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"Maybe I am naive to say that I don't think that you are 100% in
charge of your destiny on the show, naive to say that there are outside
presures that effect some of the decisions you have to make, and naive
to say that budget and time contraints effect who you cast or when you
cast them."

Okay, you're naive.

"Maybe I just don't understand."

A distinct possibility.

"If I am naive, then when it comes down to it,everything that is less
than brilliant on the show is your responsibility: everything."

I'll accept that only if by the same token I am responsible for
everything that is *more* than brilliant on the show. Otherwise it's
lopsided. And both statements are inaccurate. If an actor blows a
line on the set, if a director doesn't get his coverage, if a prop
breaks seconds before it was supposed to be used, if a lens doesn't
show up from Panavision in time for a particular shot...no, I'm not
responsible for those things.

For those things that are done deliberately, by choice, by me,
on the show, I will take full responsibility, whether they work or not,
except insofar as that may result in stealing thunder from any of our
actors or crew, in which case the good stuff was their responsibility.

"But then maybe you do think the show is perfect, that when you say
that there is still room for improvement you don't really mean it..."

Nope. That I think your statement is flawed does not mean that
I think my show is not flawed. Two vastly different issues. If it
were perfect, I would not be struggling every year to make the show
better than the previous year. We learn by doing.

As you just did.

jms