Season 3 starts out 3 years after the end of season 2. Jack is back working at CTU. Tony and Michelle are still working there, now as husband and wife. We are also introduced to Chase, Jack’s partner, and Chloe. Kim has gained employment at CTU and a terrible haircut. Season 3 is the year of bad haircuts. Kim has disgusting bangs, Nina has a mullet and Sherry Palmer looks like she’s wearing a wig. But that can all be overlooked. Season 3 shows CTU’s attempts to stop a deadly virus from being released in Los Angeles and other major cities. The virus is being sold to Mexican drug-lords the Salazar’s, the best bad guys ever. Jack has been undercover with the Salazar’s for months, and eventually brought him down and put Ramon Salazar in prison. However, Jack breaks Ramon out of prison, to stop the virus from being released. The rest, as they say, is history.
1. 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. – Jack has broken Ramon out of prison and is being held hostage on a plane to Mexico. Ramon doesn’t trust Jack, since he’s the one who put him in prison, so he has him handcuffed in a little room being watched by a guy not paying attention to him. It is a full out party on the Salazar private plane. There’s champagne, dancing, girls, Ramon is having so much fun. Except for the fact that he wants to kill Jack. It’s really distracting him, but all his homies keep telling him that his brother, Hector, wants him alive. So he finally sits back, relaxes and gets a lap dance. Meanwhile, Jack, who is suffering from severe heroin withdrawal, starts to fake throw-up where he’s being held hostage. (The only thing harder than saving the world in one day, is doing it while going through heroin withdrawal.) The person watching him comes over to check on him, and while Jack’s hands are handcuffed over him, he uses his legs to break the guy’s neck, killing him instantly. It’s one of my favorite Jack Bauer kills of all time. He uncuffs himself, and prepares himself for possible death until they get to Mexico.
Back at CTU, Michelle and Ryan Chapelle have one of their agents, Gael in custody after learning that he was in contact with the Salazar’s. He’s getting the torture kit special when Michelle learns that Tony is coming out of surgery. Earlier in the day, he had been shot in the neck and underwent emergency surgery and Michelle stayed at work, helping to work through the crisis. Now she wants to go to the hospital to be there when Tony wakes up. Chapelle gives her a hard time though.
Michelle: Anything that spills over, you can give to Chloe.
Chappelle: Chloe's a pain in the ass!
That’s true. Chloe is a pain in the ass this season. Season 3 Chloe, is really really annoying Chloe. Her inability to interact with humans is crippling and not endearing as it becomes in later seasons. It just makes you want to punch her. But it allows for a lot of good lines. Michelle goes to the hospital and Tony asks her about what’s going on. She explains that they found out Gael was a traitor. Without explaining anything, Tony insists he goes back to work. Michelle reluctantly signs him out of the hospital and brings him back to CTU. That’s badass. He got shot in the neck and almost died and is going back to work. He runs into the room where Gael is being tortured. Gael’s watch beeps.
Gael Ortega: He's in.
Ryan Chappelle: What are you talking about? Who's in?
Tony Almeida: Jack.
Ryan Chappelle: What?
Tony Almeida: Gael and I have been working with Jack. We've been trying to get him back undercover with the Salazars. That signal mean he's back in.
Ryan Chappelle: I don't understand.
Tony Almeida: Look, I'll explain everything. Right now we've gotta call the president.
The reason Jack is really breaking Ramon out of prison is because he’s made a deal with Hector Salazar. The virus will be sold to them at which point CTU will intervene. The only people who knew about this were Jack, Tony and Gael. My favorite plot twist on the show.
2. 12:00 a.m. – 1:00 a.m. – At this point, everyone who’s anyone is in Mexico. Jack has learned that Nina is a buyer for the virus and has offered more money. In order to stop the virus from getting out, he’s had to force Nina to work with him. He also had to kiss her, which is probably the most disgusting and hard to watch moments of the show. Now, Jack, the Salazar’s, Nina and the CTU agents are going to meet Michael Amador to buy the virus. Nina keeps trying to warn Ramon, who has shot and killed his brother, that Jack is still working for CTU. She almost gets Jack caught too, but Chase stops Ramon’s suspicions. Nina knows that Jack is still working for CTU, she knows him better than to think he’s sold out and betrayed his country. Too bad no one will listen to her. Nina meets with Amador to buy the virus, only he switches it with a fake one at the last second, and no one notices. CTU gets the signal that Nina has the virus and moves in. Jack kills like 76 Mexicans with only a knife and his bare hands. Ramon ends up with the vial, and while Jack holds him at gunpoint, it explodes, killing him instantly. Only halfway through the season and all the Salazar’s are dead. They realize Amador still has the real virus, but he’s gotten away. He’s a very organized, sneaky bad guy. There hadn’t been too many kills this season, but this episode all but makes up for it. One of the most action packed episodes of the season, and show up until this point.
