As if most Americans even know more about the Spanish Inquisition other than the name... sigh. (One of my favorite quotes from a professor ever: "I don't want to hear it - EVERYONE expected the Spanish Inquisition!") I think people are starting to see 24 as getting a bit ridiculous, but only because you can only blow up LA and have Our Hero be misunderstood and on the run so many times before it gets silly. It was pretty popular for a while, though. I am going to enjoy pointing out that Star Wars is more realistic XD
Though that's true about the TV dichotomy of good guys never break/bad guys are always cowards who do. SW has Nemoidians, so I guess they're equal there.
Except that there's Not!Traitor Lando, who sells out Han for reasons having nothing to do with courage or lack of it (we know he's got enough courage to contradict Vader and bargain for Leia's and Chewie's lives, then rebel against the Empire while they're still in the city). No torture, technically, but there is the threat of hurting lots of people he cares about. So I think SW still wins in the realism department.
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Though that's true about the TV dichotomy of good guys never break/bad guys are always cowards who do. SW has Nemoidians, so I guess they're equal there.
Except that there's Not!Traitor Lando, who sells out Han for reasons having nothing to do with courage or lack of it (we know he's got enough courage to contradict Vader and bargain for Leia's and Chewie's lives, then rebel against the Empire while they're still in the city). No torture, technically, but there is the threat of hurting lots of people he cares about. So I think SW still wins in the realism department.