Patriots and Tyrants
"Patriots and Tyrants" is the seventh episode of season two and series finale of Jericho. It was broadcast on March 25, 2008.
| "Patriots and Tyrants" | |
|---|---|
| Jericho episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 7 |
| Directed by | Seith Mann |
| Written by | Jonathan E. Steinberg and Dan Shotz |
| Original air date | March 25, 2008 |
Plot
Jake and Hawkins go to Cheyenne, where they tell Grey to go home to Jericho. Grey says that the whole constitutional convention is a sham. He and a fellow convention attendee had just discussed the removal of the Second Amendment from the Constitution being written at the convention for the Allied States of America.
Beck arrests Heather after he discovers that she had removed information from an aerial scan for radiation. When he asks why she did it, she says that she believes that Cheyenne is corrupt, accuses him of working for a fraudulent, illegitimate government, and challenges him to "open his eyes".
Hawkins contacts the only other member of his team, Cheung, who comes to Gray's hotel room, where Hawkins and Jake are waiting. They soon discover that the nuke will be transferred using an ambulance, in order to not attract attention. Hawkins, Jake, and Cheung go to a hospital that had been evacuated because of a "gas leak." They find an EMT with a gun and soon after, an ambulance. Cheung doesn't trust Jake so he stays behind. While securing the nuke, one of the ambulance drivers pulls out a gun and kills Cheung and the other driver before he shoots Hawkins. The driver then speaks and reveals himself as John Smith; the mastermind behind the attacks finally revealed in person.
More soldiers, as well as Beck arrive at the Richmond Farm. Beck tells Stanley that he is sorry for their loss and then tells the Rangers that they are free to leave. When Eric asks why, Beck explains that he told his company commanders twenty minutes earlier that he no longer recognizes the ASA government's right to lead. He says that he considers Cheyenne to be corrupt and that most likely by the end of the day he will be arrested and sent to Cheyenne to be court-martialed for treason. However, until that happens, he is still in charge and he is letting the Rangers take their time.
At the army headquarters in Jericho, Beck sits in a chair drinking scotch when Heather comes in. He tells her that she is free to leave and she asks what the other officers are doing in Beck's office. He says that he told them to look at Hawkins's laptop and to decide what they will do to him. The officers then come out and tear the ASA flags off of their uniforms, asking Beck for orders. Beck tells his men to spread the word to prepare for a fight.
In Texas, Chavez comes and tells Jake that after the bomb is authenticated, Texas is siding with the old US government based in Columbus, Ohio, which will lead to the Second American Civil War. Texan soldiers load the nuke into a truck as Hawkins is loaded into an ambulance.
Alternate ending
Producers initially shot two endings—one a cliffhanger, one more of an open-ended wrap-up, at the request of CBS, which was still undecided on the future of the show beyond the second season.[1] On March 20, 2008, CBS notified the show's producers that they would not renew the show, and that they would show the wrap-up version.[2] According to producer Jon Steinberg, the version with the cliffhanger ending will appear on the season two DVD set, and may also be made available for viewing on CBS' website.[3]
The alternate ending begins with Jake and Hawkins arriving at the airport; Hawkins tells Jake to let him out on the runway so he can disable the tower. If he's not back in 10 minutes, Jake is to leave without him. Jake waits at the plane and Hawkins blows up the tower, but the ASA troops swarm the area. Due to his wounds, Hawkins is caught by the troops as Jake leaves without him.
We see that Hawkins has been taken to Lumeridge Prison in Colorado, where the ASA's Secret Service plans to interrogate him and hold him there for life after he has healed. Hawkins then has an encounter with Valente, who tells him how difficult he's made things and that he wants to know everything Hawkins knows. However, Hawkins sarcastically replies that he knows that Valente and Tomarchio will soon be exposed by the analysis of the bomb and that the United States will stop the Allied States from gaining any more power. Valente then leaves Hawkins to his fate in the cell.
Upon arriving in Texas, Jake is greeted by Governor Todd (a woman) and Chavez, who asks about the whereabouts of Hawkins. Jake says he was captured and Chavez deduces he would be at Lumeridge. Jake then moves towards the plane and Chavez asks where he's going. "To get my friend! You coming?" Chavez simply smirks before he and Jake board the plane and the bomb is taken away. It ends with the plane taking off from the runway, a thunderstorm forming in the sky.
Title
The title of the episode alludes to a quotation from Thomas Jefferson in a letter to William S. Smith in 1787. The letter reads in part, "What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots & tyrants. It is its natural manure."[4]
References
- James Hibberd (March 17, 2008). "Assessing the fallout from CBS' 'Jericho' maneuver". The Hollywood Reporter.
- James Hibberd (March 17, 2008). "CBS cancels 'Jericho'". The Hollywood Reporter.
- A.C. Ferrante (March 28, 2008). "Exclusive Interview: 'Jericho' Producers Dan Shotz and Jon Steinberg Talk About the End and Perhaps a New Beginning". If Magazine. Archived from the original on March 31, 2008.
- Jefferson: Writings. Library of America, 1984. ISBN 0-940450-16-X.