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« Jericho
Episode Recap: "Sedition"
Time's running out for Jericho! Whether fans choose to acknowledge this possibility, CBS will most likely decline bringing this critically acclaimed show back for a third season. The creators of Jericho did shoot two different endings for next week's episode, and the decision by CBS will determine whether it will function as a season or series finale. I hope that if CBS does pass on another season that the Sci-Fi Channel, which airs Jericho reruns, will pick it up.
Tonight's episode was rather quiet, acknowledging the ramifications of the battle with Goetz and Jennings & Rall. To avoid more bloodshed, Jake decided that it would be the best course of action to give himself over to Major Beck. With Jake's surrender, he offered Beck terms so no one else would be implicated. Beck accepted Jake's surrender, but would not acknowledge Jake's provisions. In "Sedition," I ultimately lost the little remaining respect I had left for Major Beck. For a seemingly intelligent soldier, Beck's knack for being so trusting led to his being manipulated regularly. Whether Beck was being conned by Valente, Goetz, Heather, Jake, Jennings & Rall, the Cheyenne Government, or by Hawkins, he still would make honorable decisions that benefit society. But now with his patience gone, his judgment had also lapsed. Since he knew the truth behind the death of Bonnie and Goetz, he should have offered Stanley amnesty and not condemnation. A soldier is supposed to be steadfast in times of war, a challenge that Beck wasn't capable of facing.
In an unusual change of pace, a segment of last night's episode focused on the visions of an incarcerated Jake Green. Due to his unfortunate surroundings, Jake became delirious and began to hallucinate. Jake's vision involved his hero, his grandfather. Jake's grandfather was referenced many times before, previously shown posthumously in the Season One finale. (Incidentally, Grandfather Green was played by The Big Lebowski!) I thought these scenes dragged a bit, but they were essential for Jake to understand that a revolution was necessary. Also, I would have preferred Jake's father, Johnston Green, to Jake's grandfather during Jake's delirium. Johnston's presence has been sorely missed, and opportunities to "revive" deceased characters on an ultra-realistic show like Jericho do not come often. However, it was lovely to see the return of Johnston's widow, the steadfast Gail Green, as she helped liberate Jake from the Cheyenne government. I had envisioned Gail's return as being more powerful than what appeared on the screen, but it still hit the appropriate emotional chord.
The standard excitement of Jericho returned for the final minutes of "Sedition." With Jake Green recovered, the action shifted to Hawkins as he attempted to transport the nuclear bomb to the safe haven of Texas. When Hawkins would not listen to the plan of "John Smith", Mr. Smith then informed Major Beck of Hawkins' true status. After being played once again, Beck displayed his lack of intelligence by ordering his soldiers to open fire on Hawkins AND the nuclear bomb in his procession. Nice going, Beck! After evading capture, Hawkins discovered that "John Smith" was the individual behind the attacks on the twenty-three American cities. Valente and Jennings & Rall were originally pawns in a much greater scheme and it was only after the attacks where they aimed for corruption. "John Smith" also informed Hawkins that he would use that final nuclear bomb to blow up the Cheyenne government.
Will Jake and Hawkins stop the bomb in time?
Will Major Beck redeem himself?
Will Jericho be cancelled?
Tune in next week. Same BOMBED town! Same BOMBED channel!
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Mar 19, 2008 1:16 AM
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Jericho fans do not want to acknowledge the possibility that CBS will cancel the show AGAIN because we BELIEVE in the writing, the original storylines, the production values and the very characters we've come to love. What Jericho fans would like to see is more support from alleged TV experts, none of whom believed in the NUTS campaign until it succeeded in doing the impossible. If only we were as successful with the media writers who seem to spend more time promoting trendy, predictable programs.
What makes Jericho so critical to the future of commercial TV is the ability for fans to watch actors who bring their characters to life, and make us care about what they're going through during each episode. This is a unique production that is deserving of a Season 3 because even in its limited 7 episode run, it stands out in a strike-ridden season riddled with ridiculous reality fare and the less successful, less original dramas that have littered the airwaves year after year. CBS completely missed the boat in not sending the Jericho cast on all of its talk shows because the cast (and the writing) are the heartbeat of the show. Despite this lack of promotion, the fans love the show as much, if not more, than before.
WE NEED TO LET CBS KNOW LOUD AND CLEAR THAT THERE ARE MORE NUTS TO SEND. WE WANT A SEASON 3. QUALITY TELEVISION DEMANDS A SEASON 3, AND SO SHOULD TVGUIDE.COM.
SPREAD THE WORD - JERICHO SEASON 3
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Mar 19, 2008 1:40 AM
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I think where CBS missed the boat was not making this show as good in the beginning as it is now. That ship sailed so long ago and they lost their viewers then. Too bad, because this episode tonight was my favorite from the entire show.
It held my interest during the "slow" parts, had me on the edge of my seat during the action scenes, and actually made me care what was going to happen.
Certainly it wasn't much of a surprise that Hawkins was fooled by this guy, whoever he is, but it was made interesting. Anything with Hawkins is interesting....and even though I'm not much into the soap aspect of this show (which thankfully there hasn't been much of since it returned), I LOVED seeing Hawkins and Darcy expressing their love with that romantic scene. It was necessary!!
Anyone who knows me on this blog, knows that I wasn't a fan in the beginning, though I've never missed a show..but I can say now that I DO finally care if it returns. Tonight's episode did it for me.
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Mar 19, 2008 2:16 AM
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I so love this show. And I will be just as happy if/when CBS brings the show back for a 3rd season.
