Jack Bauer is undeniably immortal (some say he made both the chicken and the egg, and the ensuing paradox is what killed the dinosaurs), but 24 now faces a self-imposed end at it’s eighth and final day. This season will finish off eight years of counter terrorist action and masterfully fast-paced suspense it’s rivals could never approach. Though there is a feature film in the works to follow up the series, it will still be hard for the show’s 10 million+ fans to watch the clock finally stop. Any 24 fan can hype up the excitement of the latest season, and explain the week-by-week thrill of watching multiple concurrent subplots converge bit by bit into a no-doubt explosive finale. But let’s say you’re a little sketchy on the details. “Jack Bauer who?”, you say. “Why’s everybody talking so fast, and why is that guy getting so brutally tortured on primetime television”? Luckily, with eight past seasons to keep you busy there’s never been a better time to get into 24, and with the series soon about to go down in history as a classic it’s worth taking a look back on this prime-time tv show phenomenon.While the characters and organizations stay consistent, each season of 24 offers a totally new terrorist situation for special agent Jack Bauer to avert. From stopping a presidential assassination to disarming nuclear bombs hidden across a city, 24 always keeps the stakes high and the situations fresh. The most obvious innovation is the 24 hour time limit to each season, each episode taking place over one hour in real time. Thus, without relying on time jumps and flashbacks to tell the story, 24 is able to offer a genuinely frantic experience that forces you to experience new developments at the same exact pace as the characters involved. Because subverting a suitcase nuke conspiracy has no dull moments, neither does 24, and it’s this innovation that puts you literally right there in the moment with Jack Bauer.
Played by Kiefer Sutherland, CTU special agent Jack Bauer has amassed a cult following all his own. His job is to prevent major terrorist attacks on the United States, but his claim to fame is his brutal approach to counterterrorism. One of the shows main themes is whether the ends justify his brutal means, Jack is not above using torture and fierce interrogation to accomplish his mission. These uncompromising methods have become infamous, and given him the cult following we see today. One of the most famous Jack Bauer moments involves his lengthy Chinese imprisonment, where he withstood two years of torture without saying a word. While most prison escape plots in television involve whittling out lockpicks and digging through tiles, Jack Bauer ultimately escaped torture by tearing out a man’s jugular vein with his teeth. Move over Chuck Norris! He can also speak multiple languages, fly both airplanes and helicopters, has expertise in firearms and explosives, and can allegedly blow up the moon just by screaming at it. All in all, not a bad resume.
So, facing the end of a 192 episode run, having stopped eight seperate major terrorist plots that nobody else could, it’s only fitting that Keifer Sutherland should get the last word on the show he made iconic. From a March press release from Fox:
“This has been the role of a lifetime, and I will never be able to fully express my appreciation to everyone who made it possible. While the end of the series is bittersweet, we always wanted 24 to finish on a high note, so the decision to make the eighth season our last was one we all agreed upon. This feels like the culmination of all our efforts from the writers to the actors to our fantastic crew and everyone at Fox. Looking ahead to the future, Howard Gordon and I are excited about the opportunity to create the feature film version of 24. But when all is said and done, it is the loyal worldwide fan base that made it possible for me to have the experience of playing the role of Jack Bauer, and for that I am eternally grateful.”
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Tags: 24, 24 movie, jack bauer, keifer sutherland
