24: Season 7

Honestly, I feel that Season Seven may have been the best season yet. Of course I have my complaints about it, and I'll run through my complaints quickly: 1: The story of Season 7 basically pretended Season 6 never happened. Probably due to the critical reception of Season 6. But there was a lot more continuity from Season 5, and most of the major storylines of Season 6 were ignored. 2: Janis Gold, Janeane Garafalo's character: Janeane Garafalo can be an okay actress, but I don't think her performance was up to the standards of 24. Also, her character barely even did anything meaningful, other than a few fun exchanges with Chloe. 3, the biggest one: The ending of the season. It was exactly the ending I expected, and it left all the loose ends hanging. After such a strong season, anyone who wanted any kind of closure at the end will be sorely disappointed. I know 24 is kinda known for that, but not to the level that Season 7 had. But all that said, Season 7 was still fantastic. As for what was good about the season, I don't even know where to start. The new setting, Washington D.C. was a great backdrop and brought something new and fresh to the series. The new actors brought in were fantastic. Everyone was talking about Cherry Jones as President Allison Taylor, but personally I was more excited about the first gentleman Henry Taylor, played by Colm Feore. I've always been a fan of Feore and his storyline was very good. Renee Walker was also a great new character. I was also very excited by the returns of two of my favorite characters in the series, Tony Almeida and Kim Bauer, both of whom we didn't see in Season 6. The villains were amazing. My favorites were Jonas Hodges (played by Jon Voight), Ike Dubaku and the aforementioned Tony (who switched between being a good guy and bad guy several times this season. With mood swings like that you'd think he was suffering from PMS or something). But the other villains were great as well. I could go on and on about the greatness of this season. But I'll just sum it up by saying, you have to see it if you haven't. It was incredible. As for the omission of the 7th disk, which usually has the extras, that wasn't too big of an issue. There are still extras. There's audio commentary for 12 episodes, as well as three featurettes (spread around with one each on disk 1, disk 5, and disk 6). There are deleted scenes as well, but not quite as many as previous seasons. Overall, they definitely could've included more extras, and just put them on disks 2, 3 and 4 where there weren't any. The 7th disk wasn't necessary. Speaking of which, I remember when the first reviewers posted their reviews for this DVD, they all complained about the packaging. Because it wasn't the same as the older boxed sets and they omitted the seventh disk. But now that the DVD has been out for a while, people are actually buying it and noticing how great the packaging really is. It's really the best packaging job ever for a multi-disk DVD. This should be the way all TV series' are released on DVD. In fact, they should re-release all 6 previous seasons of 24 in this style of packaging. Just spread the special features among the 6 disks rather than having a 7th disk, like they did for this. Overall, great season, great packaging. Extras could've been better, but that's a minor gripe. Definitely get this one from Amazon as the price (as I'm writing this), $22.99 is by far the best price you can find for a new copy. Just buy this with an additional cheap item (like a 24: Declassified paperback) to bump the price over $25 and get free shipping as well! Highly recommended.

After the horrendous Season 6 on it seemed time for Jack Bauer to retire but hold on, Season 7 is just about as good as any I've so far. I'm not one to watch this show on a weekly basis, I'd much rather wait until the end of the year and watch all 24 episodes on DVD in less than a week: no commercials, no waiting days for cliffhangers to be solved. Sure, after such marathons you end up listening to the 24 theme and Jack uttering the words "previously on 24" in your dreams, but that's not so bad really. THE GOOD THINGS ABOUT SEASON 7 #1 Jack's as great as ever, if maybe a bit more complex character with all the discussions about the evils of torture, hey, if in guessing, real life politicians batted 1.000 like Jack maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to allow it though that doesn't seem very likely. Anyway, Keifer is going to need a throat transplant from all the yelling sooner rather than later but it seem worth it. #2 The excelent President Taylor, unquestionably the best 24 president since Palmer (not Wayne obviously). She's just like Hillary without the pantsuits. This fictional character is the best way to learn it was a good thing that Hillary didn't become president, after all, wouldn't it have been horrible to refer to Bill as "the first gentleman" like they mention here all season long ? # 3 Good Tony / Bad Tony. Like most 24 fans, my stomach twisted when Tony's true nature was revealed but to my surprise the last few episodes I learn to accept it and the way the writers tied things up at the very end wasn't so terrible. To name Tony's resurrection as contrived is definetely an understatment but hey, maybe this means there is hope for Edgar fans all over the world. # 4 Much fewer eye-rolling moments than in past seasons though it was hard to accept the best way the 24 writers could think of a White House infiltration is underwater. If you've ever taken the tour of the place, like I have, you may not remmember any bodies of water in the vecinity. # 5 Oldie characters popping all the time: Aaron the no nonesense bodyguard and his ever present ear-piece-phone-cable. Chloe the most beloved insuferable TV character in history. Morris, the second one in that very same list. Even Kim Bauer's participation wasn't that obnoxious ! My only complaint: one of the things I love most about 24 is how they bring good-unknown actors to their parts which really helps in the veracity department(see Agent's Walker and Moss, the evil technician who looks like an adult version of Agent Cody Banks, etc.) thus I hate "special star appearances" as the only effect they bringis making you think to yourself, Oh, there's John Voight !, Oh, there's Dennis Hooper !. This type of casting does not work, not on 24 for sure.

