Disappointing end to a disappointing reboot. Even [blackout]Rebecca's[/blackout] death felt mandatory and scripted. Think of the most shocking deaths in 24: Teri Bauer, Nina, Palmer, Michelle, Audrey, etc...they were quick and brutal. Hell, Teri died off screen. It made them effective. This one was cinematic and drawn out, right down to the dramatic last words and the love interest arriving just in time to witness the death. The whole episode you could feel this coming. As such, there was no tension surrounding it and certainly no surprise. [blackout]And none of that speaks to the writers opting to kill the only interesting character on the show.[/blackout]
I dunno...24 of old would've done something daring. The scene in the beginning of the epsiode when [blackout]Nasari was holding Rebecca at knife point...he would've just slit her throat and been done with it.[/blackout] That is why 24 had a reputation of being a suspense filled, shocking, thrill ride. It avoided cinematic tropes such as this. Nothing about this was daring, shocking, or suspenseful. Stuff just happened. Even the semi-heel turn of Senator Jimmy Smits at the end, it means nothing. The character wasn't sufficiently developed for it to mean anything. If David Palmer pulled a move like that, the audience would be left shocked. But with this guy...nothing. Its almost like the writers just expected that having a generic minority presidential candidate would be enough to endear him to the audience as a Palmer surrogate. But then they never took the time to really develop him. The only consistent trait about him is that he gets indignant and angry at anything any other character does. Which doesn't make his final scene shocking. It just makes him into an unlikable hypocrite.
At the end of the day, that is the story of this show. Everything about it felt poorly managed/conceived. Hell, everything about this entire reboot felt unnecessary. It basically retold the story of season 1 of 24 (literally stole the backstory, the villains, their motivations, and the twist) in a far inferior way with lesser actors, lesser characters, and lesser scripts. There was never a sense of dramatic tension or excitement, the likes of which 24 built a reputation around. Eric is a boring protagonist with none of Jack Bauer's intensity or drive. It just felt very meh. Sadly, if this is renewed, I doubt I will be back unless Jack Bauer is involved. Sutherland is the only thing that can bring me back at this point.
Also...speaking of returning characters...why the hell was Tony there? He was literally just a goon who showed up for a few scenes to torture someone. Then disappeared until he got a phone call and went and fought Eric for...reasons. Then that was it. There was no redemptive arc, no closure, nothing that really moved the character forward from where we left him, not even any cool action scenes. Like this show as a whole, Tony's involvement felt unnecessary.