I would take back by vote and change it 4 stars if I could. After I watched the finale the first time, I was satisfied, but I thought it ended up a little flat. But after watching it for a second time, I enjoyed it much more.
However... was it a great SEASON finale? Yes, definitely. Was it a great SERIES finale? I'm not so sure. I think, besides the brilliant final scene, it failed in that department.
I was almost positive that Aaron would make an appearance. I had read that he would, and I saw photos of him on set with President Taylor. That was extremely disappointing.
Also, Logan really should have bit the dust. It's essentially the same ending for him as it was in Season 6. Are they holding out for him to be in the movie? Maybe, but it seemed like a bit of a cop-out by the writers. You know what would have been way cooler? Logan kills Jason, takes the gun, attempts to shoot himself like he did, but the gun is out of bullets, so he opens / breaks the window, and jumps out.
And, in Jack's video to Kim, it would have been a nice throwback (especially for a SERIES finale) if he had mentioned everything and everyone he has lost -- Teri, David Palmer, Audrey. He should have said that this is the last straw, and after everything he has done to protect this country, he's simply asking for justice.
One thing that greatly disturbed me at first was seeing Jack pull a gun to his head -- definitely not one of my favorite scenes. I thought, "How could it come to this???" But then I realized he wasn't actually suicidal. He really had no intention of pulling the trigger. He did it to make Chloe think that he would, so that she would shoot him, which worked to perfection (almost). His end game was actually heroic and selfless. He had to make sure that Chloe wouldn't be suspected of aiding him, and give her the chance to do what she has to do with the recording and finish the job to bring those involved in the events of the day to justice.
I loved the scene with President Taylor threatening Dalia Hassan with war if she didn't comply. That was some of the best acting I've ever seen on this show. Actually, the acting throughout was pretty awesome on Monday, with the exception of the bland CTU agent taking orders from Piller.
The entire signing ceremony was fantastic -- predictable, but very intense and really beautifully done.
I thought the final 5 minutes were EXTREMELY rushed, but that final scene was OUTSTANDING. The way Jack looked into the camera at us all was so damn cool. When he says thank you and looks at the camera, it's sorta like he's thanking all the viewers and fans and saying goodbye. Chloe's final words ("Shut it down") is obviously very fitting. The 24 Theme song playing at the end was epic, and reminded me a little of the S4 finale final scene where Jack walks into the sunset (still my favorite scene of the whole series). And finally, the the clock counting down at the end was an awesome final touch. Bravo!
"He will find a way, mark my words Madame President. He will rise up from the deepest hole. He will crawl his way back from the ends of the earth." - President Charles Logan on Jack Bauer
~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~
I have some questions though...
-Wouldn't Taylor have the power to grant Jack clemency before she resigns?
-Logistically speaking, why did they ambush Jack's ambulance and kill everyone on scene, only to take Jack to a different location?
-Are we to assume that we are at war with Russia now? Russia's acts against the IRK and against the US were acts of war, weren't they? It could be a WWIII.
-Last, but not least... what was with the video Taylor watched that Logan gave to her? Was that the wrong one? It seemed to me that the data card didn't have the evidence on it, unless the recording was ALSO on there, which seems very unclear.
