Jericho - 5/2/07

[cochrane]

No Jericho thread the last 2 weeks? Have people given up on it?

I thought tonight's episode was pretty good. I like how people have come to realize the government isn't going to help them, and their neighbors may be the real enemy. Gray goes against Green's advice and it costs lives. Johnston makes a deal with Jonah, takes out the mortars, and Jonah reneges on the deal. Hawkins breaks out his stash of firearms and arms the town. I liked how the action progressed with very little soap opera. Gail bit her tongue when she saw Eric and Mary together. And Gray finally reaches out to Johnston for help.

Next week's the season finale. The town still has that tank. I wonder if the mortar rounds they captured can be fitted to fire from it? Give New Bern a little taste of their own firepower. Jericho won the battle, but there is still a war coming.

[Rushgeekgirl]

I really enjoyed tonight's episode and my boyfriend was drawn in to watching it too.
I usually watch it to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all, but it was pretty damned good this time.

I have a feeling it's one of those "too little too late" shows for most people though.

[Edward The Head]

It has been getting better the last month or two. I actually did stop watching after the first few, but my wife kept watching and I got sucked back in as well. I liked how Jonah went back on his deal.

I hope they don't cancel the show and hope it keeps going the same direction.

[RikWriter]

Originally Posted by Rushgeekgirl

I really enjoyed tonight's episode and my boyfriend was drawn in to watching it too.
I usually watch it to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all, but it was pretty damned good this time.

I have a feeling it's one of those "too little too late" shows for most people though.

That would be doubtful, given that it's had okay ratings so far. Just because some people on SMDB don't like it does not reflect on its popularity whatsoever.

[carnivorousplant]

Originally Posted by cochrane

The town still has that tank. I wonder if the mortar rounds they captured can be fitted to fire from it?

No, but I wouldn't think the marines, real or fake, would have fired off much of what they had. Besides, you can run over a mortar emplacement and bad guys without having to shoot them.

[cochrane]

The ratings have fallen off, and CBS won't announce their schedule till mid-May. However, the show is available on CBS On Demand, along with such hit shows as CSI, Numb3rs, and Survivor. I'm sure On Demand viewers aren't reflected in the ratings, but I've been known to blow off Jericho on its air night and catch it the next day.

[Turek]

Originally Posted by carnivorousplant

Besides, you can run over a mortar emplacement and bad guys without having to shoot them.

Yeah, I had to restrain myself several times from yelling at the TV, "YOU HAVE A TANK!"

[carnivorousplant]

Originally Posted by Turek

"YOU HAVE A TANK!"

To which Johnston would reply grumpily, "Ah Hell, I forgot!" and later, "Eat THIS County Football Champs!"

[Oslo Ostragoth]

The writers have painted themselves into a corner. People who put up with a soapy show before now must be horrified at the level of conflict with former friends and neighbors. People who were hoping for a gritty show may well have long abandoned it.

[RikWriter]

Originally Posted by Oslo Ostragoth

The writers have painted themselves into a corner. People who put up with a soapy show before now must be horrified at the level of conflict with former friends and neighbors. People who were hoping for a gritty show may well have long abandoned it.

You're the second person to say that, but I have yet to see any reports to indicate it.

[carnivorousplant]

Originally Posted by Oslo Ostragoth

People who were hoping for a gritty show may well have long abandoned it.

I was pleasantly surprised.

[Taters]

I was one of those people who got digusted with the show last fall, when most every episode seemed to end with some damn potluck or picnic. Yeah riiiight... the world has fallen apart and we're having a potluck.

That being said, I like the show better now. It's starting show what could truly happen; anarch, dishonesty, every man for himself and his, etc. It's starting to be about survival at all costs.

I hope the show continues, but if not, oh well.

[Rushgeekgirl]

Originally Posted by RikWriter

That would be doubtful, given that it's had okay ratings so far. Just because some people on SMDB don't like it does not reflect on its popularity whatsoever.

I wasn't basing it on the SDMB. I hardly visit this board enough to follow what everyone is watching.

According to this site: Media Life it's dropped quite a bit in ratings.

I still like it myself and I'll probably watch it until it's cancelled. Just like I watched Miracles with the two other people in the world.

[carnivorousplant]

I understand how Hawkins has a nuclear weapon, but where did he get all the M-16s?

[SenorBeef]

Originally Posted by cochrane

Next week's the season finale. The town still has that tank. I wonder if the mortar rounds they captured can be fitted to fire from it?

No, the rounds work in a completely different manner, it wouldn't be at all practical to use them as rounds for the Abrams.

However, the tank might have a full combat load in its weapon stores.

