toilets. I'm only up to 4pm on the first day (series) of 24, so, yeah... end of blog... I really must be off now.

No comments: