3-BestLines

Best Lines

Season 3

~ 181. 181 options for 'Best Lines'. This is my favorite category and one of the hardest. It's difficult to take them out of their context and choose what was the "best". What made us feel the most. Here's an effort, though and like I said in Season 2, if your favorite didn't make the short list I'm pretty sure it made the longer version. ~

~Runners Up~ 
Best Lines - Season 3

Alan Milliken: You think you can enlist your psychopathic ex-wife to manufacture lies about me in order to bring me down. - Sherry has been called a lot of things but "psychopathic ex-wife" I think is a new one, and rather catchy. [3.11: 11:00pm - 12:00am]

Chloe: Mr. Chapelle, Division called to confirm your 3:00 briefing. Is that still good? Chapelle: Sure. - Even in this time of near-death the writers take yet another moment for a touch of humour. Chapelle is still Chapelle no matter what. He still has time for a comment to make us smile. [3.18: 6:00am - 7:00am]

Nina: First Jack now you. Hmm, what does that remind me of? - A real hit below the belt for Tony. Nina is just so cruel that here, it's humorous. She's just loving having Tony in the palm of her hand and it shows. I'm sure that Tony would have regretted dating Nina over and over since he found out she was a traitor. This is just salt in the wound. [3.14: 2:00am - 3:00am]

Tony: If there was ever was a worst-case scenario this is it, we switch from prevention to containment, the virus is out. - The thing that we've been trying to avoid since the first minutes of this season has finally happened. This was a great little tidbit that really shifted the direction of the show at CTU. [3.20: 8:00am - 9:00am]

Ramon: When you were down there with us I had no idea you were an agent. We accepted you; you didn't have to put a needle in your arm. You did that for other reasons, the same reason as all junkies, to kill the pain. What's your pain Jack? What does the needle make go away? - This question never got officially answered but it's probably safe to speculate that it's to do with his life outside CTU. Either way this observation from Ramon was powerful and well delivered by someone who had been so rarely serious up to this point. [3.06: 6:00pm - 7:00pm]

And now, the top24 Lines:

24. Chloe [to Chase]: Looks like they're really going out of their way to cut you out of the loop. What did you do, piss of Jack?- Ah, everyone seems to know how Jack would have reacted to being angered except Kim. That's the only explanation as to why she would have wanted to tell Jack about her and Chase in the middle of the day at work. [3.02: 2:00pm - 3:00pm]

23. Saunders: You don't negotiate with terrorists, well; I don't negotiate with heads of state so just do as you're told. - Why the writers of 24 are great. Faced with a situation like this a terrorist can always crack a joke. Saunders especially was very cool and collected and delivered the line perfectly. [3.17: 5:00am - 6:00am]

22. Tony: Chloe, I'm getting real tired of your personality. - Amen Tony. It Chloe has walked the fine line between annoying and comical at different times during this season. At some point I think most of us wanted to say this to Chloe. It was delivered perfectly from Tony and I think we all feel for him having to spend almost 24 complete hours in the same office as Chloe (minus, of course, when he was shot and in the hospital, which probably was a refreshing break.) [3.20: 8:00am - 9:00am]

21. Chase: I've been working with Jack all day and with all that's happened he's still operating at a higher level than anybody in the field, including me. - Chase has so much respect for Jack. Enough for him to go up against a superior just to protect his image and his job. The chemistry between Chase, Chapelle, and Jack in this particular scene is terrific. This line sums up Chase's feelings for Jack. After all they've been through he still won't back down. [3.15: 3:00am - 4:00am]

20. Ramon: Do it Louis, see if you can beat it out of me… you are no fun. - For an international drug lord this guy is pretty funny. It's all testimony to what Jack said about Ramon, that he's not afraid of anything. I don't think there's anyone in their right mind that would ask to be beat up. [3.01: 1:00pm - 2:00pm]

19. Julia Milliken: I don't need a drive thru shrink. - Actually in the end she probably could have used any kind of shrink but the way this line was said was great at the time. The hindsight of it just makes it even funnier. [3.13: 1:00am - 2:00am]

18.Tony: That's my wife Jack you son of a bitch! My wife! Jack! - It's wonderful how Tony is literally pulled out kicking and screaming from the operation blaming Jack the entire time. This was a really nice exclamation point on the whole thing and it was beautifully acted by the always great Carlos Bernard. [3.22: 10:00am - 11:00am]

17. David: She [Sherry] figures I have more to lose than she does, I think she's right. - Wise words from a wise man. It seems as though David has finally realized how evil Sherry is. Too bad it's entirely too late. [3.22: 10:00am - 11:00am]

16. Chase: I look up to you. I'd take a bullet for you if I had to but right now I'm gonna hold the mirror up. You were under with Salazar for six months. I know what they did to you and I know what you did to yourself. You can't make that go away overnight. You think I didn't know? Jack: You should mind your own business, Chase. Chase: All I'm trying to say is that I'm here for you but today is not the day to try and prove that you're all better. It's about to hit the fan, you know that and I know that, so do what you gotta do man, get your head straight so we can do our work. - This was a really nice way to prepare us for Jack to shoot up (or not shoot up). We really got to see here that Chase does care about Jack and that he is smarter than he may look. He knows exactly what Jack has been doing. Also, this lets us know that Jack respects Chase as well. Do we really think he would have reacted the same way if it was, say, Chapelle that started questioning him about it? James Badge-Dale did some shining here; in fact, from where I'm standing he stole this scene from Sutherland. For a rookie it was extremely impressive. [3.01: 1:00pm - 2:00pm]

