Last Night on 24...

There is a simple mantra Jack Bauer has always followed: “I only take orders from the President of the United States.” So it stands to reason that when said president, be that Charles Logan or the current President Allison Taylor, acts in a less than honorable way, for Jack all bets are off.

So it came to pass last evening that the respect most viewers had for President Taylor fell by the wayside when, finding herself in the unfamiliar territory of siding with Charles Logan, she allowed herself to be swayed “for the greater good” [translation – all honor and glory to herself]. Taylor, who at one point was seen almost gagging on the name Charles Logan suddenly opened the door and allowed herself to be quite easily brainwashed and manipulated into kicking her once adored Agent Jack Bauer to the curb. Shame on her!




Suddenly it appeared that sitting at a conference table at the United Nations in the company of Russian assassins and terrorists is okay in President Taylor’s book. Suddenly, keeping vital information from Omar Hasan’s widow and newly-appointed IRK president; Dalia Hasan about the nature of these ‘peace’ talks is, in her almighty judgment, fine and dandy. I say again: Shame on her!

SIDEBAR: Ethan Kanin for President!

That being said, I wonder why it is that President Taylor, who just an hour ago (last week) went to Ethan’s bedside to seek his advice and assistance, is suddenly ignoring his pleas for honesty and good judgment, as if he was some sort of fly she could swat away. She has taken the approach of shady politicians of the ages: Convince yourself you’re doing this to serve the people and you can sleep soundly at night. Yet, this will not be easy because Jack Bauer is involved and he already knows too much. Even worse for Taylor, he has nothing to lose and isn’t feeling warm and fuzzy right now.



Back to CTU

Short of sounding like a gushing proud mother, I must say that I am loving the new Chloe O’Brien. She has taken her role as head of CTU quite seriously – even at the risk of defaulting on her years’ long friendship with Jack to a degree. She is to-the-point, without seeming aggressive. She is on top of everything and in full command. Cole respects her and reluctantly, so does Arlo. She thinks fast on her feet and hasn’t been seen sitting in front of her beloved computer, since her appointment.

Lucky for us, though, she hasn’t lost all her acerbic Chloe-esque sass and simple logic we adore her for. When the president entered CTU and all stood in respect and honor, she too seemed awestruck. Yet, after her initial awe over meeting the president, she was quick to question her actions, when Taylor sidelined Jack and sent him “away”. You lose your shine mighty quick with Chloe if you’re not straightforward. So, short of looking mostly constipated for the duration of the episode, she still stood out as my favorite for the night.


On to Jack…

It killed me to see Jack standing over Renee’s lifeless body. There was no doubt, after that, that his actions would be ruthless. Just how ruthless he was going to get was yet to be seen. Normally I do not – in any way, shape or form – condone a man hitting a woman. However, watching Jack crack Dana Walsh’s head on the table, then slap her around several times was…for lack of a better term…refreshing. All ‘day’ long this woman has paraded around like a smug know-it-all plotting, planning and conspiring with the enemy. All ‘day’ she has played Cole Ortiz and Brian Hastings and Chloe and heck, even Arlo, for fools. She has killed innocent people. She has used her post as a jumping board for treason. And even after she was caught, she maintained her sense of entitlement, seeking immunity for false or delayed information. It was about time someone put her in her place. And even though I cringed with the sting of each of Jack’s back-handed slaps, I also have to admit that I smiled a little, too. Okay, I admit I punched my fist in the air a couple of times as a sign of victory…but that is all I will say about that!

But the thrill of watching Jack teach Dana a lesson died quickly when it was replaced by his face of utter shock and disillusionment as he listened to President Taylor justify the day’s events as a mere building block on the road to peace. Her obviously phony excuse regarding Dana’s immunity stung Jack to the core. You could feel his pain as if he climbed out of the television and shared it with you.

Yes, the president knew and Jack knew and we all knew that if there is one person who would get Dana Walsh to talk and name names, it was Jack. So President Taylor’s argument that Dana is a sociopath (which never stopped Jack before) fell on deaf ears. The president’s involvement in perpetuating a peace built on false pretenses, lies and connections with terrorists will become – not the shining and historic moment she wants – but the blackened tarnished image she will never live down. If she doesn’t buy that, she needs only to look as far as Charles Logan who – having been granted a pardon, still (years later) has to slink about cavorting with enemies and dirty politics.


At the End of the Day

It had to be epic. Jack being led quietly away to be silenced for “the greater good” was not even an option I considered. I was just waiting for the inevitable. So while a starry-eyed official, asked to escort Jack to the helicopter, sung his praises, Jack grabbed the moment of unguarded adoration and ran with it. He took the official’s gun and with that one weapon, made them all stand down. That gave Super Chloe – who can be on all things at all times – some time to race to the chopper and ask all men in shooting position to stand down. Seriously, her wielding that kind of power was beyond cool. Chloe attempted to talk down her beloved friend Jack from his theft of the chopper and his escape. I think I even saw tears in her usually dead eyes. But it’s been 8 seasons Chloe! Don’t you know by now that Jack stands down to no one?

Off into the sky went our jaded, complex, morally straight, ethically flawed, much adored Jack Bauer. But we still have seven hours left in this determining day of reckoning. So I am not worried about Jack yet. I still hold out hope for his redemption. I still hold out hope for his peace. I don’t hold much hope for his happiness.

And I really believe that the peace talks are going to blow up in President Taylor’s face. Whether it is Dalia Hasan or the Russians, something is going to give. The president is going to have to come crawling back to Jack for his help. We have not seen the end of Ethan Kanin’s contributions to the country. Charles Logan will finally be brought to a rightful and just end. President Taylor will be humbled to her knees. Chloe O’Brien will finally get to call home and ask how her kid and husband are doing. And Cole Ortiz will somehow be Jack’s saving grace. I have watched this show from Day 1 and I can make such sweeping comments and assumptions with some authority. I can’t guarantee they’ll come true, but I can hope for it!