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If I failed to grok the Paul Revere connection in this episode, it's probably because I was screaming the entire time. (Yes, again. Because this show is awesome.) In New Bern, Eric and Jake are still jailed, and Constantino's men spend their time yanking them out individually for questioning. Interestingly, Eric is the only one of the two who gets beaten for his trouble; it's like they know he's annoying. Oh, and a naked bedspring is brought into the interrogation room, and we hear shocks and screams but never find out what it was used for. Or whether it involved knees. Hawkins teams up with Ted to spring Jake and Eric, and in the middle of their scheming, Semper Faux Maggie gets involved. We ran across her earlier when she was jailed momentarily, pretended to inform on Jake and Eric, and got escorted to Ted's grandfather's cabin, where she joined forces with Ted and Hawkins. After, you know, Hawkins KILLS all of Constantino's men who came with her. Hawkins steals a truck full of mortars -- after KILLING the driver -- rigs a bomb in the engine, and drives the whole thing into the factory, creating an explosion that distracts Constantino's men from slitting Jake's throat with a straight razor. Dad, who came into New Bern to look for his boys, is given the nasty runaround by Constantino. No matter: once Hawkins's explosion hits, Dad nabs a truck, and after a fairly awesome shoot-out, rescues Jake, Hawkins, Maggie, and, unfortunately, Eric. As if Hawkins needed to prove his awesomeness even more, on their long way back to Jericho, Hawkins whips out a medicinal flask of something alcoholic, and Jake can't get over that he is in possession of "real whisky." REAL WHISKY! Jake says it about five times, so it must be a really big deal. Back in Jericho, there's a big shoot-out at the salt mine, and one of the New Bernies dies. Skylar sustains a twisted ankle, and is exposed to how much his employees detested her salt miner father. This seems to slightly wake her up to how completely creepy and evil her dead-eyed psycho of a boyfriend is, but only very slightly, and they are unfortunately both still alive at the end of the episode. Even more unfortunate is that instead of Mimi doing more farm girl things, we get doused with the anemic flappings of Emily trying to make things right between Mary and Mom. It's as simpering as it sounds. However, it is important to note that Jake thinks the news of Heather's death is a lie, which means that Eric never saw a body, WHICH MEANS she could still be alive. Right? Want more? The full recap starts right below!
Gray and his trigger-happy friend, Bill, arrive at the salt mine. There are people on both sides of a chain-link fence, and they are all loud and rowdy. We get quick glimpses of Skylar and Russell, which probably means the purple-mouthed psycho is skulking around somewhere nearby. Bill makes some Deputy Obvious comment to Gray about how "this isn't good" and how it could turn into a riot. Really, Bill? REALLY? (Bill's an idiot.) Gray tells Bill to keep out of sight until their backup gets there, because he doesn't want the New Bern guys getting trigger-happy. Um, Gray? I do believe that Bill is the one with that particular problem, as he has shown us time and time again. Gray bellows that the salt mine is private property and they -- the New Bernies, I guess -- have thirty seconds to clear off.
New Bern. We see a cabin. It's dark. It's decrepit. In any other show, it would be either a place for Satanic frolics or a charmingly rustic getaway for an urban couple who both pretend to like roughing it and fishing, until cleaning too-small-to-eat perch and invisible but loud bugs send them scurrying for the nearest rose-covered, spa-offering B&B where they finally get honest with one another and their commitment fears and then have sex. But does that scare Hawkins as he creeps up to it with his gun hanging loosely but assuredly by his side? No freakin' way. Hawkins knocks and steps around to the side. Ted pokes his head out and looks around. There's no one there! "Hawkins?" Ted calls. Hawkins appears from the side of the house, his gun pointed at Ted. "What did I tell you, Ted?" he growls. Ted apologizes: "I knew it was you." Hawkins drops his gun and hisses, "Yeah, but if it wasn't me, you just gave up my name." This from the guy who didn't know peephole protocol. On the other hand, the FBI/CIA/NSA/MI6/KGB guy probably has a point: Ted's a moron and has the potential to be very dead before the end of the episode.
