About the show in regards to its time/network/cast/writers. CBS has some history doing religious/supernatural themed fair in the 8 pm time slot (Touched/Angel, Joan of Arcadia, The Ghost Whisperer plus maybe others I'm not thinking of. On top of that, I think it would be fair to say CBS, in comparison to, say, FOX, is politically correct and less likely to portray the type of fictional fare that could breed xenophobia, like a Chinese or Russian invasion scenario. That doesn't mean they won't, but it wouldn't fit into their pattern. The producer, Jon Turtletaub, has done super naturalist thrillers - National Treasure, Instinct, heck, even The Kid. Again, that doesn't mean this will have a super/preternatural twist, but it makes it a possibility. At least something more interesting than a simple geo-political attack from a hostile nation or terrorists. About the writers - there have been a couple references to other bits of apocalyptic literature (Lawrence, KS from The Day After and Rogue River from The Postman). This indicates to me that the writers likely immersed themselves in apocalyptic literature, media, etc. before working on scripts. Some, not all, but some apocalyptic literature involves a Revelations-type scenario, and I think this would influence the direction of the show as well. I doubt they're going to look at the newspapers for the total plot line. Maybe some sub-plots, but not the master narrative.

Now, I believe Victor & Hawkins are part of the plot that delivered the bombs. Why? 1) From the spring preview, when Hawkins is in a plane hanger getting the "these are the men that will change the world!" speech (from the day before the explosions), if you'll notice, that is Victor giving the speech. They were both aware of the explosions, and I think it would be fair to reason that Victor delivered the bomb, or at least knew detail of it and was in Denver shortly before the explosion. Now, back to the scene where Hawkins is questioning Victor in bed after giving him adrenaline or whatever. Hawkins asks him why he went back. they agreed, "families only." (another clue they were part of a conspiracy to explode the nukes) But Victor went back and tried to save a bus load full of people. Hawkins asks him why. Victor responds something like "I couldn't let them die." Nothing in a geo-political sense would explain why Victor, out of a desire to be good, would return to a place where a nuclear explosion was imminent in an effort to save people. I interpret this as a subtextual religious clue. Victor converted to 'good.' And he died doing it. But before he died, he said "they're coming," frightened. An invasion force he did not expect. Hawkins asks "WHO??" This would imply a disconnect between the bomb attackers and the invaders. This cannot simply be the American army coming to get them, it would make no sense for fiction or reality, or at least for it to be unexpected by Hawkins and Victor. The Chinese? If they were doing a Red Dawn scenario as quick after the attack as Victor said "they're coming!," we'd be at the "WOLVERINES!!" stage of the show already. Its months later and Denver is only 200(?) miles away. There would at least be signs of regular warfare going on. To me, this indicates some kind of supernatural invasion that either the plotters were not expecting, or a second, higher level of plotter(s) did not fill the followers in on. Considering other apocalyptic lit, I think a religious version of the supernatural is most likely.

Also: I consider Hawkins deciding to exit out of the plot as a 'conversion' as well. I think the two different scenes of him being asked by his kids about what "side" he was on, both of which he replied "there are no such things as good guys or bad guys" (or something like that, both times) set him up to ponder what exactly it was he was a part of, and he came to the realization that there is good and evil, and he was on the wrong side. He also did it out of the love he felt for his wife, kids, and the town. I think the seeming strategic senselessness of the attacks implies someone who wants to create chaos, in order to re-create order in a new form. Or to enjoy the pain of a society in a state of anarchy, and the accompanying horrors...famine, war, death - which would give the "plotter" an opportunity to offer false hope. I hope you understand what I'm getting at? Also: I think the ambiguous food drop was either (a) a powerful entity that does not want to be identified by the "bad" team or (b) some of that "false hope" I was just writing about. Obviously, I lean towards B.

