(S01E19) Something is rotten in the town of New Bern.
Did those New Bernians actually think they could get away with locking up Erik without Jake doing something about it? I loved that the first guy he asks for help is Hawkins. When he said, "We do this my way," I thought he meant he was going to get his daughter to start shooting people until they find Erik. It's nice that after so many failed relationships Jake finally found someone that he has so much in common with. They were like a post-apocalyptic Crockett & Tubbs running down those alleys. When Hawkins got all Jack Bauer on the deputy, I thought Jake was going to freak out. When is Jake going to embrace his bad boy within?
I also really enjoyed Johnston and Mary's bonding. Honestly, how long can the Green family freeze her out? It's not her fault Erik left April or that April died or that her baby died. She's just the only one left to blame. It seems that Johnston is the only one smart enough to realize that there's no point in living in the past. I guess after half the country's been destroyed, you need to hold on to everything you have left, even your anger.
I'm finding it hard to deal with the death of Heather. I honestly don't see any reason she had to be killed off. I really didn't think Jericho was that kind of show.
As far as the New Bern offensive goes, I can't believe that nobody in Jericho saw this coming. It was only a matter of time until another town came by and took their salt and anything else they had. I guess it's a good thing that tank is still in Stanley's barn.
On a scale of 1 to 7 (worst to best), I'll give this episode a 5.












Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
4-19-2007 @ 2:47PM
Misty said...
Oh, I think Mary shares a good deal of the blame for Erik leaving April. Or was all that sex they had accidental?
And I don't believe Heather's really dead.
Reply
4-19-2007 @ 2:51PM
Doug said...
The episode of Jericho was better then the review. How will Jake and his brother get out of this mess? Will the mortor shells from the factory fit the tanks gun. The next couple of episodes should be very interesting. Maybe Heather isn't dead.
Reply
4-19-2007 @ 2:58PM
MJ said...
I'm not sure how effective spoiler warnings are in blog comments, but...
** SPOILER **
At the Paley event for Jericho in March, one of the producers said that fans of Heather would be pleased with the way her storyline plays out. But even without that knowledge, Eric's statement felt like an obvious piece of misdirection from the writers.
MJ
Reply
4-19-2007 @ 3:02PM
ladi said...
It was Eric's decision to leave April. He could have stayed with her, but he didn't love her anymore, and from what I saw she didn't really love him anymore either.
I really hope that Heather is alive.
Reply
4-19-2007 @ 4:12PM
danielobvt said...
Good god, what the heck do they need so many mortor rounds for? It looks like they have enough to pretty much destroy the town... I thought that this was a takeover attempt. This invasion is pretty logistics heavy if they think they need that much firepower.
And no, mortors are man portable circular tubes into which the rounds are dropped and from which the round is then propelled to the target by the explosive that is attached to the bottom. They cannot be used in a tank.....
Reply
4-19-2007 @ 4:12PM
Kyle Beasley said...
No one is dead in television until you see the body, and sometimes not even then (See Buffy the Vampire Slayer for numerous references).
http://kylebeabo.blogspot.com
Reply
4-19-2007 @ 5:42PM
Karen said...
Not only do they have the tank in Stanley's barn, but they have that big friggin' nuclear bomb in Hawkins' garden shed.
Reply
4-19-2007 @ 5:50PM
rtms said...
I too don't think Heather is dead, it was just too obvious how the writers set that up.
What Jericho needs to do is get rid of the current Mayor, who is a complete douche bag. Here the guy from Bern is trying to heavliy hint that Bern is going to attack and he just does not get it!
As for New Bern, I don't think they just plan to invade, they intend to take over hence the fire power.
Reply
4-19-2007 @ 6:54PM
Mark said...
Heather is seen briefly in next week's preview. And no, I don't think she's dead either. It was just too convenient, and online, people would know if the actor wasn't filming any longer (ie, dropped from the series for whatever reason).
And agreeing with the others - Mary is just as much to blame as Eric is for his leaving April. She had to know Eric was married, but still made the moves. It takes two to cheat. I don't have a helluva lot of sympathy for her or Eric, and I don't have any sympathy for those who cheat on their spouses / lovers / partners. So many people do it these days, I guess it's easy to overlook.
Reply
4-19-2007 @ 6:55PM
RedStarRevolution said...
Loved this episode, seeing everything really break down and ppl really start to get desperate.
It just all seems so reflective of the way a country like the US would break down into this feudalistic, city-state mode if something were to ever happen.
Jericho needs a second season renewal so we can see the 2nd US Civil War, which I think is definitely coming. Supplies are dwindling, theres 6 different Presidents all claiming authority. We're almost past the cleaning up stage, and now we're going to see how these people transition into real human nature, and I'm salivating at the possibility.