I agree that Johnston Green would of been better choice his grandfather during his delirium. But still seeing his grandfather was nice to see though. At first I thought Gail was also a hallucination, until she whispered "Eric and the boys are coming for you." Oh well.
I also loved the scenes between Hawkins and his wife Darcy. And I'm finally glad to see the Hawkins children. They were MIA since the daughter(I forgot her name) killed Sara last season. As usual Lennie James was good tonight. Especially his scenes over the phone. I'm still trying to figure out who is this mystery voice. Any ideas don who it could be?
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Mar 19, 2008 3:15 AM
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I really enjoyed tonight's episode. I was not expecting John Smith to be the mastermind behind it all. I always thought it was Valentii and as it turned out he worked it to his advantage but wasn't actually involved in it. So that was kind of a surprise. I also like where this story is leading.
While I'm still hoping for a 3rd season, if CBS should not renew it, I really hope they decide to air the "series finale" version and not air the "season finale" version and then later cancel it. I just want them to make their decision in time to air the correct version one way or the other.
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Mar 19, 2008 5:06 AM
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If they don't reveal who the mystery voice is, I'll be surprised. (although who could it be, anyways? Valente?)
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Mar 19, 2008 7:04 AM
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That was the first time I noticed the "A. S. Army" patches on the uniforms - very unsettling.
Burning Hawkins is a very bad idea, John Smith has sealed his fate.
About the "disappointment in Beck" - I'm more disappointed in the writers in how they handled Beck. It's this kind of inconsistency that plagued the show early on. They showed Beck as "getting it" then all of a sudden, just because Goetze is killed he becomes a tyrant. And that regional director of Ravenwood who had relieved Goetze of his position just vanished without putting someone else in charge. He could have cleared everything up, but he's gone - how convenient.
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Mar 19, 2008 8:01 AM
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CBS,thank you for bringing Jericho back for these 7 episodes(the first 6 have been excellent!).Please continue the show for season 3.
I can't wait for next Tuesday!
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Mar 19, 2008 8:37 AM
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I do love this show, but come on. The first people who would be followed so they could find the hideout would be Mimi, Mary, and Gail. I really wanted to like Beck. I thought he and Heather should get together. Oh well.
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Mar 19, 2008 8:47 AM
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I've noticed that in the promos for next week, CBS calls the episode a "Seson Finale" not a series finale. Hopefully that's a good sign. I'm doubtful but I still have hope. This is such a great show.
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Mar 19, 2008 9:36 AM
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I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE this show! If CBS doesnt bring it back then TIIC are truly IDIOTS! I have become so invested in the characters and the story. I loved how the no one in the town would turn in the rangers. It must have a season 3 to keep the story going. For me, it is by far one of the best shows on TV! Please tell me where to send my nuts and I will send boat loads!
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Mar 19, 2008 10:33 AM
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It had to be the Grandfather that Jake spoke with as he was also a prisoner of war.
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Mar 19, 2008 10:53 AM
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Last nights show disturbed me so greatly I dreamed about it all night long. It was indeed quieter, but it struck deeper levels as well, at least for me.
I do believe that Beck is having something, probably his family, held over him. There in lay the source of his utter frustration in the helmet lobbing scene. He seem really in distress and I don't think it was just job frustration there.
I'm sorry but this show needs a third season. The silence from official channels has been deafening. I don't care how "good" the sources are on the total of TWO reporters, there is just usually more even official rumble than I have been seeing. Are there negotiations afoot that we don't know about?
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Mar 19, 2008 11:08 AM
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About the "disappointment in Beck" - I'm more disappointed in the writers in how they handled Beck. It's this kind of inconsistency that plagued the show early on. They showed Beck as "getting it" then all of a sudden, just because Goetze is killed he becomes a tyrant.
I didn't find it to be inconsistent rather I found it to be a realistic portrayal of how someone who has lost his family (unless as someone said they're being held over him) , realized the "government" is corrupt, and that he doesn't know who to trust, would finally snap to a degree and realize that he's losing control of not only the people who he's supposed to be helping keep in check, but also losing control of his composure because of those things.
Goetz being killed in itself didn't make him a tyrant, but what it represented did. Beck knew that if everyone wanted to take things into their own hands, things could escalate into an even worse mess than he was brought in to handle in the first place. Having seen that's what was happening, he probably knew that he couldn't prevent those kinds of things from starting but could hopefully try to stop them. At least that's what I got out of his change in attitude which to me was consistent of the behavior of someone who is supposed to have control but is losing it and grasping onto it.
Of course people taking things into their own hands may be what saves the world in the end.
Great episode in every way imo and a shame that next week might be the last. The fact that the preview said season finale may just mean that they didn't know what to say at this point. Since they have to choose to show the episode with more closure or not, the show at least will know if it's continuing, even if we're still left in the dark for awhile. I would love it if we could at least get a tv movie to wrap things up cause even if there is some closure it's still maybe not enough since we're so eager to see more. I know that's costly though and because of a potential lack of ratings CBS might be against that. It's a shame. Since i love the show so much it's hard to understand why others wouldn't but that's life.
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Mar 19, 2008 11:29 AM
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This episode was great! I loved every minute of it and I so hope that it returns - SciFi Channel would be a great choice! I am watching last seasons episodes again on SciFi now!
A show like this is so appropriate in a time like we are living in now. Who out there that watches this show, does not imagine what you would do if something like this were to happen!
The mystery voice of John Smith is the voice of actor Xander Berkeley (my guess) who formely played George Mason in "24". This is not Valenti for sure. Daniel Benzali, who plays Valenti has a very distinct voice.
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Mar 19, 2008 11:30 AM
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