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Twitter'Jericho' Fall Finale: See You Soon
Am I the only one out there who keeps watching Jericho 100 percent because the concept is intriguing and not the least bit because of anything the show's creative team has actually done with that premise thus far?
Jericho had its fall finale -- to be replaced by the apparently interchangeable King of Queens -- on Wednesday and delivered an episode that was a microcosm of the entire season. I was just interested enough that I'll watch again come February, but just nauseated enough by the tepid melodrama that I won't miss it while it's gone.
For my money, Jericho is at its best when the writers pillage their plotlines from great cinematic Westerns, rather than from contemporary soap operas. The idea of what happens to a remote community without the controlling forces of a central authority or government, particularly in the face of an unimaginable tragedy, is fascinating. So when Jericho delves into frontier democracy and gun-point law-and-order amidst crisis, the show can pull its inspirations from sources like Rio Bravo, High Noon and Shane. As a result the genuinely horrible acting and dialogue are excusable. Tonight's episode, dealing with the recriminations of Gracie's not-the-least-bit-tragic murder mined The Ox-Bow Incident among other sources and got at least one miraculous scene of acceptable acting out of Skeet Ulrich.
But too much of the episode concentrated on relationships that I just can't believe anybody cares about. Am I less emotionally involved in the coupling between Farmer Stanley and IRS Wonkette Mimi or the adulterous pairing of Bar Wench Mary and Uber-Bland Eric? I can't decide. And both trysts are more engaging than the triangle between Jake (Ulrich), Emily (Ashley Scott) and Heather (Sprague Grayden). After dedicating the season's first handful of episodes to the tentative flirtations between Jake and Heather, building to a kiss, the writers have spent the past few hours pushing the idea of Jake and Emily's romantic destiny, which is tough embrace, since Emily's a pill. Plus, in a feat of astounding predictability, the writers had Emily and Jake approach kissing on Wednesday just as her long-lost fiance Roger arrived out of nowhere.
The arrival of the pack of slow-walking survivors was one of a handful of semi-twists and cliffhangers at the end of the episode. Mopey Teen Dale (Erik Knudsen) committed a violent act that was both dramatically reprehensible, but also pleasingly unexpected (from a character stand-point). Major Dad lost the mayoral election to that Somewhat Evil Veteran Character Actor, which is sure to have repercussions for the more liberal-minded members of the Jericho community (though I'd be more interested in what Gerald McRaney's Deadwood character would di in this situation). Most interesting, though, was the ongoing IM conversations between Lennie James' Hawkins (really the best reason to watch the show) and his unidentified contacts, an exchange that ended with accusations of lying, followed by a satellite photo indicated that he was being watched and the closing message "See You Soon."
That being said, the episode didn't reveal much about any of the show's holy trinity of mysteries: Who does Hawkins work for? Where has Jake been? And who dropped the darn bombs anyway?
Other semi-rhetorical musings from the fall finale:
Did the fall finale work for you? Any guesses on where things are headed?
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Zap2it Twitter Talk 
I think that I may be the only one that puts aside anything really bad about this show and am just hooked. I wait for it every Wednesday, make sure no one bothers me and just gets sucked in.
As for the season finale...I wish there would have been a few answers. I was expecting Roger to come back eventually, so that wasn't a shock...but Dale shocked me with his actions at the end. And I also love Hawkins...and can't wait to see what happens next year.
"...and got at least one miraculous scene of acceptable acting out of Skeet Ulrich."
Give me a break! This was the first time that THE WRITERS have permitted Skeet Ulrich a chance to let his character explode from his tightly reined emotions. All this time, "Jake" has been focused on keeping his past secret, his current life a mystery. He's played it close to the vest, gone with the flow, helping out when he could. This scene was incredible and we are finally seeing Skeet's acting ability on full display.
I love this show. Yes, it has annoyed me at times with some of the periphreal story and characters, but it gets better every week. And like others, I am on the edge of my seat for every episode. I'm really looking forward to the next installments.
Anyone else reminded of the Fallout/Wasteland PC game series? (where Vault-tec was a giant experiment)
I too am HOOKED. I wait for it every week as well and make sure not to be bothered during the showing. Some story lines are terribly bland and predictable (i.e. Mimi & Stanley). Writing has left something to be desired, but the show is intriguing because of the curiosity factor of what will happen next...
I agree with Lola. Skeet is actually a tremendous actor (being good looking makes people ***ume he is untalented cuz that is normally how things go in hollywood ie see Brad Pitt and Matthew Mccounauhauy sp???) Sometimes directors and writers hamper good acting with stale predictable stuff. Let's hope they give Skeet room to breathe and do what he does best. He isn't a melodramatic actor like most tv personalities, he is very low key and REAL -- sometimes people mistake that for bad acting becuase we are all so used to the melodrama soap opera crap on television today (see Grey's Anatomy, 24, Prison Break etc.)
It was a good episode and I look forward to the Feb return.
I agree that Jericho would improve greatly if they just ease up on the cliched soap opera stuff. A lot of viewers on the forums want to know more about Hawkins' conspiracy, Jake's mysterious past, winter survival preparations, etc.
Instead, the writers keep piling on more love triangles! I mean, come on...now we have Bonnie and Sean ( a tertiary character who has had like 5 lines before tonight's episode)mixed in with Dale and Skylar? In addition, they introduced Rogerat the end...so now there's a love rhombus between Jake, Emily, Heather and Roger!
Don't get me wrong. I still enjoy this show immensely, but the writers should give more screentime to the townspeople actually coping with the lack of government, law enforcement and modern conveniences.
Also, would it kill the writers to mention WHERE Bonnie and Heather were during Thanksgiving? It's not like they could have hopped on a plane to watch the Macy's Parade in NYC! Despite its flaws, I definitely will watch Jericho in February.
Daniel, I agree with you 100%. The premise of the show is why I watch -- interesting since the movie "The Day After" - though that was not really about the lack of centralized government in a remote town. I could do without most of the melodrama; however, I understand why it is somewhat necessary. I do think Hawkins is a compelling character and look forward to finding out what is up with him.
I agree with Daniel's opinion that Jericho is better when it resembles the cl***ic Westerns. Since there has to be some type of romantic element to this drama, the producers should keep the love triangles as the B-plots.
However, Daniel left out what I thought was the most jarring scene in last night's episode. Just as Jonah (brilliantly played by James Remar) is giving a tearful farewell to his daughter Emily, he finishes by saying that Jake is 'her one true love'. Barf! When did the town mercenary become reduced to a sappy matchmaker? Jonah pimping out 'Jake + Emily=4ever' was like some teeny bopper describing Dawson's Creek or something. Shouldn't he be worrying more about how Emily will survive the winter without fuel, heat, food, etc.?
Jonah never even met Roger...how does he know that Roger isn't Emily's true love? Producers, next year please give up on the recycled love stories from The WB!
A few episodes into watching Jericho, I realized that it has the feel of so many (albeit cheesy) dramas from the 80s. I'm sure my opinion is influenced in part by Gerald McRaney's presence (I loved watching Simon & Simon when I was a kid).
This is a nice, gentle show with an interesting concept and is a refreshing break from the likes of 24, Lost, and Prison Break. I am an avid follower of those three shows, but the stress of them can be overwhelming. That's why Jericho is a good alternative.
ya this show is pretty lame-it's right up on my "lame list" with American Idol, Greys anatomy, csi, and lost.