I actually liked the kapras

Tryin' to stir up a little trouble, eh? ;-)

Their introduction was really a no-win situation--not only had NX lost its star and focal point, but it was out of gas and stumbling to its demise, so the Capras were needed as placeholders until the end finally came. To that extent, I think that they both represented various aspects of Joel: Phil as more reluctant and resistant to Cicely, and Michelle as more open to Cicely. That's simplifying, and from the way the characters became developed it was not a matter of merely splitting Joel in half, but I think the creative element tried to keep that basic fish-out-of-water element going with the Capras.

Again, not just a simple continuation of Joel. Phil warmed up to Holling pretty quickly (to introduce a dynamic between Holling and Maurice, to be sure), and Michelle felt frosty toward Cicely (or at least toward certain Cicelians) in the episode in which she feels miffed about receiving winter clothes anonymously. But I feel that in "Sons of the Tundra," in which Michelle retrieves her computer key from the river, that her immersion in the water was a de facto baptism into Cicely's spirituality presided over by shaman-in-training Ed. And it is significant that, in the finale "Tranquility Base," Rabbi Shulman appears to Michelle--that I think was a clear indication that Michelle, her "resistance" an internal one of indecision, was headed down a similar spiritual path.

I do like the Capras myself. They did have the unenviable task of mopping up the show after Rob Morrow left, when said show was proceeding purely on inertia. But I don't share the animosity toward them that many fans had.

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“Man becomes the food of the divinity he worships.” - Chris Stevens

I agree, the Kapra's were two of the best written characters, more rounded than most of the other cast. It's a shame we didn't get to see where their stories were headed.

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