Jericho

[Gg]

This is, of course, my reading of the interplay amongst the characters in Jericho, but the cues are telling me that the affair between Isabella and Johnny, even if the consummation was only one night (I suspect that was enough, in the period) the ramifications of that affair rippled through, not only Johnny and Isabella's relationship but throughout the Blackwood family - effectively destroying the relationship with his brother and father, removing him from his inheritance (for all Charles knew) and denying him the ability to say goodbye to his father. Johnny was the golden son, but his lapse in judgment and morality, his insensitivity to his brother and his lover, effectively changed his life. A mistake, I suspect, the character would rather put behind him.

Isabella strikes me as a character who is raised as a proper, aristocratic woman of privilege and wealth - not one to give herself away easily. Johnny, as a young man, must've worked his seduction with either a great deal of savvy (not his first time) or effort - i.e. promising to run away with her, or, who knows, maybe both. Whichever the case, she must have believed herself very passionately in love with him, and him her,to have been willing to betray her fiancee - his brother, and the chance of that level of scandal. Johnny must realize this when he sees her again and really want to put it in the past. I think the character wishes she'd have figured out for herself (rather than ask for closure) so he doesn't have to spell it out for her, as he hopes to have become a better man... To put it plainly, I think he just wishes they could forget about the past and he could rebuild his relationship with what is left of his family, and begin again with Annie without having to deal with the shame of it following him. Hence the softcore gaslighting... It destroyed what was left of his relationship with his father - I think he feels he's paid enough of a price for what he sees as a dalliance he hoped would be meaningless.

Isabella, for her part, is willing to recover what she can of her reputation (ruined, after all) and is willing to build a relationship with Charles knowing he needs her money to salvage the family's fortune, she wants to see herself as an independent (co-dependent) businesswoman and perhaps, when the opportunity appears in the form of Johnny's return, make the same stupid mistake all over again... something I think they hinted at for the follow on series had the ratings allowed

[hannah26]

OK. Hanks for that. That explains a lot. I now see Johnny as not being as cold towards her as I first thought. He’s not exactly affectionate, but he does acknowledge her existence, he does look at her in the eyes when he talks to her and he does stand close to her when they talk. He does talk to her a lot. She’s defintely someone he knows well. They did only spend one night together so, like you said, the affair probably isn’t something she agreed to lightly. It was probably more about the words he used and the promises he made to her. But I’m still confused as they why he tells her off angrily by saying ‘Mistress of Blackwood? How long has it taken you?’ in episode 4 when she visits him at work.

[hannah26]

I meant to say ‘OK. Thanks for that.’ at the beginning x

[Gg]

It's an interesting ambiguity, isn't it. The "accusation" is dually ironic. After years of banishment after his father discovers the affair, Johnny seems to be accusing Isabella of gold digging. She was all set to marry well, as would've been expected of her, and after the derailment of those plans she is just getting back on track. A bit ironic of Johnny. Is he protecting his brother, not knowing that Isabella and Charles have ostensibly agreed to marry on business terms, or is he recentful of her convenient ability to get over him? Would he have not acknowledged his wrong doing with more humility? Or has he now reinvented her as the predator - seeking the heir at the expense of the spare. It all makes for good drama

[hannah26]

It looks as if Jericho was presented as though a second series was definitely thought to have aired. Is this right? There are a lot of unanswered questions about all the characters in the first series. All the characters remain rather mysterious. In episode 4 Johnny treats Isabella as if she’s a gold digger who cheated his brother. He seems to want to build bridges with his brother and seeks his affection a lot during the first series. Maybe he realizes now how much his family mean to him and that he has to put them first now. But wasn’t he just as bad as she was when they had the affair? It must have been a very confusing affair with conflicting emotions for everyone involved. I think Isabella loves both brothers in different ways. She’s fond of Charles as she’s been brought up to believe that he loves her, but she’s (still) ‘in love’ passionately with Johnny. In the first series it looked as if she was torn between her emotions. Part of her wanted to move on with Charles. But part of her looked as if she was ready to resume her affair with Johnny. As she and Johnny were future brother and sister in law I think they would have spent a lot of time together and saw a lot of each other growing up and they may have even been friends for a long time before the actual ‘affair’. Who knows. It’s never too long to make a second series for all those unanswered questions.

[hannah26]

Isabella does seem a bit upset over Annie and Johnny’s relationship. Not in a particularly nasty way. But she does question Annie’s difficult situation when she mentions her and Johnny’s new and budding relationship to Johnny.

[Gg]

It could all be very "East of Eden" but Isabella doesn't see to me be quite a "Cathy" character. Of course, Johnny was just as bad, if not worse! Whether Isabella is a gold-digger or no.

Originally it was written to have the possibility of a second season, but the ratings wouldn't justify it. There are many strings left untied, not the least of which: who killed Davy? (I think we all know...) Will Charles survive? Will Annie change her mind about getting married again? Will Epiphany ever tell Easter the truth? Will Alma become less irritating?

The set in Yorkshire is abandoned and boarded up for years now.

[hannah26]

On the amazon prime reviews for Jericho most viewers have given it 5 stars and are saying that it was an excellent series which should have been continued. I think when it comes to period costume dramas the British public are used to cosy indoor dramas either inside a grand house like Downton Abbey or based on like Jane Eyre. They might have seen the adverts but the Western theme (although it was an interesting idea) and maybe even the title ‘Jericho’ might have confused them. They didn’t realize that it had the same romance, family secrets, values and murders in the storyline that the other popular period dramas have. I think the first series of Jericho might just have to remain an underrated hidden gem which only Hans Matheson and Jessica Raine fans know about. Some of the best things are hidden gems.

[hannah26]

Alma is defintely the bully in the series. She would have done more annoying things in the second series even after her wedding.

[hannah26]

I think Epiphany would have tried to keep the truth a secret for as long as possible. She’s too overprotective.

[hannah26]

With regards to Annie’s surprising reaction to Johnny’s proposal, her husband has only recently died in tragic circumstances, leaving her in debt with 2 kids. I think this is a very sensitive issue to portray, and most women in her situation wouldn’t feel ready to rush into another serious relationship, even if they did meet someone they liked. I think if the series continued she would eventually have married Johnny. But I think the director wanted to respect the feminists and women in society today. In reality, in the 1800s, society would have pushed her into marrying Johnny quicker after his proposal, whether she felt ready or not, as it was much more difficult for women to survive financially without men.

[hannah26]

Or based on a book like Jane Eyre *

[hannah26]

I think in a second series Annie would have discovered what happened between Johnny and Isabella and there would have been a showdown with her and Johnny. I think Isabella would have eventually got over Johnny and happily married Charles. But I think she would have held a torch for Johnny for some time.

[hannah26]

I don’t think Isabella is a Cathy character or gold digger either. I think she’s just a hopeless romantic.

[Gg]

To be brutally honest, I worry that the writers and directors changing as often as they did allowed the series to lose focus and perhaps plotlines juggled from cliffhanger to cliffhanger.

It is funny - Cathy's in both East of Eden and Wuthering Heights. If only there were brothers fighting over Jane in Jane Eyre. Why Jane Eyre? Is Annie, Jane?

I agree that Annie's rejection of Johnnie's proposal seemed to point in an indepenedent modern woman direction, but it brought up some interesting conundrums of it's own.