Man, 24 is one kick ass TV show.

I've been watching this season, and it's in spectacular form. The emotional nuances are so well tuned. I just watched Episode 11 (5 pm - 6 pm), and it was simply breathtaking. From Jack torturing Paul Raines in front of Audrey, to the shots of Jack and Audrey looking at each other in the car mirror, to the moment when Jack has to once again put himself in harm's way... and says to Audrey: "I’ll be right back." The subtext was amazing, the weight of Audrey's concern was palpable. In fact, this episode was the night for Kim Raver reaction shots.

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After Episode 12, someone mentions to me that the premise of a nuclear reactor override is pretty absurd.

Yeah, I agree that an 'override' is a hard-to-believe plot device, because any reactor will always have a physical override in the form of control rods. Push in the rods and the nuclear reaction stops. A more likely, but complex idea, would be to somehow remotely trigger LOCAs (loss of coolant accidents)...

However, the important thing to remember is that the override itself is simply ‘The McGuffin’. Alfred Hitchcock, the undisputed master of suspense, referred to a McGuffin as a device or plot element that catches the viewer’s attention or drives the plot, but explained that it isn’t important exactly what the McGuffin was, as long as it served its purpose. It only has to be of vital importance to the characters in order to work. Certainly, this season has provided us with enough excitement to prove that Hitchcock was once again, correct.

Also, you have to remember that a truly innovative and genuinely realistic scenario is actually a BAD THING, in that it gives the terrorists ideas and helps them be more creative. For example, in 1994 Tom Clancy published "Debt of Honor", in which he describes a terrorist crashing a 747 with a full fuel load into the Capitol, killing the President and many of the House and Senate members. Is it any wonder that in 1996, the FBI suddenly discovers that al-Queda members are taking jumbo jet flying lessons?

Thus, I am glad that the writers came up with a stupid plot device. As far as I'm concerned, the stupider the better. There is no greater regret a writer could have, than having his work mis-interpreted for the purpose of evil. For example, Robert Heinlein's "Stranger in a Strange Land" was one of the favorite books of the mass murderer Charles Manson. (When Manson started his "family" in San Francisco, he borrowed some of the terminology and ceremonies from the book.) Can you imagine what it would feel like to have your screenplay referred to by a terrorist as the inspiration for a successful mass murder?

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Just in case anyone cares, an EMP device can be built for about $400. The device is called a "flux compression generator". It consists of an explosives packed tube inside a copper coil that is energized by a bank of capacitors. This creates a magnetic field. When the explosives are detonated from rear to front, the tube flares outwards touching the copper coil and so creating a moving short circuit. This compresses the magnetic field forward and creates an EMP that surges from the ordnance with peak currents of tens of millions of amps.

So theoretically, what they were doing in the show is actually quite realistic.

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What a great show!