The Day Before

Season 1, Episode 12, Aired
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Episode Summary

The lives of Jake and Hawkins are explored during this flashback episode. This episode begins 36 hours before the bombs went off. Sarah is introduced and is associated to Hawkins. Jake had been living in San Diego.
9.2
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Cast & Crew

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Fan Episode Reviews (31)

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  • A quick look at the events that lead up to the big boom

    7.9
    "Good"
    By sosoCraig, Apr 16, 2010 Report Abuse
    So Roger did live? Mmmm. They didn't cover that as nicely as they should have.

    Instead, as most suspected, Hawkins has something to do with the bombings. We knew he was hiding secrets all along and he is still hiding more.

    We get some information on Jake but still not enough. We get some key back information on the people but it's still a bit slow on the uptake anytime there is a new storyline.

    The writers need to pick up on this deal and improve it because Jericho is one good show and shouldn't be suffering from bad writing. The cast is great though!moreless

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    1 0

  • Nice very nice.. Now we know what happened before the bombs..

    9.6
    "Superb"
    By chippu, Apr 16, 2010 Report Abuse
    This episode was just great. We know all the stuff that happened before the bombs and we know some more about Hawkins.. And i always kinda knew that Jake wasn't a bad person. But Hawkins has a lot of unanswered questions. Like was the truck seriously the bomb and who are these people? Are they really the FBI or something totally different? Is someone like the president behind this or is it some one else?
    But still there are a lot of other questions answered in this part. Like what Jake really did before the bombs and how Hawkins brought his family to Jericho and all.
    A lot of other stuff also happened like Emily's story being reviled. But where is Heather? She hasn't appeared in a scene for ages!
    So this episode was really worth every second... But i still wana know where the truck is that Hawkins brought and i shouldn't forget about his partner coming back...moreless

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    0 1

  • This episode fills in a lot of gaps leading to the circumstances before the attack. Primarily, we learn about Emily and her finance' Roger; Hawkins; and Jake. This episode really cinches together a lot of loose ends.moreless

    8.9
    "Great"
    By binary_spider, May 12, 2008 Report Abuse
    This episode really means a lot to the story of Jericho. In this episode, the writers have gone back and filled in a lot of gaps that had been nagging me as a viewer, and after watching this episode, I know a lot more about the events leading up to episode 1.

    It's a good episode in a couple of ways. One is that it satisfies my curiosity about what is going down with a lot of characters, and two is that it fills in a lot of filler that would have seemed meaningless or out of place in one convenient package. Learning about Roger had been an ad hoc proposition before this episode, and further development would have seemed sloppy. This entire episode is a series of flashbacks, so all of this stuff fits together and doesn't stick out too badly.

    This was a good episode. I think it is the first real glimpse we get into what went down around the country. It took them half a season, but they finally got around to letting us in on what happened.

    I rated this episode really highly not because the acting was stellar or the directing was superior or even that the writing was awesome. The editing was done well, but for the most part this is a standard episode. What makes it mean more is the way that it ties the plot together in a way that could not be accomplished by telling the story chronologically. You have to have seen the previous episodes to develop the want to know more, and then this episode comes along to fill that need. It is a solid episode in many respects, but its location in the season displays a new level of storytelling. I really enjoyed this episode. If you are watching the series in order like me, you'll be pleased after this episode.moreless

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  • A look back at the events leading up to the bombs.

    8.9
    "Great"
    By expatriot, Oct 11, 2007 Report Abuse
    After last week's cliffhangern with Roger returning, I was afraid this entire episode would be one big flashback to postpone dealing with Emily and Roger. That turned out not to be the case. This highly interesting episode had some revealing scenes about the events leading up to the bombs. We get a little more information about Jake's past. The scenes with Robert Hawkins were intrigueing. He's definitely involved in the bombings, that's certain now. Emily and Roger's fight and his subsequent apology might say something about their future relationship. Jake telling her to go to him might too. Also, Heather hasn't appeared in three or more episodes now. Johnston considering not runing for Mayor was surprising as well.moreless

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  • Review

    8.8
    "Great"
    By cavanagh15, Sep 05, 2007 Report Abuse
    Ive been waiting the entire series for an episode like this and for some reason I just think that the writers missed a good oppurtunity here to make something out of the time that they were given. I think Hawkins storyline played out well with the "8 Weeks Ago" episode, concluding with the woman showing up with the injured and is sure to make complications in his life in the next episode.

    Jakes backstory is where I think they dropped the ball. We knew he was apart of Ravenwood before and we knew he had a bad past as a bad kid, so I didnt really see the point in the episode. I didnt get the connection with the two people who knew in San Diego, so I was kind of let down by that. All of the scenes without the two of those characters were bad. Mimi and Stanley meeting for the first time, the affair going on...I could have went without seeing them.

    The end of the episode was another nice cliffhanger. Thats back to back episodes now with solid endings to episodes I thought. Overall, it was kind of a let down, but still lots of good information.moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

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    • April's attorney's name is William Garity, as seen when she exits his office with her divorce filing papers. Edit
    • Here we learn that Robert was part of a several man team that was supposed to deliver the packages to several major cities. The city Hawkins was supposed to deliver his package to was COLUMBUS, OH. Edit
    • In Vox Populi, we find out that Johnston Green has been mayor for about 25 years. In this episode, we establish that he took office when Eric was in Second Grade. Assuming that Eric was a normal age for his grade level, that would put Eric around 32 years old. Edit

  • Notes

    ADD NOTES
    • International Airdates: - Denmark: December 12, 2007 on SBS Net - The Netherlands: June 30, 2008 on Veronica Edit
    • As of this episode, Alicia Coppola (Mimi Clark) is now a regular cast member rather than her previous status of recurring. Edit
    • Featured Music: -"Santeria" by Sublime -"Nothing Compares 2 U" by Sinead O'Connor -"Starlight" by Muse -"Nothing Left to Lose" by Mat Kearney played when Eric and his father are in the bar. -"Acquiesce" by Oasis Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • Roger (on answering machine): Hey Emily, it's Roger. I just tried your cell but I couldn't reach you. I hope you haven't run off with the milkman yet. Last night was terrible. I kept wanting to get up and tell the captain I'd made a horrible mistake and turn the plane around. My home is where you are babe, and if that means Jericho, Kansas for the rest of my life, it'll be a happy one. I'm flying back tonight and get into Wichita at 10:30. I can't think of anything I'd rather see than your beautiful face when I get home. In case you're wondering, I didn't go on that interview. Edit
    • Gail: I studied French and Italian for four years and after all those years, all I can remember is my name, how to count to ten, and Would you please pass that packet of sugar? Edit
    • Gail: Something happened, watching April listen to your heartbeat. I began to wonder: how many good years do we have left together? Johnston: Did you hear something I didn't? 'Cause all she told me was I might be getting a cold. Edit

  • Allusions

    ADD ALLUSIONS
    • The episode title is a twist of The Day After, a 1983 TV-movie which dealt with the life in the aftermath of a nuclear explosion...the exact opposite of the events of this episode. Edit

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