Jericho 10/18 -- Federal Response

[Green Bean]

Oh boy oh boy! Tonight is Jericho night! I haven't had this much fun watching bad TV since, well, never.

In order to provide a little rollover space ala rockle, I'll offer a discussion topic: Jericho has been picked up for the whole season. Apparently, it's CBS's most popular new show, and the ratings are strong in desirable demographic categories. People are watching this thing. But why?

What percentage of viewers do you think fall into the following categories? (People can be in more than one category. Feel free to create more categories if you wish.)
A. Viewers who think it's really a good show.
B. Viewers who think it's so bad it's good. (i.e. MST3K-ers)
C. Viewers who are post-apocalyptic science fiction fans.
D. Viewers who just watch whatever's on.
E. Other (be specific)

[Draelin]

I've still got last week's episode Tivo-ed, and haven't gotten around to watching it--which is now what I've got planned for tonight sometime between 6 and 8. Wednesday nights are way too busy for me.

I think I fall into the C/D demographic, with a little bit of E--Viewers who think Skeet Ulrich is really cute.

[Edward The Head]

I'll go with E. it's on before Lost so they are wanting something to watch. At least that's why I watch it. I should have stopped after they blew up the mine. I'd say if it's not all that great tonight I'll stop watching.

[Tio Gringo]

For me, it's a B/C combo. It's enjoyable in a schmaltzy sort of way.

Oh, and Green Bean, the episode date is 10/18, not 9/19. ;)

[Green Bean]

Oh, and Green Bean, the episode date is 10/18, not 9/19. ;)
Omigod! Skylar changed my thread title! That bitch. I'm totally eating all of her corn chips!

(Where'd I get 9/19 from anyway? I requested that it be fixed.)

I'm definitely a B/C combination.

Edward the Head--if you're watching it just because it's on before Lost, then I guess you'd fall into the D category.

[AuntiePam]

I'm a B -- sometimes bad TV is comfortable. You don't have to think or pay close attention.

It's funny. I won't feel cheated if the story doesn't make sense or if the characters do things that are out of character. It's not like Desperate Housewives or Nip/Tuck or Rescue Me, which had promise to begin with and jumped the shark after I got sucked in.

[BiblioCat]

I'm a combination of A, B and C.
Go figure that one out.

[Lightnin']

I think I watch it just because I don't have anything else to watch. It's not that I actively dislike it- it's just that it doesn't quite grab me. I think I'm waiting for something interesting to happen.

[Unauthorized Cinnamon]

Yay! I was wondering if other Dopers were watching.

I started out because of C, but now it's all B, baby! It is just so charmingly awful, I can't resist. I do mourn for the show that could have been - a show with well-constructed characters, who drove the action with their reasonable reactions to the combination of knowing something awful happened, then being cut off from further information, and forced to rely solely on each other. (Come to think of it, I am a Lost and BSG fan, so at least I've got that.)

Instead we have a show which careers from crisis to crisis. Multiple nuclear explosions are not enough to drive the tension - there has to be a ridiculous problem, with the possibility of shit blowing up, at least once an episode. And if we don't get that there's a crisis, there's the helpful music thumping us over the head with how we're supposed to react.

Add to that underlying matrix such idiocy as confusing first aid iodine and potassium iodide, plastic sheeting as fallout shelter, and a juice box tracheotomy, and you've got comic gold.

If you are at all watching for the delicious badness, I highly recommend the recaps at TWOP - very entertaining.

[carnivorousplant]

I think I'm waiting for something interesting to happen.

Me, too.
The subject is too cool, the mystery too interesting for something not to happen.
I hope.

[alphaboi867]

This episode looks like it might actually be good. And how stupid are the townspeople that they did plan for backup water in case they needed to shut down a grid in case of fire? What were they supposed to do if there was a fire during a blackout? These kind of stuff happens even without a nuclear war. Is reverse 911 real?

[Draelin]

So, who's our Morse Code expert? What did it say this week?