Season 7 of "24" packs all the excitement, drama, and pulse-thumping action that fans of "24" have come to expect. There is no sense in going into the plot, as it would spoil the viewer's enjoyment of the series. That said, certain themes are once again explored in this remarkable award-winning drama. Season 7 explores the theme of interrogation techniques used to extract critical information from suspects. In the previous 6 seasons of "24", CTU Agent Field Commander Jack Bauer routinely violated prisoner's rights in order to get information that would save thousands of lives. It comes down to this: Is is acceptable to violate one individual's rights in order to protect the safety of thousands, or even tens of thousands? Do the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few?, (as Mister Spock so memorably said to Captain Kirk as he was dying), or should the rule of law always prevail without exception? This season deals in-depth with this issue, not only for field agents, but for computer operators, doctors, and yes, even presidents. It seems that we all have ethical decisions to make, some of which have profound implications. How far is a person willing to go to reach the "truth"? Jack Bauer's psyche is explored in detail in this regard, and this sub-plot is an extremely important and interesting element of this season. The supporting cast is once again superb, second to none, and the interactions between characters is both humorous and tragic. The character development is absolutely astounding, more characteristic of a full-length movie than a TV series. "24" not only will accelerate your heart, it will grab it too. Simply stated, there is no television show that is in the league of "24"; all pale in comparison. I prefer watching serials such as "24" episode after episode, for if I allow too much time to elapse between episodes, I tend to forget important details. My recommendation is to sequester yourself in a room with "24" and watch at least one disk at a time. This will give you 6 nights of unparalleled entertainment. Don't miss this season. kone

As a long time fan of 24, I have seen the show through its high and low moments. After the success of the award winning season 5 to the disaster that was season 6, many critics and fans wondered if 24 had any life left in it. Well when the writer's strike hit, it gave this show the extra time it needed to make Season 7 the best yet. Currently as of this review I can say from what has aired on television that from Episode 1 to Episode 20 it has lived up to the hype. Even though I am currently watching this television show on the air, I still plan on having a 24 season 7 marathon with my friends by re-watching Season 7 from Hour 1 down to Hour 24 when this blu-ray is released. Not to mention the extras, commentary, and behind the scenes footage that is included in this Blu-Ray release is just icing on the cake. If you are looking for action, good story telling, drama, thrills, twists and turns then this is for you. Even if you are a first time 24 viewer, this season can still be enjoyed without having to watch the other seasons. However, you will appreciate the show and characters much more if you view all the other seasons. Please FOX release Season 1-6 on Blu-Ray, so I and many like me can watch 24 in glorious high definition.

As season 7 opens, CTU has been disbanded and Jack is in big trouble for his excessive use of torture. FBI needs his help to find the man responsible for new terrorist attacks; it's an old friend that Jack believed was dead. This is a pretty good season although the first half, dealing with problems in a fictional African country, was slow, a new plot in the second half was very exciting. There are some truly wonderful elements this season that rank up there with the best of "24;" Cherry Jones plays a sensitive and capable President, Bob Gunton is great as her Chief of Staff, and James Morrison's Bill Buchanan has an unforgettable scene that left me gasping aloud. There are lots of intense twists and turns and it ends up being a very good season. Kiefer Sutherland continues to be a charismatic super-hero, but there are so many subplots and characters that he's not given enough screen time. The setting, Washington DC, isn't as good as the old CTU, but thankfully, we get Bill and Chloe back and the lovable Agent Pierce, as well. Unfortunately, we also get Kim back. It's hard to maintain the high level of writing and acting that "24" has set, but this season deserves an A-.

