DVD Review: “24” - Season Five

By Patrick Luce Dec 14, 2006, 19:07 GMT

While most television series start to fade as the seasons roll on, “24” seems to just be getting better and more intense.

Jack Bauer finds himself in yet another conspiracy as the fifth season of the hit Fox television series “24” comes to DVD in a seven-disc set. The fifth season once again delivers an intense plot that makes the series highly addictive and impossible to dismiss.

“24” (for those who don’t know) features Kiefer Sutherland as Bauer – a federal agent who works for the Los Angeles division of the Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU). The episodes are told in “real time” with the entire season taking place during 24 hours of the same day. If the first season of the series showed what the writers could do with the concept, this season demonstrates how far they can take what has already been established and make it even better.

The series’ strength lies in the performance of Sutherland – who attacks the role of Bauer like a pitbull. Even when the show’s plot seems a bit too far-fetched to believe, Sutherland’s performance forces you to accept it and makes it impossible for you quit watching. Unlike some “TV on DVD” where the episodes get redundant halfway through the season, “24” keeps your attention from start to finish. Each episode is a little better than the last, and the ending cliffhangers make you want to start up the next episode immediately.

Along with Sutherland’s performance, the series also benefits from a strong cast of supporting actors (including a Jean Smart, Sean Astin, and Mary Lynn Rajskub in season five) who come across as believable in their roles, and help keep “24” from becoming a one man show. The fifth season helps those characters get some of Sutherland’s spotlight as CTU headquarters is targeted, and the agents face a federal takeover of their unit.

The series’ strength lies in the performance of Sutherland

The series also features a good score that helps build the suspense – not to mention the beating of the clock that counts down each episode’s hour. Camera work also helps add to the show – with unique angles and split screen shots that give you multiple views of various scenes.

*The following is a brief description of the overall season and does contain spoilers. Some readers may want to skip this part of the review.

The fifth season sees Bauer (who was forced to fake his death and leave everyone connected to his life at the end of season four) forced out of hiding and back into the world of CTU. He also has to deal with reuniting with all the people who have been living with the fact that he is dead (including his daughter).

The first part of the season finds Bauer suspected of a presidential assignation, stumble onto a larger conspiracy than he could have ever imagined, and forced to deal with a terrorist threat against Los Angeles (some terrorist get their hands on a chemical weapon and threaten to use it against the entire city). Just when you think things are calming down, you realize that you are only on the third disc of the set. During the season, Bauer also has to deal with a former mentor, and one of the biggest politically protected “bad guys” he could ever face.

The threat comes to CTU headquarters

The season’s episodes and special features are spread throughout the set in the following order:

Disc One -
Episodes:
7:00 AM – 8:00 AM (including 3 branched deleted scenes)
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Special Features:
Commentary by co-executive producer/director Jon Cassar & executive producer Howard Gordon on 7:00 AM – 8:00 AM
Commentary by Jon Cassar & Howard Gordon on 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM

Disc Two -
Episodes:
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM (including 2 branched deleted scenes)
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM (including 2 branched deleted scenes)
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Special Features:
Commentary by co-executive producer David Fury & actor John Allen Nelson on 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Commentary by executive producer Evan Katz & director Brad Turner on 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM

Disc Three -
Episodes:
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM (including 1 branched deleted scene)
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM (including 2 branched deleted scenes)
5:00 PM – 6:00 PM (including 2 branched deleted scenes)
6:00 PM – 7:00 PM (including 2 branched deleted scenes)
Special Features:
Commentary by producer Tim Iacofano & actor Julian Sands on 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Commentary by actors Jean Smart & Gregory Itzin on 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Commentary by writers Matt Michnovetz, Duppy Demetrius and Nicole Ranadive on 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM

Disc Four -
Episodes:
7:00 PM – 8:00 PM (including 1 branched deleted scene)
8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
9:00 PM – 10:00 PM (including 1 branched deleted scene)
10:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Special Features:
Commentary by Jon Cassar & production designer Joseph Hodges on 9:00 PM – 10:00 PM

Disc Five -
Episodes:
11:00 PM – 12:00 AM
12:00 AM – 1:00 AM
1:00 AM – 2:00 AM                                                    
2:00 AM – 3:00 AM
Special Features:
Commentary by Howard Gordon & actor Mary Lynn Rajskub on 12:00 AM – 1:00 AM

Disc Six -

The cast of Season Five

Disc Seven – Special Features
DVD Exclusive Season 6 prequel
Season 6 trailer
Supporting Players featurette
Unsung Heroes: 24 Camera Department featurette
Music By Sean Gallery featurette
Logan’s Retreat featurette
100th Episode Reel
“24”: Behind The Scenes book sample (with video introduction by author and Emmy Award-winning director Jon Cassar)
All 23 extended / deleted scenes with optional commentary by co-executive producer Stephen Kronish & editor Scott Powell
DVD-ROM link to exclusive “24” production behind-the-scenes online content available only to DVD purchaser

While most television series start to fade as the seasons roll on, “24” seems to just be getting better and more intense. I had never watched the series before the fifth season arrived on my desk. I quickly watched the first season so that I would have an idea of how the show worked and who some of the characters were. The first season was enough to get me hooked on the show. The fifth season has turned me into a diehard fan of the series. This is a show that has plenty of suspense, action, and political conspiracy.

If you have never watched “24,” the fifth season might not be the best place to start, but they do offer a “previously on 24” segment at the beginning of each episode that makes it possible to catch up (or at least get an idea of who everyone is).

Jean Smart is excellent as in the fifth season

I would highly recommend taking the time to check out the series, and fans will want to pick up the fifth season set. It has tons of special features that fans will enjoyed, and the season is packed with lots of twists to keep you entertained.

“24” Season Five is now available at Amazon and AmazonUK. Visit the DVD database for more information.