[MacTech]

What percentage of viewers do you think fall into the following categories? (People can be in more than one category. Feel free to create more categories if you wish.)
A. Viewers who think it's really a good show.
B. Viewers who think it's so bad it's good. (i.e. MST3K-ers)
C. Viewers who are post-apocalyptic science fiction fans.
D. Viewers who just watch whatever's on.
E. Other (be specific)

I'd consider myself in the B and C categories

tonights eps was above average, actual *DEALING WITH THE PROBLEM* for a change, none of this interpersonal soap opera-y crap

still waiting for the Radioactive Zombies though...

seeing the ICBM'S soaring skyward at the end of the episode was very unnerving though, looks like the conflicct's bigger than it appears

this episode has redeemed the show *slightly*, it gets *one* more chance next week, more post-apocolyptic action (and Radioactive Zombies, please?) and less soap-opera crap, please

[alphaboi867]

Was that a Presidential seal on the podium? It looks like we launched ICBMs (presumably at whoever we think did this). Is Jake connected to terrorists?

[Draelin]

Is Jake connected to terrorists?
Nothing says military like the haircut in that passport picture. Also, while finally watching last week's episode earlier tonight, my roommate noticed that Jake was wearing dog tags when he got out of the shower. I confess to being distracted by the rest of the picture. :p

[RikWriter]

I'm thinking Jake was special ops and then did something to get himself sent to a military prison or else went AWOL, thus his passport being flagged.

[Lumpy]

So we learn: someone's got things together enough to patch together emergency communications and electricity. (There's been a nuclear war, large chunks of power generation and distribution capacity are gone, but by golly people are going to be able to vacuum their living room??) We wait the whole goddamn episode for some news; we get none.

And FOUR FRACKIN' DAYS LATER a retaliation strike is launched!?!?!?

This show is playing games with our heads. If it turns into another Twin Peaks, X-Files or Lost, I'm outta here...

[Green Bean]

This episode was an improvement over the previous ones. (Which isn't saying much.)

Random speculation about future developments:
--Jake and Hawkins will team up somehow.
--Mary the Bartender will go crazy with jealousy and do something violent.
--All food supply problems will be solved when they figure out how to harvest Mayor Dad's endless fountain of cheese.

[MikeG]

And what the hell is up with the train full of food? The kid cant possibly think that they will just leave it there to rot.

The preview for next week mentioned the sheriff and half his men dead, I'm thinking outsiders arrive or the prisoners start trouble. It seems like the rain fallout was a wash so to speak, the one guy who got drenched has shown zero symptoms.

Agreed that Jake was military, as was Hawkins.

[MacTech]

The preview for next week mentioned the sheriff and half his men dead, I'm thinking outsiders arrive or the prisoners start trouble.

Nope, Radioactive Zombies got 'em....

MMMM......Braiiiinnns!
(wait a tic.... if Zombies feed on brains, then they won't find much to eat in the little ol' town of Jericho now, will they....)

[AuntiePam]

And how cool was that -- the firemen saving all those books while the trailer park was burning down. :rolleyes:

April is the only medical person we've seen. Eric's girlfriend is the only one working at the bar, 24/7 apparently. Nobody thinks to tell people to turn stuff of so things don't get overloaded when the electricity comes back. Terrible CGI for the fires. Where was Ashley's mother? Why were those kids at school with just one adult around?

I agree with Unauthorized Cinnamon. The show just gets dumber, and story lines that viewers might actually be interested in are never developed.

I give up. I don't even care about Hawkins anymore.

[alphaboi867]

...(There's been a nuclear war, large chunks of power generation and distribution capacity are gone, but by golly people are going to be able to vacuum their living room??)...

I can actually picture my mother doing just that. They're just getting power back on after 4 days. People would want to do stuff like bath, clean their houses, do laundry, etc while they have the chance. It still hasn't set in how bad things could get yet. Anyone else think it's cute that Skylar still thinks her parents are alive?

[carnivorousplant]

I can actually picture my mother doing just that.
I remember looking through the instructions the basement of the library where I worked. It had been a fallout shelter. I believe you were supposed to clean the dust up. :)

"You mean it's time to tell him about my.................................................................................................. .............................
.................................................................................................... ................................
.................................................................................................... ................................

Humph? Did the sound go off?

"Yes"

"Dammit", says I, "I'm outta here."
Then we've got folding satellite dishes and a second strike.
I'll stick around for another episode.
I can always keep the DVDs around in case I can't sleep.

