Eight hours ago, Jack Bauer was asked to set up a team and prevent a hit on Presidential candidate David Palmer. Fortunately, he was able to do his job and keep the Senator alive. End of story? Hell, no. After all, the show wouldn't be called 24 if everything ended that quickly. As it turns out, the assassination attempt was just the beginning: with his wife and daughter still in danger, Jack has to locate them and put an end to his nightmare. If only he could convince the authorities he had nothing to do with the conspiracy... As for Palmer, his troubles are far from over: while he tries to cope with the events of the past hour, his wife Sherry unveils her more sinister side in order to protect her son.
With the initial third of the season (episodes 1-8) being the build-up, the real intrigue starts now, showing the real nature of some characters (kudos to Penny Johnson for her controlled performance) and new shades of others: Bauer, in particular, gets a good chance of letting his real emotions slip through the wall of calculating coldness his job requires. "I have killed two people since midnight. I haven't slept in over 24 hours. So maybe you should be a little more afraid of me than you are now." he says at one point to someone who accidentally crossed his path. And although we know he wouldn't hurt civilians without a good reason, that menacing line manages to unsettle a bit, while at the same time confirming who Jack really is: a vulnerable, determined and endlessly charismatic antihero.
Add a couple of breathtaking chases and a bold, tragic ending, and it becomes less difficult to understand why this series bows to no one.
With the initial third of the season (episodes 1-8) being the build-up, the real intrigue starts now, showing the real nature of some characters (kudos to Penny Johnson for her controlled performance) and new shades of others: Bauer, in particular, gets a good chance of letting his real emotions slip through the wall of calculating coldness his job requires. "I have killed two people since midnight. I haven't slept in over 24 hours. So maybe you should be a little more afraid of me than you are now." he says at one point to someone who accidentally crossed his path. And although we know he wouldn't hurt civilians without a good reason, that menacing line manages to unsettle a bit, while at the same time confirming who Jack really is: a vulnerable, determined and endlessly charismatic antihero.
Add a couple of breathtaking chases and a bold, tragic ending, and it becomes less difficult to understand why this series bows to no one.