24 Finale

I've never liked a TV show as much as 24, I guess it's pretty obvious from my blog site and my message alert tone from way back. The show is also proof that product placement works. I searched high and low for the exact Palm that Jack was using then.

I was deeply saddened after watching the final episode last night. Jack's message to Chloe was also one of the most touching.

“When you first came to CTU I never thought it was going to be you that was going to cover my back all those years. ... Thank you.”

As if I still needed affirmation about how much I liked the series finale, I checked twitter and saw a tweet from Kevin Williamson, creator / writer of Vampire Diaries.

@kevwilliamson Just finished watching 24. Sobbing.

Here are the best scenes from the final 2 episodes:
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10. Kiefer Sutherland’s Nod of Appreciation to Fans
Tonight started with an appreciative (and bearded) Kiefer Sutherland expressing his gratitude for the legion of fans that made 8 seasons of the show possible. It was a fitting start to the end and set the tone that this would be an emotional night.

9. Logan In His Sights
Just as Charles Logan finally thinks he’s in the clear, Jack lets the disgraced politician know that he’s been recording his incriminating phone conversations for the past hour. It’s a satisfying display of the conniving and cunning Logan once again thinking he has outwitted Jack Bauer, only to discover he’s no match for the crafty adversary.

8. Chloe Shoots Jack
Jack’s been tortured in just about every imaginable way. He’s been clinically dead, stabbed, shot and even been addicted to heroin. But no one would’ve ever guessed that Chloe would one day shoot Jack at point blank range. Good thing though that the writer’s weren’t done using one of their most tried and true cliches - “the bullet missed all vital organs.” This gunshot concluded one of the most tense moments of the finale as Jack commanded his long-time friend to kill him and use the distraction to get the conspiracy evidence in the hands of the press.

7. President Taylor Comes Clean
In the final moments of the peace treaty process, President Taylor intercepts Jack Bauer’s message to his daughter and realizes that it’s time to come clean. In fitting 24 fashion, she does so right before signing the treaty and makes an announcement that heinous crimes preceded the peace treaty. Noble move yes, but her actions in the last 6 hours still easily clinch David Palmer as the show’s best and most honorable president.

6. Logan Takes out Pillar
Before turning a gun on himself, ex. Pres. Logan decides to kill Jason Pillar. For fans of the show, this was payback to all the weasels over the years that have gotten in Jack Bauer’s way. It was a completely unnecessary move on Logan’s part, but it sure was a satisfying end to the easy-to-hate character of Pillar.

5. Dalia Hassan and President Taylor Square Off
It was a predictable outcome that Dalia Hassan would eventually discover the truth behind President Taylor and President Suvarov’s lies. Her confrontation with Taylor was chilling, but not more so than President Taylor’s psychotic about-face. When Hassan threatens to abort the peace treaty signing, Taylor responds with a resounding threat to invade Hassan’s country with the military. It was a great standoff between the two characters.

4. Taylor Stops the Hit on Jack
There were a few moments tonight that made the movie rumor seem like a cleverly concocted red herring to make Jack’s possible death all the more shocking. One of these was at the end, where Jack’s medical transport to CTU is ambushed and he is taken hostage by Logan’s people. Right before the would-be killer can put a bullet in Jack’s head, President Taylor calls off the hit. She lets Jack know that he has some time to escape, despite the fact that he will be hunted by the Russians as well as the US. It was a nod to (and almost carbon copy of) the end of Season 4: Jack Bauer and President Palmer exchanging goodbyes as he’s warned to disappear for good.

3. “Shut It Down” and Reverse Clock
Our last shot of Jack Bauer is from a CTU satellite, as he once again attempts to disappear. The final seconds of the last episode ticked off with a reverse-countdown, a departure from the forward counting one that ended every episode before. The clock ticking down to zero truly signified the end.

2. Jack and Chloe say Goodbye
Not many characters from the early seasons are still alive, but, next to Jack, Chloe is about as beloved as a 24 character can get. So it was a poignant moment to see her and Jack say their goodbyes. Serious kudos go out to Mary Lynn Rajskub, who nailed this scene by seemingly channeling real, heartfelt emotions one would feel from saying goodbye to the show.

1. Jack Bauer is Alive!
There was never a 24 villain worthy of the honor of killing Jack Bauer. Not Nina Myers, not Philip Bauer, not Charles Logan and definitely not some random government agents. Jack Bauer is one of the greatest action heroes of this time and he didn’t need to die. Not for all the good he’s done. The show didn’t attempt to dress up the finale and it didn’t have to. There were no gimmicks (like the finale to The Sopranos), just good ol’ 24 sticking to its format. It thankfully didn’t end with a silent clock, it went out with hope that Jack could somehow find some peace in his life.