24: Season 3 (Slim Packaging)

Thus reads the back of the boxed DVD set. Fox's primetime hit series =24= has peaked new heights in edge-of-your-seat storytelling with its third - and best - season. Commercials provide the only pause, the only letup, in this colossally suspenseful terror-trip. For those who would do so, there is no need to bash it for being less than perfect - nobody could expect absolute flawlessness from 980 minutes of television drama, no matter how refined. I will briefly mention the two foremost problems. (1) That so many events of such large and interrelated significance would take place, all within twenty-four hours, stretches probability way beyond the breaking point. (2) I have had the privilege of working occasionally with a substantial number of Spanish speakers; consequently, I can say that, for the show, the Mexicans should have spoken to and among each other always in Spanish, very nearly never in English (a problem with the Czecks in the first season as well). But the handling of the story is so very good that, understanding and accepting these and other minor flaws, most of us can suspend our disbelief. Jack is back! - this time to stop terrorists from unleashing a weaponized virus into the American public. The quest to capture it takes him through twists and turns, to a Los Angeles prison, northern Mexico, run-down neighborhoods, a hotel, subway, and an elementary school. This time the threat is biological ... on a virtually unimaginable scale. Since the series began in the fall of 2001, coinciding, as it would, with the awful tragedy of 9/11, the characters have become quite distinguishable, possessing interesting personalities, and colorful - if in some cases annoying - subtleties. Most of the acting appears quite convincing; as network dramas go, there is minimal contrivance. I shall go quickly through those at CTU and the president's company, first; followed by the terrorists, second. Jack (Kiefer Sutherland) has a secret this time, and he seems genuinely fearful of being exposed. We have a Tony (Carlos Bernard) who, not suprisingly, is down-to-earth, sometimes rigidly so, yet every now and then we see that he carries at his side a sense of compassion. Michelle (Reiko Aylesworth) has married, and though occasionally it doesn't look like she's handling things splendidly at first, we see quite the turnaround later. Kim Baeur works at CTU, not far removed from boyfriend Chase Edmunds, a newbie to the team. Those who like having Kim remain in the series but dislike the idea of her working for CTU should consider the alternative: Kim, on the outside, getting herself into further trouble. We watched this during Season One, then we were thrown the same KIND of thing in Season Two. Chase Edmunds is a tough guy; the more we see of him, the more we think, `Here is a would-be Jack'. Chloe (a quirky, annoying, protocol-wary technician), Adam (efficiency-loving), and Gaiel (cautious, ostensibly a mole) are new sign-ons as well. Finally, getting much more screen time than in Season Two, Regional Director Ryan Chappelle - a no-nonsense, give-it-to-me-straight boss. President David Palmer (Dennis Haysbert) remains the strong moral compass we grew to admire in the first two seasons. But this time, it's not just him dealing with interpersonal problems within his own campaign and the ensuing damage to the outside world. Here we see how he responds to new situations, posed by the competing political party (Republicans, we may say, given Sherry's Season One statement to that effect) toward his own campaign, as opposed to the press and personal staff adversaries of the earlier seasons. And later in the third, we come upon a nasty and inevitable dirty struggle between the president and his much-needed contributor, Alan, who tries to extort him. In the middle is Alan's wife, Julia, not wanting to get involved but eventually forced to. How will David deal with new problems that tempt new compromises, as his steadfast morality goes head to head with the convenience of relativism? Taking Mike's place as chief advisor is his brother Wayne, whose broader philosophy is at least faintly like, however much less devious than, Sherry's. She, too, is back ... with intent more malicious than anything we've seen from her yet. Now, for the terrorists. In particular, Joaquim de Almeida does a terrific job portraying Ramon Salazar, the initially incarcerated leader of a north Mexican drug cartel. He looks, feels, and smells like a bad guy in every conventional way. His younger brother Hector is believable as a second-man in charge (even if the director should not have cast them as brothers; they don't `look' at all like family). Nina returns, escaping confinement in North Africa, and as we've seen what she is capable of in One and Two, it is not that difficult to imagine. Former CTU mole, conspirator in a domestic nuclear attack, and now buyer of a biological superweapon, Nina is more of a matter-of-fact `bad guy': a cold, sinister, `I-just-enjoy-this'-type killer. Michael Amador is an arms dealer, reserved in nature, and we think we know his intentions .... Alvers is a loyal agent in Stephen Saunders' plan, sent to distribute the virus in L.A. Saunders himself is the worst terrorist - a man with a single weakness - as he sets into motion a diabolical arrangement that more terrible than anything that's come before it. A final note: a teenager named Kyle Singer, while not a terrorist per se, constitutes part of the plan to deliver the package. Several hours into the season, a drastic plot shift will hit most first-time viewers more or less like a freight train. As in One and Two, perhaps the best reason the bad guys keep falling is, well, they underestimate Jack. Consistently: from Hector to Jack's airplane guard to Ramon to Amador to Alvers and even Saunders. Nina seems to be the only exception ... which makes sense enough, given their past. (Sorry, I can't reveal what happens to her.) I don't think I've ever seen one other network series attempt what =24= has. It would not be exaggerating, nor employing hyperbole, to say that if enough things went wrong over the course of trying to take and contain the virus, it is entirely possible that the vast majority of the WORLD's population might have perished, probably within several weeks. In no other show have I witnessed TV drama so carefully weave together a tapestry of plot and subplot, push the limits of suspense, raise the stakes as high - with so very, very many lives caught in the balance - or represent so tenacious, so persistent, or so very deadly-serious a counter-terrorist agent as Jack Baeur. The DVD set contains six episode discs, as well as a seventh for commentary, deleted scenes, and other extras.

