24: 2-4pm recap

The following was written in real-time (for the most part). Somehow it seemed appropriate. Needless to say, it is chock full of SPOILERS so if you haven't watched the episode yet then you should probably stop here and fix that IMMEDIATELY. For the rest of you, hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it.

This is it folks. The moment we have all been waiting for. No, I don't mean the series finale of Lost - that was last night. Nope, tonight we say goodbye to Jack Bauer and the rest of Team 24.

Last week ended with the massacre of a lot of Russians by our anti-hero, Jack Bauer. We pick up with CTU getting the report on that and Cole finding the guy Jack had been working with now that he and CTU were no longer on speaking terms.

Things I will miss about 24: Chloe's snarky remarks to people that obviously have subtext asking "Why are you such an idiot?" to every stupid person she comes across.

Cole gets the intel he needs from Guy-whose-name-I-never-bothered-to-find-out and goes to meet Chloe at the UN to help with security. "We cannot let Jack assassinate the Russian President," he tells her. No frickin DUH, Cole. Hence the you being there to stop it.

Meanwhile President Taylor is in some pretty hot water now. Like way over her head, boiling her alive type deal. She has figured out that this conspiracy goes all the way to the Russian President. This does not sit well with her. Shoulda thought of that before you worked your deal with the Devil, eh Madam President. As annoyed as I am at her, I realize the Devil in this case is a tricky son-of-a-gun. I'm glad we brought Logan back for the final season. He and his aide are both played by extraordinary actors (Gregory Itzin and Reed Diamond respectively) who have lit up the screen these past few weeks.

Back to the show though - Daughter Hassan passes on the message from Meredith to Mrs. Hassan. Mommy is skeptical but still willing to call her and see what she has to say.

Cheer moment #1 goes to Chloe - when she threatens to send the file with the evidence regarding the Russian's involvement to every media outlet in the nation. That'll put President Taylor in her place. And possibly get Chloe arrested. Oh well, that just means Jack can bail her out during the pending movie.

Jack has Jason PIllar held at gunpoint and is using him to get through security at the UN. Pillar notices Jack is bleeding, and is just as doubtful as I was that Jack would actually live long enough to carry out his mission. "Not if you stitch me up first, Jason!" Ha! Proof Reed Diamond is an exceptional actor - he plays a shady politician and yet we still kinda feel sorry for him when he is begging for his life. Give the man a gold star! Apparently Jack felt sorry for him too, because he spares his life and knocks him out instead.

Back at HQ, Mrs Hassan can't get in touch with Meredith, so she goes in search of answers on her own. Who does she turn to for these answers? Why her trusted colleague President Taylor of course! Go ahead and try to keep a straight face as you pretend you don't know what she is talking about. Or pretend that the accusations are unfounded. That could work too. If by "work" we mean work to make me hate you more. Mrs Hassan and I are both very disappointed in you. We might never speak to you again as long as we live. Of course with the show ending that won't really be that hard to do. Cheer moment #2 - Mrs Hassan telling her to shove it and shutting down the peace negotiations now that this evidence has come to light. You go girl! Put her in her place. But *le gasp* is that our President using blackmail to keep her from backing out of the treaty? And we thought Jack had gone round the bend. I was trying to see things from her point of view and say she was stuck between a rock and a hard place thanks to Logan but this is going too far. I really hoped you would come around back to the Good Side Of The Force, but it's not looking so good at this point.

Speaking of our buddy Jack Bauer, he's sneaking around like the super spy he is and working his way towards the perfect vantage point for a little duck shooting. I hear Russian duck is especially game this time of year. Chloe has his location though, so he's not in the all clear yet. She's even packing some firepower thanks to Cole. Chloe with a gun? Sounds pretty badass to me. Tear moment for the night - Jack making his goodbye video to person we assume is Kim, telling his side of the story for when he can't do so in person. Awww shucks, Jack. Don't you know you have to be the star of the film? They sold the movie rights, so you gotta live!

And the awkward sauce award goes to President Taylor and Mrs Hassan greeting the Russian President. They all have to try to paste smiles on their faces and be all diplomatic and stuff, each of them knowing the whole awful truth of the matter. Mrs Hassan should get the Nobel Peace Prize for not ripping off his head right then and there. It was kinda comical the speech on honesty and trust we got right before the signing. Maybe she should also get an award for not laughing during the press conference. I know I was cracking up at that point.