It would have somewhat limited usefulness - Abrams operationally are used more like tank destroyers than main battle tanks. They never even had a high explosive round designed for them, which is extremely unusual. They do carry HEAT rounds, which are used to destroy APCs/IFVs where AP rounds wouldn't reliably kill the passengers. Those can be used to good effect against buildings, but are not generally as useful in an anti-personel role as HE rounds. I'm taking a guess at the standard HEAT loadout for an Abrams being roughly 10 rounds, with 30 AP, which wouldn't be very useful as anything except intimidation.

However, the tank does carry 3 machine guns, and so it would be extremely useful in a fight against personel. Obviously there's a huge psychological factor, too.

Gas might be a problem - who knows how much it had, and how old the gas is in the tank. They're gas hogs and don't have much range - and I'm not sure you could just use regular gasoline, although I've read that you could throw just about anything flammable in there (jet fuel, kerosene, whatever) and it'll mostly work.

Originally Posted by carnivorousplant

I understand how Hawkins has a nuclear weapon, but where did he get all the M-16s?

Well he knew where he was going to be, if the bombs went off, since he'd planned it. He seems like a guy who'd be prepared to outfit an army if necesary, and he probably has contacts to acquire an arsenal like that, so I didn't see that as being particularly jarring.

Actually, did we see this arsenal of his early on, when he was moving the bomb from the storage room to his basement?

Anyway, I haven't participated in any threads lately because I'd mostly given up to the show. I didn't decide to stop watching it... I just never got around to watching it. Until I decided to catch up. And it has gotten hugely better over the last 4 episodes. Not great, but it's getting to the point where it's interesting enough to want to watch seriously, rather than as a train wreck.

They've majorly cut down on all of the melodramatic soap opera BS that I can't see anyone caring about. People don't find interesting in post-apocalyptic fiction for romantic or family drama. The genre is so interesting because it takes us so far out of what we're used to. People have to deal with the collapse of civilization, everything they knew, scarcity, starvation, lawlessness. There's so much conflict to explore with opportunistic people taking advantage of others, the conflict that scarcity can bring, attempts to set up government and other parts of civilization. There are a thousand things that can be interesting in a post-apocalyptic fiction, but "OMG HE'S CHEATING ON HIS WIFE!" is not one of them.

They've done a much better job of getting rid of that stuff, and focusing on the stuff that's more interesting.

It's not the best written show ever, but at least now they're focusing on the right things, trying to use the premise for something good. I'm actually starting to like it.

The fight scenes, by the way, are pretty well choregraphed for TV. Not mind blowing, or anything - but with the "MORE CUTS AND SHAKINESS = MORE ACTIONY!" style of direction of action being all the rage lately, it's refreshing. You can clearly get a picture for what's going on. Nothing behaves absurdly unrealistically. Overall, actually, they're some of the better fight scenes that I've seen on TV.

[Ferd Burfel]

Originally Posted by carnivorousplant

I understand how Hawkins has a nuclear weapon, but where did he get all the M-16s?

I thought the weapons cache was from the warehouse where he and his partner were almost ambushed.

[carnivorousplant]

Originally Posted by Ferd Burfel

I thought the weapons cache was from the warehouse where he and his partner were almost ambushed.

I wish I was keeping these when I record them.

[GNR JUNKIE]

Originally Posted by cochrane

Next week's the season finale. The town still has that tank. I wonder if the mortar rounds they captured can be fitted to fire from it? Give New Bern a little taste of their own firepower. Jericho won the battle, but there is still a war coming.

Hey isnt this a message board to defeat ignorance. Uggh Jonah took the mortars member he took everything. Its too bad the finale is next week when does it come back.

[cochrane]

Originally Posted by GNR JUNKIE

Hey isnt this a message board to defeat ignorance. Uggh Jonah took the mortars member he took everything. Its too bad the finale is next week when does it come back.

Hmm, yeah, that's right. Jonah would have taken the mortar and rounds, too. I didn't think to take that into account. However, the tank might still give them an advantage, even without ammunition. There's always the psychological factor. As carnivourousplant said, you can still run guys over with it.

[carnivorousplant]

WTF did they fire their one round at an empty, useful if captured truck and let a pickup full of guys leave? An HE round in the engine block would have killed some bad guys.
And WTF with the funky flag? Legitimate or not, it seems stupid to advertise that you aren't the "real" government.

[Klaatu]

Oh my God they killed Major Dad. Those bastards!

[Baldwin]

So, has the show gotten better? I watched the first couple of episodes, because the premise had possibilities, but it just seemed watered-down into standard family drama formulas (it is CBS, after all). It just didn't seem like they were prepared for the kind of grim realities that those people would be facing.