Last night was another stellar episode of Jericho (are there any other kinds?), and Yvonne was kind enough to recap it for us, as we continue our guest blogging experiment. First, a bit about Yvonne:

Name: Yvonne G.
Age: 40
Location: Norfolk, VA
Started watching: On Day 1 and never looked back!
Favorite character: This is a tough question, there are interesting things about all of them! I guess if I had to choose one, it would be Robert Hawkins. He’s smart, mysterious and all we REALLY know about him is what he told Jake Green about himself (and Jake chose to believe him). He does seem to be a decent human being and he’s learning the value of his family, so it’s interesting to see how his character is growing.
Why Jericho is special to me: To put it simply, it’s just a well written show, with interesting characters and one of the greatest ensemble casts on television today. The show is also so real: real small-town values and interpersonal relationships and real human imperfections and strengths. The show makes you feel like a part of the community and a part of these people’s lives. There is a vested interest in these characters.
More about me: I’m a GIS Analyst for an Engineering firm. I have four dogs and a wonderful husband and my hobbies include reading, poker and travel!

Now, onto her recap:

The situation in Jericho continues to be dire, with the desperation of the townspeople becoming more and more evident. As the episode opens, former Mayor Johnston Green is trying to talk Ridley and his family out of leaving town in an attempt to survive on their own. Meanwhile, inside the Town Hall, current Mayor Gray Anderson is talking to some of the other townspeople, including Stanley, Mimi, Emily and her fiancé, Roger, about the need for the refugees Roger brought to town to leave.

There isn’t enough food and fuel for everyone to get through the winter, Gray reasons, and those who came to town last should be the first to go. Roger argues that the refugees have done their part in supplying firewood and food for the town, but the new Mayor emphasizes that it isn’t enough and the refugees are using up resources faster than they can supply them.

Unless there is a change, not everyone will survive. At that moment, Jake Green, who is napping at home, is awakened by a loud noise and the ground rumbling so hard it’s shaking
everything in the house; his brother, Eric, rides into town on horseback and tells everyone to clear the streets. A tank and some soldiers come around the corner into Jericho, behind Eric. The Marines have arrived!

Almost the entire town has filtered in behind the tanks, and the Gunnery Sergeant of the 4th Charley Tank Battalion introduces himself to the Mayor and tells the town that the “war is over.”

Of course, the town of Jericho lost all communication with the outside world due to the EMT from the blast in Denver and other than what news Jake and crew were able to bring back from the fairgrounds at Blackjack, the town is clueless as to what’s been
going on in the outside world.

The Gunnery Sergeant tells them that North Korea and Iran have been nuked and that they were behind the terrorists that smuggled in the bombs. He goes on to say that the issue of six men claiming the presidency in six different territories has been resolved and that the former secretary of the HHS is now the President of the United States and that they’ve set up the government in Columbus, Ohio. He then tells the town that their mission is to restore “lights, power and infrastructure to Kansas, one town at a time,” and that Jericho will be back on the grid by the end of the year.

The townpeople are elated!

Meanwhile, back at the Hawkins’s household, Sara and the Hawkins family are packing up to leave town. Allison asks her dad how many more times they are going to have to move and Hawkins tells her this will be the last time. Allison doubts her father’s ability to stay in one place for good and Hawkins looks hurt, realizing how many times he’s put his family through hell.

Back in town, the Gunnery Sergeant is talking to Johnston about his former military career and promises not to hold the fact that he was Army against him. He tells Johnston that the Army Corps of Engineers is on the way and that the town should get together a “wish” list in the meantime. Mayor Gray steps in to ask what the troops need as Mary Bailey invites the troops to the bar to unwind. Meanwhile, Jake agrees to help Lance Corporal Mullen find the parts she needs to repair the Battalion’s radio, as they have lost communication with their command center in Dodge City.

At the Hawkins household, Sara is using her PDA in the basement to communicate with someone, presumably the “old man” about the “package.” Hawkins enters the basement just as she’s put it away and questions the decision to abandon his family at the “safe house.” He knows the dangers, he reasons, and can protect them better if they are together. Sara, showing some jealousy and stating that Hawkins never cared that much about his family before the bombs went off, re-emphasizes the danger his family is in and gets Hawkins back on the original plan.

