24 Review:
"8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m." (Episode 8.17)

It's the final season of 24, and this episode reminded viewers in a gut-wrenching way of the one simple rule that has kept the series going this long: Jack Bauer cannot be happy. The best examples of this involve Jack's love interests, including his wife Teri Bauer, Nina Myers, Audrey Raines... and most recently Renee Walker.

This hour unfolded as the ultimate benefits package for a crew of characters accustomed to disappointment. Chloe O'Brian unintentionally snags the ultimate promotion. President Taylor discovers a way to keep the peace deal alive despite President Hassan's death. And last (but not least), Jack and Renee finally hook up after believing the threat is over and done with. But as soon as those lips lock, you have that feeling something terrible is going to happen, giving new meaning to the term "kiss of death." Sure, not all of Jack's companions have met their doom, but enough have either died or gone through horrible trauma; if he was going to make a move, he'd cover all the windows so the Russian across the street couldn't snipe his new love.

It should be noted this is the second week in a row where 24's chilling silent clock has memorialized the death of a character (last week was President Hassan). It's the eleventh time in the series, and the first time in back-to-back hours. But maybe, sad as it is, this is the appropriate end for the show. There is, after all, a possible film franchise in waiting. Why should Jack be happy? If he were really smart, he'd hook up with the one character the writers will almost certainly never kill off: Chloe. Yeah, she's still with Morris, but when presented with the option of being with a man who has dealt and withstood all kinds of torture and a guy who caved to some routine chainsaw torture, I think she'd go with the former. Sorry, Morris. Jack and Chloe would be the quintessential power couple.

And speaking of Chloe and power... After reviewing everything that's happened at CTU thus far, Tim Woods from Homeland Security fires Brian Hastings and taps Chloe to be interim director of CTU. It's a nice little reward for all the times she's been right over the years, and at first glance she appears to own the job after suspecting foul play might be involved after Samir, the last living IRK terrorist, dies. 

When all the known baddies are dead and bad stuff is still going down, who do you blame? Russia, naturally. On President Taylor's end, the Russian ambassador is doing everything in his power to give his country an excuse to weasel out of the peace agreement between the West and the Islamic Republic of Kamistan, causing the U.S. president to turn to the last man she'd ever want to trust: former-President Charles Logan (kinda resembles Nixon?), the crooked leader from earlier seasons, who apparently has close relations to Moscow. President Taylor reluctantly agrees to let him help persuade Russia to go along with President Hassan's wife, Dalia, becoming the successor to her late husband and force behind the peace deal.

Though it wasn't action-heavy, sans the last 15 minutes or so, the seventeenth hour provided a nice behind-the-scenes glimpse of political dealings in very unlikely scenarios. For instance, while we could never imagine, say, a horrible man like Logan entrusted with a great deal of responsibility, we look into his eyes the same way as President Taylor and wonder if he's reformed or still a sneaky backstabbing bastard. She doesn't trust him; neither do we, but her remaining options for pushing through the peace agreement are...?

**SNAKE ALERT:**

Next week, the much-loathed Dana Walsh returns. And Logan appears to live up to his creep status. Maybe after Renee's death, all this will be a wake-up call for Jack, who has helped facilitate immunity deals all day instead of facing problems head-on.