I am continually impressed with the way 24 delivers on all levels, especially going into season 3. I am a late bloomer to the series. I try not to get addicted to television and suspected I might with this show. I had a few shows I already watched and didn't want to add another. But during a seminar by Robert McKee, he told us a story about becoming addicted to the show that finally made me go the video store and rent it. I don't need to tell you that I bought the first two seasons and after two weeks ordered the third from amazon. What I do need to tell anyone who might read this review is that it very quickly became my favorite show on television and it achieved that status by telling one of the most interesting, heart pounding, nail biting stories I've ever sat down to watch - beginning, middle and end. Most shows offer a captivating premise and get lost from the original idea. (Most movies do the same for that matter). Most shows have a gimmick or a great cast with chemistry that quickly fades with each passing season and most shows tell a story we've all seen at least one hundred thousand times. 24 doesn't make any of those mistakes - not in seasons 1, 2 or 3. 24 delivers. It plays more like a film than a TV show and the restraints forced on the creators, writers, producers, actors, directors and crew somehow makes the show even stronger. For anyone out there who has tried to write any kind of story, imagine how hard it would be to effectively tell a story as capivating as 24 over the course of one single day -- and now try to make every single hour of it a show stopping hour of drama on television. To me, it seems a near impossible task. And having the love of storytelling that I do, I've actually taken notes from this show. Yes, it's THAT good. In response to the constant badgering the show receives for its use of torture and violence, yes - it's brutal. One 30 second clip communicates that rather effectively. No, torture is not glorified on this show. It shows the consequences of what violence does to people, about the consequences people must face - professionally and personally - as a result of their choices, including Jack Bauer. And it is important to remember that this is also a FICTIONAL storyline. It's unfortunate our world has changed to a point where we can see the parallels between the show and real life, but this is a healthy way to release those fears that are maybe a little too real to us today. I love the show. I love that there's a crew of people who put themselves out - I can't even imagine their exhaustion - for working so hard to stay one step ahead of the audience. To raise the bar so high that they don't even know if they'll make it is a pretty amazing thing. I wonder about how Kiefer is able to stay maxed out for 14 hours a day, six days week to make 24 hours of our entertainment so satisfying. And he produces the show. I don't know how one human being can expend so much energy without fizzling. I'm in awe of him and of all of the people who are behind the camera doing the same thing. I appreciate their hard work and am pleased to be addicted to such a groundbreaking show.

Love the episode. Very good DVDs. On the first DVD it will skip coupe time's but for a used DVD you can't beat it.

I am happy to add this season to my collection although I haven't been able to view it yet.

全海外ドラマの中でもベスト10に入る作品！ それが、24シリーズではないだろうか。 私は、今でも24シーズン1を地上波でみた時の衝撃を忘れることは出来ない。どんでん返しにつぐどんでん返しで毎回ハラハラして視聴していました。 その後、24がレガシーに至るまでシリーズ化された事をみてもシリーズの完成度の高さが分かる。 日本でも『24』は、大ヒットしたので、すでに多くの方が一度はみたことがあるのではないかと思います。このドラマの最大の魅力はリアルタイムで事件が進行していくということにもありますが、それ以上にドラマの面白さ、ダイナミズムを追求することに対して一切容赦がないということではないでしょうか。 特に、それを象徴しているのがテロリストの要求に応じてジャックがシャペルを射殺する第18話のシーンだと思います。 日本のドラマであれば、ご都合主義的にシャペルが助かったりするのではないか。ところがアメリカのドラマではシャペルを容赦なく殺してしまうことが出来る。その容赦のなさがドラマ制作費の違い以上に日本とアメリカのドラマの面白さの差を格段に広げているように思えてならない。 それは、日本版『24』を視聴していても強く感じていた。 例えば、本家『24』と日本版『24』の描写の違いがそれをよく現している。具体的に二つのシーンを指摘したい。 ◯ジャックがテロリストの指を切り落とすシーンが日本版ではそもそも描写として描かれていない。 ◯誘拐されたジャックの娘の友人の痛みを緩和するシーン 本家『24』では現実の薬物注射に使う注射器で薬物を注射する描写になっているのに対して、日本版では市販の痛み止めを飲む描写に変更されている このように描写をマイルドなものにしてしまえば、視聴者からの批判は緩和出来るかもしれないが、ドラマの面白さやダイナミズムは間違いなく失われてしまうだろう。制作費において日本のドラマ制作費はアメリカのドラマ制作費に圧倒的に及ばない。その日本のドラマが制作費でアメリカに勝てないのに描写で妥協していたら面白いドラマになるはずがない。『24』を改めて視聴していて私にはそう思えて仕方がない。 みていない方にはぜひみてほしい海外ドラマ。 はじめてみる方はその展開に衝撃を受けるはずだ。 日本版『24』が放送されています。この機会に改めて本家『24』を視聴してはいかがでしょうか。みたことのある方はもちろん、みたことのない方もぜひ一度ご覧ください。 あなたは『24』の魅力にハマるはずだ！ (2021.2.19記)

