Jack in a Box: Day 1

In the beginning: On the eve of the California Presidential Primary, Jack Bauer and his wife Teri are newly reconciled after a brief separation. The effects of the separation have made their daughter Kim rebellious, so much so she escapes the house to go partying with a friend Janet York

The Threat: Jack gets a call from colleague and former tryst Nina Myers saying that CTU has intelligence that Senator David Palmer from Maryland, the leading candidate in the primary is targeted for assasination.

12-Hour Villian: Kim and Teri are kidnapped by a man named Ira Gaines. Gaines vows to kill them unless Jack assasinates Palmer himself.

Real Villian(s): Gaines was working for the Drazens a Slovenian family whose father Victor Drazen committed mass atrocities assumingly for Slobodan Milosevich.

Their Reason: Drazen's wife and daughter were killed in a covert operation called "Operation Nightfall" which was authorized by Palmer and carried out by Bauer, when he was a Navy SEAL.

Political Angle: Palmer is the prohibitive favorite to win the Presidency but must surpress blackmail attempts regarding the killing of his daughter's rapist by his son, from contributors and his own wife.

Mole(s): Several including an impostor Mr. York and a CTU tech named Jamey, but the main mole is revealed to be Myers whose actions perpetuate Jack's entire day.

Kim Bauer: Wears a tight low-cut t-shirt the entire day and provides an adquate "hook" for twenty something and older males across the country.

The World is Saved but…: Myers in her attempt to escape kills Jack's wife Teri, changing Jack Bauer forever.

Thoughts: Even some longtime fans, consider this the best season and it definitely holds up to the most scrutiny. Maybe because it is the only season that deals with day-to-day rituals like eating and the effects of staying up 24 hours. Myers as the mole was a "holy shit" moment partly because there were a few scenes of her alone when she stays in character when she has no reason to.