Constantino questions Jake about who Hawkins is and where Constantino can find him. Jake -- whom I would love forever and ever if he mimed zipping his mouth closed, locking it at the corners, and pocketing the key -- says nothing, but sort of rolls his eyes, all, "Come ON!" Constantino threatens that things are going to get really bad for Jake and his brother if Jake doesn't help them. Jake wonders why he would want help Constantino. Ignoring that question, Constantino reminds us that Jake, Hawkins, and Jake's brother Eric were caught trying to sabotage the town's only source of manufacturing. Now wait -- Eric tried to sabotage, yes, but Jake and Hawkins were just kind of slinking around the place. They weren't actually doing anything. Not that Constantino would let a little old thing like proof get in the way of things. Jake reminds Constantino that New Bern is manufacturing weapons, and given the state of the world, well, it's more than a bit creepy. Constantino repeats his question about Hawkins, but Jake sits back in his chair, tucks his hands in his pockets, and poses a question of his own: "Why don't you tell me what happened to Heather Lisinksi." The guard in the interrogation room flicks a look at Constantino. YAY! That means she might still be alive, right? I mean, would they bring her up again if we were just supposed go on believing she was dead? I don't know, maybe they would. After all, it's very dark to imagine what a town would do to one of their own, even though they kept Eric alive. Hey, why did they keep Eric alive if they killed Heather? Is it because they are somewhat wary of Mayor Dad, and Heather doesn't have any similar forms of family looking out for her existence? I'd have to scan the angry mob again from last week, but I continue to get the impression that there aren't many women around New Bern, which could mean sex slavery. Constantino tells the guard to take Jake back. "Let's go, boy," the guard says, because suddenly we're in the Deep South and it's fifty years ago. "Word's going to get back," Jake tells Constantino as he's hustled out by his jacket collar, "Word's gonna get back to Jericho about what you're doing, and there's NOTHING you can do to STOP IT!"
I'm sort of wondering why Hawkins hasn't loped back to Jericho to give Mayor Dad the 411 on New Bern. Maybe he knows that he can take all of New Bern down without any help. Because he's Hawkins. Jake is yanked back to his cell, where Eric sits coughing pathetically through a mussed and bloody beard. Now, they originally gave Eric a beard to doppelgang him as a total Daddy's boy, but now, with the growth, the strategic mussing, and the ever-present bloodstains, I think it's a vehicle to make him look tuff. (If The Outsiders took place in Missoula, Montana.) Once in the cell -- I guess Constantino is being uncharacteristically nice and letting the brothers hang together, which doesn't seem like the best strategy, given that it doesn't break down their morale and also gives them time to collude, but was probably a production decision more than anything -- Jake gives Eric a worried look. Eric is clutching one of his arms. "Looks like they went easy on you," Eric notes. "Yeah, for now. They haven't found Hawkins yet," Jake admits. They're going easy on Jake because they know that more scars will just make Jake look really tough and then they'll all be too scared of him to lay a hand on him. Wallowing in the depths of self-pity, Eric wonders rhetorically, "How many people have to die before you don't care any more?" Oh, god -- get OVER it already! You aren't going to break out of prison with that sort of attitude, Eric. What am I saying? You aren't going to break out of prison at all -- it will be Jake and Hawkins who do the breaking.
Jake forces Eric to look him in the eye and insists that April's death wasn't Eric's fault. "We can't even be sure Heather's dead with the lies they're spreading," Jake adds, giving me more and more hope. "I've seen, Jake," Eric says morosely. "I don't think I can go back." Just what have you seen, dude? Munitions, yes. Poverty, okay. Starving people, definitely. I mean, unless we're supposed to believe that Eric is holding back some horrible story about New Bern -- which, way to be stupid and not confide in your brother -- I don't really know what Eric has "seen" that is so terrible. I think he's making it up. I think he knows that his brother has led a far more dangerous and interesting life, and he's just trying to infuse himself with some battle-toughened darkness. He TOO has seen atrocities. He TOO put the pregnant fiancée of his murdered best friend who saved his life in Iraq on a train just before the country went kablooey. He TOO maybe possibly killed a little girl by accident and then made his dad and the viewing public sniffle into lotion-soaked Puffs as he cried about it. But he's not going to talk about it, because it is just that bad. I guess what I'm trying to say is: shut up, Eric. Jake reasons that staying in New Bern and getting himself killed isn't going to make Eric feel any better. You know, it probably won't, but it will make me feel grand. And that's really all that matters, right?
Jake thinks for a minute and then pulls Cheering Up Cellmates To Mentally Prepare Them For The Impending Jailbreak Action #45 out of his Old Navy hoodie. He reminds Eric of the time they were planning on watching a meteor shower. Eric doesn't remember what Jake is talking about. BECAUSE HE'S SEEN TOO MUCH AND LOST HIS CHILDLIKE INNOCENCE! Jake was supposed to wake Eric up to see "this once-in-a-lifetime thing." The Evil Dr. Mathra starts to argue with the TV, "A meteor shower is a once in a lifetime thing? Maybe that particular meteor shower was a once in a lifetime thing, but there will be plenty of other once-in-a-lifetime meteor showers for him to see. MONTH, there will most likely be a once-in-a-lifetime meteor shower he can see. Talk to me when it's the Tempel-Tuttle Leonids you're talking about, okay? Now that is something to see." When Mathra starts to rant like that -- waving around a Fat Tire to punctuate himself -- I just let him go on without interruption. It's safer. Apparently, Young Eric was really pissed at Young Jake for waking him up, so Young Jake gave up and let his crabby, ungrateful elder brother snore it off. "Well, I'm not giving up this time," Jake finally concludes, looking up at his brother from his seat on the floor. It looks like Eric's gone to sleep again. Jake taps his head against the wall and mutters soundlessly to himself. Suddenly, I understand why Jake felt the need to put several states, countries, an ocean, and an engineered "conflict" between himself and his family. Over to the side, we see Semper Faux Maggie being led into another cell. She's looking down at Jake, and the reason why she doesn't call out his name might have something to do with the curiously baleful look she's giving him.
