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Jericho Commentary: Episode Four, "Oversight"

We're more than halfway through the second season of Jericho.  Personally, I prefer the shorter seasons because it is really difficult for writers to produce interesting episodes for more than half a year.  Take some time off, give the characters time to percolate, and the writers time to think.  British shows often happen in six episode arcs, and HBO has turned the thirteen episode season into an industry standard.  Less talk, more rock.

This episode is the turning point.  Everything has been set up, and now we get to see how the End of the World ends.  Or not, depending on a meeting some executives might have already had.  Just release the damn torrent yourselves with an ad at the beginning, already.

Enough soapboxing.  It is, after all, about the show.  The opening of episode four, "Oversight," places a shotgun in the hands of Stanley, which is a welcome sight.  He has been stuck in a permanent liplock with IRS lady since the new season started.  Turns out he is pointing the shotgun at Trader Dale, who bribes him with a bottle of whiskey.  Dale is using Stanley's property to circumvent an increasingly invasive and sinister Jennings & Rall, who have set up checkpoints that hinder Dale's business.

Goetze tacks an edict to Dale's shop door because Dale hasn't yet registered his business with J & R.  Cheyenne wants all businesses to prove they're not doing business with criminals.  Dale is, in point of fact, a criminal, but I suspect the show's audience isn't bothered by that.  Dale, however, scowls at the idea of registering.  Out in the Real World, businesses have to register with tons of agencies just for the privilege of filing taxes, but the Collapse of Civilization is no place for paperwork.  These Jennings & Rall people are really starting to behave like government officials.

I finally placed the voice of the Mysterious Caller.  I think it is Xander Berkeley, the guy who played George Mason in early seasons of 24.  He's the one who piloted the nuke out into the desert so Jack Bauer could live to nearly die for his country for several hundred more hours.  Even though he always plays twits, I like him as an actor.  You're never quite sure in 24 if he is evil or just a bureaucrat, and this malleability makes him a good vehicle for building tension.

Mysterious Caller has access to a lot of information.  He knows Chavez was caught and that Hawkins was betrayed by Sarah Mason.  He wants to help Hawkins, but Hawkins has to promise not to try to find him.  Hawkins hangs up on him to demonstrate that Mysterious Caller does not set the terms, a strategy I discovered to be totally ineffective when I tried it on my girlfriend in the 8th grade.  Mysterious Caller, however, is much more impressed than Sally was, and agrees to a face to face meet.  He tells Hawkins that he is a day away from being discovered.

There's a town meeting to complain about J & R.  The conglomerate is squeezing the local merchants by selling goods at high prices and then fixing the retail prices so the merchants can't turn a profit.  It is interesting to me that the flashpoint of the People of Jericho v. Jennings & Rall conflict is turning out to be economic.  The blond woman who thought Jake wasn't good enough until 23 nuclear bombs exploded suggests that they hold a Jericho Tea Party, only with corn and no ships.  She even breaks out the Stamp Act, which might be the only thing I remember from 8th grade Social Studies.  Well, I remember Sally, too.

Jake suggests that Dale run supplies in through Stanley's farm.  Stanley objects because he's close to having his farm back, thanks to J & R.  He even declares that "This is not Red Dawn," which I also remember from 8th grade.  The popular girl that thought Dale wasn't good enough until 23 nuclear bombs exploded argues with Stanley, and is as persuasive as one of those air horns that people bring to sporting events.  Stanley says no.

Hawkins finds out from the Mysterious Caller that Beck is set to receive advanced scans of the area that will help him find the extra bomb.  Apparently, Cheyenne will only send a hard copy because "they're not gonna take any chances with the internet."  Whew.  It is strangely comforting to know that the Apocalypse will be indexed by Google.

IRS Lady finds a discrepancy in the J & R books, which she brings to the attention of the blond J & R Decepticon.  Looks like someone stole $10,000 from J & R.  Here's to hoping it was Goetze.  Maybe he'll get eaten by his own.

Meanwhile, Beck's people are setting the sheriff's office up to handle secure documents.  Heather has security access, so she'll probably have to steal the documents to protect Hawkins.  She tells Beck that there's trouble in New Bern.  Apparently they don't like J & R, either.

Goetz has an informant named Fred.  Fred wants to trade information about smuggling in Jericho for security.  Fred is not, unfortunately, wearing a Red Shirt.  He gives up Dale.  But everyone already knows it is Dale because he is the only one in town with any stuff, so I am not sure why Goetze needs Fred.

Hawkins and Jake have a debate about whether or not to bring Heather in on the plot since she has access to the classified room.  Jake claims that he can't just cut off someone's thumb, but that seems like something Geotze has earned.  They decide to tell Heather.

The missing money is brought to Goetze's attention.  He acts as guilty as one can possibly act.  Goetze arrests Dale and Eric and Jake confront him, but Dale has already been shipped off to prison.  Jake persuades Beck to define Dale as an informant, which places Dale outside Goetze's jurisdiction.  Goetze probably won't care, since he has already moved on to threatening the IRS Lady.  He wants her independent oversight ledger.

Hawkins arranges for Beck to find a hard drive with transcripts of Sarah Mason discussing assassination with Evil Bald Guy.  Also on the drive is surveillance video of Evil Bald Guy trying to buy the last bomb.  Beck, of course, actually remembers Evil Bald Guy's name and recognizes him on the surveillance video.

Beck is on to Hawkins.  Finding everything has been too easy.  Beck confronts Hawkins.  Hawkins plays it cool, and Beck shows him the surveillance video.  He also answers the biggest mystery of all: Evil Bald Man's name is Thomas Valente.  OK, maybe that was only a mystery to me.

Mysterious Caller finally drops the other shoe.  J & R had something to do with the bombings.  They are also running Boxcar, which is the official designation for the cover-up.

Goetze shows up at Stanley's farm to get the ledger.  In a gut-wrenching scene reminiscent of the denoument of the truly fantastic Sylvester Stallone movie Copland, Stanley's sister Bonnie proceeds to shotgun at least four of Goetze's men before she is killed and IRS lady is shot in the chest.  Turns out the Red Shirt was actually pink.

And Stanley's three episode period of inactivity is over, meaning I owe the writers a bit of an apology for my impatience.  We don't get to see the bodies of the Ravenwood men, and their Hummer appears to be gone from outside.  What happened to Goetz?