24 Finale

Ok, my favorite show from 2001-2006 went poorly over the first 22 episodes of 2007. It went slowly. There were few highlights, little action, the Bauer family storyline went over like a stone sinking in water. There were a lot of borrowed storylines, Arab terrorist threat, nuclear bomb threat, a President Palmer being overthrown, no one listening to Jack despite him knowing more than everyone, a hostile takeover of CTU, etc., etc., etc. Put it all together and you have the lowest rated season for 24. Shows like Dancing with the Stars, Heroes, even the King of Queens got more buzz in the Monday, 9 p.m. than 24 as we wound down the season.

Tonight’s finale got off to a poor start. More silliness between Vice President Noah Daniels, aide Karen Hayes, aide Tom Lennox, CTU, Mike Doyle, Chloe, Morris, Nadia, you name it. Jack Bauer was not Jack Bauer this season. And he was virtually de-Bauered. There was no bad ass. Yes, he was coming back after being tortured in China, but this was not what we, as long-tine fans were expecting. And we didn’t see much of him this season.

I don’t even want to recap hour 23 because it was too slow and so bad. Suffice to say that Phillip Bauer managed to get his grandson, Josh from Mike Doyle by using a booby trap that exploded and blinded Doyle.

Phillip’s men went to an offshore oil rig that was owned by Phillip and that’s how we ended that hour.

Hour 24 was much better, had more action and was ramped up. I was wondering where this episode had been.

Jack and Bill Buchanan find Doyle blinded on the beach. While this is going on, Vice President Daniels orders an air strike on the rig to destroy the circuitboard which has the information on Russian intelligence. In the meantime, Russia has gathered troops near US installations. So Jack and Bill head via helicopter to the rig.

They get there before F-18’s strike. To get through this quickly, Jack kills a bunch of Chinese agents, so does Bill, Cheng Zhi is shot and half of his face is burned, but he survives. Phillip takes Josh to a dock so they can leave by boat. While his back is turned to Josh, the boy takes a gun, hits Phillip over the head with it. Then shoots his grandfather (the Bauer family is so dysfunctional). But before Josh can finish the job, Jack stops him and tells Josh to run to Bill’s copter. Bill takes off, the F-18’s are about to fire their missiles, when Jack tells Bill to meet him at the SW corner of the rig. Jack hops onto the copter’s ladder just before the missiles destroy the rig.

From then on, the show actually does well. Daniels pardons Karen and Bill. Jack jumps off the copter so he can finish something. Bill, Josh and Cheng Zhi go to CTU. Josh reunites with his mom, Chloe’s pregnant (ugh!) and Jack head out to Secretary of Defense Heller’s house to see Audrey.

Jack and Heller have a short confrontation. Heller does allow Jack to see a comatose Audrey where Jack says the best thing for him to do is let go of Audrey. He walks out of Heller’s house and looks out at Los Angeles and we get the silent clock.

I do hope we get a better season in 2008. This season gets a C- from me. Tonight’s last hour gets an A-, but hour 23 gets an F. I’ve never given a 24 episode an F, but tonight did for me.

Even with the bad season, I go into 24 withdrawal. The very last season finale for me will be Lost before the series finale of The Sopranos in three weeks.

I’ll have a review of Lost after it airs on Wednesday.