I've been a "24" fan since the series began, and as many earlier reviews have stated, the 7th season was a true "high point" for this show. It's true that the series had been getting a bit stale over the previous 2 seasons, then there was the Writer's Strike which basically set everything back a year, with co-creators Joel Surnow and Bob Cochrane eventually leaving the show for good. In this case, the infusion of "new blood" (pardon the pun) was just what the show needed. I've been watching my DVD's again recently, and here's the high points: >Great pacing. The action is non-stop, but the plot threads are as twisted as I remember the First Season's being, and they strike a great balance between the two. >We really see Jack's dark side. Although it's seldom mentioned in these episodes, the torture at the hands of the Chinese has left both visible and hidden scars on our hero. He's still doing his job, still dedicated to saving lives, but he's a man who's pretty much lost all hope in the future. >Casting for this season is excellent! Cherry Jones as the President, and Anne Wersching as FBI Agent Renee Walker nail their roles, plus we get to see Bill Buchanan, Tony Almeida and Secret Service agent Aaron Pierce again, as well as Chloe O'Brien. We also have a perfect foil for Jack in FBI Bureau Chief Larry Moss, a "by the book" lawman who refuses to see things Jack's way even the wheels start coming off. This was a tough role to pull off, and both the actor and the writers deserve extra credit here. And of course you can't have a better villain than Jon Voight! >The resolution was just what it should have been. No, Jack doesn't die (obviously, since there's another season after this one) but he comes as close as we've ever seen, and for once he has to depend on someone else to save him. It's a touching moment. If you still don't have this set, buy it! I have the regular DVD set and am very pleased with both the sound and the video quality. This was the season where we saw Jack come full circle, and actually get some closure at the end. It's worth your time, "I give you my word..."

After the grisly maiming of 24 in season six, Jon Cassar and Howard Gordon brought Jack out of the civics lessons of S.6 and brought them back to the level of intensity and GRAVITAS to 24. I think that Season Seven, while being very good, suffered from an unfortunately rushed finale that gave a lot of fans pause, considering how dragged out some of the other last few eps of the season felt. It's hard not to see Jack in all-out action, and that's where the season started to feel a little lethargic. But in exchange for Jack being on the sidelines for a bit, we did get a GREAT plot twist that I will not give away for those who don't watch the show near the end that gave a certain important character even more to work with. The themes of the season are two-fold: Betrayal being the big theme, and the most civic-minded one - how does one condone the 'enhanced interrogation' techniques that Jack and other agents use to acquire life-saving information. The second theme seems to get thrown under the bus for a few eps, but then comes back nearer the end as FBI Agent Renee Walker, who, at first dealings with Jack, is an obvious opponent of torture, sees what she may have to become in order to protect the greater good. What makes Jack a great action hero is that in those moments where dozens, hundreds, thousands, or in a few cases for Jack, millions of innocent lives are on the line, he knows that he has to do whatever it takes to save those people, and sometimes that requires a proverbial twist of the thumbscrews. What makes Jack a great character is that while he says that he doesn't regret those moments, he knows that there's a line that shouldn't be crossed. There have been people who maintain that this show is an outline for the justification of torture in extreme scenarios, and I think that it's high time that those good folk shut up and enjoy the OBVIOUS hyper-realism of 24. Look at Jack Bauer for a few minutes. He's literally died twice (possibly three times) during the run of the show (S2 when his heart stopped due to being tortured himself and S4 where they had to fake his death in order to prevent his murder). This show runs so far off the rails of conceivable realism that we cannot use this program as a microcosm of society's faults and triumpths. It's a great, pulse-pounding, thrill-a-minute action show. Remember in DIRTY HARRY when Callahan shoots the Scorpio killer and then steps on his wounded leg in order to extract information? Remember how good that felt because Harry's the good guy and the Scorpio's the bad guy? It's not supposed to be real. It's supposed to be entertainment. Get off the "24 CONDONES TORTURE" kick. Seriously. It's tired. Take 24 for what it is: Great entertainment. Except for Season 6. That was not good.