He and Sara kiss.

Returning to Bailey’s Tavern, Mimi has realized that with the government back on track, accountants will be needed again.

Stanley jokes, saying, “Does that mean I’m back in debt?” (I totally love Stanley’s sense of humor!) Mimi tells him not to be so negative and that it means that because New York survived the blast, she’ll be walking through Central Park next summer.

Bonnie’s boyfriend comes running over at that moment to tell Bonnie (who is standing behind her brother talking to one of the Marines) that he thinks he could be a Marine. Stanley sarcastically interjects with, “Dude, I could totally see that happening, except for everything about you.” [Amy note: I agree, Yvonne! A great one-liner.] Bonnie tells Stanley to back off and the two exchange a few more words in sign language before Bonnie and her boyfriend take off.

Mimi tells Stanley not to worry about Bonnie, that her boyfriend is just a phase and that once things settle down, he’ll be gone. Stanley replies, “Yeah, maybe you can give him a ride out of town on the way to New York.” Mimi tells Stanley she doesn’t want leave him, just Jericho, and that she wants him to come with her. Stanley makes it clear that that’s not his life and walks away.

“This,” Mimi mutters, ” isn’t mine.”

Sara and Hawkins are still making out in the basement, telling each other how much they’ve missed one another. Hawkins tells her it’s time to go and tells her to continue loading up the truck while he gets some things from the basement. When she leaves, he pulls out the PDA out of her backpack and see the whole electronic conversation that she’s had about the “package.”

Darcy was right; Sara is not their friend!

At Baileys, Jake and Corporal Mullen have arrived, looking for a part for the radio. Jake hugs Emily on his way to the bar, who tells him she’s glad he’s OK after the accident. [Amy note: See last week’s recap.] Roger shakes his hand and Jake and Mullen proceed to the bar. Jake asks Mullen what it’’s like out there and Mullen tells him Jericho is better off than most. Mary Bailey says it’s hard to believe that as she setting down a drink for Mullen, who tells her she should see what’s left of Lawrence, Kan. She goes on to tell Jake that the buildings are gone and that neighbors are fighting each other for what’s left of the food and water.

“It makes me wonder if the survivors are the lucky ones,” she says. Jake asks Mary if they can take apart the jukebox for a transistor for the Marines’ radio. She asks if there is an alternative to taking the music from the bar and Mullen and Jake decide to see if they can use an old ham radio in the City Hall instead.

Sara realizes that Hawkins is onto her and takes his son, Sam, at gun point. Hawkins comes upstairs to find her holding his son. “I think you have something of mine,” she says.

Hawkins drops his gun and holds out the PDA, asking if that’s what she wants. “Among other things,” she says. “You’ve been lying to me, Robert. When did you fall back in love with your wife?”

At Town Hall, the Battalion Sergeant is telling Gray and Johnston that the town is better off than most they’ve seen and that because of that, they will not be a priority on the list for aid because it’s on an “as-needed” basis. He tells them to give him the wish list and he’ll see what he can do.

Jake and Mullen are at trying to put the radio back together and there’s a lot of flirting going on between the two. She tells him that he’s got his “brooding bad boy act down to an art.” Jake and Mullen get the radio working and she makes contact with Command Headquarters in Dodge City.

Command orders their unit back to Dodge City.

Sara and Hawkins continue their conversation, while Hawkins tries to soothe his son, telling him they are just telling a story. Sara tells Hawkins that she is no longer working for anyone, that she’s on her own and that if he gives her what she wants, everything will end OK. Hawkins asks what she’s going to do with the “package” and she tells him she’s going to sell it.

Darcy walks in through the front door at this moment to find her husband and son being held at gunpoint by Sara.

In the middle of town, the Battalion is getting ready to leave town. Mayor Anderson asks the Sergeant why they are leaving and is told of their orders. He tells Gray that the Army Corps will come through, eventually. One of the Marines tells the Sergeant that they don’t have enough gas to make it back to Dodge City. The Mayor promises them enough gas to make it back, as well as all the supplies they need, if the Sergeant will just make Jericho a
priority. The Sergeant agrees and they agree to wait an hour before they leave so the Mayor can get their supplies ready.

