Semper Fidelis (Jericho episode)
Encyclopedia
"Semper Fidelis" is the fifteenth episode of season one of the CBS drama Jericho
. The episode's title, Latin
for "always faithful
", is the motto of the United States Marine Corps
.
under the command of a Gunnery Sergeant
arrives in Jericho, traveling with an M1A2
Abrams tank, and claim that they are there to help restore electricity. They say that they are under orders as part of the National Reconstruction Act to travel from town to town, rendering assistance and restoring order (which has led to a considerable amount of armed combat). They state that they are a C Company, 4th Tank Battalion
from Dodge City
, Kansas
. The Marines also convey some news about the war (see below), which they say is now over, and that the formerly feuding factions of the federal government have resolved their differences and are now reunited under one president.
Jake befriends one of the Marines, Cpl. Maggie Mullen (Erin Daniels
), and they rapidly become attracted to each other. However, it turns out that the Marines' arrival might not be such a good thing for the town when the Green family begins to suspect that they are impostors. Before the Marines are able to render any real assistance, and after the people of Jericho have begun sharing their own supplies with them, the Marines receive orders over the radio from Dodge City, recalling them to base. Mayor Anderson wants to stay on the Marines' good side, believing that, on their return, they will help to ensure that Jericho receives desperately needed supplies. To this end, Anderson decides to see them off with a fireworks display and a farewell dinner.
During the dinner, the "Marines'" use of the US Army slogan, "Hooah
" (not used by US Marines - they use Oorah), as well as their addressing of an N.C.O.
as "sir", betray their fraud to Johnston Green, who is himself a former U.S. Army Ranger. In addition, when Jake attempts to communicate with their Dodge City command center, he hears the town's fireworks through the radio. Jake then figures out that the supposed "command center" is really someone camping on the outskirts of town.
Without letting the other Marines know what they are doing, a team of Jericho residents goes out to investigate, and they do, indeed, locate and capture a lone man who was faking the supposed radio transmissions from Dodge City. When Jake confronts Maggie about these discoveries, she confesses that they are in fact refugees in disguise who have been traveling from town to town, posing as Marines in order to con unsuspecting townspeople into giving them enough supplies to make it to the next town. The Greens then capture and detain the fake "Gunnery Sergeant" and learn that he was, before the bombs, a physical education teacher who "watched too many movies". He and Maggie confess that when the genuine Marines arrived to assist their refugee camp, the 10,000 inhabitants began a food riot and the Marines, overwhelmed by the sheer number of refugees, abandoned the camp, leaving some of their gear and equipment behind, including the tank, which the refugees then commandeered.
The fake Marines and the Greens work out a deal by which the fake Marines will be allowed to leave peacefully, and they are even provided with several days' rations, but the refugees are forced to leave all of their weapons, including the tank, behind. Johnston Green decides not to tell the majority of the people of Jericho about the fake Marines' true identities, however, believing that the myth of a federal government working to restore order is more valuable to the people of Jericho, whose confidence in the government is quickly eroding, than letting them in on the truth. Therefore, the fake Marines are given a heroes' sendoff, and are escorted out of town to the same alley where Sarah executed her comrade in the previous episode. Jake tries to convince Maggie to stay in Jericho, but she thinks that adapting to life there will be too difficult, given all of the lies that she and her companions have told. She leaves with the others. Johnston decides to stash the M1 Abrams
in Stanley's barn, saying "never know when you might need a tank."
As all of this unfolds, a stand-off occurs inside the Hawkinses' house between Sarah Mason and Robert Hawkins. Suspicious of Sarah's intentions, Hawkins steals her hand-held communications terminal
. When he reads her messages, he learns of her duplicity, and that she intends to use his family as leverage in order to acquire "the package". When Sarah discovers the theft, she takes Hawkins' son hostage, telling Hawkins that she was upset to find that he had decided to return to his family in spite of the relationship that they had had together before the bombs went off. Hawkins wants to know for whom Sarah is working, but she insists that she is now working only for herself. She plans to sell "the package" to the highest bidder in order to ensure her own survival.