Salt mine. Posturing, arguing, yelling. Frodale defends Russell's presence by saying that they struck a deal with him and New Bern. Considering that Skylar and Frodale aren't legally tethered to one another, I really hope she gets sick of his psycho ways and cuts him out of the mining deal he's always laying claim to. Talk about salt in the wound. The salt miners -- on the other side of the locked and chained fence -- get angrily confused at this "deal" talk and want to know what's going on. Gray insists that no deal has been made. Russell takes Frodale aside and says that they'll think of something, but right now, they need to stand down. "No, we're not leaving without our salt!" Frodale whines. Skylar chimes in that Russell is right, and this is not worth people getting hurt. "She's right," Russell says, to which Frodale gives him such a look of dead-eyed evil anger, I'm surprised Russell isn't instantly reduced to a dirty-blond grease spot. Russell starts to call his men off, but Frodale yanks on him, demanding, "Hey, what are you doing?" Russell angrily tells Frodale that he's not letting people get killed over this. Some guy...in a turban? Cocks a rifle. Dude, Russell said not killed. Get your hearing checked. Annoyingly, Gray has turned around from his yelling miners and actually heard that Russell doesn't want people getting hurt, but he still steps in and says, "This is over!" and shoves Frodale in the back. Wow, I know someone who's waking up disemboweled. And then all hell breaks loose. Except that it shouldn't have, because it's just a New Bernie firing a warning shot into the air. Although, let's discuss this: firing a warning shot to get people's attention or to shut them up is only ever a good idea when no one else around you is likewise armed and slightly irritable. Skylar shrieks like the salt-crusted princess she is, and everyone hits the ground. Even the warning shooter falls into a crouch, which is odd, because he's the one who shot off the gun. And then Bill (I think), who is stupid and trigger-happy and clearly not paying attention that the warning shot was fired in the air and not at people, starts shooting at the crowd. Nice one. Then everyone is shooting, and then, as I mentioned above, hell pretty much breaks loose.
Tonight's Morse code message is, "After-party at Hawkins's house!"
Med Center. Bullet wounds everywhere, which means Kenchy! Yay! Mom --clearly harassed and upset -- runs around tending to the wounded. I'm really happy to see Bill walk in with a wound. However, giving it some thought, he probably shot himself. Gray gives Mom his version of the events: the New Bernies tried to steal their salt, and there was a shootout. Mom "oh my god"s over Harry and his leg and promises that he's going to be okay. Bill tells Mom that he doesn't need her help right now and chases Gray down the hall saying, "We shouldn't be patching those guys up; we should be arresting them! They opened fire on us!" Where was Jimmy when all of this was going down? I miss his bumbling yet pacifying presence. He's remarkably soothing. Surprisingly, Gray yells back at Bill that they don't know who shot first: "I'll get to an investigation, but right now we gotta make sure that people don't die!" Speaking of dying, Mom freaks when she looks at a stomach wound and says in a Voice Fraught With Significance, "Get him to Kenchy. Now." Kenchy! Yay! (Okay, where THE HELL is Kenchy?) Frodale helps a limping Skylar to a bench and then bellows belligerently for ice as if she's the only one hurt. Even though Skylar insists she's okay, Frodale takes off -- probably to threaten people with his gun until they help his girlfriend.
Skylar hobbles over to check on Harry. Mrs. Carmichael loses her shit all over Skylar and sneers that Skylar only cares about herself and her boyfriend and the rest of them can go to hell, adding, "Wouldn't your father be proud?" Skylar doesn't know what that's supposed to mean, but Mom arrives to guide her away, explaining, "She's nervous." That may be, but thank God someone finally told the Salt Princess what everyone thinks of her and her dead-eyed Hobbit. Mary and Emily dart in and ask how they can help. Mary hands over the antiseptic she's been working on, which Mom takes with a brief "thanks" and bangs on a counter far too close to a lantern for my comfort. Mom sends Emily off to learn how to do charts and then looks at Mary, who stupidly asks, "What is this going to mean for Eric?" Barwench, this is NOT the time. Mom doesn't know and tries to charge away, but Mary nips at her heels, yelping, "Haven't you heard anything?" See, this is infuriating for a few reasons. One, look around you at all the blood. Two, look at all the bullet wounds. Three, look around you at ALL the BLOOD! Asking about Eric and worrying his nurse-mother, distracting her from, oh I don't know, STAUNCHING all that blood, is really not cool. Mom says -- more calmly than I was expecting -- that Mayor Dad is working on it, but what she could use is a roll of bandages and some gauze. FOR THE BLOOD! "They're on the cart to the ultrasound," Mom gestures. "Okay, I just don't know what that looks like," Mary says nervously, flinging out her hands. Mom sighs, rolls her eyes, and charges off to do it herself. Mary looks at Emily who shrugs. Because she's a helpful teacher.
