24 Iconic Moments That Have Defined 24 So Far

13. Jack Fakes His Own Death (Season 4, Episode 24)

A dramatic high-point of 24 was the end of the fourth season, in which Jack sparked an international incident due to a raid on the Chinese consulate in order to extract a key informant. This resulted in the death of the Chinese consul (by Chinese friendly fire), and caused the Chinese to demand Bauer's head on a silver platter. Jack therefore decides to fake his death at the end of the season, with Tony, Michelle and Chloe O'Brian giving him a helping hand. The final moments of the episode are Jack having an emotional farewell over the phone to David Palmer, as he walks off into the sunset and hiding. In many ways this would have made for a perfect series finale, with Jack having to live the rest of his life as an outlaw, though on the plus side, the fifth season did give us one of the very best seasons in the entire show's run, so we're glad he came back...

12. David Palmer & Michelle Dessler Die (Season 5, Episode 1)

Talk about a way to get people talking. The writers weren't screwing around in the fifth season premiere, which began with the assassination of former President David Palmer, who is sniped through a window while talking to his brother Wayne. Easily one of the most emotional moments in the show, seeing a man of Palmer's statuesque idealism and integrity take a bullet made us want to see Jack exact revenge more than ever before. Then the next kicker came, as Tony and Michelle were attacked at their home in a bomb blast, killing Michelle and critically injuring Tony. Of course, as we would later find out, Michelle was pregnant with Tony's child, as if this wasn't painful enough already. These two deaths would ultimately have major implications for the rest of the show's run.