When we left off last week, Jake, Hawkins, Johnston and Eric were walking back to Jericho.

Now they’re safely back home. Stanley’s on border patrol, and they’ve been warned by Jake that New Bern men may be on their way. And someone does arrive – but it’s just a kid named Henry, who delivers a radio from Constantino to Gray. Constantino is angry that he lost eight deputies to the Jericho men, and demands half the salt mine and seven farms (including Stanley’s) be handed over to New Bern, or “Jericho is about to be invaded.”

The Morse code in this episode says “Allegiance.”
 

Dale finds out that a woman Mrs Herbert is willing to give up her farm, because Gray won’t send men to help defend it. He gets her to agree that if he defends it, he can keep it, and then offers it up to the refugees, giving them a stake in the fight if they join in. (Hey, Dale’s doing a better job than Gray.) Skylar doesn’t do anything much but look impressed with Dale in this episode.

Eric goes to the clinic, and reunites with both his mom and with Mary. Emily and Jake meet up again as well, and Jake tells her that “something happened to Heather.” They leave the question of her possible (but not probable) death for the next episode, though.

Hawkins points out that New Bern’s cannons can probably hit the town from up to two miles out, but Stanley reports that the rangers can’t find anyone – but then mortars hit Jericho twice! Gail is among the people in the street injured, but while she’s dazed, she’s okay.

Constantino and Gray argue again on the radio, and Constantino gives them one hour before three more mortars are sent. Gray sends men out to the west to figure out where they’re firing from. Stanley’s men have found the cannons, he reports by radio, but Gray and Johnston argue over tactics, and Gray overrides Johnston’s suggestion to send out scouts in different directions.

Hawkins wants to run away to a “safe house” in Montana with his family, but then apparently realizes that Jericho has become home. He shouts to townspeople to “get underground,” and then takes Darcy and the kids to his non-secret bunker room in his house, saying “no more secrets.” (Yeah, right.) Hawkins and Darcy make up. Also, out.

Gray, Eric, Johnston and the cops are tense, waiting to hear from Stanley, and can’t get him on the radio. And mortars hit again! Stanley and a very few of the men limp back to town, saying if only they’d sent scouts around, they wouldn’t’ve lost their guys. Mimi is there! I like Mimi. She doesn’t get to do anything much this week though.

Johnston and his crew retreat to Mary’s to make a new plan, as Gray is doing so badly. Emily wants in on this, which Jake agrees to, and they set off on horseback. Eric reports that Hawkins has located a New Bern truck, which they manage to take out, killing one man and taking the driver at gunpoint. Suddenly they’re surrounded by motorcycles and cars full of armed men! But it’s not New Bern this time, it’s Emily’s thieving father Jonah Prowse and his gang. Good thing Emily came along. Jonah asks her to come with them; she says no, but then demands his help in exchange for half the booty (weapons and supplies they plan to take from the New Bern men.) He agrees, saying she’s a lot like him.

Johnston meets with some farmers who are considering making a deal with Gray and New Bern, because they think they will just get their farms back “when the government comes back.” Johnston doubts that will ever happen. Jimmy, who’s apparently not on Gray’s side at all anymore, reports that Gray’s got the farmers he needs, and is about to make the deal. Johnston tells them all “it’s time to pick a side,” and sends Stanley and Eric to “do whatever it takes” to convince Gray not to make the deal.

“Whatever it takes” is apparently arguing, then fighting, then pulling guns, but when Eric and Stanley tell Gray that they have “men out there,” including Jonah’s guys, Gray agrees to stall on the radio, and “negotiates” with Constantino about which farms to give him, and does buy them a bit more time.

Johnston, Jake, Hawkins and their guys head to the New Bern camp, with the driver held hostage, and manage to get some of the New Bern men locked in the truck. The driver reminds Johnston that they were in a fishing contest together once; this apparently keeps Johnston from shooting him when he runs away and warns the New Bern men what’s going on, and a shootout ensues. But Jonah’s men come to the rescue, killing everyone from New Bern in minutes.

The driver survives, wounded, but Jonah kills him. (Emily is appalled.) They clean up, and Jonah says he’s “changing the deal,” and taking everything. Emily protests, but he says “I’m a thief.”

Jake is mad, telling Hawkins they need those weapons. Hawkins says “Guns? Guns are easy,” and takes Jake to a whole armory of weapons that he’s had the whole time, and is only sharing now because in this episode he’s admitting that Jericho’s become his home.

Johnston reports to Gray that the mortars have been taken out; Constantino, over the radio, clearly knows what happened to his men, and says “This means war.”

Gray tells Johnston that he needs his help. And by “help” he means “do it all for me because nobody listens to me anymore!” Johnston takes charge, and tells the assembled Jericho townspeople “This is a fight for our very existence.” Jake steps up and says that everyone who needs a gun should line up. Even Allison Hawkins takes one, as does Emily (she doesn’t own a gun already? I’m surprised) and Dale and his ever-growing crew.

Jake looks grim. Stanley and some rangers find what looks like another camp of New Bern men. Next week’s the Jericho season finale! Hopefully we’ll find out where Heather is, finally.


-Mel, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Photo credit: CBS