Now that we’ve all had a chance to process this terribly disappointing news, I’m trying to figure out where my head is at.
I have to say, I’m still pretty floored that the show elected to go this route, because in my mind all signs, and common sense, pointed to the opposite. I had already decided before Season 7 ended that if the writers saw fit to leave Tony breathing when the finale beeped its last boop, then we definitely hadn’t seen the last of the character and it was almost certain he would return for Season 8. At the time, Sutherland, Gordon and FOX had pretty well announced that Season 8 would be the last season of 24 to air on network. And so Tony’s return seemed even more likely given that he has been an elite, epic character on the show and if the show was going to end, deserved more definitive closure and resolution to his relationship with Jack than we received at the end of Season 7.
Now, the show’s future isn’t as clear. The Powers That Be have backpedaled some and the possibility of a ninth season may still be in play, as is a movie franchise based on the world and characters of the show. So it’s conceivable that they left Tony alive to give themselves the option of bringing him back at some other point later on — in a ninth season or a movie — and never had plans for him in Season 8 in the first place. But even so, there was plenty of evidence that spoke to the notion Tony would return for Season 8, starting with David Fury’s statement to Televisionary in July:
“We’re only in first third of the season,” said Fury. “We’ve been discussing characters who could return. Charles Logan? I helped champion keeping Tony alive last season. Tony could be pivotal.”
Couple that with Carlos Bernard’s knowing evasiveness in interviews on the subject, his recent press tour through the UK, the IMDB credit for 8×11 and the Carlos-spotting on-site at FOX just last week, and I think most fans had figured by this point it was a given. Fury’s statement confirms, if nothing else, that the writers were still contemplating a Tony storyline at least as far along as episode 8.
Anyway, going back to the end of Season 7 for a moment — in light of the knowledge that Tony will not be returning for Season 8, did Jack (and the writers) still make the right decision in choosing not to kill Almeida? Undoubtedly, Season 7 was a spectacular trajectory for Tony’s character, and the show did do him justice. Untoppable, even, as some on this site have suggested. So if they really believed Tony was done in the 24 Universe, why not just put definitive closure on the issue, “do it right this time”, and have Jack shoot him in the head instead of the arm at the moment of truth? While it might have sucked for Tony to die (again), it might have saved me the heartbreak and disappointment of them leaving him alive only to then decide that he’s irrelevant after 6 months of titillating the fan base with vague hints that he would return. I do feel a little manipulated.
Personally, I do think it was the right choice from Jack’s character point of view not to kill Tony. It was important to the character and the relationship arc of the Brotherhood for Jack to have shown mercy, and not vengeance. And if it leaves the writers the added bonus of bringing Tony back into the story at some point in the future, whether it be in a 9th season or a movie, or even in a Hail Mary for the end of s8 (as long as it’s well done), then all the better for Tony fans as well.
I’m certainly not advocating that the writers should put Tony into Season 8 just to placate the fans if it doesn’t work for the story. After thinking it over, I do believe that no Tony at this point is better than lame token Tony, a la s5, which we know could have potentially disastrous results (again, a la s5). But at the same time, I am unable to wrap my head around why, after deliberately not killing him in Season 7, a Season 8 storyline for Tony and the Brotherhood was not a primary concern from Day 1 of s8 development. I’m also surprised, and a bit irritated, that the showrunners were not more forthcoming sooner about the fact that they were going in a direction that did not involve Tony. Tony was the reason for the season last year and bringing him back also won back the loyalty of a lot of fans who had wavered after Tony’s death in Season 5 and Season 6. And it feels a bit like they’ve been toying with fans, being evasive, letting us believe Tony would be back, in order to pump up interest in the upcoming season. I give them credit for telling us now, before the season starts, so we can make an informed decision about whether or not to watch, but it also makes me ask “Why now?”
Avery said to me while we were chatting the other day when the news first broke that she wished the writers would come clean and explain their reasoning about this. Given how pivotal Tony was to last season and how open-ended his conclusion was, they had to know that news Tony would not be returning would probably not be well-received by the fans. So how ’bout it, HoGo? Fury, Braga? What the hell are you guys thinking? What is going on behind the scenes?
Anyway, bottom line is that yes, I’ll be watching Season 8 regardless. There will be some Kim, and I like Kim. I grew to admire Katee Sackhoff’s work during a viewing of the entire BSG series over the hiatus, and I look forward to seeing what she will bring to 24. I also loved Mykelti Williamson in Boomtown, and I think he will be a good addition. I want to see what happens to Chloe and Renee. And I think the plot for the new season sounds promising. But when all is said and done, my level of interest in fandom and my investment in the Season 8 experience has severely lessened with the knowledge that there will be no Tony Almeida and no Brotherhood arc. Particularly given the knowledge that Charles Logan will be back.
