Two hours remaining, and 24 is history for yet another season.  And a pretty crazy beginning, at that: as the clock hit six in the morning, Kim (Elisha Cuthbert) is in danger yet again, and Jack (Kiefer Sutherland) is forced to threaten the government in an attempt to help Tony (Carlos Bernard) escape.  And then, of course, there are the many other questions.  What does the "big machine" have in mind?  Will tensions within the CTU, or whatever poses as it, continue?  Will Jack die?

"It's going to get pretty close," said executive producer Jon Cassar.  "It will go down to that last scene."

Well, of course, it has to, or else we'd watch part of the finale, which airs this Monday on Fox, without Jack, and that'd be very weird.  But what about the other parts of the finale?  We've got some spoilers after the cut, for both the finale and the upcoming season.  That's another warning, yes.
So, what will happen to Jack?  "He's forced to look at himself in a way that people can only look at themselves when they know it's over," Sutherland said.  "It's time, he's dying.  There's no getting around it.  Normally the endings of our show have been plot driven; it's about stopping the bomb or stopping whatever crisis.  The crisis has been dealt with.  These last two episodes are for him coming to terms with his own life."

What about you, Tony?  What are you, really?  "[You're] going to get the answers of why [Tony] did what he did and why he is bad," Cassar added.  "There is a really definitive answer by the end of episode 24."  Extra details, from Bernard himself: "There's a face-off between Tony and Jack at the end that will be a lot of fun for the fans to watch."  Worse that him getting beaten up, he lets slip.

On to you, Kim.  You're in trouble again!  What will you do?  "I really think you're going to see what you want to see, which is Kim stepping up to the plate," Cuthbert said.  "She's very triumphant and more proactive, instead of just reacting to the craziness."  And of course, there's the next season, and Kim will appear in an episode arc in New York.

You, Olivia.  Tell me you're in trouble.  "Olivia is a very smart and very tricky individual," Sprague Grayden said.  "Olivia's storyline will be explained in many ways, and I think in a way that the audience hasn't seen."  In other words, I guess, yes.

Your turn, Chloe.  Uhh, I don't know what you have to say, but maybe you'll say something?  "Chloe is in a predicament," Mary Lynn Rajskub said.  "She's at the new CTU, and stuff has changed since she was there, so it's like trying to keep her head above water."

The new CTU?  In a 24 set in New York?  "It's back, but different," executive producer Howard Gordon said.  "CTU was always this place that was five minutes into the future technologically.  We want to take the high ground of what the near future looks like.  That's what the new CTU will do."

So what exactly will the returning CTU going to face?  "Something in Renee's past is directly related to the crisis of the day," Annie Wersching said.  "I'm excited for the Jack and Renee relationship to continue and further and see how it develops after it not just being one day of knowing each other."  Extra details, from Sutherland: "I can tell you that it's grounded in a political shift that's taking place in a world that I actually think is probably the most realistic thing we've ever done."  Which probably explains for Anil Kapoor's entry as a Middle Eastern peacekeeper, or something.

24's seventh season finale hits screens on Monday, from 8pm, on Fox.  The following day, it's on DVD and Blu-ray, which is the best way to catch something you've probably missed.  Oh, and we have photos from the finale, too, right below these words.





-Henrik Batallones, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: E! Online
(Image courtesy of Fox)