DVD-Only Prequel Fills in ’24’ Gaps
The DVD set of season four of “24” will include at least one nifty little extra: a 10-minute mini-episode that helps bridge the time gap between the end of Jack Bauer’s fourth really long day as a counter-terrorism agent and the coming season, which premieres in January.
For the pleasure of knowing where Jack (Kiefer Sutherland) went after faking his own death, fans of the show can expect to pay a retail price of about $70. Which is about $70 more than the gap-bridging extra cost the show’s producers to make.
That’s because Toyota picked up the tab for the cost of shooting via a product-placement/sponsorship deal — commonplace on TV but novel for DVD content. The prequel segment ends with a high-speed chase that will doubtless feature the automaker’s vehicles tearing through the streets of Los Angeles, or wherever it is that Bauer’s hiding out.
“The prequel was a great opportunity to address some unanswered questions from the end of last season,” executive producer and Howard Gordon says, “and to give fans some clues from the season ahead — and to deliver a really exciting car chase.”
The preview takes place four months before the opening of season five and features Jack meeting covertly with CTU operative Chloe O’Brian (Mary Lynn Rajskub), one of the few people inside CTU who knows Bauer is still alive. FOX says the prequel will also give clues about the coming season’s bad guys and how Jack has been keeping his real identity a secret.
The “24” season four DVD set hits stores Tuesday (Dec. 6). Season five premieres Sunday, Jan. 15.
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