America's Greatest (yet sadly fictional) Hero...EVER.

Well. I promised this post...and now it's here. After countless hours spent in my sweatpants and after many, many bowls of triple chocolate chunk ice cream...I am now ready to embrace my greatest fear as the reality that it has become.

24 is over.

It's done. Jack Bauer will no longer protect America on Monday nights in the way that he deems best. He will no longer be a rogue agent who gets a shot of adrenaline every time he disobeys a direct order. My Monday nights from here on out will just be another boring night.

Instead of writing about the series finale and how much I'll miss it and all that other stuff, I decided to basically give out awards for the entire series. So without any further ado, The 24 Awards According to Aaron Crawford:

Greatest Hero: Really??? You have to think about this? Next award.

Greatest Hero not named 'Jack Bauer': This is a tough one for me. There are three in the running for this award. Curtis, Chase, and Tony. Curtis will win an award later so I'm knocking him out of this conversation even though I think he was a great character. Chase is a great guy with a lot of potential that only lasted one season. Sadly, one season wasn't enough for Chase to actually shine. He's a great guy but one season isn't enough to compare to Tony's six. Yes, Tony made some mistakes, and for a while we thought he was terrorist, but seriously...he was the greatest second-place agent anyone could ask for.

Best President: This is yet another no-brainer in my opinion. David THE-FREAKING-MAN Palmer. I wasn't sure how much I was going to like David Palmer when we are first introduced to him in Season One, but he is, by far, the best President this show ever had. All the presidents after him were a bunch of weak, easily-swayed, morons. Not David Palmer. Not Mr. Allstate. No, he knew what he was doing. Was he perfect? Not by a long shot. Did he take responsibility for his actions and actually stand up for what he believed in? You better believe it. His death would forever shake the foundation of Jack's world and send him spiraling down a path of despair and pain. His assassination was one of the most unexpected deaths ever...yet it leads me to the next award.

Worst President: Charles Logan. What a rotten, weasel of a man. Seriously, this guy had his hand in just about every bad thing that happened on the show since he was introduced. He was involved in the deaths of President Palmer, Michelle Dessler, and even in the last season with President Hassan. He tried to kill Jack himself on multiple occasions. I couldn't help but wish that he would die every time he appeared on screen. I literally jumped up and down when I saw Jack with a sniper rifle trained on his head in the series finale. I thought one of my wishes was going to come true! It would have...had it not been for stupid Chloe O'Brian. I was disappointed that Logan tried to commit suicide but...what do you expect from a weasel like him? I hated that guy.

Character that the show killed off WAY too early: This was another toss up that I really had to think about. Yes, there are plenty of characters who get killed off early, but only a few make a lasting impact with us as the viewer. Two of these characters are Edgar "The Penguin with a Lisp" Stiles and Curtis "The Man" Manning. This award could go to either character but I have to make a choice. I loved Edgar. He was awesome and I was glad to see someone as smart as Chloe in the tech region. Sadly, he died from a poisonous gas being pumped into CTU. It was a sad day seeing Edgar gasp for breath as the silent clock ended the episode. Curtis on the other hand was just a beast of a field agent. Curtis was a leader and a talented shooter and fighter. He always thought through the situations and to his credit (and death) he stood up for what he believed in. He was one of the best. I was not happy when they killed him off at the hands of Jack Bauer. I felt like he got the shaft just because the writers were trying to instill some "shock factor" at the beginning of a new season. Curtis, you didn't deserve that. That's why you edge out Edgar for this award.

Character that the show took way too long to kill off: Nina Myers. Now, she did present a lot of good material for the show. However, I felt like the writers were dragging her out and allowing her to live just for the sake of drama. Sure she killed Terri at the end of Season One which is the catalyst for all of Jack's actions for the remainder of the series, but she always seemed to escape. She was a professional survivor...that is until Jack Bauer had enough.

Character I couldn't stand from minute one: If you know me personally, then this is a no-brainer as well. Chloe O'Brian. Ugh. I don't even know what to say. I can't think of very many positive things about Chloe. Yes, she stuck by Jack's side all those years and helped him out when nobody else would...but that still doesn't gain her any respect in my book. Ever since I first heard her shrill voice with her sarcastically blunt and annoying attitude, I prayed that she would die. Even though the writers teased us with this situation a few times...she never bit the bullet. You're lucky Chloe. I would have killed you off by some random freak accident in the IT room at CTU. Ugh.

Favorite Leading Lady in Jack's life: Other than Terri, there was really only one other Lady in Jack's life. Yes, he had the pleasure and company of a number of women but only one stood out among the rest. Her name is Audrey Raines. Audrey and Jack had some ups and downs. Things were going great until Jack had to make a decision to ultimately ended Audrey's ex-husband's life. Shortly after, Jack "ceased to exist" and Audrey was forced to move on. Months later, Jack returns from the dead and tries to pick things back up with Audrey. After another season of misery Jack is captured by the Chinese...only to have Audrey scour the globe searching for the man that she loves. Sadly, this ends in her torture and eventual brain-washing at the hands of said Chinese. Jack's ladies never seemed to go out on a happy note. They always ended up dead or in serious injury. But here's to you Audrey. You stood head and shoulders above the rest.

Best Terrorist: This one is tough. I loved the story behind Season Three so I'm going to choose that one as the best. Not only are you dealing with the Salazar's and their Heroine Empire with a little Nina Myers thrown in the mix but you also have ex-MI6 agent Stephen Saunders to deal with. His personal history with Jack mixed in with Jack trying to overcome a drug addiction made this a very intense season.

Best Jack Bauer kill: Man. There are so many and I can't choose...so since Jack Bauer wins the award anyway, I'm just going to list some of my favorites. "The Axe", "The Jugular Snack", "The Hang 'Em High With A Chain", "The Scissors", "The Gutting", "The One Man vs. Russian Secret Service", "The Empty An Entire Clip In A Fool Because They Deserve It" (many occasions), "Neck Snapping Goodness" (many occasions) etc. Basically all of them.

Best Jack Bauer quote: Jack has had many good quotes. Quotes that strike fear into the hearts of terrorists about to be tortured. However, the one I've never forgotten comes at a t time when Jack is at the end of his rope. Audrey is lying in her bed like a vegetable as her father yells and blames Jack for what has happened. Jack wants to take Audrey with him to provide and protect for her despite her father's arguments. After Jack is pushed away he says, "In case you've forgotten, I'm really good at disappearing. And if you try sending someone after us...I'll kill him. I'm pretty good at that too." Talk about chills running down someone's spine.

Jack, you will never be forgotten. Thank you for all that you've done for our country. I freely admit that I have had and always will have a "man-crush" on you. You da man.

Thoughts?? Comments?? What are your picks??