Nevermind, I apparently don't know what I'm talking about anymore.

Nevermind, I apparently don't know what I'm talking about anymore.

Why don't I believe this statement?

How much do you think your first impressions were slanted by reading first, Allyson?

It's hard to say.

Edited because I seem completely unable to post a coherent thought, tonight. Blargh. Better to just get some sleep.

In the first three eps, my level of attachment has gone thusly (in terms of Rebecca's character):

1st ep: Intrigued. Her face said what her words didn't. And I liked seeing her get into the "profiler zone" with Web at the apartment. I saw her toughness that masked the not-so-tough parts.

2nd ep: Liked her. Another layer came off. Her talking to Paul was telling. Her visceral reaction to the chains chilled me. The cracking somewhat of her exterior on the street afterwards showed me she was human. Her ambiguious words to Brandt as she uncuffed him kinda made me dig her. She's got so much going on.

3rd ep: Loved her. All her anger and her past experience was playing on the surface throughout the case, and she was struggling to hold it in. And of course, at the end, with Roger and the Pre-filer, I was just floored.

I can't identify with her trauma, but I empathize, and I get her. For whatever reason. She's complex and fun to watch, and I AM rooting for her to make connections to the world.

For me, with a drama, I HAVE to get behind the main character. I have to get where they're coming from, I have to understand their motivations, so even when they do something that may make me dislike them, I can see their point of view.

I was able to do that with Buffy, Angel, Jaye (yeah, it was more a comedy, but still)....because whereas I know some people hated the main characters (more so Buffy and Angel), and watched for Willow, or Wesley, or whomever else, if I can't support the character the show revolves around, I don't see the point in watching.

(Chris Carter didn't seem to realize in the last two seasons that it wasn't just the scary stories that made the X-Files work, it was Mulder and Scully's reactions and interactions to them that did, which is why he should've ended the show after Season 7 minus a pregnancy...and this tangent is over).

I like many of the elements of "The Inside." I like the atmosphere, the music, the gruesomeness (I won't say gore, because I think that's too strong a word), the moral ambiguity, and I like the supporting cast for the different views and personalities they bring to the mix, and I'm sure I'll learn more about them as the show goes on....but Rebecca's the most important piece from my perspective.

And I think she's awesome. Some don't, which is a bummer, but hey. I don't need to feel hope, either. I got hope and hugs from "Full House" for seven years as a kid. I'm full up. Imagine my horror when I discovered problems weren't solved in a half hour.

The show goes into the dark, upsetting places, and I know that going in. For 43 minutes a week, I welcome that. It's different. It's unique. They may not have happy endings, but at least there's people like them doing their damndest to lock those kinds of criminals up, and that makes me grateful and have a great deal of respect for those that do the job.

It's honest. There's plenty of other things to cheer me up later. Wherever the story goes, I'll go. Apologies if this no longer makes sense.

PatK, I like everything you said.

I finally watched the ep last night. good stuff. I didn't hate Rebecca. I am starting to see that the things that I don't like about her are deliberate, i.e. I liked her until the scene with the wife, when Paul had to interrupt her. She later acknowledged that she needed to be pulled back. I also noticed that she has no empathy for "regular" people. She can identify with criminals and victims, but not the ordinary joe.

Yeah, PatK's reaction mirors mine pretty closely. "New Girl in Town" had some intriguing elements, and the great teaser got me interested, but it wasn't until "Old Wounds" and the cat-and-mouse game that I really got drawn into the story and started liking Rebecca.

900lb cannibal pics

The story is a bit spoilery on plot, but no more so than a tv guide description.

900lb cannibal pics

I know Tim didn't work on Buffy, but I'd be delighted if the 900lb guy was named Balthazar and waved his arms (from the elbows down, of course) yelling, "Unacceptable! Unacceptable!" But I'm easy that way.

I'm sticking with the show because of its pedigree (Tim, the cast), but it hasn't really grabbed me yet. I like it, but I'm more excited about seeing the next Veronica Mars re-run (I didn't watch it so it's new to me.) If I hadn't found a friend to tape VM for me, and if Tim's track record weren't enough to make me stick around -- S2 Angel alone means he'll always get the benefit of the doubt from me -- I'd be watching UPN on Wednesday. Fortunately I don't need to make that decision, but my reaction has been nothing like it was for Wonderfalls where I was appalled by Fox's treatment of it and thoroughly bummed that I wouldn't see the rest of it. And even though I love the DVDs there's still some melancholy because I want to see where the stories would have gone.

I'm not sure what factors my brain latches onto when deciding whether to like a show or not -- certainly I appreciate a sense of mystery, clear questions being presented (like LOST). I know I like good writing with clever turns of phrase. Good actors are of course, helpful. But there's something I can't quite place that causes me to dismiss many shows and latch onto the ones I really like.

With The Inside, I think the main thing that grabbed me is Web. I don't have a ton of attachment to Rebecca or her issues right now, but I'm fascinated by Web's actions and how he runs his team. With all of the attending questions like "How does he get away with this?" and "How'd he get to this position?" and such. Without Web, I'd be much less interested in the show.