Black Jack (Jericho episode)

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“Black Jack”
Jericho episode
Black Jack Fairground
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 13
Written by	Jonathan E. Steinberg & Dan Stolz
Directed by	Helen Shaver
Original airdate	February 28, 2007
Episode chronology
← Previous	Next →
"The Day Before"	"Heart of Winter"

Opening Morse code
`-··· ·-·· · · -·· ·· -· --· -·- ···`
Translation
“BLEEDING KS”

"Black Jack" is the thirteenth episode of season one of the CBS fictional drama Jericho.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

[edit] Synopsis

A town meeting is held where Gray reveals that there will be only enough fuel for the generators to last for the next two weeks, and falling far short of lasting through the upcoming winter. Heather then proposes that the town should build a wind generated power plant. Although initially told that they don't have the parts to build a turbine, Roger reveals the existence of Black Jack Fairground, a trading post run by survivors where such parts may be found.

A group of volunteers is assembled consisting of Jake, Johnston, Dale and Heather. They soon reach Black Jack and find it a bustling community patrolled by heavily armed guards. A scuffle breaks out when Heather is mistaken for a prostitute, but the group is rescued by several of her old friends, who show them where to find the parts needed, as well as show them existence of a News Board that reveals much of the information concerning the outside world (see below). Jake is also surprised to hear that there are five Presidents in power across the country, while Dale, unable to trade away the silverware he brought along, learns that salt is a valuable commodity from Johnston (later he tells Skylar, whose family owns part of the town's salt mine, that they may be rich).

Meanwhile Robert is shocked to find Sarah in town, and is both relieved and suspicious that she has escaped her captors and had survived. However Darcy, afraid of her prescience, soon asks Robert to kill her. Elsewhere, Gail and Mary have a conversation concerning her affair with Eric. Later Mary discovers a note left by Gail that welcomes her to the family. Roger also begins to slowly open up to Emily about his experience trying to get home.

At Black Jack, Jake makes a deal with a trader for the parts they need; however, Dale discovers a secret back room with cages and handcuffs. Soured by the discovery, Johnston breaks off the deal and they leave. Dale then decides to steal the parts himself.

However, soon he is discovered and Dale is taken away by the guards. Johnston then rushes in to fight them off, and the group eventually escape with the aid of Heather's friends. Without the parts they need, Heather decides to leave the group and join up with her friends who reveal that they have a workshop where they can manufacture the turbine parts. She promises Jake that she will be back soon.

At the end of the episode Sarah and Robert Hawkins decide to go and kill "the old man," the leader of their conspiracy. Sarah is apparently a traitor by her text message conversation at the end of the episode:
"Have you located the package?"
"Not yet."
"How should we proceed?"
"We use his family." (italics means Sarah is writing.)

[edit] The news board

This episode begins to outline how the outside world is handling the attacks. A news board display along with a detailed map provide tantalizing clues to the state of world in the post-attack environment. Also, conversations with Black Jack refugees suggest that Germany has sent airdropped supplies as well as China.

The richest find so far is the news board. Although never shown in full detail, a considerable amount of information is shown in the cuts back and forth from it to the characters during the scene. A frame by frame analysis of the news board reveals the following information:

IN DEMAND	RED FLAG	YELLOW FLAG
Diesel	I-70 Manhattan To Topeka	I-70 Goodland To Salina
Salt	I-70 Ground Zero Denver To Goodland	Wichita Triangle
Iodine	I-80 East Of North Platte	I-80 Lincoln To Omaha
Morphine		Route 96 East Of Scott City To Dighton
Antibiotics		Route 83 North Of Garden City
Sulphur
	Death Toll 314	Death Toll 108

Although never openly stated, Red Flag routes appear to be exceedingly dangerous, while Yellow Flag ones are somewhat safer (as shown by the lower death toll numbers). The reference to "Selena" appears to mean Salina, KS.

In addition, there is a second display of information about the world and national situation apparently behind the map display. It contains numerous entries but many are obscured by the scaffolding. The intelligible parts tell the following stories:

NATION NEWS	WORLD NEWS	REGIONAL NEWS
Northwest Power Grid Beyond Repair	PM Clement Brings Neutrality To Vote	Weather Lab Predicts Worst Winter In Decades
Cheyenne Nears Accord With Sacramento	Jennings And Rall Wins Alaska Pipeline Contract	15 Dead In I-70 Attack
Beijing Vows To Continue Aid; Third Round Of Shipments Expected To Arrive For Distribution At Years End	Florida Delegates Sent To Montgomery; Talahassee Votes To Back Senator Snowden's Claim To Presidency: Fraud Charges Persist	Chicago West Camp Violence Continues; Magistrate Downs Enlists Springfield (...)
Mosque Burning Continues; Third Attack In Past (...) Strikes Cincinnati Community; (...)	Senator Tomarchio Suspends Posse Comitatus Act: As Expected, Presidential Claimant Grants Wyoming Guard Broader Authority

The map also indicates the nation has fragmented into six "splinters" or regional groupings. They are never openly named, but their geographic reach is clearly discernible from the map display. The fragmented state of the country plus this episode's Morse code of "Bleeding Kansas" as well as the combined Morse code messages of the last 3 episodes, which read out as "It begins with six and ends with bloodshed" may indicate a forthcoming civil war if, like Jake Green said, people cannot decide who should rightfully rule based up on the Presidential line of succession. Heather's childhood friend, Ted Lewis, comments that Secretary of Health and Human Services Charles is next in line of succession. Assuming no ineligible officers (i.e., not a natural-born citizen), the Health and Human Services Secretary would be 12th in line of succession. This means that the eleven officers senior to this position are all dead, missing, or ineligible for the Presidency.

Area	Capital	President
Western	Sacramento, CA	Senator Morissette
Central	Cheyenne, WY	Senator Tomarchio
Southern	San Antonio, TX
Southeast	Montgomery, AL	Senator Snowden
Midwest	Columbus, OH
Northeast	Albany, NY