Why We Fight (Jericho episode)
Encyclopedia
"Why We Fight" is the twenty-second episode of season one of the CBS drama Jericho
. It was broadcast as the season finale; after the broadcast, CBS announced that the series had been cancelled, a decision they reversed on June 6th when they picked it up for seven more episodes. Why We Fight
is also the title of a series of US World War II
-era propaganda
films directed by Frank Capra
.
tank
taken from the fake US
Marines. They use the tank to successfully defend the farm from New Bern's initial attack, destroying a truck and forcing New Bern's advance force to retreat.
However, any joy at this early success is swiftly tempered with the discovery that Johnston Green was shot as he followed the tank. Despite his sons' best efforts, he dies on the farmhouse's kitchen table, but not before apologizing to Jake for pushing him away, declaring his love for Eric, and wishing his wife Gail was there with him.
Hawkins discovers that his connection to the satellite is being traced. He tells his wife Darcy that he can stay connected for some time before the trace is completed. Amidst their growing fears, Darcy, remembering that she was told that every nuclear bomb has a uranium signature that provides enough information to deduce its location of origin, speculates that the man who wants the bomb wants it not as a weapon, but because it is evidence.
Throughout the episode, we view a flashback of Eric's wedding six years before, with the episode sometimes moving between this past (which is given a very bright aura by relatively intense sunlight) and the present day (which, in contrast, appears dim with a grey, overcast sky) without a cut. Jake is Eric's best man, although Eric makes it clear that he gave Jake the role only under pressure from their mother. Before Jake's arrival at the reception, he is shown drinking with Emily, Stanley, and Jake's grandfather. His grandfather recalls the story of the World War II
Battle of the Bulge
, in which US Army forces under the command of Gen. Anthony McAuliffe
were outgunned and outnumbered by Nazis who surrounded them at the town of Bastogne
. When Gen. McAuliffe was offered the option to surrender, his response was simply "Nuts," which Jake's grandfather said meant "Go to Hell."
Despite tension in his relationship with Eric -- and the lack of confidence both his brother and his mother showed by writing speeches for him -- Jake succeeds in giving a relatively successful toast, although he later admits to his father that it was mostly his mother's words he used.
Back in the present day, Hawkins' satellite is being tracked by an individual he believes to be the corrupt Thomas Valente. He risks being tracked to his exact location until his wife breaks the satellite communications. Just before the signal is broken, Hawkins notices that several hundred New Bern men are headed to Jericho along with a large train carrying several hundred more men.
Meanwhile Heather Lisinski is shown to be alive, contrary to what Eric Green had heard while imprisoned in New Bern. She is found in a car wreck by a military patrol. She wakes up in a hospital tent at Camp Liberty in southwest Nebraska
. She urges Col. Hoffman, the commander of the base, to intervene in the battle between New Bern and Jericho. Initially he says that he must carry out his current mission of securing roads in the area. However, after passing on Heather's report to his superior, who is revealed to be Valente, Hoffman is told that a high priority terrorist has been located within 200 miles of Jericho. He is ordered to immediately mobilize to crush the skirmish before searching for the fugitive.
Earlier, Hoffman told Heather that a federal government had been restored with the capital in Cheyenne
, Wyoming
, although Texas and "a bloc in the east" were apparently disputing this new authority. Valente later mentions that the new president is Senator Tomarchio, as mentioned in "Black Jack
". It is not known if Tomarchio was part of the conspiracy behind the attacks. While watching the troops leave for Kansas, Heather notices something different about the troop's arm patches. looking up she sees that a heavily altered version of the Stars and Stripes
is flying over the base. These alterations include vertical strips, thirteen in total, seven red and six white, as well as a total of only 21 stars. The flag bears a passing resemblance to the U.S. Coast Guard Ensign.
