Jericho 2/28/2007 (S01E13) "Black Jack"

[dswallow]

I wish I could sort out in my head what Hawkins is all about. Just when I think I had things about right, they get all shuffled up again.

The talk between Gail and Bonnie was amusing, though I think someone needs to remind Gail it takes two to tango and this daughter-in-law she's so protective of was the one who was about to file divorce papers she'd had prepared.

[drew2k]

It was amusing at the beginning when everyone turned to Jake, as if he is the only one in town able to go on a mission. Nice touch for the fans of Super Jake!

This episode was a little more like what I expected society to be like after the bomb, with the trading post and its laws, the specter of a harsh winter killing the elderly, and news of the world outside Jericho showing the US government in disarray.

[Sadara]

This was probably the episode I've been waiting for. Nice bits of information from the outside world.

I don't know what to make of Hawkins. At this point, I actually hope that Jericho makes it to a 2nd season.

[vikingguy]

So far so good the writers took the extra time off to really improve the show. Sure there was a little super jake but there was lots of stuff to balance it out. The old person dying was a nice touch to show how harsh living is now. The news board was also nice to see some nuggets of info. The struggle for power with 6 people staking claim to president was a really nice touch. If they can keep this up I will be very pleased. I am glad I did not give up on the show. Great cliff hanger we all saw it coming but still nice to get me excited for next week.

I agree the whole town looking at super jake when asking for volunteers was funny as hell.

[drew2k]

By the way, what was up with Roger and the circle of light that saved him? UFO abduction? I think his fiance thinks he lost his mind just a little bit ...

Also, good bye for how long to Heather? She said just for a few days, but anyone else think she won't make it back to Jericho full-time?

[dswallow]

By the way, what was up with Roger and the circle of light that saved him? UFO abduction? I think his fiance thinks he lost his mind just a little bit ...

Also, good bye for how long to Heather? She said just for a few days, but anyone else think she won't make it back to Jericho full-time?
That was the EMP blast he saw. Remember how it looked? Just coincidence. And, of course, the uneducated create a personally relevant frame of reference to explain it. :)

[drew2k]

That was the EMP blast he saw. Remember how it looked? Just coincidence. And, of course, the uneducated create a personally relevant frame of reference to explain it. :)Roger seemed to be pretty educated, but I guess he was pretty much in shock at the time. I forgot about the EMP, so this makes a perfect explanation, but I wonder if Emily made the same connection or if she thinks Roger is off his nut a little. Could be interesting if Roger develops into a religious person, attributing his survival to a miracle. So far I don't think we've seen much in the way of religion in Jericho, just a brief service after the bombs went off, and I would have expected a story dealing with survival to include elements of "God's will" and "faith". Enter: Roger?

[JYoung]

Also, good bye for how long to Heather? She said just for a few days, but anyone else think she won't make it back to Jericho full-time?

I'm not hopeful about Sprague Grayden's return based on what's happened to her last few series regular roles.

It's too bad as I like her much better than Ashley Scott.

[dswallow]

Roger seemed to be pretty educated, but I guess he was pretty much in shock at the time. I forgot about the EMP, so this makes a perfect explanation, but I wonder if Emily made the same connection or if she thinks Roger is off his nut a little. Could be interesting if Roger develops into a religious person, attributing his survival to a miracle. So far I don't think we've seen much in the way of religion in Jericho, just a brief service after the bombs went off, and I would have expected a story dealing with survival to include elements of "God's will" and "faith". Enter: Roger?
I'd guess that's the direction it seems they're taking with Roger, if his character stays around as a regular. Do you remember if Emily was among those we saw witness the EMP explosion?

[Vito the TiVo]

I was also a big fan of the moment that the whole town turned as if to say "Well, are you going to get it done SuperJake?" It's as if the writers were acknowledging it was ridiculous, but giving it us anyway.

And the ensuing conversation with Dad about how he doesn't always have to do everything.

[drew2k]

I'd guess that's the direction it seems they're taking with Roger, if his character stays around as a regular. Do you remember if Emily was among those we saw witness the EMP explosion?I can't remember who witnessed it, but if Emily did, she may not associate it with Roger's "sighting" unless Roger can pinpoint the day he saw his mystery light. Wandering fpr as long as he was, and in shock, I'm sure he won't be able to say what date he saw it.

[drew2k]

I was also a big fan of the moment that the whole town turned as if to say "Well, are you going to get it done SuperJake?" It's as if the writers were acknowledging it was ridiculous, but giving it us anyway.

