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Soon after the Jake and Hawkins away team returns bloodied and battered from New Bern, a weirdly silent messenger arrives to drama queen a delivery of a Motorola-placed walkie-talkie from Connie. It is from this walkie-talkie that Connie proceeds to issue orders to Jericho about what farms they will be giving up to New Bern. Or Else. The "Or Else" comes in the form of mortars raining down on Jericho, destroying pavement, cars, and people. Connie gives them another hour to think about his deal -- which includes control of the Richmond farm -- and Gray sends Stanley and some rangers off to scout the New Bern army. Dad shows up and bellows that he should have gone with the rangers and, spouting military tactics that sound pretty good, strongly objects to Gray's plan of Stanley and his team taking the mortar truck out when they find it. Gray ignores him, and a stunned and blood-smeared Stanley returns to town to report that most of his team was killed. It's at this point that Gray completely loses all confidence and wants to surrender the town to Connie. Meanwhile, Frodale gets greedier, Dad takes him to task for it, and the Hawkins family reunites.
Later on, Hawkins, Eric, and Emily kick into action and try to nick a New Bern supply truck. Unfortunately for them, another band of robbers had the same idea and, just like that, Jonah Prowse is back. Since Jonah can supply men, weapons, maps of New Bern's movements, and other useful aid, Eric, Hawkins, and Dad strike a deal to split the spoils fifty-fifty. Meanwhile, Eric, Jimmy, and Stanley have the unsavory task of preventing Gray from flapping the white flag at Connie, which culminates in a Reservoir Dogs scene of everyone pointing guns and shouting. Gray, bolstered by some ego-stroking of what a good bullshi-- I mean, businessman -- he is, tries to buy some time from Connie by proposing all sorts of other deals. Connie eventually tires of Gray and hangs up on him. However, Gray did something good for once, and Eric, Hawkins, Dad, and Jonah managed to take out the New Bern army. It's a serious bloodbath, during which a Jericho redshirt bites it and -- after the battle is won and the guns silenced -- Jonah shoots a New Bern wounded man. Just to watch him die. He sickens everyone, including his daughter, and then reneges on his deal with Jericho and takes all the food, water, gas, and weaponry, explaining, "I'm a thief." Jake frets about the loss of guns, but Hawkins awesomely assures him, "Guns are easy," and shows him his storage space that contains more guns than a St. Valentines Day massacre.
Connie hears about New Bern's loss and walkie-talkies Gray to tell him -- and I quote -- "This means war." Gray, finally coming to his senses, tells Mayor Dad he needs his help for the coming battle. They shake on it, and thing we know, Mayor Dad is perched on a flat-bed, orating about fighting, not for land, but for their very existence. Then, all choked up, Jake gets up and offers to arm every "able-bodied person" who is sixteen or over. They hand out guns, and the only chick we see stepping up to defend her town, aside from Emily, is Allison. It's a pretty dark but seriously good episode. I can't believe week is the season finale. Want more? The full recap starts right below!
After the New Bern away team returns to Jericho, Stanley and his posse keep watch on one of the roads into town. All they see in the dark Midwestern night is a single distant light, and it's coming closer. Okay, is this the Paul Revere reference? Are we actually looking at the belfry arch of Old North Church? Why won't they explain that to me?! It's driving me mad.
Elsewhere, Jake, Hawkins, and Eric drop in on Gray to tell them they are in for a world of trouble.
Out on the prairie, the light keeps approaching, and it is just a single person carrying a lantern. His gun leveled, Stanley orders the lantern-bearer to stop. No dice. Finally, the lantern-bearer raises its head to reveal...a young boy. It's Heather! That's the deep dark secret New Bern's been hiding: sexual reassignment surgery! I should have guessed it from all those phallic mortars just dying to explode. Staring Stanley down, the kid doesn't say anything
Back in Gray's office, Jake recounts, "I think we killed, uh, six? In New Bern." "Eight," Hawkins speaks up from the doorway. "I counted eight." Trust Hawkins. He knows from body counts. You can probably check the notches on his belt if you doubt it. Jake tosses Hawkins a quietly disgusted look. Stanley arrives with the silent kid, who simply sets a Motorola walkie-talkie on Gray's desk and switches it on. Connie's curly-bearded voice crackles through, confirming he's talking to Gray, and then he adds, "Henry? You can come home now, son." Henry leaves as silently as he came. What a weird kid. His voice heavy with "shame on you," Connie announces that they are still cleaning up the blood of their eight downed deputies and have decided that they "need" seven of Jericho's farms, including Stanley's. Also, they "need" half the salt mine. Connie gives Gray four hours to respond. Stuttering, Gray admits that he doesn't understand what's going on. Connie explains, "Jericho is about to be invaded. For the sake of your people, I'm asking you to surrender."
