24: its echoes, its passing.

"Sgt. Shakespeare" by ~Carts of deviantART

I enjoyed the television show 24.  I have not watched any of the seasons prior to the one which concluded in this evening’s two hour finale.  And, I have said it before, and likely will again: I enjoyed it because it reminded me of Shakespeare. . .

What I saw in this single season I watched, was an atmosphere of the ‘modern day court’.  People of power—world leaders—some nobler than others.  Some pure of heart, working against terrible odds to achieve something amazing for a good reason.  On the other hand, many had flaws, and many were so flawed that it was difficult to see the goodness behind them.  The camera took us to vantage points where we could overhear deceit and corruption as it unfolded.  We saw secrets behind closed doors.  There was an urgency: people were afraid to be spotted through their windows.  People spoke in highly guarded words.

This is very like the court of Elsinore under Claudius’ rule when he stole the throne from Hamlet’s Father.  Very like the court in Richard III. Very like the court in Macbeth. People are secretly listened to and spied on left and right.  They are silenced, locked up, and murdered.

In Jack Bauer, I saw something not unlike the characteristics of Titus. . .  The revered Roman general, who’s spent his life in service of Rome, only to find that what he’d fought for has been warped by its politicians.  Like Titus, Jack Bauer is burned and betrayed by the heads of state.  And like Titus, Jack Bauer unleashes wild, relentless, and terrible revenge.  Also, in Jack Bauer, I saw something not unlike the characteristics of Hamlet. . .  Bauer is loved.  Loved more than he’s aware of, really.  Jack Bauer is constantly breaking Chloe’s heart just as Hamlet smashes Ophelia’s.  Bauer is aided and challenged by Cole Ortiz as Hamlet is aided and challenged by Horatio.  Both Bauer and Hamlet are consumed with what they know.  Something immense.  Something they can’t prove safely, not just yet.  It gives them something to do, and puts them in a constant game of: If I rat them out now, I will be killed.  If I kill them now, I will be killed. Both Bauer and Hamlet end up soldiering on to the bitter end against unbelievable odds.  They’re thought to be quite crazy indeed, but nonetheless are following their own sharp instincts through to some good end.  Even if they’ve caused chaos along the way.

The most consistent ‘echo’ of actual characters I saw, were the similarities of the Ex President Charles Logan, and his coconspirator Piller, to Richard, Duke of Gloucester (Richard III) and his coconspirator Buckingham.  Both pairs are the very picture of a master manipulator and his henchman.

Now, Shakespeare is widely celebrated or dismissed because he was a poet, and his plays are poetic.  If you like poetry, chances are, you’ll appreciate Shakespeare’s plays all the more.  If you don’t like poetry, well, Romeo and all the rest will have one strike against them from the off.  It’s quite obvious that 24 had no such poetic, or language based element at all.  24 was image based.  Action based.  Running and skidding on its plot, and the people’s motivations therein.  But that in itself, is the very essence—for me—of Shakespeare.  Not only did both 24 and Shakespeare use some character from every level of ‘society’ to make the story unfold, 24 capitalized on the very thing that made Shakespeare’s plots so wonderful. . .  Twists and turns to the bitter end.  Also like Shakespeare, instead of the characters being pigeonholed right from the start, the characters were simply there.  They were given a complex set of circumstances in which they formed their own clear motivations.  After that, they simply went about the business of achieving what they could.  Like Shakespeare, the creators of 24 did not judge the characters for us.  We in the audience got to do the judging for ourselves.

The more I reflect, the more I realize that the only thing which would have made 24 any more like Shakespeare’s work, is if there had been ghosts.  And, I suppose in these days, the word ‘hallucinations’ would be more applicable.  Regardless, a slight nod to the supernatural is the only device of Shakespeare’s that I did not see in 24. And, if Jack Bauer had seen the dead Renee after she had died; if someone started having PTSD nightmares; if the faces of the dead haunted the ex President Logan, or even the current President Taylor. . .  If that small ingredient were included?  Then, I would have been quite convinced that the 24 screenwriters had in fact picked up something by Shakespeare at some point and thought, “hey, this isn’t bad.”

As it stands, however, it was a wonderful season.  A television series I looked forward to watching unfold, and one that terminated itself slightly too quickly for me.  I would have enjoyed a few more seasons.  Perhaps I’ll find a set of 24 DVD’s and watch previous episodes.  Perhaps the storytelling from previous seasons will feel different to me?  It matters not.  This season stands alone in my frame of reference, for this is the season I watched.  I watched it because of the similarities to Shakespeare’s tension, tricks, turbulence, and devices—which I’ve just described above.  And, if you liked 24? If you do like poetry?  Perhaps try giving a production or film of a Shakespeare drama a chance one of these days.  You’ll find everything that helped 24 to be as fantastic as it was.

You won’t likely find Kiefer Sutherland, but you may possibly see some ghosts. . .

©  Jeffrey Puukka, 2010