{original post had no questions}

Your friend should learn a few things from history. Your friend
should learn that virtually everything the Political Officer said was
taken, in one form or another, from actual speeches from people like
Goerring and Goebbels and Hitler and McCarthy and other members of the
House Unamerican Activities Committee, stated right out in public.
Your friend should learn that some epidodes are meant to be lighter,
some darker, because you can't have despair, sturm und drang every
episode or you're going to lose viewers left, right and center. Your
friend should learn to speak for himself. You should stop hiding
behind "your friend's" comments.

That "your friend" doesn't like something doesn't make it bad,
any more than liking something makes it good. Your friend should learn
that the universe does not revolve around his opinion. Your friend
should try writing something, and selling it, before he sets out to
tell a writer the "better ways" that writer should be telling his
stories. Your friend seems to think that unless it's done *his* way,
the "better way," then it's not good.

"jms...not having the time to find better solutions to each
scene." I had plenty of time to find solutions to each scene. I chose
the solutions that I liked. And that most folks seem to have liked.
Again, if your friend would've chosen a different way, then it's your
friend's story, not mine, and it's not "better." Because I don't
happen to tell my story the way your friend wants to tell a story
doesn't make his "better."

So I guess all the people who enjoyed VoA, who enjoyed the
dialogue, who laughed out loud at all the right places, who liked
it...they're all fools and idiots because your friend says otherwise,
huh? Because clearly it's *bad*. No subjective opinions here, your
friend says it's bad, well, then, by golly, it's bad...and the rest of
the viewership is just plain dumb not to perceive it.

"Your friend" has clearly never been through a writing workshop,
or learned how to present constructive criticism. It's his way or the
highway.

When "your friend" has written 145 produced television scripts,
and been nominated for multiple writing awards, written columns and
books on scriptwriting, *then* he can tell me the "BETTER" way to
write. Meanwhile, if he has logical concerns, questions, flaws to
point out, mistakes that were made, I'm happy to hear them. But anyone
who sits there and says that he knows the *better* way to do
everything, because his way IS the better way, and if it's not done HIS
way then it's wrong...doesn't have the first idea what the hell he's
talking about.

jms