Jericho is a fantastic show and I think it's very underrated for the kind of story it brings us, and how starkly real all of this could be in our lifetimes...
Reply
4-19-2007 @ 7:09PM
Allan said...
Jake and Hawkins: a "post apocalyptic Crockett and Tubbs". Great line, Eric, you nailed it right on the head.
I like this show, but I'm starting to have trouble with the notion that, following a few nukes, almost all national order in the United States would wash away so completely. The country flounders, but tiny New Bern manages to get a kick-ass munitions factory up and running -- along with an invasion plan that would put General Patton to shame! America just ain't that fragile and Jericho, sadly, is seeming less and less realistic as a result.
Reply
4-19-2007 @ 11:06PM
adhonus said...
Of course they got a factory up and running. They were devastated by Ravenwood, and want to protect themselves. They blame Jericho for all of this. Constantino has made them the other, because he wants to obtain power. Power will make him safe, or so he thinks, so he'll do what he can to get it. He also knows how screwed up society is, how it's all broken down.
This is a very good show, in that it's depicted this break down very slowly, and in a way that's maybe not entirely realistic, but it's a good view of what could happen.
I like how the characters have all developed over this time. I even have a soft spot for Mimi and Stanley and the deaf girl. The scenes where they sign are always nice, I think. But, it's Dale and Skyler who I think are the most interesting, because they've become colder and colder as time goes on.
Reply
4-19-2007 @ 11:53PM
Benjy said...
I've liked Heather from hour one, and I enjoyed the chemistry that she and Jake shared. She represents a fresh start for Jake. He really needs to get over Emily and move on to Heather. I thought April's death was gratuitous, but Heather's death (after so much buildup with Jake) would really be a major blunder.
The Hawkins/Jake team is great. Having the two most accomplished and connected intelligence people in town team up is brilliant.
All in all, another fine episode!
Reply
4-20-2007 @ 12:57AM
Allan said...
You're right, adhonus, Dale and Skyler are becoming very interesting. One particularly good thing about this series is how people have evolved, changing in ways we never would have originally expected, but doing so in realistic fashion. At first, Dale was a misunderstood, heroic lad, but now...who knows?
Reply
4-20-2007 @ 5:30AM
scotty said...
This show is weird, and I can't stop watching it. The premise reminds me of those right wing novels set in a America that has broken down into civil war, and yet the political vibe of this series feels a lot more liberal/lefty than 24. As for Dale and Skyler: I agree that they are becoming very interesting. They started as young innocent teens but are gradually becoming harsh -- they're like a young couple who are pioneers in a savage, hostile frontier, and who have grown up faster. Dale is becoming nastier, and Skyler more strong-willed. I wonder if the writers would go so far as have them get a married, and make Skyler pregnant with Dale's child -- all while they are still underage, in order to underscore how rapidly the world can change for young people in a situation like this.
Reply
4-20-2007 @ 7:13AM
SuperFan Ken said...
I have to "me too" about Dale and Skyler. They are only demonstrating what would be needed in such a scenario as Jerico depicts.
It is no longer safe to be thinking of others feelings all of the time. You stand up for what you believe or others will walk all over you. D & S have realized this and will do well in the new order.
Reply
4-20-2007 @ 2:21PM
Jennifer said...
Still loving Stanley and Mimi and Bonnie. This storyline cracked me up.
Heather better not be dead :)
Reply
4-20-2007 @ 6:33PM
wesley said...
So what about Roger? Wasn't he supposed to be going to New Bern? With the state of things there, it's pretty unlikely they let him in. Is he going to possibly come back to somehow help Jake and Eric get out of town?
Reply
4-21-2007 @ 9:46PM
Mj said...
You just can't trust anyone. You would think that the New Bern guy, who knows Mayor Green, would get together with him and work with him. But noooooo. Make big weapons, and take over the town. The sad thing is that this is probably what would happen. Good people getting cold and hard. Just like Dale, and most of the other young people. Why be in school? Why be a kid? I do agree that Grey needs to go, and Mayor Green get back in. This is scary. I love this show. And Erik is such a jerk. He was having an affair for so long, left April, even after he knew she was preggers, and now is just oh so sad. Someone smack him.
Reply
4-22-2007 @ 7:49PM
Sammy said...
Come on gang. smarten up. No major broadcaster has managed to spool together enough tech resources to get back on the air? If not TV, then radio? The lack of info getting through to tiny Jericho is ridiculous...totally unbelievable.
According tho the show, most major American cities are still functioning, not to mention thousands of equally well equipped and unscathed smaller communities. So why this descent into the Middle Ages?
And America has about a billion cars. They're all off the road? Along with transport trucks, and trains, and buses, and aircraft?
Poverty-stricken Third World counties have recovered from far worse calamaties far more quickly that Jericho's USA.
It's getting real lame.
Reply