Man crush – A heterosexual man admiring another man to an extreme in a non-romantic or sexual way.
You might have a man crush if you are a man and catch yourself thinking these things about another man:
“That guy is awesome.”
“I want to hang out with that guy.”
“I want to be that guy.”
“I want to build a statue of that guy on my front lawn.”
“I want to murder him so I can wear his skin like a suit.” (if your man crushery has gotten this bad, you may need to seek some professional help. Ah, who am I kidding? You're probably fine.)
Jack Bauer is fictional. I am aware of that.
I am also aware that Jack Bauer is arguably the most badass character to grace the small screen. How could I not have a man crush on him?
You can’t be badass without some controversy, though, and Jack’s frequent use of torture to obtain information in the series has come under much scrutiny. In season seven, he provides some insight into his view of torture:
“I see fifteen people held hostage on a bus, and everything else goes out the window. I will do whatever it takes to save them, and I mean whatever it takes. ... Laws were written by much smarter men than me. And in the end, these laws have to be more important than the 15 people on the bus. I know that's right. In my mind, I know that's right. I just don't think my heart could ever have lived with it.”
“I see fifteen people held hostage on a bus, and everything else goes out the window. I will do whatever it takes to save them, and I mean whatever it takes. ... Laws were written by much smarter men than me. And in the end, these laws have to be more important than the 15 people on the bus. I know that's right. In my mind, I know that's right. I just don't think my heart could ever have lived with it.”
As the seasons of 24 progressed, Jack only picked up more and more emotional baggage. With the people he loved and were close to continually targeted and often killed, he became more and more isolated and distant. It also made him more dangerous, in the nothing-to-lose kind of way.
In the seventh episode of season eight, Jack gets accidentally stabbed by his partner, Renee Walker. As the bad guys run in, Jack instinctively yanks the knife out of his chest and throws it across the room, nailing the bad guy right in the throat. It was at that point that I smiled to myself and thought Okay, now the season has started. Because a season of 24 hasn’t officially started until Jack Bauer busts out some badassery.
The evidence after the jump (click Read More below)
