24: Season Two
Fox Home Entertainment   -   2002   -   1064 minutes

Reviewed by Kyle Crawford

Review Date: September 10, 2003

FOR STARTERS

PHOTO GALLERY Jack Bauer reconnects with his daughter

When I found out that Fox planned to use the exact same cast for the second season of 24 I was skeptical. The brilliantly executed concept, a day in the life of Jack Bauer, his family and the Counter-Terrorist Unit he works for, in which each episode is played out in real time, could not hope to obtain the same originality and freshness as it did season one, could it? How is it possible for that much trouble to happen to the same people all over again? Is it even plausible? Well, 10 minutes into the first episode of this season the answer is loud and clear. Yes it can and yes it is. The action takes place approximately one year after the tragic end of the first season, Jack (Kiefer Sutherland) is down and embittered but suddenly finds himself called to duty again by now President David Palmer (Dennis Haysbert). A terrorist plot of a nuclear war has been uncovered. Jack must race against the clock to thwart the plans to explode a bomb in the Los Angeles area. Will he to able to stop it in time? Can he follow orders or have to do things his way again? Only time will tell, 24 hours to be exact.

� Episode 1: "8:00 AM 9:00 AM"
It's been a year since Jack lost his wife, and the emotional toll includes estrangement from his daughter Kim, who is now a live-in au pair for a troubled family. Jack is no longer with CTU, and no longer interested in that line of work until he's summoned directly by President Palmer. The situation: terrorists have planted a nuclear device somewhere in Los Angeles and plan to detonate it within 24 hours.
� Episode 2: "9:00 AM 10:00 AM"
Jack reestablishes his undercover identity to join a crew of suspected terrorists that may know something about the nuclear device planted in Los Angeles. Posing as career criminal Jack Roush, his only hope in proving his loyalty to them lies in the package he's carrying. Meanwhile, President Palmer deals with a curious press, including one particularly skeptical reporter; Kim tries to protect Megan from her father; and Kate Warner follows up on suspicions about her sister's fianc�.
� Episode 3: "10:00 AM 11:00 AM"
Jack tries to undermine Eddie's mission to bomb CTU while George investigates intel leading him to the site of the nuclear bomb's construction and Kim tries to make contact with her father by heading for CTU headquarters.
� Episode 4: "11:00 AM 12:00 PM"
Mason faces a no-win situation, while his attempts to retrieve vital information may cost other lives; Reza joins Kate on an errand; Tony and Michelle deal with the aftermath of the CTU bombing; Kim tries to talk Carla into taking a stand for Megan; Jack faces off with Joseph Wald to learn who gave the order to bomb CTU.

� Episode 5: "12:00 PM 1:00 PM"
Mason faces a no-win situation, while his attempts to retrieve vital information may cost other lives; Reza joins Kate on an errand; Tony and Michelle deal with the aftermath of the CTU bombing; Kim tries to talk Carla into taking a stand for Megan; Jack confronts Joseph Wald to learn who gave the order to bomb CTU.
� Episode 6: "1:00 PM 2:00 PM"
Nina tries to set the rules as Jack begins his interrogation of the woman who betrayed CTU and killed his wife; the president dealing with the aftermath of another tragedy tries to curb speculation by the media and learns from a surprisingly informed source that one of his orders has been countermanded; Marie hurls accusations at her sister Kate as Tony continues to question Reza; Miguel tries to distract Gary at the hospital; and Kim reaches Megan.
� Episode 7: "2:00 PM 3:00 PM"
Finesse rather than force is required once Jack and Nina reach Visalia; Palmer directs his Chief of Staff to investigate Sherry's charge that a conspiracy within his own government is trying to undermine him; Mason contacts his estranged son; Warner and Reza are taken to CTU.
� Episode 8: "3:00 PM 4:00 PM"
While Nina and Faheen are brought together, Jack and Michelle must try and decipher their conversation in Arabic for any clue to where the bomb is located; Kim and Miguel are questioned by the police for details about a grizzly discovery in the trunk of Gary's car; and Tony interrogates Reza and Bob, who contradict each other about their possible terrorist ties; Palmer deals with an information leak; and the crew transporting the nuclear device encounters trouble.