Back in Jericho, Jake gets word from Hawkins about the approaching train and prepares his men for the impending battle. Stanley Richmond reveals to Jake that he's planning to ask Mimi Clark to marry him. Hawkins says he is going to use the tank to stop the train even though they have no ammunition for it, before wishing Jake luck and driving away on his own. Jake then receives a radio message from Constantino, who apologizes for Johnston Green's death. However, he still insists that Jericho surrender, claiming that New Bern is too desperate to cancel their offensive. Jake's response is "Nuts" followed by "You can go straight to Hell." Jake also makes clear he holds Constantino personally responsible for his father's death and intends to exact revenge himself.
The episode ends in a cliffhanger
. The men of Jericho see a cloud from smoke grenades blocking their view of who is coming up the road. Jake orders the defenders, who include Jimmy Taylor, Stanley Richmond, Bill Kohler, Eric Green, and Emily, not to fire. Hawkins is sitting on the tank on a hill over the railroad and notices several military helicopters flying overhead. As Jake orders the town's defenders to start firing, the credits begin to roll with the sounds of the firefight in the background.
, he inputs the coordinates 39°06'38.38" N and 99°27'17.38" W. The co-ordinates are the location of the road that the New Bern fighters take to the Richmond farm. This location is "miles" from the Jericho town hall.
" and "A.K.A.
", this episode uses a flashback format for some scenes. The flashbacks show events on the day of Eric's and April's wedding, subtitled as "six years ago." These flashbacks include the first scenes featuring Darby Stanchfield
since her character's death in the sixteenth episode, "Winter's End
."
Sprague Grayden
, who plays Heather Lisinski, is credited in this episode as a special guest star rather than as a series regular, and is billed last among the cast credits at the opening of the show.
National Football League
player Kassim Osgood
has a cameo role as one of the soldiers who finds Heather on the side of a road.
At the time "Why We Fight" was broadcast with its cliffhanger ending, CBS had not yet announced whether the series had been renewed for a second year. The show was cancelled the following week, but that decision was reversed by CBS on June 6, 2007, when it was announced the show had been picked up for seven episodes. The show returned on February 12th, 2008.
The quote "Nuts" was adopted by series supporters as part of an effort to convince CBS to renew the show. Over twenty tons of nuts were sent to CBS
executives.
Jericho (TV series)
Jericho is an American action/drama series that centers on the residents of the fictional town of Jericho, Kansas, in the aftermath of nuclear attacks on 23 major cities in the contiguous United States...
. It was broadcast as the season finale; after the broadcast, CBS announced that the series had been cancelled, a decision they reversed on June 6th when they picked it up for seven more episodes. Why We Fight
Why We Fight
Why We Fight is a series of seven war information training films commissioned by the United States government during World War II whose purpose was to show American soldiers the reason for U.S. involvement in the war. Later on they were also shown to the general U.S...
is also the title of a series of US World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
-era propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
films directed by Frank Capra
Frank Capra
Frank Russell Capra was a Sicilian-born American film director. He emigrated to the U.S. when he was six, and eventually became a creative force behind major award-winning films during the 1930s and 1940s...
.
Plot
The episode begins with Jericho residents in the town hall as Jake Green returns from a scouting mission; he tells the gathered crowd that they are both greatly outnumbered and outgunned by opposing forces from New Bern. Robert Hawkins tells Jake and Johnston Green that he has access to a satellite he can use to track New Bern forces. The Jericho troops decide to make their defense on the Richmond farm. Jake and Hawkins realize that the only way to defend themselves is to use the M1 AbramsM1 Abrams
The M1 Abrams is a third-generation main battle tank produced in the United States. It is named after General Creighton Abrams, former Army Chief of Staff and Commander of US military forces in Vietnam from 1968 to 1972. The M1 is a well armed, heavily armored, and highly mobile tank designed for...
tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
taken from the fake US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Marines. They use the tank to successfully defend the farm from New Bern's initial attack, destroying a truck and forcing New Bern's advance force to retreat.
However, any joy at this early success is swiftly tempered with the discovery that Johnston Green was shot as he followed the tank. Despite his sons' best efforts, he dies on the farmhouse's kitchen table, but not before apologizing to Jake for pushing him away, declaring his love for Eric, and wishing his wife Gail was there with him.
