Millennium marketing mayhem!

[Guest ModernDayMoriarty]

One thing I think we can all agree on here is that we consider Millennium to be a grand show yes? Otherwise we wouldn't be here right? But are we all lauding the same show? As a little experiment I've been posting on a thread about The Hand of Saint Sebastian but really it's been about why people liked Season Two. I have long held that Seasons one and two particularly, are really two different shows. I.e they appeal in completely different ways that mean it goes beyond one person simply disliking given episodes; the tone is such that it simply doesn't appeal to them anymore. I am therefore of the opinion that Millennium was doomed because it stopped focusing on one group of viewers and tried to win a new set, alienating the previous viewers not once but twice. Messing about with the tone and format just confuses viewers into not knowing what it is they are watching.

I'll try and explain how Millennium appealed to people and why it wasted its opportunities, especially here in Britain. When people think of Millennium (who don't really know much about it), they think X-Files, dark, depressing. Season One was really played up as the 'new thing from the makers of the X-Files'. What does that imply? It implies that it will be a series that involves paranormal events etc really doesn't it? The association with the X-Files makes this kind of thing inevitable. But Season One isn't like that really and marketing it like it made little sense. Market a series as Sci-Fi (as it was if you consider the consistent marketing off the back of the X-Files) and you will attract Sci-Fi fans. Now what do Sci-Fi fans want? That's right, Science Fiction, paranormal stuff etc. Did they get it? Not really. Is it then any surprise that the ratings slid dramatically... However, Season One was good television and that enabled it to retain some viewers and build on that.

Because Season One is more like a regular detective program and we brits love this kind of thing. I am not being insulting now I assure you, I am just telling it like it is but most brits when they see an American cop/detective show will just think 'American sh*t'. The old stereotypes that Americans come in and jazz everything up, throw in lots of cars, guns, sex and explosions. That kind of thing just falls flat over here as regards detective shows (as long as they are American which just shows how biased we can be!) The kinds of detective programs that do well here are A Touch of Frost, Inspector Morse, Miss Marple, Midsomer Murders etc. Interrogations, finding clues, not really any action and practically no through-stories (i.e they never have a metaplot really). Sci-Fi hardly ever does big business, Star Trek and X-Files are the only series to ever really hit the big time when they were first shown over here. Usually though, Sci-Fi is relegated to graveyard slots and ignored.

Therefore the potenntial of Season One Millennium was utterly wasted. In trying to emulate the sucess of the X-Files, 1013 made a grevious marketing mistake. Millennium was very focused on character study and realism in Season One. No real sci-fi for ages, slow burning cases, polished detective work, that sort of thing. (I am not criticising people who don't like this, read on and I'll get to Season Two's worth). If Millennium had been marketed as a detective show over here with only passing reference to sci-fi, I feel it would have done a lot better. As an example take my family and friends. My friends neatly divide into the ones that like Morse, Frost etc and those that really, really don't. The latter are more purist sci-fi fans (again, nothing wrong with that). The former love Millennium Season One like I do and despise Season Two. The latter hate Season One but will happily watch Season Two amid talk of 'Hey, I didn't know Millennium was like this, it's great!' So like I said earlier, two different shows that appeal to two different kinds of people. My father is a big fan of detective programs but (and don't be too hard on him), he is naturally disposed to hating American programs (because he stereotypes them to all be the flash-bang, no substance programs I described). One evening I casually inserted 'Covenant' from Season One and watched it while he was around. He liked it. Further experiments revealed he really liked most of Season One and was surprised at its quality. However he unreservedly hates Season Two and now won't watch 'anymore of that American sh*t'.

So it all comes down to taste. The fact that many of my sci-fi loving friends do like Season Two indicates that it isn't rubbish, just different. The problem is that you can't do something like this in one show and expect it to succeed. Just like post season Five X-Files, different shows lose/gain people according to whether or not they like that sort of thing. But to do it TWICE to try and get back the fans you lost whilst half-heartedly trying to keep the ones you gained? Well, it didn't work did it judging by how many people hate season three here. 'But you still watched it' I hear you say (well maybe not). I did but more out of fear that if I didn't, it would never be shown again and I wouldn't know if I liked it or not. The first episodes I saw were 'The Mikado' and 'Room with no View' from Season Two. I thought they were incredible but then missed Millennium for ages. When it came on from the start of season one I started watching and taping them. I was blown away and kept thinking 'it's this good now and those from season two were great as well!' I heard good things on-line about Season Two and looked forward to it. A few episodes in and I was ready to stop watching Millennium. I hated the new direction but kept telling myself 'but it must get better, I've seen proof'. So I kept watching but it just wasn't entertaining me bar the odd episode here and there. But in fear that the moment I stopped watching it would get good I perservered coming to the conclusion that (for me) it wasn't worth watching when it finally finished. Then Season Three came along and I loved it but that's another story...