Tonight's Morse code message is, "BOOM!"
It's now bright daylight, so we should assume it was pretty nearly dawn when Connie called? But with Standard Time, wouldn't it still be dark for at least...? You know what? Forget it. My liver can't handle Jericho's screwy time-stamps. The New Bern Away Team has been joined by Jimmy and two deputies, who listen to Jake explaining that none of their patrols have seen anything. Gray blusters, "What is he actually going to do? Just march in here and start shooting us? We were high school football rivals five months ago!" Bet you regret winning the homecoming game and stealing their mascot now. Dad explains all the mortars New Bern still has, and Hawkins adds, "My guess is that they can hit us from as far as two miles out." "Having them and using them on people are two different things," Gray decides. Ah, he's going with the time-honored ostrich approach. Good move, Gray -- the sand will be very exfoliating for that problem skin of yours. "Yeah, that's what they said about nuclear bombs," says the man who actually has a nuclear bomb. Jake stares at Hawkins, who just shakes his head in irritation over Gray's thick-headedness. They have fifty minutes left to figure out what to do. You know what you could do in fifty minutes? Watch an episode of this show!
At the Med Center, Eric -- who doesn't look as though anyone has seen to his injuries, even though the New Bern Away Team dropped him off there more than three hours ago -- looks into the room where April died and has some serious flashbacks. Mom arrives, rushes at him tearfully, and takes him off to patch him up.
Gray has gathered other Jerichoians (the seven Biblically relevant farmers, I assume?) to argue about the ultimatum. Way to wait until the last minute, Mayor. As Gray insists that they aren't going to give anything to New Bern, one farmer leaves. Scenting blood in the water, Frodale and Skylar follow her out. Frodale insists, "You cannot give away that farm." Do you think he really cares about Jericho or about his share in the farm? The Lady Farmer complains that she can't defend her farm on her own, and Gray has said her farm is too far out for the rangers to police. "Then I'll defend you," Ol' Dead Eyes decides. The Lady Farmer scoffs, but Frodale grabs at her, demanding, "Are you abandoning it?" Lady Farmer sighs that the bank owns half of it anyway. Dude, there IS no bank any more! There is no money! WHY don't you people listen to me?! Lady Farmer chokes out that Frodale should just do whatever he wants. Ignoring the fact that the woman, who is losing her entire livelihood, is basically breaking down in front of him, Frodale wants things crystal clear: "If I defend it, then it's all mine." "If you can defend it," Lady Farmer bites back, and she leaves the purple-mouthed vulture with his vulturette. My bet? When the town goes cannibalistic, Frodale will take the first bite. After which, he will be selling Jerichoians in brown paper packages and there will be a sign out in front of the store saying, "New Arrivals: Mrs. Carmichael, Old Man Jenkins, and the part of Bill the coyotes didn't chew on. SPECIAL on rendered butt fat for candle-making." Emily won't have enough for even a tea light. Frodale steps over to his gang. Hold on, he has a gang? Like, what -- he's King Of The Dipshits or something? Sigh. Anyway, the hobbit orders his three men to round up all the refugees they can find.
At the Med Center, Mom dresses Eric. So much for his newly acquired toughness. Mary arrives and walks cautiously over, until Eric sees her and states, "Mary." With that sort of warmth directed at her, Mary beams. They embrace, Mary squeals, Eric says "Ow," and Mom's face works its way from disappointment over losing her baby to another woman to a grudging smile.
At his store, Frodale stands on a table so his team doesn't have to crouch to hear him and promises the refugees three meals a day if they help him defend the "second largest farm in Jericho." The refugees grumble over risking their lives for a promise and start to leave. Frodale gets irritated and whiny and explains that if they help him, they will finally have a place in Jericho. "If you fight for my farm and we win, then everybody gets an equal split. It will be your farm -- you'll have a stake in town that nobody can take away from you," Frodale explains, actually making sense and being very Berkeley co-op about it. Skylar gazes up at him all hero-worshippy and imagines how much sexier he'll be when his voice changes. Frodale offers them "a future," and the refugees agree. Maybe I should start calling them the refarmgees.
In Gray's office, time has ticked away. It's been four hours. Hawkins glowers, Dad looks stern, and Gray looks very uneasy-rests-the-head-that-wears-the-dunce-cap.
Jake rushes around to do nothing and runs into Emily, who flings herself on his broad and awesome chest. As she grips him, she strokes the nape of his neck. An intimate gesture that's reserved for lovers. So, this is what I have to say: GET OFF HIS NAPE! YOU DON'T OWN JAKE'S NAPE! That's Heather country. And if she's dead, Jake's nape will throw itself on her funeral pyre. Jake pulls Emily to the side to tell her something.