In Gray's office, Gray and Russell yell at each other about whose fault all this is. Mayor Dad arrives to say that a New Bernie just died: "Dawson. I didn't get the first name." "Creek"? Sorry. Reflex. "Jim Dawson," Russell says sadly and quietly, before going back to arguing with Gray about telling New Bern that Jericho supports the salt deal. Gray isn't having it, and he doesn't support it. Russell finally snaps that they have to work together while they still can. This gets both Gray and Dad's attention. Russell wearily elaborates that things are bad in New Bern, and it's not going to go over well when six of them went out and only five come back. Dad asks what Russell is saying. He's saying get your ass in gear, Dad! "You've got people there," Russell says. "You better bring them back." Turns out Dad didn't even know that Jake went back to New Bern to find Eric. He also didn't know that Eric hadn't been seen around New Bern for several days. Dad announces that they're going, but Gray refuses to authorize it. Seriously, Gray? Dad doesn't care what Gray says; Constantino wants a fight and Dad's not going to have his sons used as human shields. He opens the door and barks, "Let's go!" Russell leaves with him.
Maggie is led into Jake's cell. "Maggie?" Jake asks, and then he looks down, shaking his head. "Maggie." Heh. He's so disappointed in her. The Semper Faux broke up when they left Jericho, and she came to New Bern with a few of the Faux, but they got turned away at the border. Nevertheless, she tried to sneak back in, because things are worse outside of New Bern. Maggie tells Jake that it would be easy for them to get out if they knew someone on the outside. "Why -- do you?" Jake asks cautiously. Not a chance; she's just trying to help. Jake scoffs at this idea, citing her unsavory history with Jericho and the Semper Faux. Persistent, Maggie points out that when you've got something other people want, you have to use it. Jake explains that even if he did have something Constantino wanted, he wouldn't give it up. "You're right, you shouldn't," Maggie agrees, "But I could." Is she a plant? Maggie finally convinces Jake that it's the only hope they have of getting out. Maggie says she'll give Constantino what he wants from Jake to buy her freedom, and then she'll get him and Eric out, and then they can all go back to Jericho. She doesn't exactly give any hints on how she'll be doing this whole "getting them out" thing, but to prove that she wouldn't just take their info and run, she bats her eyes and gets choked up, saying, "I can't go anywhere without you." A guard arrives to haul Eric out of his bed. Barely conscious, Eric falls to the floor. Jake protests loudly and shakes the bars of the cell -- an involuntary reflex for any television person of the jailed persuasion.
Med Center. Mom tells Dad that Harry's okay, but the staff is exhausted. Dad supposes he'd better hit the road for New Bern and turns to leave. Mom grabs at him and tells him to be careful, because she doesn't know what she'd do if she lost all three of them. I guess she and Mary would knit beer cozies for the bar and adopt a few pet rocks. Dad pulls her into a hug, and he promises that he'll bring them home. He kisses her and tells her to hope on home and get some sleep.
From his cell, Jake hears sickening thumps and wet smacks combined with groans. The door to the interrogation room opens. "What's going on?" Jake yells at the deputy. "What are you doing to him?!" Without a word, the deputy brings a naked cot spring into the room. The door closes and we hear more odd noises and yells. Can't be sure if they were electric shock sounds or the twang of the cot spring, or even if knees were involved in any way. Jake cups one hand over his ear and leans against his bars. Maggie begs him to give her a chance so they can end this. A loud noise -- definitely buzzing -- comes from the room. Followed by sounds of Eric gagging. Jake flinches and winces. "Okay, okay," Jake whispers desperately. More buzzing and screaming. That's pretty creepy, although it did remind me to remove my hairdryer from the bathtub.
Maggie is in the interrogation room. She tells Perkins about Hawkins and also about Ted's cabin. Perkins sends a deputy to follow it up. Maggie looks up and pleads desperately, "You're supposed to take me with you. That's the deal I made with Constantino. I go with you, and as soon as you see the guys there, you drop me off at the checkpoint." More and more desperate, Maggie screams at them to talk to Constantino, insisting, "He was supposed to be here!" Perkins tells the deputy to bring Maggie along, and if Hawkins isn't there, to kill her. They yank Maggie from her chair.
Dad and Russell pull up to the checkpoint. Russell explains who Dad is and says that they need to talk to Constantino. "He's up at the cabin," the checkpoint says. "We have orders he's not to be interrupted." Yes, these police state potentates do need their down time. Otherwise their Zen gardens would be in a complete disarray. Dad looks calmly at the guard and says, "He'll want to be interrupted for this." Just give him time to put his wooden rake away.
Hawkins and Ted hide behind a charred-out car as Hawkins eyes the Town Hall. "Not exactly Mayberry, is it?" Hawkins observes and then asks if Ted can handle a rifle. Ted's hunted jackrabbits before. Hawkins nods and looks away, saying nothing. "Well, I've never shot a person, if that's what you're asking," Ted adds nervously. Hawkins nods and looks away, saying nothing. He's so effective when he does that. Hawkins decides that they have to get mortars from the factory. "What for? We can't launch them over the fence," Ted says. "We're not going to launch them from here," Hawkins says, understated. Confident. Awesome. Ted sort of flares his eyes at this, like, "All righty, then." I secretly always wanted a Zen garden, but I was worried the cats would get too comfortable in it, if you know what I mean.
