Why the 24: Live Another Day Finale Death Was a Slightly Sexist Failure of Imagination
So I wrote this article for Sound on Sight on Jack/Audrey -
One of TV’s most beloved romances is that of Logan and Veronica (affectionately termed “LoVe” by fans) from Rob Thomas’ cult classic Veronica Mars. The romance and the series had enough power and pull to drive a wildly successful Kickstarter and a reasonably successful film. Coming back to 24 for24:LAD, it struck me for the first time that one of the most famous lines from the Veronica/Logan romance, while it doesn’t quite entirely fit that couple, does, seamlessly, describe Jack and Audrey.
“I thought our love was epic, you know? Spanning years, continents, lives lost, blood shed - epic.”
The scene is highly romantic, but the actual content of this famous line is not reflective of the couple’s relationship. Their romance does not include lives lost and blood shed, and while it does span years by the time the film comes around, the epic hyperbole of this statement is simply not reflective of the kind of stakes at play in the series.
Yet it’s a perfect description of the romance that Jack and Audrey live out and the kind of obstacles they overcome. Their romance literally spans continents - when Jack is captured by the Chinese Audrey travels to China to look for him, is captured, Jack returns to the U.S., and the two reunite a year later when Audrey is also brought back from Chin (and when the two reunite in Live Another Day, it’s in London). Their relationship also endures for five years, through lives lost and blood shed: Jack kills (or lets die) Audrey’s husband; Audrey is badly wounded during events Jack is caught up in, and later tortured by the Chinese for Jack’s sake. By the time the two reunite in London, their relationship has endured years of absence, violence, loss, and each thinking the other was dead. They’ve spent the majority of their relationship apart, have pulled through both thinking the other was dead, Audrey’s severe PTSD after her torture, and the past years of Jack being missing under the radar and Audrey married. Yet nothing has changed about their relationship - when they reunite for a few brief moments that connection still rings true, steady and certain as it always has for them. By the time Live Another Day comes along, you really do believe that nothing on earth can separate or overcome this couple.
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