But back to more important and uber tense things - like Chloe with a gun! I don't know why this got me all nervous and excited, but it did. Jack was one step ahead of her though, and grabbed her inside before she could make a move. She tries to reason with him and show him there is a better way. What she gets for her friendship? Well she gets to live and just be passed out in a corner instead of a bullet to the head. Yay, friendship? Still, I couldn't help but be excited at the idea he had a sniper rifle pointed at Logan's head. How can you stay mad at the person who is going to potentially exterminate the biggest snake ever?!

And so the Big American Snake calls the Russian Snake and lures him into Bauer's trap. Chloe continues to try talking sense to Jack, but he is just not hearing any of it. Time is running out on Jack's plan though, because Cole has called in his location - and kept the shoot-to-kill order. I applaud Chloe for her continued pleas for Jack to stop and think about what he is doing, but I really had my doubts it would work. Of course pulling out the Renee-wouldn't-have-wanted-this card, that completely changes things. Guess if anyone was going to talk sense to Jack, it was going to be Chloe. They are the only two remaining from the original series. It is only fitting they work together in the final moments. And if working together entails one shooting the other - well what's a little gunshot wound between friends? The writers really seemed to work overtime in trying to make us doubt Jack would make it through these last two hours alive. Guess they didn't want knowledge of the movie to take away from the tension the show was famous for.

Logan calls Pillar and tells him about the data card that implicates them in working with the Russians. As Pillar searches Chloe for said data card, I go back to hating him as a character and loving him as an actor all at the same time. I also love Chloe ten times more for being clever enough to stash it in her phone. Pillar - you got played son. Oh and while we're at it, Jack would like to chew your ear off for a minute there. That would be cheer moment #I-officially-lost-count. It took a little longer than Lost but I knew it would happen eventually. Cheers are short-lived though, as Chloe is caught before she has a chance to do anything with the data. It was a valiant effort though. I salute you, Chloe.

The recording ends up in Logan's hands, as he declares to President Taylor that they have won and it is over. He also says Jack Bauer will never let this go, which is what I was thinking when he said this was over. This will never be over as long as Jack is out there to fight them. Logan paints some scary picture to try to convince Taylor they should execute Jack. "Don't do it!" I yell at her. "Stop him!" Taylor lets him go, but watches the data file and SURPRISE it is the message that I assumed was for Kim. So where is the taped convo we heard from before? Whatever happened, the message seems to have come through loud and clear, because President Taylor can't go through with the signing. Instead she finally comes clean and puts an end to this farce of a peace treaty. She then jumps into actions in an attempt to warn them that Jack's life is in danger. Thank God she finally came to her senses, even though it happens way late in the game. Too bad she didn't have her epiphany moment sooner though, because Jack has already been abducted.

Surprised at Taylor's sudden moment of enlightenment? Well there are more surprises ahead. Because Logan is not happy that everything has unraveled. You think his response is going to be to take it out on Bauer? Well you would be WRONG. Nope, instead he takes out PIllar and then puts the gun on himself. So if you were taking bets then you got points for Logan getting shot but lost them since Jack wasn't the one to do the deed. (Although you could argue he blamed Jack for everything and was therefore indirectly responsible, but that would be a really weak argument in my book).

So now the race is on to find Jack before he gets snuffed out for good. And the only people who could have been tortured for info are dead (or at least brain dead). Drat! Just when it looks like Jack should be saying his final prayers, President Taylor somehow gets in contact with the people assigned to do the deed and stop them in literally the final seconds. Don't you think you were cutting it a little close there, Prez? Taylor has her mea culpa moment on the phone with Jack, and I actually feel a little sorry for her - but only a little. She tells him he has to leave the country because both the Russian and American governments are still looking for him. And so our anti-hero is cast out from the country he has served for untold years. Before vanishing into the night, Jack thanks Chloe for all her help - not just today but since the moment she joined him at CTU. The final clock counted backwards to zero, which I thought was quite fitting.

Overall I was quite satisfied with the series finale 24 gave us. It wasn't exactly happily-ever-after, but that is rarely the case with this show. The main problem was eliminated with its usual ramifications left behind. That's as it should be. Jack will presumably go into hiding until whatever threat comes up in the movie flushes him out again. Or maybe the movie will be about the manhunt that will inevitably follow after the days events. Only time will tell.

So, what did you think of the finale? Satisfied? Disappointed? Sound off with your comments below.