24: Day 6 Review

Jack Bauer has survived another very long day, though not by much. The Fox real-time drama thriller “24” wrapped up with an ambiguous season finale, and left some viewers wanting more that a much bigger and better beginning to Day 6 of the series had promised. Many viewers saw potential in those first several hours that they felt was left unrealized, unfulfilled, and unsatisfying when the clock finally ran out. The thunderous tick and digital chime were silenced while Jack looked out over an ocean cliff, where he seemed to only want to throw himself over and put an end to his suffering, suffering that he was unable to even reconcile for a minute after being released from one and a half years worth of torture at the hands of the Chinese. When the threat was neutralized, Jack had finally had enough and split off on his own to gather up Audrey Raines but he ultimately decided to let her go.

Jack’s segue from nuclear suitcases to Audrey is at the heart of many critical complaints with this season. Some fans believe the season should have ended at the Hour 17, but the truth is that we’ve never followed the aftermath of a threat or the repercussions in this way, because it’s always taken the entire 24-hour period to resolve the terror plot du jour. Add in that Audrey really is the only woman that has held Jack’s attention since his wife, who was killed in the final minutes of the first season, and you might want to reconsider the significance of this relationship. It gives Jack’s life meaning, which lends all the more weight to his pregnant pause at the balcony. Speaking of pregnant, Chloe, CTU’s Girl Friday has a reason to leave her character on a much happier note than we get most seasons, though we’re still left wondering what will become of comatose President Wayne Palmer. Returning to Jack’s shaky Audrey tangent, it’s certainly understandable why the writers went this route, but something more powerful, more effective, and more meaningful could have been done with the energy spent on this plot.

There really is no greater motivation for Jack, however, than those he loves, innocents, and his country. Right now, Jack is left on the brink, and it’s the air that he’s been left with nothing and wanting to finally outrun, escape, and find comfort from the neverending nightmare that is his life and the ruin that comes to so many he holds dear. “24” is just as much about Jack as it is about any terror threat convoluted with impossible twists and shocking turns that keep viewers coming back for the show like it’s the greatest television addiction ever imagined, so can we cut Jack a break to allow him to be human and feel connected to someone when he’s been disconnected from the world. In truth, now Audrey is the only person who shares his pain, the trouble of course being that she did not withstand the torments of captivity by foreign hostiles the way Jack did. Also, it’s hard to hold “24” season to season without seeing patterns as well as fluctuations; some days are more emotional than others, some are more intense, and some are more gratifying overall.

Day 5, centering around the assassination of former President David Palmer was a perfect balance of all these crucial elements, and it is considered by many to be the greatest season of the show to date by far. I would certainly agree, but I cannot agree with the disapproval of those fans over this latest’s day’s events. This season saw the tragic death of Curtis, killed by Jack to prevent Curtis’ retribution against a terrorist whose cooperation they needed, and the death of Milo, who rose to the ranks of middle management and sparked a brief but torrid affair with Nadia, and the attack on new President Wayne Palmer that has done damage to his physical wellbeing beyond the point where he is able to function. All of this was great, and granted, Season 6 started off with a killer thrillride and then started leveling out to be more consistently even as opposed to the usual rollercoaster, but it never got boring. Though there were a few hours that barely featured Jack at all because he was running about in the background, the story had to come back to him, and Audrey is a key piece of his sanity, which has been badly damaged and now seems lost to him forever. This is important, and there isn’t any denying it. Jack is on the verge, and Jack is “24.”