10 Silliest Things On 24 (And The Lessons To Be Learned From Them)

9. Jack Cures His Heroin Addiction By Taking Some Pills (Day 3)

At the end of the first episode of day three, we see Jack retire to his office, close the shades, and prepare to shoot up heroin. It's only when his daughter, Kim Bauer, asks to speak to him on the intercom that he stops what he's doing. Finally, he empties the syringe and throws it against the wall in anger. Cue the ticking clock. It turns out that while Jack was undercover in a Mexican drug cartel prior to the season, he began using heroin to blend in, and became so addicted that he was unable to stop once the assignment was finished. However, Jack's struggle with drug addiction is never more than a minor plot point during the third season. Eventually, after a medical examination, Division Director Ryan Chappelle gives Jack a bottle of pills and tells him they will help him get over the addiction. Jack's heroin problem is then dismissed. The Lesson: Don't start out by writing a character into a corner. Jack almost shooting up heroin was a shocking way to end the season three premiere, but it was a terrible place to leave the character for the next 23 episodes. The writers soon realized this, mostly ignoring the addiction, and ultimately dismissing it with a magic bottle of pills a little over half-way through the season. But they should have realized the limitations the show's real-time format would have on this plot line, and dropped the idea before filming.