� Episode 9: "4:00 PM 5:00 PM"
Jack and Nina survive a plane crash, only to face a unit of commandos; Mason and Almeida set Bob Warner and Reza against each other; Kim and Miguel are processed by the state police; Kate and Paul Koplin are interrogated by Syed Ali; Sherry provides some unrequested assistance to Lynne; and Nina presents President Palmer with a terrifying ultimatum.
� Episode 10: "5:00 PM 6:00 PM"
CTU implements a risky tactical maneuver to ensure Jack's safety; Kim and Miguel are transported back to Central Booking; Kate Warner is rescued from her captors by an unlikely savior; President Palmer finds a connection between NSA Director Roger Stanton, a paramilitary group known as Corral Snake, and a defunct CIA network called OpComm; Reza helps the CTU access files belonging to his fianc�'s father, only to learn the truth about the Warner family traitor.
� Episode 11: "6:00 PM 7:00 PM"
Jack utilizes Kate's unique knowledge to track Syed Ali; Palmer goes to an extreme to extract information from Stanton about the bomb; Kim eludes the California State Police and faces a new and unexpected enemy; Sherry tries to play Stanton's arrest to earn the President's trust; Tony continues the interrogation of Robert Warner.
� Episode 12: "7:00 PM 8:00 PM"
Robert Warner gives some history on Marie, who talks to Kate; Jack explores a suspect's vulnerability; Mason tells Tony to stop searching for Kim; Lynne investigates a suspicion about Sherry.

� Episode 13: "8:00 PM 9:00 PM"
Jack organizes an assault on the paramilitary unit Corral Snake at Norton Airfield Base; Kim becomes acclimated to her new environs when a hunter finds her with an ankle injury; Roger Stanton cracks under the pressure of Ted Simmons interrogation; a CTU Division agent tries to evaluate the Counter-Terrorism Unit's capabilities; Palmer utilizes Sherry's connections to investigate a lead.
� Episode 14: "9:00 PM 10:00 PM"
Jack learns the plane supposedly transporting the bomb is a decoy; Palmer confronts Sherry with information obtained from Roger Stanton; CTU initiates a search for the seventh commando of the Corral Snake unit; Kate aids in the interrogation of a suspect; Kim is led to that the nuclear bomb has detonated; George Mason steps down, assigning Tony Almeida the new Director of CTU.
� Episode 15: "10:00 PM 11:00 PM"
A detonation deadline is established for the nuclear bomb; Palmer�s staff considers two courses of action for the bomb's disposal; Kim leaves Lonnie McRae�s cabin to head for San Jose and contacts her father; Jack volunteers for a disposal mission from which he may not return; Mason makes one last bid to die a hero; Palmer and Mike Novick board Air Force One for Los Angeles; Tony and the CTU staff analyze personal effects from Syed Ali�s safehouse.
� Episode 16: "11:00 PM 12:00 AM"
Syed Ali denies that the recordings retrieved from his safehouse are authentic; Palmer preps a major military action against the three suspect nations; Sniper-fire interrupts Ali's transfer to Guantanamo; Suspicion over the recordings spark tensions between Jack and Tony; Palmer affords Jack a matter of hours to provide proof of Ali's statements; Kim walks into a desperate hostage situation; Jack is contacted by the surviving member of Corral Snake with an odd demand.

� Episode 17: "12:00 AM 1:00 AM"
Jack receives a surprising ally before meeting with the surviving member of Coral Snake, who explains the purpose behind the bomb; the Vice President expresses concern about Palmer's capability; Carrie shares her suspicions about Michelle with Tony; Kim balances a precarious hostage situation.
� Episode 18: "1:00 AM 2:00 AM"
Jack, Kate, Yusef and Captain Wallace fight their way out of a surprise siege; Kim turns herself over to the police and is reunited with Miguel; President Palmer handles East Coast riots with National Guard response; tensions continue between Carrie and Michelle, with Tony refereeing the catfighting; Jack locates the evidence that proves the Cypress Recordings were falsified.
� Episode 19: "2:00 AM 3:00 AM"
Jack's resolve is tested by a group of operatives with orders to keep the impending war in the Middle East on track; Kate and Yusef run into trouble while trying to deliver the Cypress Chip to CTU; Tony meets the source of stress between Carrie and Michelle; Lynne Kresge determines the identity of a possible traitor on Palmer's staff.
� Episode 20: "3:00 AM 4:00 AM"
Jack is revived, but not without ill effect; Kingsley demands the whereabouts of the Cypress Chip; Mike Novick goes to extreme measures to keep Lynne Kresge quiet; Kate makes a bargain with Yusef's assailants to protect the Cypress Chip; Tony and Michelle face pressure from Ryan Chappelle and Carrie at CTU.

