24 (TV Series) Day 3: 2:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. (2003) User Reviews

Two Episodes And I'm hooked!

[ccthemovieman-1 · 9/10 · 10 May 2007]

It turns out Jack has a drug habit because he wanted to gain the confidence of main bad-guy Romon Salazar. However, the good news is that he throws away the needle at the last second and is going to try to clean himself up. The bad news is that he picked a bad day to fight that addiction on his own.

It's confirmed that Romon's brother has worked a transaction in which a deadly virus has been transported, through a big bag of cocaine, to Los Angeles. We know who has the bag and is giving it to someone else for cash. In other words, he - "Kyle Singer" (Riley Smith) - was just being the messenger boy. In this episode, Bauer and younger partner Chase Edmuunds (James Badge Dale) find out about Singer and they try to locate him.

We also get a short subplot in which Jack's daughter Kim (Elisha Cuthbert) and Chase tell the boss that they are getting seriously involved, which does not please him. Apparently, he has made it known that no one in their job with the CTU can successfully maintain a marriage and he doesn't want his daughter to suffer. Anyway, that's just another angle to give the viewers a break from the tense terrorist situation.

This is another good episode and now has me hooked. This is my first go-around on this program and I can see why it's successful. The characters are all interesting, including Denis Haysbert as the President. He has since gone on to star in his own TV program ("The Unit"), so I'm curious to what happens to him on this show.

Holy crap, Jack!

[MaxBorg89 · 9/10 · 15 August 2008]

If the writers of the show wanted to shock audiences for good, they certainly managed to with the last scene of the Season 3 premiere: Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) reaching for a syringe filled with heroin, in broad daylight, inside his office where everyone could have caught him.

Fortunately, he throws away the needle at the last minute, as he and Chase have to go follow up the lead of the infected corpse that was dumped at the hospital an hour earlier. Turns out Hector Salazar is in fact behind the threat and planning to release the virus via a teenage drug dealer, Kyle Singer (Riley Smith), who believes he's transporting the usual stash of illicit substances. Additionally, Chase tells Jack about his relationship with Kim, stirring yet another mixture of conflicting emotions. Politics-wise, President Palmer considers canceling the debate, while Wayne suggests a most unethical way to deal with Senator Keeler.

This second episode lives up to the promises of the season premiere by building real characters with genuine flaws and feelings. Newcomers like Chase and the Salazars are flesh-and-blood individuals after less than two hours of screen-time, and the established regulars have their charisma intact. Further help comes from the unexpected developments waiting behind the corner. In particular, Jack's drug addiction raises the stakes higher than ever: there have always been hints of darkness to his persona (hell, he executed the bad guys of Season One in cold blood); now he has become a more complex figure, fully deserving of his status as one of television's edgiest, most compelling creations.

The first lead

[Tweekums · 9/10 · 22 October 2012]

The previous episode ending with the shocking revelation that Jack had become addicted to heroin now we learn that he has been attempting to wean himself off it and has decided that he has got to the point where he can stop it altogether; whether this will affect him during the coming day remains to be seen.

When the infected corpse is identified CTU get there first lead; it takes them to a building used by junkies where Jack and Chase get caught up in a shootout with a drug dealer. Once caught and 'questioned' he tells them of an unusual shipment; Kyle Singer is to be paid $10,000 for a bag of cocaine; it is odd because the drug isn't worth that much. Jack now has a good idea who is in possession of the virus; he just has to hope nobody has used any of the drug. Jack's relationship with his partner Chase has become a little strained after he learnt that he is now dating his daughter. Elsewhere the president's brother is hoping to resort to dirty tricks to give them an advantage in the upcoming candidates' debate.

The series is getting off to a really good start; so far there haven't been any unexpected twists but we are getting to know the characters a bit better; especially those who weren't in previous series. This is obviously Kiefer Sutherland's show and he does a great job as Jack Bauer whether he is suffering from heroin withdrawal or involved in dramatic action scenes. James Badge Dale does a good job as new character Chase; inevitably we'll get to know him better in upcoming episodes. Another great addition is Mary Lynn Rajskub who plays brusque CTU programmer Chloe O'Brian; she might not be involved in any of the action but she is a fun character. As always the ending leaves the viewer keen to discover what happens next.

one of my favorite seasons

[nerrdrage · 9/10 · 26 September 2023]

I decided to rewatch one season of 24 on Hulu (can it really have been 20 years since this aired?) and I picked S3, the one with the virus, which I vaguely recall having a lot of fun stuff...

And so far, it does. You have to overlook some of the "stupid protagonists" problem. Jack is pigheaded about his understandable heroin addiction and refuses to believe Chase when he says it'll undermine their mission. Jack refuses to treat Chase and Kim like the grownups they presumably are, and undermines the mission in a passive-aggressive attempt to "protect" Chase and by extension, Kim.

Chloe and Spock errr Adam squabble pointlessly about ego problems when they should be focusing on team efficiency. And CTU once again has a rodent problem, specifically moles.

The Evil Within

[Hitchcoc · 8/10 · 17 January 2019]

A second exciting episode. Jack is pursuing a connection to Salazar. While he does this, a kid has been trusted to deliver the killer substance. He has blabbed a bit and is starting to realize that he could be in big time danger. Kim is again rather tiresome, not recognizing how serious things are and needing to let her father know her secret. She could have waited, couldn't she. The low point comes at the end when CTU is shown to be careless and stupid in its vetting of its workers. This is another in a series of internal flops.

Othetwise good but

[matiasbockerman · 9/10 · 26 August 2022]

I've been an addict for over 20 years and for over a decade I've been mainly using opioids so I know what the withdrawal symptoms feel. Nose and eyes are bleeding, bones ache, diarrhea, cold and hot at the same time. Even if Jack had slowly dropped the dose, heroin is such a powerful opioid that he would really not be able to do any activity if he has withdrawal symptoms. The series is great but it's annoying when the facts are not right.

Disappointing end

[usctatu2007 · 7/10 · 11 June 2008]

Everything goes well till the last minute when they show that hectors man is running the whole operation from a secret room in CTU. There should be a limit on how much B.S. can be shown in a show and writers of the show always exceed that limit while showing stuff like 'the villains running out of bullets when they are about to shoot Jack Bauer' but showing a man using a secret room full of gadgetry that no one at the CTU knows of, is beyond any form of BS known to man. First Jamey then Nina Myers and now Gael. Its like they haven't learned anything from previous catastrophes. The writers need new ideas or the show needs new writers.