Jake has pulled Mullen into an empty building to say goodbye to her and asking if she’ll make it back to town sometime. She tells him no and they go to kiss, only to be busted in on by the Gunnery Sergeant.

Sara insists that Hawkins bring her the “package” and Hawkins insists that he can’t. Sara promises he will lose something—but whether it’s something with a heartbeat is up to him. She stands up and puts the gun directly on Sam’s head. Hawkins agrees to give her the package. Sara tells Darcy to get Allison down to the living room while Hawkins goes to the basement to get what she wants.

Jake goes back to Town Hall to get the radio and supplies from the office for the troops, leaving Mullen in the center of town. A radio transmission from Command comes through while he’s doing this and Jake answers the call. He hears explosions in the background and asks if they are taking fire. He realizes that what he’s hearing is not gunfire, but rather the fireworks display that Mayor Gray is putting on as a sendoff for the Battalion. He walks outside, just as Mayor Gray is inviting the Sergeant and the troops inside for a going away dinner. Jake has put the pieces together and realizes that “Commandâ€? is not in Dodge City, but somewhere close to town.

He finds Stanley and tells him to get some guys from the patrol together and do a sweep of the town’s perimeter, looking for a guy with a radio, and to make sure they take guns with them. He lets Stanley know that something is wrong with the whole scene.

Meanwhile, inside at the dinner, Gray has asked “Former Sergeant Green” (Johnston) to make a speech. Johnston starts off by saying that the Marines have a saying, “Semper Fidelis,” which means “always faithful” and that he finds it fitting that Marines were the ones to come to Jericho’s aid.

He goes on to thank them and the troops respond, “Hoo, rah.”

Johnston immediately knows these men and women aren’t Marines, because “Hoo, rah” is an Army rallying cry. Johnston pulls Gail out of the room and Jake shows up to meet them at that moment. They all all go downstairs, where Jake and Johnston compare notes and come to the same conclusion. Gail asks who these guys are, if they aren’t Marines, to which Johnston replies that they are people with enough firepower to wipe out the whole town. It is decided that Johnston and Gail will go back to the dinner and try to get word to Mayor Gray about what’s going on without the Sergeant hearing and that Jake would try to secure the tank.

At the Hawkins’ household, Hawkins has gone to the basement to break the “package” out of its secure concrete bunker while Sara continues to hold his family at gunpoint in their living room.

Jake finds Mullen back in the office, packing the rest of the supplies and confronts her about “Command” picking up Jericho’s fireworks. She tries to lie and Stanley comes through with a transmission on the radio, saying that they found the guy and the radio just outside of town.

“Is any of this real?” Jake asks Mullen, to which she replies, “The gun’s real,” as she pulls one on him.

He asks how they managed to get all the Marine gear and she tells him that they overthrew the dozen or so Marines at the refugee camp, stating that the Marines never had a chance against 10,000 starving people. He asks if the men were and she tells him no, that the refugees treated them and went off to the next town in search of food. Their act worked so well that they continued to do it from town to town, taking food and supplies each time.

Jake tells her they are not going to leave town with Jericho’s supplies and she tells him not to get himself killed doing something stupid. He holds the flashlight up and shines it in her eyes and tells her she doesn’t have it in her to kill him. At that moment, the Gunnery Sergeant and some of the troops bust into the room behind him and the Sergeant knocks Jake out with the butt of his rifle.

Hawkins has retrieved the “package” from the basement and brings it upstairs for Sara. Sara tells Hawkins to open it and walks over to it with a Geiger counter, which starts to make noise. Darcy realizes it’s a nuke and can’t believe it has been in their house the whole time.

At Town Hall, the “Sergeant” is asking Mullen why she told Jake about them and she tells him how he figured it out. They are debating what to do: Mullen just wants to leave but the Sergeant wants to kill Jake, because he’s afraid that he’ll let the whole town know and they’ll be overtaken when they go to leave. He tells Mullen that it’s either Jake or them, at which time Johnston, Mayor Gray, Eric and some other men come in and Johnston says, “I
vote for you.”

