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24: The Official Companion Seasons 1 and 2 is as good as a companion could be.
When this release from Titan Books was
announced, I was worried all we’d be getting was a drier version of the
already fairly dull House Special
Subcommittee book. A book that would simply recap every episode in Seasons 1
and 2 with a cute little forward. Instead, the hours of interviews and research
author Tara DiLullo went through to put together this book is evident from the
moment you open the page and a string of interviews that last the books’ 139
pages begin.
Each episode has a minute by minute
recap on the side (of the two page spread allocated to each episode) which is
easy to completely ignore. The beauty of the layout is that the majority of the
two page spread is consumed by a high-res photo from that episode and a story
from a cast or crew member about their time on the show and how it related to
that episode or the challenges on set that day. Each page also includes a bit of
show trivia and “Research Files” (which I’m almost positive is a direct
copy from the official site) in the right-hand corner which is a fun read as you
turn the page.
As a “24 Fanatic” I knew or thought
I knew pretty much everything there was to know about the shows history,
problems during shooting, scenes cut, random trivia, alternate endings, etc.,
but what surprised me about The Official
Companion was how much I still had to learn. Tara assured me that all the
information in the book came first hand from interviews on set however
information early on in the book as to why the pilot was broadcast as late as
November in 2001, was inaccurate and makes you wonder as to the accuracy of
other comments in the book. That said, the story reported about the delay of the
show is the most common on the internet and is possible when Titan went to fact
check they simply came up with the story which was published.
The Official Companion, most surprisingly, captures the fun on set and making the show. The stories are extremely detailed from Joel Surnow’s story about how he devised the show (which by the way is so much more detailed than any other version ever posted on the net – trust me) to Howard Gordon admitting that David Palmer’s attack at the end of Season 2 was fairly over the top. The magic this book captures is not something I expected until the release of 24: Behind the Scenes book.
REVIEW: 4/5
Tara is currently finishing up her work on 24: The Official Companion Seasons 3 and 4, which I am looking particularly forward to as the writers and crew were extremely honest in their interviews during the first companion and I am sure most people are willing to hear their thoughts on the new direction the series showed signs of taking during Season 3. Watch this space for our exclusive interview with Tara DiLullo, author of 24: The Official Companion!