I hear what you're saying, DavidS. The studio offered to send out a couple more eps for review, I said no.

I like her fuckedupedness and see her as a compelling Red Riding Hood with a push-knife hidden in her basket.

I feel like you must have seen what I'm up to -- that's pretty much what all 13 put together add up to. And that was on purpose.

The reviewers who panned us were kind of angry assholes. I'm talking about the really nasty pans. Not the dismissive ones from The Reporter or Variety -- they had rather more hard core pans for Wonderfalls and Firefly, by the way. But the angry ones. The INDIGNANT! ONES! Those professional TV viewers have procedural fatigue or whatever. Whaaa. Get another job. (There were one or two, one I can think of specifically -- who gave Wonderfalls GLOWING reviews... and I didn't much care for those either. Even when he was praising something, it felt snotty and dirty and elitist and I'd rather he didn't slobber on it.)

The critics who gave us good to great reviews seemed to be picking up what I, at least, thought was the point of what we've been doing. Now, you can be bored by that, or think we've done it badly or whatever... but to continue to bring up CSI or Law and Order really seems to miss it by a mile. If I were trying to do a law or science hard-fact procedural, you can bet I wouldn't confuse it with a melodrama (I use that term in the best sense, at least the way I feel about it.)

(I totally know I sound like one of those people who are all, "they just don't get it!" if they don't like it. Like Ed Wood at the top of that movie of the same name. Still. I think it. )

You learn something from each thing. And I think your First Impression Strategy theory is it.

One last thing. I will mention one person who does seem to get it... of course he's had a chance to see more than the critics, and that's Peter Liguori, the pres of the network. He called me Monday to tell me that he wanted to air two originals back to back, and wanted to do it on the 6th so there would be time for it to show up in the listings. He told me he'd been thinking a lot about the show, that he couldn't shake it, that this was a "testament to my illness," he said he didn't think it was something you could sell in ten minutes, called it all kinds of nice things, said it was a much better show than it was performing, and that he hadn't given up on it. So that's good.

Those professional TV viewers have procedural fatigue or whatever.

I'm curious to see what those reviewers have to say about CBSs Criminal Minds which is about FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit.

I liked this episode. I enjoy when the criminal and the cops engage in a battle of wits. Martin did seem one step ahead of the VCU but he had to have that validation.

And for some reason I thought he was after Roger's wife. Everyone just sort of assumed it was Roger that I thought for sure the housewife was the bad guy. Guess I overthought that one.

For a good while, I thought that the older of the two kids was the one being targeted. I was completely misdirected by the bit with the video game and his pulling a toy gun on Danny. When the missing cat was mentioned, my first assumption was that the kid had done something to it.

Nice misdirect.

Also, no FBI agent (or law enforcement agent anywhere) is going to drop their weapon in a standoff. That's verboten down to the roots of their hair and into their DNA. That's conceding control of the situation and basically ensuring your own death.

In a hostage situation? I thought that was pretty much protocol. But then, I possibly watch too much tv.

I dunno about protocol, but I still would have put a hole in the guy myself, damn the consequences. If I can put a hole in a black silhouette in the dark from 25 feet (4 shots to the body and one to the head--night qualifications with a .38 while I was with the military police), it would have been a cinch to put that guy down.

For a good while, I thought that the older of the two kids was the one being targeted. I was completely misdirected by the bit with the video game and his pulling a toy gun on Danny. When the missing cat was mentioned, my first assumption was that the kid had done something to it.

Plus I still have strong memories of when I first saw "I've Got You Under My Skin". Which is why I was glad Tim didn't go to that well again.

He told me he'd been thinking a lot about the show, that he couldn't shake it, that this was a "testament to my illness," he said he didn't think it was something you could sell in ten minutes, called it all kinds of nice things, said it was a much better show than it was performing, and that he hadn't given up on it. So that's good.

I'd been wondering how this was going to go. We've seen how Fox handles a show they don't like, that the critics are decidedly mixed on, and that doesn't get killer ratings (Firefly), and we've seen how they handle a show they REALLY didn't like, that the critics REALLY loved, and that got worse ratings (Wonderfalls). So I was curious how they were going to deal with a show they really DID like, but that got mixed reviews and poor ratings. We shall see.

I'd love to see the nurturing of a show pay off in this day and age - it has happened with some shows that ended up being huge, but almost never happens anymore.

He told me he'd been thinking a lot about the show, that he couldn't shake it, that this was a "testament to my illness,"

That's probably the coolest comment ever. Tim, I think you should change your tag to "a testament to my illness".

In fact, I know people already love the 'support group for clumsy' whatever for a thread title, but I'm going to toss that into the bureau ring for a Minearverse title--if not for Minearverse 4, than for Minearverse 5. It's too good.