Sarah ends up holding Hawkins' entire family at gunpoint, and he decides to hand over "the package", retrieving it from behind a concrete wall in his basement. It turns out that it is the unused atomic bomb that had been destined for Columbus
, Ohio
. After a physical altercation Sarah gets the upper hand on both Richard and Darcy, but she is shot dead by Allison. Upset and frightened, Darcy leaves immediately with both children. Allison says "I love you" to her father for what seems to be the first time. After his family leaves, Robert makes contact with Sarah's partners using her hand-held device, and pretends to be her, telling her partners that he is now dead and that Sarah wants to know where she should take the bomb to deliver it to them. The mysterious contacts reply that they will shortly communicate where they will meet.
, Ohio
, where Hawkins' bomb was to have been detonated, is now the new capital of the U.S.A. They also report that the bombs used in the attacks were supplied by North Korea
, that the attacks were funded by Iran
, and that the U.S. had retaliated against both countries. They also say that American forces are still engaged in pursuing the surviving terrorists all over the world.
However, since the "Marines" themselves later confess that they got this information in bits and pieces of news that they had heard, and made up material to fill in the blanks, none of it can be assumed to be factual. However, it is worth noting that the "Marines" talked of the "war being over" before they were told that the citizens of Jericho have received little news about the outside world.
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...
. The episode's title, Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
for "always faithful
Semper fidelis
Semper Fidelis is Latin for "Always Faithful" or "Always Loyal". Well known in the United States as the motto of the United States Marine Corps , Semper Fidelis has served as a slogan for many families and entities, in many countries, dated to have been started no later than the 16th century...
", is the motto of the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
.
Plot
As the episode begins, Mayor Gray Anderson is trying to find a solution to the town's supply problems, recognizing that Jericho does not have enough supplies to survive the winter. He believes that their only option is to begin forcing the refugees who have arrived since the bombs exploded to leave. Some townspeople, having lost faith, are already making plans to leave for the south, believing that it will be easier to survive in the warmer climate. Former Mayor Johnston Green begs for them to stay, fearing that most of them will die or be murdered before they can reach safety. Just when all seems hopeless, a detachment of the United States Marine CorpsUnited States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
under the command of a Gunnery Sergeant
Gunnery Sergeant
Gunnery Sergeant is the seventh enlisted rank in the United States Marine Corps, just above Staff Sergeant and below Master Sergeant and First Sergeant, and is a staff non-commissioned officer...
arrives in Jericho, traveling with an M1A2
M1 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...
Abrams tank, and claim that they are there to help restore electricity. They say that they are under orders as part of the National Reconstruction Act to travel from town to town, rendering assistance and restoring order (which has led to a considerable amount of armed combat). They state that they are a C Company, 4th Tank Battalion
4th Tank Battalion
4th Tank Battalion is an armored battalion of the United States Marine Corps reserve. Their primary weapon system is the M1-A1 Abrams main battle tank and they are part of the 4th Marine Division and Marine Forces Reserve...
from Dodge City
Dodge City, Kansas
Dodge City is a city in, and the county seat of, Ford County, Kansas, United States. Named after nearby Fort Dodge, the city is famous in American culture for its history as a wild frontier town of the Old West. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,340.-History:The first settlement of...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
. The Marines also convey some news about the war (see below), which they say is now over, and that the formerly feuding factions of the federal government have resolved their differences and are now reunited under one president.
Jake befriends one of the Marines, Cpl. Maggie Mullen (Erin Daniels
Erin Daniels
Erin Daniels is an American actress. She is known for her role as Dana Fairbanks on The L Word .-Early life:...
), and they rapidly become attracted to each other. However, it turns out that the Marines' arrival might not be such a good thing for the town when the Green family begins to suspect that they are impostors. Before the Marines are able to render any real assistance, and after the people of Jericho have begun sharing their own supplies with them, the Marines receive orders over the radio from Dodge City, recalling them to base. Mayor Anderson wants to stay on the Marines' good side, believing that, on their return, they will help to ensure that Jericho receives desperately needed supplies. To this end, Anderson decides to see them off with a fireworks display and a farewell dinner.
During the dinner, the "Marines'" use of the US Army slogan, "Hooah
Hooah
Hooah is a U.S. Army and a Canadian Armybattle cry used by soldiers and also in use by the U.S. Air Force airmen "referring to or meaning anything and everything except no."-Usage:Some popular usages of HUA include:...
" (not used by US Marines - they use Oorah), as well as their addressing of an N.C.O.