Other biblical subtext: I interpret several themes within the Green family. Jake, as the 'prodigal son' returning to do good. Also, the Greens as the Patriarchs of Genesis - There is a running theme in the Bible of younger brothers usurping older brother's birthrights. Even though documents suggest Jake is older than Eric, I believe this to be sloppiness in production. Since Eric's character page says he is the older brother, I will take that as the shows "cannon." While this is arguable, I think it is pretty clear Jake is his parent's favorite, i.e. Isaac over Ishmael, Jacob over Esau, Ephraim over Menasha. (It is worth mentioning that Esau is described always as very hairy, and Eric has a beard, although there are other characteristics of Esau he does not fit into). Perhaps Eric was had with the other women Johnstone was seriously with before his wife (Hagar vs. Sarah? Leah vs. Rachel?) and this explains some. ALSO, to reach into the Koran, I think it contains a passage about "dead birds returning to Abraham" - and there is certainly a scene in the (3rd? 2nd?) episode where dead birds come to Jericho. I know there are things I'm forgetting right now, but let me move on to other things.

I'm not sure at what point in the End Times continuum we're at. If they take a pre-dispensationalist view of Armageddon, like the Left Behind series, perhaps all believers outside of Jericho have been "taken up" and God has left Jericho for some reason. The people who appear with sores (Wormwood falling to earth = nuclear bombs) and burns have some yet unspoken of 'mark of the beast'. This could explain in part why Stanley was unaffected by the rain. OR, if it is the post-dispensationalist view of Armageddon, this can be the beginning of the attack from Magog, who, according to one set of beliefs, will gather an international force of one sort or another (obviously to fit with the show, it would have to be clandestine and relatively small group). Wikipedia describes it as such: "Jehovah's Witnesses believe the collective action to persecute God's chosen on Earth is what finally triggers this war. Chapter 38 of the book of Ezekiel has a prophecy in which a certain Gog from the land of Magog collects an army of many nations to attack God's people, believing them to be unprotected. God responds by causing them to fall one against another's swords; he strikes them with pestilence, floods, hailstones, fire, and sulphur. The chapter ends with God declaring that the nations "will have to know that I am Jehovah." So, perhaps the traitor is a reference to God's plan of making them fall on each other's swords. The attack was certainly against the apparently "unprotected."

Other speculation I have that I am less sure of: The last two Morse code messages of the season combine to state "It begins with 6 and ends with..." and ends there. I believe that when the series returns, the completion of this message will be "6". As in 666, the 'mark of the beast.' If I'm wrong, I don't think it kills my theory.(**This is incorrect. There is a contest running to guess what is coming next, and the first clue is that it is not a number.**) If I'm right, i think it would be a very strong bit of evidence that this will be the direction the show goes in. Also, 'Sarah'. I interpret the silhouette on the main Jericho page as looking like Jesus. Feel free to disagree, just may be coincidence. I don't think so, and believe at the end, she'll be a very good, Jesus-ish character, even if it does not seem like that at first. I will also say the same for the anti-Christ/Magog etc. He will come off to the viewer at first as very good (while offering his/her 'false hope), only to be exposed through the course of series.

More "Sarah" speculation: Here's a shot in the dark: in Romany (Gypsy) religious culture/myth, St. Sara the Black was the daughter of Mary & Joseph's servant in Egypt when they fled Israel after the Crucifixion. They arrive in France, along with Mary Magdalene and a few other founding Christians. As part of the 'Da Vinci Code' myth, "Sara the Egyptian" is the daughter of Mary and Jesus. I'm betting Jericho's mystery Sara is black or middle eastern in complexion, and maybe has a French last name. Also, she will be a key character, maybe THE key character fighting for the "good" side, although this may not be apparent at first. Or maybe I'm way off.

More: OK, she's sort of ethnically ambiguous from the photos, although I don't think Roma or Middle Eastern is out of the question. I think it's worth mentioning as well they say her father is a "construction foreman." = J.C.-carpenter? Outside of the religious subtext, I think there is little doubt she's in the same organisation as Hawkins (St. Louis cop being the agreed upon fake job), and is the traitor in the group, although in this case, that makes her good.

There are things I know I'm leaving out. There are things I interpreted one way that others may think are unimportant, or 'red herrings', or 'are what they are' and should not be interpreted. The pencil is just a pencil. However, I don't think Turtletaub works that way, nor do the writers of the show if given the freedom not to.