This 24 is conflicting. While some major character relationships are finally brought to a climax, the storyline is iffy. Starts out great, and towards the end falls apart. Not to mention, that while some plots carry over from the 2nd season; the major setup (SPOILER: that there is a shadow organization pulling the strings of acts against America… SPOILER OVER) is completely dropped, and swept under the rug. Likewise goes for President Palmer's hospitalization at the end of s2; it has absolutely no bearing, and makes the entire act from last season look completely riddiculous. Like they're just amateurs who couldn't even manage to kill the president, or perhaps just wanted to get some revenge on him like petulant little schoolkids. It makes no sense how everything is dropped for season3.
Also, the series is dampered by hard-to-like (and easy-to-detest) protagonists. If you disliked Kim last season, she'll blow your mind with her stupidity and blind awareness this time around. For some reason, they even decided it a great idea to give her a more prominant role in CTU! When you watch this season, play the S.U.K. game. How it works is when find yourself thinking “Shut Up Kim!”, you then put $1 in a jar. By the end of 24 episodes you should be able to put a down payment on a small house, or buy some more DVD's at least. Thank god for Jack Bauer, because without him this would be a very sorry cast of characters.
However, after saying all that. It's still better than most television series out there… it just could have been so much better so easily. Looking at it perspectively, it beats season 1, but falls quite short of season 2. I'll be pick it up eventually, if only for the first twelve hours.