This week I'm facing the classic good news/bad news scenario. Monday's episode of 24 was the most emotionally engaging of the season for me, but on the heels of that comes news that Day Eight could be Jack Bauer's last on FOX.

For now I choose to focus on the positive. This episode, with its primary focus on Marcos and his suicide mission, was like a mini-movie. The major threat of the nuclear bomb was still in the background but the action was on a smaller scale, which gave us a look at how events of the day had an impact on an individual as well as national level.

What made this resonate first and foremost was the interaction between Marcos and his mother, played by the always awesome Mare Winningham. Despite her confusion, she trusted her son enough to heed his warning to leave the city, but that trust turned to disbelief and then anguish when she was confronted with the reason behind that warning. When trying to convince Marcos to turn himself in she fell into that urgent yet soothing manner that seems to be in the DNA of all good moms. As for Marcos, the expressive eyes of actor Rami Malek revealed his struggle between love for his mother and loyalty to a country he didn't even know. His last words to Jack, when he knew he was a dead man, were poignant and heartbreaking.

The Hassans were another family dealing with crisis. Omar and Dalia also had a child in jeopardy, but whereas Marcos was victim of his own actions, Kayla had no idea of the danger looming. Mother and daughter had both accused Omar of being ruthlessly paranoid in his search for insurrection, but in an ironic twist he actually did stumble on a traitor in the person of Tarin, his own head of security, who turned out to be Kayla's secret lover. No doubt Dalia will also struggle with guilt for being complicit in this hush-hush relationship.

And then there's Jack. He was in vintage form as he painted a picture of the slow and torturous death Marcos' mother would endure if he failed to surrender, and neither Marcos nor the viewers had the slightest doubt that Bauer would make it happen. Jack's devotion to the greater good makes him willing to do the most repellent acts without hesitation, and that compelling paradox has been a major factor in the character's appeal. He once said his greatest sorrow is that the world needs people like him, and that haunting statement is the essence of Jack Bauer.

If this year is the end of 24 on the small screen, I'll be sure to savor the rest of the season that much more. But I definitely appreciate the time I've been able to spend with Jack Bauer inside his world.