15. Tony: Suicide capsules for the people down at the hotel. It's gonna get pretty bad down there. Chapelle: It's against every regulation in the book. Tony: Yeah. Chapelle: Do it. - This season there was definitely more of Chapelle's human side. This was just another example and the most glaring one. It really deepened his death after it showed that he could be lenient when there were many deaths on the line. It felt almost too little too late but this line was great anyway. [3.17: 5:00am - 6:00am]

14. Jack: This operation started a year ago with Gael Tony and myself. Gael gave his life; I became an addict to maintain my cover and now your sending Tony to prison. It's wrong Brad, and you know it. You should be putting a medal on him, not handcuffs. - It's nice to see that Jack, after all that Tony said to him, still would stick up for him like this. They are obviously somewhat attached to each other since they have been working together for more than 4 ½ years. Even though Jack claims to be detached I'm not sure he completely is. The recount of what has happened to them all is a good argument for Tony but probably won't save him. [3.23: 11:00am - 12:00pm]

13. Tony: My God, Jack, didn't you learn anything from what happened to Teri? - Nasty words but really showing what kind of stress that Tony has been under today. Since he was shot and then nearly lost his wife once the guy is just under a lot of stress. He'd have to be to say something like that to Jack, someone he works with and also someone that has beat him before in a short fight. [3.22: 11:00am - 12:00pm]

12. Michelle: I'll go anywhere with you as long as I don't have to cook. Tony: Sweetheart, if you promise not to cook I will take you with me anywhere. - In the heaviness of Jack's heroin addiction in the first episode this little bit of lightness seemed especially funny. Also, it was nice to see the evolution of their relationship and bring in something outside CTU. Great continuity from last season. [3.01: 1:00pm - 2:00pm]

11. Rae Plachecki: Tony, did you put Michelle's life ahead of public safety or national security? Tony: Yes. I did. - Tony admittance to this just might send him jail. It was so like Tony to admit it so openly that he did this, as damning as it may be. [3.24: 12:00pm - 1:00pm]

10. Ryan Chapelle: I would love nothing more than to hang you as a traitor and watch you jerk to your dead…but I'm a realist. - Although at this point Chapelle is still someone we love to hate he usually gets some really great lines. This is a fine example. [3.07: 7:00pm - 8:00pm]

9.Sherry Palmer: I want to be your wife again. David: You what? - Although since the entire Keeler thing this was almost half expected it seems that it still had the same effect on us as it did on David. The good old 'you've got to be kidding. [3.23: 11:00am - 12:00pm]

8. Wayne: The Chief of Staff to the President of the United States is now committing a burglary. Foxton: It's a historic Moment. - This was trouble. The scene that began so innocently that led to the death to Sherry. This part of it, on the other hand, made me laugh. [3.23: 11:00am - 12:00pm]

7. David: What did you do to Alan? Sherry: Honestly David? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. - Sherry Palmer has never spoken truer words. She really didn't do anything to him. Didn't help him at all… [3.14: 2:00am - 3:00am]

6. Chase: I didn't know whether to save you or kill you …you put a gun to my head and you pulled the trigger. Jack: I made a judgement call that Ramon Salazar would not give me a loaded weapon, that he was testing me. Chase: And if it was loaded? - Indeed. This actually gives us a good perspective on Jack and how he does his job leading to the 'detached' conversation. The confrontation was satisfying because it really set up the things that happened between Jack and Chase for the rest of the season. [3.13: 1:00am - 2:00am]

5. Chase: Do it… It's okay. - Chase is a brave kid. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Badge-Dale has come a long way from the unsure version of Chase we saw at the beginning of the year to this fearless agent that in the end helps Jack keep his head. Impressive transformation, impressive acting. [3:24: 12:00pm - 1:00pm]

4. David: I despise you for what you've done and I despise my role in helping you get away with it. Get out of my sight. - Dennis Haysbert is an incredibly intense actor and this is a wonderful example. You can see the loathing of Sherry in his eyes as he spits out these words. You can also tell by Sherry's reaction that this wasn't really what she was expecting either. The way he leaves her shocked by his angry words is great. [3.16: 4:00am - 5:00am]

3. Tony: You betrayed everybody you know, including me, you murdered Jack's wife, you helped terrorists smuggle a nuclear bomb into the county and now you're helping to unleash a deadly virus into the general population. I don't understand this. What is it you get out of being a mass murderer? Nina: Your neck is bleeding. - This really does show us how ruthless Nina can be. She is faced with the summary of what she's done, which, really is enough to make anyone cringe and all she has to say to Tony about it is a calm 'Your neck is bleeding.' From this point it felt pretty obvious that she was going to die. I mean, really, what else could she live through? [3.14: 1:00am - 2:00am]

2. Jack: Roger, I don't have a green wire. - The beginning of the end for Chase's hand. As if this scene wasn't intense enough but the way Jack said this while looking directly at Chase just kicked it up a notch. [3.24: 12:00pm - 1:00pm]

Are you ready? Number one Line of Season Three is:

1. Jack: "A few of years ago my wife was killed because of my job, my daughter's never been the same since. Just this last year…well, you know what I went though to being you in, and what do I get for it? A pat on the back, in the end, a demotion, and a heroin habit. I'm tired of putting my ass on the line for nothing. I'm done putting my ass on the line for nothing." - As Nina says to Jack a little later 'you'd do anything for your country.' This is just proof that it's true. All of the things that Jack says here are true. Because of this kind of thing Jack Bauer is the tragic hero. He sacrificed everything for his job and his country and he still continues to get the shaft. I guess it's good, though, that he hasn't been put in jail yet. [3.08: 8:00pm - 9:00pm]