Ellie

Sep 16 2008, 11:50 PM

^^ Thanks for clarifying. I do agree with you on much of that. However, I still think that Higley is making a mistake in making Nicole (who again, I like) into an infallible character who is the star of the entire show, while the lead characters are all being dumbed down and relegated to supporting roles. I don't see this as a 'fanbase' issue at all (and as we have discussed here many times, I don't agree that whatsoever that fanbases are bad for the show or that members of fanbases are "selfish".) Each viewer has characters they gravitate towards. Some characters are more popular than others, but even so, when virtually every viewer sees his or her favorite character turn into a different person, and when these characters are hardly on, I think it affects the ratings and the show as a whole. Higley is doing just that. Almost every character, except Nicole, has changed during Higley's current run. Characters who were once on most of the time are now in the background. Instead of rotating people in and out gradually as you suggest, Higley has turned the entire show upside down.