Following the final episode of 24, I decided to peruse some message boards to see what people were saying (this was a first, as I typically avoid any message boards or fan pages of any show I don’t want to know spoilers for), and one poster eloquently noted that the planned 24 movie deprived us of a proper finale. And I think that’s absolutely true. The final two hours of season eight truly felt more like a typical season’s finale than a definitive series finale – and it’s because they have a movie on their mind.
That’s not to say it was a bad episode – or even a disappointing one, per se – but it certainly wasn’t what I expected. For one thing, the show runners have been patting themselves on the back for weeks now about how a happy ending wouldn’t have done this show justice. But it definitely wasn’t an “unhappy” ending either. The bad guys got caught, the corrupt president saw her way and resigned, and those responsible paid a price one way or another. The only person who didn’t walk away “happy” was arguably the one person who deserved it (Jack).
And even then, Jack didn’t even have to face any REAL consequences for his actions. And I actually found that most bothersome of all. Last year he repeatedly told Tony that following their mission, he would have to turn himself in for the crimes he’s committed (this, despite the fact that he had presumably seen the light and was assisting in taking down a severe threat). And the motivation behind Jack’s entire killing spree this year was to make those responsible pay for what they had done, in the absence of proper justice. Yet when his turn came, did he turn himself in like he self-righteously demanded Tony do? Nope. And did he seek justice for his crimes like he demanded President Taylor should do with the Russians? He did not. He also sat back and allowed Taylor to resign as punishment for her poor decisions, but then turned around and took the opportunity to go on the run when it was presented to him. He did this despite the fact that he knew it would probably put his daughter and granddaughter in danger. How admirable!
So no, I didn’t find Jack’s conclusion heroic or fair. For the past several hours he’s been murdering people, quite ruthlessly, and was willing to assassinate a foreign president. He did this under the pretention of justice, but I feel like he enjoyed it too much for that to be true. It was only after a speech from Chloe – which was very reminiscent of the speech he gave Tony last year, about not using a loved one’s name as an excuse to kill for vengeance – that he came to his senses.
I will say this for Jack, though: he was absolutely right about the peace agreement, and I think his point was very poignant. Quite simply, long-term peace will never last if it’s motivated by politics – it must be motivated by the desire to have peace. And that’s why, at this point in time, President Taylor’s peace agreement was doomed for failure, even if it was signed. My question for you is: Who do you think that recording was intended for? My instinct says Kim (although wouldn’t she be fully aware of Renee and Jack’s relationship with her?) So I do wonder if he made it with the intention of Taylor getting it and in hopes of indirectly talking her down.
It should also be noted that this was the finest performance Cherry Jones has put forth since taking on the role of President Taylor. When she essentially snapped and decided to completely throw herself over the line and threatened President Hassan with an act of war if she didn’t sign the peace agreement, you could see her for what she was: A desperate woman who, at that point, had both nothing and everything to lose. And then when she saw the light, and decided not to sign the treaty herself, you could tell that she was ready to completely break down. When she left the room and practically crawled down the hallway with Tim, you could see that she was ready to crumble. Part of me expected her to just collapse there and then.
Charles Logan’s breakdown wasn’t quite as dramatic, in my view. In fact, it was a tad cartoonish. Logan has always been that evil genius that stays behind the curtain. He just doesn’t get his hands dirty (that’s why it was so dramatic when he slapped Martha). The idea of him senselessly murdering his right hand man was just ridiculous. And that’s the thing – it was senseless! If he planned on killing himself anyway, what was he trying to hide? Was he just that determined to see Jack die? It was just silly.
That being said, I did love the little touch of having the final clock ticking counting down to zero, instead of up to the following hour.
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.
