Tag Archives: tv

Outcomes of the 2016-17 TV season

The PolyBlog
May 21 2017

Every year, at the start of the TV season, I try to predict the outcome of the new shows — renewal for another season, or cancellation. Let’s see how I did this past year…Of the shows I picked for renewal:

  • Correct: Great News, Kevin Can Wait, Riverdale
  • Incorrect: Doubt, Emerald City, Powerless
  • Still uncertain: 24: Legacy, Chicago Justice, Midnight: Texas, Still Star-Crossed

Which basically means I was 50/50 for the shows I thought would get renewed but didn’t.

Of the shows I picked for cancellation:

  • Correct: APB, Blacklist: Redemption, Conviction, Frequency, Great Indoors, Imaginary Mary, Making History, No Tomorrow, Pitch, Notorious, Pure Genius, Shots Fired, Son of Zorn, Time After Time, Training Day
  • Incorrect: American Housewife, Bull, Designated Survivor, Exorcist, Good Place, Lethal Weapon, MacGyver, The Mick, Man With A Plan, Speechless, Star, Taken, This Is Us, Timeless, Trial & Error
  • Still uncertain: Downward Dog, Marlon, Prison Break

Again, I was 50/50.

Heck, I could have probably done just as well or better assuming they would all be cancelled. Good thing I don’t do this for a living!

Overall, there were:

  • Ten shows cancelled by ABC, and I won’t miss any of them;
  • Eight shows cancelled by CBS, and I won’t miss any of them;
  • Four shows cancelled by CW, and I won’t miss any of them;
  • Nine shows cancelled by Fox, including Rosewood, which never found it’s groove, and Pitch + Sleepy Hollow, no great losses; and,
  • Four shows cancelled by NBC, including Grimm and BlackList: Redemption, but both were ready to go;

For renewals:

  • Fourteen shows were renewed by ABC, none of which I watch regularly, and only SHIELD / Designated Survivor / Quantico on catch-up eventually;
  • Eighteen shows were renewed by NBC, and it makes a big difference for me — Blue Bloods, Bull, Elementary, NCIS are all ones I watch the same week, and Scorpion and Big Bang Theory I bingewatch to catch up;
  • Eleven shows were renewed by CW, including Arrow, DC Legends, Supergirl, and The Flash, all of which I watch same week;
  • Thirteen shows were renewed by Fox, and I like two of them a lot — Gotham and Lucifer; and,
  • Fourteen shows were renewed by NBC, including Blindspot, The Blacklist, and Timeless.

Nothing cancelled that I really cared about, and 18 that I do like were renewed. Not a bad outcome…

Update on TV watching for the new season ….

The PolyBlog
October 15 2016

I gave some shows a try, but it is time to thin the herd.

First on my chopping block is American Housewife. I said initially that I wouldn’t try it, but gave it a go anyway. It was theoretically a comedy. I have no idea as I didn’t last three minutes before I was grinding my teeth. It was complete and utter pretentious crap.

I’m pulling the plug on Conviction. The show is okay, and could be a great Cold Case-lite clone, but it is just not pulling me in for the team. If it got down to just Hayes and the former gang ADA, I’d be watching.

I already pulled the plug on The Exorcist. Creepy, not sure where it was going for future episodes (freak of the week, or continuing intrigue of single storyline), but it just wasn’t there for me.

I wanted to like Frequency. Episode 1 was okay, and I liked the actress enough to come back for episode 2, but it too is just not jiving for me enough to keep going. Pass.

Lethal Weapon was just plain bad, done and gone in a single Ep for me.

Ditto for MacGyver.

No Tomorrow may be the one I hate myself for cutting. The main actress was SO charming in the pilot that it sucked me in. And I love the “change my life through a bucket list” premise, but not enough to work my way through the secondary characters who were driving me crazy. I’m out.

Notorious was the Revenge show for this year…scandalous, fast-moving, some interesting players, an overall mystery. But bad acting and bad writing. Cheesy. Enjoyable but you know it’s rotting your teeth. I’m going to improve my life and drop it.

