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About Blind Ambition
From the first moment he appeared on-screen in s1 1pm-2pm, Ryan Chappelle's
electrifying presence and no-nonsense sneer were impossible to ignore.
Neither a hero nor
a villian, but instead a wonderful portrayal of the thin grey line that exists
between what is "expected" and what is truly right and just in the
stressful world of a government agency, Ryan Chappelle remains one of the most
intense, magnetic and unforgettable minor characters ever to grace 24. This
fanlisting is dedicated to the greatness that is Ryan Chappelle.
Blind Ambition is maintained by Kasia Gawlak and Matt McCormack, the creators
of
AlmeidaIsGod.com.
A Brief History of Ryan Chappelle
We first meet Ryan Chappelle in s1 1-2pm, when he comes in to interrogate Jack
Bauer about what transpired at the San Clarita Power Plant and subsequently at
Gaines's compound earlier that day. He has no interest in Jack's side of the
story, only in finding a way to justify terminating Jack's tenure as Director
of CTU and getting rid of him as fast as he can. Chappelle is a stickler for
rules and for following protocol, and he has very little tolerance for renegades
like Jack who go against the grain and don't have a problem with operating outside
of agency authority. Ryan has trouble seeing past the future of his own career,
and every decision he makes has to do with whether or not it will benefit (or
alternately, adversely affect) him personally. Unfortunately for Chappelle, Jack's
allies (mainly Tony Almeida and Senator David Palmer) refuse to co-operate with
his desire to remove Jack from duty and Chappelle leaves CTU unsatisfied. Chappelle
has a very long memory, and Jack and Tony's insubordination has not been forgotten.
He makes a brief re-appearance in s1 8-9pm, chewing out George Mason for allowing
Jack to pursue the lead in Saugus and ordering Mason to end the stand-off between
CTU and the Drazens, regardless of whether or not Jack dies.
For the majority of s2, Chappelle's presence is heard but not seen, with characters
at CTU often mentioning his name. Just when we, the audience, were about to give
up on ever seeing him again, he appears in s2 2-3am, on his way to try and sort
out the mess he feels Jack and Tony have made of things after the detonation
of the nuclear device. He is hell-bent on discrediting Jack and Tony, and going
to war over the Cyprus recording. This eventually leads to Tony usurping Chappelle's
authority by drugging him to take him out of play. When Chappelle regains consciousness,
he is finally able to exercise his personal vendetta against Tony by having him
arrested. He also orders the chopper sent to pick up Jack and a crucial witness
back to CTU. However, his plans are foiled once again when he receives a direct
order from the President's Chief of Staff to assist Jack Bauer, and he is forced
to go to
Tony for help.
Chappelle makes an early entrance in s3, wanting to keep an eye on Tony and Jack
as they attempt to intercept a weaponized virus from the open market. He is angry
that Jack and Tony kept this operation a secret from him, and he woudl like nothing
more than for Jack and Tony to take the fall when it is all over. But in the
meantime, he must sit back and watch Tony lead the charge, which makes him crazy.
Chappelle has definitely taken on a larger role in s3, to fill the massive void
left by
George Mason.
When the virus exchange in Mexico turns out to be bogus, CTU realizes the real
virus is still out there and they have to find it. Jack returns to CTU and Chappelle
wants answers from him about his heroin use. Jack admits to Chappelle that he
started using before meeting the Salazars, but only so he could build up a tolerance
enough to be believable undercover as a junkie. In a major character breakthrough,
Chappelle realizes that with the virus in Los Angeles, he needs Jack to help
the investigation, so he suggests lying about the dates of the heroin use on
the official report.
Jack refuses to accept Chappelle covering for him.
Season 3 has seemed to be about learning lessons for Chappelle - putting himself
in the other guy's shoes. He has always been the suit behind the desk making
easy judgements about the actions of his subordinates in difficult, sometimes
impossible, situations after the fact. This time, the difficult decisions are
on him, as he must decide whether to play by the book or break the rules to
aid the investigation. When Chappelle lets Jack back in the field after the
questionable
death of Nina Myers, Chappelle's character turned a corner. He knows without
Jack, they will never find the virus, so he ignores protocol and lets Jack
in the field, even though he knows his superiors will "crucify" him
for it.
He also allows Tony to ignore protocol by giving cyanide capsules to people at
the Chandler Plaza Hotel who were infected with the virus so they could have
the choice to end their own suffering.
When the man who is responsible for the bio-threat, Stephen Saunders, is identified,
Chappelle begins looking into his financial background to follow the money trail
in hopes of locating him. By this point, Saunders has proven he has the means
to kill millions of Americans and is controlling President Palmer's actions.
Saunders is alerted that Chappelle is looking into his bank accounts. He orders
Palmer to have Chappelle killed. Palmer, knowing he has no choice but to give
in or risk a nationwide release of the virus, orders Jack to carry out the assassination
of Chappelle. Jack informs Chappelle of Saunders' demand, and says that unless
they can find Saunders by 7 o'clock, there will be no choice but for Chappelle
to die.
Although CTU manages to find Saunders' bank account and trace the activity from
it to an apartment in Los Angeles, the lead turns out to be a dead end - Chase
and the strike team uncover a remote router in an empty apartment.
Both Jack and Chappelle know this is the end of the line. They are out of plays.
In his final moments, Chappelle acknowledges that he has lived his life as a
ruthless, power-hungry man who sacrificed everything - his heart, his humanity,
his conscience and every relationship he ever had - to satisfy his blind ambition.
He asks Jack to let him have the dignity of ending his own life, of doing the
part of the job he never had to face until now - giving up his life for his country.
Jack agrees, but Chappelle can't bring himself to pull the trigger. Jack stands
behind Chappelle, asks God to forgive him, and executes Ryan with a bullet in
the head.
Did Ryan Chappelle really die a hero? No. He will never be recognized by the
world for his last acts of bravery and self-actualization. But he died as he
lived - ruthlessly, matter-of-factly and true to his nature. In the end, he died
for the job, which
is what he lived for.
The 24 universe will NEVER be the same after losing Ryan Chappelle.
Reasons to Love Ryan
His smarminess and sarcasm. His universal ability to piss off just about everyone
around him, but not caring. His asymmetrical nose. His completely transparent
personal vendettas. His bald patch. The fact that his character puts some spice
into and a face on the ever-present ominous "Division". If he didn't
exist, Jack and Tony would have no one to be insubordinate to. Ryan is the
quintessential climber, the man who will sacrifice anything and everyone in
pursuit of his insatiable
ambition. In the end, he wound up sacrificing himself.