Now if THIS is how the season started off, methinks there’s a chance we’d be seeing a season nine.
I have to say, this past week’s episode of 24 was one of the most exhilarating I’ve experienced in quite some time – certainly the most thrilling of the season. And best of all, it was heavily reminiscent of the series’ first season, undoubtedly its best. As I watched Dana’s desperate actions as she began to realize her cover was going to be blown, I couldn’t help but think of Nina Meyers. And when she frantically attempted to drive out of the CTU parking lot only to be stopped by Cole, I recalled the similar climax of season one, where Jack thwarted Nina’s fruitless escape. Hell, even the calm voice of reason suggesting that Cole go inside before he does something he regrets echoed what Jack was told when he came face to face with his one time ally.
And for the first time since season one, I actually felt like Jack had failed his mission. Sure, in the past things didn’t quite work out as they planned, and there have certainly been tragic and unexpected deaths. But Hassan’s murder felt different than when characters like Edgar, George Mason, Michelle, and even President Palmer had perished. This didn’t feel like a superficial twist or a plot device to set forth the story. No, instead, it felt just like when Jack discovered that he was too late, and that his wife was already dead. Unlike instances in the past, the reaction wasn’t “what are we going to do now?” It was “We failed.”
And of course, visually, the two aforementioned scenes played out very similarly. In both instances, the viewers were led to believe that Jack would succeed, when the writers and director were actually setting us up for an especially unexpected twist. And both times, Jack made the discovery, and sorrowfully saw the person he had dedicated himself to save sitting tied to a chair, already dead.
And to their credit, the writers did a fantastic job of not only reinforcing Hassan’s likability, but also creating a real sense of urgency concerning his survival. Let me start with my first point. While Hassan has, more or less, been portrayed as a good guy, he’s done some pretty unsavory things. He cheated on his wife. He threatened and tortured those who opposed him. He acquired information on our country’s defenses. He’s no Boy Scout. In this episode, mostly through his scenes with the terrorists, Hassan accepted the mistakes he can’t make excuses for, and justified the actions that may have previously seemed wicked. And you know what? I bought his explanations, and by the climax of the episode, I legitimately wanted him to be saved. And when he wasn’t, I actually was pretty sad.
Along with that, through President Taylor’s various scenes, we came to realize that there’s a lot more to this mission than the typical “powerful political figure that fights alongside the good guys and thus must be saved” story we’ve seen in the past. Indeed, we now understand that Hassan was actually a very special person. Should anything happen to him, any successor would almost certainly bow out of this peace agreement. And if the person in Hassan’s position backs out, other nations will follow suit like a row of dominos. In a season that has otherwise been paint by numbers with the same typical clichés we’ve seen countless times before, there was nothing “token” about this threat. It really was fantastic writing. Hell, they even took the time to explain why Jack was still playing with CTU, despite fulfilling his initial agreement.
And finally, another great part of the episode, which I think is not only worth mentioning but also commending, is the fact that the writers didn’t take the easy route with the difficult decision to essentially sell out Hassan in order to protect the rest of the population of New York City. The President stood firm in her stance, but to his credit, so did Rob, her Chief of Staff. Actually, he went one step above that by actively calling her out on her ideals. And following the scene, I honestly don’t think either of them could be easily classified as “right” or “wrong.” It would have been easy to have Rob cower or act cartoonishly villainous, and I appreciate the fact that the writers avoided taking that route.
I will say this: While I absolutely detested Dana’s character since, like, the second or third hour, I will say that the actress is absolutely remarkable at those devious facial expressions. The way her hair falls over her face and she peers her eyes up, she just looks so incredibly twisted and disturbed. Part of me wishes that they had made the reveal earlier on. Then again, another part of me hopes she dies in a fiery explosion. And then her ashes set on fire too. And then, for good measure, her cat dies too. Just because her story was that dreadful early on.
But hey, Charles F’N Logan returns next week!
Matt Basilo has been writing for Inside Pulse since April 2005, providing his insight into popular television shows such as Lost, 24, Heroes, and Smallville. Be sure to visit his blog at [a case of the blog] and follow him on Twitter.
