24: Season Two

Starring: Kiefer Sutherland, Elisha Cuthbert, Sarah Wynter and Dennis Haysbert

OK, as you know I was so impressed with 24: The Complete First Season that I decided to go ahead and write a review for an entire season of network TV. Well apparently lightning can strike twice because I just watched all of 24: The Complete Second Season in less than 48 hours and was COMPLETELY glued to my laptop the whole time. As a long time Kiefer Sutherland fan it is GREAT to see him doing good work again, and I can honestly say that despite a small few weak spots season two was at least as good as season one.

Jack "Grizzly Adams" Bauer, looking a little rough at the start of the season.

So it's been a while since the end of season one and Jack has taken the death of his wife pretty hard. Jack is no longer working at CTU(Counter Terrorist Unit), he has lost contact with his daughter and he apparently came in first place at a local Al Borland look-a-like contest. So, here's the setup. We're America and the whole world hates us...BIG shock...and these people called terrorists want to blow us all up...did I say BIG shock yet? Anyway, the bad guys manage to get a nuclear bomb into the country with the intent of turning Los Angeles into a crater shaped parking lot for a few decades(who knows, it might help, but I digress). Now as you might expect, the ONLY person that the President trusts to save the country from nuclear devastation is our buddy Jack Bauer. With this we are off on another 24 episode real-time adventure.

Haysbert makes a kickass, respectable President.

One of the great things about this show is that EVERYONE is ALWAYS plotting against someone else and you just never know for sure who the good guys and the back guys are. I mean, we know that Jack is the main character but and more cold and potentially vicious man you would be hard pressed to find. The first thing Jack does when he gets back to CTU is shoot and decapitate a bad guy in custody so Jack can use his head as a bargaining chip with other bad guys. Does these sound like the actions of a mentally healthy person? I didn't think so either. This man is willing to do ANYTHING to get the job done. And that's a good thing too because with all of the people working against Jack he needs to be 100% uncompromising to be able to save Los Angeles.

Sutherland SCARES me as Jack Bauer...seriously.

Now a lot of people might not like the concept of a entire season of a TV show taking place over a a mere 24 hour period. Personally, I love it. You don't get bored with excess amounts of back story, motivation, and anything else that would slow the story down. You are simply thrust into the final, frantic 24 hours of the story and there is simply NEVER a dull moment. However, as I said earlier, there are a few flaws. My only REAL complaint about season two is the Kim Bauer(Cuthbert) story line. Now in season one Kim had a fairly vital role in the story because she was kidnapped to use as leverage against Jack. In season two, however, her entire story line felt like an afterthought, and the whole thing played out as if the writers were sitting in a room and just said, "OK, what is the absolute most # of we can put Kim into in one season." I mean it got to the point where it was seriously almost comic and I found myself feeling frustrated every time the show cut to her story line. At least there is a nice scene where Kim has just gotten out of the shower and she's wearing only a white muscle shirt with an obviously extremely thin bra(and jeans of course). All complaints aside though, 24(at least the two seasons I have seen) is, hands down, some of the best network TV I have ever seen.

- Mike

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