Shadow Dog's 24 Marathon

12-26-02 - 12-27-02

24's Cool Offical Website
The second I received the 1st season of the TV series 24 for Christmas, my mission was clear. I must start watching it at the earliest midnight I could arrange (Thursday night) and continue watching it in order, in real time, for the next 24 hours.

My family and friends thought I was insane. Considering that I've gotten only one hour of sleep since getting up at 10am this morning, they were right.

Today is going to be the longest day of my life.

Ground Rules 1)Start marathon at Midnight, end it at the next midnight.
2)Each episode is only 42 minutes long. No beginning the next episode before that hour has begun. You may do whatever you like during those 18 minutes.
3)You can start that hour's episode late, but no later than 18 minutes past the hour. This leaves the longest possible break between episodes at 36 minutes.
4)No pausing an episode once it starts. Events occur in real time.
5)You must post on this page at the top of every hour. Failure to do so means you were sleeping and will forever go down in the Internet annals as an abject failure.
6)Diet Pepsi amounts are marathon totals, not per hour.

Reader Feedback
"STOP THE MADNESS"
-Dad

"YOU'RE INSANE!!!"
-Jools

"I'm glad I'm not in this with you!"
-Michael

"Sounds quite normal to me, but who am I to speculate.
I strive for normalcy and moderated drug abuse."
-Ronald

"I think you need to take your son fishing or hunting more often..."
-Dad's Shipmate Gary

