2004-01-24 - 10:30 AM Have arrived at the point in 24, season one, where the writers and producers must have started thinking, "Uh-oh...we have to come up with eight more episodes...what happens now?" Not that it still isn't addictive and suspenseful, but where the plot from 12 midnight to about 1:00 PM had a smooth, organic flow, the plot from afternoon towards evening is feeling a little contrived. If I see one more expendable CTU agent/extra get shot by an evil Serbian, or an otherwise professional government worker suddenly disobeying orders to disastrous results, I'm a-gonna weep. Shout-out to Sue T. re: Ayelet Waldman--yes, her books are about as well-written as the typical mystery, which is to say pretty mediocre, and they are all about a reluctant stay-at-home mom who used to be a public prosecutor (or defender, can't remember), which isn't exactly my market segment. I started reading her when I found out she was married to one of my favorite writers, and then stuck around because she writes like a smart person who isn't really a writer but who has interesting observations about her world. For some reason, that was enough for me. Who can explain what makes you stick with a writer when you know, rationally, they aren't very good? I call it the Tama Janowitz Impulse. British mammoth skull! A while back I sent my step-mom-in-law a jacket from the Marshall Fields mail order site. Now I've landed on the mailing list of every clothing company for midde-aged women in existence. My mailbox overflows with glossy catalogs featuring things like plastic gardening clogs, elastic-waistband slacks, and wrinkle-free microfiber "big shirts" designed to hide encroaching middle-aged paunch. The scary thing is that some of these items are starting to look good to me. thoughts? (0 comments so far) previous - next blog archive contact