Well, show's over now? We can go home? Nyoop, not yet.
Back at the printing press, Audrey shows up. A tender moment with Jack as the Hey Hey theme tinkles on the piano.
An agent wades hip deep into the mush and tells Jack there is a call from Kim. It's been patched to a landline inside the building.
Um, first, why not just give Jack a cell phone. Second, how did they know what number to patch the call to, and third, why are there working phone lines in this abandoned building?
Ah, but not all is as it seems. Jack goes inside, and two masked men jump him and drug him.
Clocks are at :53 to :51.
Karen tells Bill he'll be back running CTU again soon. Bill toes the floor in an aw shucks way and asks Karen out on a breakfast date. She has to run, but smiles and asks for a rain check. Bill and Karen sitting in a tree...
Bill has a tender moment with Chloe. He gives her something found in Edgar's possessions. It's a photo of Edgar and Chloe, Edgar is smiling like he just won a 10 minutes shopping spree in a grocery store. Chloe is burdened with memories, and it is a touching scene. Then, to ruin it all, Morris sticks his snout in and asks Chloe if she wants to talk about it. Surprisingly, she does.
Audrey goes looking for Jack, and realizes he is gone. She tells Agent Davis, who immediately asks for three people on the perimeter. Oh, sadly he doesn't know how utterly ineffective perimeters are.
We are somewhere else now. Some Chinese guys drop a sack of hamburger on the floor. Oh dear, it's Jack. He doesn't look so good. All beat up and bloody.
So, was this what Logan had in store for Jack? To give Jack back to the Chinese? But, how did the Chinese get to the printing press so quickly? Nobody knew that's where Jack would be? Did they fly in with the security team that rescued Logan? Sigh.
Hey, it's the Chinese Security Guy from the Consulate last year! The one that waltzed right into the heart of CTU, a sensitive intelligence location. But it was ok, CTU was just going to cover up the monitors.
Security Guy says "China has a long memory. Did you think we'd forget?" They're like elephants!
Then, we cut to the exterior of, I have to say it, a slow boat to China.
Article comments
1 - Victor Lana
Nice job, JEff. I was very disappointed in the last 15 minutes. It seemed the writers were trying to go out with a Big Bang. It seemed forced and contrived. Jack(the real Jack) would never have gone in to answer that phone. It just was a poor ending in my opinion.
2 - Mary K. Williams
Please let us devote no more thought as to what Martha must have done
Jack promised Martha that she wouldn't have to swallow. Brave girl, that Martha.
3 - Mary K. Williams
This was wonderful Jeff - you outdid yourself!
Bravo Mr. Kouba!
4 - Jeff
Thanks, Mary! It's been a fun ride.
5 - Paul
False alarm. I went into that warehouse and got jumped by a squad of angry viewers. I told them I had nothing to do with the show, that the writers were in the next warehouse over.
I managed to catch the last hour from my hotel room in Marina Del Rey, which apparently was far enough from the carnage that I missed most of it--except for a bloodied tee shirt from the Bonzai Institute that washed up on the beach the next day.
I'm glad the writers didn't forget about the Chinese. They have long memories. It certainly sets up an interesting possibility for next season: namely, that Jack won't experience Day Six in Los Angeles. Then again, a la Mandy's handshaking assassination attempt on David Palmer, he may start the day simply showing up for work at CTU and no mention at all will be made of his jacknapping until a passing reference in about hour eight.
As with the end of last season, I'm really questioning whether I'll bother with next season. Maybe I'll just read Jeff's rants and comment on them instead.
So, there just one thing left to say, I guess:
Where's Wayne?