Anyway, I think the sci-fi connection really hurt Millennium. It wasn't really a sci-fi show at first. Changing it to be a sci-fi show just confused people as did changing it back again. For the record I think even if Millennium had been a hit over here as it really could have been marketed right, it wouldn't have survived Season Two. British people just don't really care for sci-fi on TV and that's the honest truth. It would have sunk like a stone. If it was a new series that started like Season Two was and that was marketed as being like the X-Files it may have stood a chance. I am still doubtful however. Even the X-Files stopped being big business over here after Season Three. As the metaplot got under way, brits (including me) turned off in their thousands. By season Five, no-one cared about the X-Files anymore and many were surprised it was still going!

So what am I saying? What I am NOT saying is that either British or Americans have inferior tastes but they definately do seem different. I think Millennium Season One was far more likely to succeed over here as we have an established tradition of liking that sort of thing - we just don't expect it to come from America because usually you produce more action orientated stuff. Again, I'm not being racist, just calling it like I see it and I'm afraid that casual racism (i.e not serious, just the usual toffee-nosed brit superiority complex I find so distasteful) is a fact of life. Meanwhile I think Sci-Fi tends to find a more appreciative auidience in America. In many ways I envy this as Brits miss loads of good programs because we 'know we'll hate that kind of thing'. Look how long it took us to realise Babylon 5 was a good show! I think anyone making these kinds of shows must take into account the audience it is pitching at. Give Sci-fi to Sci-fi fans! Give detective drama (as S1 largely is) to detective fans!

Well, that's how I think Millennium could have been sucessful or rather why it wasn't sucessful. I hope no-one was offended.

Thanks.

[Guest chrisnu]

No, not offended at all! I agree that the change of direction not one but two times did hurt the show's chances a lot. The initial marketing of MLM as somewhat of an X-Files clone did not help; if people expect one thing but get something else, they're likely to be turned off. The same reasoning goes for the changes of direction in S2 and S3, and gives some explanation for the ratings being lower than S1. I can see why fans of S1 would not like S2; they are dissimilar in many ways. As you could tell from my previous posts, I am a big S2 fan, so I didn't mind the change in direction, for the most part. At the same time, I did not appreciate the change of direction in S3, where some find it refreshing, including yourself, it seems. While these drastic changes offer a variety of material, it doesn't offer enough of the same thing to attract a large number of viewers.

[voidprime]

I liked all three seasons of Millennium. I just wished they retained more of the plot elements from season 2 for season 3 than they actually did. As for XF seasons 4 and 5 were the biggest seasons in the ratings in the US (timeslot change from Friday to Sunday helped reign in more viewers). The ratings started to drop slowly in season 6, but season 9 had half the viewers there was in seasons 3-6.

Be Seeing You,

David Blackwell

[Guest A Stranger]

One thing I think we can all agree on here is that we consider Millennium to be a grand show yes? Otherwise we wouldn't be here right? But are we all lauding the same show? As a little experiment I've been posting on a thread about The Hand of Saint Sebastian but really it's been about why people liked Season Two. I have long held that Seasons one and two particularly, are really two different shows. I.e they appeal in completely different ways that mean it goes beyond one person simply disliking given episodes; the tone is such that it simply doesn't appeal to them anymore. I am therefore of the opinion that Millennium was doomed because it stopped focusing on one group of viewers and tried to win a new set, alienating the previous viewers not once but twice. Messing about with the tone and format just confuses viewers into not knowing what it is they are watching.

I'll try and explain how Millennium appealed to people and why it wasted its opportunities, especially here in Britain. When people think of Millennium (who don't really know much about it), they think X-Files, dark, depressing. Season One was really played up as the 'new thing from the makers of the X-Files'. What does that imply? It implies that it will be a series that involves paranormal events etc really doesn't it? The association with the X-Files makes this kind of thing inevitable. But Season One isn't like that really and marketing it like it made little sense. Market a series as Sci-Fi (as it was if you consider the consistent marketing off the back of the X-Files) and you will attract Sci-Fi fans. Now what do Sci-Fi fans want? That's right, Science Fiction, paranormal stuff etc. Did they get it? Not really. Is it then any surprise that the ratings slid dramatically... However, Season One was good television and that enabled it to retain some viewers and build on that.

