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« Jericho
November 15, 2006: Wedding Day
We open with a scene of Emily and Roger — the first look at Roger — in their bedroom, and then Emily wakes up from her dream turned nightmare. She's not the only one awake in the middle of the night. Everyone's up in the Richmond house because the mercenaries from Rogue River — named Ravenwood — are outside their door, masking themselves as people who want to help. They even use Eric's name to try to warm Stanley to their presence, but he's not convinced and wards them off, rifle in hand.
The next morning, Jake asks Eric about his status with April, but the conversation is cut short when Stanley, Bonnie and Mimi show up at the Green house, asking about Ravenwood. They bring this to the officers' attention, including Hawkins and Gray Anderson. They decide to load up on any explosives they have, and they advise Stanley to leave his farm and come into town for safe measure.
A more positive change this morning is Johnston's improving state of health, since the last time we saw him he was being injected with the medicine his sons brought back from Rogue River. April and Gail finally feel some relief, and it's good to see them smiling. I had temporarily forgotten that April is pregnant — she still hasn't told Eric at this point, though. And we find out a few scenes later that the news of his love for Mary Bailey comes out before April can reveal hers... and just like that, the marriage is over. Or at least it seems so.
Meanwhile, Jake has a short fuse for Hawkins, telling him to just "get it done," when they're at one of Jericho's borders, awaiting Ravenhood. But Hawkins doesn't take commands that easily, telling Jake, "You need to know when you're in over your head." And as the Ravenwood vehicles spread out across the bridge, facing a line of armed Jericho men, one faltered shot is fired. No one is hurt, but Jericho is warned that if the bridge is not cleared in four hours, it will be by force. Jake offers up an idea — just as I expected — to get rid off the bridge altogether, so that no one will be able to get across by force. But he finds his greatest opposition is his own brother. Eric vetoes the idea. "The answer is no."
In a quieter place, Emily holds up her wedding dress in front of the mirror, and Heather sneaks in to give her a bridal bouquet mock-up and a plan to keep her occupied since she's feeling extra lonely on this day. In town, while Emily waits for Heather outside in the truck, she has another vision: She's in her wedding dress, Heather is a bridesmaid, everyone in town is going to the service.... She's shaken out of this one by Heather returning with news that everyone is advised to stay indoors today. So the girls end up at Bailey's bar, with doc Kenchy Dhuwalia (Aasif Mandvi) from Rogue River keeping a stool warm at the other end and keeping the drinking underway.
The men are secretly planning to blow up the bridge despite Eric's orders, and Jake goes out to warn the people who live nearby. But Stanley isn't budging. He won't so easily leave the house his grandfather built, and he tells Jake to go warn everyone else. "You're wasting time here." Elsewhere on the Richmond property, Hawkins is leading the pack, gathering fertilizer and diesel fuel to create an explosive for the bridge. Bonnie insists on staying with Stanley and Mimi confronts him about protecting his sister. "You didn't grow up in this house!" he says sternly. She reminds him that he's the connection to their family and it's the memories that Bonnie needs, not the farm.
A little tipsy at Bailey's, Emily has a moment alone with the doc and they both sympathize with each other over their lack of sleep and unsaid-but-obvious sadness and frustration. They talk about where they were supposed to be on this day, and we're suddenly inside another wedding scene — celebrating in Bailey's bar before the ceremony, champagne being poured and a speech that turns sour, implying a bland life and fears that Emily might have in real life, fears that are playing out in her dreams.
Amidst all the chaos, Gail defends April and scolds her son for his behavior, for ruining his marriage. Eric is getting pressure from all sides. For the first time in a while, Johnston is standing on his own two feet and telling Eric to do whatever it takes to avoid complete mayhem after he hears about the mercenaries planning to charge into Jericho. Minutes later, Eric is at the bridge, pushing past Jake, hopping in a truck and driving away from his town and family.
As Gray is about to blow the bridge, everyone evacuates the roadway, leaving Jake standing in front of Ravenwood with the fuse in his hand. "Turn your trucks around, or I blow it," he says. They order him to step aside so they can take medicine and supplies for refugees in Rogue River — as the government ordered. Right. Just then, one of their men is shot dead, and there's a red target light on leader Goetz's (D.B. Sweeney) chest. Hawkins is armed and hiding off to the side, and Eric returns just in time with Jonah and his men. Ravenwood is surrounded. "What's this town worth to you?" says Jake. The mercenaries turn to leave but not without placing a shuddering thought on the table: When it's time to put Jericho back together again, when the fighting ends and the government sends help to resurrect the struggling town, Goetz says they're going to send him.
Night falls and the town is struggling. People are starting to argue with each other, and Johnston steps back into his role and puts Gray in his place... and Jake, too. But do Jericho residents want Johnston to keep making their decisions? In the mayor's office, Jake approaches his father about getting together a trained security force. Unhappy with his son's decisions that day, he coldly gets a point across with few words, "Make sure you do it right."
