Rating: 
Summary: Wow! Season Two may be even better than Season One.
Review: The first season of the genre-defining action-thriller ¡°24¡± was a landmark of taught suspense, thrilling action, and inventive story telling. Every single one of the 24 hours had viewers on the edge of their seats as they watched Counter-Terrorism Unit (CTU) agent Jack Bauer race against time to prevent the assassination of presidential candidate David Palmer and rescue his family from terrorists who wanted him dead. Each episode was filled to the brim with depth and detail. There were no wasted movements. Whether it was David Palmer battling treachery within his own campaign or Jack Bauer uncovering another mind-bending twist the conspiracy, ¡°24¡± produced some of the best, movie-quality TV to come along in years. The thought on everyone¡¯s mind was, ¡°Is ¡®24¡¯ a one-trick pony, or does it have legs for a second season that is as good at the first.¡± Fortunately for fans of Jack Bauer, David Palmer, and the show¡¯s unique format, the answer is an unqualified ¡®Yes!¡¯
The end of Season One left Jack Bauer exhausted and heartbroken as, despite his best efforts, he could still not prevent the murder of his wife, Teri. Interim literature such as Marc Cerasini¡¯s ¡°Findings at CTU¡± reveals that Bauer left CTU not long after events of that day. He is estranged from his daughter, Kim, and is just struggling to keep himself from ending it all. Palmer, of course, went on to win the Presidency and is now faced with the worst crisis the Chief Executive could face, this side of 9/11 and Pearl Harbor. Intelligence sources have revealed, with high confidence, that a fully armed nuclear bomb is set to be detonated in downtown Los Angeles at some point during that day. CTU¡¯s best agents are on the case attempting to find the location of the bomb, but there is only one man who has both the background to find the bomb and President Palmer¡¯s utmost confidence in his ability to get the job done. That man is Jack Bauer. Sympathetic to Bauer¡¯s struggles, but in dire need of his help, Palmer speaks directly to Jack and enlists the help of current CTU director, George Mason, to get him back in the fold. Upon realizing the weight of the task at hand, Jack agrees to return to active duty at CTU and embark on what would prove to be the second longest day of his life.
My initial fear was that the plotting wouldn¡¯t be as tight and that it wouldn¡¯t generate the same level of intense emotion as the first season. The first couple of episodes of Season Two do actually move slower than in Season, but soon the action picks up and ¡°24¡± returns to the same level of quality it showed in its debut. The richness of detail and depth of plotting are as prevalent as in the first season and perhaps even more so this year. In addition the plot to detonate the nuclear bomb there is more of Kim getting into trouble, scheming within David Palmer¡¯s administration, plots against CTU, and subplot where suspicions that the Arab-born fianc¨¦ of WASP-ish woman may be involved in the bomb plot come to the fore on the day of their wedding. As much as I wish I could, I cannot reveal any more details about this season, lest viewing experience being ruined for you. I should add, however, that in addition to be being a great overall season, one of its episodes (Episode 15, 10:00 pm ¨C 11:00 pm) is one grittiest most dramatic television episodes I have ever seen on TV. Its excellence rates it right up the annals of television history with ¡°Abyssinia, Henry¡± from M*A*S*H and ¡°Love¡¯s Labour¡± from ER. You will understand when you see it. Without a doubt, ¡°24: Season Two¡± is as good, if not better, than the original ¡°24¡±.
