‘Jericho’: Goodbye Goetz

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We knew Goetz’s days were numbered after the horrific events of last week, but ‘Jericho’ really knows how to kick a villain when he’s down. In the space of a television hour, Goetz went from being the big man in charge to being stripped of his position and then shot in the head while two groups of people argued over who should get to arrest him.

I’m not big on the whole vengeance-killings-in-entertainment concept, but last night’s ‘Jericho’ made it work, thanks to the sensitive performance of series regular Brad Beyer (as Stanley) and the loathsome turn from recurring guest D.B. Sweeney (as Goetz).

Be sure to check out Beyer’s reflections on the episode at the show’s website.

Stanley’s indecisiveness in the moment was heartbreaking, and genuinely suspenseful. And the way the scene was staged by director Guy Norman Bee was a thing of beauty, especially the choice to let the audience see Stanley arrive and make his way to Goetz in the background as Jake was arguing in the foreground. The entire sequence was the dramatic high point of the hour, but it wasn’t overblown with excessive music or melodramatic tears or shouting.

And then, just as simply, Goetz goes down and Hawkins immediately speaks up as the voice of clear-headed reason. Everything’s really on a roll as we head into the final two episodes.

If you’re worried about the future of the show, check out this post from the CBS.com message boards. A new campaign seems to be brewing...

-- Geoff Berkshire