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Review/Commentary
Season Finale Part 2
Reviewer: J
I find it amusing when the “Previously on 24” sequence happens mere seconds after the previous episode. This happened twice earlier this year when they ran the first four hours of the season on two consecutive nights. It was absolute overload but it was a great idea and a terrific hook. Sure, it was a lot of 24 to absorb in two nights, but if you did it, you were now sucked into a 24-hour day that was already four hours old.
Anyway, we’re back for Hour 24 of Season 4. Jack and Curtis are doing remarkably well, considering both of them have been beat up this hour, Jack was hit by a car, he stabbed himself, etc. Tony, too, is doing okay, chilling out while Jack obtains the Presidential pardon for Miss Mandy.
Speaking of which, Agent Pierce, who apparently has a lifetime appointment at the White House, has entered the room to show Presidents Palmer and Logan something. On tape, he shows that they’ve figured out that Mandy is the same person who made the biological attempt on Palmer’s life four and a half years ago, at the conclusion of Season Two. While this at first might seem like a stretch, you should keep in mind that once this assassination attempt happened, Secret Service likely pored over the news footage of that day for hundreds of hours, attempting to figure out exactly what happened. It’s not strange at all, therefore, that Pierce probably has every face on that tape committed to memory and thus recognized Mandy. I have to say, I liked this little tie-in, as well as the way it showed the frightened side of Palmer. He clearly was affected at realizing who they’re dealing with, with a usually not seen look of consternation on his face. Or maybe he just had gas. I don’t know. They’re in a confined bunker so there’s probably a strict rule against farting.
Regardless, he tells Logan the dancing monkey to sign the pardon despite what it means. What I also liked was that they STILL don’t know that Mandy was responsible for the 200 or so deaths aboard the jetliner she blew up in Hour 1 of Season 1. Cool. And now that she’s been pardoned, she can return to wreak more havoc on Jack’s life and perhaps Palmer’s.
Mandy then sings like a canary. A very sexy canary with sexy bangs, sexy hooker boots and a sexy skirt. Not too mention sexy eyes and sexy lips. Good lord, thank you for delivering us Mandy to make up for the absence of Kim this season.
Marwan is waiting for Mandy at the “Global Center” where his chopper and his pilotminion are also waiting. Here’s another beef I had with this finale… why is Marwan waiting for Mandy? Is her pootie THAT delectable? I mean, is she THAT good in the sack? Is Marwan just like the rest of us men? That is, willing to sacrifice his life’s work and his life in general to ensure that a fine piece of ass is not left to waste? Apparently so. He frets that they can’t wait for long, yet he does wait quite a while, cutting it VERY close given what we learn a little later.
Jack, Curtis and one unnamed, doomed agent approach the Global Center and Jack fires quite a few shots at Marwan’s chopper to disable it. Isn’t that taking a bit of a chance, there, Jack, especially after giving everyone instructions NOT to use lethal force? I’m just sayin’.
Marwan realizes his goose is cooked one way or another and he flees into yet another parking garage. Jack, Curtis and Unnamed Doomed Agent fan out with Unnamed Doomed Agent drawing the unlucky role of middle man of the three of them. This is sort of like being the center of the dartboard target, isn’t it? Predictably, Marwan shoots him dead and – oh no! – hits Curtis as well. This sucks because I was afraid Curtis would be finished off after being such a good soldier all season.
Jack does what I think any of us would do in this situation and gets on the ground behind a car and shoots at Marwan’s feet. I’ve never understood why more TV and movie heros don’t do this. Is it courtesy? Gamesmanship? Just shoot his damn ankle and put him on the ground. That’s also gotta hurt like hell, shattering the ankle bone. After doing this, somehow Jack doesn’t see what’s obviously going to happen next, as Marwan drags himself towards the railing to hurtle to his death. I find it interesting that Marwan felt the need to kill himself in this dramatic manner rather than, say, oh, just putting a bullet into his own head. Wouldn’t that have been quicker and, given the state of his busted wheel, a lot easier?
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