What most shows considered jumping the shark was just another day at the office for 24. The renowned FOX spy thriller series created by Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran set in real time never wavered in delivering shocking twists and turns, leaving audiences in awe every week with a traumatic death, climactic escalation of events, and jaw-dropping set piece.

In Season 3 — or rather, in 24 parlance, Day 3 — counterterrorist agent and borderline superspy Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) undergoes an excruciating shift at CTU. Kicking off the day with a prison riot and concluding with the severance of his future son-in-law’s hand, Jack was left in tears by the end of Episode 24. Things were already chaotic with the control of a deadly virus swapping hands and the return of Jack’s mortal enemy, Nina Myers (Sarah Clarke), but the inflection point of Day 3 came with the execution of bureau head Ryan Chappelle (Paul Schulze), a moment that altered the fabric of 24 forever.

’24’s Darkest Moment Tested the Morality of Jack Bauer and CTU

CTU was on its heels when possession of the virus landed in the hands of Stephen Saunders (Paul Blackthorne), a disgruntled MI6 agent looking to exact revenge on America through eco-terrorism. Having lost control of the situation, the agency was forced to commit the ultimate sin of 24: negotiate with the terrorists. Saunders had such leverage that he was directly making demands to President David Palmer (Dennis Haysbert), who was placed in the cruelest dilemma in Episode 18, “Day 3: 6:00 am. to 7:00 a.m.,” of this nightmarish day. Continuing his reign of terror, Saunders demands the killing of Ryan Chappelle, a high-ranking federal officer brought in to carry CTU’s workload after Tony Almeida (Carlos Bernard) is incapacitated, or else he’ll release the virus to the open air.

Throughout the episode, audiences expect that Jack and company will locate Saunders and/or the distributor of the virus, as, even for 24 standards, Chappelle’s premeditated execution would be too stark a line to cross. After Chase Edmunds (James Badge Dale) and his field unit fail to capture Saunders before the deadline, Jack, under authorization of the President, is left with no choice but to take Chappelle to an abandoned train station and put a bullet through his head. Major characters have died in 24, notably Jack’s wife, Teri (Leslie Hope), which closed Day 1, but these deaths were tragic costs of victory against the forces of evil. Here, Chappelle’s death is a sheer act of capitulation and failure. The series caught on in the 2000s as America was reeling from September 11th, but this pivotal moment in 24 reminded us all that the bad guys do occasionally come out on top.

Ryan Chappelle’s Death in ’24’ Rattled the Spy Series

This critical turning point in 24‘s DNA on Day 3, Episode 18, was an extraordinary feat of garnering audience sympathy for Chappelle, the stereotypical punctilious boss in a suit who viewers are designed to loath. Brought in from the parent division of CTU, Chappelle is strict with protocol, constantly barking commands and stubbornly interfering with Jack’s rogue procedures. Upon learning that he is the newest pawn in Saunders’ negotiating scheme, he becomes the symbolic figure of the season’s tragic stakes. In mere minutes, Chappelle is taken down a peg, proving that all parties working in counterterrorism are vulnerable.

You know things are serious when a 24 episode’s climax doesn’t feature its signature multi-panel screens of ongoing storylines. The final minutes of the episode force you to sit with Ryan Chappelle on his knees, trembling as he’s unable to pull the trigger on himself. “God forgive me,” Jack says before coldly executing this esteemed federal agent to buy time with a virus-wielding terrorist. If this moment wasn’t chilling enough, the ticking clock that ends every hour is silenced, mourning our fallen hero. As horrifying as his ordeal is, Chappelle knows that he could never live with Saunders’ threat coming to fruition, where millions of Americans die by not sacrificing himself. The most heartbreaking moment of this scene is when Jack asks him if there’s any loved one he’d like to call for one final goodbye. For Chappelle, a man driven by his profession, he has no one important enough to bid farewell to.

“I feel as though I’m crossing a line I will never be able to step back from,” President Palmer solemnly states after authorizing Ryan Chappelle’s grave sacrifice. 24 fans knew instantly that there was no turning back from this moment. The series underwent a narrative reset following Season 3, with new faces beginning to populate CTU, Palmer resigning from office, and Jack Bauer working a desk job. Chappelle’s death shaded the morality of not just Jack, but also the cost of justice.