And the ensuing conversation with Dad about how he doesn't always have to do everything.I also liked Mayor Dad's speech recounting his abilities, his skill, his experience as a former army ranger, etc., but of course he asked Jake's mother if he could take the field trip. :)

[speedcouch]

Good episode! Had a real Mad Max (post apocalypse) feel to it at the trading post.


Also, good bye for how long to Heather? She said just for a few days, but anyone else think she won't make it back to Jericho full-time?

I'm hoping she's not. I just could never buy the actress as a schoolteacher. Just couldn't get past her "bad teenager" role from Joan of Arcadia. If she doesn't come back, it won't break my heart a bit.

Cheryl

[Rob Helmerichs]

I also liked Mayor Dad's speech recounting his abilities, his skill, his experience as a former army ranger, etc., but of course he asked Jake's mother if he could take the field trip. :)
I also laugh at all the alpha-male stuff between Dad and the new Mayor, yet it's Jake everybody instinctively turns to.

[ToddAtl]

Good episode, loved hearing more about whats going on in the outside world.

Can someone remind me of the timeline, did the EMP come before or after the townspeople saw the retaliatory missile launch?

[mbcook]

Could someone post a rough sketch of what happened/major plot points?

Thanks to local storms I missed about 80% of the program thanks to weather coverage.

[cwoody222]

I wish I could sort out in my head what Hawkins is all about. Just when I think I had things about right, they get all shuffled up again.



Glad I'm not alone there!

I also loved the stuff at the Trading Post with the big news board and stuff... I like seeing the outside world.

Due to some fairly-recent personal events I relate to storylines about infidelity lately... I was SO cheering for the mother when she was telling off and being mean to the new GF :) :up:

And then I guess I got a lesson in forgiveness at the end :mad:

[dswallow]

Good episode, loved hearing more about whats going on in the outside world.

Can someone remind me of the timeline, did the EMP come before or after the townspeople saw the retaliatory missile launch?
The retaliatory missile launch seemed to coincide with the EMP, and my opinion at the time was that our missile launch was the EMP.

[Sadara]

I'm actually surprised they haven't hit the religion angle much yet. After all Kansas is right in the middle of the bible belt. But, I'm also glad they haven't. There are a few religeous nuts here.... i.e. the whacko that protests every funeral for a soldier killed in Iraq.

I think Heather is gone.... I don't think we'll see her again... unfortunately, I liked her!

[blips]

Could someone post a rough sketch of what happened/major plot points?

Thanks to local storms I missed about 80% of the program thanks to weather coverage.


You can watch the full episode on the web:
http://www.cbs.com/primetime/jericho/

[mitchb2]

This show has really picked up! Great episode. Just the right balance of carrot and stick.
And the possibility of civil war on the horizon.

[fergiej]

I'm actually surprised they haven't hit the religion angle much yet. After all Kansas is right in the middle of the bible belt. But, I'm also glad they haven't. There are a few religeous nuts here.... i.e. the whacko that protests every funeral for a soldier killed in Iraq.
Yea, with any luck, Fred Phelps and his nutjob wife went up in the rapture, er I mean the nuclear blasts.

Looks like the US is turning into a confederacy. I wonder if "the old man" had that planned all along (whatever this is all about...). Remove the federalists from power and the natural order of things is a loose confederacy. Be interesting to see where they take that.

[ElJay]

My interest in Hawkins is fading... They've overplayed the mysteriousness surrounding him to the point where I don't care anymore.

The most annoying thing to me was that Jake's friend Heather came along because she said that he wouldn't know a speed governor looked like, or whatever the heck it was. Then after seeing it for twenty seconds, she later claims that she could help design one from scratch. What?!

[Odds Bodkins]

Also, good bye for how long to Heather? She said just for a few days, but anyone else think she won't make it back to Jericho full-time?

Hopefully for good. I love it when shows come back from hiatus and cut the dead weight.

[TonyD79]

Roger seemed to be pretty educated, but I guess he was pretty much in shock at the time. I forgot about the EMP, so this makes a perfect explanation, but I wonder if Emily made the same connection or if she thinks Roger is off his nut a little.

I thought she made the connection but didn't bring it up. I expected her to say "what day was that exactly?" Even if she didn't "see" the EMP, she knew it happened. (BTW, it happened immediately after the launch the city witnessed...could have been from the missile or not. Not sure what EMP would happen from a missle that didn't explode...)

