*** SPOILER ALERT FOR TWO EPISODES AGO OF 24 **
Jack Bauer, the counter-terrorism agent, has just discovered where the bad guys he’s been looking for have taken the nuclear warheads. He’s trapped in the Russian embassy, and they know he has the information. Naturally, they will cut off all outside communication as soon as possible. Jack picks up a phone and calls Morris at CTU.
Jack only requires two words to reveal the location of the bad guys and the nukes. Just two words: “Shadow Valley.” If he just says those words, CTU will get there before a nuke is launched.
Unfortunately, I’ve noticed that while Jack Bauer can be laconic, when the show needs to create suspense he can become downright loquacious. And you end up with conversations like this (only slightly exaggerated):
Jack: Morris, it’s Jack.
Morris: Jack? Where are you?
Jack: Don’t interrupt. I don’t know how much time I have, but there’s some extremely important information that I need to pass on to you.
Morris: What is it?
Jack: You know that guy we’ve been chasing — the Russian who’s teamed up with the Arab terrorists? I have his location. You’ve got to get a team out there right away to shut them down.
Morris: We’ll do that the moment you give us the location, Jack.
Jack: There’s no time for your interruptions, Morris. I can’t emphasize enough just how vital this one piece of information may be if we’re to have any chance at all of stopping these terrorists from detonating three nuclear bombs on U.S. soil. And with the Russians closing in on me here at the embassy, I may get cut off at any moment. So it’s essential that you listen to what I have to say.
Morris:
Jack: Morris? Morris, are you still there, or have the Russians finally cut off the phone line?
Morris: I’m here, Jack. I was just listening, waiting for you to–
Jack: Stop interrupting me! How am I supposed give you this key information if you keep interrupting? The location of the terrorists we’ve been hunting is… [PHONE LINE GOES DEAD.] Argh! If only I’d had more time!
(OK, so it’s more than slightly exaggerated. Still, in the actual version of the conversation, Jack had enough time to say, “Shadow Valley,” but didn’t.)