24 - Act Three

There is an excellent review of season 6 and it's place in the 24 mythology on the Critical Myth website. It is well worth reading the review in its entirety but I've pulled a piece out that predicts what the tone may be for the remaining seasons.

"So just as the first three seasons ("The CTU/Kim Years") as an introductory trilogy, the next three seasons ("The Freelance/Audrey Years") could be considered the complication trilogy. In a classic three-act hero's journey, this makes perfect sense. The first act would have the hero struggling yet still largely triumphant, setting the seeds for the events that would bring him down, as seen in the second act. The end of the second act is usually the hero in his darkest hour. The third act is typically when the hero is restored.

24 has been renewed for at least two seasons, at which point the series would likely end with a major motion picture. That time span seems realistic for closing out the third act of the series. While it's unlikely that Jack will ever find the happiness and stability of his life before 24 began, it's quite possible that the producers' realization that things must change will lead to a restoration for the series as a whole."

I'm in. If they can get off the treadmill they've created, explore Jack's psyche with Jack coming to grips with his demons, perhaps in completely new (non-ctu) territory, then this ship can be brought around and deliver a powerful third act that leaves us cheering the hero with full appreciation of the hard journey that brought him here.