The men in Gray's office wait for the other shoe to explode. Bill wonders if they should call Connie. "I don't have anything to tell him," Gray negates. "I'm not just going to give the town away."
As Emily babbles that everyone's saying New Bern is going to attack them, Jake interrupts and says, "Now look, something happened to Heather. She found out New Bern was building mortars, she tried to stop them, and they caught her, and nobody's seen her since." Emily, nervous, asks what they did to her. Jake doesn't know and has a hard time meeting her gaze. "Is she dead?" Emily finally asks, bluntly. Jake wrinkles up and doesn't know how to respond. "Jake, is she dead? Jake?" Jake still doesn't answer, but luckily, he's saved by the whistling sound that bombs always make on television and in the movies. Never having experienced them myself, I can't rightly say if this is all Foley invention or not.
In Gray's office, Dad also hears the whistling and orders, "Get away from the winders!" Everyone hits the floor as windows explode. Jake and Emily also hit the floor, and Jake intelligently covers his head as candy glass shatters around them. After determining that Emily isn't hurt, he orders her to wait there and rushes off to be his usual heroic self. Outside Town Hall, people are running in and running out. Small things are flaming on the steps and in the street. Jake's horrified eyes briefly take in the carnage of the town center before he rushes over to check on people lying in the street. He calls out for someone to help but then catches sight of Mom lying in the road with a cut on her head. He yells at her, hoping for a response, but he hears more whistling, so he throws his body over his mother's and covers her head as a mortar explodes in a nearby truck. Jake casts stricken eyes up to the smoke-choked sky as we go to commercials.
After the break, things are burning, people are running, and Jake has dragged himself and Mom over to rest against the side of a building. Dad finds them and grabs at his wife, who mutters, "I can't hear." Eric joins them and tells her, "I'm right here, Mom." "What's happening?" Mom bawls, frightened. Gray and his deputies have finally left Town Hall to survey the damage, and Gray yells at everyone to take cover in shelters, Town Hall, etc. A stunned Jimmy informs Gray that Connie is on the line.
Inside, Gray bellows at Connie for being a sonuvabitch and demands to know what he is doing. "I'm sorry for your troubles," Connie says. You know what? I don't think he's sorry at all. Gray keeps bellowing, and Connie keeps up his calmly shrugging tone, saying that he warned them. Connie gives Gray another hour to think on his demands before New Bern starts another larger attack. Gray grabs at Stanley's jacket and orders him to gather as many rangers as he can find and go west, where they think the mortars were launched. Jowels shaking, Gray decides, "And we are going to TAKE THEM OUT!"
Scenes of blood, smoke, and destruction. Hawkins helps a limping woman with a head wound, and then Darcy finds him and tearfully asks what's going on and whether he's okay. Hawkins wants Darcy to get the kids and get to a safe house he knows of in Montana. Darcy protests this idea and asks how they're going to get there. For the first time, Hawkins seems completely unsure of himself. He doesn't know what to do for his family.
After Dad finds out that Gray sent Stanley and some rangers out to try to take out the mortars, he insists, "I should have been with them!" Gray points out, stupidly, "Well, you weren't here, and I couldn't wait."
Hawkins still doesn't know what they are going to do, but he suddenly looks around and says, "Hey, hey, hey -- we've gotta get underground." You know how Jake can smell the first wheat going in? Well, I think Hawkins can smell upcoming mortar attacks. Hawkins whirls around to the melee and yells that everyone needs to get underground right away. Rewatching this scene, I no longer think Hawkins is being cagey and intuitive with the mortar attack that won't happen for another hour -- I think this scene was to show Hawkins coming a bit unglued in his desperation to protect his family and what has become, to his intense surprise, his town. Darcy forces Hawkins to look at her and says, soothingly, "Let's go home." Hawkins, a bit calmer, agrees. Aw, I think Jimmy needs to give up his sheriffing and become a marriage counselor.
Hawkins house. Laden with a few belongings, the family troops down to the basement, and Sam makes a beeline to Hawkins's bunkered office. Although Darcy immediately calls him off, Hawkins thinks it over and decides, "It is the safest room in the house -- it's concrete, rebar, reinforced." Yeah, but rebar concrete won't protect you from a flaming tanker truck. Hawkins leads his family into his office. "This is cool!" Sam decides, as Allison and Darcy take in the fallout map, the board of photographs, and Sarah's x-ed out face. Maybe Hawkins should have taken a few minutes to child-proof the place before he let everyone in. I mean, Sam sees that photo of Sarah, and thing you know, he goes through the family albums and puts big red x-es on all the dead relatives because he thinks that's what you're supposed to do. Darcy sends the kids out for a little while. Sam protests, "But this room's boring!" Hawkins unslings a bag and announces, "No more secrets."
