I just wrote the longest response to the posts ever. And then resalized it was too long. I erased it.

I couldn't agree more.

Why do they have to force two character together so hard? It feels so forced to me - both of us. I always felt there was more going on in the Jo scenes because there was SOMETHING to play.

I share you vision for shows and am nervous for the future. The network wanted the first season to be stand alone. They wanted that to make sure that some people could miss a few and not feel lost. And it's not what I, presonally, gravitate towards, but I'm nervous we're going to lose our smart viewers.

I know that second season they want to be more distanced from over explaining things...but we have to get there.

At least we have some good rides coming up. I think you'll like what happens to Jo in "Purple Haze".

Why do they have to force two character together so hard?

Because people love it. It gives viewers a relationship to be invested in because whatever the show is actually about just isn't enough, apparently.

The network wanted the first season to be stand alone. They wanted that to make sure that some people could miss a few and not feel lost. And it's not what I, presonally, gravitate towards, but I'm nervous we're going to lose our smart viewers.

This seems to be a very common network note. I hear it from Rob re: Veronica Mars all the time. I also read an interesting article in Entertainment Weekly maybe a year ago about the creator of The Dead Zone. He was saying something to the extent of, "When you get a substantial viewership, you're allowed the freedom to develop your arc. Because that core viewership will be interested in the long story." Most first seasons tend to want more stand-alones, though, right, because you need to build that viewership, give them several entrance points.

Why do they have to force two character together so hard? It feels so forced to me - both of us. I always felt there was more going on in the Jo scenes because there was SOMETHING to play.

Maybe they worry that people need a formula. That's too bad because I don't see any chemistry between Jack & Allison, either. Jo, on the other hand....

At least we have some good rides coming up. I think you'll like what happens to Jo in "Purple Haze".

Excellent.

I'm not bothered by the overly played quirkiness of the townspeople--but that was one of my favorite things about Northern Exposure. That created a lot of great stories and I'm hoping it's a treasure trove for Eureka, too.

I'm nervous we're going to lose our smart viewers.

Fear not. The idiotic crap otherwise-intelligent people will subject themselves to, for the greater fannish squee, is mindboggling. Especially on the Sci Fi Channel! (It just means you'll have to have a all-naked, all gay musical episode some day. Or mime! You could do a whole episode in mime.)

I loved the quirkiness of the townspeople at the beginning of Northern Exposure, but as time went on, many slipped from quirky to completely unbelievable. For me, at least, there's a fine line.

So the Artifact is... Green rocks. Right?

They found them in a field in Kansas.

Nope. It's the Orb. From Brisco County Jr.

Why do they have to force two character together so hard? It feels so forced to me - both of us. I always felt there was more going on in the Jo scenes because there was SOMETHING to play.

Agreed. Allison is always exasperated. It doesn't help that she doesn't appear to have any real authority or agency...she's like a nanny with her hands on her hips all the time. From the website:

Allison Blake, the government liaison between Eureka and the Pentagon, provides Jack Carter with a steady flow of professional and romantic frustrations. Charged with reporting on the progress of Eureka's citizens as well as their temperamental innovations, Allison grapples with an endless stream of crises and moral dilemmas.

!!!!

I think it's a Stargate crossed with a Rambaldi device.

I like the Jack and Joe.

I agree with ita that the townsfolk should be less rather than more twee and an explanation for Frewer's accent would be a good idea. (Maybe that could be like a tertiary overall arc.)

Next year I'll just email the scripts to the board and you guys can proof them.

Actually that'd be amazingly fun.

You realize that if we'd had a crack at this week's script, I would have either nixed the gratuitous rib-wrapping scene or insisted on adding a shot of a painting of an aging woman in Allison's attic to explain why her medical knowlege is so out of date? That could be fun.

ETA: I adore Jack's sense of the absurd - not really sure how to specify what-all I like about this character, there is some combination of charisma and centeredness that really draws me. Generally speaking, when Jack is on-screen, (unless Henry is around) he is the one character I focus on.

As for the twee, wacky townspeople? I say, bring it on. My job has me surrounded by various levels of wackiness which is often harmful, which I have to Do Something About. But any hint of benign wackiness, I revel in. What can I say, I'm just wacky that way.

Jo and Henry definitely need more screen time. I like watching both of these characters interact with Jack.

SARAH could get real old, real fast.

I like Matt Frewer. I hate the stupid accent and cringe whenever I hear it. It is very wrong that I can't enjoy watching him.