Since 24 is two hours next week, does this count as the penultimate episode? I don’t know, maybe I’m just looking for an excuse to use the world “penultimate.” Whatever you want to call it, we’re now just two hours away before this roller coaster series comes to an end.
Do you remember a few hours ago when Dana said she wanted to deal with Jack because he’s the only one who doesn’t have his head up his ass? Well, I think the same can now be said for Cole. It seems like everyone in CTU and within the government are making these reckless decisions motivated by either covering their lies or protecting their bloodthirsty friend. Cole seems to be the only person who just wants to do the right thing – period.
So let’s get right to what virtually everybody is talking about regarding this episode, and that’s Jack’s Iron Man impersonation. That’s right, everybody’s favorite bad ass covered himself in padded Kevlar and a black metal face mask and terrorized a tunnel with an arsenal of automatic weapons. The outfit was admittedly cool looking, and Jack’s methods of luring Logan out of his limo were rather clever. But the scene came off as incredibly cartoonish. That being said, Logan’s crap-my-pants reaction to Jack’s arrival was probably the highlight of the entire season. That was pure gold.
Speaking of Logan, I thought his scene with Taylor was another home run. I loved the way he knocked her off of her high horse, reminding her that everything that happened today was her decision, not his. It’s easy for her to blame all of the failures and misdeeds on Logan, and indeed much of those instances occurred due to his influence, but it was ultimately Taylor’s choice. She had Ethan there the entire time counseling her on alternatives – but she decided to go with Logan’s options.
And am I honestly supposed to be concerned for Jack’s well being now that he’s been stabbed? The dude was already stabbed earlier in the day, and what did he do in response? He used that very same knife to stab somebody in the neck…..while they were on the other side of the room. As it is, he managed to take out an entire room full of Russians (for that matter, while we’re to believe the government officials were behind the terrorist activities, is there any reason to believe the security officers were? If not, Jack basically murdered several innocent people). C’mon, call me when he’s missing a limb or something.
So, how do I see the series ending? Quite honestly, I see Jack getting arrested. He’s obviously not going to die, but I don’t see him getting away either. He’s just gone far too over the edge for that to happen, in my opinion. But in a lot of ways, Jack facing a life – or at least a long term – in prison is a tremendously tragic ending. Consider how this day started, with Jack genuinely happy spending time with his granddaughter. Even when he was tossed back into the thick of things, he desperately tried to avoid getting involved so that he could live a happy little ordinary life with his daughter and her family. For the movies, he’ll probably serve the Hannibal Lector role – the prisoner who is called upon for special circumstances. I see the peace agreement being signed, but Taylor ultimately deciding to resign.
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.
