/mike

I’ve decided, with some help from Matto, that I’m going to have my own little 24 marathon.

My goal will be to watch the entire fifth season of 24 in 24 hours. This 24 hour time period includes breaks for food, live blogging the experience, bathroom breaks, and any naps that may occur.

My guess is that the biggest obstacle will be the fact that I’m starting this marathon at 6:30pm. Over the past year or so I’ve gotten myself on a pretty regular schedule of hitting the sack around midnight. Of course there are times that this hasn’t affected me but that was mostly when I’m out with friends and alcohol and music are involved. Well, let’s get started shall we.

The prologue (time 6:20pm)

Had a late lunch with Evan Tishuk of Orange Coat and his dad this afternoon so I’m still working off that meal. I’m feeling pretty good though I’m putting off my stint at the gym tonight for this marathon.

Time to get started, I’m super excited to see how this season unfolds and I have no idea what the plot or storyline is, I’ve been pretty good about not reading anything related to this show except the box the DVDs came in.

By the way, I’ll do my best to not give away any spoilers for those that haven’t yet seen this season. If you just happen to be one of those people, what are you waiting for, go get it!

Hour 1, 7am – 8am (time 7:20pm)

Wow! That’s a good way to start off the new season. Nothing like hitting the ground running.

Since I’ve seen all the previous seasons I’m already working on my theories about who’s involved and who will just be a patsy. In the first hour it’s a little difficult but there are a couple characters that I’ll be keeping my eye on.

I had some chocolate and still don’t feel hungry at the moment, though I’ve got some Macaroni and salad sitting on the counter, ready to be cooked when the time comes. Feeling a little lethargic but I’m not letting it dissuade me at all.

Hour 2, 8am – 9am (time 8:20pm)

Well, suspicion number one is officially confirmed. I’m not sure if they meant it to be that obvious but I am sure that this particular character will play a somewhat larger role in the grand scheme of things than my initial thoughts.

A couple of asides, Connie Britton is hot and Louis Lombardi is great. Still not hungry but I did drink a little too much water.

Things are ramping up and this episode was a little slower than the previous one but it is still only episode 2. There is a lot to set up in a show like this and today is going to be a great day.

Hour 3, 9am – 10am (time 9:15pm)

Well, well, well, I was wondering how suspicious character #1 was going to fit into the grander scheme, now I know. It doesn’t really surprise me that this type of thing happens in shows and movies along the lines of 24 but I’m starting to wonder how possible it would be to have this happen in real life.

The pace and excitement have picked up again. We’re also getting more into the time of the show when it gets a whole lot harder for the good guys to win.

Speaking of good guys, I forgot to mention in hour 1 that I was a little surprised at one of the actions Jack took. It seems a little out of character but I’m sure it can be explained by the writers that he’s had a lot to deal with since the beginning of the show and his character is a little more tarnished.

Time to move on though. I’ve got two more suspicious characters that I’m eager to find out more about.

Hour 4, 10am – 11am (time 10:10pm)

And like that, I’m finished the first disc. At this point suspicious character #2 hasn’t done much since the previous episode — due to extreme lack of screen time — and suspicious character #3 — I’m going to start using SC to describe them from now one — is starting to look a lot less suspicious. SC #1 is starting to show his true grit in this episode.

An odd thought hit me while watching these episodes, if these characters were all salespeople I’d definitely want them on my sales floor. In a matter of seconds they can convince others their position is right and continue along like nothing happened.

Starting to get a little hungry now but I’m not quite sure about making some food yet. Had a little spinach dip with some bread and another piece of chocolate that seems to have put a holt on any major hunger pangs. Still feeling good though.

Hour 5, 11am – 12pm (time 11:03pm)

Sometimes I just don’t understand characters. SC #3 has information that could bring light to a certain topic yet all SC #3 will do is sit on their rump, do nothing, and be content taking orders. I suppose the threat made to SC #3 earlier could hold some power over them but it’s a bit of a stretch in my mind. Also, Jack definitely needs to go with woman #2, Connie Britton’s character. Sure she has baggage but I still like her better than Audrey.

It’s definitely time to cook up that Macaroni and salad though. I just need to remember to eat small portions and let it last through the night. If I eat too much now this marathon is toast.