Great

24の魅力を周りに発信し続けてかなり24ファンが増えました。シーズン2はレンタルで済ましてしまいましたが、シーズン3はまたもコレクターズ・ボックスを購入！毎回、1時間毎の展開にドキドキです。こらぁシーズン2のDVDコレクターズ・ボックスも購入するしかありません。

Zwar läuft zur Zeit die dritte Staffel noch im Fernsehen, aber nachdem die Hälfte der Folgen bereits ausgestrahlt worden ist, muss ich sagen: Gratulation! Normalerweise ist es ja bei Serien so, das einige Staffeln schwächer sind als die anderen doch nicht bei "24". Alle drei Staffeln muss man einfach im DVD-Regal stehen haben denn sie bewegen sich einfach auf sehr hohem Niveau. Und ich denke das kann keiner abstreiten. Ich kann nicht verstehen wie man behaupten kann, das die ersten 7-9 Folgen langweilig wären etc, ganz im Gegenteil. Im Gegensatz zu den vorherigen Staffeln wird nämlich noch mehr die Charakterseite betont. Die Autoren nahmen sich nun endlich ausreichend Zeit um auch jeden der Persönlichkeiten angemessen vorzustellen. Natürlich wirken die ersten Folgen dadurch etwas langatmiger und die Action bleibt im Gegensatz zu Staffel 2 erst mal weg. Diese breitet sich eher subtiler aus. Man kann also sagen das die erste Hälfte der Staffel der Charakterentwicklung dient und die zweite Hälfte den Handlungsbogen ausbreitet. Spätestens ab Folge 14 zittert man wieder am Bildschirm und will wieder wissen, wie es nach dem Cliffhänger weitergeht. Da es sich diesmal nur um eine, in der Geschichte, große Bedrohung handelt (das Virus), konnte man sich bei den Drehbüchern genau darauf konzentrieren (in den beiden anderen Staffeln gab es ja jeweils zwei große Handlungspfade). Wieder einmal ziehen dabei die Regisseure alle Register, um dem Zuschauer die Bedrohung so realistisch wie möglich zu präsentieren. Und das ist ihnen wunderbar gelungen. Einfach ganz großes Kino. Bei den Charakteren gerate ich sowieso ins schwärmen. Die Produzenten bewiesen mal wieder bei der Schauspielerauswahl, das sie ein glückliches Händchen hatten. Da gibt es die bedrohlich und düster dreinschauenden Salazar Brüder; dann die Terroristen allen voran Michael Amador, Alves und diesen ehemaligen Mitstreiter von Jack, der bei der Drazen-Operation dabei war und nun den eiskalten Schurken mimt. Was ich damit sagen will ist, das die Darsteller diese Rollen wieder mal perfekt und vor allem glaubhaft (!) verkörpern. In einigen Punkten ist Staffeln 3 der Season 2 sogar überlegen! Spätestens ab der 15. Folge ist die Spannung nicht mehr zu ertragen. Die fantastischen Schauspieler tragen ihr übriges zu dieser beklemmenden Atmosphäre bei. Noch nie war man so angespannt und aufgeregt vor dem Fernseher gesessen wie bei "24". Einige der Folgen von Season 3 gehören definitiv mit zum besten was das Fernsehen zu bieten hat Gibt es denn nichts negatives? Normalerweise findet man immer was aber hier will mir einfach nichts einfallen. Wie schon gesagt die ersten Folgen sind etwas langatmig und es gibt zu viele Sprünge in der Handlung. Aber das fällt doch kaum auf. Die deutschen Sprecher machen ihre Arbeit sehr gut. Außer der Präsident, denn der könnte auf deutsch etwas emotionaler rüberkommen. Auch der Akzent der Salazars ist gewöhnungsbedürftig. Aber das sind Kleinigkeiten. Wenn ihr das hier lest: Nicht lange überlegen sondern sofort kaufen und die beste Serie der Welt ohne nervige Werbung genießen!