Ask Matt

Matt Roush: All very true, and a number of fans made this very point in responding to my earlier criticisms of this season, which many (no surprise) found to be unfair. But this is the hand Jericho was dealt to secure its against-the-odds comeback, and my critical take is that it resulted in a lesser show, one with arguably more suspense but less of a human dimension. (Or at least until this week's shocking killing of Bonnie.)

I got a ton of mail after Monday's Jericho exchange, and much of it went like this one, from Kevin R. of Lafayette, Georgia: "After reading the question from the fan and your response, I wonder if we were all watching the same show last year and now. When was this not about a conspiracy to bring down the current government and replace it with a more 'conservative' one as they have done with the creation of Cheyenne? I'll grant you that a lot of the first season was developing the community into one that was recovering and supporting itself and others, but never did the underlying facts stop being leaked out during each episode. I think the true problem with this show is it shows a future that is more than just a fantasy! Our current president has already said that in the case of a major terrorist attack, the next presidential election can be postponed. If that statement alone is not enough to scare the normal American, then I don't know what is. Jericho still rocks!" No comment on that last part, but to me, the problem here — and it happens a lot with high-concept shows — is when the mythology, or in this case the conspiracy, takes over the show, robbing it of many of its initial virtues. The same thing happened to Prison Break with even more cartoonish results.