Robert Hawkins (Jericho character)

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Robert Hawkins is a character on the U.S. post-apocalyptic drama Jericho. He is played by Lennie James.

In the pilot episode, it is revealed that Hawkins and his family moved to Jericho only very recently. In the seventh episode, Gray Anderson says Hawkins arrived only three days before the attack, and paid cash for the "Thompson house." These are considered unusual circumstances, and there is gossip about them around the town.

In "Fallout," Hawkins states that he was a police officer in St. Louis, Missouri, and received Department of Homeland Security training after the September 11, 2001, attacks. He was able to decode a Morse code message that revealed the names of at least five — and possibly eight or more — cities in the United States that presumably suffered nuclear attacks, but he kept the information to himself.

In "Four Horsemen," Hawkins is shown donning a yellow protective NBC suit and a gas mask so he can venture out during a storm laden with radioactive fallout. Stepping out into the rain, he takes a truck to a storage unit. Inside the storage unit, he moves aside a rectangular box, which falls open, revealing a small collection of M4 Carbines. He is shown removing a drum barrel, with a duffel bag covered in duct-tape. Later, Hawkins begins to construct a cinderblock wall in his basement, while most of the townspeople attend a cookout; the barrel is seen right next to this wall. The barrel is assumed to be placed inside the newly-constructed wall. Using the appearance of the nuclear devices used by the terrorists from episode 12, coupled with Hawkins failure to deliver his own assigned device, make it likely that this barrel is in fact the functional nuke intended for Columbus, OH.

In "Walls of Jericho," Hawkins helps in the interrogation of Victor Miller, a man dying of radiation poisoning. Victor clearly recognizes Hawkins, and moments before he dies, they have a cryptic conversation concerning an unidentified "traitor" involved in a scheme both are privy to.

[edit] Robert Hawkins' background

Much like Jake Green's, Robert Hawkins' true background and motives are shrouded in mystery. His wife is named Darcy, and their two children are named Allison and Samuel; at least, those are the names presented in Jericho. Allison is a teenager, and Sam is in elementary school. Allison's nickname is Ally. The series indicates that Robert has been estranged from his family for several years, and although they are still legally married, Darcy was involved with at least one other man during his absence.

Robert openly identifies himself as an ex-cop from St. Louis, but conversations with his wife and daughter in the seventh episode reveal that the family has actually just moved to Jericho from Washington, D.C. An FBI badge bearing Robert's name is found during an interrogation and search of his home in the eighth episode, and he reveals that he is working undercover and was relocated to Kansas to learn more about "suspicious contacts in this area" — however, the Morse code clue played over the episode's title card ("Rob not FBI") implies that this is, in fact, a false ID.

Unknown to the rest of the town, Hawkins is deeply involved in clandestine activities. These include secret communications with unknown persons through a locked laptop computer (which remains charged despite the lack of electricity in Jericho and unaffected by the EMP following the blasts), the monitoring of shortwave radio messages, and the storage of a large unmarked barrel with unknown contents (but possibly similar to the barrel intercepted in New York City containing a nuclear device mentioned in episode 6). This veil of secrecy extends to his own family. After his wife asks him to tell her what he knows about the upheavals outside Jericho, he denies having any knowledge. This is, of course, a lie that Darcy plainly sees right through.

Still, his family helps Robert to conceal their past and true identities. The family keeps a low profile and constantly rehearses their cover story of how Robert was transferred from Memphis, Tennessee, to St. Louis after Darcy's mother died of Multiple Sclerosis. The family memorize details, such as the schools they went to, the specific area of St. Louis they lived in (Kirkwood), and that it's located near Powder Valley with lots of trails, nature, and hiking (they supposedly enjoy hiking).

This is the photo Hawkins uses to cut his image out of.

In episode 6, Hawkins is shown editing himself into a family photo. The photo he takes himself out of is of what appears to be a group of men who have gone through, or are going through, some sort of military training.

There are many unanswered questions about Robert's role in this disaster. It is unclear with whom or for whom he is working, though in the episode "Federal Response," he accesses a Department of State database and finds Jake Green's passport. He also accesses a website that appears to be of foreign origin. In the episode "9:02," he implies that he is a US government operative when he tells his daughter that his laptop is "ruggedized," and "given out by the government." This belief is furthered during episode 8, when, during an interrogation by Gray Anderson and Bill, he is discovered in possession of an FBI badge. It's not known, however, if this is a real badge. Robert tells Gray that he is working undercover for the Bureau, and that he came to Jericho to investigate a series of suspicious telephone calls and money transfers that may have been linked to the terrorist nuclear attacks.

Robert and his colleagues' purposes and goals, if any, remain nebulous. Whether it's a government or an independent group has yet to be definitively revealed. So far, it appears to be an underground network of some kind, where members communicate with one another over the Internet and via Morse code radio broadcasts. They also seem to have been pre-selected for survival. Victor was most certainly a member, which explains his strange deathbed conversation with Robert in episode four.

An apparent bond has developed between Hawkins and Jake, perhaps since they recognize each other as "kindred spirits," due to their similarly-murky backgrounds. Although Hawkins' true motives have yet to be revealed, he is shown on numerous occasions (including at least once using deadly force) helping to protect the town. He has also been shown trying to cultivate a more normal family relationship, trying to make amends with his wife and children.

In the episode "Vox Populi," Hawkins receives an e-mail message from his unidentified contacts indicating that a traitor has been located, and that he is to contact his associates immediately. Hawkins, after some consideration and the clear start of reconicilation with his family, replies back that he is "compromised. proceed without me." In reply, Hawkins is e-mailed a detailed satellite image of Jericho, in which he is shown playing football with his family, with an accompanying message: "We need to discuss why you are lying to us. See you soon."

Satellite photo.

[edit] Trivia

• The laptop he uses is a Panasonic Toughbook that, according to the story, is effectively shielded against EMP. An episode of "Countdown" explains this further by having Kyp Walls, a Senior Marketing Manager for Panasonic Computer Solutions, spend some time demonstrating the ruggedized features of the Toughbook, such as drop-resistance and magnesium-alloy construction, which is twenty times stronger than ABS plastic, and five times stronger than titanium. It has not yet been explained how Hawkins keeps the computer's battery charged given the lack of electricity in Jericho.
• The SATCOM setup he uses is manufactured by Mackay Communications. This is the website shown when he connects to the service in episode four: http://www.mackaycomm.com/terms.asp
• The foreign web page that Richard visits appears to be a prop webpage, as it is the Turkish MSN webpage with some small changes to add noticably Cyrillic characters to the site. Since it's an inconsistent webpage, it can only be a prop with an unclear origin from within the Jericho storyline.
• Though the show doesn't follow a rigid fomula, most episodes end with Hawkins engaging in some kind of mysterious activity.