[RikWriter]

And how cool was that -- the firemen saving all those books while the trailer park was burning down. :rolleyes:


Didn't listen to the dialogue eh? Eric said the trailer park fire was under control.

[Bryan Ekers]

I'm thinking Jake was special ops and then did something to get himself sent to a military prison or else went AWOL, thus his passport being flagged.

Well, in 1974 he was convicted of a crime he did not commit. He promptly escaped from a maximum-security stockade and disappeared into the Los Angeles underground.

Has it occurred to anyone yet to hook up a VCR to the satellite dish so if something flashed by on the screen (like the Asian news report) they'll be able to rewatch it? Anyway, my interest is waning fast.

[Carol Stream]

Did anyone else notice this? WHen the NYC reporter lady went into the grocery store to use the ATM, she clearly swiped, as opposed to inserted, her card, but then the ATM displayed "Card Held" or somesuch, and she bitched about it being taken?

[MacTech]

Anyone else think it's cute that Skylar still thinks her parents are alive?

If I was a bettin' man, I'd say that Skylar (horriible name, btw) will be the *first* one eaten by the Radioactive Zombies, and said Zombies will actually be *HER PARENTS*, back, and hungry for BRAAAIIINNNS......

.....they'll be in for one *very* unappetizing meal that's for sure... ;)

[alphaboi867]

Did anyone else notice this? WHen the NYC reporter lady went into the grocery store to use the ATM, she clearly swiped, as opposed to inserted, her card, but then the ATM displayed "Card Held" or somesuch, and she bitched about it being taken?
I didn't notice it. BTW she's an IRS agent from DC (which apparently hasn't been nuked for some reason). The delayed ICBM launch suggests that the bombs were already planted in the cities and it took a few days for the government to figure out who to attack. Also why would the government be transmitting a feed of an empty podium as opposed to just a screen with the Seal on it?

[drm]

I watch it every week and I'm in E.

I think it's a terrible show but I get caught up in shows like this because I want to know what will happen. I hate every minute of the show but I just have to know. Today there was a clue about Skeet's previous life and now I have to watch until I know what that is all about. It's infuriating.

In high school I got caught watching Days of our lives (I was sick) and I got wrapped up in that piece of crap for a while until spoilers got posted on the internet. Then all I had to do was read spoilers for 5 minutes/week. It's a curse and I hate it.

The other reason I watch is because Sprague Grayden is hot.

[vivalostwages]

Which one is Sprague Grayden?

Actually, I really think Beth Grant is cool; I'll never forget her as Mrs. Farmer in Donnie Darko. But I'm odd that way.

It's entertaining, so I will keep watching.

[The Long Road]

My wife has been watching the show with me and afterwards summed it up very nicely, "each show is a race against time. Either it's a race to put out fires, save the two hostages, get out of the fallout or fill the generator with gas". Pretty much pins the tail on this donkey. The only part I found interesting tonight was the ICBM launch.

[drm]

Which one is Sprague Grayden?



Heather Lisinski (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0337042/)

[levdrakon]

I can't believe I watched it again. I've got it programmed to record on the DVR but with a low priority so just about anything else could override it. Guess there's nothing else on 'cause it keeps recording each week.

How much does IRS chick drink? Holy crap. Was she not sitting at the bar drinking the entire episode? Day and night?

The main story? Oh, who cares about that at this point.

[Green Bean]

Well, in 1974 he was convicted of a crime he did not commit. He promptly escaped from a maximum-security stockade and disappeared into the Los Angeles underground.Bwah ha! Now THAT would make the show worth watching!

Come to think of it, you could assemble your very own A-team out of people already in town:

Hawkins = Hannibal Smith (he's the man with the plan)
Eric = Face (apparently people find him charming)
Stanley = Murdoch (comic relief, but really pretty useful)
Jake = B.A. Baracus (that one may seem weird, but he could probably fashion a flamethrower out of a toilet paper tube and a piece of gum)

Heather could be that reporter chick they had for a few seasons--not part of the team, but a helpful friend.

And the damsel in distress? Emily, of course!

[carnivorousplant]

Didn't listen to the dialogue eh? Eric said the trailer park fire was under control.
But later he said all the homes were burned down.

