Adios, Jack Bauer...

I found myself forwarding to the last five minutes of the 24 series finale. A friend of mine was shocked and asked me why I didn't view it in its entirety. One word: TiVo. I also told him that I almost didn't even tune in at all. Plus, was anyone really expecting any real surprises? Seriously?

You see, I used to be a 24 fan long ago. These were the days when CTU was in Los Angeles and the plotline wasn't as repetitive and convoluted as it later became. The days when the most annoying character was Jack's daughter, the gorgeous Elisha Cuthbert. Man, was she annoying! In my opinion, the last great season of 24 was the 4th 'cause the 3rd really stunk it up when they - for no apparent reason whatsoever - partnered him up with some jackass who, by the way, happened to be drilling his daughter. C'mon!

The good ol' days of Jack Bauer: Savior of Mankind ended for me with that special 4th season.

I must admit I tuned in to the finale for nostalgic purposes only. I feel I paid my respects proper. For some inexplicable reason, I thought something insane would actually happen. Like maybe, it turns out that he's really an alien being from the outer reaches of the universe. That explains why this motherfucker won't die! I get it now. Instead, we were treated to the typical 24 universe tripe of the previous 4 seasons. Hey, perhaps, they're saving it for the movie, right?

So long, Jack. For the time being, at least.