I also didn't get a religious tone from Roger. I thought he was remarking on a coincidence and being thankful for it. However, throw in a few more coincidences and he may go religious. He doesn't seem to be the susceptible to going off the deep end right away. He seems pretty grounded for a guy who went through what he went through.

[JMikeD]

The most annoying thing to me was that Jake's friend Heather came along because she said that he wouldn't know a speed governor looked like, or whatever the heck it was. Then after seeing it for twenty seconds, she later claims that she could help design one from scratch. What?!

I've known half a dozen people over my working career that could do that. Maybe I just hung around with the right creative people. :)

[7thton]

Not much to add, except that I loved this episode. Loved the trading post...too bad they can probably never go back. What *was* up with that guy's bunkbeds with handcuffs? And how dumb to allow that to be a deal breaker. Why didn't they complete the trade & then try to do something about it, if they cared so much?

I was a little disappointed that the previous episode seemed like a build-up to a Ravenwood storyline ...and then this ep had no real Ravenwood connection.

EDIT: Oh, yeah. Germany is sending supplies as well? And China "pledges to continue aid...3rd round of aid planned"?

[robinreale]

Can someone please explain to me in simple terms the whole Ravenwood thing? I'm embarassingly completely confused!

[TriBruin]

Not much to add, except that I loved this episode. Loved the trading post...too bad they can probably never go back. What *was* up with that guy's bunkbeds with handcuffs? And how dumb to allow that to be a deal breaker. Why didn't they complete the trade & then try to do something about it, if they cared so much?

I was a little disappointed that the previous episode seemed like a build-up to a Ravenwood storyline ...and then this ep had no real Ravenwood connection.

IIRC, they mentioned that Ravenwood had ransacked other towns. Although we did not see them directly, we were reminded of their presence.

EDIT: Oh, yeah. Germany is sending supplies as well? And China "pledges to continue aid...3rd round of aid planned"?

I think we can establish that the blast were not a direct attempt at war from any major country (China, Russia, etc.). However, we still don't know if the group that set off the bombs were State sponsered.

[AJRitz]

Can someone please explain to me in simple terms the whole Ravenwood thing? I'm embarassingly completely confused!
Ravenwood, in the Jericho universe, was a government contractor "security" company. They appear to get hired sometimes to do things that the military cannot do themselves "on the books" - sort of an Air America kind of thing. Now that there's not real government control, the Ravenswood folks are heavily armed, well-trained, in-it-for-themselves mercenaries (and may have actually been so in the first place). IIRC, Jake may have done some work for Ravenswood in Iraq. He at least had dealings with them.

I would not be entirely surprised to discover that the whole bomb plot is somehow tied back to Ravenswood.

[drew2k]

I wonder which of the 6 Presidents is paying Ravenwood, or is Hawkins' "old man" paying Ravenwood? Also, before the bombs, Ravenwood was mentioned while Jake was in California. After the bombs, are they still a national organization, or have they splintered just like the Federal government, and Ravenwood is only active in the Mid-West?

They're mercenaries, so unless they are completely off the grid and working for themselves, they have to be working for somebody...

[robinreale]

Ravenwood, in the Jericho universe, was a government contractor "security" company. They appear to get hired sometimes to do things that the military cannot do themselves "on the books" - sort of an Air America kind of thing. Now that there's not real government control, the Ravenswood folks are heavily armed, well-trained, in-it-for-themselves mercenaries (and may have actually been so in the first place). IIRC, Jake may have done some work for Ravenswood in Iraq. He at least had dealings with them.

I would not be entirely surprised to discover that the whole bomb plot is somehow tied back to Ravenswood.

Thanks!! Is Hawkins tied to Ravenwood in any way?

[drew2k]

Thanks!! Is Hawkins tied to Ravenwood in any way?We don't know yet, but we did find out that his DC lady friend is really NOT his friend, as she told Hawkins they would work together to take out the Old Man, but she later secretly communicated with him and said they would use Hawkins' family against him, to control him. (They want the "package" - the unexploded nuke Hawkins walled up in the basemment.)

Or ... Hawkins' DC lady friend really IS his friend, and she's lying to the Old Man but we just don't know it yet? It could go either way at this point.

[TonyD79]

I wonder which of the 6 Presidents is paying Ravenwood, or is Hawkins' "old man" paying Ravenwood? Also, before the bombs, Ravenwood was mentioned while Jake was in California. After the bombs, are they still a national organization, or have they splintered just like the Federal government, and Ravenwood is only active in the Mid-West?