Rating: 
Summary: Kinda like cigarettes... stupid but extremely addictive
Review: Okay, the show isn't AS stupid as cigarettes, I just wanted a catchy subject header. But it is that addictive. I missed the first episode of season 2 as it aired, so I didn't see any of it until I put up the cash and bought the DVD set a few days ago on a whim. I shocked myself with how quickly I went through it. Overall the second season holds up better than the first. The central storyline involving the hunt for a nuclear device is engaging enough to hold our interest for all 24 episodes, which I didn't think was the case for season 1. The strengths and weaknesses are essentially the same, and they both ironically stem from the show's unique format. The real time concept is exploited masterfully for suspense. You can feel the time ticking, and the urgency is tangible. But, as clever as the writers can be at times, they are not clever enough to create good material to fill up all the time. There are some side stories that are just howlingly stupid... you can see the writers locked in a room and coming up with stuff out of sheer desperation. Particularly bad are the subplots involving Kim and much of the stuff with the Warner family (save the parts that relate directly to the central storyline). Sometimes it's almost painful. At one point, the writers were so desperate for material that they had Kim encounter a mountain lion. It's also frustrating that President Palmer, who is supposed to be an extremely intelligent and knowing man, does some really stupid things (mainly the stuff involving Mrs. Palmer). And there are several plot developments that are too implausible if you think about it too much. But all that aside, there is plenty of stuff that makes the show worth watching. The show usually works pretty well when Jack Bauer or President Palmer is the focus. I feared that some of the heavier issues being dealt with like terrorism and ethnic profiling would be handled in a superficial way, but in the end I felt they were handled with an appropriate sense of social responsibility. Overall, if your time isn't too precious, the show is worth the several hours you will wind up spending to watch it.
Rating:
Summary: Beware of spoilers in commentaries!
Review: Please beware -- if you have not seen the program (and since I don't watch TV, I missed everything) and don't desire to know too much too soon, beware of listening to the commentaries -- on the first disk an otherwise interesting discussion was ruined when critical information about the progress of the story was given away! A simple warning about spoilers would have sufficed. Unacceptable!
Rating:
Summary: Peerless..........always
Review: this show is addictive and magnificent.ý very much love this show
Rating:
Summary: Even Better than the First season
Review: The second season of 24 was sensational in terms of Suspense, action,plot and specially character development. Also some people complained that this was just another way of America exploiting the war on terrorism. Well i am a MUSLIM and i disagree. Its just a tv series not a documentary. It wasn't meant to be taken seriously or inflict more hatred of Americans towards the Arab World. In a lot of the James Bond movies the villains were mostly Russian but that wasn't because Americans had a grudge against Russia. And in Speed Dennis Hopper played an American terrorist but it didn't mean that the writers of Speed hated their country. It was just a movie. So if you didn't like it just say so but don't say that you didn't like ONLY because of the refrence to the war on terrorism!Anyway in Season 2 a nuclear bomb has been planted in Los Angeles. President David Palmer has no choice but to call Jack back to CTU for another day of hardships. Mason, the new head, is, of course, not happy about this. Now, his daughter Kim is running from her employer, who is threatening to kill her. Palmer now must deal with his political staff, most of which are plotting against his actions on how to deal with the crisis. And Jack must face the toughest challenge of his life... finding the bomb with aid from the woman who killed his wife, Nina Myers. The clock is ticking... A small warning though. Season 2 is a lot more violent than the first. TWO THUMBS UP!!!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Less kinetic than Season One, but still highly gripping.
Review: Season Two is the true test of this show's mettle. Can 24 sustain itself now that the novelty of its groundbreaking real-time conceit has worn off? The answer is yes. 24's writers and producers are smart enough to know that it wasn't so much the real-time aspect which connected with people, but the array of insurmountable obstacles and impossible odds with which Jack Bauer is faced episode after episode, as befits a good suspense thriller. Season Two's nuclear-bomb plot is much more ambitious than Season One. And yes, there comes a point in the middle where the action lapses quite badly, when the threat of detonation diminishes. And the show underutilizes Jack's character for a good four, five episodes -- a mistake. It's Kiefer Sutherland's edgy, aggressive portrayal of this dogged, often morally questionable character that anchors the tone of the show, and the first quarter of the show has far too much Kate Warner (Sarah Wynter) and not enough jack Bauer. The Kate Warner subplot, while