Well, I’ve watched the series finale of 24, and I think it showed why the show really needed to end.
It really seemed like not much happened during the two hours. Sure, Jack got shot by Chloe, bit off the ear of Logan’s suckboy, whispered his dialogue, and resisted assassinating the Russian president, and his recorded message of lukewarm platitudes somehow convinced President Taylor to walk away from the “peace agreement” — but to my mind the “will she, won’t she” plot about President Taylor really didn’t create much tension or, for that matter, interest. The scenes with the Russian President, the UN Secretary General, and Dalia Hassan came across as a lot of background noise and filler; it seemed clear all along that President Taylor would eventually return to her principles, and that Charles Logan would be foiled again. You almost expected him to say, “Curses!”
It was interesting to me that, as the series reached its end, so much of the show focused on Charles Logan. I think the writers recognized that he was the one compelling character in the show who hadn’t been fully fleshed out or painted into a corner. We all know Jack will stoically stand for his concept of justice, and that Chloe will help him to the end. With Logan, however, you never quite knew how far down he would go, and in the end, by killing his aide and then trying to kill himself, he showed there really was no bottom to his depravity and megalomania. (Of course, being Logan, he couldn’t even be successful in his suicide attempt.) Too bad he didn’t get to die a good death at the hands of Jack Bauer — but perhaps the writers wanted to leave open the possibility that Logan and Jack would cross swords again.
Jack, meanwhile, got to say thank you to Chloe for her years of help, and that was a scene that packed some punch. And then, Jack Bauer walked off into the sunset. We’ll apparently see him again on the big screen, with the Russians, the Americans, and God knows who else in hot pursuit.
Webner House 