24 - Season 8 [DVD]

I've followed 24 since it began, it has been one of the very few things on TV that I wouldn't miss! When Season 8 started, I was wondering how they could possibly top what had gone before. Well, I have to admit that the first hours of Season 8 were a disappointment. It lacked the pace, it was like the writers weren't really interested in it anymore. It also seemed as if budget cuts had seriously limited what they could do.

But I stuck with it in the hope that it would improve. It took a while but it certainly did! It appears to have really taken off about the time that it was decided that this would be the final season. The last 10 or so episodes showed 24 at its very best. Jack Bauer kind of "woke up" and the pace, action and excitement accelerated.

The last 4 hours in particular were exciting beyond words. It was really anyone's guess as to how they would end it. But when it came to the last hour, well, I have to say that this is without doubt the very best ending to any series that I have ever seen. It had me in tears!

It will be sadly missed, although I know a film is planned, it can never be the same. What I loved so much about the whole 24 production is that you never knew what would happen, not for sure. The bad guys got away with it, the good guys suffered, too much sometimes. But the Jack Bauer character was the most remarkable creation of all, a man who stuck to his principals whatever happened to him, he never sold out, he had rare integrity and honour and he simply didn't care how far he went to uphold all this.

I highly recommend this as compulsive viewing, TV writing at its very best. I have all the boxed sets of previous seasons and would recommend these highly as well.

There are only a handful of TV programs of any kind that I never tire of watching repeatedly, 24 is definitely one of them!

The ending has come; Jack will no longer be frantically running around, defying hunger or the calls of nature. We have watched Mr Bauer experience pleasure and pain (usually the latter) yet save the day, all in the space of 24 hours. In Jack we have found a figure of masculinity for the modern age, someone who presents old fashioned toughness yet comes complete with an all too important touch of vulnerability and humanity, something very important in today's screen heroes.

What about season 8 as a whole? Well the first half I have to say seemed a relatively pedestrian affair. Granted the twists and turns were present and people were not who they appeared, but it seemed that they were re-cycling old ideas. The introduction of Cole, an admittedly likeable young agent, seemed too much of a throwback to the days of Chase from season 3... And don't get me started on Dana Walsh. Mid way during the season came the announcement that this was to be the final run of the show. Although I found myself thinking that, after a nine year stint, this was the right move by the writers as the show was certainly past its peak, I knew I simply had to follow it through to the bitter end.

I think its safe to say, to use an old cliché, that the writers definitely pulled out all the stops for the final few hours. For me, the turning point was episode 16, in which events suddenly moved in a generally unexpected direction. From then on, what was a fairly average season suddenly became a lot more intriguing. Jack, a character who has always been somewhat on the edge, suddenly seemed more determined yet more unstable than ever. Would he emerge unscathed or would he go out in a blaze of glory and conclude 24's long list of characters that have died in the line of duty?

The final itself was a fitting send off. I have to say that, as the final words were uttered followed by the 3,2,1,0 countdown I did find myself feeling a little nostalgic. As someone who was introduced to 24 fairly late on and caught up via the miracle of DVD, I nonetheless felt that this was the end of an era.

P.s. Rest in piece Dennis Hopper - one of the first onscreen adversaries for Mr Bauer.

When I heard 24 had been axed I was disappointed but not surprised, as there had been rumours for a while. I did wonder if the ending could do such a great show justice and it most certainly did. The final few episodes were as gripping and adrenaline-fuelled as anything during the show's nine-year run and the audience are kept guessing right up until the final few minutes in what I would undoubtedly say was the best ending to a TV show I have ever seen.

Any long-time viewer had to wonder how Jack had not snapped and gone rogue before now, but here he finally does and it seems nobody can stand in his way as he seeks justice. These episodes give proof beyond doubt that Keifer was simply born to play Jack. It's hard to believe that there will not be another series but I will certainly never tire of watching the show on DVD.

Day 6 was arguably the weakest and while Day 7 had it's good and bad points, Day 8 is one of the best. It could even be argued that this final series even tops the brilliance of Day 1