For the record, while I will try to keep an open mind going into the new season, I think No Tony in Day 8 is a huge mistake.
Filed under: 24: The Show, Carlos Bernard, Cast & Crew, Characters, Chloe O'Brian, Current Cast & Crew, Current Characters, David Fury, Jack Bauer, Kim Bauer, Past Characters, Projects, Renee Walker, Season 8, Tony Almeida
Amen, sister.
There’s nothing else to say, really. You’ve summed up our thoughts and ponderings perfectly and very eloquently. The little hope I’m clinging on to is that Logan may not survive this season – and Jack will do right by Tony by killing him now that he is no longer acting president. The little things we cling on to when the huge things bust like a soap bubble… sad.
excuse my typos. feel free to correct them… sorry. it’s late.
That look-at-the-bright-side mentality that gets me through life has kicked in for real this time. I’m certainly not happy about no Tony of course. But when I look back on Season 7, the stretchI remember as the strongest was Episodes 10-14. Two of my favorites were 7.12 and 7.14, which featured no Tony and very little Tony, respectively. Don’t think that I’m implying the season was better off without him, but remembering that they were still able to produce some strong episodes without him is highly encouraging.
And for what it’s worth, I’ve always been extremely skeptical about Season 8 being the last. I doubt Fox wants to cut loose one of it’s more successful programs just yet. And if there’s a movie, chances of Carlos Bernard’s involvement are high.
“But when all is said and done, my level of interest in fandom and my investment in the Season 8 experience has severely lessened with the knowledge that there will be no Tony Almeida and no Brotherhood arc. Particularly given the knowledge that Charles Logan will be back.”
I don’t know what to make of this though. Can’t the return of Greg Itzin almost certainly be a good thing? (I say almost, because I too remember Season 6…). If Tony can’t return, at least he’s the one other character who demands some resolution.
I’m glad you are able to put this in a positive light in your own mind, but I’m not so convinced that their ability to produce a stretch of strong Tony-less episodes in the middle of a Tony-centric season is indicative of how successful a completely Tony-less season will be following such a strong Tony-centric season. Then again, you’ve always been less invested than I in Tony’s presence as a measure of how successful or entertaining the show will be. You’re a Season 5 fan.
Sure, but with Logan being one of the main players behind the plot that killed Michelle and prompted Tony’s downfall in the first pace, it seems both a shame and a little odd that they would ignore the opportunity for a Logan/Tony showdown given that Logan is returning.
I was introduced to this site by my sister because we are both big Carlos Bernard fans. I know that I am probably the only guy who is on this site, I think the majority of the women that get on this site have a crush on Carlos, so I thought that a man’s perspective would be something different for AIG.COM.
I like to start out by saying that the decision not to bring back Tony for season 8 is a mistake. As a fan of the show from the beginning, this all started back in season 5 when the writers of the show decided to kill off the two best characters in the show…………. Tony & David Palmer, for me this is when the show went completely downhill. We all saw the season 6 debacle, so they decided to bring back Tony in season 7.
This was a smart move but they screwed it up with a very weak reason as to how Tony was still alive. The Christopher Henederson reason was awful but we got passed that idiotic reason.
Season 7 we saw Tony start as a villain, then he was good, then he went completely psycho. Personally, I think that they should have just brought him back alive and as the normal Tony we grew to like. If we can endure five seasons of Chloe’s stupid facial expressions and anal attitude then they could have brought back Tony as the Tony that was supposedly killed in season 5………. ” THE NORMAL TONY”
I always enjoyed watching Tony and Jack working together side by side, it reminded me of my friend and I. There is no continiuty with 24 aside from Kiefer Sutherland, as fans we can’t identify with anyone on the show because every season they keep bringing in new characters.
24 can and will survive without Carlos Bernard, this is why HOGO decided not to bring back Carlos. In all honesty, what would be Tony’s story line in season 8 ?? They have completely butchered a great character and asset to the show.
Sure, he is in prison on death row and somehow Jack needs to go to him for info on some terrorist organization such as Alan Wilson or whomever, then Jack gets the president to pardon Tony for his info and then Tony is helping Jack to find the criminals. We’ve seen this before and it’s too predictable and boring.
Tony’s story is dead thanks to poor writing in season 7……………… having him kill Larry Moss and blow up a building full of federal agents was way over the top. The writers of the show cornered themselves into a wall with Tony’s character.
Unfortunately, the show has and always will be about Kiefer Sutherland. I remember BEFORE they started on season 7 that Kiefer was not too receptive on bringing back Tony, it took Jon Cassar and David Fury to convince him that it was the way to go. I just wonder if Kiefer’s ego has something to do with not bringing back Carlos Bernard in season 8. Kiefer must know that Carlos is probably the second most popular and loved character on 24 and that Carlos is admired by the women as well, I wouldn’t doubt that some male jealousy got in the way of this bad decision not to bring back Carlos.
