JQuery :: IE (any Version) Is Not Parsing Returned JSON Via GetJSON Or $.ajax Calls?

I am trying out $.ajax instead of getJSON for debugging purposes. Because getJSON did not report an error in IE (6,7 or 8) and I am
trying to figure out why a jQuery plug-in is not painting my returned images to the screen in IE but is in other browsers. So I tried this. Interestingly enough, it hits the error event in IE but not firefox, safari and the rest and I don't know why (this code works great and renders my data just fine in FireFox and the rest). I know my returned json is valid:

$.ajax({
type: "GET",
url: "http://localhost:59396/sss/sssHandler.ashx?
action=getproducts&ids=" + ids,

[code]....

I don't know what else to do to troubleshoot why IE is having so much trouble with the returned JSON or just executing the function(data)
using either getJSON OR this. I have set the headers not the cache also in the response. IE refuses to enter my function(data) on the response.

[
{
"ImageTag": "u003cdiv class="CarouselItem
"u003e<p><img src="http://www.xxx.com/image/

[code]....

Same result. Firefox and the rest had no issue. IE still exited the $.ajax and my error method kicked in. No rhyme or reason whatsoever and I tried the IE Dev tools... nothing. About the only thing I get is this: Line: 163 Error: System error: -1072896658.Line 163 which is simply the line: function() { alert("An error has occurred. try again."); This has got to be the most f*d up situation I've been in and I need to get this working! I just cannot understand why IE can't parse a getJSON or $.ajax response, that is impossible or else there would be a huge meltdown with jQuery.