Two weeks, two major deaths, two “silent endings.” FOX’s “24” has definitely raised the stakes as it approaches its series finale, killing off progressive IRK president Omar Hassan (Anil Kapoor) and fan favorite Renee Walker (Annie Wersching) in a mere two week span.
Last week, Hassan–a crucial ingredient in the landmark peace process between the Middle Eastern IRK and the Western World–was executed by a terrorist faction committed to derailing the thawing of relations with the US.
But for as tragic as that death was for “24” fans, it could not prepare them for the death of Renee Walker on this Monday’s episode. Having essentially served as a “female Jack Bauer” in her two-season stint on the show, Walker had become the fans’ ideal companion for Kiefer Sutherland’s Jack–she had eclipsed even his prior flame Audrey Raines (Kim Raver) as the most-requested “girlfriend” character.
Her death, achieved by a Russian sniper who feared that Walker’s past undercover stint with the Russian mob could lead her to recognize him and identify Russian involvement in the current conspiracy, came literally moments after Bauer and Walker engaged in long-awaited sexual intercourse. Apparently out of the CTU game and hoping to live a life together, Walker’s death ended another fleeting hope for happiness on the part of Jack Bauer.
Throughout its eight seasons, “24” has made a point of taking no prisoners and promising no happy endings. At the end of season one, Bauer’s wife (and the mother of his daughter, Kim) was killed. At the beginning of season five, former President David Palmer–the inspirational black president who was arguably the most beloved character on the show outside of Chloe O’Brien–was assassinated.
In the build-up to the long-awaited series finale, “24” has not, apparently, gone soft.