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Jericho: Reconstruction

By fred | February 13, 2008

(S02E01) Do you remember last season ? It was the great times when networks would cancel new series after only two episodes aired, because they didn’t give a shit about their shows or their viewers. Well, none if this changed, but now they don’t cancel anything, because they don’t have anything to cancel anymore.

But last season was also the season during which we’ve seen this CBS show about a little town having to survive after nuclear explosions hit America. No one knew what was happening everywhere else in the World, and they didn’t had time to worry too much about that : they needed to find ways to stay alive, and keep their town alive first. By the end of the season, it was obvious they weren’t too good at that : a very bad fight was just beginning with the town next door.

And then, after destroying the show by sabotaging the schedule, CBS simply canceled the show. Because they’re freaking morons.

Luckily fans didn’t let it slide, they all went “nuts” and CBS caved in, sort of. And now, we have a second season to enjoy. A very short one, as this season will only have seven episodes, but that’s a new season still.

A new season which opens really well, I have to say. That was one hell of a debut, and it sure promise a lot for things to come. I have to say that I was quite impressed with this episode, which was pretty damned good, there’s no question about it.

Although I have to be honest, I was also very surprised by the way things went down. I was, because after a quick “resolution” of the cliffhanger from last season’s finale, things moved on to the next level. While watching, I was questioning how the hardcore fans of the show would react to such a thing. I did watched the first season back when it first aired, and I liked it.

I did, and I personally had no problem with the way this episode moved on, more than that I welcome this evolution. Yet, I was “shocked”, or surprised, by it. They practically washed away all the plots from last season with one hand, and moved on to a new thing. The war that was about to start last season, it’s over. Many people died, but we don’t really know who actually died and who did not.

Remember the kid and his new girlfriend who had the store and fought for it ? Remember Bonnie, the deaf sister ? Remember Emily’s father, Jonah ? Remember all those people ? I’m not sure what happened to them. Are they dead, or hiding, or did they leave ? I don’t know, we don’t know, no one bothered telling us. At least we know Heather is still alive, and around, which I was glad to find out. But for a lot of the people from last season, we don’t know, no one talked about it.

No one did, because the plot moved on to a different level, we jump months ahead and learn about what’s going on in the world, outside Jericho. The show has been completely re-thought, we know there’s a new government, and some people still fighting for power, we’re not wondering about all this no more. And we don’t care about the little things of Jericho.

Back during the first season, it was all about Jericho, and that town only - almost. It was about relationships between people, it was romance and fights for power, it was survival issues regarding food or energy. This season, there none of that anymore, it’s like the show had been stripped down from all of that, to only keep and focus on the whole post-apocalyptic plot.

Posted in Reviews
Shows: Jericho