Well, that's it. Season 5 is over. We can stick a fork in it. Overall, I can say that I was satisfied with the finale in so far as it met my expectations (which weren't high). It was a fitting end to a disappointing season. I'd like to go into detail, but I'm too tired. I spent the evening updating the site with Tony's final episode, etc etc, so I'll just link to this thread on our discussion forum detailing some of my thoughts on the Season 5 finale.
What I can say is that my feelings toward 24 and the level of my fandom were irrevocably changed by Season 5, specifically by the death of Tony Almeida and the departure of Carlos Bernard from the series. While Tony was certainly not the only thing that made me fall in love with the show in the first place, he was the big reason that kept me hanging on through Season 4 and the one thing I looked forward to and the one thing I believed could make Season 5 great. I had already lost so much of the characters and elements that I loved, and after he was killed off pretty much without any character or story arc whatsoever in the Season simply for a) the shock value and b) because, according to the Powers that Be, there was "nowhere left to go" for the character ... well, that was a line in the sand for me. That was the moment that my fandom as I had known it died. It died with Tony.
On that note, the future of this website is still rather unclear. While I have no plans to shut it down, per se, the level of time and dedication I am prepared to devote to it is relatively low at this point. I plan to watch Season 6, if only for sentimental value, but my motivation to analyze, discuss, post and nurture the fan community has waned. My passion no longer burns. This is not really a surprise to many of my readers at this point. Anyway, my point is that from now on, updates will not be happening on any kind of regularly scheduled basis. I still do plan to add content here and there and maybe weigh in with the odd post. But I see the future of this website more as a canon for the greatness that once was Tony and 24 rather than an active fansite over the future seasons of the show. I invite and encourage all of you to continue enjoying our existing content and post on our forum. I check it often and enjoy chatting with all of you.
That all being said ... I have updated all remaining episodes for Season 5, including Tony's final moments. It was painful, it was cathartic and I hope I have done the blazing awesomeness of Tony justice.
You may be interested in listening to Howard Gordon's latest audio brief. Nearer the end of the brief, the interviewer asks Gordon about the fact that fans feel Tony's death got "the short shrift." Some fans feel that Gordon's response is a long overdue acknowledgement of the mishandling of Tony's death. Others feel that Gordon's response is an empty attempt to appease the angry fans so they will continue watching Season 6. Judge for yourselves and listen to the audio brief with Howie.
I am currently learning PHP and JavaScript programming and I am hoping to add a few quizzes and stuff to the site as learning exercises for my programming skills soon. I also have ideas for a Flash video tribute to Tony.
According to the last poll we ran, the overwhelming majority of you (37% of voters) wanted to see Charles Logan die. Sadly, you did not get your wish. In fact, none of the characters in the poll died! I guess after killing off Tony, the writers felt we couldn't handle any more death. I think I would have preferred just a mass extermination. Anyway, your second choice for death was Audrey, at 21% of the vote and a further 14% of you wanted to see Jack himself bite it. Honourable mention goes to Martha Logan, with 6% of the vote. I've posted a new poll, so don't forget to vote!
-- posted by Kasia @ 2:58 PM
