WARNING: This page contains spoilers

Original air date: April 25, 2007

Morse code deciphered: We pledge

Summary:
Tensions mount when several residents from New Bern try to steal salt from Jericho's mine and shots are fired. - from thefutoncritic.com

Episode recap:
This episode begins with a very angry Gray Anderson telling everybody to get off of Jericho's private property. Skylar, Dale, Russell, and a couple guys from New Bern are getting ready to take their "share" of the salt from the mine. Russell foresees danger and warns Dale that they should pull out and try again later. Dale is resolute.

In New Bern, meanwhile, Eric and Jake are both being held in prison. Their fate is worse than sitting idly in a cell though, as each of them (but especially Eric) are frequently taken away to be questioned by the sheriff. Jake goes to be questioned for the first time and is asked where his friend is. (AKA Hawkins). Jake will not answer that question but takes the liberty of asking his own: what happened to Heather? The appropriately named Sheriff (Constantino) does not relieve Jake's mind on that subject but throws him back into jail. Eric is relieved to see that they "went easy" on Jake and that he had obtained no physical harm (yet). However Eric is showing a large amount of depression and hopelessness about the whole situation.

"Jake," he says, "...how many people have to die before you don't care anymore?"

After which Jake reminds Eric that none of this is his fault. The ever-optimistic older brother then tries to cheer Eric up by the retelling of childhood memories.

Back in Jericho, the salt mine situation has turned ugly and there was a shoot out. No one knew who shot first. Many people have to be rushed to the med center. Skylar obtains nothing worse than a sprained ankle, but Dale is nonetheless in a rage to help her. Skylar hardly appreciates this; she is more worried about the men who got shot. But when she tries to help around, she is only greeted by "random criticism" of her family name and of her father. Russell again implores Gray to accept the salt deal, or else there will be trouble. Johnston ,who is also, there, asks what there is to be so afraid of. Russell hesitantly replies that if they had anyone over in New Bern, they should bring them back to Jericho at once. Johnston catches his drift and realizes with horror that both his ons are in New Bern! After a quick goodbye to Gail, Johnston and Russell run back to New Bern.

Back in New Bern, Jake and Eric have a new cell-mate: Maggie, the fake marine. While she is glad to see Jake, he criticizes her for the whole fake marine thing. Maggie explains that the trick was finally blown to the light and she was kicked out of New Bern. But, she said, she was foolish enough to sneak back in, get caught, and thrown in jail. Curious, Maggie asks what is it that the Green boys know that New Bern wants to know. Jake wonders how Maggie knew that he had any valuable info, and she answerers, "Well, I didn't think they were beating you up just for fun." Afterwards she tells him her plan: if she were to tell the New Berners about Hawkins in exchange for her freedom, she would then be at liberty to run back to Jericho and get help in breaking out Eric and Jake. Rightly so, Jake is still suspicious of Maggie and will not agree. Just then Eric is again taken away to be questioned, and it soon becomes clear that he is being brutally tortured. Jake desperately to agrees to Maggie's plan, and within the next half hour Maggie had told the New Berners Hawkins' name and whereabouts. Hawkins and Ted Lewis were working together and were both staking out a small hunting cabin the woods.

Maggie is "escorted" there by two very rough cops. Both the cops go into the cabin, leaving Maggie hand-cuffed to the car door. In a moment, Hawkins emerges from the cabin, and it takes several minutes before Maggie can get over the shock of him running out pointing a pistol at her. Ted comes out too, with a sick look on his face contrasting strongly to Hawkins' cool, calm expression. Maggie asks where the cops are and Hawkins replies, "They have been dealt with." Ted warns Maggie not to go in the cabin for her own sake. Maggie then (with the coolness of the marine which she had for so long pretended to be) explains to Hawkins and Ted her deal with Jake. Then she asks what the plan is to get the brothers out of there.

Hawkins tells Maggie that he would cause an explosion in town and that would (he hoped) make enough chaos that they could somehow smuggle Jake and Eric out of there. The plan is underway! Meanwhile, Russell and Johnston have reached New Bern and they talk with sheriff Constantino. The excuse for a man of law tells Johnston that both of his sons were caught trying to sabotage the factory and were thrown in jail. He fails to mention the cruelty he is even now inflicted on Eric, but even without that gruesome detail, Johnston is pretty angry. He threatens the sheriff, saying that if anything happened to either of his boys this would not end well. Constantino will not let Johnston see his sons and sends him away.

Jake, meantime, is surprised to hear that what they wanted from Eric was information about Jericho. The New Berners wanted to know about Jericho's defences, weapons, etc. Eric, who is back in his cell with Jake and in a pitiable condition, tells Jake that he revealed no information. Jake is rapidly losing his optimism in an ever-going it of rage that his brother was being hurt and he could not stop it. Then the guards come and take Eric away AGAIN, but this time they take Jake too. Jake asks what is going on, and the sheriff replies that maybe Eric would talk if his brother's life was on the line, after which a guard hold a knife at Jake's throat. Eric begins to shout almost crazily with rage while Jake still calmly tries to convince Eric not to give any info.

