Railway era always has a romantic feel to it, some brave men venturing for progress and all that jazz. Unfortunately for Jericho, it's merely a timid drama instead of gritty realistic outlook of promising theme. The acting and environment are lackluster even though there are a few good shots due to its cinematography. Its slow plodding pace also serves as burden rather than pushing for a delectable endeavor.
At first, it has a few interesting foundations. The characters appear likable enough while the scenery is primed for a grand journey through the era. However, it soon falters with the slow direction. In the span of an hour, there are too many unnecessarily lingering shots and merely one or two notable events. Audience doesn't need to see longing stares numerous times or chase scene that seems to run in circle, even the supposedly crucial moments ironically lack impact on them.
This is a vanilla version of frontier drama with barely any excitement. It doesn't have to be full blown Wild West to be engaging, yet Jericho is atypically timid. Other series on the same time period like The Knick has shown the debauchery that can be fully capitalized, meanwhile Jericho doesn't appear to have the gusto to embrace the harshness of its time, which might feel sadly underwhelming.
Acting is clumsy at times, some of the characters feel out of place, not because they are meant to, but their mannerisms are either too reserved or overly blunt to be convincing. Furthermore, the visual and audio are designed a tad too merrily, which is strange since the on-screen characters would try to sell their predicaments. Soundtracks might sound fitting to the premise, yet the repetitive tune starts to worn out its welcome.
The slow and timid Jericho undermines its own potential, it feels too safe for the atmospheric and tenacious frontier era.