A makeshift squad car pulls up to Constantino and a covered bridge. Why does that covered bridge look familiar? No, I didn't see Bridges of Madison County. Sadly, I was stupid enough to read that hiddy book; I wasn't going to see the movie. ["You'll be glad to know you missed nothing. The movie is equally hiddy, and drama-wise, it literally stars the handle of a car door." -- Miss Alli] Where have I seen that bridge? Oh...wait! No, it couldn't be, could it? Is that the same dad-blamed bridge Jake and Sisko are sitting on in the first episode of Deep Space Nine? And now Jake's dad is on the bridge? There are far too many connections between this show and DS9. thing you know, we're going to learn that Jake's named his car the Defiant. After his attitude. Dad is dangerously civil to Constantino as they shake hands and he asks for an update on Eric's missing status. "And there was an incident up at the mine," Russell adds in the spirit of full disclosure. "Couple of our people got hurt." Constantino suggests they talk and walk.
Another makeshift squad car with a post-EMP clamped flasher pulls up. This time it's to Ted's cabin. Two deputies take off to surround the cabin, and the third stays with Maggie. He steps close to her and says, "You better hope he's home."
On the DS9 covered bridge, Russell explains the salt mine deal. Because he's clearly dead-set on raining mortars down on Jericho and not even considering peace talks, Constantino is bit peeved that Russell tried to forge a partnership with Jericho on his own. Dad defends Russell, saying that it was a start, even if it was mismanaged. Constantino blasts back, "You opened fire on our citizens!" Russell objects that they still don't know who fired the first shot, and Dad asks what Constantino would have done if a bunch of guys showed up with guns in the middle of the night trying to steal salt. Ugh, religious symbolism be damned, I am SICK of typing his big long Roman emperorish name -- he's "Connie" from here on out. Connie alludes darkly to Jericho's "constant acts of aggression" against New Bern and blames Mayor Dad's town for siccing Ravenwood on them. Dad protests that they nearly blew their own town to bits trying to protect themselves; they had no idea where Ravenwood was going . Connie is angry that Jericho didn't bother to warn New Bern or to help them when they were being raided. He lost quite a few friends and deputies to that raid.
"Then," Connie goes on, "I find both of your sons in my factory trying to destroy the last form of capital this town has got." Dad tells him to slow down. Connie doesn't: "Jake was apprehended yesterday attempting to sabotage my factory." Dad is really confused, and McRaney pulls off this awesome face of "but you -- hold on, what?" and says, "That makes no sense -- the factory's producing wind turbines." It's so challenging to recap the facial expressions on this show. I never really had to do it before. In Enterprise, there was basically furrowed and Vulcan; in Time of Your Life it was more dinners than face; and in Top Chef, well, they aren't really actors, so their facial expressions aren't all that interesting. Unless they're Marisa.
Connie, maintaining the lie that New Bern is only making windmills and windmills alone, says, "Your sons are pretty bent on the idea; I caught Eric the day before trying to do the same thing. We're holding both of them." I think Mayor Dad should tell Connie that both of his sons suffer from a Don Quixote complex. It's very sad, it's very troubling, but their shrink blew up in Denver, so what can he and Gail do? The music reaches a climax and shudders out. Instead, Dad's jaw drops carefully and he gives Connie an "oh, I KNOW you can't be serious" look. Connie's blue eyes blaze defiance from every cone and iris. Russell swivels his head back and forth, like he's watching a deadly tennis match. Dad expels his breath softly and nods with dawning understanding, looking away out over the water. He turns back to Connie and steps real close, so they're standing beard to beard. White Santa Claus beard to black, pointy Satan beard. Seriously, this man is so evil, his Spock beard actually curls upwards. "Now you listen to me -- I don't care what you think we've done to you, but if any harm comes to either of those boys, this is not going to end well," Dad says quietly. "NO chance of this ending well for some time," Connie spits back. "I want to see my boys. Now," Dad interrupts. Connie stalks off. Dad turns, briefly sliding his angry eyes past Russell, and strides after Connie. Russell, upset and worried, follows.
Ted's Non-Unabomber Cabin. Maggie's deputy cuffs her to the open car door -- ever notice how tough guys have a thing about leaving all four car doors open? Like closing them would somehow undermine their bad-assery? -- and goes off to find out what happened to the other two. Things are way too quiet for Hawkins and blood not to be involved. Maggie stands there, scared. A figure comes tearing out of the house, gun leveled in both hands. It's Hawkins, and he wants to know who Maggie is. "Don't shoot!" Maggie yells, crouching and putting all the hands up she can. "I'm with Jake! I'm with Jake! Columbus! Columbus!" Maggie yells and says "Columbus" about five more times, squalling that Jake told her to say Columbus and that they were in prison together and she was sent to help. Hawkins frisks her and she whispers "Columbus! Columbus!" a few more times. "Okay, okay!" Hawkins says to shut her up, "I got it." But he still has his gun on her.
