24 LOOSE ENDS

With 24 coming to its 2 hour season finale (8/7c Monday on Fox), it is surprising how many loose ends there are this year.

Loose ends can be tied up, left dangling, dragged to the edge of a cliff hanger, ignored, or twisted into some unrecognizable form... all methods 24 has used in the past. Several ends left dangling last year, like who was the voice on the telephone to the President, got picked up again this year. (It was Jack's brother.) Here are some of the threads that need to be resolved in the next two hours... or not.

What is going to happen to the President (currently comatose), or the Vice President (under a serious cloud)?

Who is responsible for the assassination attempt?

Who are the really bad guys? -- So far this season there has been a competition between (rogue) Russians, (rogue or government) Chinese, Jack's family, Arab terrorists, and some American opportunists to see who is most evil, and really behind this conspiracy.

Is the acting head of CTU good or bad? All the other people in CTU? What about those romances in various stages of disintegration? How is the ex-head of CTU taking his firing (by his wife)?

Why is Jack so interested in his sister-in-law? (She led him into an almost deadly trap, although she was somewhat, sort-of pressured.)

How bad is Jack's father? Why? (Or with some twist will he turn out to be really a good guy, at least till next season?)

What happened to all the civilians who were exposed to radiation in the course of various catastrophes during the last 22 hours?

What's with Jack's girl friend? Her father?

Will the Russians attack? Will the US attack?

Will Jack's daughter get kidnapped again? (This is not an active loose end, but it's always a possibility.)

Will Jack retrieve the chip that was in the Russian nuclear bomb? Why don't the American's want it? Why do the Russians really care? Is something more at stake?

Count'm up. If that doesn't add up to 24 loose ends, then that itself is a loose end.