Paul ranks the seasons he's seen so far as 3-5-1-4-2-6. He says that the main reasons he likes season 3 the best is Jack breaking Ramon Salazar out of prison and going to Mexico, Jack killing Nina, no "dry stories" like Kim Bauer's in Season 2, and non-stop action as they chase down Saunders to prevent the bio-terrorism (tough he admits the only criticism he has is how they ended the Salazar situation).
I rank mine as 1-3-2-5-4-7-6 (with a HUGE divide between 7 and 6 and with 7 including redemption). That may be harsh on Season 7 (maybe it is in front of 4), but I feel that there were a couple of huge plot holes and a weak ending that make it tough to swallow.
My feeling is that the show went downhill (or, maybe just changed) went Nina and Sherry were killed off in season 3 and many of the future seasons have been unable to create characters like them. There is also a lot of plot recycling of the earlier seasons in seasons 4-7 and that weakens those seasons a bit.
Bill Simmons lists Season 5 as his favorite. I know some people that like Season 2 the most.
What's your opinion? Where do you stand? How do you rank the seasons? And why?
Update 11:33 AM: @amandarykoff makes a good point, I should provide a quick synopsis to jog memories. Courtesy of Wikipedia:
Season 1 begins and ends at 12:00 AM, and occurs on the day of the California presidential primary. Jack Bauer must protect Senator David Palmer from an assassination plot, and rescue his own family from those responsible for the plot, who seek retribution for Jack's and David Palmer's involvement with a covert U.S. mission in the Balkans.
Set 18 months after season 1, season 2 begins and ends at 8:00 AM. Jack must stop a nuclear bomb from detonating in Los Angeles, then assist President David Palmer in proving who is responsible for the threat.
Set 3 years after season 2, season 3 begins and ends at 1:00 PM. While struggling with a heroin addiction, Jack must re-infiltrate a Mexican drug cartel in order to acquire a deadly virus being marketed underground. Meanwhile, President David Palmer is preparing for a live presidential debate in the run up to elections.
Set 18 months after season 3, season 4 begins and ends at 7:00 AM. Jack must save the lives of Secretary Heller (his new boss) and Heller's daughter Audrey Raines (with whom Jack is romantically involved) when they are kidnapped by terrorists. The same terrorists then launch further attacks against America, and Jack is forced to use unorthodox methods to stop them, which will have long-term consequences for both Jack and the U.S.
Set 18 months after season 4, season 5 begins and ends at 7:00 AM. Jack is believed to be dead by everyone except a few of his closest friends. He is forced to resurface when his friends are targeted and he is framed for the murders of the people who knew he was alive. Terrorists with connections to the U.S. government attempt to steal nerve gas in order to protect U.S. oil interests in Asia, and Jack discovers an insidious conspiracy while trying to stop them.
Set 20 months after season 5, season 6 begins and ends at 6:00 AM. Jack is released after being detained in a Chinese prison for twenty months. Terrorists plot to set off suitcase nuclear devices in the United States and Jack must stop them; later, Jack has to choose between his loved ones and national security when the Chinese set their sights on sensitive circuitry that could trigger a war between the U.S. and Russia.
Redemption is a television movie which aired on November 23, 2008, bridging the gap between the sixth and seventh seasons of 24. Set four years after Season 6, Jack finds himself caught up in a military coup in the fictional African nation of Sangala. Meanwhile, in the United States, it is Inauguration Day, where Allison Taylor is being sworn into office as President.
Set shortly after the events of Redemption, season 7 begins and ends at 8:00 AM. A major national security incident occurs when the firewall responsible for protecting America's government computer infrastructure is breached by the same people responsible for a conflict in Sangala. A larger conspiracy involving government officials and private military contractors is revealed as the season progresses. The season features the show's first female president, Allison Taylor, and is the first season to completely take place outside Los Angeles.
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My ranking goes: 1-5-3-2-7-4-6.
ReplyDeleteThe first season will always hold a special place for me, and I loved President Logan as a villain and I loved the Salazars/Saunders and I loved the first half of Season 2 a LOT.
I love this show, in general. So much fun.
Andrew, I am in complete agreement with you (maybe because I watched so many of the seasons with you?!)
ReplyDeletehated season 1 and always will. the violence against his wife and daughter didn't sit well with me. and it was just on a repeat loop all season. escape-captured-escape-captured. blah.
ReplyDeleteI watched season 6 first, and then went back and watched all the other ones - finishing season 7 and 5 around the same time...so I probably like season 6 more than most people as it was my first 24 experience. (And Wayne Palmer is a good looking Commander in Chief)
ReplyDeleteSO I'm going to go with 1,3,6,4,5,2,7
I think seeing 6 before 5 made it tough to get into 5, knowing Logan's role.
I'm one of those people that like Season 2 best. The scene with Jack volunteering to fly the plane with the nuke, while saying goodbye to Kim on the phone, was heartwrenching. Then, when Mason showed up to save the day, I remember being so happy and relieved. This was before we knew Jack Bauer could never die.
ReplyDeleteI also loved Season 3, especially the scene where Jack had to put down Ryan Chappelle -- we used to hate Chappelle, and then we felt such sorrow for him. And when Palmer went down at the end of the finale, as the victim of a biological assassination attempt, it was SUCH a huge cliffhanger at the time.
The later subplots of Logan and Rocket Romano/Bauer bored me much more than the previous nukes and assassination attempts. We spent less time watching Jack in action and more time figuring out the cliche plotline of "Who's the mole??"
So without going on forever and ever, I'll just go ahead and rank them, keeping in mind that the first season has to be the best, in my opinion, because it got us all hooked on a VERY original and unprecedented show format, and laid the foundation for everything to come: 1-2-3-5-4-6-7.
I have to agree with Jay on that last point. NOTHING like this had every been done before and Season 1 was so original and fresh and exciting.
ReplyDeleteThe Presidential assassination plot was so gripping and the Jack Bauer family issue was so intense that I think the season could not have been done any better (though I could live without the Keith Palmer rape issue...but I think that was sufficiently in the background).
The violence against women had a purpose in the end. Jack's mission after Season 1 (before ALL else) was to protect his family after what had happened to them in Season 1. Remember, in Season 1, Jack's reputation was as a do-good agent (he had turned in guys who were corrupt), but after following the rules and having his family put in danger in Season 1, he goes rogue like Sarah Palin. It gave Jack that edge. And I think that's why Season 1 is not only the best, but the most important.
And although Paul may disagree with me, I feel like Season 1 is the only one that actually follows through from start to finish so when you watch it again: you see no dropped plots, no real plot inconsistencies, and, most importantly, no let down in the end (which is my biggest problem with Seasons 3 after he kills Nina and Season 4 when the "nuclear football" plot fell apart at the end).
ReplyDeleteSeason 5 was my favorite. The plot twists were terrific. Season 2 is my next favorite.
ReplyDeleteSeason 4 was by far the best I think. Habib Marwan was one of the best villians I have ever seen on a TV show.
ReplyDeleteAs for the rest of the seasons it would probobly be Season 1, 5, 3, 2, 7, 6.
I rank them: 5,2,1,3,7,4,6.
ReplyDelete3 is probably the hardest for me to place because I thought the first half was rather weak, but beginning with Nina's death it became amazing. The Chandler Plaza arc was one of the best in the series and I really enjoyed the Tony/Michelle arc throughout.
7 was fairly strong and introduced some great characters (Larry and especially Renee). However, I hated Tony's storyline. Tony wanting revenge was feasible, but totally abandoning his moral core to achieve his goals was not. Also, Olivia Taylor was a horrible character and way too much time was devoted to her.
6 was terrible.