'Jericho:' So long, nuthouse
In the end, Texas will save us. So long as we hang onto our guns. It was only tonight, when the idea was laid out quite explictly in the script, that I realized that CBS's "Jericho" -- a dark little tale of post-nuclear-war America -- amounts to a massive argument for the Second Amendment. And why not? You, too, would want the right to defend yourself if your government had a flag that weird. Just in case you're one of the few and proud still watching, I'll comment on the other revelations after the jump.
The abridged second (and final) season of "Jericho" ended with a note of hope for the defense. Dramatically, it was so-so: a little tension and a lot of deus ex machina, largely in the form of cheerful Texan diplomats and soldiers. As expected, Jake and Hawkins delivered their renegade bomb to the good guys. Major Beck switched to the side of righteousness once he finally got to see the smoking gun. And rather than joining forces with the ruthless New Bern guerrillas, the Jericho Rangers stuck to their principles. The most unexpected moments were the cameos: John Smith, the mastermind behind the bombings, turned out to be George Mason from the early seasons of "24." (He was the grumpy CTU boss who got radiation poisoning and sacrificed himself in the face of a different nuke.) And fans of HBO's "The Wire" might have noticed, among the soldiers, the face of erstwhile gangster Marlo Stanfield.
Tonight's finale offered a hint of what would have come if "Jericho" had gotten a third season: a civil war between the corrupt Allied States of America and the forces of good, based in Texas and Columbus, Ohio. If nothing else, this show was a decent reminder that America is more than just Los Angeles and New York. In fact, it was decent all around: decently acted, decently written, decent in its message. On network TV these days, decent isn't always what they're looking for.
I enjoyed this episode, and this mini-season, even though the quality suffered because of the compressed schedule. You could tell that certain aspects of the show would have been fleshed out more if they had time. The final encounter between Hawkins and John Smith was rather anticlimactic, after the build-up it was given the previous week. And there wasn't enough time for the tension to build when Jake was flying the plane at the end - the "cavalry" showed up right away.
But it was cool to see Jamie Hector! When I saw his name onscreen during the opening credits, I briefly envisioned Marlo Stanfield and his crew being partly responsible for the bombings - maybe that's the direction his life took after striking the deal with the Baltimore DA. Isn't that what they say about The Wire - "It's all connected."
I was thrilled to see Marlo, too, Toeknee -- though it also made me a little sad. I hope he doesn't go from being such a striking presence on a brilliant show like "The Wire" to being relegated to "Soldier Number Two" roles on network dramas.
IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE A TV SHOW LEFT ME GASPING WOW.IT'S A SHAME THIS SHOW IS CANCELED.I SUPPOSE THEY NEED TO MAKE MORE ROOM FOR ANOTHER REALITY SHOW.
Was that the John Hancock tower in the Back Bay doubling as Jennings & Rall World HQ in Cheyenne?
It would be a shame if they cancel this show. I for one would be extremely disappointed. Wake up people. This is why there have been revolutions in the past. If you don't think this could happen look back at history. We have an extremely corrupt government and I think we should have the right to bear arms.
Why are they fighting so hard to take this right away? The criminals will always have guns no matter what they do. I think people just are not aware of, or are too busy to delve into the history of this country and where it is going now.
This was a great show and I'm sorry to see it go. I believe the second season suffered in TV ratings because of the long period of time between the end of the first and the beginning of the second season. Normally there might be 3-4 months lapse between seasons but for Jericho it was over a year lapse. People forget, they are busy.
There is still a good story line to be followed up on, I wish someone would pickup a 3rd season on this show.
What a ride! I'm talking about Jericho! Powerful and moving while demanding that you keep thinking about whats around the next corner. Not a show for some paper tiger suit at CBS. Takes guts and understanding about whats avaliabe at your fingure tips, if only someone with the pull could make it happen. Any takers with enough brainpower to manage this badboy? Talking about a winner.
Jericho was the best show on tv. It will be missed. Thanks for a great ending!!
The Media,in all its varied forms, functions mainly for "Social Engineering". Everything presented is to keep our Society and Culture as we know it and as "They" wish it to be maintained for "Their" Own Best Interests. Period!!! Anything that slips by is most often either terminated or modified to serve the purpose of keeping "Their" Status Quo. Jericho was Amazing in that they launched it in the first place and then kept it going long enough to plant the seeds before they had a chance to stifle it. I fear for my Country as well as all of you out there that were touched by this Story line. And Hey, they couldn't have ended it any other way...Like Jack Nicholson's famous line: "You Can't Handle The Truth!!!" So they handled it the only way they could...watered it down and dumped it!!! At least it brought out all of Us who still can "Think!" And we were recognized. That was Good! I say "Let's Do This More Often?"
Another story I would seriously love to see brought back to the screen for the world to see...maybe tweeked to come up to Our Time Now and the issues we have Now...And That was: Nevil Shute's "On The Beach". I Read the book as a young mom back in the mid 50s...and of course, viewed the sugsequent movie. It was Gripping and frightening to me then. I believe Our Nation Needs it again -more than ever before! Our "Leaders", for lack of a better word, NEED to see the path they are dragging us down today.
Again - Here's To Us! We Stood Up, We Roared and We at least got some closure on one of the ONLY good shows to come out of TV land in a Very Long Time!
Just a small example of what enough like minded people can do it they just put their minds to it.
Bless Us! Bless the World Wide Internet!!!
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