24 - 6AM - 8AM

I am going to to let you in on three quotes that basically sum up the 24 finale (and probably the season).
"We don't have that much ACTUAL intelligence."
"We can harvest everything we need from his blood."
"I can make him talk."
SPOILERS AHEAD


This season of 24 has been pretty par for the course considering the show's history. 24 employs the "layers of onion" concept to its story arcs. Peel away one and realize that another layer sits there awaiting your attention. Nothing really new here. Each time a bad guy is caught, we find out it was another badder guy giving the actual instructions. That's just the way it goes in the 24 universe. Tonight, in the season finale, we do peel away the onion to find a man named Alan Wilson (Coach Yoast).

When Jack is taken hostage we learn the terrorists plan on using his blood and organs to harvest the virus in his blood. This premise was comical at best. Hearing Tony and company talking about using his insides as a weapon is probably apropos seeing as how Jack Bauer is a human weapon. Of course he escapes and we learn Tony has been playing every side against each other this season so he can get to close to the man, Alan Wilson. Seems Wilson is behind every bad thing that has ever happened in the history of 24. Palmer's death, Michelle's death, Logan's incompetence, the cougar sent after Kim, etc. Personally, I wonder, if going back and rewatching this season would make me see the logic in Tony's choices. Probably not.

They really should have called this episode (season?): "Do the ends justify the means?" The writers had so little subtelty with this theme I suspect they had bets and office wagers on how many moral and ethical dilemma conversations they could pack in to each episode. Tonight there were three and a half. A convincing one between Tony and Jack where Tony explains (sort of) his plan throughout the whole day. A sort of believable one (and a half) among the Taylor clan about how to deal with Olivia's role in the Jonas Hodges death. And a downright hilarious one where we are to believe that Renee has converted to the religion of Bauerism when she suggests torturing the captured Alan Wilson. The scene was so sappy and unbelievable that I just started typing my writeup in order to avoid having to turn off the television.

And then the coup te gras - the Arab mosque leader comes to see a dying Jack in the hospital. I am not sure I could coherently convey the thoughts that went through my head when he showed up at the door but I think I can sum it up with , "BAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAH!" when Mike and I were writing up our end of the year 24 preview I had written a part that I cut right before it posted. I am cutting and pasting it here:
"Odds Jack shakes hands with an Arab guy thereby morally absolving him of all past racial profiling 15:1"

Oh and I called it. Kim saves Jack's life. I said it was going to be blood work or something. It was stem cell research. 24 just had to get one moral ethical debate in before the clock clicked to the end. And next season Jack goes to New York to fight global warming, abortion, same sex marriages, animal rights, and internet piracy. I think that should about cover it.

Highlights and lowlights
- Kim Bauer catching on fire trying to get the computer from her kidnapper. Why does she need to go up in flames?
- Renee being the least intimidating person of all time when she threatens Alan Wilson after his initial arrest.
- Totally awesome in the airport where Duncan from Seinfeld (Kim's would be hostage taker) says, "Take her," and then a massive fire fight ensues. Probably the best scene of the season.
- Interesting sort of cliffhanging ending. It didn't wrap up as neatly as we would have wanted, but I didn't totally mind the finish.
- See you tomorrow Jack!