[Fir na tine]

When there's nothing left to burn, the fire is under control.

[Turek]

But later he said all the homes were burned down.

Well, I guess you can't get more "under control" than "burned every source of fuel within 2 miles then died out." :)

[carnivorousplant]

When there's nothing left to burn, the fire is under control.
Ah.

[Draelin]

But later he said all the homes were burned down.
There was also somebody mentioning that if they lost the library, half of Main Street could go up. So I'm willing to give them a pass on splitting up the trucks and tackling both fires at once.

And ditto to whoever mentioned that people should have shut things off before the power came back on. Hasn't anybody in this town read The Stand?

[Tupug Anachi]

I'm between C and D. I started out wanting to watch it but now it's pretty much okay, it's on so I'll watch it. Anybody want to entertain that there's been a military coup and the next round of ICBMs are heading for the reb troups? Hey, it's as good as anything else they've pulled out of their butts. ;)

[carnivorousplant]

the next round of ICBMs are heading for the reb troups?
Kansas would be the place to shoot at each other over that sort of thing. :)

[alphaboi867]

I'm between C and D. I started out wanting to watch it but now it's pretty much okay, it's on so I'll watch it. Anybody want to entertain that there's been a military coup and the next round of ICBMs are heading for the reb troups? Hey, it's as good as anything else they've pulled out of their butts. ;)
Were the seals on the broadcast really Presidential (they looked it)? I thougt I saw something that said "Department of Defence".

[carnivorousplant]

"Department of Defence".

Defense or Defence?

[The Long Road]

There was also somebody mentioning that if they lost the library, half of Main Street could go up. So I'm willing to give them a pass on splitting up the trucks and tackling both fires at once.

And ditto to whoever mentioned that people should have shut things off before the power came back on. Hasn't anybody in this town read The Stand?


I wonder more about anyone having common sense. Let's see, nuclear attack just happened with many cities gone so let's sell our groceries for meaningless slips of paper. Might as well run that generator so the town alchoholics can booze it up. No sense making any plans for conservation. We've got to save the premature baby with a last minute gas run but noone thinks for even a second about fuel supplies being limited. Might as well power the entire goddamn hospital to run one essential ventilator. Too bad I like this show otherwise I'd be forced to quit watching it.

[Draelin]

I wonder more about anyone having common sense.
I definitely can't argue with that. :)

Oh, and according to Wikipedia, this week's morse code said "There is a fire."

[Tio Gringo]

Defense or Defence?

The folks of Jericho need defence around the whole town to keep zombies/al queda/looters/fallout/tanks/static cling out.

I did not notice any writing on the podium seal, but it looked like it was supposed to be the seal of POTUS.

Riddle me this: Why was Hawkins out with his nifty satillite link-up in the backyard in broad daylight? I can understand needing a LOS with the satillite, but why not wait until evening and do it under cover of darkness? :confused:

Also, what was with the Russian (or at least cyrillic) script on the site that he went to? Anyone translate it yet? Is Hawkins a former Soviet sleeper, or is it just a red hering? I am still of the mind that Hawkins is not one of the good guysTM, but if that is the case, why assist the townsfolk at all? Just keep to yourself and work your agenda?

[UncleRojelio]

Riddle me this: Why was Hawkins out with his nifty satillite link-up in the backyard in broad daylight? I can understand needing a LOS with the satillite, but why not wait until evening and do it under cover of darkness? :confused:
If he needed to uplink to a particular satellite then he would bound to a particular schedule. This one gets a pass in my book.

[Edward The Head]

If he needed to uplink to a particular satellite then he would bound to a particular schedule. This one gets a pass in my book.

Except he could have put the dish on the roof of the house and no one would have known the difference. I'm still not sure if I will keep watching or not, it really wasn't all that great this week.

[Tio Gringo]

If he needed to uplink to a particular satellite then he would bound to a particular schedule. This one gets a pass in my book.

Granted. But he was sitting in the middle of his backyard...I was half-expecting him to be sipping on a glass of iced tea. Surely a man of his (assumed) training and expertise would make some attempt at making the dish less obtrusive, like putting it in a corner or amoung some bushes or something.

