In preparation of the return of 24 in 24: Live Another Day on May 5th, I am running a series of roundtables to look back at previous seasons of the show. Here is our discussion for season eight, involving myself, Sean M, George N and popcultureguy.
Season 1 Roundtable | Season 2 Roundtable | Season 3 Roundtable | Season 4 Roundtable | Season 5 Roundtable | Season 6 Roundtable | Season 7 Roundtable
Overall thoughts on the season?
Bradley: It wasn’t the greatest. Repetitive plot lines, a very annoying mole in Dana, a peace agreement that was doomed to fail because that would mean something positive happens in the world, and this is 24 - positive is non-existent. However, after Renee died and Jack went majorly rogue, those last 7 episodes were some of my favourites of the show.
Sean: This was the second worst season after the sixth. Almost all of the plot lines had been done way better in past seasons and very few of the new characters clicked with me. The final arc was a lot better, but it was too late by then.
George: Day 8 was probably my least favorite season. I understand that shows rarely get a season 8 and that is a feat all on its own, but this season could have been better. There were a lot scenes where I had to just roll my eyes at and I wasn’t thrilled too much with the villains. After all is said and done, I am still glad we were treated to another day of ‘24’ and this amazing show however the quality.
popcultureguy: My least favorite of the seasons I’ve seen. The show was starting to show its age and it was frustrating to watch it go through story motions they’d done before, and better. And maybe it’s a cliché opinion at this point, but Dana Walsh bugged me big time.
Favourite episode of the season? Why?
Bradley: The finale is by far my favourite. I really enjoyed that from start to finish. With 24, while we all expected twists, we never expected Jack to die. Yet, knowing this was a series finale, those last 10 minutes were so tense because they could have killed him. It was such an emotional finale, and I was really happy with the way everything ended.
Sean: Has to be episode 22, where Jack Bauer puts on body armor and launches an assault on former President Charles Logan’s motorcade. Logan’s face was just priceless.
George: Although it wasn’t as tense and grand as TV finales go, I like the final episode of the series. Keeping Jack alive was a great move by the writers and bringing Chloe into the fold was really well done. There were definitely some tear-jerking moments and a great episode overall.
popcultureguy: “Day 8: 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.” It’s the episode where Renee is reintroduced. It was interesting to see how damaged she had been by the events of the previous season and how the dynamic with Jack duly shifted.
Did the change of CTU location from LA to New York affect the season in any way?
Bradley: Not in the slightest. I didn’t enjoy that the advanced technical equipment seemed to bewilder Chloe, yet the previous five seasons had built her up as a technical wizard. The usual plot lines were repeated (e.g. a mole), although I did come to like Arlo and Cole.
Sean: Not at all. They still repeated all of the same plots - moles in CTU, the building being attacked, etc. So it felt the exact same as previous seasons, just with a fancier set. None of the new CTU cast members were any good either, to be honest.
George: I don’t think it mattered. It was a nice change, but I don’t think it affected anything.
popcultureguy: Not really. Compared to the refresh the show received from the shift in location last season, setting things in New York felt random and superficial. And none of the new faces at CTU clicked with me.
Thoughts on the villains?
Bradley: I liked that Suvarov was behind it all, but, despite the fact they introduced that in the middle of the better stretch of episodes, I think they introduced it way too late. There wasn’t really enough time for us to really process it. The villains we saw were relatively uninteresting, and though I liked that Farhad was trying to kill his brother, he wasn’t presented well. Samir was totally expressionless and the less said about Dana the better.
Sean: All of the villains were rather weak and none of them had any memorable scenes. Charles Logan was the only one that I enjoyed - he made the presidential plot interesting, and seeing Jack Bauer go after him was a highlight of the season.
George: I didn’t really care for the villains this season and think the creators didn’t do a great job with them. I really like Katee Sackhoff, but feel her character could have been better. Logan’s scenes were nice to see and made the third act the better part of the season.
popcultureguy: They were rather unmemorable this season. Dana Walsh the CTU mole wasn’t any more interesting than Dana Walsh the CTU analyst with a bevy of personal problems. And while I understand bringing him back given his popularity, dropping President Logan into the plot was a case of diminished returns.
Was Jack right to do what he did after Renee’s death?
Bradley: As a natural “eye for an eye” reaction that most would probably have, despite it being a little over the top, yes. However, for Jack Bauer, the hero? No. Jack had broken the law before, but all in the name of helping his country. Yet this was totally against what we know of him - butchering Pavel, attempting to kill Suvarov. What also bugs me is that it took Jack until season 3 to kill Nina for what she did to Teri. Yet, this happens to Renee and 6 hours later Jack is about to kill the Russian President? It felt way too over the top.
popcultureguy: Wouldn’t say right is the, well, right word, but definitely understandable. This is a man who has sustained incredible losses, particularly of loved ones, in the seven days we previously spent with him. For him to snap, after having a moment of happiness with Renee only to lose her, piled up on top of everything else, makes sense to me.
Was it right that Chloe delivered the last line of the show, or should it have been Jack?
Bradley: If I look back to that first episode of season 3, I would say no way. But, having watched every episode in between, I would say yes. Chloe quickly became a fan favourite, and a crucial character in the show. While Jack is obviously the lead character, Chloe deserved to deliver that last line. And she did it brilliantly.
Sean: I thought it was perfectly done. Chloe had the final line, but the final image of the show was a closeup of Jack Bauer’s face and then the clock going to zero.
George: I’m a big stickler when it comes to finales and think that Jack should have had the last scene and the last line. However, something tells me that the creators and the powers-that-be knew there would be more to Jack’s story that needed to be told. I would not be surprised if the new season has him delivering the shows final line and is the last shot we see.
popcultureguy: I was fine with it. What’s important is that the final scene reaffirmed the relationship between Jack and Chloe. And Jack was always the more stoic and terse of the two so her having the last word wasn’t a major shock.
And that is that. Thanks to all who participated throughout, and thank you for reading. It's been fun doing these, and it made for some nice preparation for the premiere for 24: Live Another Day. You'll be able to find my reviews of the new series right here on SpoilerTV, along with news on the show, so make sure to stay tuned to the site. And, for the love of Jack Bauer, watch FOX at 8/7c on Monday night!
@Bradley_STV | @geonak19 | @24spoilers | @popcultureguy
