One of the downsides of the current format is that there is about half the time for the writers to play with after the kind of late-season revelation that marked the previous episode.  Is two episodes enough to cover all the implications?  Probably not, and that means having to gloss over some of the subplots that have been percolating in the background.

It helps that some groundwork was done to establish a link between Cheng and the Russians, so the whole mess that Mark started earlier in the season with that fake extradition order isn’t becoming a total side mission.  But it’s also clear that Jack and his allies needed to be distracted with the job of eliminating the Russian threat (with extreme prejudice) so Audrey could have the opportunity to attempt a secret Plan B, which of course put her in Cheng’s crosshairs and thus brought several seasons worth of lingering plot threads to a head.

I’ve not been the biggest fan of bringing back Audrey and reliving the period when Jack was supposed to be seeing her as the love of his life.  Not necessarily because I don’t like Audrey (though I do find her less than captivating as a character), but more because it underscores yet again why Jack’s reaction to Renee Walker’s death was far out of proportion.  All that said, the conversation between Jack and Audrey worked very well to overcome some of my resistance, and all things being equal, for new viewers, it was probably more than effective enough.

A lot is going to be riding on the final episode, however.  The end of the eighth season (and the reminder of how out of control Jack was over Renee) demonstrated how far Jack could go if things got intensely personal.  That’s exactly what the current situation is presenting: the return of an old enemy, a threat to an old love (whose husband is basically out of the picture or will be soon), and very little time for a measured response.  If Jack wants to show that he’s truly atoning for the past, and trying to avoid a repeat performance, this is a series-defining crucible.

And that’s why I’m concerned.  Will the finale have enough time to wrap up all the plot and character arcs that the season started, while also giving Jack’s crisis the necessary depth?  I suppose if they are anticipating another series/season in the future, they may not bring Jack’s journey to a suitable conclusion and leave the audience hanging.  But I don’t think that would have been a reasonable assumption, so I’m hoping for something a little more definitive.  And rushing to that moment would be a weak conclusion.