While it appears 24’s hero Jack Bauer never stops to eat or use the bathroom, it turns out there’s a very simple answer to this fan-debated question.
It’s been two decades since 24 premiered on Fox, but some viewers are still wondering about one of the Emmy award-winning show’s unsolved mysteries—when does Jack Bauer stop to eat or use the bathroom? It’s a pertinent, albeit humorous question as 24 is a real-time series; each episode taking place over the course of 1 hour, with each season comprised of 24 episodes. There are 9 seasons starring Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) in the lead, but due to the frequent non-stop nature of the show’s action the character is rarely ever seen with food, or taking the time to use the bathroom over the course of a single day.
Jack is a counter-terrorist agent who is often tasked with protecting government officials or uncovering larger-scale terrorist schemes at play, and the show’s various storylines have taken a serious, occasionally lethal tole on his friends and family as well. Over the course of 24’s original 8 seasons Jack Bauer racked up 75 confirmed kills—and a total of 309 throughout the whole series. He is almost always in pursuit of someone, shooting his way through a conflict, or interrogating his enemies. Since 24 is a real-time series, this started a popular gag among viewers and critics alike who are all asking: does Jack Bauer ever stop to take a sandwich, coffee or restroom break?
Executive producers Evan Katz and Manny Cotto explained (via Business Insider) in 2014 that Jack is not on-screen for the entirety of the series stating, “It’s not like the camera is following him around and he’s on-screen the entire season … Jack’s going to the bathroom while we’re on the President, which sometimes takes an entire act.” With 24 presidents like D.B. Woodside’s Wayne Palmer often in key supporting roles or the show cutting to other major players—often including members of various shady government organizations—there is actually plenty of time for Jack Bauer to go to the toilet or eat.
As it turns out, Sutherland and the producers found the recurring joke funny enough to shoot a bathroom scene after all, although it never made it on the air. Sutherland commented (via Digital Spy): “In all fairness, we shot a scene where [Jack] was going to raid an office, and he ran into a washroom and came out nine seconds later much relieved.” The scene was eventually cut from the episode to stick to the serious tone 24 is known for. Of course, this assumes that Sutherland wasn’t joking about the scene, which wouldn’t surprise many considering that the actor was advocating for killing off Jack in 24: Live Another Day in 2014.
Viewers haven’t been entirely satisfied by the producers’ explanation, as in much of his offscreen time, Jack is on the phone, driving, or handcuffed to something. The Guardian did a feature to break down Jack’s offscreen time in season 1, and they found out that Jack is free to use the bathroom approximately five times during that day—even though one of those times was while the police were chasing him through a car park. Nevertheless, that didn’t stop Sutherland from taking the joke one step further and declaring (via Twitter): “There are two things that Jack Bauer never does. Show mercy, and go to the bathroom.”
Recent talk of a 24 revival starring Kiefer Sutherland probably means Jack’s life hasn’t gotten any easier since the series finale. However, it is confirmed that the action hero does manage to squeeze in a few breaks while saving the world, even though it barely seems humanly possible. Perhaps the yoghurt he opens and then immediately puts down in the pilot episode is a symbol of what is about to happen to Jack: a life where eating or using the bathroom are real luxuries.
Credit: Screenrant.com