They're mercenaries, so unless they are completely off the grid and working for themselves, they have to be working for somebody...

Ravenwood....splintered?

Bad pun or Freudian?

[TriBruin]

We don't know yet, but we did find out that his DC lady friend is really NOT his friend, as she told Hawkins they would work together to take out the Old Man, but she later secretly communicated with him and said they would use Hawkins' family against him, to control him. (They want the "package" - the unexploded nuke Hawkins walled up in the basemment.)

Or ... Hawkins' DC lady friend really IS his friend, and she's lying to the Old Man but we just don't know it yet? It could go either way at this point.

This was back in the 1st half of the season, so I am a little foggy: Did Hawkins react in any "knowing" way when Ravenwood first tried to come to Jericho? We knew that Jake had heard of them before, but had Hawkins?

[robinreale]

This was back in the 1st half of the season, so I am a little foggy: Did Hawkins react in any "knowing" way when Ravenwood first tried to come to Jericho? We knew that Jake had heard of them before, but had Hawkins?

This is also the part I'm confused about.

[PeteEMT]

IIRC, didn't Hawkins snipe one of the Ravenwood guys on the bridge?

[smickola]

I think Heather's gone for good...convenient way for the writers to move on from the love interest angle that clearly wasn't going anywhere.

[dcheesi]

I'm hoping she's not. I just could never buy the actress as a schoolteacher. Just couldn't get past her "bad teenager" role from Joan of Arcadia. If she doesn't come back, it won't break my heart a bit.Huh. I never watched that show, and I thought she was perfect for a young, idealistic schoolteacher. Reminded me of a lot of the first-year-teaching teachers I had (before the school system crushed their spirits and turned them into bitter old hags :rolleyes: ).

Actually it's blonde-whatsername that I don't buy as a schoolteacher...

[Waldorf]

I'm actually surprised they haven't hit the religion angle much yet. After all Kansas is right in the middle of the bible belt. But, I'm also glad they haven't.

I wouldn't think for a second that this storyline isn't on the way.

Oh... and if anyone digs this sort of post-apocalyptic setting with news from rogue confederate states trickling in and such, I *highly* recommend a series done by ShowTime a few years back called 'Jeremiah'... I caught an episode of it during a 'freeview' weekend and it actually caused me to subscribe to the channel! :)

I actually may have mentioned Jeremiah during last season's Jericho discussions. I apologize in advance for smeeking myself if that was the case. ;)

[scottykempf]

Heather: "Jake, what's up with us? I kissed you and you have hardly said a word to me since."

Jake's Dad: "Umm, I'm going to. uh....." Turns and walks away. LOL

[Raj]

I'm watching it late on innertube. I forgot to set up Jericho to be TiVoed when we moved. (yes I have a real TiVo now, woohoo!)

Morse code: BLEEDINU KS (probably a wrong letter, bleeding kansas?)

Also, "The old man" is a ham radio reference - "The old man" in ham radio circles is Hiram Percy Maxim, founder of ARRL (http://www.arrl.org).

[dswallow]

I'm watching it late on innertube. I forgot to set up Jericho to be TiVoed when we moved. (yes I have a real TiVo now, woohoo!)

Morse code: BLEEDINU KS (probably a wrong letter, bleeding kansas?)

Also, "The old man" is a ham radio reference - "The old man" in ham radio circles is Hiram Percy Maxim, founder of ARRL (http://www.arrl.org).
"BLEEDING KS" is what it was.

And from the prior 3 episodes we have "It begins with 6 and ends with bloodshed."

[Raj]

"BLEEDING KS" is what it was.

And from the prior 3 episodes we have "It begins with 6 and ends with bloodshed."


I definitely heard the letter "U" not "G" but it could be a wrong letter. They've been known to do that.

[PJO1966]

I'm not hopeful about Sprague Grayden's return based on what's happened to her last few series regular roles.

It's too bad as I like her much better than Ashley Scott.


I just saw on imdb that she was on several episodes of Six Feet Under as "Anita Miller". I don't remember the character... who was she?

[drew2k]

I just saw on imdb that she was on several episodes of Six Feet Under as "Anita Miller". I don't remember the character... who was she?I think she was Claire's annoying photography/art class friend. That's where I remember her from!

[jstack]

I think she was Claire's annoying photography/art class friend. That's where I remember her from!
You're right. I was just watching Six Feet Under a week or so ago and noticed how familiar she looked. It looks like she has grown up since then.