IF it is impossible for the kid to have gotten his hands on the cigarettes (and just touching it at some point within 24 hours could have made him sick according to a previous episode), then it seems like Walt is more likely to have poisoned the kid than Gus.

If all the 'arab spring' stuff pans out and people's lives substantially improve in that part of the world, it will do more to minimize 'arab terrorism'  than if every last penny in the Federal Treasury is given to the CIA, the Dept. of Homeland Security, the Pentagon, etc.

In "24"  - the whole show was based around endless cycles of Jack being 'condemned' by his superiors, him disobeying their orders and then proving them so wrong they had to eat crow. What you describe in this show sounds like the basis for more of the same.

If you don't think 'entertainments' like books, movies, tv had a profound effect on shaping the way people see the world, then they are not doing their job.

Didn't watch The Shield so can't comment. The Wire had many main characters with various ethical stances so the show's message did not hinge on the action of any one cop (although McNulty himself was reconciled to the punishment he received for his ultimate unethical act).

I would hardly put "24" in the same category as BB or the Sopranos, although I would say The Sopranos edged towards endorsing Tony's criminal lifestyle because they only showed him killing and beating the crap out of people who 'deserved' it.

Insofar as torture being used as a deterrent goes:

The fact that you are intentionally misinterpreting my words (where do I say its OK to force people into false confessions?) casts doubt on any any of your other conclusions.

You are quite naive if you do not think works of fiction can't have an important effect on public opinion.

Obama's greatest shortcoming has been to follow in the footsteps of heinous policies started for the most part by Ronald Reagan and carried through by the Bush's.

If Dane's character continues to be the show's main focus, it is an implicit validation of her methods (a la "24") .

"24" often presented Jack's actions to be illegal but his methods were always 'validated by a positive outcome. In effect the show promoted the idea that 'crime pays' and the rule of law is for weaklings and suckers.

1 & 2) I don't remember the specific details but there was an article in the New Yorker some years back about the creator of "24" (his name escapes me) where people in the military (maybe the CIA?)  begged him to speak to younger agents/recruits who looked at Jack Baur as a 'role model'. You may want to promote the…

Being that "24" did a great deal of harm by undermining a basic Constitutional premise that  'cruel and unusual punishment' is ethically deplorable, I have to admit I hope this thing goes down the tubes FAST.

Geesh, I'd say you could count on one hand the number of Americans who
stereotype Brits as 'hooligans' - the predominant stereotype is indeed
that of tea-drinking wusses…which is another way of saying I think
Eddie Izzard was just fine and wonder what the reviewer was drinking.