I love 24. It is really entertaining, and always keeps me guessing. But I've also wondered about some of the subtle (or not so subtle) messages conveyed by the show. After all, Jack Bauer did actually saw someone's head off in one episode (I don't remember the season, and obviously they didn't show it visually, but this was part of the storyline). Call me crazy, but that's a bit extreme for American television. The show is definitely part of an American media phenomenon I like to call "All Terror, All the Time". I remember a visit to the states (my home country) three years after 9/11 and being surprised that Fox News only seemed to ever discuss terrorism. As if nothing else was really relevant, or worth talking about. I think it's calmed down a bit, but as far as Fox is concerned, there are still security threats at every turn, behind every bush. "All Terror, All the Time." Fear is a powerful social tool. It works in Islam, it worked in the Communist world, and it can work against us too if we are not careful.
I found this article called "The Orwellian Ideology of 24" to be of interest.
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