Mr Gittes
Posts: 445
Joined: 3/2/2013
|
THIS POST CONTAINS MAAAAAJOR SPOILERS. YE BE WARNED!
I really do hate myself for bringing down the average 5 star rating, but I have to be honest when stating my opinion and I think that the first half of this season is mediocre at best. Sure, it has some cool moments (Jack talking to the suicide bomber in the pressure chamber) but when I first watched it, I was sitting there thinking "THIS is going to be 24's swansong?!"
However, around the time of Hassan's death, things were starting to pick up very nicely. Then came Renee's death and, like many 24 fans, I was fuming; why can't they let the man be happy?! It was pretty much the last straw for me in terms of putting Jack through the ringer. Then came the episodes after her death...
...which was, frankly, some of the best 24 you'll ever see. The turn in the season's quality was jaw-dropping. I've never seen anything like it in movies or television; to suddenly go from mediocrity to sheer spectacular brilliance at the turn of a switch...or, should I say, the end of a life.
Which makes me feel rather conflicted because Renee was such a great character and was perfect for Jack, and I think it would have been braver and more unexpected for the writers to finally give Jack a happy ending. But the consequences of her death are just so damn breathtaking to watch, that I can't help but consider that maybe it was worth it. Trust me, you've never seen Jack this badass and scary. Imagine his rampage on the Drazens in the season 1 finale for like 5 episodes...sound epic? Well, it is. Seeing him break like that was absolutely stunning television and a true landmark in the show's history - which is kind of an important factor if you want to make a great series finale.
And a great one it is. However, I still can't ignore the rather abysmal first half of the season. So, overall, I'm gonna give this baby 4 stars. Again, I'm sorry to break the 5 star average but if someone new to 24 were to look at that average and then watch this season, they'd be rather disappointed, at least at first. But don't worry, newcomers; the shit of the first half is worth crawling through to get to the glory of the second half, like Andy Dufresne at the end of the sewer pipe, rejoicing in the rain...
OK, maybe that's a bit of an extreme comparison, but for the most part this is a fitting end to a great show.
|
Printable Version
24: Season 8 - 
New Messages
No New Messages
Hot Topic w/ New Messages
Hot Topic w/o New Messages
Locked w/ New Messages
Locked w/o New Messages
Post New Thread