[Tio Gringo]

...or on the roof like Edward The Head said. :)

[Batsinma Belfry]

Everything involving the government/military, including the phone calls, broadcast, and missile launch, was pre-programed incase of attack.

It was supposed to happen imediately after the attack, but was delayed until power was restored.



I started watching because it seemed promising. I still watch because, inspite of the plot holes, it's still entertaining.

[UncleRojelio]

Granted. But he was sitting in the middle of his backyard...I was half-expecting him to be sipping on a glass of iced tea. Surely a man of his (assumed) training and expertise would make some attempt at making the dish less obtrusive, like putting it in a corner or amoung some bushes or something.OTOH, he could always have just said he was an amateur radio operator. I've conducted numerous satellite conversations while waving an antenna with one hand and sippin' tea with the other. My neighbors haven't called the NSA on me yet.

[alphaboi867]

Defense or Defence?
Maybe Canada finally went ahead and did it.

[levdrakon]

Also, what was with the Russian (or at least cyrillic) script on the site that he went to? Anyone translate it yet? Is Hawkins a former Soviet sleeper, or is it just a red hering? I am still of the mind that Hawkins is not one of the good guysTM, but if that is the case, why assist the townsfolk at all? Just keep to yourself and work your agenda?

The word was vestochka. Can't find it in the dictionary. There were also the abbreviations "ch k" which almost certainly stands for Chrezvichainaya Komissiya, which is an organization concerned with counter-revolutionary activities & sabotage. Chrezvichainaya means "extreme" or "extraordinary" and it's used in the context of "state of emergency." Komissiya simply means "commission."

[carnivorousplant]

Maybe Canada finally went ahead and did it.
But they don't have any guns in Canada...

[Lsura]

I didn't notice it. BTW she's an IRS agent from DC (which apparently hasn't been nuked for some reason). The delayed ICBM launch suggests that the bombs were already planted in the cities and it took a few days for the government to figure out who to attack. Also why would the government be transmitting a feed of an empty podium as opposed to just a screen with the Seal on it?


I got the impression that Hawkins was somehow related to that feed - that his group (whatever that is) has that feed going.

According to the Wikipedia entry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Response_%28Jericho_episode%29) for this episode (I don't know how accurate it is) the Cyrillic on Hawkins screen was:

ЧК (translated "CHK") ВЕСТОЧКА (translated "NEWS")

A Turkish banner advertisement displays at the top of the page and partially reads: “Kişisel Bilgilerinizi Koruyun!” (tr. “Personal Data Protected!”)


I'm still watching - which means I'm watching it online, since I don't have a dvr and I work Wednesday nights. I keep thinking I'll give up on it, but then they do something like the ICBMs, which appeals to my enjoyment of things post-apocalyptic.

[levdrakon]

весточка being translated as "news" is interesting. You punch that into google and you get news.google.com plus various other English sites related to news. But you don't get Russian language news sites. For that you have to punch in "новости" which is the usual word for "news."

[Sens Nehtion]

Anyone want to speculate on why Jake traveled to places such as Colombia (twice), Qatar, Venezuela, Mexico, Guatemala and some others I may be missing? I also noticed that the dates shown on his travel records show he made short visits (less than 1-2 weeks in most locations) with the exception being the last one (Guatemala) where he stayed several months.

What sort of job takes you through those countries and results in you having your passport flagged (assuming they are related). Drug trafficking? Is he a govt agent? Someone mentioned the fact that he looked military in the photo and that he had dogtags, which might explain why he was in Qatar. Also Qatar was the only non South American country on that list.

[medstar]

Which one is Sprague Grayden?

Actually, I really think Beth Grant is cool; I'll never forget her as Mrs. Farmer in Donnie Darko. But I'm odd that way.

It's entertaining, so I will keep watching.

If so, then you should have seen tonight's My Name is Earl. She plays Ralph's mom who marries Earl in a shotgun wedding. Very funny. :D

[RikWriter]

Anyone want to speculate on why Jake traveled to places such as Colombia (twice), Qatar, Venezuela, Mexico, Guatemala and some others I may be missing? I also noticed that the dates shown on his travel records show he made short visits (less than 1-2 weeks in most locations) with the exception being the last one (Guatemala) where he stayed several months.

