Without a Trace

JenniFF wrote: I hope that means we get to see some time with Hanna and Kate. I always get a kick of when they visit the offices. Especially since Kate seems to want Jack to be happy - as well as the way she giggles at the thought of spending time with Danny, too.

Of course it's fair. If it was real life he would immediately have been out on his ear so he was extremely lucky to even have any job at all with the Bureau.Following on from others' comments I have to say upfront that I am a Martin fan but realise that Jack is the lead actor in the show and always will be until he leaves/the show ends. However I think The Powers That Be have to realise that the show is called Without A Trace NOT The Jack Malone Show co-starring Sam Spade.You only have to look around at Boards in general to see that almost everyone is crying out for more team interaction similar to Season 1-3 and for Viv, Danny and Martin to be given more airtime. Jack and Sam would also get their fair share.But I don't think it's any co-incidence that the almost sidelining of the above three coupled with the almost total concentration on Jack is largely responsible for the considerable drop in ratings. Not entirely, because there is also a certain lack of direction with stories not being taken to their conclusion.Possibly they went too far in Season 4 in cutting back on the personal angle but perhaps a good balance would be about 80/20 in favour of the MP story.A feature of the past few Seasons has been the continual jumping about and the failure to close out on many themes such as:Viv's heart problemsMartin's pain killers addicitionMartin's family connectionsDanny/ElenaDanny' s familyDanny/Martin relationshipIt's almost as if these three don't have a personal life at all now.The biggest failing has been the "ending" of the Martin/Sam ship. That was handled extremely badly. Leaving aside whether you were a Jack or Martin fan you just can't go from being a twosome to bustup and then working together as colleagues without some sort of closure and reaction from the other team members but yet Sam sat by the unscious Martin telling him she was going nowhere and them zilch - it seems as if it never happened.Obviously with personal storylines there is no telling how the viewers will take to them - what will please some will not suit others although it appears pretty obvious that the Sam/Baby one went down like a lump of lead.If there is to be a healthy future for the show the producers are going to have to be a bit more even-handed. I don't think even the most die-hard Jack fans can be happy with where they have taken his character.

. I don't think even the most die-hard Jack fans can be happy with where they have taken his character. As one of those Jack fans, I can say I defintely AM NOT!

As a massive Jack fan, I can say that I don't mind what they've done to his character at all.

I think Jack is a complex character to say the least, it's obvious he has always had his demons and these come into his job. As a matter of personal opinion I have to say I am not overly happy with the 'vigilante' style Jack we have at the moment. I loved Jack in, for example, the Spaulding case, when he was getting him to confess. It was so intense and a big thumbs up to his Emmy winning acting ability.I just believe Jack excels when he is slightly dangerous, a hint of the unexpected. This Jack seems slightly extreme to me, and as a result a tad unbelievable.

I think the 'new Jack' is indicative of the problems with the show currently. the quality of the show came from subtlety. Little glimpses into personal lives and glimpses into how each case affected each team member. Subtlty has given way to the sensational and unbelievable. i hope the show can return to what it was.

I think it was fair, In the real world Jack would have been fired years ago, I like jack from the earlier seasons, when he showed how much he cared about his team and the cases he worked on, now he thinks with his fists and steps on his team without a second thought. since then i have become to dislike him alot. Lets hope we may get the old Jack back. Not interested in J/S the others in the team are much more interesting if they get an chance, Lets hope we will see some better storylines in season 7, Doubt it as i have been waiting since season 4 for the writing to approve,

Jack's demotion will be temporary, therefore, it gives him an opportunity to reflect on his personal issues and helps J/S work on defining their new relationship.I certainly have no problems having the writers focus more on Jack and Samantha, especially since its creator Hank Steinberg wrote their backstory due to its actor natural chemistry. I've always gotten the impression that their relationship and their work in missing person's unit were parallel. Therefore, I have no issues with it being Without A Trace: The Jack Malone Show co-starring Sam SpadeAs for the lack of storyline continuity, its showrunners/executive producers Nash and Walker must be doing what the network wants since they continue working at the helm. I look forward to season 7 and season 8. CORRECTIONS: Spelling

Jack was out of line and does need to be reeled in. All law enforcement shows need the "maverick" character that's willing to do what's necessary to get the job done, consequences be damned. It's a little more serious since Jack was in charge. I prefer character driven dramas and Jack is the perfect protagonist. There is definitely some unfinished business between Jack and Sam and I don't expect it to be all sweetness and light between these two. I love ALP and the more of him we see, the better.

JSRforever wrote: As for the lack of storyline continuity, its showrunners/executive producers Nash and Walker must be doing what the network wants since they continue working at the helm. I look forward to season 7 and season 8 .

I don't mind the continuity of J/S. That's fine...any continuity is fine with me. My problem is why is it that only Jack storylines get continuity. Or more precisely, why is it that only Danny storylines get dropped. Case in point a spoiler from last night's episode:spoiler spacespoiler spacespoiler spacespoiler spaceThere was no continuity with Danny's storyline telling us what he said during his interview about Jack's performance last season. There was no Danny/Jack tension. Nothing. It's literally the third time they've dropped tension between them...for no apparent reason. They did it in season three, season four and now again in season seven. And don't tell me the season is still young...and it could be revisited. I've heard that song and dance too many times now.

If it was real life he'd probably be out of a job completely but then that would be the end of the show so I'm happy with the alternative. And there's a bonus in that we get to see how he reacts to another forceful character being in charge. I like vigilante Jack, he's never better than when he's bending the rules to get someone back.

lovineric wrote: I still love the show and wouldn't miss an episode but viewers are turning off in droves so there is something wrong. Just what that is everyone will have their own opinion and that is for another thread to discuss.The show peaked in Season 3 with an audience of almost 18.7 viewers entering the top 10 at #8. The following year although it dipped slightly to just over 18.5m it achieved a peak rating of #7.Then in S5 the figures plummeted to 14.7m as it dropped to #16 and last year it only held on to a top 20 placing by the skin of its teeth with an audience of 13.1m.Obviously with the advance of the internet, television viewing figures are mostly dropping across the board but the significant factor is that WaT is dropping faster in relative terms so there surely have to be serious questions asked?I really hope you're right in thinking there will be a S8.

I think he knows what thin ice he's on and will bite his tongue til it bleeds.He may be full of Jackitude, but he doesn't want to kiss his job good-bye.I think the tension between SW and him will be very entertaining as Jack tries not to drop kick him into the next time zone.

malonespade wrote: The drop in ratings didn't help with the shift to Sunday night, and the ratings for the Crossover episodes were something in the 20-22 million, so I don't think it's done and dusted yet.