George Mason shows up at the airport to help them out. They find out the nuke can't be deactivated, so they decide to fly it over the desert. It is set to go off in 55 minutes, right when the show is over. How convenient. They find out that whoever flies the plane must go down with it and die. Jack decides to fly it over the desert after George offers, because Jack doesn't think he will make it. Jack is flying the plane and he talks to Kim on the phone and says his final goodbyes. Afterwards, Jack finds out that George was hiding on the plane and George convinces him to let him take over and for Jack to keep living and parachute out. Jack finally agrees and he parachutes out. The President finds out that 3 middle eastern countries were behind it and they gave Syed Ali the bomb. The show ends with the nuke going off.

Wow! That really is a "Holy Sh*t" moment! I guess my theory about George killing Nina in hour 24 is pretty much dead - unless George somehow survives the nuclear blast!

does that mean unless something wierd happens, George dies in this episode?, and also, if the nuke goes off right at the end of the episode, wouldn't everybody in the area die?

Yes, George dies with the plane, unless he is Superman or something. Jack stays on the plane with him until 4 minutes before the nuke goes off. They sent the nuke to the desert where minimal people would die. They had to choose between the ocean and the desert and they chose the desert. They tried to get it in a low lying area in between mountains to minimalize the radiation.

If Jack is on the plane, and jumps out only 4 minutes before, then Jack is toast too!

I would guess that since the plane would be going very fast, he gets way out of the blast radious

My theory is that the US set up the 3 countries to start a war, the general seemed a bit too ready for my taste