Patriots QB Tom Brady and 24’s Jack Bauer were reading from the same script Sunday night. On CBS, Brady was having a dreadful game against the Chargers, with a grossly uncharacteristic three interceptions and sub-50% completion rate. Then he started finding the tiniest slivers of light poking through the tiniest cracks in the enemy defense, building up to a third and long bomb to some guy named Reche Caldwell, before again finding Caldwell in the end zone for the tying score. Moments later, the Pats had taken down a 14-2 team on the road.
As that contest ended just after 8, a new season of 24 was kicking off on Fox. Counterterrorism QB Jack Bauer—who knows a thing or two about bad days—was having a truly awful one. He’s sprung from a Chinese prison after 20 months with a soft body, crappy beard and an apparent inability to speak.
But slowly Bauer climbs back into the game. Served up for sacrifice by his president and the nation he worked so hard to protect, Bauer fakes his death in terror mastermind Fayed’s lair, bites an unsuspecting guard, kills a bunch of skells and bolts for daylight. Gradually, the instincts and strength return. Jack’s back!
Back to back, Brady and Bauer made for a compelling five-plus hours of television.
By Michael Malone
