24 Season 3 Bad Bad Bad (Spoiler)

Just finished watching S3 on DVDs and how this series has gone down
south after S1. The primary reason that makes S1 a success is that
the writers can intertwin two main plots, David Palmer's presidential
campagin (the attemp on his life) and Jack Bauer's attemp to protect
David seamlessly. S2 takes a big step backward in this regard but at
least the palace coup is somewhat interesting.

The David Palmer plot has been reduced to a side show of a side show
in S3 which makes S3 just a show about a bunch of guys with guns and
cell phones chasing another bunch of guys with guns and cell phones.

At least the reappearance of Sherry Palmer allows the David Palmer
plot to develop somewhat but the writers underuse her role. She is
one of the major reasons why 24 S1 is success.

I shouted contrive, contrive and contrive when I saw Nina Myers
reappear in S3. Thank god Jack finally kills her and I hope they
don't bring her back again in S4 with some biogenic technique.

It seems to me the script was rewritten about 1/4 of the way. At
first it was about the CTU mole Guy-ale and the Salasa brothers. Then
S3 does a double switch so Guy-ale and Jack all become triple agents.

The writers never explain why the Salasa brothers need to monitor the
kid if the kid doesn't have the virus with him. One might allow for
inconsistency in plot for a show like this but this plot hole is too
big to let go.

The ease that all these CTU tech guys can access any bank accounts on
earth or shut down a subway train in split second is devoid of any
realism. When you strip off the layer of vulnerability from the
characters, you stop caring for them because you know in the end this
is just a show and nothing will happen to the likes of Jack Bauer or
James Bond. In fact, S3 makes James Bond look real in comparison.