In a basement, Gray and Dad strategize. They have four minutes left. Stanley calls in and whispers that they are a hundred yards away from two mortar cannons on the back of a flatbed truck. Stanley reports that there are ten men guarding the truck. Gray asks Stanley if they can get to the guards. Stanley thinks so: "There's a path leading to the clearing." Dad interrupts with, "Tell him he's gotta send scouts out on both flanks." Gray disagrees and says they don't have time to reposition. "They have to know what they're going into," Dad insists. Gray raises his voice that he's not going to give Connie a chance to drop more bombs on them. Dad, who raises his voice to match Gray's, says that Stanley and his crew aren't soldiers. Gray interrupts him, shouting that Dad can stay or go, but the procedure is his call. Eric leaps forward and shrieks into the radio, "Stanley, get out of there! Don't do it!" Eric is wrestled back, and a couple of Gray's deputies pull out guns. Gray tells Stanley to take them out. The Glockenspiel Of Stupid Decisions Made By Elected Officials chimes out. "Got it," Stanley says and crackles off. Eric shakes his head, and Dad smolders quietly.
Back at the House Of Hawkins, Darcy wonders why Hawkins decided that now was the time to get rid of all secrets. Hawkins admits that he always thought he could keep his family safe, but after what happened today, he's no longer sure of that. Ever the pessimist, Darcy opines that nothing is safe any more. Stepping closer to Darcy, Hawkins breathes that in the middle of all the madness, the only thing that really matters to him is his family. "It took me awhile to realize that, and I'm sorry -- I'm...so sorry," Hawkins murmurs, dropping his gaze. Darcy's eyes well up and she whispers, "I missed you." Hawkins raises his head, and Darcy repeats, louder and more determined, "I missed you!" They kiss. Allison peers in at them through a crack in the door and smiles softly and almost involuntarily.
Gray's basement. The Greens and Gray stand around, waiting for word from Stanley. Jimmy chews on his fingers, and Bill finally breaks the silence to ask how they're going to know if it worked. Well, Bill, I'm guessing that if you all get bombed again, it's safe to assume it didn't work. Do you see how I figured that out? Try a little deductive reasoning. Gray doesn't say that, however; he just shakes his head wordlessly. More silence. Finally, Gray bursts out with an agitated "Come on!" Dad says nothing. He just keeps staring down Gray, who won't lift his eyes to look at anyone. Bombs explode above. Gray grabs the radio and yells for Stanley but gets nothing back. "Stanley!" he wails. Jake defeatedly leans against a wall and mutters to himself. If we could get Gray to draw it out a bit more, we could have a reverse A Streetcar Named Desire thing here. STAAAANLEEEEEEEY!
Above ground again, we see more damage to the town. The street is riddled with deep, smoking craters. Stanley, his jacket vividly spattered with a long splash of blood, trudges into town. He's followed by two other rangers who are staggering under the weight of a wounded third. Gray runs out of town hall, bellowing, "Is he shot?" Clearly stunned and not even reacting to Gray, Stanley keeps trudging. Jake and Dad run over to him, and Jake forces Stanley to sit down. He rips open Stanley's jacket to look for bullet holes just as Mary and Emily arrive on the scene. After sending the wounded ranger to the Med Center, Gray turns to Stanley and asks if he's okay. Stanley rubs his eyes, still silent. Jake, still taking interest in Stanley's chest, asks if he was shot. Dad asks where everyone else is and what happened out there. Hawkins and Mimi run over. Stanley doesn't know what happened: "We were moving toward the mortar truck and they were waiting -- they were waiting on both sides of it for us." Dad looks up at Gray and gives him the hairy eyeball. "They wouldn't -- they wouldn't stop f-firing," Stanley stutters, as Mimi clenches an arm around him. "Stanley, where is everybody else -- where are they, son?" Dad asks soothingly. Stanley looks bewildered. "Stanley!" Jake prompts, trying to catch his breath. "They're all dead," Stanley cracks out.
