A too often used, ridiculous ending that ruined too many episodes

Let's cut to the chase:

"I gave you an out two posts ago -- and you chose not to take it. At that time, I gave you more credit to take the high road and move on. But, that went over your head the same way Mannix is over your head."

You gave yourself an out, after posting a series of personal attacks, hoping that I would let them thus go unanswered so you could look like you'd "won" by insult. And when I did not, you broke YOUR word so you could post more attacks, then tried to psych me into letting your attacks go unanswered again.

The following could be conceived of as personal attacks by me against you (I'll let third parties judge whether or not they are):

"I'm sorry, but if you don't see how the time constraints are no excuse for these kind of things, I'm afraid you don't have a real understanding of what makes a show good."

"And to say that the way a show handles its resolutions is of little relevance to its overall value, which you seem to be saying, is....well, I better not say."

"If you want people to only say nice things about the shows you like and not point out the bad, even when the bad needs to be called out strongly, maybe you don't have the stomach for the internet, or should I say, the kitchen, as the saying goes."

"I felt, from your earlier post, that you may be confusing an expert strategy for bringing in viewers, something I'll admit Mannix did have (the hooks of action and beautiful women mentioned above, just to name a few examples), with actual quality..."

"That last statement's ironic, considering. But obviously those last three lines were meant to psychologically manipulate me into not answering. And your "LOVE ITs" are obviously just another method of using the old "that's so stupid I don't need to answer it" dodge."

"But it goes beyond that, because you seem to be taking attacks on your favorite show as a personal attack on you."

"This seems to indicate that you have developed a kind of symbiosis with your favorite show, whereby any criticism of it is criticism of you. If so, you really need to get over this."

"If you must take any criticism of your favorite show as an attack on you personally, you probably need to talk to someone..."


Now, here are the things you've said which could be regarded as personal attacks by you against me (and again, let others be the judge):

"If you are letting the way the series wraps the plot up in this way get in the way, then the real value of series is way, way over your head anyway."

"First, I love the highly educated, argumentative style. I said something was over your head, so you responded with the same, exact style, i.e., "no, it's over YOUR head". (Love it!) The web really does remind one of a big grade-school playground, at times. Unfortunately there is no classroom to walk back into, alas."

"I have no doubt that those other series packed "a lot" in there for you to follow, however."

"Third, bringing in "ratings" as a desperate attempt to seem intelligent sadly backfired."

"My heart is warmed that it requires a certain level of intelligence -- and desire for self-knowledge -- to appreciate Mannix!"

"So, you took at least one literature class? Impressive!"

"Of course Mannix was not perfect. What an absurd and simple-minded notion to suggest anything is."

"This is what makes posts like yours not only asinine, but also mean."

"There is probably a connection between people that make posts like yours and the public not much being concerned with class anymore..."

"Instead, we tend to see the noisy, often anonymous, guy who pulls the word "stinks" out of his posterior and uses the web as a place to try to feel important."

"You may have encountered some discussion of sarcasm in one of your advanced literature classes, if you showed up to class that day (more sarcasm, just FYI)."

"I do not know what is inside a person's head when they feel they can anonymously post such crap -- dung, feces, fertilizer, guano, manure, meadow muffin, poop -- whatever name you want to call it, hey, I'm groping for words here, just trying to be polite by communicating in a way that makes you feel comfortable."

"Maybe there are a few people out there who will read my replies and be inspired to stand up to the kind of insipid posts as you have made herein, or, even better, not be influenced so easily by people with minds not quite strong enough to realize they do not have much of anything to say and yet seem desperate enough to say something -- anything -- in the hopes the dullness they, deep down, know is the dominant characteristic of their minds is just, somehow, some way, everyone else misunderstanding them."

"Post away. The supermarkets sell plenty of air freshener."

"Oh, you are just too much. Let me see if I can get your core argument down, oh, allow me to learn from your wisdom so that I may apply it to my own life experience:"

"Oh, I particularly LOVE this: "I just hope future writers avoid resolutions like this at all costs, if they really want to be taken as seriously good writers." I LOVE it!"

"And, I particularly love it combined with the comparisons to "Gilligan's Island" and Jerry Springer, along with the ultimate -- invocation of "free expression" at the end, which is the fallback of those with nothing of any real substance to say, but who need to defend their right to say it."

"Talk about Jerry Springer -- we are getting a better picture of what you are all about, all the time." (For the record, I never watched Springer but too often my co-workers had it on as I went by).

"If you are focused on the way the ending is resolved, you are seriously -- seriously -- some combination of intellectually and artistically challenged."

"You are making your level of understanding perfectly apparent by bringing this episode up as an example -- in a way, you could not have picked a more perfect episode to illustrate the level at which you are capable of seeing things. The plot was not the point of that episode, and if you are concerned with the way it was wrapped up so quickly at the end, then there isn't much more we need to know about you."

"If you are lumping practically all dramatic series of the 50s, 60s, and 70s together in terms of properties of leading characters, then that is another piece of evidence of your depth -- oh, along with your pointing out of "beautiful women" drawing you in."

"And, I've engaged in numerous, numerous posts elsewhere on the Web, and encountered your type before...But, the self-righteous, largely vacant people who post first, think second (if they are capable of thinking at all), and invoke their right of "free expression" third are creating so much noise that people with substance are largely being driven away."

"Good people are leaving the "freedom" of the web and people like you remain -- full of the sensational and superficial, combined with the self-righteousness to be that way."

"How do writers of these series even have a chance if they think they need to appeal largely to the noisy and superficial out there -- to those like you who want "better writing" to focus on plot resolution and not the substance of an episode like "Death in a Minor Key.""

"You just can't help yourself."

"So, now YOU decide what makes for good arguments as well as good endings of television episodes?"

"And, apparently, you also both have a degree in a mental health field and have the ability to make a proper mental health diagnosis from posts?"

"In the very first place, if you believe there is universal consensus in ANY group of people as broad as the ones you mentioned, you really are quite delusional..."

"Or don't you take personal responsibility for what you post on the Web?" (For what I said about the bad episodes, I'm proud to.)

"Gee, I think that just served to prove my point that people without substance or who do not really care about what they post about are out there spewing mis-leading and mean things just for the sake of feeling some small sense of importance."

"Thank goodness I do not conform to your "standards" of flinging around shallow opinions I hardly care about in the first place like feces, just to give myself a little thrill."

"But, that went over your head the same way Mannix is over your head."


In all this, you have refuted absolutely NOTHING of what I said. And I'm sure you feel the same about me. So really, it is no use continuing, because we're only going in circles.

We DISAGREE about Mannix. We DISAGREE about the importance of good resolutions in television shows. We DISAGREE about whether or not time constraints can justify bad endings. People disagree. Live with it. Agree to disagree and move on. I'll accept that I won't change your mind, with no more personal insults against you. Just do the same about me. Can we then BOTH take the high road out?