| Goodbye, Jack Bauer |
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| Sports |
| Written by Andy Woitkoski |
| Tuesday, 25 May 2010 19:32 |
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The following took place between 2001 and 2010. Events ocurred in real time.
Thank God there is going to be a movie. If I had not known that there will be a 24 movie some time in the (hopefully near) future I probably would have taken the end of this series much worse than I did. But with that knowledge and with last night's ending leaving a lot open for the movie, I was able to keep it together. Of course there was a little dampness in my eyes as Jack said goodbye to Chloe. I am human, after all.
The phenomenon began November 6, 2001. Two days after my Yankees were defeated in their bid for a fourth consecutive world series championship. I remember walking around November 5 in a total daze, replaying the ninth inning in my head. How could Mo have blown the save? How could a such a weak little bloop be the hit that dethroned the greatest dynasty in 30 years? November 6 was not much better. Still stunned by the loss, I needed something to snap me out of my haze. Little did I know that this show would snap me out of one and throw me right into another. The funny thing is that FOX so overpromoted 24 during the MLB playoffs that I had actually started to resent the show before it even aired. I remember thinking to myself that if I saw one more preview I would boycott the show on principle. But then my roommates and I decided we would give it a shot. We had to give it a shot. The show planted its hooks in us from the first hour; we could not wait for the second. Jack Bauer was now a part of our lives. It was also around this time that I became a full time viewer of The West Wing and thus my holy trinity of television was born. Seinfeld, The West Wing, 24. Never before had a show combined the quality of writing, acting, and suspense that was the hallmark of 24. By the fourth week I was literally watching on the edge of my seat, much like I had recently done during the world series. Week after week we were amazed as the story kept getting better. How were they doing this? How were they topping themselves? How were they misdirecting me so badly that when a plot twisted I felt like I had run into a wall? It didn't stop in season 1 and sure didn't stop as the seasons passed. You will find a lot of critics and even "fans" that say the show lost its edge over the last three or four seasons. They're entitled to their opinions. And they may even be right. I have been known to be a bit of a 24 apologist. But I don't care. To me, the show could do no wrong. It entertained me every week until the very end, regardless of what the naysayers said. And while I'm sad to see it end, I feel the time was right. When the news broke that this would be the final season I felt both sadness and relief. Television shows are a lot like athletes. Some are never good enough to make the bigtime. Some make the bigtime for just a little bit only to find they are not good enough to stay. Some have solid careers and peform well but when they retire are for the most part not missed. And some turn out to be superstars. The ones whose names and numbers we wear on our backs and whose performances we cannot miss, for the simple reason that you just never know what they're going to do on a given night. But the harsh reality is that time is a relentless foe and even our superstars reach a point at which they are no longer what they once were. And as hard as it can be for fans to admit or accept, no one can play forever.
24 gave its fans eight great seasons and a multitude of characters we'll never forget. It gave us countless moments that shook the foundation of what network television could be, both in structure and in content. It gave America its first African-American President, six years before it happened for real. But most of all, it gave us Jack Bauer. Now for the thank you's. Thanks to the villians for providing Bauer with his motivation. Ira Gaines, The Drazens, Peter Kingsley, Ramone & Hector Salazar, Nina Meyers, Stephen Saunders, Habib Marwan, Christopher Henderson, Vladimir Bierko, Phil & Graem Bauer, the Chinese, Abu Fayed, Dmitri Gredenko, Ike Dubaku, General Juma, Jonas Hodges, Alan Wilson, Mikhail Novakovich, President Yuri Suvarov, and of course, President Charles Logan. Thanks to all of the characters who did not make it to the end of Day 8, not including of course, those who deserved the incomparable wrath of Bauer. Edgar Stiles, Milo Pressman, Teri Bauer, Richard Walsh, Curtis Manning, President Kessler, Ryan Chappelle, President Omar Hassan, George Mason, Michelle Dessler, Bill Buchanan, Tony Almeida (deserved of his own category), Renee Walker, and President David Palmer. A special thank you to Chloe O'Brian who for the last six seasons never disappointed Jack, or the audience. And a final thank you to Jack Bauer, the greatest patriot and hero in American history. You have simply been one of the greatest television characters of all time. Goodbye and good luck, Jack. We all look forward to seeing you again. Wherever you may be.
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| Last Updated ( Tuesday, 25 May 2010 20:59 ) |
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I'm looking forward to the movie as well.