(To-do list for the February 20, 2007 Episode
Add questions and answers from the interview.)

Thanks to Carol Barbee and Skeet Ulrich's participation in the live talk show on February 20th, we got some really interesting perspective on what goes into the creation of the show we all love. Not only did we get a glimpse at some of the practicalities involved in making a mythologically dense serial drama, but some of the philosophical origins as well. CBS has made this program available on Innertube for those who may have missed it the first time. There were a lot of fascinating points raised in the program. Let's discuss!

Selected Qs & As: (paraphrased)

Q: Thomas asks about the direction of the show post-hiatus.
A: Carol Barbee says we go out to look for supplies and form an alliance with a neighboring town, only to learn that this town may have "different intentions." We explore what happens in a town where you don't have Johnston Green pointing you in the right direction.

Q: Jim in Dallas asks how you mix in the big stories with the little stories, and how you mix those in with the romance stories with everything else going on.
A: Ms. Barbee replies that from the beginning they felt the show needed to work on several different levels. She says it "needed to work on the level of the greater mythology, because that's just cool," but also on the level of the town. "It's called Jericho, and it's about this little town that is the best of America, and will the best of America end up surviving this...this event?" We see the town trying to survive while maintaining its character, "and sometimes it can, and sometimes it can't." Still, they felt that it needed to work on the level of the character, because ultimately none of the rest matters unless you care about the characters. She says that in any event that you've ever gone through, no matter how tragic or how frightening, you never go very long without laughing or talking to people you love. "It's just how life works."

Q: Michael in Columbia, SC wonders about our neighbors in Mexico and Canada, and how they are reacting. Are Americans fleeing the country?
A: Skeet says we learn a little bit in Episode 14 about a sort of migration toward warmer places. Executive Producer Carol Barbee adds that she thinks we can assume that Mexico is closing its borders to us (with a bit of a chuckle), and Skeet whimsically interjects that there is a big fence in the way of those who would leave.

Q: Chris from Carmel wants to know where Jake has been for five years, and what the nature of China's involvement is based on observations Jake has made in the show.
A: Skeet answers that we learn a lot in Episode 12, but get more specific information in Episode 14.