Hawkins discovers that his connection to the satellite is being traced. He tells his wife Darcy that he can stay connected for some time before the trace is completed. Amidst their growing fears, Darcy, remembering that she was told that every nuclear bomb has a uranium signature that provides enough information to deduce its location of origin, speculates that the man who wants the bomb wants it not as a weapon, but because it is evidence.
Throughout the episode, we view a flashback of Eric's wedding six years before, with the episode sometimes moving between this past (which is given a very bright aura by relatively intense sunlight) and the present day (which, in contrast, appears dim with a grey, overcast sky) without a cut. Jake is Eric's best man, although Eric makes it clear that he gave Jake the role only under pressure from their mother. Before Jake's arrival at the reception, he is shown drinking with Emily, Stanley, and Jake's grandfather. His grandfather recalls the story of the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Battle of the Bulge
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive , launched toward the end of World War II through the densely forested Ardennes mountain region of Wallonia in Belgium, hence its French name , and France and...
, in which US Army forces under the command of Gen. Anthony McAuliffe
Anthony McAuliffe
General Anthony Clement "Nuts" McAuliffe was the United States Army general who commanded the 101st Airborne Division troops defending Bastogne, Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II...
were outgunned and outnumbered by Nazis who surrounded them at the town of Bastogne
Bastogne
Bastogne Luxembourgish: Baaschtnech) is a Walloon municipality of Belgium located in the province of Luxembourg in the Ardennes. The municipality of Bastogne includes the old communes of Longvilly, Noville, Villers-la-Bonne-Eau, and Wardin...
. When Gen. McAuliffe was offered the option to surrender, his response was simply "Nuts," which Jake's grandfather said meant "Go to Hell."
Despite tension in his relationship with Eric -- and the lack of confidence both his brother and his mother showed by writing speeches for him -- Jake succeeds in giving a relatively successful toast, although he later admits to his father that it was mostly his mother's words he used.
Back in the present day, Hawkins' satellite is being tracked by an individual he believes to be the corrupt Thomas Valente. He risks being tracked to his exact location until his wife breaks the satellite communications. Just before the signal is broken, Hawkins notices that several hundred New Bern men are headed to Jericho along with a large train carrying several hundred more men.
Meanwhile Heather Lisinski is shown to be alive, contrary to what Eric Green had heard while imprisoned in New Bern. She is found in a car wreck by a military patrol. She wakes up in a hospital tent at Camp Liberty in southwest Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
. She urges Col. Hoffman, the commander of the base, to intervene in the battle between New Bern and Jericho. Initially he says that he must carry out his current mission of securing roads in the area. However, after passing on Heather's report to his superior, who is revealed to be Valente, Hoffman is told that a high priority terrorist has been located within 200 miles of Jericho. He is ordered to immediately mobilize to crush the skirmish before searching for the fugitive.
Earlier, Hoffman told Heather that a federal government had been restored with the capital in Cheyenne
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Cheyenne is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming and the county seat of Laramie County. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne, Wyoming, Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Laramie County. The population is 59,466 at the 2010 census. Cheyenne is the...
, Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, although Texas and "a bloc in the east" were apparently disputing this new authority. Valente later mentions that the new president is Senator Tomarchio, as mentioned in "Black Jack
Black Jack (Jericho episode)
"Black Jack" is the thirteenth episode of season one of the CBS drama Jericho. It first aired on February 28, 2007. The episode's title is a reference to the first battle fought in the "Bleeding Kansas" episode of the American Civil War.- Synopsis :...
". It is not known if Tomarchio was part of the conspiracy behind the attacks. While watching the troops leave for Kansas, Heather notices something different about the troop's arm patches. looking up she sees that a heavily altered version of the Stars and Stripes
Flag of the United States
The national flag of the United States of America consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton bearing fifty small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars alternating with rows...
is flying over the base. These alterations include vertical strips, thirteen in total, seven red and six white, as well as a total of only 21 stars. The flag bears a passing resemblance to the U.S. Coast Guard Ensign.
