{original post unavailable}

Yeah, it's still a problem for some groups of fans...the core of
it is, you have to do some strong character stories amid the arc
stories, because if you don't, if you don't continue to make the
characters into people you *care* about, then the arc stuff doesn't
matter.

We had a couple of arc-light episodes to start off this season,
in part due to knowing that we were going to get a lot of new viewers
who had to be brought up to speed, and due to introducing Lochley, and
there's this group that goes over the edge saying that the arc is
faltering, it's going too slow....

But then you turn around, and if you do 3-5 arc episodes in a
row, the same group goes over another cliff saying that it's all moving
too fast.

If something's resolved in 6 episodes they say it should've been
done in 8; if in 8, they say it should have been 6...if it isn't a
strong SF-based story it shouldn't be in the show at all...if it
doesn't hew to our format, it's frivlous and self-indulgent and a
waste, get back to the arc....

One could go mad, quite easily.

jms