"How's Jake doing?" Hawkins asks so carefully I wonder if it's a trick question. "He's okay," Maggie gasps. "Yeah?" Hawkins hands over some keys. Maggie undoes her cuffs as Ted walks up. Hawkins makes with the intros. "Where are the cops?" she asks, probably knowing the answer. "They've been dealt with," Hawkins says casually, gun still up. OH YEAH THEY HAVE! THEY'RE DEAD! (I swear I wasn't such a champion of television death before. There's just something about this show.) "Yeah," Ted mutters with a look that says "Believe me," and he adds, "You don't want to go in there." BECAUSE OF ALL THE BLOOD AND BRAINS! Hawkins sort of rolls his eyes at this. Ted hands over a bag, saying, "Here, this is everything" and clears his throat uncomfortably, which makes me wonder what the hell is in the bag. A head? A few kneecaps for later? The penile leavings of a disturbed London diner? Hawkins checks out the contents as Maggie asks what the plan is. "Plan?" Hawkins repeats, as though they don't need no stinking plans. He explains, "There's going to be an explosion in town. Hopefully, it will cause enough chaos that we can somehow get Jake and Eric out of there." Maggie thinks she can help; she has an in with Constantino. It's left hanging, so I'm sort of wondering if she's his constabine.
Eric is shoved out of the interrogation room and smashes against the opposite wall. His mouth is bleeding from the inside and he clutches his stomach as he's thrown to the ground of the cell. Jake fusses over him and asks what happened. "I didn't tell them anything," Eric nobles. "But I already gave them Hawkins," Jake bursts out. Scoffing through blood, Eric says it's not about Hawkins. They want to know about Jericho. Their defenses (um, a few hunting guns? A trigger-happy deputy? Oh, crap -- they have that TANK! Which...can be blown up. They have a BOMB! Which...can blow everyone up...), their troops, a stockpile of weapons. Jake panics that they have to get back home and warn everyone. "We will," Eric says calmly. Jake looks at his brother, realizing he woke up for the meteor shower finally. "We're not going to die in here," Eric says. Guess that last course of torture made him into a man.
Med Center. Emily stops by to tell Mom that she's taking off. Mom apologizes for being snappish earlier. Emily counsels Mom to give Mary a chance, because she's really trying. Mom knows this, but it's hard for her, because being in the Med Center makes her miss her daughter-in-law. She adds, "This was April's whole world." April needed to get out more. And frankly, if Mom is that susceptible, people better steer clear of her for an entire month out of the year. Smiling, Emily suggests that Mom and Mary have a lot in common because they are both "pretty tough broads" and are hardheaded. "In a bar fight," Emily finishes, "even money." No way -- Mary would have home field advantage.
Skylar painfully stacks salt and grunts whiningly as she does it. Frodale saunters back to check on her and reminds her that she's supposed to stay off her ankle. "Whatever, it's not like I got shot," Skylar snits. That gets a cheer from me. But then it appears that Skylar no longer really cares what happened at the mine; she's more annoyed that all this "random criticism about [her] dad is flying out at [her]." Skylar doesn't understand why people who were supposed to be his friends are bashing him. Frodale explains that the miners are just scared of her dad. Skylar insists that her dad was a good man. He paid for the clock on Main Street, and he did other good things. Maybe he lorded the clock over everyone, insisting that their time was always his time, or something even more Pottersvillish. "Maybe he did," Frodale says wisely, "but that's not why they were nice to him. They were nice to him because he had a lot of power. That's how it works." Skylar frets, and Frodale lugs his dead eyes back outside.
New Bern. Hawkins, Ted, and Maggie sneak into position behind the same charred wreck of a car. Hawkins is off to the factory to do a little munitions shopping, and he wants Ted to cover the guards on the roof. "I thought I was driving," Ted protests nervously. Plans change during a bomb-fueled jailbreak in a post-apocalyptic world; learn to roll with it. Hawkins hands over his gun, which Ted looks at like it's a big ugly bug, and orders Ted to take the sniper out first if necessary. "Five months ago, you know what I was doing?" Ted asks anyone who cares. Hunting jackrabbits? "Customizing my truck." Of course you were. Maggie was working on her Russian lit dissertation. Maggie asks Hawkins, "What were you doing last time things were normal?" Oh, this will be good. "I can't remember back that far," Hawkins says with a wry smile. I love him. Maggie asks how they'll know when he's finished. Hawkins cocks his gun and says, "You'll know." Of course they will. Because he's Hawkins.
