Jericho: Wait, WHAT?

March 18, 2008 9:09 PM

Things were going along pretty well on Jericho -- you had your insurgency, your interrogation, your Molotov cocktails, your second American Revolution, the usual stuff -- and then they threw us a curve ball that I'm still reeling from Where the hell did that come from?

Now is the time for all good spoilers to come to the aid of their country.

Last week, Stanley killed Goetz, even though Goetz left specific instructions that he was not to be harmed. This week, it's time for that other shoe to drop. Jake, Stanley and the rest of the rangers are hiding out, and Beck and the army batter down doors and toss over places to look for them. Stanley thinks he should turn himself in, but Jake says no. He'll take the rap. He surrenders to Beck, with these terms -- take me, and give the rangers amnesty. I accept your surrender, Beck says, but the terms? Phooey.

Beck takes Jake to a secret location and does his best to break him, He knows that Stanley was the one who pulled the trigger. He just needs Jake to give up the location. Cue the bright lights, food withholding, no sleep, etc. Jake is not looking good.

Fortunately, he hallucinates himself some help -- his grandfather, who survived World War II and inspired the shipments of peanuts with his brave defiance. Hallucinatory Grandpa tells Jake that he's got to stay strong, protect his men, blah blah blah. To be honest, this bit kind of bored me. We know Jake wasn't going to break.

Beck steps up the pressure. He declares Jericho an insurgent town and basically shuts it down-no power, no water, no businesses open, soldiers patrolling the streets. That's just revolutionary catnip to the good folks of Jericho, who spend their off-hours firebombing the J&R headquarters. Finally, Beck brings Mama Green out of her hiatus to beg Jake to tell Beck what he wants. She goes through the motions, but she also whispers that Eric and the boys are mounting a rescue attempt. Go, Mama Green!

The rangers storm the interrogation center/hog farm and rescue Jake. Beck is having a very, very bad day.

Of course, it's not quite as bad a day as Hawkins is having. Chavez calls from Texas -- bring the bomb, let's make our case! John Smith calls -- we need the bomb, don't go anywhere! Hawkins elects to head for Texas, wearing the Powder Blue Polo of Invincibility -- a J&R shirt. He also stole a J&R truck, which in theory should get him through checkpoints without questions. He tells Darcy and the kids to hide out in the woods for a while.

But John Smith isn't giving up that easily. He calls Beck and tells him about Hawkins, the bomb, and where it's going. The military comes after Hawkins with many a humvee and helicopter, and eventually run him off the road. Here's my question -- if they know they're chasing a guy with a nuclear bomb in his car, why the hell are they firing missiles or rocket propelled grenades or whatever the big booming things were at him? That seems counterproductive at best, suicidal at worst.

At any rate, Hawkins gets away, but the military gets the bomb. And here's where things go completely off the rails for me. John Smith calls Hawkins, and Hawkins accuses him of being the guy who blew up the country. Yes! Smith admits! I did it! I did it to save the country, because J&R has become so intertwined with the government that I needed to do something radical to make it clear to people! That's why I used a plan I wrote years ago to blowup 23 cities and... well, strengthen the ties between the government and J&RR, actually.

But wait! Smith says! Now the government and J&R are in one convenient location, so if I blow up Cheyenne with your bomb, the problem goes away! And that... makes no sense. It actually subtracts sense from the rest of the series retroactively. Things that I was willing to buy before now seem ludicrous because seriously? That's what happened? Someone blew up a bunch of cities and killed millions because he was pissed at a company that is now even more in charge? I.. but... my head hurts.

Hawkins goes back to the newly liberated Jake and tells him the bad news -- bomb gone, crazy guy gong to use it to blow up Cheyenne, we've got to stop it. And next week, I guess we find out if they do. But still -- no sense. None. Not even TV sense. And maybe it's just me, but I'm going to have a hard time caring what happens when I'm spending the whole episode saying "Yeah, but..." I've liked the show so far, but this just took it too far for me. What about you?

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| Comments (26)

26 Comments

I loved the episode. I just don't want next weeks to be the final episode. Anybody heard anything about a season 3.

Jeremy | March 18, 2008 9:49 PM

I agree with you. I was expecting this episode to have a lot crammed in it, but this was just odd.

