Does The Setting and Culture Matter?
by Vasiliy Demchenko on Nov.22, 2009, under
Naturally the setting has an influence on the crimes and threats that occur within the city. The show always takes place in an urban setting. Originally, when the show aired, it was set in Los Angeles. This city is prone to a high rate of gang related violence and due to its large population and importance to the economy and culture of America, it is a prime target for terrorist threats. Originally in the first season, Bauer must protect the Senator of California from an assassination plot. However season two has a nuclear threat in Los Angeles. Los Angeles is one of the most diverse and heavily populated city in America, thus making it have lots of importance. If terrorists could cause harm or even destroy the city totally, it would cause great chaos in the country and within the government, which is exactly what the terrorists want. Later in the show, the series moves to DC and then New York. Both of these locations have even more importance to America: DC houses the government and New York is an economical capital, thus making them both huge targets for terrorist threats. Ironically, the show began after the events on 9/11 in New York and now the series ends in New York. These cities, due to their high rate of crime and violence, lend to a higher rate of law enforcement, however that also leads to more and more rogue cops. Our culture encompasses many movies and television series that deal with law enforcement and "good cops turning bad" due to gang related activities and promises. Jack Bauer must also deal with such situations. One particularly noteworthy betrayal occurs when one of Bauer's co-agents, Nina Myers, turns against Jack and tries to kill him, however ends up killing his wife and later being killed by Jack himself.
* Grimm, Tom. Downtown_LosAngeles,night,freeway. Digital image. Discoverlosangeles.com. 2009. Web. 28 Apr. 2010.http://discoverlosangeles.com/images/Downtown_LosAngeles,night,freeway_Grimm,Tom+Michele.jpg