"Or not."
-Dad

Jump to Current Hour

Five pm
Ounces of Diet Pepsi: 112 ounces
Hallucinations: I think I saw God during the last break. It was either that or the blowup Santa next door.
Moron of the hour award: Kim. Why the hell did she go to Rick's house? Please tell me it wasn't to find something of Dan's that could help the investigation! Gaines is DEAD! All his men are DEAD! Dan only knew Gaines! And even if he wasn't dead, would Gaines trust a stoner kid with ANYTHING remotely resembling useful information. Of course not! Kim is an abject numskull.
Remarks:It's begun. I actually feel asleep sitting up for a second. I'm going to have to start blasting some noise during the 18 minute breaks or I'm never going to make it.
"What are you guys looking for, anyway?" I couldn't have said it better myself, SkankGirl. (Jesus, I can't remember how to spell that word! It means a trashy girl. Shank? Skank? Scank? I suck.) Why DID Kim go there????
I hate to say it, but George is right. Considering what Jack has done today, I wouldn't tell him either until there was something he could actually do about it.
More Reasons Kim's a moron: Even Snack Girl warned her to leave and she refused to do it. Had she not been hanging around looking for some sugar from Rick, she'd be long gone before CroDan (Dan's brother is a cross between Cromag and Dan and dumber than both put together) shows up.
Why am I not surprised Teri's wanna be boyfriend is a limp noodle?
Limp Noodle says Teri should go to the hospital because he'll protect her. He couldn't protect her from the WIND!
Nice setup of Sherry! WOO HOO!!! He got her GOOD this time! :-P~~~~~
Why does Nina call George about Teddy? Does she WANT Jack to succeed? Teddy would be the perfect excuse for failure of the mission and leave Nina blameless.
Kim says Rick "smart, funny, and goodlooking." Smart? Maybe compared to Kim but to anything above a tree sloth he's a few dozen IQ points shy of a GED. Funny? Tell me ONE joke he's made or amusing thing he's said the entire time Kim's known him! ONE! CarrotTop is more funny than this wet blanket!! Obviously the third observation is the root of all her compliments and why she's there at all.
Another Reason Kim is a Moron: She asks CroDan "What if Dan doesn't show?" Great, he's already suspicious and you ask something that even a nitwit like CroDan can't fail to remember when Dan never shows. Why would someone CroDan and presumably Dan himself have never met before ask this?
Only six hours to go! WOO HOO!!
Six pm
Ounces of Diet Pepsi: 120 ounces
Hallucinations: I KNOW it was God this time!
Moron of the hour award: Did Jovan really think Teri would buy the "I'll kill you and your daughter fast if you tell me where she is" line? Let me see, you have NO CLUE where my daughter is, so she'll live to a ripe old age. Only the other hand, you promise her a non painful death if I deliver her to you. Okey Doke! If Jovan hadn't wasted his breath Teri would be dead now. :-P (Can I call the writers morons one more time for the stooopid amnesia subplot that is now thankfully over?)
Remarks: Kim has some dim selfawareness. It doesn't keep her from doing stupid things, but at least it lets her occasional say things like "Obviously coming here was a dumb idea." Maybe in a couple decades, assuming the law of Darwin doesn't eliminate her first, this might even occur to her ahead of time!
Does CroDan look like a grown up and much more craven Joey Lawrence?
Nicole's breakdown and the family's reaction to it might be the most real moment in the entire season. Their love for her cut through all the arguing crap in an instant.
George's sarcastic comment and Nina's "Who's with you?" reaction while Jack was talking to her on his cell phone breaks me up every time. Nina's expression is one of extreme annoyance. :-P
The sun has already gone down here. It will be down in the show by the beginning of the next episode? When it goes down we're not seeing the sun again all season! Sobering thought. I can't believe the sun is down! Where did the day go? It seems like just five thousand years ago I was talking about the sunrise! Where does the time go?
How come Rocco got a name in the subtitles but CroDan's friend who speaks is just called "Friend"? Were the writers too tired by this point in the season to come up with something? I still miss Rocco.
WOOO HOO!! Limp Noodle is dead! So die all who annoy me on this show!
Awwww, poor Jovan got GUNSMOKED!! SHOOT HIM AGAIN!!!! Serves him right, as I mentioned above!
Seven pm
Ounces of Diet Pepsi: 126 ounces
Hallucinations: Zimbu and I spent this hour's break planning a cruise. On a serious note, I actually had a couple auditory hallucinations this hour. People who didn't exist speaking from behind my back. Very nervewracking.
Moron of the hour award: Kim. That was Kim's big play? "Aren't you curious how I know about the attempt on Palmer's life?" As the cop points out, this has been in the news for the last 12 hours! What he doesn't point out is if Kim thought no one had heard of the attempt on Palmer, why would an undercover cop know about it> Kim's a moron.
Remarks: The music is "solemn" now. Awwwww.
Limp Noodles' not dead? NOOOOOOOOO!! I remembered incorrectly! Must have been wishful thinking. >:-#
What he said, Teri! Get your hot ass in the car NOW!
LOL!! This is a new one! "Foreboding" Instrumental music! (It kicks in as Sherry watches Palmer and Nicole hug.
Jack just got bugzapped! This signals the beginning of the climax of the series. It's pretty much all action from here. Even the Palmer/Sherry conflict has moved out of the pussyfooting around stage.
As annoying as those flashing lights were, they still weren't as irritating as Kim.
Lou Diamond Phillips! WOO HOO!! Too bad his character is emasculated.
The news channel needs to invest some money in polling graphic software. I could do better than THAT on my Commodore 64!
Dennis Hopper? Were Marlon Brando and Jack Nicholson too fat and or old?
Oooo, Kim's in the Bad Kitty pen! :-P~~~~~~~~~~~
Having seen Dennis Hopper's long, rambling interviews, this Silent Bob act is a definite improvement!
Woo Hoo! Last Disc coming up!!
Eight pm
Ounces of Diet Pepsi: 130 ounces
Hallucinations: I had a waking dream in which John Lennon brought me a 20 pound Snickers bar. I was afraid he was going to bring me a 20 pound pea because of his song "give peas a chance" but I lucked out.
Moron of the hour award: Jack! How could you make that trade??? I'm not a master government agent or anything but even I knew this was a bad idea.
Remarks: I need chocolate! Bad!!
"You're in my seat"?? That's the best Snack could do? Has she been watching 1940's prison movies? Kick her ass, Kim!! The fact that I am rooting for Kim to win shows how hideously annoying Snack is.
I WOULD enjoy the rest of the evening if I could lift my head off the couch back!
Oh uh. Lawrence and Ray are in Redshirt heaven. :-(
Keep your eyes to yourself Patty!
I love Dennis Hopper in this role but his "accent" defies belief and I'm fatigue drunk!
Snacks makes some good points about Rick. Kim should listen.
WOO HOO!!!! :-P~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Kim's off the chain and I love it! I take back 3% of the bad things I've said about her! Looooove her rant to Snack!
"I hope that bastard doesn't plan on blaming me if something goes wrong." George cracks me up!
WOO HOO!! Snack ain't so tough now! Where's all this 'tude now? Too bad Kim saved her. Grrrr. What is happening to me? I hate Kim! Why am I being nice? Lack of sleep breaks us all down in the end. :-(
SHOOT HIM Jack! SHOOOOOOT HIM!!! >:-# No dice.
Jesus, could Dennis's accent BE any more laughable? I'd laugh myself but I'm crying too hard right now.
HEY! If I can't get a back massage, nobody can! Cut me in or cut it out! :-P~~~~~
Nobody's looking at Nina while George gives her the news. Why does she look sad?
Jesus Christ couldn't get an 80% turnout in Maryland or any other state!
Kim has been captured again. Is this 24 or Groundhog Day? On a related note, why is Nina helping Drazen now? She's been working against him most of the day! Just ask Jovan!

