First Impulse: "24" says good-bye

It would have been more appropriate if the long-running action series said something more like, "Dammit! We don't have TIME for this!" Or better yet, it could have hired a William Conrad soundalike (if there is such a thing, I want to hear the guy doing ads NOW) to intone, "Day 8, 4:00 P.M.: The time the running...er, kept going."

But still, it gave fans a decent good-bye and capped off an uneven season with a little emotion and some of that elusive "closure" people always say they want. It's too bad there is still talk of everyone monkeying around with a "24" movie. That knowledge lessened any potential impact of the last episode.

There were strong moments, though, and ultimately the Jack Bauer Power Hour went out giving everyone just what had it given for 8 seasons. That is a nice treat for loyal fans but also, of course, an indication that it's time to go. I didn't care for the story this year, but in the final run of episodes, Jack Bauer was as over-the-top bonkers as ever, kicking ass, biting ears, and eviscerating foes. At the beginning of this season, I assumed the end would feature our hero reunited with his daughter, enjoying life as a grandpa and finally finding peace. Of course, that didn't happen, and the show refused to absolve or condemn him. After all this time, Bauer remains a thoroughly damaged individual, incapable of assimilating into "normal" life for reasons his own and not and his own, once again a fugitive. But he's also a superhero, a patriot, a man who we're clearly supposed to admire on some level.

I like that "24" didn't compromise or change Jack Bauer. He won some and lost some while ensuring justice eventually prevailed. The show him and longtime tag team partner Chloe a poignant good-bye scene (with more than a slice of "24"-style cheese), then told us, OK, back to the Life for Jack. One of the great characters in small screen history limped off rather than walked off into the sunset, and it was a perfect bittersweet ending. Let's forget that movie and hope it never actually happens, and we can all enjoy the high point of this season, a fitting conclusion to one of the wildest, goofiest, most entertaining action sagas on TV.