Eric questions whether anything that they had told the town was true and is told that a little is, but that they really don’t know what’s going on either. Gray wants to expose the group to the town for what they really are and let them decide what to do with them, but Johnston insists that that “faith” is the town’s X factor for survival and that they should
give the “Marines” a “heroes” escort out of town. Gray argues that the town will find out eventually anyway, but Johnston argues that by then, the worst of it will be over.

Sara is ready to exit Jericho with the nuclear device and asks Hawkins how she can be sure he won’t follow her. He insists he won’t and she says, “Not if I take your son with me, you won’t,” and tells him that she’ll leave him just outside of town. Darcy becomes enraged over this and jumps Sara from behind, knocking the gun out of her hand.

Sara throws Darcy into the wall, knocking her out. Hawkins takes over the fight with Sara and tells Allison to get Sam out of there. The battle between Hawkins and Sara violently continues and she manages to pull her knife on him and stabs him in the leg. He backs away momentarily and she comes after him slashing the knife in the air at him as he backs up. She backs him into the dining room table, where he falls backwards and lands on the table on his back. She’s about to kill him when she is shot from behind and falls on top of Hawkins.

He looks up to find that his daughter, Allison, has killed Sara. He asks his daughter if she’s OK. “I’m fine,” Allison replies. Darcy has come to and sees what has happened. She tells her husband that Allison is NOT fine, that none of them are fine and that as long as they are with him, they’ll never be safe or fine.

She grabs the children and says she’s leaving him. Hawkins says, “Darcy,” and Allison pulls away and says, “I love you, dad.” Hawkins can’t look at her but tells her that he loves her too, with tears pouring down his face. (Seeing a tough man breaking down, showing his love for his family is a gut-wrenching scene. I think it becomes evident that Hawkins has changed also and that he truly is a decent man who loves his family.) Darcy and the kids
leave.

Back in the center of town, the phony Marines are slowly making their “hero’s” exit, to the cheers of the townspeople. Jake catches up to Mullen, who asks, “Our own personal escort out of town?” Jake tells her she needs to get out before she gets killed. He tries to talk her into staying in Jericho, where she’ll be safe, but she insists that it won’t work, “not after the story we told.”

Mimi walks up to Stanley, who is part of the escort out of town. He raises his hand and says, “Not now, Mimi,” to which she responds, “Like hell, not now Cornhusker!”

“Cornhuskers are from Nebraska; I’m a Jayhawk,” is Stanley’s witty comeback.

She gives him a look, to which he replies, “What?”

She smirks and says, “You drive me so crazy and you know that I can’t stay here forever, but the truth is, I can’t live without you, either.”

“Really?” Stanley replies, with a smile.

“Yes,” responds Mimi, “really!”

Stanley shakes his head and the two engage in a passionate kiss.

Hawkins is back at the house, putting a tourniquet on his leg, when he hears Sara’s PDA go off (she never retrieved it after the scuffle). He opens it and sees a message: “What’s your status?” He pretends to be Sara, telling the person on the other end that Hawkins is dead. He says he has the “package” and asks when they can meet. He is told that the location is to be determined and he will be informed.

The fake Battalion has made it out of town under the escort of Jake and Stanley; they meet up with Johnston, the Mayor, Eric and a few other townspeople who have been brought into the loop. Jake tells the “Sergeant” that they have provided enough food to get a few days out of town. He asks if they can have some water also. Johnston steps up, rips the Marine Corps patch off his uniform and tells him to make do. He tells them to leave their weapons on the tank and leave, and the “Sergeant” tells his followers to do it.

They leave, with Jake telling them to be careful. Jake turns to his father and asks what they do now.

“We soldier on,” Johnston replies.

Jake then turns to the tank and asks what they do with it. Johnston asks Stanley if he has enough room in his barn for the tank. Stanley asks him if he’s serious, to which Johnston replies, “Why not, you never know when you might need a tank.”

The episode closes with Johnston walking away, carrying his rifle.

Thanks, Yvonne, for a complete and excellent recap!

And to anyone else interested in guest blogging on Jericho, feel free to e-mail me anytime or respond on this note.

See recap No. 2, here.

We’ve still a long way to go before Season 2 and, hopefully, Season 3!