That's all Dad needs to hear. He stands up, never taking his eyes from Gray. The Glockenspiel Of Stupid Decisions Made By Elected Officials chimes out again, and Gray looks anywhere but at Dad and Stanley. "They're all dead!" Stanley repeats, rubbing his mouth like he's about to be sick. Jake holds on to Stanley's lapel and rests his forehead against his friend's. If Emily had pearls, she'd be clutching them, but instead, she contents herself with laying a dramatic hand on her bare clavicle. Jake's eyes go thyroidal, and Mimi chokes, "This is insane!" Jake turns his face of fury on Gray and launches himself at the mayor, grunting, "You sunuvabitch!" Dad and Eric drag Jake back, and Hawkins inserts himself -- arms spread wide -- between the Greens and the mayor's entourage. "Bailey's. Now," Dad orders, releasing Jake's collar and charging off. Yes, let's go get drunk! The Greens leave Emily and the mayor standing there, completely useless. Mimi huddles with a broken Stanley. The anvil pans down to show mayor's shaking hands and what do we see? That he's got blood, BLOOD ON HIS HANDS!
At Bailey's, the Greens and Hawkins pore over a map of the area and try to figure out where the mortar truck is positioned. Dad wants Jake to look for tracks and see which direction they went, adding, "And Jake, just scout 'em. We're not gonna do anythang else half-cocked. First we find 'em, then we'll formulate a plan." Mary and Emily charge into the bar. "Got it," Jake nods. "Just scout 'em," Hawkins repeats to Jake, subtly giving him his FBI/CIA/NSA/MI6 stamp of approval on the plan. "I'm coming with you," Emily announces. "It's not a request." Lord -- there hasn't been so much eye-rolling in my house since Quantum carried SURAK'S FUCKING KATRA. Jake considers her order for a moment then reaches in, pulls out his gun, and SHOOTS HER! Yeah, I wish. No, he just pulls out the gun, flips it in his hand, and hands it over to her -- butt first. "All right," Jake rumbles. Given that they are on horses in the scene, I was dearly hoping he'd say, "Let's ride!" But he doesn't.
Jake and Emily scout the area on horseback. Jake explains where he thinks the mortar truck went, just as Eric gallops up. Eric's wearing a navy blue longish coat, which, combined with the rifle slung across his back with the strap crossing his chest, sort of makes him look uncannily like a Union soldier. The beard helps. Eric reports that Hawkins saw a five-ton truck coming there from New Bern; it's three miles back. Jake reasons that it's a supply truck heading for the mortar site. Eric thinks they can take it. Jake agrees and "yahs" his horse away.
On a grassy bluff, Hawkins lies in wait with his trusty sniper rifle. Emily is to him. Hawkins squints through the sight and uses his jaw to nudge the gun into position.
Reenacting a scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark, the Green boys gallop behind the truck, urging their rides to overtake it.
Hawkins continues to aim.
The guy in the passenger seat of the truck catches Eric approaching in his side-view mirror. He pulls out a gun. Jake reaches for the door on the driver's side, but he doesn't quite make it and falls back. The passenger leans out the window with his rifle. Eric falls back a few paces and pulls out his gun.
Hawkins finally fires and hits the windshield. He reloads and takes aim again.
Jack reaches the driver's side door and climbs onto the truck. His horse runs off, glad to get away from these crazy humans. Jake sticks his gun in the driver's face and orders him to stop the truck. The driver complies. However, to add to the confusion, motorcyclists in black helmets zip up. Jake looks wildly around at these interlopers.
Hawkins hurriedly attempts to re-aim, but two more motorbikes leap up behind him and Emily and point guns at them.
Down on the road, a truck with many men hanging off of it is led to the supply truck by a slim black car. Jake and Eric hold their hands up in surrender. Hawkins and Emily join them with their captors. Jake turns back to look at the black car. All dramatic, the door opens, and we see a booted foot hit the dirt. The camera pans sloooowly up to a black leather jacket topped by the craggy face of Jonah Prowse. You know, if they hadn't spilled the damn beans in the previouslies, which undertook to show us practically every friggin' scene Jonah has ever been in, the wow factor would have been much more impressive. Scratch that -- there actually would have been a wow factor. As it is: meh. Jonah orders his men to let the Jerichoians go. Emily, her hands still up, walks out from behind the truck and sees her father. She drops her arms immediately and irritably. "Well, you two finally turned to a life of crime," Jonah comments.
Back in Jericho, Frodale unlocks his storeroom, and he and Skylar lead Dad in. Dad tells the purple-mouthed psycho that they're going to need his men. "My men don't fight for Gray Anderson," Frodale snits. "We're asking you to help defend the town," Dad says sternly and reminds Frodale that if they lose to New Bern, Frodale will lose everything he has. Frodale looks down, annoyed. Skylar speaks up in what is becoming an obnoxiously shrill voice: "If we fight with you, we keep Mrs. Herbert's farm." Dad looks at her. "And we get the abandoned Surrey farm also," Frodale adds threateningly. Dad -- surprised by the kid's lack of basic human emotion -- points out that they already own half the salt mine as well as a percentage of every farm in the county, "Now you want more?" Frodale shrugs, "It's just business." "This isn't about business," Dad shoots back, adding that he's asking Frodale to do this for him. Frodale looks down and away. Dad leaves. Frodale sulks. I'm glad someone finally stood up to the little cretin.