I can't feel my legs.
Nine pm
Ounces of Diet Pepsi: 140 ounces
Hallucinations: The Shrimpbread Man was singing and dancing around my table. For some reason he sounded like Gaines.
Moron of the hour award: Patty. Did she really think Palmer was THAT stupid? Moron.
Remarks: Why didn't Jack accept food? It looks scrumptious! :-P
Why does Nina call Palmer on Jack's behalf? Just to free Alexis? She is in a position to know how little life the man has left in him, so why would it be worth it to free dangerous Jack for a still warm corpse?
Another "Oh >:-#!!" moment. When I first saw this I didn't dream Dennis would bust a cap in the beautiful girl's dome. >:-O
Great, Sherry is bitchy again. >:-#
Uh oh, Patty fancies herself the next Monica!
Sorry papa, but now he's killed you too!
None of the fancy camera angles can hide how much Teri towers over Nina. Awwwww, they shared a "moment" :-P
I guess being an annoying prisoner runs in the family! Jack has taken up the slack nicely.
Uh oh, Sherry fancies herself the next Hilary!
I love the banter between George and Cletus the Henchman.
Why would Cletus stomp on the tracking device? CTU could waste valuable time and manpower following or circling in on the active tracker.
Jack is being led by the nose again because of Kim being a hostage. Is this 24 or Groundhog Day?

I can't feel my eyes.
Ten pm
Ounces of Diet Pepsi: 144 ounces
Hallucinations: Zimbu the Spider Monkey God is jealous of the Shrimpbread man. Can't we all just get along? Also, bugs? Why did it have to be bugs?? I'd much rather see pretty colors! Grrrr.
Moron of the hour award: Kim's guard. You're about to kill her! Who gives a flying rat's furry butt if she's cold? Anyone who lets her get some coffee deserves scalding!
Remarks: Don't do it Patty!! But we know she will, I didn't name Moron last hour for nothing. >:-D
How could any computer simulation help George find Alexis?
Mmmmm, chocolate! :-P~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Finally got my fix!
That doctor's ass is out! >:-O Sucks to be him.
What? I thought I remembered Dennis shooting the doctor. Huh.
Damn Patty is scandalous!
Quit whining, George!
My nose just started bleeding. Who knew lack of sleep could do THAT?
And along comes Patty. FIRE HER! FIIIIIRE HER!! YES!!! FIRE HER AGAIN!! >:-P
You don't know how you can shut down George's access? Call Milo! He can do anything!
Didn't Dennis say he would call at precisely 10:45? Why then did he call at 10:30? Furthermore, why did Jack know Dennis would call early?
Palmer thinks Kim is innocent? ROTF!!!
You'd never know that the actors who play George and Nina are a couple!
It's Kim's turn to be the annoying prisoner.
Teri was all over Jack say "she" instead of "us"! Mother and Wife's paranoia!
What is the point of Kim defending her father to crazed fanatics? Are they going to suddenly hear "My father is a good man!" and reply "Oh really? Well, that case you're free to go. Can we drop you off somewhere?"
It's ABOUT TIME Kim frees herself! Nice piece of work. :-P
So, Nina's the Mole??? What about all the unmoley things she did today????

