PopSyndicate.com

A week after the town hears a radio report about terrorists with fake FBI badges, Deputy Jimmy approaches Jake with his suspicions about Hawkins. Jimmy and Mayor Gray Anderson – recovering from a gunshot wound – saw the badge at Hawkins home earlier on in the series. With Gray out of commission, Jimmy turns to Jake for advice.

A search of Hawkins home turns up several fake security badges, weapons and wads of cash. Jake and Jimmy work out a plan: Jake – not an official lawman, mind you – will confront Hawkins while Jimmy waits outside. Jimmy will return after an hour or so to see if Jake needs assistance, or if Hawkins is the real deal.

Hawkins had strategically placed a paperclip in the doorway – poor man’s security. Connoisseurs of similar shows know from the start exactly how this paperclip will become significant later in the hour – so that makes the ending predictable. Jake finds the paperclip and puts it back in there before Hawkins returns so the man won’t know he lay in wait.

Hawkins finds the clip not exactly as he put it. He takes it out of the doorway and goes inside. Jake cuffs Hawkins, who fills him in on the details of what really happened – all the while working on the cuffs with the clip.

In an if-I-tell-you-I’ll-have-to-kill-you moment, Hawkins spills all to Jake.

Hawkins works for the CIA. He left the business for his family, but was called back after the agency discovered a highly-organized terrorist cell had stolen a shipment of nuclear weapons on its way to government storage.

The network consists of anarchists, religious fanatics (aren’t they always terrorists in prime time?) and domestic terrorists. They’ve taken the warheads and created 25 bombs to detonate in American cities. The head of this conspiracy? An American. They don’t know who or anything else about the cells.

Hawkins is paired with Sarah Mason, the woman who’d eventually become his lover and try to murder Hawkins and his family for the warhead Hawkins stole from the group.

They must infiltrate the organizations. It takes four years – eight months of which Hawkins spends in prison to make contacts. He doesn’t gain purchase into his cell until he sells out an FBI informant to show his loyalty.

Before he’s killed the informant gets Hawkins arrested and nearly blows his cover – which reiterates that law enforcement agencies never cooperate with each other. During a meeting, Hawkins confirms that his cover wasn’t blow, but he is concerned. He believes they should take down the cells they have – it’s just too risky to continue. Robert tells Valente – Homeland Security man with a cane – that they could confiscate 1/3, possibly half of the warheads, but not all. Sarah disagrees with Robert’s assessment and tells the Head Honchos they should wait until they have all of them. A few private words with Valente – a beautifully-writtten tête-à-tête with double entendres for Sarah’s later deception – and the agency sticks to the original plan to take down all the cells.

Someone tips off the terrorists and they move up the attacks. Robert tries to tell his bosses, but it’s too late. The bomb he was to take to Columbus, Ohio, goes with him and his estranged family to Jericho, Kan. You know the rest.

Jake gets distracted by a noise. Hawkins gets Jake’s gun and tells him to call Jimmy off. Jake does so; Jimmy says he’ll be outside, waiting.

Hawkins shows Jake the bomb and the two men form an uneasy alliance. It’s the perfect pairing because neither man trusts anyone. They are both smart and able to do what’s necessary to save lives.

Jake vouches for Hawkins to Jimmy one last time. Now, finally, Jake is part of the conspiracy and must help Hawkins take down the bad guys – something that should have occurred close after the episode detailing Jake’s past with Ravenwood and time in Iraq.

Hawkins finally puts it together that Valente – the man from the team meeting four years ago – is somehow involved in the bombings. Whether he’s a bad guy, or working for the good to get the bad, we don’t know.

In subplot news: Johnstone and Gail struggle with their grief over April and the baby, while Mimi and Bonnie mend fences. Mimi talked to a chicken throughout the episode – just before she killed it – which offered surprising comic relief.

Wednesday night’s ditty was the first of the last five in this season of Jericho. While it wasn’t bad, it lacked the intensity I was expecting from the much-touted episode. Creative camera work and high-tech graphics – like those featured in earlier online segments – would have added UMPH.

Think about it: This is the crossroads episode. We get the goods on Hawkins and he pairs up with antihero Jake Green, two things that have been struggling to come to pass throughout the series.

I expect the last four episodes to build to a dramatic conclusion – one that makes me want to see it next year. Creators cannot resort to the slow-paced beginning to keep viewers tuned in and demanding a new season.

The show hasn’t been bad, but its longevity is short – unless there is more impact per episode. There are too many good twists in this storyline to let it fall flat. One issue is that creators tend to hit one plot line, then drop it in favor of something else the next week. We jump from episode to episode with different plots – Hawkins, refugees, the mayor’s race, Marines, Jake & Emily & Heather – that it’s difficult to get a handle on the show. Focusing efforts on the bombs with solid subplots about the people in Jericho could easily solve this problem. It would also bring Jake Green’s character to the forefront. The antihero is a man people should know more about – and he’s the perfect partner for the battle-scarred Hawkins.

www.whodroppedthebomb.com

3