Rypro 525

Since both shows are similar in some ways, but not all, I wanted to know what you all thought on which season was better for each show.

I thought that with 24, season 2 was better. But I'll either have to watch the 24 hour f/x marrathon or get the dvds to make my final decision.

I can't comment on Alias since I started in the middle of season 2.

clemente

Don't watch 24, so I can't comment.
But put me down for Alias season 1 being superior to 2 in every which way. I think it boils down to your feelings on the "reboot" and I hated the reboot.

The first season seemed to be tighter with a purpose driving it, and I really liked the cliffhanger ending.

Rogue588

24 season One was better..season Two was bogged down by even more Kim ridiculousness..

Alias season One BURIED season Two's multiple "reboots"...

And, yeah, the cliffhanger endings were much better.

PacMan2006

24, season 1. It was more realisitic and didn't come off as cheap to me.

In 24 season 2, it relied on cliffhangers that would be resolved in the next episode within five minutes. It was just cheap because that cliffhanger clearly wasn't a significant part of the storyline for future episodes, but just a device to keep viewers tuning back.

Also, no strong villians this seasons that lasted more than a handful of episodes. I also think there may have just been too many people to follow in this show, so it watered down Jack's role on 24 for me a bit.

They also made Jack endure too much. It's this kind of season that makes people say "How many bad days can he have?" If they just toned it down more, it would've been better. Instead, he SPOILER.......................................









survives a plane crash, gets turtored to death, comes back meaner than ever, survives a nuke blast, etc.

Lastly, the filler stuff has to go. I understand filler for a show like this, but bad filler is unbearable. The Kim scenes, Michelle's brother in CTU, rednecks stealing the chip.

I still enjoyed the season, but I think it pales in comparison to season 1.

movieking

Season One for 24 was much better than the second season.

I preferred Season Two of Alias over season one. We could see where "The Man" storyline at the end of season one was building to weeks in advance. I loved the reboot, and I loved the whole Fake Francie deal as well in season two.

MrX

I picked Alias season 1. I think it was the most consistent show.

24 is to up and down. In season 1 Jack looking for Teri and Kim and the end with Jack and Drazen were great but the middle part, the amnesia, was bad. Same with the second season.

Alias season 2 was good and I loved the reboot episode but I didn't care for the aftermath. I couldn't stand Syd/Vaugh, fake Francie, and I wasn't a fan of the cliffhanger.

retihsuhnt

I can honestly say that I have only watch ten (10) minutes of 24 and that was the "cliffhanger" for this season.

But I must vote for the first season of Alias. Hands down that trumps the second. On the other hand the opening scene of the post Super Bowl episdoe I (along with any other red blooded male) can not complain about.

Jennifer Garner, 32 and newly single.

JonTurner

Season 1 of 24 definitely... season 2 started off a lot better, but yeah, the ridiculous, over-the-top mess they put Jack through, the pointless cliffhangers, the abandonment of major villians, and especially Kim's storyline being even worse than in season 1 made it not as good. But at least there was no amnesia!

Doughboy

It's close, but I give Season 2 of Alias the edge. Lena Olin was a terrific addition to the cast, the deliciously slimy Mr. Sark had a larger role, Marshall became a much stronger character(particularly after the "reboot"), and Will wasn't anywhere near as annoying as in Season 1.

As far as the cliffhanger ending, I'll reserve judgment until I see how it's resolved in the fall. It definitely surprised the hell out of me. But I loved the lengthy fight sequence between Sydney and Fake Francie. That one was worth the wait.

As for 24, Season 1 wins hands down. The concept was fresher, the writing was tighter(amnesia subplot notwithstanding), and the villains were stronger and had better defined objectives.

Season 2 was fun, but it had way too many characters and not enough story. And instead of compelling bad guys, we were left with a bunch of scheming backstabbers who all pussied out in the end(except for the dude on the boat).

Josh Z

The second season of 24 had high points that were much higher than the first season, but its low points were also much lower. Jack surviving a nuclear explosion by hiding behind some rocks and the whole Kim storyline were very painful. The first season was by far more consistent.

I'd rate both seasons of Alias equally. How could anyone not love the reboot? What's wrong with you people?!

mwj

I believe Jack survived by jumping from the plane and landing ouside the blast radius, while George flew the plane to the detonation point. Hiding behind the rocks protected him from the flash and subsequent shock wave.

I vote for season two of 24 as the best of the lot

Kal-El

Couldn't have said it better.

Josh Z

The whole George-ex-machina twist was quite ridiculous, and that must have been a mighty small nuke for someone who is only 4 minutes away to be outside the blast radius.

