[Adam Lenhardt]

You know what this episode kept remind me of? The Patrick Swayze guerilla fighter movie Red Dawn. Except this story is even more terrifying because instead of playing on jingoistic Cold War paranoia, it reverses the invaders and makes them a distinctly American brand. The little details like the textbooks being rewritten and the journalist having a "heart attack" show the same kind of fascist threads from Red Dawn but wrapped in the red white and blue and slipping in peacefully. The storyline with Hawkins and Chavez fascinates me because clearing away the ambiguity has made that storyline more potent, not less. The idea that only four people in the entire country are willing to do anything about the truth, among a mere handful that even know the truth, is even more terrifying than the fear from last season that Hawkins was a cat among the pigeons, so to speak. Other interesting details: the virus is called the Hudson River Virus, which helps clear up why the legitimate United States government is based out of Columbus instead of one of the more eastern faction capitals. It's likely that the Albany/Rome government was forced west by the virus.

Wow, so much to talk about from this episode.

[Adam Lenhardt]

Another interesting note, while I think about it: It's interesting that the farmer's sister is being played as a deaf mute this season. I spent a good portion of my childhood (~7-10 years of age) functionally deaf. Even now, I have problems in crowds, because my ability to isolate sounds is so poor (which is why I prefer headphones to speakers). The reason I mention all of this is because I became fascinated with Deaf culture during my year at RIT (which houses the National Technical Institute of the Deaf) and have more recently studied American Sign Language for the last year.
Portraying the character as primarily communicating through signing is more authentic to my experience within the Deaf world. However, we've already spent a year with the character presented as growing up in an Oralist household — certainly that's the only way she would be competent at reading lips. It doesn't jive, therefore, that she would all of a sudden stop talking — especially when it's been shown before that she also communicates verbally to the farmer when no one else is around.
The worse transgression, though, is the way the other characters act around her. Sign language is all about open body language. Eye contact isn't merely expected, it's downright necessary. The only way to convey the complexities of meaning we interpret from tone of voice is through facial expression. Since she is expected to read lips (which is a MUCH less precise method that TV makes it out to be) eye contact is even more essential. But no, she's huddled behind them in almost every shot, as they carry on conversations they she's expected to participate in even though they have their backs turned to her. They played fast and loose with this in the first season, but no where near to the extent they did in this episode. If I were Deaf, I would be absolutely lost in her position.

[MikeH]

WOLVERINES!!!!! sorry someone had to do it.

I agree with you Adam this new season is incredibly fast paced with alot to take in. Without getting too political I really like how it grabs snippets from both the past and present of American history.

[pitchman]

I know I made some waves when I commented that I was kind of let down by the season two premiere last week, but I have to say, this was a great, GREAT episode tonight! What a wonderful return to form. This is exactly the program I fell in love with last season and if the remaining five shows are this compelling, I will be one happy camper!

[Andrew Beacom]

Good episode. A huge improvement from last weeks effort. I missed the first 5 minutes so I thought they were planning an assassination until they started copying data. I wonder how the guy leading the troops in Jericho can take the orders he is getting without questioning whats going on. Maybe that will change once he sees Ravenwood acting in Jericho. We know than Jericho's citizens will freak out based on their previous interaction.

[Chris]

Quote:

It's interesting that the farmer's sister is being played as a deaf mute this season.

She was deaf in the first season also I just thought I'd point that out

[Jason Seaver]

It's the same actress, isn't it? There was a "Special Guest Star - Shoshannah Stern" credit at the front.

Pretty good all around, although I'm glad to see in the preview that the kids will be back next week. Having them and the older characters around made it feel more like the story of an entire town rather than just a few people.

[ThomasC]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jason Seaver

It's the same actress, isn't it? There was a "Special Guest Star - Shoshannah Stern" credit at the front.

Yes, it's the same actress. They had that "Special Guest Star" credit for Sprague Grayden (Heather Lisinski) as well.

[Patrick Sun]

She also played a deaf character on "Weeds", I think she's deaf in real life as well, IMDB says:

Quote:

Attended Gallaudet University, the only liberal arts college for the deaf in the world.

Born into a fourth generation deaf family, Shoshannah's first language is American Sign Language. She also reads lips and comfortably speaks without an interpreter.

Her role on ABC's "Threat Matrix" was written for her after the director and producers saw her work on an episode of "The Division."

Shoshannah Stern

[joshEH]

Last night's Morse code:

"J&R RAN BOXCAR"

So Jennings & Rall evidently had a hand in the actual nuclear attacks themselves. I thought that maybe they were simply collaborators set up to move in once the bombs went off, but this is far more sinister.

The plane that dropped the Nagasaki bomb was "Bock's Car." Named after the normal aircraft commander, Frederick Bock. But the name caught my eye when they showed it on the computer screen the first time. I did think the same thing about the possible connection.

"Bock's Car" flew the second atomic mission. Are there plans for a second nuclear attack? "Bock's Car" was also flown by a different-than-normal crew. Substitute leadership?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew Beacom

Good episode. A huge improvement from last weeks effort. I missed the first 5 minutes so I thought they were planning an assassination until they started copying data. I wonder how the guy leading the troops in Jericho can take the orders he is getting without questioning whats going on. Maybe that will change once he sees Ravenwood acting in Jericho. We know than Jericho's citizens will freak out based on their previous interaction.

Absolutely, re: Esai Morales' character...in fact, that very last shot we got of him just standing there, ruminating on everything he's recently learned, makes me think that Beck is gonna have to choose sides here very, very soon. Haunting shot, and told you a lot about Beck's real character.

You know damn well he's probably gonna end up picking Jake and Jericho over Valente and Ravenwood, and I don't see him making it out of this season alive. Especially once Hawkins' and Chavez's info finally gets leaked to the world, and the shit hits the fan.

Remember what I said earlier about Ravenwood (and, by extension, Jennings & Rall) turning into the S.A./brownshirt-arm of Tomarchio and Valente's regime?

Ravenwood helping to supress the "Hudson River" vaccine. 'Nuff said. And United Nations troops quarantining/cordoning off the Mississippi River border? Very interesting. Wonder which side they're going to end up recognizing as "legitimate," depending on how Texas swings?

I think there is a distinct possibility that Mayor Anderson doesn't come back alive from that "constitutional convention." He plans on asking a lot of questions, and I get the impression that the Cheyenne government is not going to tolerate too many questions that they don't like.

Spoiler:

Since Michael Gaston is only set to be in one more Jericho episode anyhow, reading between the lines, I'd say the handwriting is on the wall for Mayor Anderson. Jake's brother becomes the de facto town leader, and Jericho gets a "Mayor Green" once again.

I remember in the original Jericho HTF thread back in November, 2006 (during the first season), I predicted that Gray -- after getting elected, and demonstrating a few "iffy" decisions early on -- would be the first one to cozy up to the New Order and welcome them with open arms as a collaborator, once they rolled into town and set up shop.

...Boy, was I wrong, and I'm more than happy for the fact.

And that new textbook? Twisted, subtle stuff. Yet already, people on other boards are once again whining and bitching about the Jericho producers having it in for "right-wing conservatives," et al...

(Also, surprised no one's yet commented on the fact that Lance "Alex Rogan" Guest played the doomed reporter in this episode.)