Because Season One is more like a regular detective program and we brits love this kind of thing. I am not being insulting now I assure you, I am just telling it like it is but most brits when they see an American cop/detective show will just think 'American sh*t'. The old stereotypes that Americans come in and jazz everything up, throw in lots of cars, guns, sex and explosions. That kind of thing just falls flat over here as regards detective shows (as long as they are American which just shows how biased we can be!) The kinds of detective programs that do well here are A Touch of Frost, Inspector Morse, Miss Marple, Midsomer Murders etc. Interrogations, finding clues, not really any action and practically no through-stories (i.e they never have a metaplot really). Sci-Fi hardly ever does big business, Star Trek and X-Files are the only series to ever really hit the big time when they were first shown over here. Usually though, Sci-Fi is relegated to graveyard slots and ignored.

Therefore the potenntial of Season One Millennium was utterly wasted. In trying to emulate the sucess of the X-Files, 1013 made a grevious marketing mistake. Millennium was very focused on character study and realism in Season One. No real sci-fi for ages, slow burning cases, polished detective work, that sort of thing. (I am not criticising people who don't like this, read on and I'll get to Season Two's worth). If Millennium had been marketed as a detective show over here with only passing reference to sci-fi, I feel it would have done a lot better. As an example take my family and friends. My friends neatly divide into the ones that like Morse, Frost etc and those that really, really don't. The latter are more purist sci-fi fans (again, nothing wrong with that). The former love Millennium Season One like I do and despise Season Two. The latter hate Season One but will happily watch Season Two amid talk of 'Hey, I didn't know Millennium was like this, it's great!' So like I said earlier, two different shows that appeal to two different kinds of people. My father is a big fan of detective programs but (and don't be too hard on him), he is naturally disposed to hating American programs (because he stereotypes them to all be the flash-bang, no substance programs I described). One evening I casually inserted 'Covenant' from Season One and watched it while he was around. He liked it. Further experiments revealed he really liked most of Season One and was surprised at its quality. However he unreservedly hates Season Two and now won't watch 'anymore of that American sh*t'.

So it all comes down to taste. The fact that many of my sci-fi loving friends do like Season Two indicates that it isn't rubbish, just different. The problem is that you can't do something like this in one show and expect it to succeed. Just like post season Five X-Files, different shows lose/gain people according to whether or not they like that sort of thing. But to do it TWICE to try and get back the fans you lost whilst half-heartedly trying to keep the ones you gained? Well, it didn't work did it judging by how many people hate season three here. 'But you still watched it' I hear you say (well maybe not). I did but more out of fear that if I didn't, it would never be shown again and I wouldn't know if I liked it or not. The first episodes I saw were 'The Mikado' and 'Room with no View' from Season Two. I thought they were incredible but then missed Millennium for ages. When it came on from the start of season one I started watching and taping them. I was blown away and kept thinking 'it's this good now and those from season two were great as well!' I heard good things on-line about Season Two and looked forward to it. A few episodes in and I was ready to stop watching Millennium. I hated the new direction but kept telling myself 'but it must get better, I've seen proof'. So I kept watching but it just wasn't entertaining me bar the odd episode here and there. But in fear that the moment I stopped watching it would get good I perservered coming to the conclusion that (for me) it wasn't worth watching when it finally finished. Then Season Three came along and I loved it but that's another story...

Anyway, I think the sci-fi connection really hurt Millennium. It wasn't really a sci-fi show at first. Changing it to be a sci-fi show just confused people as did changing it back again. For the record I think even if Millennium had been a hit over here as it really could have been marketed right, it wouldn't have survived Season Two. British people just don't really care for sci-fi on TV and that's the honest truth. It would have sunk like a stone. If it was a new series that started like Season Two was and that was marketed as being like the X-Files it may have stood a chance. I am still doubtful however. Even the X-Files stopped being big business over here after Season Three. As the metaplot got under way, brits (including me) turned off in their thousands. By season Five, no-one cared about the X-Files anymore and many were surprised it was still going!

