What most exhibits thought of leaping the shark was simply one other day on the workplace for 24. The famend FOX spy thriller sequence created by Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran set in actual time by no means wavered in delivering stunning twists and turns, leaving audiences in awe each week with a traumatic demise, climactic escalation of occasions, and jaw-dropping set piece.
In Season 3 — or reasonably, in 24 parlance, Day 3 — counterterrorist agent and borderline superspy Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) undergoes an excruciating shift at CTU. Kicking off the day with a jail riot and concluding with the severance of his future son-in-law’s hand, Jack was left in tears by the finish of Episode 24. Issues have been already chaotic with the management of a lethal virus swapping arms and the return of Jack’s mortal enemy, Nina Myers (Sarah Clarke), however the inflection level of Day 3 got here with the execution of bureau head Ryan Chappelle (Paul Schulze), a second that altered the material of 24 without end.
’24’s Darkest Second Examined the Morality of Jack Bauer and CTU
CTU was on its heels when possession of the virus landed within the arms of Stephen Saunders (Paul Blackthorne), a disgruntled MI6 agent trying to precise revenge on America by eco-terrorism. Having misplaced management of the state of affairsthe company was pressured to commit the final word sin of 24: negotiate with the terrorists. Saunders had such leverage that he was immediately making calls for to President David Palmer (Dennis Haysbert), who was positioned within the cruelest dilemma in Episode 18, “Day 3: 6:00 am. to 7:00 a.m.,” of this nightmarish day. Persevering with his reign of terror, Saunders calls for the killing of Ryan Chappellea high-ranking federal officer introduced in to hold CTU’s workload after Tony Almeida (Carlos Bernard) is incapacitated, or else he’ll launch the virus to the open air.
All through the episode, audiences anticipate that Jack and firm will find Saunders and/or the distributor of the virus, as, even for 24 requirements, Chappelle’s premeditated execution can be too stark a line to cross. After Chase Edmunds (James Badge Dale) and his area unit fail to seize Saunders earlier than the deadline, Jack, underneath authorization of the President, is left with no selection however to take Chappelle to an deserted practice station and put a bullet by his head. Main characters have died in 24, notably Jack’s spouse, Teri (Leslie Hope), which closed Day 1, however these deaths have been tragic prices of victory towards the forces of evil. Right here, Chappelle’s demise is a sheer act of capitulation and failure. The sequence caught on within the 2000s as America was reeling from September eleventhhowever this pivotal second in 24 reminded us all that the dangerous guys do often come out on prime.
Ryan Chappelle’s Dying in ’24’ Rattled the Spy Sequence
This essential turning level in 24‘s DNA on Day 3, Episode 18, was a rare feat of garnering viewers sympathy for Chappellethe stereotypical punctilious boss in a swimsuit who viewers are designed to loath. Introduced in from the guardian division of CTU, Chappelle is strict with protocol, consistently barking instructions and stubbornly interfering with Jack’s rogue procedures. Upon studying that he’s the latest pawn in Saunders’ negotiating scheme, he turns into the symbolic determine of the season’s tragic stakes. In mere minutes, Chappelle is taken down a peg, proving that each one events working in counterterrorism are susceptible.
You understand issues are critical when a 24 episode’s climax does not function its signature multi-panel screens of ongoing storylines. The ultimate minutes of the episode drive you to sit down with Ryan Chappelle on his kneestrembling as he is unable to tug the set off on himself. “God forgive me,” Jack says earlier than coldly executing this esteemed federal agent to purchase time with a virus-wielding terrorist. If this second wasn’t chilling sufficient, the ticking clock that ends each hour is silenced, mourning our fallen hero. As horrifying as his ordeal is, Chappelle is aware of that he might by no means reside with Saunders’ risk coming to fruition, the place tens of millions of People die by not sacrificing himself. Essentially the most heartbreaking second of this scene is when Jack asks him if there’s any cherished one he’d wish to name for one ultimate goodbye. For Chappelle, a person pushed by his occupation, he has nobody vital sufficient to bid farewell to.
“I really feel as if I am crossing a line I’ll by no means have the ability to step again from,” President Palmer solemnly states after authorizing Ryan Chappelle’s grave sacrifice. 24 followers knew immediately that there was no turning again from this second. The sequence underwent a story reset following Season 3with new faces starting to populate CTU, Palmer resigning from workplace, and Jack Bauer working a desk job. Chappelle’s demise shaded the morality of not simply Jack, but in addition the price of justice.