I know technically they're not spoilers since the shows have been on in the US but it's worth pointing out there's some zingers in there for several shows (especially for those watching on DVD).

Saje | November 21, 02:12 CET

I disagree that there was no way to redeem Anna Lucia. The writers just gave up on her. Plus there's the whole behind-the-scenes controversy. Sloppy, sloppy writing. But if season three keeps rocking the way it does now the show might achieve some sort of redemption....

WilliamTheB | November 21, 04:08 CET

TVGal is still such a Buffy fan.

I agree wholeheartedly with you William, about Anna Lucia and this season's Lost.

Reddygirl | November 21, 04:51 CET

OK, never seen the Office, but this made me add season 1 to my Netflix que.

Harmalicious | November 21, 05:37 CET

I know some (many?) Lost fans weren't big on Anna Lucia, but I thought Michelle Rodriguez did fine with what the writers gave her (and after apparently going against her request at the beginning of her stint to let her not play a hard-ass for once. Anna Lucia fit the tough cop cliche to a tee and I'm not surprised Michelle wanted to play something different given her previous roles. If they wanted her so bad for the show, they should've at least agreed to her terms. The character still would've worked as someone a little less harsh or scowling all the time). Her death was a complete waste (doubly so was Libby's), though of course it also marked the start of Season 2 getting out of it's mid-season (more like most-season) slump. I liked Anna Lucia's flashbacks though, I thought Rodriguez did very well with the whole anger/vulnerability angle of her character's shot-and-nearly-killed/baby-killed background. And the actor who played her mom was good too.

Agreeing with those who've piped up about it in this thread so far, Season 3 of Lost rocks so far and has hugely renewed my hopes for the series as a whole. My friend keeps saying it's boring her to tears though, she doesn't give one whit about The Others and why they're doing what they're doing.

I bought the Lost score CD today. There's some really nice stuff on there. Also though, that same goddamn theme repeated the entire first season (and on into Season 2 and 3) in various forms/speeds and would it have killed them to vary it up a lot more when they're going for moods of inspiring, sad, or communal ? I know a lot of TV shows have recurring musical cues, but Lost takes it to an extreme.

Kris | November 21, 08:19 CET

I never really had a huge problem with the Anna Lucia character herself, but I think the writers mishandled her consistently throughout season two. In fact, the two events in the series so far that most made me want to give up on the show, Shannon's friendly-fire death and Michael's killing of Anna Lucia and Libby, both involved her. And remarkably, she did almost nothing between these two bookends--there was that vague "Let's start an army!" plan of Jack's that came to naught, and I can't for the life of me remember what else she did in between her two centric episodes. So yeah, Michelle Rodriguez was fine. The writing was not.

WilliamTheB | November 21, 08:30 CET

Re Anna Lucia: While I do not want to disrespect the rules (see, Simon? Caroline? I listen!), I have the impression that the actress's offscreen behavior had a lot more to do with the character's dispatch than did the writing. JMHO, as always.

cronopio | November 21, 08:56 CET

Read this. It was always intended for Michelle to stay on for only one year.

Storyteller | November 21, 13:08 CET

The rumor that the producers killed off Anna Lucia and Libby because of their arrests, and how it's regarded as fact in the fandom really grates my cheese. The writers had Anna Lucia's death planned when she was hired. I think Libby was added for drama, but I can't remember for sure. I would think that the producers would have more scruples than to hold some kind of grudge against their actors because they broke the law.

I agree that Anna Lucia could have been redeemed. Hell, any character can be redeemed if you just write them that way. There's always something you can do to advance a character and give them purpose. You just have to try.

electricspacegirl | November 21, 14:33 CET

I'm not doubting that the producers only intended to have MR on for only a year but I think it was a stupid decision. They had only killed off one female regular, who had a lot of promise to develop into an interesting character. It would have been better to try and bring in another female for the long haul instead of someone to be cannon fodder.

Juliet is a fantastic character and I do hope she'll stick around for a long time. I think "Jacket" would be an interesting ship.

Reddygirl | November 21, 16:17 CET

I'm not spoiled so this is just speculation. But Libby could well be seen again in flashback for either Hurley or Desmond. I hope so as they opened a couple of storylines there that were quite interesting.

lynnie | November 21, 17:26 CET

I have to agree about Greys Anatomy. Meredith has become the least interesting character in the whole bunch. I don't go so far as to fast forward through her scenes but I do tune out a little.

war_machine | November 21, 17:48 CET

I wasn't a big fan of Ana Lucia but that death was quite a shock.

spikeylover | November 21, 20:41 CET

I watched the first season of Grey's Anatomy, and unfortunately I just didn't think it was that good. The main character Meredith in particular was just this irritating, whiny, shrill, needy, self-absorbed know-it-all, and yet the show seemed to be presenting this idea of how empowering the female characters were. I didn't think the portrayal of Meredith was very conducive to that, nor did I I appreciate the slightly negative presentation of the male characters.

As for Lost, I've only seen as far as the end of season two, and I think the problem with Ana-Lucia was simply being part of such a large regular cast. Regardless of the outside reasoning behind Michelle Rodrigeuz's departure, within the show Ana never developed enough to allow the audience to warm to her as a character, which is a particularly important problem when you have her accidentally killing off another main character. I don't think the writers ever quite found the right balance between the hardened cop and the vulnerable woman inside.

And to be honest, I find it very hard to believe that the writers have the show's arcs planned out as meticulously as Joss did. I don't think he had the season seven ending worked out at the beginning of season one or anything, but anyone who has studied Buffy will know that each season had a few definite themes and plots which would have been worked out in advance but that the writers were also able to change things or change the direction of the show entirely. I think there was a definite sense of purpose in the show and an evident amount of planning.

Lost seems completely different. Plot threads might appear as if they are going to be very significant, and are then dropped by the side of the road (such as Jack's idea of taking the fight to the Others, or Libby knowing Hurley from the mental institution). Sometimes you wait weeks for something exciting to happen and then a lot of important things happen within one episode, and then there's another long wait for that particular arc to continue. It felt uneven and dissatisfying.

I am aimining my criticism here particularly at season two because I thought season one on the whole was pretty strong. Season two was still quite entertaining but as part of the ongoing series I don't feel like the show has really lived up to its early promise, and continues to build really slowly upon the mythology and story arcs without really providing any real closure.

Razor | November 21, 23:17 CET