Back in the bar, Emily sees another vision of Roger — he's talking to her, asking if she's going to be sad forever, asking what it is that keeps her so tied to Jericho, and when she says she doesn't know, he whispers, "I think you do." My thought? Jake. Later, she finds herself at the chapel, alone with only the lit candles keeping her company, until Jake shows up. He knows what this day means to her. "How did he propose?" he asks. And we learn what Jake proposed back when they were teenagers. She wonders why he didn't stay away after he left Jericho. And with Jake leaning in to whisper in her ear, we realize it's another dream/vision/nightmare. "Are you sure that's what you wanted?" he said to her. From the look on her face, it isn't.
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Nov 15, 2006 10:41 PM
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The Morse Code message this time was not as obvious. It said "AOV surprise". I am not sure what AOV means.
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Nov 15, 2006 10:44 PM
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What bride goes to a bar a half-hour before her wedding? I know it's a small town, but really? That's just bizarre.
(And I hope you don't mind a little constructive criticism, Megan. You do a really thorough job of recounting the episode, which I'm sure is great for anyone who missed it, but I go to "TV Show Commentary" to read opinions about the shows, not a play-by-play of the episode I just watched. I would like to hear more of your thoughts.)
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Nov 16, 2006 12:02 AM
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I didn't realize that Emily and Heather were such good friends that Heather was to be maid of honor?
I didn't like that whole storyline of the episode. I found it rather boring.
I'm glad that Johnston came in and showed the town he was still boss.
I don't like Eric. He's stupid. The only smart thing he has done was get Jonah to help with the Ravenwood guys.
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Nov 16, 2006 1:14 AM
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This is like the first episode that we got no advancement of the main storyline. We didn't learn anything new about the attacks...which sucks. That had been the best part of the show, that something new was revealed each week.
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Nov 16, 2006 2:22 AM
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Had to agree with Eric on the whole "take out the bridge" approach to security. Is it really an efficient deterrent to guys in hummers to blow up one bridge? Is that the only road into town? Just seemed to me to be a simplistic way to solve a situation, and a temporary one at that.
And Heather leaving the truck idling is just plain silly. I don't do that now with a gas station on every corner; after a nuclear holocaust it's criminal.
Was nice to see James Remar as a good guy tonight. In a world gone mad a man with his talents is definitely useful.
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Nov 16, 2006 2:29 AM
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"I would like to hear more of your thoughts."
I agree, lets hear more of Megan's opinions. The differing opinions is what makes these boards so interesting.
"I didn't realize that Emily and Heather were such good friends..."
Exactly! Up until this episode, I never got the impression that they were always close. It seemed like their friendship developed after the bombs. I'm assuming they became friends after Jake left town, hence, Heather asking all those questions about Jake last episode.
"What bride goes to a bar a half-hour before her wedding?"
Haha, is there anything this bar can't do? They should just incorporate everything into the bar: city hall, police station, hospital, school, church, strip club, etc.
Just when Eric decides to develop a pair, he gets slapped down by Gray, the police, his mom, and pretty much the entire town. I can't believe he was running the town when his father was down.
Speaking of which, glad to see Papa Mayor back in action, giving yet another rousing speech that somehow sedates everyone and makes them think a little more clearly. There's always a cheese factor in his speeches, but the writers manage to make it endearing...just barely.
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Nov 16, 2006 2:40 AM
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The whole bridge story was inane. We're not talking about "Bridge over the River Kwai" here. Have the writers been to Kansas? Have the writers heard of the pioneers crossing the prairie with covered wagons?
Most of Kansas is pretty flat prairie type terrain. Has anyone noticed mountains? C'mon, even without this bridge, people could still get into town. We've come a long way since pioneer days, with a great advancement in travel, and the pioneers didn't need a bridge to get around. Even without ATV's and off road vehicles, there's horses and just plain foot power.
One more episode and then a needed break for the writers of this show. When it comes back, let's hope just one of them has actually made a trip to Kansas before they decide again that a bridge could keep out mercenaries. And maybe visited with some Kansans or Midwesterners. We're not a bunch of doofuses that sit in bars..even the women...especially the women....wouldn't be sitting around unaware and uncaring enough to be going on a hike, getting tanked in a bar, letting a vehicle idle when there is no more gas when the world as they knew it had just ended.
If one suspends all reason and logic, I guess this show is palatable. It's a nighttime soap opera, plain and simple. This is not the show for me. I'm done.
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Nov 16, 2006 9:16 AM
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When the scene at the bar on the wedding day started, I thought, "Oh god, how small town, the wedding reception is at the local bar." Then I saw that it was the pre-party for the bride. That is the coolest thing I have ever seen and looked like a great way to not stress about the upcoming ceremony- a bride-oriented favorite song on repeat and a bottle of champagne. I am getting married in three weeks and I totally want to do this-- without the whole world-is-ending aspect, of course.