3. 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. – Saunders has captured Michelle and is holding her hostage so that Tony will bring Saunders’ daughter back to him. Tony is doing everything Saunders’ wants him to do, which got him fired from CTU. This is the second time today that Michelle’s life has been in danger. She went to the hotel where the virus was released, but turned out to be immune to it. Prior to that, her and Tony had been in a huge fight because she doubted his ability to run CTU because of the affects of the surgery. After that he had barely talked to her and had been kind of a jerk. She was also kind of pissed that Tony was planning this big operation with Jack and Gael and hadn’t told her. So there was some tension. But now, Tony is potentially putting millions of lives in danger to save her. It’s the most romantic story ever told. Anyway, Tony is taking Jane Saunders to a meeting point so they can make the switch. Jack finds out what Tony’s been hiding and follows him. He catches up with him and listens in as Tony makes the call to Saunders about where they’re going to meet. After Jack hangs up the phone on Saunders, Tony flips out.
Tony: My God Jack, didn't you learn anything from what happened to Teri?
Jack:(pushing him away) SHUT UP TONY! Shut up!
Tony: Just because you sacrificed your wife for this job doesn't mean I'm gonna sacrifice mine!
Ouch. Tony and Jack have a very complicated relationship. Season 1 they kind of hated each other because they had both boinked Nina. Season 2, Jack broke Tony’s ankle to escape lockdown, but then eventually relied on him and Michelle to get crucial evidence. This season, Tony is one of two people Jack trusts to complete this very dangerous, secretive mission. Tony also puts Kim’s life in danger and Jack goes crazy on him, but then still apologizes later when he has to fire him. Now, Jack is putting Michelle in danger, but Jack will still be Tony’s only friend next season. It’s like they’re friends and respect and trust each other, but also hate each other. It’s a really good dynamic.
While everyone prepares for the switch, Michelle taunts the men keeping her captive. She then fakes a nose bleed, making the guard think that she has the virus. While he’s distracted, she unlocks the door, picks up a brick and smashes the guy in the head. Michelle picks up his phone and runs outside. As soon as she gets service, she calls CTU. Chloe picks up but since Michelle’s whispering, Chloe hangs up on her impatiently. She finally gets through to Jack and Jack tells her to go back and get caught. Tony flips out, but Michelle reluctantly agrees. And she does all this in heels.
The switch is finally set to happen and when Jane gets close to her father, she gets scared and runs away. This causes a complete shootout, with Tony covering Michelle and firing away. I was never so afraid for Michelle’s life. But they all survive, and Tony gets taken away in handcuffs.
Notable mentions: 6:00 a.m. – 7:00 a.m. – The death of Ryan Chapelle. Saunders orders Chapelle dead by 7:00 a.m. because of information Chapelle is finding. Everyone tries to find Saunders’ location before, but they can’t. Jack knows that he’s going to have to kill Chapelle, and Chapelle knows he has to die. This is the only time we see Chapelle be completely human and vulnerable. The end of the episode shows Jack aiming a gun at the back of Chapelle’s head, saying softly, “Sorry we let you down, Ryan. God forgive me,” and Chapelle falling forward lifeless. The episode closes with a silent clock. Holy sh*t. 1:00 a.m. – 2:00 a.m. – Jack, Chase and Nina are on a plane back to Los Angeles. Nina still has vital information so Jack tries to question her. She has him dial a number that sets off a worm at CTU. Jack is pissed that Nina, once again, has fooled him. Fortunately, Chloe and the other CTU workers stop the virus before it is able to do any real damage, and Jack doesn’t have to comply with Nina’s wishes. When they stop the worm, Jack smiles for probably the first time the whole season, and happily informs Nina that all of their computers are working.
There are so many other good moments, like when Sherry gets punched in the face, when Michelle shoots some rioter at the hotel, when Jack chops Chase's hand off and when Kim is forced to go undercover. But unfortunately I couldn’t write about them all.
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