Season 2

Promotional poster

*"Sometimes the men sworn to keep us safe... Are the most dangerous of all."*
— Season 2 promotion
**Season 2** of *24* debuted on October 29, 2002 on the Fox Network. The season was produced by Joel Surnow, Robert Cochran, Howard Gordon, Brian Grazer and Kiefer Sutherland. It follows the work of now-President David Palmer and agent Jack Bauer to stop terrorists from detonating a nuclear weapon in Los Angeles.

24: Season Two was released on DVD in North America on September 9, 2003.

## Summary

The first fifteen hours deal with finding and disposing of the nuclear bomb. After the bomb is disposed of safely, the story focuses on the United States' retaliation against the people responsible for constructing it. A recorded conversation between a terrorist involved with the bomb and high-ranking officials of three Middle Eastern countries (which are never specified) is used to implicate those countries in the plot. However, Palmer is reluctant to order military action against them until he has absolute proof that the recording is genuine. Several members of his Cabinet then vote to relieve Palmer of his position under Section 4 of the 25th Amendment, believing his hesitation to be a sign of indecision and weakness. The Vice-President then orders military strikes against the three countries to continue.

Jack, Michelle and Tony race to find the evidence that the recording is a forgery, and they eventually discover that a group of European & American businessmen fabricated it in order to wage war with the Middle East so that they could benefit from rocketing oil prices that would result. The strikes are called off and Palmer is reinstated as President after the proof is produced, thanks largely to his ex-wife Sherry Palmer (who risks her life). The seven cabinet members and Vice President James Prescott tender their resignations (Palmer does not accept them), and Palmer then tells his staff that he believes that the strictest evidence of hostile intent is required before waging war. The President does relieve his Chief of Staff, Mike Novick, who did not support David until the eleventh hour.

Like the first season, the second ends with a surprise twist. The nuclear weapon situation is resolved without massive loss of life, but President Palmer collapses after being attacked with a biological weapon, presumably in an assassination attempt. Viewers were forced to wait until the third season to see whether Palmer survived the attack. The sudden shift from a nuclear to biological threat also foreshadows the third season, which initially centers on the threat of an engineered virus being set loose on the general public.

There were several large plot threads left unresolved on screen from the second season, most notably the characters of Max and his colleague Alexander Trepkos, two men who were the driving force behind the day's events, as well as President Palmer's assassination attempt. Neither man appears in any later episodes, and the only clue to their fate given on screen is a cryptic hint spoken by Wayne Palmer in the premiere of season 3. Some of the events directly preceding season 3, including the fate of Max, were chronicled in the video game, *24: The Game*, released in March 2006.

## Timeline

The **second season** (2002–2003) opens in Seoul, South Korea at midnight local time, then moves to Los Angeles, which is 8:00am PST (11:00am EST). Beginning on a Saturday and ending the following Sunday, the season is set about 18 months after Day 1. The sun is shown setting at 6:53:48 in Los Angeles, which may place the date of Day 2 on or around September 20.

## Format

The overall plot of this season revolves around a Nuclear weapon that has been smuggled into the United States, and the political tensions it brings to the U.S. military. Like the first season, this season can also be essentially broken into two acts:

1. The first act involves CTU attempting to find a nuclear bomb in Los Angeles that is to be detonated by members of a Middle Eastern terrorist cell. The main antagonists in this act are Syed Ali, Joseph Wald, the Coral Snake unit, Marie Warner and Nina Myers. (8:00am–11:00pm)
2. Jack and the CTU rush to prevent the catalyst for a third world war as they track down and expose a forged piece of evidence planted by a conspiracy looking to capitalize off the instability the bomb would bring. The main antagonists in this act are Peter Kingsley, Alexander Trepkos, and Max. (11:00pm–8:00am)

### Major subplots

* Kim Bauer rescues a child from her abusive father, and is on the run from both him and the police department.
* Kate Warner suspects that her sister's Middle Eastern fiancé is a terrorist.
* Michelle Dessler is introduced and begins to form a relationship with Tony Almeida and builds a friendship and alliance with Jack.
* CTU is blown up by an anti-government militia cell, manipulated into doing so to divert resources away from the bomb and to cripple their ability to stop it.
* George Mason, Director of CTU, is exposed to radiation and battles aggressive symptoms as the season progresses.
* President Palmer faces traitors in his own Cabinet, who attempt to remove him from power to advance their own agenda.
* Jack endures personal anguish as he worries about Kim and develops a heart condition after being tortured by Kingsley's agents.

### Impacts on future seasons

* Michelle Dessler joining CTU and marrying Tony Almeida before Day 3.
* The death of George Mason.
* Mike Novick is fired from David Palmer's staff after his insubordination.
* Nina Myers coaxes CTU into getting a pardon, allowing her to escape from imprisonment.
* Jack begins a relationship with Kate Warner.

## Production

Originally, Joel Surnow wanted to change the show's format for the second season, so that each episode would comprise twenty-four hours, rather than one hour in real time. The show, however, ended up retaining the same format as Season 1.

## Cast

*Main article: Season 2 cast*
*See also: Recurring characters, Character appearances for Season 2*
### Starring

* Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer (24 episodes)
* Sarah Wynter as Kate Warner (24 episodes)
* Elisha Cuthbert as Kim Bauer (22 episodes)
* Xander Berkeley as George Mason (15 episodes)
* Penny Johnson Jerald as Sherry Palmer (13 episodes)
* Carlos Bernard as Tony Almeida (24 episodes)
* and Dennis Haysbert as President David Palmer (24 episodes)

### Guest starring

* Reiko Aylesworth as Michelle Dessler (24 episodes)
* Jude Ciccolella as Mike Novick (19 episodes)
* Michelle Forbes as Lynne Kresge (18 episodes)
* Laura Harris as Marie Warner (14 episodes)
* John Terry as Bob Warner (12 episodes)
* Lourdes Benedicto as Carrie Turner (10 episodes)
* Phillip Rhys as Reza Naiyeer (10 episodes)
* Harris Yulin as Roger Stanton (uncredited, 9 episodes)
* Skye McCole Bartusiak as Megan Matheson (8 episodes)
* Daniel Dae Kim as Agent Tom Baker (8 episodes)
* Billy Burke as Gary Matheson (7 episodes)
* Innis Casey as Miguel (7 episodes)
* Alan Dale as Vice President Jim Prescott (7 episodes)
* Donnie Keshawarz as Yusuf Auda (6 episodes)
* Paul Schulze as Ryan Chappelle (6 episodes)
* Sara Gilbert as Paula Schaeffer (5 episodes)
* Francesco Quinn as Syed Ali (5 episodes)
* Tamlyn Tomita as Jenny Dodge (5 episodes)
* Timothy Carhart as Eric Rayburn (4 episodes)
* Tobin Bell as Peter Kingsley (4 episodes)
* Michael Holden as Ron Wieland (4 episodes)
* Tracy Middendorf as Carla Matheson (4 episodes)
* Kevin Dillon as Lonnie McRae (3 episodes)
* Glenn Morshower as Aaron Pierce (3 episodes)
* Douglas O'Keeffe as Eddie Grant (3 episode)
* Thomas Kretschmann as Max (2 episodes)
* Rick D. Wasserman as Alex Hewitt (2 episodes)
* Mia Kirshner as Mandy (1 episode)
* Vicellous Shannon as Keith Palmer (1 episode)
* and Sarah Clarke as Nina Myers (6 episodes)

## See also

* Day 2 antagonists
* Unnamed Day 2 characters
* DVD collections: Region 1, Region 2, Region 4

nl:Seizoen 2