So what am I saying? What I am NOT saying is that either British or Americans have inferior tastes but they definately do seem different. I think Millennium Season One was far more likely to succeed over here as we have an established tradition of liking that sort of thing - we just don't expect it to come from America because usually you produce more action orientated stuff. Again, I'm not being racist, just calling it like I see it and I'm afraid that casual racism (i.e not serious, just the usual toffee-nosed brit superiority complex I find so distasteful) is a fact of life. Meanwhile I think Sci-Fi tends to find a more appreciative auidience in America. In many ways I envy this as Brits miss loads of good programs because we 'know we'll hate that kind of thing'. Look how long it took us to realise Babylon 5 was a good show! I think anyone making these kinds of shows must take into account the audience it is pitching at. Give Sci-fi to Sci-fi fans! Give detective drama (as S1 largely is) to detective fans!

Well, that's how I think Millennium could have been sucessful or rather why it wasn't sucessful. I hope no-one was offended.

Thanks.

I didn't tune in each week to see Frank solve crimes during season one and it wasn't the supertnatrual element that made me like season two. I remember reading once that when Chris Carter was instructing Mark Snow on what he was looking for in a theme he used the phrasae "hope and pain." And that is what I got out Millennium and found to be it's constant focus. I can see where you're coming from and it would defintaly explain the wide varity of opinions by fans but what I watched for went a little deeper than the obvious genre. I found that there are very big and simple recurring themes that are the basis for every year of the show although explored in many differnt formats.

[Guest amnesic]

Millennium was always doomed on terrestrial UK TV. ITV bought it and scheduled it at 10pm - a time too late for the type of person who would watch it. Plus, ITV payed a huge amount for the show. I can't think of any successful US shows on ITV primetime. After Millennium, I can't remeber any being scheduled until Dragnet - which bombed too. On the other hand, The Practice has been scheduled inthe early hours for years - I guess that it is cheap enough and successful enough in that limited spot.

MM may have had some success if it had been scheduled on BBC2 - but it was far too expensive for them

[Guest se7en]

...VERY interesting i must say. this is fascinating really. -(i was not offended at all by what you said but just for clarification the era american detective shows being all car chases and explosions pretty much went the way of the do-do by the end of the 80's. i think both britan and u.s. have fantastic and a variety of great shows in that genre,just a few currently: "THE WIRE"-(it's like "watching" a novel rather than reading it.),"WITHOUT A TRACE',"THE SHEILD","CSI",all 3 "LAW AND ORDERS",ETC. EVEN in the action packed 70's/80's there were still some real gems like "THE ROCKFORD FILES","COLOMBO" and THE SUPERLATIVE 'WISEGUY" and "HILL STREET BLUES",OF WHICH I WAS ABLE TO GET THE FIRST 5-COMPLETE SEASON ON DVD,ABOUT 116-EPS,i think,I'M STILL TRYING TO GET THE OTHER 2-SEASONS BUT "BRAVO" TOOK IT OFF THIER FREAKING SCHEDULE FOR NOW! but i see what you are saying,and agree,that different cultured often have different tastes.

...I do agree....and disagree,somewhat,about MM failing. i don't doubt,in fact i know,that the changes in themes/focus lost/gained viewers. but,IMO,what held MM together-(and i know very few people in the u.s./canada who do not watch all 3 season when they aired)-was Frank Black's ever evolvong spiritual(?) journey and/or quest. ...i think i said awhile ago but the change in the tone/direction for each of the 3-seasons,while not entirely intentioned by C.C.,does in fact reflect real life in that it can veer off in an entirely new direction when you least expect it,and take you places that you've never dreamnt of.-(sorry if this is jumble i'm writing kind of in a hurry here! ) .....here is one thing i realized,for myself anyway,and that is: if it were not for some of the elements i disliked in S2-(the group being a damn 2,000 year old secret society/cult,frank and katherine splitting up ,then S3,for those love it, would not have been,could not, have been as emotionaly complex as it is,some examples: I really like,and was even excited,when i realized that the group WAS a force,if you will,of good,until it was infiltrated/infected by legion,in the form of Mabius,the increased focus on the father/daughter relationship,frank melting down in the last ep by crashing his way through peter's house and fully intending to kill him......until he realized......

