How do you end a show that already concluded? What scenario do you put your hero in, quite possibly forever? How do you end a series that's future is really unknown?
Well with this ending and what I've heard in the past few days, I'm not totally convinced that 24 is done. But we'll get to 24's future in a little bit, I want to talk about the ending.
The final episode is set up like this. Jack knows where Cheng is with the override device. The US is on the brink of war with China and this can all be prevented if they apprehend Cheng and prove to the Chinese that they were behind the attack on the Chinese aircraft carrier.
Jack and Kate decide to split up. Kate goes to help Audrey, Jack goes after Cheng.
And at first, it starts to work.
Jack and Belcheck (who I actually really liked, especially his line about his name being like Madonna's) go all stealth into the large cargo freighter where Cheng is leaving. Kate manages to kill the sniper that had Audrey pinned down. It looks like all Jack needs to do is go and kill Cheng. With his team of Chloe and Belcheck, its looking pretty good...
Then Chloe disappears, they no longer have oversight. But that's never stopped Jack before right?
Well then he gets the call...
There was a second shooter and Audrey is now dead. And she is dead. No smoke and mirrors, no clock sound at the end of her scene, she is dead.
And while I really like Kim Raver and I liked Audrey, I think this was probably the best way to go. Personally, I didn't want them to go down the road of having Audrey have to choose between Jack and Mark. I didn't want Mark to go to prison just for it to be convenient for her to end up with Jack. And while I think it probably could have been the best outcome for everyone, I didn't want her to not end up with Jack. So while it might be considered an easy way out of an awkward scene, Audrey's death was a decent choice.
And there of course is the great moment where Jack hits the lowest he's been the entire season.
There's a moment where nothing else matters, he really has nothing to lose. Again, I kind of go back to the whole there's Kim and his now two grandkids, but put that all aside, Jack again faces an incredible loss. There's even a slight indication that Jack might take his own life, and at that point I was afraid that was where they were going.
This scene was reminiscent of the scene from the first season where Jack believes his daughter is dead. He takes a moment, stunned by an incredible loss... then...
It sounds bad, but every time Kiefer Sutherland does that heart wrenching yell while shooting an assault rifle, I get so pumped.
So in a matter of seconds, Jack shoots his way through Chinese terrorists in a manner that makes Call of Duty look tame and finally faces off with Cheng, the man responsible for so much pain in his life, physical and emotional. It would have been enough to kill this guy off before Audrey's death as he tortured both Jack and Audrey, but now that Audrey is dead, there is no way Cheng is getting out alive.
Before he kills him though, he sends a message to the President and everyone proving Cheng is alive, and that he was the one responsible for sinking the Chinese aircraft carrier. World War 3 is prevented.
But at this point, Jack has already tossed Margot out a window with the ease of Superman throwing his garbage out, how is Jack going to dispose of his ultimate foe?
Well a Katana of course!
Oh yeah, its ridiculous, its absurd, it fucking 24.
Jack Bauer can now add decapitation by Katana as one of his many ways of dispatching terrorists.
So the day is won, and then comes the aftermath.
More importantly though, when Mark realizes it, just by seeing the President collapse. Like I said, I like Mark more than most people in this season and that was almost more tragic, just seeing that facial expression that, without hearing it, he knows Audrey is dead.
I am very sad to see that Audrey died but its a bold move and really lends itself to create a melancholy ending. Sure they prevented World War 3, but at what cost?
Before the jump in time that happens, Jack realizes that Chloe is gone, probably by way of a struggle and then gets a call. I thought this scene was really good as the camera pans into Jacks face and I wish I had a good picture of it because its shot really really well.
The last ten minutes of the episode are probably the most depressing ten minutes I've seen in a long time. Mark is heading back to the United States to stand trial for treason, Kate, burdened with the death of Audrey and the death of her husband, who she discovered was actually innocent, leaves the CIA, and President Heller the coffin of his daughter being boarded onto Airforce One.
