Casus Belli (Jericho episode)

"Casus Belli"
Jericho episode
Episode no. Season 1
Episode 19
Directed by Steven DePaul
Written by Karen Hall
Original air date April, 2007
Episode chronology
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"A.K.A."
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"One If By Land"

"Casus Belli" is the nineteenth episode of season one of the CBS drama Jericho. The term "casus belli" is a modern Latin phrase meaning "case for/of war," referring to the justification for acts of war.

Synopsis

Morse code --- -· ·
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Translation ONE GOT AWAY

Phil Constantino, New Bern's sheriff and town manager, releases the men of Jericho and delivers a shipment of windmills to the town. When Eric Green doesn't return from New Bern, Jake suspects that something is wrong. He teams up with Robert Hawkins to search the town and find Eric, but they soon find a bigger problem. New Bern is running a munitions factory and is preparing to wage war on Jericho; New Bern has full inventories of Jericho's stores and detailed maps.

During a discussion with Jake and Robert, Phil reveals that Ravenwood tried to loot the town. Evidence of the looting is shown on the bullet and bomb-ridden facade of the town hall. As a result of the hard times, Phil and the people of New Bern fortified their town. Also, Phil confirms the food shortage in New Bern.

Later, Jake is captured trying to stop the military operation and ends up in jail, where he finds his brother, Eric. Jake asks him about Heather Lisinski, who left for New Bern after the events of "Black Jack" to help build the windmills. Eric says that when she learned that they were creating munitions in the factory, she sabotaged the machinery in the factory. He also tells Jake that Heather is dead. After Eric tells Jake this, the two are brought out in front of city hall, where Constantino is addressing the town. Constantino falsely says that Jericho has no intention of keeping good on its end of the bargain, although he is not aware that Jericho has decided to not deliver the goods if food is still in short supply in the spring. He tells the town that the windmills were delivered to Jericho and in return they sent people to sabotage the factory that has kept New Bern alive. He points to Jake and Eric, claiming that they are his proof. The viewer knows that they indeed did try to sabotage the factory, but not because Jericho had intended to break the deal. At the end of the episode, Robert Hawkins is seen looking on from a concealed position.

References