I just stayed up to watch the season finale of 24 and to say I was underwhelmed is to understate it. The producers of 24 have done their best to prove that season 5 was their best by following it with two of their worst – just for the sake of comparison. That it took 2 years to come up with this contrived mess is even sadder.

Who ever it was who had the bright idea to bring Kim Bauer (Elisha Cuthbert) back for the season end should be fired – what did she ever bring to the show other than unintended humor and erect nipples? And the hypocrisy of Jack (Kiefer Sutherland) – to put his daughter above the safety of the country when just a few hours earlier he was telling the President to sacrifice her daughter in very much the same situation.

In the end the biggest problem that 24 has is that they continue to tell the same story – can our heros continue to follow their ethics and their oaths under all levels of personal duress. What if Americans are held hostage? What if it’s your daughter? Etc, etc, blah, blah.

Does anyone out there still have faith – or have you given up?