Connie pulls up with Russell and Dad and strides away into New Bern's Town Hall. Russell offers to wait, but Dad kindly tells him to go home. "We can fix this," Russell says desperately. "It doesn't have to end this way." Dad waxes prophetic: "I get the feeling it's just getting started." He offers sanctuary to Russell in Jericho. Russell can't. New Bern is his home. He's got a family, a daughter. Plus, he keeps hoping that if he stays, they can fix all this. Aw, poor, good, idealistic Russell. Dad grips Russell's upper arm in farewell and walks away. Russell thinks for a moment then follows Dad again, saying, "You get in a bad situation, go to the railroad tracks and go east." It will get him to Route 70, and he won't have to deal with the checkpoints. They shake, and Dad thanks him again. Connie comes out, not looking at Dad, and says it's not a "good day." Dad will have to come back tomorrow. Because today, his sons are partly bleeding with a chance of sporadic bruising. Tomorrow, however, they are expecting a cold-pack front with afternoon scabbing. Dad's not leaving until he sees his sons. Connie offers him a deal: return all of Connie's citizens who were shot, and Dad can have fifteen minutes with his sons. Dad is quietly threatening. Perkins comes up. Dad gives him a quick once-over, dismisses him as unimportant, and jerks his head at Perkins, asking Connie, "What's this?" His escort to the checkpoint. Another deputy walks up. Dad glares long and hard at Connie as he backs away before turning around to get back into the car.
Factory. Using a nice long silencer, Hawkins shoots the driver of a truck filled with mortars and boosts the truck.
Eric is again wrestled from the cell.
Hawkins checks the back of the truck and gloats over all the mortars. After determining that there isn't anyone hiding back there, Hawkins climbs in and pulls two out.
Screaming at him not to shoot, Maggie worms her way back to Constantino.
Hawkins rigs the two mortars in the truck's engine.
Inside Town Hall, Maggie babbles that Hawkins is on his way to the factory to blow it up, and then he's coming to Town Hall to blow it up to free Jake and Eric. Connie scoffs at her story. Maggie is shoved back into a cell, but she manages to snag something off of the guard in the struggle. Her nose is streaming, and she has a large bruise across her cheekbone. She wasn't like that when she was on the steps of Town Hall, so I guess she's been "interrogated." Maggie keeps up her act of being on Connie's side so she can stay in New Bern. Alluding to how quickly she turned on Jake, Connie snarls that he doesn't believe a word that comes out of her mouth and stalks off. Maggie fingers the cell keys.
Jake is dragged into the interrogation room, and we can see the Cot Spring Of Torture with jumper cables attached to it. Doing a little Saddam-ing in here, are we, boys? Not sure how happy Mary will be to hear that. Jake is shoved into a chair facing Eric the Bloody. "Get him outta here," Eric older-brothers. Somehow, I think Jake can take it, Eric, but thanks for playing. In order to get more info out of Eric, one of the deputies holds a straight blade to Jake's exposed throat. Eric screams and bounces around.
Dad arrives at his car parked at the checkpoint barricade.
Hawkins arrives back at the factory, calmly gets out of the truck, and secures the steering wheel.
Jake still has a blade to his throat. Eric continues to scream and jump in his chair. Perkins bellows, "How do you defeat Ravenwood? Tell me!" Well, if you're an eleventh-level Paladin, you have the ability to breathe underwater. But only if you have enough health points. So maybe you should concentrate on being a Cleric and use the dead as reinforcements. Jake orders Eric to look at him, "Don't tell him anything." Eric calms down.
Hawkins puts a heavy metal box on the gas. The truck revs impatiently. Hawkins yanks the truck into drive. The truck screeches off on its merry way.
Jake yells at Perkins to leave Eric alone. There's an explosion. Everyone freezes.
Dad sees the explosion billow and decides maybe he should stick around a while longer. Almost the entire checkpoint takes off to find out what's going on. Stuff keeps exploding. Dad calmly gets into a yellow truck and screeches away.
Hell is breaking loose at Town Hall, and deputies are running every which way. Ted gets Hawkins' rifle out and looks through the seeker.
Connie storms into the interrogation room to announce the factory explosion and orders that Jake and Eric be moved to the warehouse. As Perkins and the deputies fumble with uncuffing them from the chairs, Eric and Jake's eyes meet in silent agreement.
Ted fiddles with his rifle, but as he catches sight of the sniper's face on the roof, he can't pull the trigger. He turns around to find Hawkins right behind him. "Where're you going?" Hawkins asks pleasantly, which, if you want the God's honest truth, would be enough scare me into channeling La Femme Nikita right then and there. Ted's freaking. Hawkins tells him to calm down and breathe; everything's going fine. Ted can't do it. He takes off. Hawkins curses and checks out the guards. Jake and Eric are herded out, so Hawkins does a running crouch to Town Hall and takes out the guard on the roof. Still running (but not crouching), Hawkins pulls out another gun and fires at another guard. Jake elbows free from his own guard and grabs a gun. More fire. Lots of firing! Someone shoots at Hawkins from the roof and he goes down, leaving splatters of blood on a guard desk wall. Jake takes out the guard holding his brother. Shooting, running, diving, jumping. Maggie runs out into the middle of all this and screams for Jake, and she's hit in the leg for being stupid. Dad pulls up and yells for them. His truck is rained with bullets. Hawkins yells at everyone to go. He stands up and gives cover fire. Jake and Maggie and Eric run to the truck. Finally, Hawkins gets on the truck, and they tear out to the RR tracks and head east.
