No, it's not a knock against the Lost thread but it could be applied there as well.

What I meant was that, while the pace of Season One worked great for that year, if they tried to go back to a pace that 'slow' it would seem like they were just standing still the entire season. Essentially, Season One had the plot against Palmer, Jack's family being kidnapped and then finding and stopping the Drazens. Season Four had
spoilers for anyone who is waiting for the S4 DVDs:
Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)the Secretary Of Defense being kidnapped and saved, nuclear power plant meltdowns, the EMP detonation, the President being shot down, the nukes being hijacked by Marwan, the raid on the Chinese embassy, thwarting the nuke, and the 'death' of Jack Bauer.
They've set the bar very high for themselves and now they need to top themselves every year. I'm not saying that one is better or worse than the other, the show is just different from when it first started. A big difference is in the size and amount of threats that they have to set up each year.
Like every show, people tend complain more about it when it's on. Then the farther away they get from it, they generally remember more of the good than the bad.
Just to clarify, I'm not trying to knock the show. I've loved every season of 24 (even the black sheep Season Three- which is great once it gets moving) and can't wait for more Jack in January!