What sort of job takes you through those countries and results in you having your passport flagged (assuming they are related). Drug trafficking? Is he a govt agent? Someone mentioned the fact that he looked military in the photo and that he had dogtags, which might explain why he was in Qatar. Also Qatar was the only non South American country on that list.

One other job that might take you to such places for short times is security contractor. But you usually have to have military or police experience to get that kind of job.

[The Long Road]

Everything involving the government/military, including the phone calls, broadcast, and missile launch, was pre-programed incase of attack.

It was supposed to happen imediately after the attack, but was delayed until power was restored.



I started watching because it seemed promising. I still watch because, inspite of the plot holes, it's still entertaining.


I'm really hoping that Strategic Air Command doesn't have to wait on civilian utilities before launching a counter-strike.

[SenorBeef]

Add to that underlying matrix such idiocy as confusing first aid iodine and potassium iodide, plastic sheeting as fallout shelter, and a juice box tracheotomy, and you've got comic gold.



I don't see anything unreasonable about that. You need to block or filter out the particulate matter to prevent contamination - so if you seal air leaks in your house with plastic sheeting effectively, it would offer decent protection. What about that strikes you as unreasonable?

Also, apparently everyone listened to the 2002ish homeland security suggestions to get plastic sheeting - everyone had pounds of it.

Everything involving the government/military, including the phone calls, broadcast, and missile launch, was pre-programed incase of attack.


Missile launches aren't automated like that, and they certainly don't rely on the civilian power grid. The phone system.. maybe. Phones have a seperate power system, though, and I imagine an emergency dialer like that (do they exist?) would have its independent power supply, so I don't see why that would be directly connected to the power grid.



Would it be so hard for shows to portray computers in a realistic fashion? It's not as bad as it used to be, but, ugh.

That scene where the girl says "well did you try the IP address?" was unnecesary and ridiculous. Who the hell knows offhand the 12-digit IP of their e-mail server? In any case, it doesn't matter - the odds of the domain name system somehow being down while the internet is still functional seems pretty unlikely. So what was the point of adding that dialog? Was the writer trying to say "look at me, I'm hip, I know computers.. I can differentiate between a domain name and an IP!!!"?

Also - the computers all having the "EMERGENCY BROADCAST" image. They're not TVs receiving a signal. That makes no sense whatsoever. You can't even play solitaire because that damn message is taking up your screen :p


BTW, watching ICBMs take to the sky is creepier than seeing nukes explode, I think. The scene in the day after, where everyone just silently watches the missiles go up, is chilling.

I guess this means that there's some readily identifiable target for the nukes - another nation. After all, if it was Al Qaeda, who are you going to launch the nukes at?

[irishgirl]

Good grief, that show needs a medical advisor.

Juicebox tracheostomy...not good.
Ventilating a man obviously dying of radiation poisoning...not good.
A character who is supposed to be a former nurse giving mouth to freakin mouth to someone who had an endotracheal tube in place moments before, when there is oxygen and bag-valve-masks easily to hand... how stupid are these people?

[Turek]

That scene where the girl says "well did you try the IP address?" was unnecesary and ridiculous. Who the hell knows offhand the 12-digit IP of their e-mail server? In any case, it doesn't matter - the odds of the domain name system somehow being down while the internet is still functional seems pretty unlikely. So what was the point of adding that dialog? Was the writer trying to say "look at me, I'm hip, I know computers.. I can differentiate between a domain name and an IP!!!"?

Plus, the IP address had ".304" in it. Is that the IP address equivalent of "555" phone numbers? :-)

If there was anything else to watch in this time slot I'd be all over it. I'm very disappointed in this show.

[The Long Road]

I don't see anything unreasonable about that. You need to block or filter out the particulate matter to prevent contamination - so if you seal air leaks in your house with plastic sheeting effectively, it would offer decent protection. What about that strikes you as unreasonable?

Also, apparently everyone listened to the 2002ish homeland security suggestions to get plastic sheeting - everyone had pounds of it.



Missile launches aren't automated like that, and they certainly don't rely on the civilian power grid. The phone system.. maybe. Phones have a seperate power system, though, and I imagine an emergency dialer like that (do they exist?) would have its independent power supply, so I don't see why that would be directly connected to the power grid.



