24 – Episodes 7-23 & 7-24 Review

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That was a pretty risky ending to 24, huh?

I don’t really mind the open ended conclusion, because things typically don’t tie up in a neat little package in exactly 24 hours, but considering that in a lot of ways this was the “make it or break it” season (after a disappointing Day 6), I expected a more explosive, conclusive finale.

As many people have noted, this season kicked off with Jack vs. Tony and after spending much of the day working side by side, it all came full circle. However, as it turned out, Tony WASN’T playing with the bad guys after all. Not completely, anyway. His motivation the entire time hasn’t been for power or money, or even to take down the government he’s grown to resent. Instead, everything he’s done has been to get close enough to the man who orchestrated his wife’s death.

I really enjoyed the confrontation between Jack and Tony near the conclusion of the episode. Oftentimes, when two conflicting characters are arguing, I find myself saying, “Why didn’t you make this point?” That didn’t happen here. I felt that both characters made completely believable, perfectly adequate arguments. Tony rightly pointed out that he was the one that saved lives that day, and that if it wasn’t for him, they wouldn’t have been able to stop many of the terrible things that had happened. Jack countered that he also killed many innocent people, and was willing to sacrifice even more.

On top of that, I was very satisfied with Tony’s explanation for his seemingly erratic actions throughout the day. Jack hit the nail right on the head: Tony had been playing both sides. He wasn’t a terrorist, nor was he a mole. He simply had an end game in sight and was willing to do whatever it took to reach that point. He did some “good” along the way, like involving Bill and Chloe in order to shut down certain terrorist groups, and he was willing to prevent an attack if it didn’t advance his cause.

I was also glad that they didn’t kill off Tony. Like I’ve said, there’s still some fuel in that tank. In fact, I wouldn’t mind seeing him take a Hannibal Lector type role in future seasons, using his past connections and insider knowledge to provide Jack with some crucial information.

This episode also did a nice job of drawing some parallels between many of the characters. We learned that Michelle was carrying Tony’s unborn son when she was killed (great revelation, by the way), which is very similar to what happened with Jack’s wife. And while Jack was forced to work with Nina – his wife’s killer – a few times, he did execute her the second she was no longer served a purpose. Honestly, that’s not ALL that different from Tony’s motivations. Naturally, shooting somebody is a far cry from using your former best friend as a human explosive, but the motives were similar.

Similarly, Jack accused Tony of tarnishing Michelle’s memory by using her death in order to commit immoral actions. Later, Janis made the same point to Walker, noting that Larry would not have wanted her to torture a suspect in order to get information, and doing such would be dishonoring his death.

I have to wonder, when Chloe heard Walker say, “They’re using Kim Bauer as leverage,” was she thinking, “Oh crap, not again”? Truth be told, Kim’s involvement was more or less harmless. It was a tad silly that she would chase this guy with a gun throughout the entire airport without so much as grabbing a weapon – in high heels, no less – but I’m guessing that was just to show that she’s not some helpless little girl anymore (I guess she did kinda sorta save the day).

I found the First Gentleman’s transformation very shocking. Throughout the entire season, he was portrayed in a very sympathetic, almost pitiful light. Then in the final half hour or so, he showed his true colors, and they aren’t pretty. He essentially blamed the President for their son’s death, and threatened her – in a passive aggressive way – to bury the evidence that their (bitchy) daughter was behind Hodge’s murder. Man, did he come off as cold during that difficult discussion. For what it’s worth, I’m glad that President Taylor opted to turn her daughter in. First off, it helps redeem her earlier blindness in regards to her daughter. Secondly, it put her in a position of strength that we haven’t seen since President Palmer (the good one).

Oh, and considering how much gruff this show takes for its portrayal of those from Middle Eastern descent (whether deserved or not), I found it oddly touching that Jack would seek and receive spiritual solace from a Muslim.

Overall it was a really good season – one that certainly wiped the slate clean after the immensely disappointing season six. I look forward to Day 8, in New York City (which makes a WHOLE lot more sense than Los Angeles – this location change is a long time coming!)

Matt Basilo has been writing for Inside Pulse since April 2005, providing his insight into popular television shows such as Lost, Heroes, Prison Break, and Smallville. You can visit his blog at A Case of the Blog.

Matt Basilo has been writing for Inside Pulse since April 2005, providing his insight into various popular television shows. Be sure to visit his blog at [a case of the blog] and follow him on Twitter.