...This is just a very few examples of what probably never would have transpired were it not for,what i see,as the faults of S2 -(again i'm really refering to the journey of Frank and not the eps themselves,in this instance). ..and i think,to an extent,the same is true for S2,were it not for the few eps which "truly" highlighted who frank was and/or explored his life,i don't think there would have been the sometimes brilliant openning-up of Frank Black as a human being. examples that come to mind are "THE CURSE OF FRANK BLACK","LUNINARY" and "THE MIKADO".

...I KNOW MOST SEE THE CHANGES FROM SEASON TO SEASON AS BEING A DISTRACTION OR A NEGATIVE,but for me i felt it made for one helluva journey into one man's life and i do,honestly,enjoy each season as a seperate journey in one gifted man's life. ...I'M CERTAINLY NOT DENYING OR EVEN REALLY DISAGREEING,WITH WHAT YOU'VE SAID,BUT I DO THINK THERE IS ANOTHER SIDE TO IT;sometimes what someone finds bad can,down the road,lead to something astonishingly good! -(pardon my CAPS-madness in this post;for a change most of it was not on purpose! i was just in kind of a rush. hope i was able to put my points across as intended )

PEACE,

se7en

...If

[Guest Pencil Machine Operator]

[edit] I've just changed to Netscape, which is why my text looks kinda odd.

I think I'm in agreement with Moriarty about the dodgy marketing of millenium; But I'm definitely siding with A Stranger as to

why I watched the show. If you take Millenium as a kind of psycho-drama (not in the Hitch****in sense of the word), focusing

on Frank Black's inner struggle (his attempts to reconcile his work with his family life), you can sidestep the genre-classification

problems outlined by Moriarty.

Personally, I don't think the comparisons between Millenium and other detective shows (British or otherwise) are at all appropriate.

They lack the scope and intensity of Millenium. Millenium questioned Good/Evil boundaries (and then blurred them in episodes

like The Beginning... and Somehow), while traditional detective shows just lay them out before you (good guy vs. perp).

Also, I find the idea of pidgeon-holing Millenium into a particular genre utterly distasteful. It is what it is..."This is who we are".

With risk of sounding haughty, I think people who willingly consign themselves to watching / reading certain genres just aren't

going to 'get' Millenium. Millenium's failure (and it's success, i feel) is down to it's refusal to be pinned down. Times are hard

and fast, branded and labelled, ready for quick and easy consumption....except Millenium.

Oh dear,

I do believe I've taken myself too seriously again...oh well

My train of thought has crashed into a tree; and my first and third paragraphs contradict eachother; but I've spent too long

typing this to wipe it out, so...[clicks button called "Add Reply"]

[Guest ModernDayMoriarty]

My point on classification is that the show had to be watched at the end of the day. When it wasn't being watched by enough people it was pulled, simple as that. It is a sad fact sometimes but you have to cater to preconceptions if you want to be popular. Plus you have to be fair to people, they aren't going to know automatically to watch and love Millennium. It is the job of the broadcasters to make people interested enough to watch, then the show can take over and keep people interested.

I must disagree strongly with you Pencil, that other detective shows lack the intensity of Millennium. For example, A Touch of Frost and Inspector Morse are incredibly intense shows and frequently refrain from the black and white villains aspect. I don't know how easy it is to see them where you are but if you can I would strongly recommend such Morse episodes as 'The Settling of the Sun' and 'Second Time Around'. Basically, Season One Millennium had far more in common with these shows than sci-fi shows and (and this is the important part) wouild have found a receptive viewership. Shows like Poirot, Columbo, Morse etc have run for years and years having no metaplot and just being a 'serial killer of the week' type show. A whole multiplicity of issues are raised along the way however and it is the emotional aspects that draw people. If Millennium could have snagged this strata of viewers (as it could well have), it would have had a very solid, devoted fanbase. As it was, it was pitched at the wrong viewers. It later changed to a show those viewers could appreciate and then changed again. Very poor strategy.

As to whether it can be termed a sucess... well in some ways it is because if a show pleases at least one person to a sufficient degree then it was worth making. I doubt Fox or ITV consider it a sucess however. The fact that there are so many deep divisions over the respective quality of seasons as well... I think the show was as sucessful as the constant changes allowed. Lance was devoted to making it work, the writers had consistently good ideas and were dedicated to making a quality product. But the public need stability, they need to know what it is that they are watching. With more discipline, the show could have been as massive as the X-Files was or Morse, Frost etc (because they are SERIOUS television hits in the UK let me tell you).