Would it be so hard for shows to portray computers in a realistic fashion? It's not as bad as it used to be, but, ugh.

That scene where the girl says "well did you try the IP address?" was unnecesary and ridiculous. Who the hell knows offhand the 12-digit IP of their e-mail server? In any case, it doesn't matter - the odds of the domain name system somehow being down while the internet is still functional seems pretty unlikely. So what was the point of adding that dialog? Was the writer trying to say "look at me, I'm hip, I know computers.. I can differentiate between a domain name and an IP!!!"?

Also - the computers all having the "EMERGENCY BROADCAST" image. They're not TVs receiving a signal. That makes no sense whatsoever. You can't even play solitaire because that damn message is taking up your screen :p


BTW, watching ICBMs take to the sky is creepier than seeing nukes explode, I think. The scene in the day after, where everyone just silently watches the missiles go up, is chilling.

I guess this means that there's some readily identifiable target for the nukes - another nation. After all, if it was Al Qaeda, who are you going to launch the nukes at?


I think the IP scene had more to do with the father than the daughter. Something along the lines of he trained them in how to do all sorts of things the regular dumbass teenagers don't know. Notice the next scene was of him setting up the dish and getting on his laptop.

[Tupug Anachi]

If so, then you should have seen tonight's My Name is Earl. She plays Ralph's mom who marries Earl in a shotgun wedding. Very funny. :D
:smack: So that's why she looked so familiar! (I agree, it was hilarious!)

[SenorBeef]

I think the IP scene had more to do with the father than the daughter. Something along the lines of he trained them in how to do all sorts of things the regular dumbass teenagers don't know. Notice the next scene was of him setting up the dish and getting on his laptop.

It wasn't hawkins' daughter that told her about the IP thing, was it? I thought it was one of her ditzy friends. Which made it seem even more excessive, unnecesary - and totally wrong.

[Tio Gringo]

It wasn't hawkins' daughter that told her about the IP thing, was it?

Yes, it was. Remember last week (?) when he busted her at the party and gave her a good reeming?

[FlightlessBird]

Yes, it was. Remember last week (?) when he busted her at the party and gave her a good reeming?I'm like SenorBeef, I didn't think it was Hawknis' daughter. But defer to your certainty.

And my take on the IP address scene, was that it is some secret on-line mystery that all the shows want (a la Lost) and that I don't care for.

[The Long Road]

I'm like SenorBeef, I didn't think it was Hawknis' daughter. But defer to your certainty.

And my take on the IP address scene, was that it is some secret on-line mystery that all the shows want (a la Lost) and that I don't care for.


Pretty hard to miss since there is exactly one minority family in the entire town. Anytime you see a black person in Jericho, assume they are part of Hawkins family.

[SenorBeef]

Yep, I rechecked. That adds some vague justification for the scene, but.. bleh.

[AuntiePam]

I don't see anything unreasonable about that. You need to block or filter out the particulate matter to prevent contamination - so if you seal air leaks in your house with plastic sheeting effectively, it would offer decent protection. What about that strikes you as unreasonable?


The recap at TWOP (episode 4) includes a link to a physicist who explained this. Something about plastic protecting you from fallout but not doing a thing about radiation. He said if there was any fallout in Jericho (there wasn't), barriers like plastic would help, but staying underground for a few weeks is the only thing that would protect from radiation.

Or something like that. Interesting article.

[carnivorousplant]

He said if there was any fallout in Jericho (there wasn't),
Elaborate, please.

:)

[AuntiePam]

I'm trying! :)

The recapper said there was no fallout, but when I click on the link in the episode 4 recap -- presumably where she backs up that statement -- I get a page-not-found.

But there was no evidence of fallout -- the geiger counters didn't register any, if I remember right.

Here (http://granades.com/2006/10/10/a-physicist-grumbles-about-jericho/) is the link to the physicist's blog. He says fallout is like particles of sand. We didn't see anything like that -- just rain that everyone assumed was radioactive -- and nobody on the show referred to seeing any actual fallout. At least not the way Granades describes it.

[carnivorousplant]

I'm trying! :)

But there was no evidence of fallout -- the geiger counters didn't register any, if I remember right.

