I ticked off a lot of people a few months back when I wrote an entry on the post-nuclear drama Jericho and its return to TV. The article started by stating that fans could agree that the first half of season one was bad. Being a fan myself and talking with other fans of the show made me believe that was a true statement.
Yet, after watching Jericho season one again on DVD, I can see why so many people were upset. From the start, Jericho is a show about the town. In spite of the bungled storylines and badly paced episodes, it is still very easy to care about the heroic inhabitants. Granted, I prefer the latter episodes, the ones that come after Jericho fully descends into a survivalist territory, but it is easy to see we would be nowhere without those initial episodes.
The season starts out with Jake Green (Skeet Ulrich) returning to his hometown of Jericho after being away for some time. Where was he? We don’t know yet, but we will. Jericho’s prodigal son must first see his family through a day that changes the world: one where nukes destroy more than 20 U.S. cities.
Denver, a mere 150 miles from the small Kansas town, is turned into a crater. The visual of the mushroom cloud over the Rockies is alarming, one the residents watch with a collective look of shock and awe. From that point the Jerichonians face fallout, starvation, winter, near-mutiny, refugees, and warlike neighbors. It's not an easy world to live in, one where we actually have to rely on one another to survive. There's a transition, and Jericho, for better or worse, survives.
Mostly, the show survives, as well. Thanks to the producers and writers, who take a low-key approach to a post-apocalyptic series, Jericho never feels sensationalist or illogical. Motivations aren't questioned, even when we find out more about Jack Green and the mysterious Robert Hawkins (played by the stellar Lennie James). Before we know it, we come to appreciate, even envy, Green, Hawkins and the residents of Jericho, if only because they represent a mythologized, humanistic America we hardly see in entertainment today.
Article comments
1 - Grace
Well, very glad to see you've come to your senses. Thank you for this very nice review.
Well deserved may I add.
Now please go buy the DVD!
2 - Ty
"It's easy, then, to see why Jericho was so nearly lost. A show that promotes sacrifice and serious heroism doesn't have a place in our popular culture today. It still doesn't fit."
It was almost lost because of a long hiatus followed by returning against AI.
It was almost lost because from the 2nd episode to the hiatus the episodes didn't show much about the stuff going on in the world, just in-town drama such as the nerd boy and cute girlfriend.
That's why in the summer when the "season" was re-run, they didn't show episodes 2-13, but just a clip show to summarize the happenings and then moved forward.
I watch Jericho, but I also realize it's a flawed show.
3 - Ty
"Granted, I prefer the latter episodes, the ones that come after Jericho fully descends into a survivalist territory, but it is easy to see we would be nowhere without those initial episodes."
This is proof of my point above.
4 - kricka
Thank you so much for this review, and for saying it is part of the Save Jericho campaign. No show is perfect, but this one has heart and compelling characters. I've got my DVD, and can't wait for the new episodes!