The Save Jericho Campaign has come full circle; again the show is in trouble. Nielsen viewers apparently are not fans of Jericho or at least apparently not fans enough to stay up past 10. The timeslot CBS chose is being blamed both far and wide for the shows lack of traditionally rated audience. Many are comparing the ratings from last year to now and suggesting that Jericho has less audience for season 2. While this may be technically true I am fairly certain there are more folks watching televison at the 8 o’clock hour than at ten. Science Fiction, which is about the closest umbrella genre you could use to encompass Jericho, has always had a hard time culling viewers on TV. Battlestar Galactica, a critically acclaimed repurposing of late seventies SciFi hokum has only ever managed a weekly viewership of around
3 million. That is slightly lower than Jericho of late and says something about the way the show is perceived.
My older sister will not watch the show "Ugly Betty". She just cannot get past the name. I think a similar thing is happening with Jericho but in Jericho’s case it is that people just cannot get past the genre. Some of us saw the mushroom cloud on the commercials and were intrigued and others just saw post apocalyptic. That last categorization of Jericho I find very amusing as it seems that for hardcore fans of post apocalyptic fiction Jericho just is not post apocalyptic enough. Andrea Newton made reference to the usual suspects of that genre in the title of her essay
The Apocalypse Will Not Have Zombies — or Ice. I recommend reading the essay as highly as the author recommends watching Jericho. Newton lays out how all of her preconceptions of the show were off base and then goes on to paint an accurate picture of the essence of Jericho's story.
That essence as it turns out is difficult at best to capture. Especially now that the shortened second season and shaved budget have forced the producers to streamline the product while attempting to stay true to the method of storytelling the fans have come to expect. As I watch each new episode of season 2 I am reminded of my feelings sitting in a dark movie theatre as a new installment of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy was released. That feeling then and now for Jericho was and is WOW! Wow, what a good job of riding the fine lines of the fans expectations and wow what a lot of heart went into this.
A wonderful symbol of the heart and soul of this show was introduced in the episode “
Condor”. A flag belonging to the slain former mayor of the town is given to the mayor’s son. It Is the Gadsden flag seen at the top of this article. A replica of the flag Col.
Gadsden presented to the Congress for use by the commander in chief of the American navy. On the yellow flag can be found a rattlesnake coiled to strike with the words “Don’t Tread On Me”. Benjamin Franklin was an advocate of using the rattlesnake as a symbol for America. In 1775 he wrote:
“I recollected that her eye excelled in brightness, that of any other animal, and that she has no eye-lids—She may therefore be esteemed an emblem of vigilance.—She never begins an attack, nor, when once engaged, ever surrenders: She is therefore an emblem of magnanimity and true courage.—As if anxious to prevent all pretentions of quarrelling with her, the weapons with which nature has furnished her, she conceals in the roof of her mouth, so that, to those who are unacquainted with her, she appears to be a most defenceless animal; and even when those weapons are shewn and extended for her defence, they appear weak and contemptible; but their wounds however small, are decisive and fatal:—Conscious of this, she never wounds till she has generously given notice, even to her enemy, and cautioned him against the danger of treading on her.—Was I wrong, Sir, in thinking this a strong picture of the temper and conduct of America?”
As usual the writers of Jericho have done their homework. What a fitting fortitudinous symbol for the people of a small Kansas town who find themselves in a heap of trouble with the fate of a nation hanging in the balance.
