The seventh season of 24 had a lot riding on it, as it came after the horrible sixth season, skipped a year due to the writer's strike, and directly followed the 24 movie. While it ended up being fairly divisive, I think Season 7 of 24 was a breath of fresh air for the show, and easily one of the better seasons overall.
Right from the get-go, Season 7 feels like it's trying to be different than the seasons that came before it. Jack's use of torture is finally put into question as he's partnered with the more naive Renee Walker, the location has shifted to DC, the CTU is replaced with the FBI, and Tony is presumably a bad guy. Given how distraught he was at the end of Season 5, it was exciting to try and piece together Tony's murky motives throughout the season, even if it ended up being a bit convoluted in the end. There were a lot of villains this season aside from Tony, which meant that not enough of them could really get the amount of depth they needed to become memorable. However, the constant switching of villains and shifting of plot lent the season a fast pace that marked all of the best 24 seasons. It helps that Season 7 was reportedly written and planned out entirely before filming.
The characters this season was also excellent. For the first time since David Palmer, we get a genuinely compelling followup in Allison Tayler, who I thought was an amazing president for the show. She had a sweet relationship with Jack Bauer, and was willing to sacrifice for her country. I also enjoyed the cast at the FBI, especially Renee Walker, who worked amazingly as a foil for Jack. Chloe and Bill returned, with the latter having a particularly impactful heroic sacrifice midway through the season. Even Kim finally returned and had some great moments of her own. If there was one storyline I wasn't the biggest fan of, however, it was Jack being infected by a pathogen, especially since it seemed to be building to a death scene for him that just didn't happen. The storyline still allowed for some emotional moments for Kim, but I think it just didn't need to be there.
There were a lot of standout episodes this season, but here were some of my favorites:
10am-11am: This outstanding and propellant third episode finally brought back Chloe and Bill, as Jack learns Tony is innocent and breaks him out of the FBI. It all culminates in an exciting sequence where Jack drives a car off a garage, easily one of the best setpieces in the series.
5pm-6pm: This episode does a great job of setting up the looming white house siege while also remaining entertaining in its own right, as the FBI mole is satisfyingly chased down and kidnapped and Jack and Renee get in a tense car chase with one of the villains, Dubaku.
7pm-8pm/8pm-9pm: The White House Siege is one of 24's best story arcs, consisting of an action-packed two episodes that utilize pretty much the entire cast. Everyone gets a chance to shine here, from Jack to Allison to Bill to even Aaron Pierce. Bill's death was impactful, and the aftermath of the whole event resulted in a lot of changes for the season.
1am-2am: After almost an entire season of wondering what Tony's real motives are, we finally learn that Tony is, in fact, a bad guy who ends up killing off Larry Moss, the relatively annoying chief of the FBI.
7am-8am: This was actually one of the better 24 finales for me, as pretty much all of the characters got some impactful moments. Tony's full motives are revealed, Renee goes against her morals and quits the FBI, Kim saves Jack's life, Allison loses her family, so much ends up happening here, and the final third of the episode is just nonstop emotion.
Overall, I loved Season 7. It felt like a fresh take on the series with tons of great action, memorable characters, and strong episodes, even if it was a bit convoluted and overstuffed, with some iffy plot directions at times.
4/5 Stars
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