Jericho. People arrive at Frodale's store, bringing wood and stuff. There's a new sign outside that says, "New arrivals potatoes and meat inquire inside for trade." Mrs. Carmichael slinks in with a small bag of grain. Skylar stares at her but steps behind the counter and politely asks what she can do for her. Reluctant to meet Skylar's eyes, Mrs. Carmichael quietly says she heard they have meat. "One of Mr. Henderson's mares broke her leg, but she was healthy," Skylar says. Oooh, NOW I get the Paul Revere reference -- they're eating Brown Beauty! Frodale -- who has been watching the whole exchange with his dead eyes -- steps out of the back. Mrs. Carmichael puts down her pound of grain and asks for a quarter pound of meat. She doesn't say anything else. As Skylar turns sadly to get the meat -- I guess she was hoping for an apology -- Frodale announces that it won't be enough. "But that's what it says: four pounds of grain for a pound of meat," Mrs. Carmichael stutters protestingly. "The price went up," Frodale dead-eyes. "Sorry." He has no other emotion. Mrs. Carmichael pleads with Skylar that it's for her husband; the doctor says he needs protein. Skylar, who clearly lost her spine when she dived into Frodale's sleeping bag, looks over at him. Frodale shrugs with a glare at Skylar, says it's her call, and walks to the back. Where he continues to keep silent watch with his dead eyes. Skylar gets a folded and taped brown paper package of meat and holds it, saying, "My father was a good man, Mrs. Carmichael." Do you think Mr. Henderson ground up his mare and wrapped it up so neat and clean or is Frodale hand-cranking it in the back? Either way, New Bern can add "glue" to the list of Jericho's assets.
Mrs. Carmichael looks down at how Skylar is not letting go of the meat package. "Yes, he was," Mrs. Carmichael says uncomfortably. Skylar nods. Yeah, because when you extort people using ground horsemeat as an incentive, you can believe that everything they say comes from the heart. Skylar finally releases her grip on the package and sadly tells Mrs. Carmichael that it's a quarter-pound. Mrs. Carmichael looks shiftily back at Frodale and thanks Skylar. Frodale glares, probably thinking that Skylar is going to have to have that sort of residual sympathy beaten out of her.
Mary washes jars at her bar and yells "We're closed!" as her door opens. But it's Mom, who is there to return the antiseptic jar and make nice. Mary offers a fresh batch of the antiseptic, which Mom gratefully accepts. They have a slightly stilted conversation, during which we learn that Mary makes her own vodka. According to Mom, Gray has announced that if Dad isn't back from New Bern by dawn, he's going after them himself. They both agree it's going to be a long night, but Mom turns down Mary's offer to wait it out together in the bar. Still, they both promise to alert one another if they hear anything.
Somewhere between Jericho and New Bern, the Jerichoians abandon their truck and cover it with brush. They've run out of gas and have to walk the rest of the way. Pale, clammy, and in pain, Maggie leans against a tree. Hawkins looks down at her with concern as Dad checks her out. Pulling Jake aside, Hawkins expresses doubts about bringing Maggie with them; she'll slow them down. Hawkins is so evil. Eric and Jake won't hear of it -- she's coming. Hawkins shrugs and takes a sip from his flask. Eric gives Hawkins back his knife and asks how his shoulder is. "Hurts like hell," Hawkins admits. Dad boosts Maggie over his shoulder and hoists her up. I've always wanted to be so injured after a fight-for-your-life experience that some nice, strong, grandfatherly figure (with very padded shoulders) has to carry me home that way while I bleed delicately all over his tweed jacket. Hawkins asks how Eric is doing. "I'm still walking," Eric smiles. "Yes, you are," Hawkins assures him warmly. Aw, happy, bloody shot-up family! Hawkins passes his flask to Jake, who announces, "This is real whisky." Because he knows. Because he's Jake. "Mmm-hmm," Hawkins agrees. "This is actual whisky," Jake says again, chortling. Hawkins kept a stash for emergencies. "Yeah, I'll bet you did," Jake teases. And only Hawkins and Jake know how deep that goes. See how torture, bombs, and a shootout can bring an entire town together? It's the American dream. Jake passes the flask to his brother and says something Family Channel about no meteor shower, but still, the sky is pretty. Eric thanks Jake for coming to get him. "Smell that?" Jake asks, after a moment. "First wheat's going in," Dad agrees. It used to be Jake's favorite time of year. I'm guessing Jake's current favorite time of year is when he doesn't get shot. Dad tells them to hush and to listen to the wind. Is it willowing? Wuthering? Blowing answers? What? "Still moving after everything we did," Dad says. "And with everything that's coming," Jake sighs portentously. Hawkins, tired of all this heartland talk, urges them to keep moving. We pan up to look at the stars.