  I was a recent convert to the world of 24 this season,  so I did not quite realize,  until the past couple of weeks,  when I have been watching the first two seasons on DVD,  how incredibly unbelievable the plots of the show really were.  Given the current state of world affairs,
 where we have seen the impossible happen time and again,  one is inclined to believe that almost any scenario is possible,  and fiction can almost seem more realistic to us,  possibility- wise,  than the truth.
 This is not the case with 24 .  I want everyone to know that I do not consider this to be a bad thing.  I was instantly hooked on the show when I started to watch it this season,  even though I came into it late in the game and a lot of my knowledge of what was going on had to be picked up from various third persons,  sypnoses on the web,  and context clues (
now there's a phrase I haven't used since elementary school)  from the show itself.  I cannot wait until this past season also arrives on DVD so that I can watch it uninterrupted and experience all of it visually,  as it was meant to be received.  I was even more instantly hooked on the first two seasons,  and I experienced a feeling of suspense and engrossment,
 even though I knew a lot of the things that were going to happen,  from having watched the show this season.  For a show that is so unrealistic in its depiction of events,  and a show that any conspiracy theorist would just love,  it is almost surprising how quickly one becomes engrossed.  I got so into some of the episodes that I would be screaming at the screen.
 I think part of the suspense is that you already know what is going to happen -  even if you haven't seen an episode,  for there are things that happen on every show that are a given,  and things that will never happen ( though I can imagine that the season finales of both the first two seasons must have been nearly shocking to watch -  indeed,
 I was shocked by the second season finale,  even though I really shouldn't have been)  -  and it's just a matter of when and how,  and since the show only takes place over twenty four hours,  the writers can really drag out events and delay the gratification that comes from seeing your expectations realized on screen.
 It is also one of the few television shows that I think might be much more fun to watch with a group of people than by yourself.  Normally,  I do not approve of this type of activity as an ideal viewing situation,  because invariably you get to talking with people about what is going to happen or what has already happened and you miss things that are going on.  That is not as much a danger here,  and some of the things are so crazy that you want someone next to you so that you can turn and say "
Oh my God!  I just don't believe it.  Or perhaps this is just my old complex about talking to my television coming back to haunt me.  Overall,  I think it's a great show precisely because it is so unrealistic.  It is no wonder that this show has been a success whereas a show like The Agency ,
 which tried to be more straightforward,  was a flop.  It's fun to watch,  and it doesn't get you thinking about what might or could happen in reality,  and any time it gets close to doing so,  it blows back up into crazy tall tales and fantasy yet again.
 And for a show that features a politician and President so prominently,  it is surprisingly non- political.  And any time the show skirts politics,  it quickly takes a backseat to the action and the mania of what is going on around it.  If you're unfamiliar with the show,
 do yourselves a favor and go and rent the first two seasons.  I thought I was a fan of the show before seeing them.  But now I am something closer to a fanatic.
