Goodbye, 24. Again

Spoilers for the 24: Live Another Day finale follow. Please be aware as you continue to read…

Just as quickly as he blazed through CIA headquarters upon his return in the 24: Live Another Day premiere, Jack Bauer has once again left bodies and protocols in his wake while departing our lives. Though many speculated this series would end with Jack dying in a hail of heroic gunfire, likely avenging yet another perceived tragic wrong, it actually ended with Jack forgoing his own established pardon and offering himself up as justice for his actions against the Russians four years prior.

Was this a less heroic action? Not at all. By trading himself for the life of his only true remaining friend, fan-favorite Chloe, the series ended the only way it could. My initial reaction was anger and frustration. Followed by confusion as I was left to wonder how Kim would take the news of her dad being so close to returning, yet ultimately left hanging once again. This quiet exchange is just not how I foresaw my 24 rejuvenation ending. I imagined a reconciliation with Kim and his grandchildren. Perhaps a hero’s welcome on the tarmac at JFK airport. Maybe we would finally get that Jack Bauer National Holiday that is so richly deserved.

Yet after some time away from this ending, it occurred to me: That is not the show I’m a fan of. Happy endings do not circle around a show with this much explosive action and character fatalities. We just witnessed Audrey escape certain death without incident…only to witness her demise mere minutes later in the background of random gunfire.

We just witnessed Kate notify Jack of the loss of his beloved Audrey (we can debate the timing of that call all day, to which I will repeatedly shout ‘story-telling device!’). We then saw our beloved Jack, this latest Dark Knight incarnation, proceed to meat cleaver assailants left-and-right before performing a Ned Stark, samurai-style, on Cheng’s forever-scowling head.

24 Live Another Day, for that matter 24 the series as a whole, has never been a show that gave you exactly what you want. In an age where TV is consistently trying to push the boundaries of audience expectations, we sometimes forget that this is one of the shows that started it all. They continued this tradition throughout the run of this tightly plotted ‘Event Series’ and the conclusion has done what the series does at every conclusion: it left us both frustrated and fulfilled.

Frustrated because, like the end of Season 8, we are once again left wondering the ultimate fate of the great Jack Bauer. This hero (played with continuous iconic brilliance by Kiefer Sutherland) has deserved personal happiness for a decade now, yet the character of Jack Bauer never truly seems interested in relegating himself to the background of a quiet life. Jack wants, NEEDS, to be in the thick of the action. It is the only way he continues to feel.

This is a man that has lost nearly everything at the expense of his dedication to doing what’s right, at any and all costs.  As long as he remains on the run, those few remaining that he still loves continue to be at risk. Kim and his grandchildren will run rampant with a huge target on their backs. Chloe, his admittedly only remaining friend, will most assuredly be a plot point waiting to happen. Jack has run out of options and choices for himself. All he has left is to assure the safety of what little he does have. Jack may have lost his soul somewhat this season, but he has never lost who is at his core: A hero.

Fulfilled because this mini-season has been one of the best of the entire show’s run. We have resolution on numerous characters (minute the glaring omission of one Tony Almeida, dammit!). We have numerous memorable moments to throw into the 24 memory banks (window tossing anyone?). Most of all, we have been able to enjoy the return of one of the most iconic television characters without missing a beat of what it was that drew us to this exciting series to begin with.

For that, we say thank you to Kiefer, Mary Lynn, Jon Cassar and the rest of the 24 crew. Thank you for giving us fans a little bit more of what we loved for so many years. Jack Bauer hasn’t lost a step, and this series proves more than ever what a better world it is with his brand of cold justice running loose in the streets, whether they are our streets or abroad. Sure, we would love another go round in this universe, but if this is the last taste we are given, at least it went down as the fine wine it was. Jack Bauer will live on in the hearts and minds of his fans for years to come and this series has been an exemplary example as to why. From all of us, again we say thank you.

Although, if you live in Russia, you might just want to take an extended vacation. Jack Bauer is broaching the air space, and he is not in a good mood.

Goodbye, 24. Again.

 

Aaron Peterson
The Hollywood Outsider