This episode really caught my interest after a few weeks of boring episodes. I like the Emily storyline, and I agree with what you guys are saying-- I didn't know Emily and Heather were such good friends, I thought there was this underlying bitterness between them.
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Nov 16, 2006 9:20 AM
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Why didn't they disarm Ravenwood? That was the most annoying aspect of last night's episode for me They should have also taken the vehicles and given Ravenwood the pick ups.
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Nov 16, 2006 9:56 AM
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Heather and Emily probably knew each other through work. They are both teachers. And I doubt that a city that small has many schools.
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Nov 16, 2006 10:28 AM
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Any attempt to disarm the Ravenwood mercs would have turned the situation into a bloodbath. They had automatic weapons and almost certainly grenades and the merc philosophy is capture equals death so you might as well take as many as you can with you. Don't forget, these are the same ones that slaughtered police, doctors, and helpless patients back at the Rogue River hospital.
I thought the in and out of dream sequence thing got a little confusing.
A merc sniper had Jake targeted at the bridge. Hawkins took him out with one shot from a silenced rifle, looked to be more of an assassination weapon than a sniper's tool.
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Nov 16, 2006 10:41 AM
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I agree with almost everyone else's previous posts. Megan - PLEASE less of the play-by-play. We're here because we ALREADY watched the show and want you to initiate some talking points. Heck, I could've not watched the episode and just read your recap this morning. Is that doing the show or it's fans any favors?
OK, stepping down from the soapbox and settling into the critic's chair. This was one of the WORST episodes yet. What exactly was the point of half the episode dedicated to poor Emily's wedding day? What was the point of the 'dreams that might have been'? Did it advance the plot? Have anything to do with the story line? No and no. My wife and I got so sick of those scenes we fast-fowarded through the last 3 of them except for the church (nice trick, but we still saw it coming).
Agreed - the writers need a break. My recommondation: pile into an SUV and drive (DON'T FLY) from LA to Kansas through Denver. See what you're really writing about. Spend a week in a town like Salina. And take a copy of "Red Dawn" on DVD with you.
I may be alone in this, but I wanted Johnston to pass on. It could have evolved Jake & Eric's characters (self-loathing and doubt for not doing enough) and put the town in a political upheaval over leadership. With all that going on, there would be less time to spend on a hypocritical red-headed wife and a pathetic-looking red-headed barkeep.
As for those who keep suggesting to 'suspend reality', I can do that for a lot of science fiction/fantasy shows and movies. But even a sci-fi show like Battlestar Galactica seems more rooted in physical reality that this show does some times.
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Nov 16, 2006 10:43 AM
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I agree it wasn't the best episode, but it was nice to get a little bit of back story on Jake and Emily.
My biggest beef...(other than the abundance of water in the rivers and all the mountains in their representation of western Kansas) is how rapidly Johnston recovered from being near death the night before. His organs were shutting down and yet the next day, he's out and about running the town again. What's up with that?
Oh yeah, good for April for not telling Eric she was pregnant. If he doesn't want to stay and work things out, he shouldn't stay just because of a child. She's better off with someone less wishy-washy anyway.
I don't think Heather and Emily were that close before. I think the tragedy, and their mutual "whatever" for Jake, brought them closer. Her "flashback" or dream sequence with Heather toasting Emily in the bar before her wedding was just a way for Emily to put a voice to those niggling thoughts in the back of her mind. "Why do I want to get married and stay in Jericho?" "Is there more to life than what's here?" I'm sure Heather wasn't in the original wedding party - since last week, Heather didn't know today was Emily's wedding day. Heather was just the facilitator in Emily's dream just as Jake was in her dream at the end.
I also agree with the posters regarding
Megan's "TV Commentary" entry. It would be nice to read a viewpoint or perspective on an episode rather than just a recap.
I'm just glad we get a blog for Jericho. Now, can we have one for NCIS?
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Nov 16, 2006 10:59 AM
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Ok, something about this show has been bothering me, and I realized last night what it was. The women on this show are pretty pathetic. They just seem to sit around and let the men run everything.
Most of the time we see them, they're just interupting the men from doing what needs to be done. Or giving opinions that no one really listens to. I guess they're there for relationship stuff, but really, they just take away from the action.
At the beginning Heather and the doctor seemed like they'd be good in a crisis, but they always seem to get trumped by the men. Heather went into save the little girl in the burning library, but then she needed to be saved too.
I bet in a remote small town like Jericho a lot of the women would know how to handle guns too -- perhaps they could have helped beef up the manpower they were all so worried about. That's what Jericho had that Ravenwood didn't -- a whole town full of people who were ready to defend their homes.
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Nov 16, 2006 11:28 AM
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