Back with Jonah's gang, Emily tells her father that they need his help. Jonah ignores her and tells his gang to pack it up and move out. Emily follows him. Reminding her that the last time he was in town, the Jerichoians tried to lynch him, Jonah shakes Emily off. Emily persists, so Jonah does the parental move of grabbing her upper arm and marching her away from the group. He tells her that she has to come with him. He's been watching New Bern move their weapons, and he predicts that Jericho will be wiped out. Emily won't go with her truck-robbing father; she wants him to give her his maps and he'll get half of everything they take from New Bern. Emily adds the kicker: "And if New Bern's army is a big as you say it is, you'll do a whole lot better than hittin' one truck at a time out here." The girl's voice has to get hick when she's talking tough. "You got more of me in you than yer ever gonna admit," Jonah smiles, agreeing to her terms.
Dad talks to a bunch of Jerichoians, who think they could just surrender to New Bern. Their utopic reasoning is that when the federal government kicks in again, they'll get their farms back. Dad wonders what they do if the Feds don't come back. The farmer ignores this and says that, according to Gray, they are only three farms away from making the deal with New Bern. He adds that the town isn't prepared to fight. Dad leaps to his feet and jabs his finger at the farmer saying, "I will get us prepared -- you talk to those farmers, you don't let them give in!" "Who else you got willing to fight, Johnston? The cops? The rangers?" the farmer whines. The answer to his question comes in the form of Jake walking in with Jonah Prowse. Dad's face goes all, "DAGNABBIT!" Time passes, and Hawkins is pointing at the map, explaining where eleven potential mortar sites could be. Jake shows where the driver of the supply truck claimed the attack would be positioned. Dad asks Stanley how the trucks were guarded. Jonah starts to supply an answer about men being hidden in the brush, but Dad interrupts to say he's not sure if he's taking Jonah's deal yet. "They have nearly thirty men guarding that mortar truck; I see nine here," Jonah scoffs. Jimmy walks up and reports that Gray has all the farms he needs, and he's going to call New Bern to make the deal. Dumb-ass. New Bern will not be happy with seven farms. They're invading and taking over everything no matter what. Dad realizes this as well and sighs, "I guess I'm about to make a deal with the devil." Jonah laughs: "You flatter me." Seriously, Jonah was just someone who got swallowed by a whale and then proceeded to have several of the worst days of his life. Dad orders Eric, Jimmy, and Stanley to do whatever it takes to keep Gray from making the deal. "Wait -- what do you mean, 'do whatever it takes?' What are you saying?" Jimmy bleats. "I'm saying it's time to pick a side," Dad thunders.
In the Town Hall basement, Gray broods. Bill catches sight of Eric and yaps, "Jimmy! Why'd you bring Eric in here?" Jimmy holds up his hand and gets him to back off. Eric and Stanley try to make Gray see reason, but Gray is too far in the miserable depths of guilt and self-pity to see anything but a white flag. Stanley gets his flunkies to escort Eric and Stanley out, but they fight back. Stanley bellows, "I almost gave my life for this town, Gray! You BETTER listen to me!" Then there's lots of screaming and pushing and something about Gray screaming with his eyes closed makes me giggle. Eric keeps yelling that it wasn't Gray's fault that the men died (except it was), and then everyone has their guns out and they're yelling and it's clear that the writers have watched Reservoir Dogs one too many times. Eric finally gets Gray to perk up when he screams that they have men out there. Gray orders everyone to put their guns down, and Eric explains that Jake, Hawkins, and Dad are in position to take out the mortars. He conveniently leaves out Jonah's involvement. Gray still isn't convinced. Recalling what happened that morning, Gray insists that they can't fight and says he's promised Connie that they won't retaliate. They just need time to put the deal together. After saying that they have maps of New Bern's movements and supply lines along with trucks, fuels, and guns, Eric is forced to tell Gray that Jonah and his thirty men are fighting with them. Gray thinks for a minute then says, hysterically, "Well, they could get us ALL killed!" Connie statics back in, asking for Gray. "Don't go near that radio, Gray," Eric warns. I was hoping Jimmy would just shoot the walkie-talkie at some point and announce proudly, "I'm picking a side!"
