As season two begins, the battle is abruptly ended when the new Cheyenne army arrives to stop the conflict. Jake is brought face to face with New Bern leader Constantino (Timothy Omundson), and both are questioned by Major Beck (Esai Morales). Beck tells Jake he'll look into the events that led up to the war. He insists that it's time to rebuild, and he promises Jake that the nightmare is over.

Four weeks later, Jericho appears well on its way to recovery. Government contractor Jennings and Rall seems to be involved in all the rebuilding efforts throughout the town. Some communication has been restored, and most of the town's residents are hopeful. But some are convinced the new government is hiding the truth.

The official story is that the nuclear attacks that destroyed 23 American towns and killed 15 million people were caused by North Korean and Iranian forces. Robert Hawkins (James) knows that's not the truth, and he has the smoking gun to prove it ... a nuclear bomb that, in the right hands, could be traced back to the people who are actually responsible.

Jake believes Hawkins. But both he and his brother, Eric (Mitchell), are still bent on revenge over the murder of their father at the hands of Constantino's forces. It's all Beck can do to stop Jake, and he asks Jake to take on the role of the sheriff of Jericho.

Uncertain what to do, Jake can't help but see that Jericho's problems are far from over. Cheyenne isn't the only government to pop up, nor is it the most legitimate. The new Cheyenne president was never elected. Jennings and Rall are involved in questionable deals, and the company seems to be controlling everything. While the battle with New Bern may be over, Jake starts to realize that perhaps even tougher battles are on the horizon for Jericho.

A rousing restart

After CBS canceled Jericho at the end of its first season, fans rallied to the cry of "Nuts!", inspired by Jake's refusal to surrender in the face of overwhelming odds. CBS offices filled up with all manner of nuts sent in protest, and after a few weeks the beleaguered network surrendered and renewed Jericho for a short seven-episode season.

In the season-two premiere, "Reconstruction," gone is the uncertainty of how widespread the destruction was as the mythology is opened up to a far greater dilemma. The seeds of the new season are laid as the characters begin to realize what is at stake. The battle for the United States of America is actually only just beginning. There's something rotten in the new Cheyenne government, and Jake and his people will become key players as that battle is waged.

Rather than lose its mystery, Jericho's new direction works to paint a much scarier world as the characters are isolated, not by the bombs this time, but by an oppressive new government that pretends to embrace all the things America is supposed to be about while actually squashing its opposition and controlling communication. In the second episode, when new school textbooks arrive that completely rewrite history, it's a very frightening moment.

With only seven episodes, the writers have dug in, filling the episodes with action and deepening the characters' journeys. Not everyone in the large cast will be in every episode. That's a good change, because it focuses the storytelling on what is important.

As for the cast, the talented group is joined by the terrific Esai Morales as Major Beck, who helps us overcome the loss of Gerald McRaney's Johnston Green as a good man who will certainly find himself tested in the season to come.

While it's hard to tell in these ratings-challenged days how Jericho will do, those who watched last season will surely be pleased. Those who didn't should give it a try. It's a rousing restart to a worthy series.