Reality Is Expendable

Ugh... I'm tired this morning. Can't seem to wake up. Maybe it's the dark clouds and the sleet that's falling, or maybe it's just because I haven't had a good night of sleep in almost two weeks. What I wouldn't give for a solid 8 hours of Z's.

In other news, I watched the latest episode of "24" last night. As usual, it included Kiefer Sutherland kicking unfathomable amounts of ass. God, I love that show. The characters are exciting, the storylines are interesting, and the realism is.. well.. transparent, I guess. Which is exactly why I like the show. It's something great to watch if you want to escape reality for a while. If I wanted something totally realistic, I'd watch one of the CSI's or maybe "Law & Order."

That's one thing that drives me nuts though. Someone will watch "24" and say, "Bah. That's ridiculous. Air Force One could never be shot down with a stolen F-117 Nighthawk!" Well, you might just be right about that. But, that show has never made the claim, nor has it set the tone, for complete realism. From the very beginning of the series, the whole idea was that anything could happen. Anyone could die, nukes could be stolen, killer viruses could be released, and it's totally possible that the main character could go through day after day of this and not go insane.

I am, however, a stickler for realism if the show tells me otherwise. Take "CSI: Miami" for example. If David Caruso suddenly gained the ability to run up walls and dodge bullets, I'd probably stop watching. Why? Because the CSI shows make a solid effort to stay grounded within the realm of fact and science.

This same rule goes for the books I read. A novelist by the name of Matthew Reilly writes books that are totally off the wall. His characters have superhuman strength, they never tire, and they can perform feat after feat of physics-bending stunts. Some people get irritated with this. They say, "Reilly isn't a talented author because his stories aren't believable." Well, no kidding! He never once claimed that they were meant to be real. In fact, he claims just the opposite and says his writing style is that of an action movie with an unlimited special effects budget. Good for him! I like reading his books when I'm in the mood for raw, unrealistic action.

If I wanted a book that was based in our world, I'd probably pick up Michael Crichton or Dan Brown. Both of them still write far-fetched stories, but they make a point to stay within the laws of our society and environment. Well, for the most part. If Michael Crichton's characters started displaying awesome feats of unreasonable strength, I'd probably wonder what drugs he was on and put the book away.

It's all about tone. So, please, if you have a friend who complains that "24" is unrealistic and refuses to watch it, leave him/her alone. Let them ignore this exciting show. It's just a shame that they don't know what they're missing.