With regard to Season Three owing Season Two... My personal take is that (apart from the evil Millennium Group which I just don't agree with), Season Three is an example of how the show should have gone after Season One. The supernatural elements are more grounded in believeable terms and the show has reaffirmed its beginnings in demonstrating evil and the value of profiling etc. The depictions of evil are rawer, more edgy than Season Two ever was and I fully believe that if Chip Johanessen (or even better, Howard Gordon who was generally superb on the X-Files and went on to help make 24 the hit it now is) had been given the reins in Season Two, Millennium could still be around. I am more of the opinion that the writers on Season were very, very skilled in rescuing the show from what happened in Season Two and made an excellent stab at explaining it away and keeping it credible. I am fully aware of how much people like Season Two but it is a different show from the one I like really. Nothing wrong with that from our point of view but for the show's health in ratings and viewers such a distinction was disastorous. I have read interviews with Morgan and Wong (and Darin Morgan) and I didn't like their attitude at all frankly. They didn't even watch Millennium after they finished working on it and ended the world seemingly out of petulance that they were not being promoted enough. Also I read that Darin Morgan said Season One wasn't too dark, it just wasn't too good. I have big problems with this, I just feel that they did whatever they liked, it didn't worked so they nuked the show and swanned off to Hollywood. For people who liked Season Two, great, I really mean that because if it makes you happy, that's what it's all about. For me, I thought the show could have been so much more sucessful without S2 and of course, with better marketing.

On this issue, does anyone know exactly how much, if any attention, Chris Carter paid during Season Two because he didn't write a single episode! Busy with the X-Files perhaps? On that issue I was merely claiming that by Season 5-6, people in the UK no longer cared. We appear to have switched on en masse during Season Three. For the record I don't mind Seasons 6-7 and haven't managed to see Seasons 8-9 (but I would like to sometime). Having watched Seasons 1-7 all the way through I have no hestitation in saying Season Five was the worst. Like with Millennium, they changed the focus in a way that wasn't conducive to keeping fans content (changing Mulder from a UFO nut to a total non-believer in the blink of an eye).

Season One bursts with interesting factors, the significance of names and numbers, the suspicion of supernatural events in Gehenna that are finally unvelied in Lamentation, Chaos versus Order, one man's struggle against the realities of the world he lives in to name but a few.

Season Two sets up things like taking a stand, the need to work through things and return to the yellow house - it never happens. Resisting the devil to take a stand with the millennium group - doesn't really happen, the promise of a coming event and the importance of Millennium to defeating this - thrown away apparently at random when the Group decides to kill everyone one day with a virus so lethal it can wipe out the world's population!!! The idea of learning about true evil - doesn't happen, it is rarely mentioned past 'Beware of the Dog' with angels etc taking a much heavier focus.

Unacceptable in my opinion but again, it is simply my opinion. I hope to review a few season two episodes for Seven to show I am not as ignorant of Season Two concerns and themes as some must imagine me to be from all my ranting! So until that time...

[Guest chrisnu]

I agree that the whole "end of the world" thing was a bad idea, and the show may have seen more success if it had stuck to its original formula. However, I for one and glad that risks were taken, because it sure made for some interesting television in S2, at least for me. Additionally, it's my opinion that the tangible and chilling way supernatural evil (Legion) was portrayed during S1 was not equally duplicated until "Seven And One".

[Guest se7en]

MDM: when you get to the ep "seven and one" you'll see why,in a somewhat disturbing way, i beleive the group was infected by legion.

...C.C. had virtually nothing to do with S2,in a creative way, as he was still working on post production on XF-movie and he devoted himself to the horrid S5 XF to try and have it flow into the movie.-(he failed). ...he was certainly aware of what was going on though and i hold him responsible for not reigning M&W in when they decided to torpedo the end of S2. ...i can confirm,how and who you'll have to wait for the book ,that C.C. ,and Henriksen,were furious at the prospect of katherine being killed off,the whole virus thing,etc. C.C. did not want these things to happen,but M&W and,sadly,megan gallagher,DID want it that way. ...and so it happened. i still do not beleive,for one second,that had C.C. more balls,that he could not have stopped or changed the things that he was against! -(Lance was known to be openly critical,at times,of the direction.........or lack thereof,near the end of S2.)

...having said all that i still TREASURE most of the season,even though i was not crazy about the thematic changes over S1.

se7en