That said, I really enjoy 24 and liked a lot about this season, but it was highly uneven. That should be undeniable. The Kim-meets-a-new-psycho-every-hour storyline was just cringe-inducing.

slop101

Alias: S1 --> Alias: S2 ----> 24: S1 -----------> 24: S2

NCMojo

I have no idea what this means. Season one lead to season two in both cases? Who'd have thunk?

I kept clicking on Season 1 and Season 2 of Alias. Season 1 was when I got hooked, but I really, really liked the reboot. But then again, I think the drama was better in Season 1. Then again, the cliffhanger for Season 2 blew me away.

Can I click on both?

slop101

I meant that Alias season 1 was the best, with it's second season trailing closely behind it and 24's first season a little further behind that, and 24's second season coming in a distant 4th.

das Monkey

• Quoth slop101 •<HR SIZE=1>Alias: S1 --> Alias: S2 ----> 24: S1 -----------> 24: S2 <HR SIZE=1>

I would agree with this analysis.

The first season of Alias was consistently great and did an excellent job of bringing the whole story full circle for the finale. The premiere episode was one of the best things of the entire television year. The second season lacked a lot of the unique flare of the first, but it was still very good and successfully expanded on the characters and the premise. 24's first season kicked off with a bang, but it quickly descended into increasingly implausible and borderline laughable plot sequences. By the 13th "hour" the concept of a "day" had pretty much been abandoned. I agree with others that 24's second season had higher highs and lower lows. I think it started off stronger than the first season, but this made it all the more painful as the story frequently meandered into the absurd and, worse, uninteresting. To see such incredible preformances by Haysbert and Keifer repeatedly overshadowed by silly filler nonsense made it almost too painful to watch.

das

mwj

I agree the second season was uneven, but the first season was very uneven after the first 12 eps. It seemed to me the quality suffered after they picked up the full season because the writers had less time to plot those episodes. I also tired of Kim's constant bluders into danger. I did not, however, tire of looking at Kim since I think Elisha Cuthbert is one of the most beautiful women on TV. On the nuke: At 200 mph the plane would have traveled 13+ miles if my math is correct. Jack could have put more distance between himself and ground zero because the parachute he was wearing allows some control. The bomb was pretty small and nuclear weapons are most effective when they are airburst. George crashed the plane into the ground. I really am not saying your wrong here just that this seems at least plausible to me.

nny

I'd agree with this except I'd put Alias:s2 far behind Alias:s1 and 24:s1 close to Alias:s2. I like Alias:s2, but it did go down in quality in just about every area, especially music.

Rypro 525

Guy's what filler for season 2 in 24? I mean, some of Kim's scene's were unnecessary, but maybe it was the hotness of her to make me miss that it was filler.

das Monkey

Some? 90% of Kim's scenes were unnecessary, and some episodes devoted a good 30% of the time to that silliness. It got to the point where I felt like the writers were actually mocking themselves for how stupid it had become.

das

slop101

about half of the stuff before the bomb went off was lame - and about 85% of the stuff after the bomb felt like a screwdriver drilling through my temple and into my brain.

Even though the amnesia stuff with the first season was lame, it only lasted for a couple of episodes and made a hell of a lot more sense than most anything with season 2, which had many things that just went nowhere - (whatever happened with those middle-eastern guys in the van carrying a bomb?)

PacMan2006

They need to get director Stephen Hopkins back for 24. His vision seemed to be what was lacking in season 2 among many other things.

guywall

They are both great shows. Next season for both should be great, now that they are considered "hits" by the ratings and critics. I voted Alias 1, 2, then 24 1, and 2. I think the acting and scripts are better in Alias.
Wouldn't miss either, though.

Rypro 525

I think the first episode in season two for alias airs tonight right???

Dead Drop
60 min.
The past refuses to die in a crafty hour that ends with a bang.
For Sloane (Ron Rifkin), it's the ghost of his late wife that has him on edge. Rattled by a rash of eerie events---and the guilt of having poisoned Emily himself---the SD-6 head sends Dixon off to investigate. But Sloane may not want to know what Dixon learns, particularly about a recent visitor to Emily's favorite haunt. Meanwhile, Will's fateful article on SD-6 resurfaces after a recovering junkie (Marisol Nichols) tempts him with her own conspiracy theory; and Vaughn (Michael Vartan) finally meets his father's killer when he is forced to work with Irina to save Syd from Sark's ambush in Russia. Will: Bradley Cooper. (VCR Plus+ 7941)