Non-commissioned officer
A non-commissioned officer , called a sub-officer in some countries, is a military officer who has not been given a commission...
as "sir", betray their fraud to Johnston Green, who is himself a former U.S. Army Ranger. In addition, when Jake attempts to communicate with their Dodge City command center, he hears the town's fireworks through the radio. Jake then figures out that the supposed "command center" is really someone camping on the outskirts of town.
Without letting the other Marines know what they are doing, a team of Jericho residents goes out to investigate, and they do, indeed, locate and capture a lone man who was faking the supposed radio transmissions from Dodge City. When Jake confronts Maggie about these discoveries, she confesses that they are in fact refugees in disguise who have been traveling from town to town, posing as Marines in order to con unsuspecting townspeople into giving them enough supplies to make it to the next town. The Greens then capture and detain the fake "Gunnery Sergeant" and learn that he was, before the bombs, a physical education teacher who "watched too many movies". He and Maggie confess that when the genuine Marines arrived to assist their refugee camp, the 10,000 inhabitants began a food riot and the Marines, overwhelmed by the sheer number of refugees, abandoned the camp, leaving some of their gear and equipment behind, including the tank, which the refugees then commandeered.
The fake Marines and the Greens work out a deal by which the fake Marines will be allowed to leave peacefully, and they are even provided with several days' rations, but the refugees are forced to leave all of their weapons, including the tank, behind. Johnston Green decides not to tell the majority of the people of Jericho about the fake Marines' true identities, however, believing that the myth of a federal government working to restore order is more valuable to the people of Jericho, whose confidence in the government is quickly eroding, than letting them in on the truth. Therefore, the fake Marines are given a heroes' sendoff, and are escorted out of town to the same alley where Sarah executed her comrade in the previous episode. Jake tries to convince Maggie to stay in Jericho, but she thinks that adapting to life there will be too difficult, given all of the lies that she and her companions have told. She leaves with the others. Johnston decides to stash the M1 Abrams
M1 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...
in Stanley's barn, saying "never know when you might need a tank."
As all of this unfolds, a stand-off occurs inside the Hawkinses' house between Sarah Mason and Robert Hawkins. Suspicious of Sarah's intentions, Hawkins steals her hand-held communications terminal
OQO
OQO was a U.S. computer hardware company that was notable for manufacture of handheld computers. Its systems possess the functionality of a tablet PC in a form factor slightly larger than a personal digital assistant . According to Guinness World Records, the "OQO" was the smallest full-powered,...
. When he reads her messages, he learns of her duplicity, and that she intends to use his family as leverage in order to acquire "the package". When Sarah discovers the theft, she takes Hawkins' son hostage, telling Hawkins that she was upset to find that he had decided to return to his family in spite of the relationship that they had had together before the bombs went off. Hawkins wants to know for whom Sarah is working, but she insists that she is now working only for herself. She plans to sell "the package" to the highest bidder in order to ensure her own survival.
Sarah ends up holding Hawkins' entire family at gunpoint, and he decides to hand over "the package", retrieving it from behind a concrete wall in his basement. It turns out that it is the unused atomic bomb that had been destined for Columbus
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. After a physical altercation Sarah gets the upper hand on both Richard and Darcy, but she is shot dead by Allison. Upset and frightened, Darcy leaves immediately with both children. Allison says "I love you" to her father for what seems to be the first time. After his family leaves, Robert makes contact with Sarah's partners using her hand-held device, and pretends to be her, telling her partners that he is now dead and that Sarah wants to know where she should take the bomb to deliver it to them. The mysterious contacts reply that they will shortly communicate where they will meet.
Significance
The episode does not definitively state whether or not what the "Marines" tell Jericho about the outside world is true or not. They say that the six regional governments have been re-united into one. They also say that Secretary of Health and Human Services Charles, who is referred to in "Black Jack" as being the first survivor in the presidential line of succession, is now officially the president, and that ColumbusColumbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, where Hawkins' bomb was to have been detonated, is now the new capital of the U.S.A. They also report that the bombs used in the attacks were supplied by North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
, that the attacks were funded by Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, and that the U.S. had retaliated against both countries. They also say that American forces are still engaged in pursuing the surviving terrorists all over the world.
However, since the "Marines" themselves later confess that they got this information in bits and pieces of news that they had heard, and made up material to fill in the blanks, none of it can be assumed to be factual. However, it is worth noting that the "Marines" talked of the "war being over" before they were told that the citizens of Jericho have received little news about the outside world.