Yes, I remember that.
Which led me to think it's a fake out, a test of some sort, but the crashed planes and folks dead from radiation dispell that.
Our problem is that the writers don't seem to know Jack about radiation, nuclear weapons, computers or, hell, cell phones. :) We don't know if it's and important plot factor or a screw up.

[AuntiePam]

We don't know if it's and important plot factor or a screw up.

I'd go with screw-up. I wouldn't trust any of the science, medicine, mechanics, or technology that we've seen in Jericho.

Did Hawkins contribute to the panic over the rain coming from the west? It gave him an opportunity to move whatever it was he moved in that U-haul truck without being seen. Everyone else was in the mine or a basement.

Except that he put on a Hazmat suit to do it. Or was that ordinary yellow rain gear he was wearing?

So yeah, they're keeping us guessing, but I'm afraid none of it holds up as a real mystery -- just sloppy story telling.

[SenorBeef]

I was gonna post this last night, but the board was screwy. I posted this at the blog entry, and he replied.

Anyway...



His complaint isn’t technically incorrect, but seems to miss the point.

It’s the particulate matter that emits the radiation (or rather, things attached to/part of it). So the better you can seperate yourself from that particulate matter, the better off you’ll be.

If you use plastic sheeting to seal your house, then you go hide in the basement, if you’ve done a good job, you’re going to be 10+ feet and several walls/floors between you and the radiation emitting particles. In an unsealed house, the particles could make their way through the house, including the basement, so now you’re surrounded by them and breathing them in, which is a much bigger hazard.

The level of “ambient” radiation occuring in the days after a nuclear bomb are a bit overstated in popular culture. To my knowledge, just being in the general area of somewhere affected by moderate fallout, say, in a chem suit, isn’t quickly fatal. It’s ingesting the particles that’s the biggest hazard - through air, food, and water.

So, lacking a dedicated fallout shelter, trying to seal up your house would be a prudent thing to do.

This seems to tie into the general tendency of people to mock civil defense ideas. “Duck and cover” is brought up mockingly as a ridiculous notion when it’s actually quite practical.

It stems from the popular conception of nuclear war being a lot more destructive than what actual nuclear would be like. People just assume everyone is going to die, that we have enough nukes to destroy the world “7 times over” (utter nonsense), and that there’s no use in trying to survive.

The immediate kill zone (95%+ casualties) of a nuclear blast is relatively small. Much bigger is a zone where a relatively smaller number of people will be killed, depending on their circumstances and action. Sure - if a nuclear bomb goes off 10 feet from you, ducking and covering isn’t going to be an option. But if you’re, say, 10 miles away from a 1MT blast? In that case, indoors, you (probably) won’t be killed by the immediate effects of the bomb. However, the blast wave created will propogate out that far (in limited strength) - and a big immediate danger is going to be flying glass. So what do you do to avoid being killed by flying glass? Duck and cover. It could easily make the difference between life and survival for some people.

[The Long Road]

After the storm, IRS woman got her hand covered with ash, she askes the woman next to her, "What's this?" and the woman replies "Denver". Wouldn't the matter blown into the atmosphere have been radioactive? I guess it could have been from a firestorm and the wind carried the ash but it was made to appear as fallout.

If it was fallout, what the hell was with the whole "We'll wait till it stops raining and go outside" idea? Been awhile since I read those Surviving Nuclear War books my father had but wouldn't they have had to stay indoors weeks after the fallout settled over their area? If it wasn't fallout, what the hell happened to it? The storm was coming in from Denver. If I'm offbase with this, please correct me because this bothered the hell out of me watching the episode where they came out and found no radioactivity.

One minor thing. If the power came on, I'd find the closest transmission line and start following it. You want info, screw driving in four different directions. Go to the nearest powerplant.

[SenorBeef]

The only plausible explanation for what's happened is that they had uncontaminated ash from a distant (from ground zero) firestorm blow into town. Unlikely.

[jsgoddess]

Oh, and according to Wikipedia, this week's morse code said "There is a fire."

Yep. I can't remember if I mentioned last week's was "He knows Rob."

I think my husband only watches in the hopes they'll have more Morse code.