Luckily at this moment, Hawkins' plan works beautifully. Hawkins made several large explosions in town with the stolen ammo from New Bern's factory. He did this while Maggie was distracting the guards. Ted had been helping, but when Hawkins told him that he may have to shoot a sniper down off the wall, Ted turns chicken and is not heard from again. Poor guy.

Constantino goes to check on the factory, while two guards take Jake and Eric outside. As soon as they come out, Hawkins begins a gunfight to help the brothers escape. At last Hawkins, Eric, Jake, and Maggie are free, but not unscathed. Eric is still feeling pretty awful and Hawkins got a minor flesh-wound on the shoulder. Maggie is the worst off as she has been shot in the leg and is fainting. Johnston, who has stolen a police truck, comes zooming into the town square and picks up Hawkins, Maggie, and both his sons. The five of them drive off and escape New Bern! Russell decided to give his ever-going efforts of peace-making a break, and stays in New Bern. Ted is also in New Bern: whereabouts and condition unknown.

Back in Jericho, and at the well-worded advice of Emily, Gail is finally forgiving Mary. I don't even like Mary but that grudge was getting a little old. Dale has a pretty powerful line for the first time since "Black Jack". Skylar is sad that everyone is saying mean things about her father, and she tells Dale that while her father was around, everyone was always nice to him. Mr. Stephens did a lot of good things. "Maybe he did," said Dale, "but that's why they were nice to him. They were nice to him because he had power. That's how it works." This, I felt, showing some of his bottled up feelings...poor Dale. He was always the one the town looked down on as a freak. But now that Dale owned Gracie's store, he has "power" and he makes use of it. Poor kid, he's still trying to fit in and make sure that no one can hurt him as he's already been hurt so many times. (Producers, don't make Dale into a second Louis-Antoine St. Just!)

It's night but the four Jericho citizens and their fainting fifth party travel on. The truck had run out of gas and now they had twelve miles to walk on foot before they reached Jericho. I don't know WHAT is up with Hawkins lately but he actually recommends leaving Maggie behind. Jake refuses to leave her and Johnston carries her on his back. As they walk, Hawkins vastly and unintentionally amuses Jake by producing a bottle of real whiskey which he has saved for "emergencies". Johnston and Jake are both enjoying the night-time hike, and it makes them remember previous spring times in Jericho. with that, the episode ends.


Questions for next episode:
Q: Is Maggie sincere in her allegiance to Jake and Jericho?
A1: I believe that Maggie is truly good now, and has deep feelings for Jake which will probably keep her at Jericho once they get there.
A2: Maggie is scared and will do anything to keep herself alive for another day.

Q: Will Gray lose his grip on power to Johnston?
A1: Probably.
A2: Gray maybe dead before the end of the next episode.

Q: Where is Heather?
A1: According to Eric, Heather is dead, which wouldn't surprise me. Although, Jake said that for all he knows they may be lying and she could still be alive.

Q: What will happen to Ted Lewis? Constantino knows he helped Jake and Hawkins.
A1: Are you sure that Constantino knows? I think he just decided to bail out from the plan that Hawkins set up to free Jake and Eric. I don't think Constantino is aware that the was helping them.
A2: Perkins the deputy sheriff was held hostage briefly by Hawkins and Jake in Ted's house trailer (from Casus Belli). Ted helped them and left with them. I would assume that Constantino knows.

Q: Will Jonah come to Jericho's aid?
A1: Jonah is not allowed to come back into town.
A2: Jonah will attack the New Bern forces from the rear.

Q: Will Jericho effectively use the equipment confiscated by the faux Marines (tank, radios, M16s, etc)?
A1: According to the previews for next week's episodes, New Bern is going to war with Jericho, so they probably will need to use the equipment to defend themselves.
A2: In the promo, it sounded like Johnston will take charge of a company of men and attack New Bern's forces. Richmond farm is going to be a battle scene, since Constantino wants it. He just doesn't know what's waiting for him there!
A3: They better or they'll have to rename the show "New Bern"...

Q: What will happen to Russell if war prevails? Will he be the one to eliminate Constantino?
A1: dunno.

Trivia:
One if by land - this title comes from a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Everybody knows Paul Revere's Ride, and these lines: "If the British march
By land or sea from the town to-night,
Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch
Of the North Church tower as a signal light,--
One if by land, and two if by sea; And we know that New Bern attacks by land. So do you see? It's so cool. I like this title!!



Guest stars:

• Guest Starring: Clare Carey (Mary Bailey), Candace Bailey (Skylar Stevens), Richard Speight, Jr. (Bill), Erin Daniels (Maggie Mullin), Timothy Omundson (Phil Constantino), Ned Bellamy (Deputy Perkins), David Meunier (Russell), Mandy June Turpin (Arlene Carmichael)
• Co-Starring: Dan Sachoff (Harry Carmichael), Dustin Seavey (Teddy Lewis), Chet Grissom (Guard), Anson Scoville (Cop #1), Scott Michael Morgan (Cop #2), Joey Bucaro (Burly Cop)
• Written By: Joy Gregory
• Directed By: Seith Mann

See also:

• Music of Jericho
• Morse Code

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