The following contains MAJOR SPOILERS for the "Jennings & Rall" episode of the CBS series, "Jericho."

In general, television has been more disappointing than satisfying for me this season. Sloppy writing, plot holes and uneven character development have plagued many series, old and new. I personally did not care that the writers went on strike; it seemed in many ways, they already had.

Then "Jericho" returns to prove that notion wrong. It apparently is going to be a weekly routine: I will sit down every Wednesday morning and praise the previous night?s episode of ?Jericho?. This show simply keeps delivering solid episodes in an otherwise disappointing television season.

With only seven episodes to work with, one would have thought bringing in new characters would be a waste of time, but Beck and Trish have proven to be not only useful, but rather complex despite limited screen time. It?s nice to see alliances formed in the underhanded fashion that would likely be the norm in a post-apocalyptic world.

The development of the new characters did not take time away from our old favorites either. We finally learned what it was that Jake did in Iraq: he was involved in the shooting of a village that left a number of citizens dead, including a 12-year-old girl. It?s not hard to see why Jake is constantly looking for redemption, and his emergency tracheotomy of the little girl in the pilot episode during season one suddenly takes on new meaning.

While I tend to like episodes focusing on Jake more than ones focusing on Robert Hawkins, it was hard to find fault with this episode. Hawkins is much like the bomb he is hiding: secretive, destructive and dangerous. Of course, when Hawkins goes front and center, it?s necessary for Jake to take a step back. The writers balance these two characters very well: when they advance one, they make sure the other remains relevant. This episode balanced both characters as well, if not better, than any episode in the series so far.

The virus scenario was handled exceptionally well. We never saw people dying of this disease; we only caught hints and glimpses that it even existed. Dale?s view of the soldiers wearing gas masks and the ham radio conversation with the quarantined Fall River, Missouri folks actually heightened the fear of the illness. The people in Jericho, under such a controlling government, would not have any images of the illness, so it stands to reason that we wouldn?t either.

Overall, this episode flowed nicely from the first two. Now that order is restored and a government is in place, Jake, Hawkins and company can start the process of bringing it all down.

What Worked

The interplay between Beck and Hawkins was especially good. After serving as Jake?s dramatic foil for two weeks, Beck served the same role with Robert Hawkins. Despite his military background and rigid adherence to rules, Beck proved to have an independent streak, sending aid to the plague victims in Fall River. He is turning out to be a multi-dimensional character who is more similar to Jake than he is different. What about that not so subtle glimpse of romantic interest I caught when he spoke with Heather? But then we learn that his wife was still missing. And we thought Jake was conflicted.

Also, it was nice to see Emily, Heather, Eric and Dale all have meaningful roles to fill this week.

What Didn?t Work

The whole storyline with Stanley, Mimi, and Bonnie is getting to be nauseating. Yes, we want to see them settle into a nice, comfortable routine, only to have it ripped from under them in an upcoming episode. Still, the scenes with those three characters this week were almost too hard to watch. This storyline so far is the Achilles? heel of the season.

Giving Credit Where Credit is Due

?Jericho? stars Skeet Ulrich, Lennie James, and Ashley Scott. The shows airs on CBS each Tuesday at 10 p.m. "Jennings & Rall" was written by Joy Gregory and directed by John Peters.