George Mason (24 character)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article is about the television character. For the US patriot, see George Mason.
| 24 character | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| George Mason | |
| Gender: | Male |
| Jobs held: | CTU District Director Special Agent in Charge |
| Affiliation: | CTU CTU Division |
| Family: | John Mason (Son) |
| Spouse: | NA |
| Current status: | Deceased |
| Portrayed by: | Xander Berkeley |
| Seasons: | 1, 2 |
George Mason is a fictional character in the Fox television series 24. He was portrayed by actor Xander Berkeley.
Contents |
[edit] Bio
[edit] Day 1
Mason was the District Director of the Los Angeles division of the Counter Terrorist Unit, an agency of the federal government that seeks and hunts down terrorist groups. In the first hour of day 1, Mason makes it clear that he dislikes Senator David Palmer when he tells Jack that if Palmer is elected President, he will shut down CTU because he isn't a friend of the agency. There is initial friction between him and Jack Bauer, because Bauer had recently blown the whistle on three CTU officials that he believed were taking bribes. George later replaced Alberta Green as Special Agent in Charge of CTU, and remained the leader for the rest of the day. In the last few hours of the season, Mason is suspected of being a mole but is cleared.
[edit] Day 2
Mason had become the Special Agent in Charge of the Los Angeles office, a step down from his position as District Director in the CTU regional office during season 1. When he learned of the nuclear threat to LA, it seemed that he was about to abuse his authority in order to flee the city, but circumstances prevented his departure and his exact intentions were never made clear. As the closest available senior agent, he was sent to a suspected site of terrorist activity, where he came in close contact with weapons-grade plutonium, and was given less than a day to live by the doctor who examined him. Mason returned to CTU and kept his radiation sickness from his coworkers as long as possible. Eventually Michelle Dessler and Tony Almeida discovered his condition and convinced him to resign his position. Before doing so, he reconnected with his estranged son, to whom he bequeathed his life savings (including the money he took from the Philippe Darcet takedown that Jack tried to blackmail him with in the beginning of season 1). As his last act before leaving the office, Mason named Tony as the acting Special Agent in Charge. On that episode, he received the Silent Clock.
Jack Bauer and his team eventually located the nuclear device. Since the bomb technicians were unable to defuse the device, it was decided by CTU and President Palmer to fly the bomb into the Mojave Desert to prevent damage to populated areas. Jack Bauer volunteered as the pilot of the plane to fly with the bomb; however, knowing he was fated to die, Mason secretly boarded the plane, heroically took over the flight controls, and convinced Jack to parachute out of the plane before they reached the blast radius. He successfully crashed the plane and safely detonated the bomb, resulting in his death.
[edit] Personal information
- Mason's security password is 'Hendrix' — an homage to Jimi Hendrix.
- In Day 2, he stated that he was originally going to be a teacher, but did not because the Department of Defense offered $5000 more.
George Mason is also considered to be the only character on 24 to have 'a sense of humour' which is rare on the show.
[edit] Quotes
"He's a loose cannon. Rules don't apply to Jack Bauer. He does what he wants when he wants, and he doesn't care whose life it affects. I mean, he shot me with a tranq-gun right here in the office, for God's sake!"
[Michelle and George are talking about how Jack is working with Nina] George: He might do something stupid. Michelle: Like drugging one of our officers?! George: What can I say? The guy's a little crazy. But he gets results.
[The officer asks him to take off his clothing so that they can hose him down after he has been contaminated by radiation] "What, you aren't even going to buy me dinner?"
[Mason is on the plane about to crash in the Mojave desert when Jack pulls out a gun on him] "Whoa! Jack, the service on this flight is bad enough, you don't have to shoot me!"
| Preceded by: None |
24 Red Herring (with Tony Almeida) Day One |
Succeeded by: Reza Nayieer |
| Preceded by: Alberta Green |
Director of CTU Day 1 - Day 2 (18 Months) |
Succeeded by: Tony Almeida |
| Counter Terrorist Unit Staff on 24 |
| Jack Bauer | Kim Bauer | Tony Almeida | Nina Myers | George Mason | Richard Walsh | Jamey Farrell Milo Pressman | Ryan Chappelle | Michelle Dessler | Tom Baker | Carrie Turner | Chloe O'Brian Chase Edmunds | Adam Kaufman | Gael Ortega | Erin Driscoll | Curtis Manning | Edgar Stiles Sarah Gavin | Marianne Taylor | Bill Buchanan | Lynn McGill | Karen Hayes | Miles Papazian Morris O'Brian | Other CTU Staff |
