THE final episode of "24", the thriller series starring Kiefer Sutherland as secret agent Jack Bauer, airs on British television tonight. This last series, which appeared after a considerable hiatus and an aborted movie project, has been shorter than the others, running at 12, rather than the eponymous 24, episodes. (A sign of improved American productivity; it now only takes Jack half a day to save the world.)
As before, the series has been frenetic, violent, extremely silly and oddly compelling all at the same time. And in its own way, suggestive of the American view of the world. The first series came out in the aftermath of 9/11, and for a time was seen, rather like Clint Eastwood's "Dirty Harry" movies, as glorifying violence and torture in pursuit of a just cause. But it was never just mindless patriotism: Bauer's actions were clearly shown to have devastating effects on his family and colleagues; those in power in America were often shown to be cowardly and treacherous. (The series has run through so many presidents that the current operative, played by William Devane, must be about the 50th since George Washington.)
In its own way, the show has tapped the zeitgeist, focusing on widespread fears of nuclear and biological terrorism as well as the efficacy of torture. In the current series, the weapon of choice is unmanned drones; the idea is that terrorists have found a way to seize control of such drones and to attack civilian targets. Given the recent shooting down of a Hamas drone by Israel, the issue is highly topical.
All this is happening in London, where the show has moved for a change of scenery; perhaps because LA, Washington and New York have been devastated too often in disaster movies. This has caused some amusement for Londoners, not least in Bauer's ability to traverse the city in short time without encountering traffic (or paying the congestion charge). One episode sent the president to Wembley Stadium to face a drone attack, forcing Bauer to bellow, "Get me the codes to Wembley!" (what codes?) at a hapless associate.
As all this chaos ensues, the Britons (whose prime minister is played, significantly, by the comic actor Stephen Fry in bufferish mode) watch passively from the wings as Bauer and various CIA teams shoot up the neighbourhood. When it comes to fighting terrorists, the show's creators obviously assume, only America has any clout. The rest of us wait, like small children, for "Daddy" to come to the rescue.
Then there are the villains. The chief protagonist was a radicalised Westerner (another topical touch) played by Michelle Fairley (Sean Bean's wife in "Game of Thrones") but, as always, the initial villain is only a starting point. Thrown into the mix have been a Germanic computer hacker, clearly based on Julian Assange, a dastardly Russian diplomat and a renegade Chinese spy. In short, a veritable UN of bad guys (and gals).
In other words, America faces a world in which almost all foreigners are hostile, and its allies are useless. Yes, it's only a television programme. But with a recent poll showing that the majority of Americans think their country should "mind its own business internationally"—the highest level in 50 years—it may not be too wide of the mark.