Anyway, these are my thoughts and my opinions, and maybe some of you ladies will agree.
Finally, I think it is a mistake not to bring back Tony and I will not watch season 8 because 24 is not the same without Jack & Tony !!!
You ARE new to the site, and while I applaud your willingness to jump into the discussion, it might help for you to get to know the site a little better by reading our archived content and perhaps our Official Contributors page and Site Profile before making generalizations and assumptions about who our members are or why they’re here. A “male perspective” is not new to this site. This site was founded in partnership between a female Tony Almeida fan and a male Tony Almeida fan. We have 2 central male contributors to content and 4 female. Our subscriber membership is split pretty evenly between men and women, and the the majority of people (women and men) who post here on the blog as well as on the forum are here because they love the show 24 and the character of Tony Almeida, not because they have a “crush on Carlos Bernard”.
This fan site is focused on critical analysis, not on celebrity crushes.
This is so out there that it made me laugh out loud. Kiefer and Carlos are the best of friends. Kiefer’s primary concern re 24 is the quality of the series, not whether the attention of female fans is on his costars as opposed to him. Whatever reasons the people behind 24 had for not writing Tony Almeida into Season 8, I sincerely doubt Kiefer’s insecurity about Carlos taking the attention of female fans away from him is one of them.
Yup, I came here because I was a fan of Tony and 24, and stayed because of all the intelligent critical analysis.
(My secret man-crush on Carlos Bernard is secondary.)
My sincere apologies to everyone on this site about my comments, you are correct………… I shouldn’t have made an assumption and generalization so quick.
I did check out the site profile and this is a very cool site.
I hope that I will be allowed to contribute my thoughts and ideas from time to time.
I was wondering if anyone can help me on this:
Carlos Bernard has a 4 minute trailer called ” MISSION ROAD” on his web site.
I watched it and it looks very interesting, has it been released or is it in the process of getting released ??
If it’s been released, where can I find it ??
I’m thinking that it hasn’t been released……………. too bad because it would be cool to see Carlos in the lead role of a good tv show or movie.
Also, any info on the movie that Carlos said that he’s doing in South Carolina??
I welcome your feedback and appreciate the AIG people for letting me post my opinions.
Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving !!
yeah, i don’t like this prospect either. they’re toying with us, just like back then when they first killed him. he’s dead, get over it, no, he’s not dead, we fooled ya, he’s good, he’s bad, he’s gone… I mean, maybe they figure they’ve played all the cards they could play with his character, I dunno. But I don’t really like this playing around either. Even though I was not as convinced as Kas that tony would be back in s8, I did pretty much assume that they’d brought him back in S7 cause they wanted him back on the show and not just for this year. I cannot understand their reasons, and I wish we’d hear something about why this call was made. I know we never will, or at least not until the season is over… Cause HoGo and the likes have never cared about what we think and Cassar is no longer with the show.
I think Fury cares about the fans, and I think he cares about Tony. He was the one who instigated the Resurrection, he was the one who championed keeping Tony alive through the end of s7 and he was the one who was pushing for a Tony storyline in Day 8. But yeah, HoGo doesn’t give a hoot what we think, at all. He has his Emmy on his mantle, so I guess he doesn’t have to.
Something I’m now wondering about is whether Tony’s fate will be resolved offscreen or not. And would that be even worse? Do we want Tony to go completely unmentioned in Day 8? Or do we want a semi-throwaway “Oh, Tony has been shipped off to ,” maybe a little commentary on the morality of his actions?
Funny you should bring this up, Avery and I were just talking about this earlier.
I imagine there will be some mention of Tony (as well there should be). But they better not be thinking that will suffice as absolute closure for the character!!! If they have Jack doing some backhanded moralizing, I’ll be pissed. The Tony mentions better be intense, with emotional impact for Jack!
i had that same thought last night too, about off-screen tony-mentions. I have to agree with kas about it NOT in the least being enough (nor would it be closure), but that he should be mentioned. I don’t think we need another comment on the morality of his actions, since that topic has been extensively exploited in S7 and I think it’d be an unnecessary reprise.
personally, my hope is that since we know that logan is coming back, jack and logan will come to some kind of a show-down where jack can take revenge on him FOR tony. but… it’s highly unlikely, since logan will always be President, even if not acting President. unless of course tony and jack have become friends again in the meantime, despite tony’s being in prison or whatever happened to him and if jack doesn’t give a damn about logan’s title or the consequences of his actions…
I would just like to point out that we have never seen jack “lose his shit” quite like he did when he had tony dying in his arms.