On the Season Finale of 24

Discussion of 24's season finale last night and what should happen next season. Skip it if you haven't seen it yet.

Twenty minutes into last night's episode, after Jack had become the Terminator and wiped the entire Drazen family off the face of the Earth, I turned to Aunt Sue and said "That was awesome. Now they have 40 minutes to wrap it up."

During the commercial, we discussed where the series could go next year. "I don't want it to focus on Jack," I said, "because another 24-hour slice of his life would be either too unbelievable or too boring. It should include Jack, but only on the periphery. New characters should be the focus."

40 minutes later, as Jack cradled Teri in his arms sobbing "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," I held onto my belief: Jack must not be the focus of next season. Teri's death is a huge shocker, and the best possible way for the series to have ended, but it is the end. Now Jack and Kim pick up the pieces.

I woke up this morning thinking about next season, and changed my mind. When 24 premieres next fall, it must begin with Jack walking back into CTU with Teri in his arms. He and Kim break down, and the rest of CTU gathers around. Perhaps Nina is seen being led to an interrogation room in the background. Then Jack pulls it together.

He demands to see Nina (or Yelena, or whatever her name is). He is told to go home, get some rest, but he persists. He finally gets to her and finds out that she has 15 hours to meet her contact. An investigation is begun to sniff out the organization behind Nina's defection.

Within the first few hours, we learn that the Drazens were working with this other organization to kill Palmer, and they still want Palmer dead. They have plans to hit him in Dallas. Jack must stop the assassination attempt and discover who Nina was working for before the trail goes cold.

The beauty of Teri's death last night is that a scenario such as the one I have proposed is possible. Had the show ended with Jack, Teri and Kim embracing, they would have been undeniably sacred, the undefeatable Good Guys who triumphed completely over the Bad Guys. Instead, we may see Jack and Kim in a more human light, accept their mortality, and again be unsure of whether they will make it through the next 24 hours of their lives unscathed.

Thank you, Fox, for renewing one of the greatest TV shows of all time.

May 22, 2002 - 11:08 AM