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insisted on adding a shot of a painting of an aging woman in Allison's attic to explain why her medical knowlege is so out of date?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.

I like that the characters are acknowledging that SARAH is annoying.

As long as it remains benign, and not "OMG! AI HOUSE TURNED EVIL!" I'm willing to give it a tiny bit of slack.

I like SARAH. And Allison. I don't get a clear Allison/Jack vibe, but I don't think it's been too overplayed so far. It's a little annoying that every show has to have a love triangle, but...every show has to have a love triangle. I suspect studio execs have to sign a contract in blood that says Thou Shalt Have A Love Triangle In Every Show Whether It Needs One Or Not before they're allowed to oversee any shows.

(And seriously, don't change the show based on what people on the internet say. Even us. We don't always know what's best for us.)

Change the show based on what I say. Ignore Jessica.

I'm willing to allow an exception for people on the internet who can also kick your ass in person. I'm generous that way.