I thought maybe ones chasing Hawkins just didn't know what he had in the vehicle, but even that didn't make any sense.

If this had been the first episode I'd seen this season I wouldn't have bothered trying to find out what the others were like. Very weak story-wise, and I'm quite disappointed because I was really looking forward to the show tonight.

Melody | March 18, 2008 10:59 PM

So...phone fellow wrote the plans, and put them into action to separate J&R and the government...but now J&R is technically more powerful...than the government.

Next time, try a mediation session, because now I just don't know what the hell is going on anymore. It would have been much more bold and daring had it just had been the US Government who blew the crap out of the country, not this weird, twisted company-government-terrorist sector-thingy...

Corey | March 18, 2008 11:37 PM

The storyline was getting a bit crazy. Seems pretty clear we're getting the wrap up finale and not the potential 3rd season finale, although I'd be curious what that would've been.

Btw, anyone notice that, when Beck told Jake that the city was being marked for insurrection, that when they showed the soldiers jumping out of the vehicles and setting up the blockades, one of the soldiers had Turtletaub as the name. I wonder if that was Jon, or if that was just a nameplate they stuck on. Nice little touch, though.

Tony | March 19, 2008 1:30 AM

Hawkins said the phone he used to talk to John Smith was secure, so he theorizes the bomb must have some sort of tracking device. If John Smith has known about this tracking device all along, why didn't he come and take the bomb from Hawkins earlier?(I don't believe the bomb has been in its lead/whatever-lined protective cocoon in Hawkin's shed for a good while now.) This and John Smith's admitting he was behind the bombings makes no sense, as Sarah mentioned.

Danny | March 19, 2008 5:22 AM

I loved Jericho last season and was thrilled to see CBS bring it back for a wrap up but have been disappointed this season. I think the spirit of last year's show would have been better carried into this year if, instead of focusing on the "J+R is bad" stuff, they had the towns-folk recognize it quickly it quickly and set off the revolution. Oh well, easy to be an air-chair writer. I hope they can pull off a good ending to satisfy us all in the event it doesn't get picked up or next year.

Andrea | March 19, 2008 5:27 AM

I still think John Smith was lying. I am almost positive that Smith is actually Tomarchio, and he knows EXACTLY what will happen if he sets off another bomb.

Having said that, I'm still asking, if he had a tracker on the bomb, why even deal with Hawkins? Why not just send the army to bomb right away? Why not just send two guys you know to go pick it up? The bomb tracker seemed awfully convenient.

Diwght | March 19, 2008 6:24 AM

I must have watched a different show...

Hawkins was being used by Smith, who thought he could get Hawkins to do his dirty work for him. When he couldn't, he turned him in to the military. I am a military mom, and believe me, if they tell you to do something, you do it, no questions asked. So the military chased Hawkins, and got the bomb. I would hope that every nuc bomb would have a tracker, something that important should have a tracker!!

So I thought it was pretty good. Jake gave himself up to save his friend. His friends came back to save him. Jake hallucinated his grandfather because he was a inspiration to him. I sure was wishing it would be his dad, tho. I miss Gerald Mc Rany.

I can't wait to see what they do next week!!

Barb | March 19, 2008 6:44 AM

This is what happens when fans of a good show force the writers of a good show to 'sum up' a good show in 7 epsodes. Sure, the 7 epsiodes part was decided on by the networks and had they forseent he strike, might have ordered 13 or more, but that's the way it goes. Season 1 + the first 5 episodes were priceless - fun -witty and different.

The last two episodes are the last 15 minutes of every Charlies Angels episode when you realize that the good guy is actually the bad guy and now we have to chase him on a curvvy highway or through a crowded mall for 12 minutes then smugly laugh at the end that we knew it all along.

It's soon-to-be over. And all the nuts in the world won't save it.

Brett | March 19, 2008 6:49 AM

Okay, I loved this episode. I'm just sad that next weeks episode will probably be the last. Damn CBS! Every show I like they end up cancelling or pulling the plug on!

Has anyone noticed that John Smith's voice sounds like Valente's?? I'm not sure but I wouldn't be surprised if that's who John Smith is.

Linda | March 19, 2008 6:56 AM