Back in Jericho, Jake gets word from Hawkins about the approaching train and prepares his men for the impending battle. Stanley Richmond reveals to Jake that he's planning to ask Mimi Clark to marry him. Hawkins says he is going to use the tank to stop the train even though they have no ammunition for it, before wishing Jake luck and driving away on his own. Jake then receives a radio message from Constantino, who apologizes for Johnston Green's death. However, he still insists that Jericho surrender, claiming that New Bern is too desperate to cancel their offensive. Jake's response is "Nuts" followed by "You can go straight to Hell." Jake also makes clear he holds Constantino personally responsible for his father's death and intends to exact revenge himself.
The episode ends in a cliffhanger
Cliffhanger
A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma, or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode of serialized fiction...
. The men of Jericho see a cloud from smoke grenades blocking their view of who is coming up the road. Jake orders the defenders, who include Jimmy Taylor, Stanley Richmond, Bill Kohler, Eric Green, and Emily, not to fire. Hawkins is sitting on the tank on a hill over the railroad and notices several military helicopters flying overhead. As Jake orders the town's defenders to start firing, the credits begin to roll with the sounds of the firefight in the background.
Mapping notes
When Hawkins accesses the satellite imagerySpy satellite
A spy satellite is an Earth observation satellite or communications satellite deployed for military or intelligence applications....
, he inputs the coordinates 39°06'38.38" N and 99°27'17.38" W. The co-ordinates are the location of the road that the New Bern fighters take to the Richmond farm. This location is "miles" from the Jericho town hall.
Production details
Like "CrossroadsCrossroads (Jericho episode)
"Crossroads" is the ninth episode of season one of the CBS drama Jericho, first aired on November 15, 2006.-Synopsis:Emily dreams of the morning of her wedding to Roger, then awakens and realizes that Roger is most likely dead. Meanwhile, outside of town, the Ravenwood mercenaries, led by Goetz,...
" and "A.K.A.
A.K.A. (Jericho episode)
"A.K.A" is the eighteenth episode of season one of the CBS drama Jericho.-Synopsis:Jake Green and Jimmy Taylor break into Robert Hawkins' house, where they discover a slew of fake IDs that cast doubts about the story Hawkins told when he and his family arrived in Jericho...
", this episode uses a flashback format for some scenes. The flashbacks show events on the day of Eric's and April's wedding, subtitled as "six years ago." These flashbacks include the first scenes featuring Darby Stanchfield
Darby Stanchfield
Darby Stanchfield is a film and television actress best known for her recurring roles as April Green on Jericho and as Helen Bishop on the period drama Mad Men....
since her character's death in the sixteenth episode, "Winter's End
Winter's End
"Winter's End" is the sixteenth episode of season one of the CBS drama Jericho.-Synopsis:Fuel supplies are low, and the town generator is on its last tank of gas. The new wind turbine arrives from New Bern and is quickly set up. Mayor Anderson asks if Jericho can buy several more turbines...
."
Sprague Grayden
Sprague Grayden
Sprague Grayden is an American television, film and theater actress. She appeared in the television drama Jericho, playing schoolteacher Heather Lisinski.-Early life:Grayden was born in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts...
, who plays Heather Lisinski, is credited in this episode as a special guest star rather than as a series regular, and is billed last among the cast credits at the opening of the show.
National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
player Kassim Osgood
Kassim Osgood
Kassim A. Osgood is an American football wide receiver for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League. He was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2003...
has a cameo role as one of the soldiers who finds Heather on the side of a road.
At the time "Why We Fight" was broadcast with its cliffhanger ending, CBS had not yet announced whether the series had been renewed for a second year. The show was cancelled the following week, but that decision was reversed by CBS on June 6, 2007, when it was announced the show had been picked up for seven episodes. The show returned on February 12th, 2008.
The quote "Nuts" was adopted by series supporters as part of an effort to convince CBS to renew the show. Over twenty tons of nuts were sent to CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
executives.