24 Episodes · Premiered October 29, 2002 · Ended May 20, 2003
Is set 18 months after Season 1 ends. It begins at 8:00 a.m. Jack must stop a nuclear bomb from detonating in Los Angeles, then assist President David Palmer in proving who is responsible for the threat. This is necessary to avoid an unfounded war between the U.S. and three Middle Eastern countries.
It's a year after Teri Bauer's murder, and Kim's estranged from Jack, who has left CTU, until a call for help from President David Palmer.
Jack carries a package that he hopes will prove his loyalty to Wald's people; Kim tries to protect Megan from her father; Palmer has a problem with a skeptical reporter.
Kim makes contact with Jack, who tries to warn the immediate target; a new lead detours Mason's plans; Kate is asked to remain calm in the face of disturbing news.
Mason makes hard choices to retrieve vital information; Reza joins Kate on an errand; Jack gets closer to Wald; Kim urges Carla to take a stand for Megan.
Mason prepares to interrogate an old adversary; Jack gets more disturbing news from President Palmer; Tony goes to the Warner house to talk to Reza.
Nina tries to set the rules as Jack begins his interrogation; Kim reaches Megan; Reza asks for a lawyer; the president learns that one of his orders has been countermanded.
Finesse rather than force is required once Jack and Nina reach Visalia; Palmer directs his Chief of Staff to investigate Sherry's charge; Mason calls his estranged son; Warner and Reza are taken to CTU.
Stanton expresses concern over the presence of Sherry, who offers to deal with the detained reporter; transit of the bomb is interrupted; Tony hears a confession from Bob Warner.
Palmer IDs a person working against him; CTU learns the source of the plane's problems; Mason tries a different tack with Warner and Reza; Kate is questioned about her father's files.
Palmer meets the press to respond to Weiland's report; a tattoo proves a telling clue about who brought the plane down; Miguel hits on a plan to delay his and Kim's return to L.A..
Ali assigns Marie another duty to complete their mission; Palmer orders the interrogation of Stanton; Kate takes a lead role in getting to Ali; Sherry lobbies for more inclusion.
Warner gives some history on Marie, who talks to Kate; Jack explores a suspect's vulnerability; Mason tells Tony to stop searching for Kim; Lynne investigates a suspicion about Sherry.
Kim finds a level of comfort in her new environs; CTU experiences a power struggle; an insider reveals that the bomb has more protection than was previously believed.
Mason notes his own slowdown; Kate is drafted to help interrogate two suspects; Sherry Palmer tells her story to the president; Michelle has words with a new arrival at CTU.
The planned detonation time is determined; Ali's effects yield clues regarding the bomb's source; Jack has a conversation with Kim; Palmer makes a bold move to reassure the public.
Carrie criticizes Michelle's interrogation of Ali; the president formulates a response to those behind the bomb; and another violent incident at CTU puts Jack and Tony at odds.
Jack receives a surprising ally before meeting with the surviving member of Coral Snake, who explains the purpose behind the bomb; the VP expresses concern about Palmer's capability; Carrie shares suspicion about Michelle with Tony.
Kim comes clean with the cops; Michelle takes further risks for Jack; the president moves to curb civil unrest on the East Coast, while facing pressure to lock in his retaliatory plans.
Jack's resolve is tested by a bomber hoping to keep his plan intact; Tony meets the source of stress between Carrie and Michelle; a presidential advisor's loyalty is questioned.
The unavailability of the vice president raises curiosity in Palmer; Carrie plays politics when Tony disobeys orders; one presidential adviser wavers as another takes a fall. Chappelle:
Tony and Chappelle face off over the chip, the status of which Jack reports to Palmer, whose earlier actions regarding the bomb come to bear in a meeting with his cabinet; Kim is returned to the scene of a crime after speaking with Jack.
CTU declares Jack's quest over, as staffers are informed of a major D.C. shake-up; two key players question their trust in each other; Palmer lobbies for an ally; Tony takes a page from Jack's book.
Chappelle's unavailability prompts Division to question Tony, who puts Michelle in position to circumvent their command; Palmer is asked to perform a final executive action; Jack proposes a deal between conspirators.
Michelle and Tony benefit from new evidence against Kingsley, who reassures his conspirators; and Bob Warner confronts Marie
