Ahh, The Big Moment. It’s what 24 has always lived for, the big twists (Who’s The Mole? Which Elected Official Will Die/Screw Jack Over?) and moments (viruses! nuclear bombs! DISAAAASTER!) that gave the show it’s ballsy reputation. Of course, the repetition of these things season after season dulled the effect a bit – but even in the show’s worst seasons, big moments like these were usually given the levity – and more often than not, the logic – most other events on the show didn’t.
The ending to “Day 9: 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.” is technically Live Another Day‘s second Big Moment this season – unfortunately, the first reveal that Navarro was a mole (to Adrian Cross, of course) was a dud, a sign that maybe 24‘s old tricks wouldn’t work in the new, modern world of dramatic television. And on the surface, Heller’s sacrifice is inherently more satisfying a narrative device: his death resonates much more with the audience because he’s a character with dimensions, developed over previous seasons – and even a few times in this episode, including the season’s best scene (when Heller says “goodbye” to Audrey). It’s dramatic impact is doubled by the efforts to try and prevent his death: but with Chloe stuck in a local pub and Kate unable to get any useful information from Simone (“Wake that bitch up!”), Jack’s unable to save POTUS, watching from a distance as Heller gets blown up on the center pitch of Wembley Stadium.
Let’s not even get into the logical holes that led to this development – of all the things threatening to undercut this particular story, the only thing that actually lessens the climatic moment is the president’s Alzheimer’s. His disease has made him a sitting duck since episode one, a man whose power was only on paper: it wasn’t so much a choice for him to surrender as it was a resignation of self, an honorable turn by a man who could no longer serve his country. Knowing he’d hidden it for six months didn’t help, either: it painted Heller as a selfish man, one who was willing to sacrifice the safety of his country in order to maintain his spot at the top of the American political pyramid. This wasn’t so much an act of honor as it was accepting an inevitable conclusion, taking the agency out of the president’s hands and placing it in the hands of inexplicable, undefinable mental diseases, an easy way for the writers of 24 to pick off a character without disrupting the status quo.
Thankfully, “Day 9: 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.” sidesteps most of this head-scratching in the moment, thanks to William Devane’s performance and the possible threads that arise from his decision. What happens now to Mark, whose stuck under the thumb of the Russian government? What happens to Jack now that the one man in the world willing to protect him is gone? Will Margot actually honor their terms, or prove Jack right that negotiating with terrorists should never be an option? With lots of time spent building to the inevitable, “6pm – 7pm” starts to let these questions fester in the brains of viewers long before Heller has passed away, putting the audience in Jack’s mind space for a moment, trying to navigate the twists, turns, and nuclear landmines of the worsening situation in London (and now, D.C.).
Yes, lots of “Day 9: 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.” is silly: the overwrought scenes with Simone, the pile of delays that keep the climatic moments of the episode until the very end of the hour (still my favorite part of 24′s ludicrous ways: big events only happen at the end or beginning of hours, with rare exceptions)… but when it finally gets to seemingly killing off Heller, opens a world of possibilities for the story that didn’t exist with the bumbling, frowning Heller attempting to control the situation. 24 is at its best in chaos, and it finally feels like the show’s cutting loose.
Other thoughts/observations:
- Navarro and not-Milo are such dumbasses, they should kill each other in gunfight in the finale.
- Hey Kate! How’s life on the sidelines?
- What is Cross up to? I have a feeling he’s going to end up being the Final Big Bad once Margot’s dealt with (credited as a guest star, I have to think she won’t be around to the finale).
- no silent counter for Heller? CONSPIRACY THEORY AFOOT.