Dad sits in the passenger seat of the boosted supply truck with his gun aimed, waist-level at the driver. The driver nervously tells Dad that two years ago they competed in the same bass fishing contest. Dad finished fourth and this guy finished second. So, if Dad shoots him, he could be third? Shaken, Dad mulls it all over. They should have had Hawkins in the passenger seat. He wouldn't be swayed by dead fish tales. Because he's Hawkins. Jake, Hawkins, and some red shirts get in the back of the truck, and Dad orders the driver, "Let's go."
Town Hall basement. Gray is freaking out. Eric calmly tells him he can't make the deal, but he has to buy time for their team to take out the mortars. He needs to negotiate with Connie.
In the back of the truck, Hawkins checks his gun, and Jake fiddles with what look like dog tags. Hawkins asks if Jonah really will have their backs. Jake rolls his eyes, all, "Supposedly." "You are filling me with confidence, Jake," Hawkins chuckles. Jake decides that since Emily is with Jonah, Jonah will be there.
Town Hall basement. Gray finally picks up the walkie-talkie and says he's there. Connie wants his decision on the deal. Gray looks at Eric, who urges, "You're a good businessman, Gray. You know how to do it." Gray finally knocks himself into bullshit mode and starts suggesting amendments to the deal. Eric smiles at Gray encouragingly. God, they need to build up their mayor in order to nudge him into being a leader -- how pathetic is that, Newsom?
The supply truck shows up at the mortar site. One of the New Bernies walks over and demands, "Where you been? You were supposed to be here three hours ago." The driver nervously explains that he got snipered and had to take the long way around. Dad pokes his gun in the driver's side, prompting him to divert the New Bernie's attention by saying he's got a whole barbecued venison in the back of the truck. The New Bernie calls out to some others and they head to the back of the truck. Before pulling up the door, the New Bernie announces that they will eat in shifts and not pull everyone off from the perimeter at the same time. The door slides up to reveal Jake and Hawkins and their men. "Don't move," Hawkins orders quietly, "Drop your weapons." They herd the New Bernies into the truck. I'm not clear how this all wasn't observed by those who didn't come over to the truck but maybe they've borrowed Harry Potter's cloak of invisibility. Mack-truck -size.
Gray continues to negotiate with Connie and drag things out. He actually seems to enjoy himself at some point, but then Connie gets silent and asks, "What are you doing, Gray?" Connie decides that the negotiation is over, and Jericho has thirty seconds before he fires on them again. Gray tries to get Connie back on the line, but he's gone.
Mortar site. Dad, lost in thought, stupidly lets down his guard and looks away from the driver. The driver makes a run for it, screaming, "There here! They're in the camp!" And the fight begins. It's just Hawkins, Jake, Dad, and a few red shirts fighting from the shelter of the truck. A red shirt goes down, and Hawkins bellows, "Where the hell is Jonah?!" Dad yells back that Jonah probably doesn't want to get hit in their crossfire and orders them to cease firing. The New Bernies advance on the truck, but Jake sees Jonah's men closing in from behind. There's another barrage of shooting, which eventually peters out to a few stray shots. Then it's quiet. Jake, Hawkins, and Dad come out from behind the truck and look at the bodies littering the area. Jonah's men swarm over them and strip them of weapons and valuables. Jonah suddenly looks down and sees a bloody hand clutching at a leg wound. It's the driver. He looks up at Jonah in horror. Jonah looks him over with only the slightest whisper of pity crossing his face before he swings his gun around. "NO!" Dad bellows. Too late. Jonah shoots the second place bass fisher. The Jerichoians, even Hawkins, look repulsed by this merciless display. Jonah stares back at them, looking sort of scared of himself, and whirls around to see his daughter behind him. She just shakes her head in open-mouthed disgust, like he's just confirmed all her suspicions. Again. Jonah hardens his face and turns away.
Jonah has decided during the commercials that he's changing their deal. He and his men are taking everything. "And what do we get?" Jake demands. "You get to have bombs not falling on your heads," Jonah explains. Sounds fair. Jake, becoming unglued for the second time this episode, is dragged back by Dad and Hawkins, yelling, "We NEED those guns!" Yes, you definitely do. Especially since you seem to keep losing yours. Emily tries to reason with her father, who reminds her that he's a thief, not a soldier. He also tells her to stay away from him: "You're a school teacher, kid." Well, not so much. Jonah pushes her away and leaves with his men and their booty. Jake walks up to Hawkins, demanding, "We just gonna let them go? We need those guns!" "Guns?" Hawkins muses, "Guns are easy."