I can't feel my feelings.
Eleven pm
Ounces of Diet Pepsi: 150 ounces
Hallucinations: NOOOOOO!!!! The Shrimpbread Man shot Zimbu!! (hugs Zimbu close) NOOOOOO!! This isn't happening!! :''''''-(
Moron of the hour award: Nina!!! Jack told her he wasn't waiting any longer, he was going in to get Kim out!!!! Why did she then blow her cover anyway? Since he's decided to go in anyway, Nina could have played both sides as she has done masterfully all day. Instead she plunges forward with her unnecessary lie and seals her doom.
Remarks: WOOO HOOO!! One hour and I'm IN BED!!! :-P~~~~~~
It's about time Kim got wet. She's looked like she's needed a shower all day!
Sherry's done it again! And Palmer is PISSED!!! DIVORCE HER! DIVORCEEEEE HER!! The subtitles say he "grunts angrily" :-P Boy was he pissed!!
Keifer is so fantastic expressing his grief for Kim. It almost makes me like her. Almost.
Was it really a good idea to piss of Jack this much? As I said, he'd already announced he was going in, why motivate him so fearsomely?
DENNIS IS OUT OF AMMO!!! SHOOOT HIM!!! SHOOOOOOT HIM!!!!! YES!!!!!!! SHOOT HIM AGAIN!!!!!!! AGAIN!!!! AGAIN!!!! AND AGAIN!!!!! KEEP PULLING THAT TRIGGER!!!! :-P~~~~~~~~~~~ Whew! Was it as good for you as it was for me? >:-D
Nina is creeping! She knows her ass is out!
Apparently that woman couldn't help Nina. >:-O
How many times does Teri need to be told everyone is fine and coming home? What was the point of hunting down Nina? Well, I guess George was too patronizing for too long. She didn't trust him.
It's been a lot longer than five minutes, where is Sherry?? Here she finally is! Not good to keep him waiting.
Keep talking, Sherry. Keep digging yourself deeper. DIVORCE HER!! DIVORCEEEE HER!! YEEEEESSSS!!! >:-DDDD DIVORCE HER AGAIN!! AGAIN!! AND AGAIN!!
Ouch. Nina did a number on Jamey!
Jousting cars! I think Jack won.
Nina's caught! SHOOT HER!!! SHOOOOOOO- dammit! >:-X
Awwwww, Kim looks cute in that cop jacket. Still hate her though.
Teri's dead. WOOO HOOO!!!! Now if only Kim had been there with here! Grrrr. Well, there's always this season!! :-P~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Great series! Great season! My thoughts on the season as a whole and the special features coming up before I finally, so sweetly, hit the bed for about thirty hours.
Midnight
Ounces of Diet Pepsi: 150 ounces
Hallucinations: None. Too tired to see anything, even unreality.
Moron of the DAY award: There's a three way tie for second. The Amnesia scriptwriters, Nina, and Kim all tied behind the biggest moron of the day! ME!! Who else but an abject moron would put himself through this???
Remarks: The writing all season was spectacular with the except of the much maligned Amnesia subplot. The only other problem with it is how late the writers decided to make Nina the UberMole. Finding out at the end of the season that she was the mole, only one thing jumped out at me, Gaines ordering her death. That is easily explained away by saying he was out of the loop. But watch it from the beginning, one after the next, keeping in mind the whole time that Nina is the UberMole, and you can see literally dozens of places where it just doesn't work. I can't blame the writers because if they had known all season then few if any of these plotholes would be there. They can be knocked for making such a huge character reversal so late in the process though. Before doing something this monumental they should have reviewed every script up to that point with an eye towards why Nina would do this or that if she were the Ubermole.
None of this takes away from this being the best show on television!
As for the alternate ending, it sucked the big fat nasty one. Teri dying IS a downer (though she was so annoying I can't imagine another season with her) but this current season would not be as awesome as it is if not for the way Teri's death has affected Jack. Jack bars none this year and the series is all the better for it.
The commentary track for the alternate ending explains why they used the version we know but for some reason the Executive Producer repeats this information twice. The only reason I can think of for this is why wanted to fill the entire time of the scene while providing as little information as possible. The introduction was about 2 minutes of puff.
And that's it! That's all the special features! They couldn't even give us a commentary track for the final episode! How hard would that have been?
But its a testament to how good the season as a whole is that the criminal lack of special features does not detract from the box set. Much.
Thank you for spending a little of this Hell Day with me! I hope you were entertained some small percentage as much as I was!! :-P~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Disc One, Two, Three, and Four Comments


-