How to begin? Well, the acting was okay, the direction was okay, the production values were good...

But the WRITING: Arrgghh? Did some writers lose the script? Did their dog eat it? Did they forget EVERYTHING a writer should know about writing and dialogue?

I guess so.

1) The "villains" in this episode are never developed as people. We see the same old flashback of the woman, over and over, no other clue as to who she is or the complexity of her motives.

2) Her henchmen aren't even given names, much less characters. They merely stand in as props for this laughable plot.

3) Lee Adama escapes into the bathroom with Col Thai's (sp?) wife, and has a distinct advantage, which the writers dance up and down to throw away. They rush out with no thoughts about consequences (just like the writers). What a bunch of baloney.

4) Mad gunfire and confusion, and the Marines Retreat from their positions? I don't think so. What a bunch of crappy, unbelievable tripe.

5) Billy just has to go, so they send him out in the stupidest way possible.

6) This has all the hallmarks of the Hollywood Writers Guild on it. It is not even sophomoric in its quality.

I cannot imagine how the producers ALLOWED this one to be filmed, much less aired !

AVOID THIS EPISODE if you love this series.

The first year or two, when Earl was crossing items off his list, were fabulous and clever. There were no long, complicated stories stretching over more than two episodes.

And that's the problem with the show now. The writers aren't up to longer story arcs. Seeing Earl in a coma, with his fantasy life is REALLY, really boring.

The two-parter at the beginning of the series: My family all hated it, and we didn't even finish it. Then came "Stole a Motorcycle". We tried really hard to watch it, but we just couldn't stomach it. Way to stupid, un-funny and dull.

Not to mention, very poorly directed.

Don't watch this (or last) Season if you love Earl. They will ruin it for you.

Sigh.

Talk about "phoning it in"...

The director must have been in a country with bad phone service, because the actors and crew clearly had no idea what he wanted. Well, he was probably calling from a bar somewhere, stoned off his rocker.

And the actors, usually a reliable bunch, looked like they were reading from teleprompters!

And the canned laughter, intended to be funny/satirical, was just sad and only re-inforced the feeling of bad writing, acting, direction, and general nausea.

This show had a terrific first year, an adequate second year (barring a few boring episodes), and an uninspiring third year.

This often happens when writers and producers suddenly have a hit, and decide to "stretch it out" - to "make our limited talents" last longer.

Sheesh. With the two-part episode this bad, using any criteria you wish (okay, lighting was not so bad), this was a disaster.

AVOID this if you are a fan of Earl.

Scored 1.0 because the system doesn't allow a ZERO ...

(Spoilers here)

This episode presents a wily and charming villain, almost (but not quite) on the order of Goren's nemesis, Nicole Wallace (Olivia D'Abo) in Criminal Intent. The Nicole character benefits from her personal and repeated mental confrontation with Goren.

January Jones plays the role of a con-woman who manipulates criminals, police, the DA, her own lawyer and the Feds to evade prosecution for eight murders. And like Nicole Wallace, she always seems one step ahead of the prosecutors. If the writers expand her character, and make her struggle with the DA more personal, she could approach a legendary stature in LO.

The complex, insightful writing in this episode achieves a level once-seen in LO:Criminal Intent (although that show's writing has been badly neglected over the past few years.)

As the police and DA's office attempt to keep up with her, they follow a trail just a bit too clever to follow, and she disappears into the unsure custody of the Feds - Hopefully to be seen in LO again!

Great show!

I am delighted to see that L&O, Season 18 is back on form, after several listless years. The writing (so far in ep 1 - 5) is Far superior to recent years, the direction and editting are tight, and the new actors (Sisto & Roache) bring a fresh face to the series.

With the aging Sam Waterston wisely pushed to a supporting role (after many fine years, though) and some sharper, more complex stories, it looks like Dick Wolf heard me (yeah, right) and has put some serious effort into reviving his threatened franchise.

I say: WELCOME BACK !

And.. I hope the 18th season continues to bring us good writing, direction, acting and editting.