I had not watched "24" for a few years, I think season 5 was the last one that I bought. I travel often, and find that I most enjoy a series like this when I just wait for the season to end, then but it on DVD. That was the case for all of 24's seasons after season 1. Things were (at least for me) getting a bit tired in season 5. (Was that the season where Kim was chased by a cougar wearing a beret and carrying a knife?) Anyway, I digress... So, I sort of thought it was done. After seeing some other positive reviews of season 7, I thought it was worth trying again... especially at the low prices that an "old" show goes for. I was very happy with it! This is probably the best season I have seen so far. Of course, you must maintain a casual relationship with reality in some cases throughout the series, but overall it works very well. If you are a fan of 24 (or what it used to be early on) this is worth buying. I bought the Blu-ray for something like 24 beans. Great deal for some decent entertainment. I can easily recommend this any fan of previous seasons of 24, and the video quality is very good.

I have been a big fan of 24 since Season 4 (yes, sadly Season 4 was my first one) so I instantly got hooked into this series after buying the box sets to catch up, and subsequently watched Seasons 5 and 6 aswell. Season 5, in my opinion, was as strong as any series in the history of the show and while Season 6 was good overall, it lacked something and the ending was a bit of a disappointment. I have a soft spot for Season 5 because it was so strong overall, and it was the first really, properly strong series that I actually watched on TV. So Season 7 had alot to live up to, especially as the writers brought Tony Almeida back and placed him in full view in the preview trailers before the series was aired (Tonys re-emergence as a character was their big play for this season from the very beginning, they didn't attempt to hide him as a surprise inclusion at all). I think most fans were delighted to see him back and were curious as to his role, as I was. The story to 24 Season 7 begins with Jack in trouble for his relentless torturing of suspects over the years, when the FBI come calling for his assistance as it seems an all too familiar face is back and is plotting to take revenge against the US. For Jack, his mission is clear - take this man down. However, as the series goes on, it turns out that this terrorist attack on the US isn't quite what it seems after all... I have to say the writers did a great job with this series. They brought in a female partner, as such, for Jack in the shape of Renee Walker. In the early part of the series, they really made Jack out to be an almost heartless killing machine, and used Renee to show him up as this type of person at several points throughout the series, then ended the series with Jacks actual humanity very much intact and playing a major part in the story as a whole. Jack and Renees partnership is a major factor of this season and both the writers and the actors did an excellent job with all aspects of their often conflicting personal ideas and opinions. The plot to Season 7 itself twists and turns its way with several REALLY good and completely unforseeable twists aswell - I know a few of them really shocked me and I have seen all the series up to now. I don't want to get too much into story details as many of you may not have seen the series but all I can conclude on is this - I have already stated my love for Season 5 which, for me at least, was a brilliant series and one of the best since the show first aired. Season 7 is right back on track with the action, drama, suspense, and sheer brilliance of storytelling that made me love 24 in the first place. It very much makes up for the minor step backwards from Season 6. This series brings back everything we love about 24 into one neat and tidy little package. At the end of every episode of Season 7, you just cannot resist moving onto the next one - an addiction which was sadly lacking in several parts of Season 6. Highly recommended from me... this is a great series and as a 24 fan, I have to say that I very much loved it 5/5

第一作目が出てからもう何年も経つので俳優さん方もそれだけ年を重ねてるなと感じました。

24 season 7 is fast and furious with a bit of moral thinking but not to much and not too easy. The scenario is well done with an outcome every four or five episodes, which has put rythm in my viewing. The president and Renee are credible, humain and gorgeous each one in her way. The fact that Bauer is exposed is not a great idea for the tension...and it gives the impression that Bauer is beginning to be (too obviously)old. The season 8 should not show a Bauer slow, recovering, and too papy. Anyway this season 7 is a great season. Thanks to all. Michel D

Great story, action packed, will keep you at the edge of your seat. Must watch for any 24 fan. And thanks to Amazon for making it available for a price lower than retail shops.

Excellent. a little different from the other seasons. A lot of heartache in this one. I actually cried at the end. Am looking forward to watching season 8. Kiefer Sutherland is amazing as Jack Bauer. It was good to see so many of the others in this season like Chloe and MauriceO'Brian, Bill Buchanan and Tony Almeda.