The Greens of Jericho

Reviewer: Penny Lane Signed [Report This]
Date: 05 Jul 2008 9:17:29 PM Title: Chapter 2

 

Another great chapter!

 

The beginning created such a vivid picture in my mind, and I think you did an excellent job of describing Heather's experience of coming home to a place that had changed drastically in her absence. I really felt for her in the heart-wrenching moment in which she realized Johnston was dead. I have to wonder if there's a strange irony in Lieutenant Hamilton's first name.

 

I liked the way you set up the somewhat antagonistic relationship between Jake and Beck. This line stood out for me:

 

Jake fought the urge to roll his eyes. This was Principal Gerhardt in an Army uniform. Granted Beck was a few years younger and many pounds lighter than the roly-poly former principal; yet Jake appreciated Beck about as much. Here came the speech about influence, how it can be good or bad. All words and no actions

 

Also, I liked it when Beck told Jake about how his own father had been killed, and his hometown had been destroyed. It even gave me a bit of perspective for this character (with whom I always tended to have a hard time sympathising)

 

I think you did a great job showing Jake at this moment in his life. He is overwhelmed with so many things: grief, anger, responsibility, regret. I liked his self-awareness here:

 

It was strange. He hadn’t fully appreciated her until it was too late. Wasn’t that his pattern, though?

If Jake had known Heather Lisinski as a teenager, he probably would have done everything in his power to get her to do his homework. If he’d known her as a younger man, he would have done everything in his power to take advantage of her. As an adult male having known her, Jake did everything in his power to distance himself from her and regretted it beyond words. Vibrant, funny, and completely clueless about just how attractive she was, Heather was one of the many regrets in Jake Green’s life.

 

The Jake/Heather reunion was one of my favourite scenes in season two, and I really enjoyed your retelling of it. It's interesting to see which parts you keep similar to the original and which changes you make. I look forward to seeing what happens next!

Oh, and by the way, 'The Wizard of Oz' was my favourite movie as a kid, so I absolutely loved the Oz references.

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Author's Response:

Thank you so much, Penny!  I'm glad you enjoyed it.  There is a bit of irony associated with Lt. Hamilton's first name, but when I say that this is a Jake/Heather story, I really do mean that it's a Jake Green/Heather story, though Hamilton will continue to be part of the tale, as well.

Esai Morales's portrayal of Beck was a definite inspiration for the antagonistic scene between Jake and Beck.  Actually, I envision that antagonism as being one-sided.  Jake has from what I can tell, always had issues with authority and high expectations.  For this outsider (Beck) to come into Jericho and, essentially, commandeer a place that has been forced to be self-sufficient will require some adjustment on Jake's part.  That, and Jake is still reeling from losing Johnston.  His first impulse is to head to New Bern to take care of the problem, but there is a certain Army major in his way.  Jake's having to wage an internal war: doing what his gut tells him to do versus doing what is best for the town.

On the show, the Jake/Heather reunion was satisfying, but not nearly long enough for me.  There were so many things I wanted them to say to one another that, of course, went unsaid. 

As for the Wizard of Oz references, I just couldn't resist. I always liked that movie, too, though the Munchkins from the Lollipop Guild scared more far more than the flying monkeys....