*Caution! Huge amounts of spoilers for last night’s 24 follow. Read at your own risk. You have been warned!*
The following is a somewhat stream-of-consciousness thought process on the events of last night’s 24 and what it means for Jack Bauer. Sorry if it is hard to follow. I’ll try to be as coherent as possible.
After watching last night’s episode of 24, I had a few thoughts on the character of Jack Bauer.
First: this guy is seriously not allowed to be happy!
Case in point: after failing his mission of protecting President Hassan (and looking dejected as hell for it) Jack goes home and actually is seen being happy with a member of the opposite sex. Long-time friends rejoice, and yet are hesitant. Seeing Jack and Renee being all kinds of happy with each other, I couldn’t help but think, “But Jack isn’t allowed to be happy.” It didn’t take long for the writers to prove me right.
As the bullets started flying, I knew one of them had to hit Renee. I also knew there was slim chance she would actually make it to the hospital and survive (but was still hopeful). What little hope I had was dashed though when the doctors came out of the OR almost immediately after going in. “It’s too soon,” I thought, as a sat up in my seat. I knew she was dead even before the doctors said so. The look on Jack’s face was that of a man who had been broken. It was the best and worst kind of hurt puppy dog face ever. It was the kind of face that makes you whimper (both inside and out). I actually almost cried for him. After everything this man has done for his country, after everything he has sacrificed, couldn’t he once, just once, get a happy ending?! No, I said. This was too much. Hasn’t he suffered enough?
Apparently not.
My only hope is that Jack avenges Renee’s death and gets some solace in that. It isn’t the same as having someone to grow old and retire with, though. And for that, Jack, I am truly sorry.