We cut immediately and awesomely to the interior of Hawkins' storage space. Awww, YEAH! Guns ARE easy! Hawkins leads the way in, and Jake shines his flashlight on guns of every shape and size. Many, many guns. Bizarrely, there's also a pet carrier on top of a filing cabinet. Do you think Hawkins keeps a rash of plague-ridden hamsters in there? You know, just in case a spate of locusts or painful boils would come in handy? "You had this the whole time and you didn't say anything?" Jake accuses. Well, how would that have looked, Jake? Hawkins admits that he never thought he was going to call Jericho his home. Jake stares at him, slowly comprehending the magnitude of Hawkins's statement and what he means to this town. Hawkins shucks the look off, saying, "Let's get 'em loaded up." Jake smiles.
Town Hall basement. Gray frets to a silent radio. Stanley and Eric wonder why Connie hasn't bombed them and whether Jake and Dad were successful. Bill, ever the dumb-ass, negates this, saying, "He would have come back on the radio." Not if it takes awhile for Connie to figure out why his guys at the mortar site aren't responding. Unseen by the room, Dad stands in the doorway, bows his head, and sighs, "We took out the mortars." Eric and Jimmy look elated. Bill stands up, breathing, "Hell yeah." Shut UP, Bill. Connie crackles back on the walkie-talkie, asking if Gray is there. Gray pauses then grabs the walkie-talkie and says shortly, "Yeah." Connie announces, "Now you've brought this on yourself." Um, I'll give you a big, fat, hairy WHATEVER, since all Jericho was doing was freakin' defending itself. Connie goes on that there will be no deals and no mercy, "This means war." I think he means "conflict." Or "police action." Gray doesn't say anything. "Do you hear me, Gray?" Connie menaces. I wanted Gray to bark back, "Bring. It. On." But instead, he snaps off the walkie-talkie for good. He leans on the table and looks down. "Johnston," he says finally, looking up at Dad, "I need your help." Dad continues to stand silently in the doorway. After a moment, he walks decisively into the room and locks his determined gaze on Gray's pleading one. Finally, he tells Stanley to get every possible runner out to the patrols with orders. The Fife Of Righteous War plays -- there's always a fife -- and Dad tips back his hat and sticks his hand out to Gray. They shake.
Night has fallen, and the townspeople are gathered in the darkness to watch a truck pull into their midst. Jake and Hawkins get out and silently walk to the back of the truck, where they pull down the tailgate. Dad slowly walks up to the truck and stands up on the tailgate. I guess it's speech time. The town draws closer, not wanting to miss one inspirational word. Dad tells them that this isn't a fight about land. Frodale and his minions arrive to hear all this. "This is a fight for our very existence," Dad continues. Gray catches sight of Frodale, who has the grace to look somewhat ashamed of himself. Bet it won't last. "Pray for each other," Dad says, "While you're at it, pray for the men and women of New Bern. Pray that God forgives us." Hawkins gives Jake a boost up to the tailgate, and he stands in his father's place to deliver a speech of his own. "Every able-bodied person [he chokes a bit over that word, which makes me tear up rather annoyingly], who needs a gun, sixteen years of age or older, line up," Jake says, his eyes now glassy with tears. He gets down, and Hawkins snaps back the tarp to reveal a whole mess of guns. As the Foo Fighters earnestly want to tell us about "Times Like These," we go into a montage of Jericho readying for war. Jake starts handing out guns. I'm sorry, but it's such an odd choice for a band. It makes me think Jericho will be fighting foo. Whatever the hell that is.
Out with the patrol, Stanley, with his face blackened and wearing dark clothes, grimaces as he loads up his gun. He checks on his men, who are assembled on and around a big piece of farming equipment, and they follow him.
Jake hands Sean a gun. Frodale and his minions walk as one flowing, amoebic body to get some guns of their own. Jake passes a gun to Emily. It's a gun of love. Which, ick.
Stanley and his team jog up a hill and do a crouch-run through some sort of high grass.
Hawkins picks up a rifle and swings around to hand it to his daughter. Damn straight -- Ally got a gun. He kisses her forehead. Jake makes his way to his father and hands up a rifle. Dad looks down sadly at his son, who has a face full of tragedy at what they've come to.
Stanley and his men reach a vantage point where they can see a huge spread of a tented camp. He pulls out some binoculars.
Dad walks over to Mom and kisses her on the forehead. All this forehead kissing is very "blessings on thee from his High Holiness," which I guess goes with the whole Biblical theme. Jake continues to look like he's about to bust out crying. He needs to stop that, because I'm out of Kleenex and I'm nearing dehydration.
Stanley lowers his binoculars and grimaces.
week: More fighting, and HEATHER! HEATHER! HEATHER! Heather stands in what looks like a white tee-shirt and fatigue pants and looks up at a jacked-up American flag with stripes running vertically and only twenty-one stars on the blue field. So that's where she's been all this time! She's been Betsy Rossing it somewhere. Make total sense.