TOUCH: Martin (Kiefer Sutherland) rushes to help a wealthy investor who may be able to set up an important meeting for him in the “Closer” episode of TOUCH on FOX – ©2013 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Isabella Vosmikova/FOX
Touch creator Tim Kring recently shared his thoughts on the show’s second season intensity and the difference between Martin Bohm and Jack Bauer of 24.
In the back-to-back episodes “Event Horizon” and “Closer”, Season 2 of Touch picks up immediately after last year’s finale with Kiefer Sutherland’s character, Martin, on the run with his son, Jake (David Mazouz). Like we saw at the end of the first season, Martin is determined to keep Jake safe from those who want to exploit his supernatural abilities. But Jake is on a mission of his own, to find the elusive Amelia (Saxon Sharbino).
Since Martin and Jake are on the run this season, how important was it for Tim Kring and the creative team to tap into the intensity that Kiefer Sutherland brought to 24?
“That really started in earnest in the last two hours of the season last year,” said Kring to The Deadbolt ahead of the second season premiere, “when he realizes that somebody is after his son, and he goes to these extraordinary lengths. In the season finale he buys a gun from a pawn shop and goes in to the board-and-care facility, where his son is, prepared to use this gun to take his son and flee across the country with him.”
Fans of 24 will likely welcome the higher stakes this season in Touch since Sutherland is no stranger to the intensity of being on the run. After all, Jack Bauer spent many an episode of 24 on the run to save the world.
However, as Kring explained this week, there’s a big difference between Martin Bohm and Jack Bauer.
“It’s that everyman aspect of what would you or I do in that situation and not Jack Bauer that makes it kind of interesting,” Kring continued to The Deasdbolt. “When Martin first gets the gun in the season finale from the pawn shop, he has to feel the weight of the gun in his hand because he’s not used to holding a gun. That one moment I think really said a lot. It sort of told people instantly that this isn’t Jake Bauer doing this; this is a much more dangerous situation because he’s a bit ill prepared.”
As fans of Touch saw last season, Martin Bohm is a relatable everyman as a former journalist turned baggage handler thrust into an extraordinary situation through his son. In 24, Jack Bauer was a highly skilled agent for the country’s Counter Terrorism Unit who was often a target of many on both sides of the law.
“Kiefer’s able to tap in to the action stuff that he played for so long on 24,” added Kring, “but he’s able to do it through the lens of somebody who is not trained in that. That tension I think is the part that’s fun to watch in Martin Bohm and not Jack Bauer.”
Season 2 of Touch premieres Friday, February 8 at 8/7c on Fox.
What do you like about Martin Bohm as compared to Jack Bauer?