Jack Bauer Archives - Citizen of the Month

7AM – Los Angeles

After using the bathroom,Â Jack BauerÂ hears screams from his separated wife, Sophia.

“Jack, Jack! The toilet is overflowing!”

Within a second, Jack has pushed Sophia aside and jumped into the bathroom. Jack shoves his bare foot directly into the toilet, stopping the flow.

“I thought you called the plumber,” says his upset separated wife.

“He didn’t show up yet?!Â Dammit, I’ll be right back, Sophia.”

Jack jumps out of the bathroom window and runs down the San Diego Freeway, against traffic, until he reaches the plumber’s house.Â Jack breaks in and tortures the plumber with the plumber’s “snake,” forcingÂ the plumberÂ to immediately come over to his home to fix the toilet, then clean the bathroom until it is spotless.

7AM – Los Angeles

After using the bathroom,Â Neil hears screams from his separated wife, Sophia.

“Neil, Neil! The toilet is overflowing!”

Neil nervously approaches, not wanting to get involved.

“Come here!!! Do something!” yells Sophia.

NeilÂ meeklyÂ looks into the bathroom, fear inÂ his eyes.

“What do you want me to do?” Neil screams.

“We have to stop it beforeÂ the water isÂ all over the f**king house!”

Neil walks on tiptoes into the bathroom so as not to touch any of the water coming over the top of the toilet onto the linoleum floor.

“Yuch…yuch… yuch…” he says, wishing he wasn’t wearing his favorite Keds.

Neil jiggles the handle and the toilet stops overflowing.

“It’s the floor!Â It’s going to leak down to the living room.Â We need some towels!” cries Sophia.

NeilÂ grabs the two towels hanging on the bathroom rack.

“Not those towels!” she adds.Â “Those are 100-percent combed cotton towels.Â Use the polyester towels YOUR MOTHER gave us!Â

Neil goesÂ into the “towel” closet to search for those towels Sophia always hated, but told his mother otherwise.

“I thought you called the plumber,” says his upset separated wife.

“I did. He can’t come until Thursday!” (Neil really didn’t)

“Call him again. Tell him it is an emergency!”

After reluctantly cleaning the bathroom with Sophia Â (his excuse for the mediocre blog post yesterday) and taking two showers afterwards because he felt disgusting,Â Neil calls the plumber on the phone, who tells him that he can’t come until Thursday.

Damn Jack Bauer.Â

A Year Ago on Citizen of the Month:Â Call Me

Jack Bauer

24 is probably the only TV show that I watch consistently. Â Â Last night, Jack was in a real jam, hiding out in a sporting good store as a group of bad-guy commandos approached him.Â Â All seemed lost until two brave young men, the owners of the store, took up arms to help Jack (and the American government) in their battle against terrorism.

These two men were also Arabs. Â Â And Fox was going to make sure you knew they were Arabs by inserting patriotic speeches about their father and America and 9/11.

I thought it was pretty cool, somewhat necessary, and a lot corny.

The moment was so “Public Service Announcement” that it almost seemed as if all the commandos stopped approaching and took a cigarette break just to allow these good citizens to finish their speeches.Â Â I think it would have been better if these two young guys just helped out without much banter and then after the battle, Jack goes to shake their hands.

Jack: Â Â “My name is Jack.”

Mohammed (shaking hand): Â Â “Mohammed.”

I would have gotten the point. Â Â But Fox clearly wanted to counter-balance the charges that they are portraying Arab-Americans in a negative way on 24.

Let’s see — the Araz family are members of a sleeper-cell out to kill millions of Americans.Â Â How likeable should they be?

Dina Araz, the mother clearly shows a human side in wanting to save her son, Behrooz.Â Â The son is Bin Laden’s nightmare, a true believer forever softened by the California sunshine and his blond girlfriend. Â Â Is that the next problem that needs solving?

Next Week on 24: Â Behrooz decides that his days of carousing with decadent American surfer girls are over and he is ready to settle down with a traditional bride from Yemen.