Hour 6, 12pm – 1pm (time 12:12am)

Looks like I was off on SC #2, they seem to just be a pawn. Darn writers tricking me like that. I suppose they have to throw a couple of those out there though. Also, SC #1 i now officially bad guy #1 (BG #1) — even though I should have made that distinction a couple episodes ago.

All I can say about this episode is:

• Audrey is a bitch. Why would you make that kind of phone call at that time with all that stuff going on?! Damn woman!
• Go Mrs. Logan!
• Mr. President, you are a dick. I can completely believe what happened in this episode being done in real life (obviously not regarding the exact same subject matter, though Mr. Bush is almost convincing me)

Hour 7, 1pm – 2pm (time 1:00am)

As the main character in another show I like to watch would say, “hello Sydney”. This episode included two blasts from the past, interestingly both from a cancelled show called Kindred: The Embraced — which I wish they had on DVD as well.

It’s also going to be interesting to see how the sister from nowhere is going to fit into the grand scheme. I can only guess it will have something to do with CTU and maybe their office.

BG #2, the man behind the telephone, hasn’t been around for a while, I wonder what he’s up to. Everything seems to be focusing on the yellow tie man, aka BG #3.

Still doing good on the alertness factor though. Later I might have to use a trick I did while driving across the US. I’m also starting to wonder if I should split this up into two medium length posts or keep it as one long post. Any night owls out there want to give some input?

Hour 8, 2pm – 3pm (time 2:05am)

Normally I complain about the exact thing I’m going to praise right now, cliffhanger endings. The reason I’m not complaining? I have the entire season on DVD so I can just pop in the next episode.

It was interesting to see the twist some of the good guys took this episode. At this point I’m trying to figure out if the main decision made was a reaction to something that happened in the previous hour.

Still no mention of BG #2 though. I’m getting even more curious about when and how he’ll show up again. I thought once a character was introduced on the show they were generally visible and playing an active role until their demise or capture.

Mentally I’m still doing good but my body is getting a little on the tired side. Might have to dig into a little more Macaroni and put on some comfies soon.

Hour 9, 3pm – 4pm (time 3:05am)

I think I might have to go back to season 4 and see just how much of a pussy Logan really is. It may be the lack of sleep but I may have just found SC #’s 4 and 5. Both are a little bit of a stretch but SC #5, the lower character, has that certain “they wouldn’t do that would they?” appeal.

It seems a little awkward the way the little dog syndrome is being handled at CTU but the sister might have something to do with it — the President isn’t helping either.

Oh yeah, remember BG #2 that I just talked about? Well, he’s back. I also forgot to mention that he’s played by an actor from the Airwolf series (second version) — though I thought he had a regular role on the series, IMDB seems to say otherwise.

Still cruising along though I believe it’s time for some more comfortable clothing. It’s also getting a little chilly in here.

Hour 10, 4pm – 5pm (time 4am)

And karma is finally making its way around, at least in some capacity. The little dogs bone bit him back and the pussy known as president will feel the wrath. This episode and the last really got me invested in the situation. There wasn’t really that much action but the writing and actions taken by characters was more than enough to carry these past couple hours. Heck, I didn’t even mind Audrey that much, even though for some reason since that actress left Third Watch I haven’t really liked her all that much — even though I didn’t really like here there either.

Something I’ve been meaning to mention for the last 4 hours, I really love how socially retarded Chloe O’Brien is. Her facial expressions and the way she deals with people is just fantastic. She is what all of us web and tech geeks should aspire to.

I’m still holding on in the alertness department. Had anther bowl of Macaroni and the bag of Wether’s Originals sitting beside me are helping to keep the energy level up.

Hour 11, 5pm – 6pm (time 4:56am)

I forgot to mention that Robocop made an appearance last episode — at least I’m pretty sure it’s him.

Pace seemed a little slower this episode, then again, it might just be me. A couple things I was sure would happen have definitely been set up to happen after watching hour 11. Though there were things going on in this episode, it seemed to be more set up for future episodes.

Hour 12, 6pm – 7pm (time 5:55am)

That episode sucked. Of course my only reason for saying that is because forgiveness came too quickly for some and others were left to suffer. What has been set up for the next couple hours should be interesting though.

Got a little drowsy during this last one. I could feel my eyelids getting a little heavier. I’m going to soldier on though.

I’ve decided to break this marathon up into two posts, 12 hours each. So this marks the end of part one and disc 3 in my 24 season 5 marathon. Check out part two of my 24 season 5 marathon.