TVSquad

I completely agree with you. The show has lost a lot of its heart in an attempt to creat a dark and "thrillerish" show. That's a shame since I've always though Ira Stephen Behr was one of the best writers and producers Star Trek ever produced. His seasons on Deep Space Nine were really great. First, it's like they want to forget everything that happened last season. Entire characters have fallen off the face the earth for "business reasons" and the ones we're left with are boring imitations of their former selves. Second, I'm sick of seeing Isabelle half-naked. We get it, the actress has a kick-ass body, but it's really starting to be exploitive. Third, the introduction of adult Isabelle and the NOVA terrorist group have taken the show into a dark avenue that is sucking the life from it. Fifth, like you said, characters like Sean, Richard, Tom, and Diana have become so cardboard. Even Diana's relationship with Marko is getting boring, where it used to be quirky and fun. Sixth, if Maia can see the future, and has so much more control over her ability, why in hell couldn't she foresee this? I swear if they take Maia out I may just stop watching. The writers and producers seem to have absolutely no idea where the show is going. They seem to want some sort of X-Files rip-off and that just won’t work.

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yeah, they turned a great orginal idea into a bad x-files [...see shapeshifter eps. ]
and x-men [which im not even into ] rip off....
how could they not follow the charactors return to "normal" life.....countless plots and charactors and episode ideas...........instead another attempt at world domination.....[ grunt..grunt..more toys ]
i hope they can save it before its too late...there isnt anything left to summer tv.

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I don't get last night's episode at all.

Why resort to the subterfuge at all? Why not just "beam up" the kids like they've done over the decades?

How, exactly, will everyone's memory of these kids get wiped? Is this some magical new ability the future people have acquired? Why haven't they used it before? Really stupid.

When these kids reappear, they will have aged 2 years, unlike with the original return.

Why these 5 kids? Are the other 4395 now useless?

Will the name of the center suddenly change? These kids have now not returned!

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I still am enjoying the show. I see all the points you bring up - and agree with some, however, this is season three of the series, and most series like this (Charmed being one) - this is the season for dramatic things such as this. A dark season if you will...that is my feeling on it anyways....

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it will be over when we, the viewer..or lack of us, say it is over...like LOST...

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I got from the episode that people forgot about Maia because she was never returned with the 4400. Since that never happened, the timeline changed to show that she was never adopted, etc.

BTW, did they ever say what that Lindsey kid's power was?

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I wouldn't count on Maia being gone and forgotten for long. This is a two part episode. I'm guessing that someone hasn't forgotten about her and that will lead to everything being put back the way it was.

If Maia is sent back earlier than before then a new actress will be needed to portray the older Maia. Hmmm, Maybe the older Maia will remember and cause her younger self to be returned with the other 4400's so that the older Maia never existed. Time travel hurts my head.

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I just think all people want is action, action, action, and I think they're trying to develop a real story here that may just take a heck of a lot of setting off but have a big pay off in the end.

I agree however that a lot of character and the interrelationships are losing their luster or lack of character development. Gone is the snarkiness of the Marco/Diana relationship. Tom was so integral to the 4400 it was as if he was one of them, now it has completely fizzled. Sean had this intense internal struggle within him and now it’s gone.

I have a lot of faith in this show and I’m not as pissed as everyone appears to be, for the most part the episodes haven’t been as intense but they have been mildly enjoyable and it is moments like Isabelle levitating Matthew that keep me coming back for more.

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Chip: What I'm thinking is that maybe the Borg Quee... Er... Alice Kreige (in a creepy turn as Maia's "sister") might actually be from a different faction from the future. One that disagrees with either the mission or the detail of what the 4400 are all about.

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Interesting extra commentary from Isabelle's blog:

http://www.usanetwork.com/series/the4400/blogs/isabelle03.html

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(Sarah, I'm glad to see your piece here. I was afraid that 4400 posts on TV Squad were over.)

I agree with a lot of Sarah's comments, but I'm not feeling the same level of dissatisfaction with the show. I hope Maia returns as Diana's daughter, since that's the main thing that makes Diana a warm, likeable person with a connection to the 4400. Is Kyle off the show for good? Because he had the same effect on Tom, although Alanna (sp?) does that, too, as long as it's not all about him being jealous that she's sharing her abilities with other people.

As far as Isabelle goes, I'm still not liking her. Sure, Matthew got what he deserved (he always SEEMED like a bad guy, only now they're writing him as a one-dimensional one). But she's still a silly idea of a character (is she 1 mentally, or is she 20?) and she's destroyed Shawn as one (as soon as he slept with her). I also find the actress untalented, and am sick of her walking around half-naked. At least they gave Shawn some skin time, too :-)

If they do go through with re-wiring Maia and the other kids, I'd assume there would've been others taken & returned, since changing everything to "The 4395" would be pretty silly.

I do appreciate that the show isn't just churning out "4400 of the week" shows, and is willing to take some chances and push the big story forward some. But please bury Isabelle down a well somewhere, and let Shawn have his personality back?

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