So in last week’s column I asked people to chime in on their thoughts regarding the Jack/President Taylor conflict. Well, nobody responded – except some Japanese guy, but Lord knows what he said – but I feel like this week’s episode solidified an argument against Jack. How could one possibly argue that Jack isn’t out for vengeance right now? Sure, “justice” is a nice little consequence to his actions, but don’t fool yourself – his motives are revenge. Jack’s actions throughout the episode reeked of self serving. Not that the guy doesn’t have a right to feel the way he feels, and not that the people who were responsible don’t deserve what they have coming. My only concern is that the show will eventually lead us to believe that Jack was in the right in this situation. And honestly, I don’t believe that to be the case.
But let’s look at some of the things Jack did. First, he helped an admitted terrorist, who was implicit in the assassination of a foreign President on American soil, escape the facility she was being held by orders of the President (as a side note, I’m glad Jack and Cole didn’t immediately begin killing the guards. People need to remember that these people are not “bad guys.” They’re a private, and as far as we know legitimate, security organization that was hired by the President. And if you want to get moralistic about torturing prisoners for information, that’s pretty much Jack’s M.O.) Then he shot a cop in the foot (but hey, he’s a nice guy for apologizing first and telling somebody to call an ambulance after). And finally, he executed Dana in cold blood.
Trust me, I’m thrilled it happened. And I’m even happier that she didn’t get the respectful “silent clock” treatment. But he didn’t HAVE to kill her. In fact, he probably shouldn’t have killed her (who knew what other information she knew). And if you want to get all “honor amongst thieves”-like, he did make a side deal with her saying that he’d let her go.
I actually really like when they’re willing to get a little dirty with Jack. A straight laced hero is not interesting. And I also appreciate the fact that HE thinks he’s right. My only concern is that the show will ultimately try to get us to say, “Man, Jack was right.”
One thing that disappointed me: I think the writers REALLY took the easy route by having Cole and Dana enter the bank from Jack’s perspective. It seemed obvious to me that they wanted to avoid scripting the interaction in which they would have to explain to their apparent friend why they’re acting so tense around each other, while Dana clearly looks like she’s been beaten half to death.
Obviously, that isn’t to say that Taylor is coming out smelling like roses. She actually finds herself on a road very similar to the one David Palmer went down. She made one questionable decision, which ultimately resulted in a series of progressively bad choices – to the point that there’s no going back, and she has to make reckless decisions to cover up what she’s already done. So that leads me to my question: Can this possibly end well for Taylor? When Palmer found himself in a similar scenario, he decided he wouldn’t run for re-election. What will be the consequences of President Taylor’s actions? The same? Resignation? Impeachment? Or will it actually work out for her?
I also think it’s fair to say that Charles Logan has officially shed any shades of gray he might have been wearing. The disgraced former President is most surely still acting in his villainous ways. Actually, I think it’s fair to say that once you put a hit out on Jack, you’ve turned heel. And I really enjoyed the brief, but layered interaction between Logan and Ethan. Again, the angel and devil on Taylor’s shoulders.
But hey, at least Dana is dead.
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.
