24: Season 2 [DVD] [2002] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

I was originally very skeptical when it came to season 2 of Fox's ground-breaking show "24". Season 1 had incredible acting, nail-biting suspense, and a totally original format of airing each episode as an hour over the course of one day. I figured there was no way that FOX could pull off a second season that even came close. However, the show managed to become even better for season 2. The plot behind season 2 really hits home because of the events of 9/11. Another thing that was great, was the fact that season 2 managed to build off of the previous season when it came to the characters. Even though season 1 was based on a different set of events, the emotional fall out from that day is carried over into season 2, because of how great the acting was. Kiefer Sutherland, Dennis Hayworth, Elisha Cuthbert, Carlos Bernard ( Tony Almeida), Sarah Clarke ( Nina Myers), and Penny Johnson ( Sherry Palmer) are all back and are all fantastic. In fact, it was one of the most well rounded performances from a cast I have ever seen.

The second season was even better than the first season in my opinion. However, the show was not the only thing that improved. The DVD itself took a complete 180 when it came to the special features that were offered. The first season DVD set did not really have any special features at all, or even any scene selection. The second time around, FOX made sure to correct their mistake. First of all, there is actually scene selection. You do not have to manually skip through the whole episode just to find a particular scene. The special features are great as well. The show itself fits over six discs. However, a seventh disc was created that contains nothing but extras. There are 44 deleted scenes, three incredible featuretes, and much more. If you were a fan of the first season, there is definately no way you can afford to pass this up. A must buy!!

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.

A couple days later I was home from work sick and I asked my wife to pick up the entire season 2 box set. By the time I felt better and went back to work I had watched the whole thing. I now wonder if I could of watched it on TV having to wait a whole week between episodes.

All in all the entire season was excellent. My only complaint would be the story line with Jack Bauer's daughter, Kim Bauer. About half-way through the season I found her storyline to be so unbeleivable that I didn't really care what happened with her. However the other story lines were so good it didn't really matter.

If you are a fan of the show, you don't need this review. If you have never seen the show and are thinking about purchasing it - do it! I highly doubt you will be disappointed.

-Mike from Dayton