Like this is a no-brainer, but I wanted to hear reactions to the alternate ending. If season 1 had ended like that, I probably would have been pissed. I'd still love the show, but I don't think it would have caught on and gained as much popularity as it did if it hadn't ended the way it originally did.

I'm kind of thinking that if season one hadn't ended the way it did, the other seasons might not have happened at all, because Jack would have been a completely different person. Who knows if he would have thrown himself in the line of fire like he does if he had a wife and kid waiting at home. The only reason he did it in season one is because Teri and Kim were being held hostage. Teri's death and Kim's estrangement are really what brought on all the borderline-self-destructive tendencies that allow him to do what he does so efficiently.

He definitely wouldn't have. It's fascinating watching interviews from back then and how they came up with the process of of finalizing that episode. It was the best decision the writers/creators ever made.

I wouldn't say I hated it but it just wasn't "right." you both summed up my feelings on it almost precisely :)