a good one in conception, goes awry in execution for a good 50 per cent of the show. Sarah Wynter does an adequate job, but every single character in this subplot remains paper-thin up until the midpoint of the season. It's like the gooey family love-in in Season One without the physical danger. Since the characters have no weight (Laura Harris as Marie Warner is especially irritating), their fussy interactions also ring hollow, especially ranked alongside Jack's apocalyptic nuclear threat and even the Kim Bauer kidnapping subplot. Once Kate and Jack meet and she is incorporated into the conspiracy through-line, she becomes a much better character and Wynter's appeal comes through. Sutherland remains the center of everything, befittingly. The loss of Sarah Clarke in the main cast does hurt; Reiko Aylesworth does a fine job as replacement Michelle Dessler, but she just doesn't have Clarke's arresting presence. Fans of Season One looking for closure in the Nina Myers subplot can stop looking -- Season Two gives Clarke a wonderful opportunity to chew scenery and play an insidious villainess and Clarke is terrific in this role, but don't expect any attempt to explain just how Nina Myers went from saintly sidekick to vicious double agent. Elisha Cuthbert continues to impress with acting nuances uncommon among actresses her age; she's a pro at making interesting choices at emotional moments. Dennis Haysbert is stately and subtly powerful as President Palmer, and happily, Penny Johnson Jerald as Sherry Palmer is given a more human dimension in the scripts, rather than the blindly destructive saboteur of Season One, and Jerald rises to the occasion. The best performance of the season, however, belongs to Xander Berkeley. Finally this fine actor is given a character arc worthy of his abilities, and Berkeley's portrayal of George Mason's metamorphosis is emotionally devastating, while retaining the character's defining irreverence and scuzziness. I wonder why he was locked out of the Emmys? Suffice to say that I stayed up for another 20 hours straight watching this thing. This show has a hypnotic quality not found in any other, and you can bet I'll be first in line for Season Three -- especially since Season Two ends on the mother of all cliffhangers. I just hope the writers can keep this up.
Rating:
Summary: S2 Was Almost as Good as S1...Great!
Review: I'll admitt: This second season of "24" isn't *as* good as the first, but it is still splendid, intense, and emotional. There are a few badly written scenes, and Kim's storyline is almost proposterous throughout the [year]/day (yet at times, she is interesting to watch). There are many new and interesting characters. The Warners, especially Kate, unfold to their "destiny" beautifully. Many of the characters though are written off to soon. (Now that I bring this to your attention, you'll notice it too if you decide to watch it.) In some aspects, this second season IS EVEN BETTER. But then I think of the first year, and the events that occured were traumatic and heart-breaking. If you're looking for something to preoccupy your time with something better than ALL TV SHOWS AND MOST MOVIES, "24" is your answer". If you're not looking to waste some time, make some. Watch "24". You'll be ecstatic you chose to. (BTW, the DVD extras are great and the transfer is terrific)
Rating:
Summary: OH YEAH
Review: This show ROCKS! It's great. Buy it. Enough said.
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't stop watching
Review: My husband and I watched all 24 eposides in 3 days. We were hooked and obsessed! We watched season 1 on DVD straight through as well and figured if season 2 would be anything like 1 we could not imagine waiting each week for the next episode! We couldn't even wait 2 minutes to start the next "hour"! We decided we'll wait for season 3 on disc.
24 is very suspensful, almost too realistic and you can't help but love (Jack, Kim, Kate, Tony, David, etc.) and hate (Sherrie, Nina and new villians) the characters! It ends with a catharsis, but you still want more (ie. Season 3 starts in hour 24).
I highly recommend this!!!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Better than the 1st.
Review: 24 season two is better than season one. I can say this because aside from the drama, there is better character definition and way more going on. It also contains an extra disc (seven in all) that contains all of the special features you could want. Many exclusives that you cannot get anywhere else. The set also comes with information on how to get the book of Jack's Grand Jury testimony and many other things from the first season that were left unfinished. Season 2 does not begin the next day, rather a little over a year later. It grips you from the every beginning to the very end. I purchased it yesterday and watched it all the way through. I don't have the time to do that, but I seriously called in to work to do it. It's that engaging. I would recommend this to anyone out there seeking excellent television on DVD. It is once again in widescreen format which brilliantly captures each heart-stopping episode. Three cheers for Fox... The only thing I did not like was the decoration of the box. It is not completely consistent with the first season so it looks different on the shelf. That is a small complaint for a huge show.
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