24 Review:
"5:00 a.m. - 6:00 a.m." (Episode 8.14)

Day eight, 4:00:00 a.m. Yup. It's official. That's the final tick of the long-running 24 clock. By now you've heard the show's too expensive for Fox, the creators feel it's run its course and a movie is in the works. While the show has been at worst entertaining (if frustrating) the past few seasons, it's no longer shocking. Those first four years plus the jaw-dropping openers of days five and six unabashedly barreled through all those lame, unwritten rules and cliches both TV and cinema had force-fed us for years. Now, the series is tantamount to an aging punk rocker conforming to society. It's not necessarily bad thing to fall into a routine; it's just not quite as interesting.

Case in point: Last night's hour, while still very enjoyable, seems to support that argument. Let's go through a few of the show's staples that probably should've been plucked years ago.

Moles: In the final minute or so of last week's episode, we discover Dana Walsh is more than the annoying she-isn't-who-she-says-she-is CTU data analyst. She's actually working with the terrorists. Funny, because prior to that moment, she didn't convey any of the confidence she does in this hour. I have to believe that decision was tacked on without any real connection to the events prior. Yes, last week week I said I liked the move. I still do, in terms of the direction the season was headed. It took an overly dramatic character we all loathed and aligned her with people we already don't like. This week we watch as a cool, collected Dana darts around the office, feeding terrorists valuable intel. I can't say I'm not intrigued when she tells the main bad guy her orders were to help him, not blow her cover. A bit of foreshadowing, I'm sure. Who's her boss, and might she be involved in something bigger?

Still, if you take the choice to make Dana Walsh a baddie out of 24 context, it doesn't add up. It's just one of those things you as a fan expect even when you don't expect it: a bad guy (in this case girl) infiltrating whatever government agency is leading the operation to counter the terrorists. Moles have been around since day one, when Nina Myers pulled the rug out from under Jack. What a terrific surprise. But really—every time?

Bypassing the President: Move over, bad guys. Because honestly, who needs enemies when you have friends who are willing to negotiate with your enemies behind your back? Just the latest example of the president's close confidants going behind her back for the greater good. Last year, it was the president's own daughter using her position to circumvent her mom and make good on a personal vendetta.

Nobody is naive enough to believe there is never dissent directed toward the president behind closed doors. C'mon, though. There's a blatant difference between dissent and completely undermining executive power. Chief of Staff Rob Weiss and General Brucker are the latest conspirators, frantically trying to deliver President Hassan to the terrorists before they make good on promises to detonate the nuclear fuel rods. Weiss is a pushover, leading me to believe Brucker may be even shadier than he gives off. Wouldn't surprise me.

In the meantime, poor Ethan Kanin is having a heart attack and neither will call for help for fear that he will tip off authorities. And that may be the worst part of all.

Cruise-Control Jack: The sad part about Weiss and Brucker is that they knew. They knew Jack Bauer was leading President Hassan to safety, and yet, they decided to roll the dice to see if they could carry out a successful kidnapping. An almost laughable mistake.

Of course, watching Jack fall into unlikely Chuck Norris-esque scenarios (minus the roundhouse kicks, of course) makes for great television. We've simply accepted the fact that yes, Jack is that good. But one reader made an excellent point last week, saying Jack is rarely proven to be wrong. Mostly true, especially in the last two seasons. He comes off as very cruise-y, like no situation can rattle him after the season six premiere when he killed Curtis and watched a nuke obliterate an L.A. suburb. We buy it because this guy has been through everything, but the character is almost reveling in the overblown humor surrounding him.

Nukes: Just off the top of my head, nuclear bombs in seasons two, four and six. Nuclear reactors in five and seven. Nuclear fuel rods today. 24 loves nukes. And why not? They're the most feared weapons in modern times. But terrorists haven't ever used them in real life, so why not do more everyday soft targets—like the mall in season five or the hotel in season three? Both incidents were very chilling and convincing. However, after the bomb went off in season six, didn't nukes become almost passé? We've seen it; it was scary. So while the threat this season could be even deadlier, it probably won't quite carry the punch of that shocker a few years back.

None of this is to say I'm not having a good time watching the now-final season of 24. It's just my way of getting very nostalgic about never being able to see Jack and Chloe make life difficult for terrorists and traitors ever again. At least in this real-time format. And while movies may be a fresh start for the franchise, it will never measure up to the intensity and originality that made the television show so revolutionary.