Fallout from Jericho
The second episode of Jericho, Fallout, may have been an improvement on last week, but the ratings were not. It dropped to just under 1 million viewers, which isn’t terrible, but it’s hardly stellar.
As for the episode itself, it was once again enjoyable and there was by far more character development than last week. Thankfully there was much less small-town syrupiness, though the show was still somewhat predictable.
Although the show is entertaining, I still don’t feel engaged by it yet. At the end of the episode I don’t feel any compulsion to know what happens next. It’s like one of the tame rides at a theme park. You enjoy it while you’re on there, but there’s no overwhelming desire to ride again – still, you probably will because the line is short.
I think Jericho is suffering the same problem as The 4400. The show has an interesting concept, but the writing and acting doesn’t always come through. Most of the setups from last week – most notably the Mayor coughing and the escaped prisoners – have already come to fruition. For a show like this to be successful, there needs to be more complex storylines and longer payoffs. Hopefully the Robert Hawkins plotlines (the St Louis cop) will fulfil that role.
As for the acting, for the most part it’s passable. The standout is British actor Lennie James who plays Robert Hawkins. Unfortunately, a lot of the cast seem to be camping it up somewhat. It is quite irritating, because acting such as this really takes you out of the story – it’s hard to be completely enthralled when you keep being reminded that it is a tv show. That is, of course, unless you’re Bertolt Brecht and audience alienation is what you’re aiming for, but somehow I don’t think that’s what Jericho’s producers were attempting.
I will be tuning in next week because I’m hoping against hope that Jericho will be heading in a totally unexpected and surprising direction. I’ll try not to be too hard on the cast either – after all, I hated Percy Daggs III (Wallace Fennel) on Veronica Mars at first, and how I think he’s da bomb (sorry, Jericho, too soon?).
As for the episode itself, it was once again enjoyable and there was by far more character development than last week. Thankfully there was much less small-town syrupiness, though the show was still somewhat predictable.
Although the show is entertaining, I still don’t feel engaged by it yet. At the end of the episode I don’t feel any compulsion to know what happens next. It’s like one of the tame rides at a theme park. You enjoy it while you’re on there, but there’s no overwhelming desire to ride again – still, you probably will because the line is short.
I think Jericho is suffering the same problem as The 4400. The show has an interesting concept, but the writing and acting doesn’t always come through. Most of the setups from last week – most notably the Mayor coughing and the escaped prisoners – have already come to fruition. For a show like this to be successful, there needs to be more complex storylines and longer payoffs. Hopefully the Robert Hawkins plotlines (the St Louis cop) will fulfil that role.
As for the acting, for the most part it’s passable. The standout is British actor Lennie James who plays Robert Hawkins. Unfortunately, a lot of the cast seem to be camping it up somewhat. It is quite irritating, because acting such as this really takes you out of the story – it’s hard to be completely enthralled when you keep being reminded that it is a tv show. That is, of course, unless you’re Bertolt Brecht and audience alienation is what you’re aiming for, but somehow I don’t think that’s what Jericho’s producers were attempting.
Overall Rating
I will be tuning in next week because I’m hoping against hope that Jericho will be heading in a totally unexpected and surprising direction. I’ll try not to be too hard on the cast either – after all, I hated Percy Daggs III (Wallace Fennel) on Veronica Mars at first, and how I think he’s da bomb (sorry, Jericho, too soon?).
I had hopes for the show, but if it doesn't improve (less overbearing music, less rapid cutting-close-ups) soon, I'll look elsewhere.