I think this could have been a really good scene if William Devane wasn't such a crumby actor. He talks with the Prime Minister (played by Stephen Fry) that in a few months, he won't remember he had a daughter, and he won't remember that she died. This is really tragic dialogue. Despite Devane's horrible delivery of the line and his complete absence of any emotions, I still felt incredible depressed by this ending.
And I only had the premonition that it could only get worse.
So how do you end this?
It ends in a prisoner exchange with the Russians. Jack has the opportunity to live his life, especially with a Presidential pardon, but instead he surrenders himself to the Russians in exchange for Chloe's freedom.
The last few lines are made my a Russian official saying to Jack that he'd say Jack was going to like Moscow, but that wouldn't be true.
The day closes with Jack being taken away by the Russians to what we can only assume is month (probably years) of torture, the exact same way he was treated by the Chinese.
That is the ending... The super depressing ending.
Audrey dies, James Heller is damned to an existence of Alzheimers, and Jack is damned to a Russian Prison...
Now if I had watched this when it aired, I would have been incredibly pissed. What kind of ending is that? If 24: Live Another Day was suppose to be a concluding chapter in the life of one of the greatest action heroes since John McClane, this is how you end his story? Being damned to a life in a Russian Prison? What the hell is wrong with you guys?
I'm not saying you had to keep Audrey alive and have Jack win the lottery, but what would have been wrong with a sad Jack going back to the United States with his daughter meeting him at the airport?What would have been wrong with him showing up for the exchange but Belcheck snipes all the Russians once Chloe is free and Jack goes on the run again? Give the man some closure for gods sake!
WHAT DO YOU MEAN ITS NOT GOING TO FOCUS ON JACK!
24 is not a show you can just reboot, the show is no longer known for just being a show that takes place in real time, this show is Jack Bauer's.
But watching the end, I have no doubt that they'll continue 24. Because c'mon, that's how you want to end 24? Really? Again, nobody is saying World Peace needs to be achieved, but that?!?!?!
My only reaction to any talks of 24 continuing without Jack Bauer is this...
Here's the good thing, this show made me interested in seeing more 24. I want to see how Jack escapes from the Russians. Especially if they're looking for new ways to reinvent the show, show Jack escaping the Russian prison! Bring back Tony!
On the blue ray there's a video showing Carlos Bernard return as Tony Almeida and hinting at him escaping from prison.
I have no doubt that they have plans for future 24. God I hope they include Tony in that. But I will
ESPECIALLY with how you ended things in Live Another Day.
That is not the way to end the legend that is Jack Bauer. That's dumb. Don't do it!
I think in normal circumstances, I'd take the approach that I don't think they need to continue 24. It had a good run and if it had ended better, 24: Live Another Day would have been an acceptable ending chapter to finish off the story 24 was trying to tell.
But with an ending like that, I have no choice but to say, do your job right, end Jack Bauer's story correctly! I'm opposed to any kind of 24 that doesn't focus on Jack Bauer but if I have a guarantee that Jack will return and he's not damned to spend the rest of his life in a Russian prison, then I'll entertain the idea of it being handed off to someone else... maybe.
I think Fox is playing with fire with this one. They had a chance to end 24 right, Live Another Day could have been that ending. Now they're doubling down and I'm worried its going to go worse than the 8th season.
All I can say is...
This is what 24 has brought me to. A meme I usually use for Zack Snyder is being used here. Do you see the problem here?
But what do you think? Where do you think 24 should head? Should they continue 24 without Jack Bauer? Should they let him rot in a Russian Gulag? What do you think? Comment and Discuss below! Also follow me on Twitter @cmhaugen24 to get updates and watch me try and be funny.
I'll leave you with this. What is Jack Bauer was a Pizza Delivery man? Makes about as much sense as the end of the 8th season. Enjoy!
No comments:
Post a Comment