� Episode 21: "4:00 AM 5:00 AM"
Jack rescues Kate and retrieves the Cypress Chip; tensions escalate in the CTU between those still supporting Jack's mission, and those trying to stop it; Palmer faces a Cabinet tribunal demanding his resignation; Kim is released from police custody; Jack follows the only useful lead obtained from the damaged Cypress Chip.
� Episode 22: "5:00 AM 6:00 AM"
Backdoor dealings, back stabbings and an actual stabbing convolute matters as Jack comes face-to-face with a pair of key players. One can prove the Cyprus recording is a fake; the other knows enough to blow the entire case wide open. But both begin to question their mutual trust when Jack tries to play each against the other. Meanwhile, a shakedown at CTU puts Jack's quest to rest once staffers are informed of a major shake-up in DC; Tony learns he has something in common with Palmer, who lobbies for an ally and talks with a turncoat; and Jack encourages Kim to put a definitive end to the source of her problems.
� Episode 23: "6:00 AM 7:00 AM"
Chappelle's unavailability prompts Division to question Tony, who puts Michelle in position to circumvent their command; Palmer is asked to perform a final executive action; Jack proposes a deal between conspirators.
� Episode 24: "7:00 AM 8:00 AM"
Jack and Sherry Palmer prepare for a dangerous meeting with the head of the war conspiracy at the L.A. Coliseum; David Palmer sits in as the Cabinet waits for confirmation of the Cypress Chip's invalidity; the air strike on the Middle East draws nearer; the conspiracy goes to an old agent to put Palmer out of play.

VIDEO

24 is presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen. Don't let the fact that this is a TV show fool you, this is a very fine video presentation. The intentionally drab costumes and interiors are clean and detailed. Shadow depth is quite deep and there is virtually no grain. My local Fox affiliate channel comes in a little hazy and dark, so this is the absolute best this show has ever looked.

AUDIO

Not to be outdone, the audio presentation is also top flight. The 5.1 Dolby Digital track is cleanly spatial and wide with dialog clear. The action doesn't stay bunched up front though, the rears are generously used and envelope the listener so much that you almost forget this is a television show. The subwoofer kicks in with a wallop when asked, especially in the scene with the bombing of CTU. All-in-all a very solid effort. A Spanish 2.0 surround is also included.

SUPPLEMENTS

Once again, we have a season box set of a television series which has a plethora of special features. There are six full-length episode commentaries, one on each disc; Carlos Bernard (Tony Almeida), Sarah Wynter (Kate Warner) & Michelle Forbes (Lynn Kresge) all helm episode 4 (11am-12pm), Director Jon Cassar & Sarah Clarke (Nina Myers) talk it up on episode 6 (1pm-2pm), Penny Johnson Jerald (Sherry Palmer) & co-creator Joel Surnow give their effort on episode 10 (5pm-6pm), episode 15 (10pm-11pm) has co-creator Robert Cochran & Xander Berkeley (George Mason), Surnow teams up with Kiefer Sutherland (Jack Bauer) on episode 20 (3am-4am) and on episode 21 (4am-5am) executive producer Howard Gordon & Dennis Haysbert (David Palmer) give their take. There are 44 deleted scenes also included which can be accessed via seamless branching or watched separately on disc 7 with optional commentary. Also included on disc 7 are four featurettes. The first is "On The Button: Exploding The CTU" (13:14) which shows the intricacy and safety that went into blowing up that crucial set piece, next we have "24 Exposed - Part 1" (45:32) which explores the behind-the-scenes making-of the final two episodes. This one is quite interesting in showing the secrecy involved with the shooting script, even to the lead crew members. As a follow-up there is "24 Exposed - Part 2" (42:14) which details the post-production aspects of those two episodes. And finally, there is a "Multi-Angle Scene Study: Episode #6 - The Interrogation" which allows you to change the view from only camera A - to only camera B - to a composite of the two by using the Angle button on the remote. This greatly shows how a different angle can change the entire emotion of a scene. This is a set with hours of great features and those alone are worth the price of admission.

THE BOTTOM LINE

A one-gimmick wonder that proved to work a second time around, 24 is here to stay. Strong performances from the lead actors and above average audio and video presentations make this box set an easy recommendation. If you haven't gotten into 24 yet, the clock's ticking.