This is Us may be them, but apparently it is not me. I watched the first, found a bit of it quirky, didn’t mind it, but two weeks later, I have no interest in what happens to any of the characters to watch Ep 2, except Gerald McRaney and he was only in Ep 1. Easy to cut.

Oh, and I totally forgot about Son of Zorn. Blech.

I’m sticking with Bull, Designated Survivor, Falling Water, Pitch, Timeless, Van Helsing for now, although I won’t be surprised if none of them make it to the end of the season.

I’m also still watching Arrow, Blue Bloods, Blacklist, BlindSpot, DC Legends of Tomorrow, Elementary, the Flash, Gotham, Grimm, Lucifer, NCIS, Quantico (barely), Rosewood, and Supergirl. In theory, I’m also tracking for future binging on 12 Monkeys, Dark Matter, Into the Badlands, Jessica Jones, Killjoys, The Librarians, Lucky Man, Marvel’s Agents of Shield, NCIS: LA and NO, Orphan Black, Scorpion, Shannara Chronicles, Shadowhunters, and Suits.

And I’m occasionally binge-watching Buffy, JAG, Moonlighting, Colony, and I just finished Luke Cage.

TV predictions for the new season: 44 new shows (2016-17)

The PolyBlog
September 6 2016

As regular readers will likely remember, I watch a lot of TV series. I can wax and wane on the merits of serialized story-telling in movies and books too, but each fall I look over the news of upcoming TV shows like fantasy football players scout rosters, looking for the hidden gems. The Carson Palmer who breaks out in their rookie season to dominate over many otherwise-average veterans. Mostly I know the likelihood of finding that gem, having it garner enough ratings to make it full season, or even the holy grail, to garner enough for renewal, is a fairly low percentage. But I like to predict anyway. This year I am going all-in on my analysis of the new shows…I’m predicting their outcome before they have even aired an episode, just based on past shows that were similar, who the stars are, and whether the premise is something that seems like it will catch on or is just some weird network president throwing anything at the wall to see if it will stick.

SHOWNETWORKDESCRIPTIONWILL I WATCHLENGTH PREDICTIONRENEWAL PREDICTION
24: LegacyFOXI expect it to easily survive the 12 episode run that it has been approved for, and go beyond. It’s a proven franchise, and the Live Another Day short-run series had good enough ratings to green-light this one without Jack Bauer.NoFullRenewal
American HousewifeABCA brash mother of three, doing something or other with richer folk. I fell asleep reading the description. Wasn’t it called Grace Under Fire the last time it was tried?No4 episodesEarly cancellation
APBFOXA mid-season replacement with a tech billionaire running Chicago PD. Could be Person of Interest, could be RoboCop, could be Minority Report.Will try 1 EPHalfNo renewal
Blacklist: RedemptionNBCThe show has a great pedigree in the original show, if it sticks more to season 1 than the last one. I like the characters individually as secondary characters, but making them the main characters and as mother/son is hard to predict. Father/daughter works for Red/Lizzie but only because his “evil” is matched by her “goodness”. These two are more “bad cop, worse cop”.YesHalfNo renewal
BullCBSMichael Weatherly exited NCIS and has his own show! How exciting! He’s “smart” in this one…which I know as he’s wearing glasses! And he’s a trial consultant. Sounds good…wait, he’s Dr. Phil? Umm…Will try 1 EPHalfNo renewal
Chicago JusticeNBCDick Wolf adds a fourth series inside the State’s Attorney’s office. Slam dunk, and not interested. Particularly with Carl Weathers as a “star”.NoHalfRenewal
ConvictionABCA conviction integrity unit in NY looking for wrongful convictions? An interesting yet bizarre premise that will be hard to sell in ongoing investigations — either they show incompetence or malice in how the cops and lawyers got convictions. Neither sounds watchable.Will try 1 EPHalfNo renewal
Designated SurvivorABCJack Ryan becomes President when everyone else is killed and they have to rebuild the Cabinet, House and Senate. Oh, wait, it isn’t the Tom Clancy book, so not Jack Ryan. “Tom Kirkman” played by Jack Bauer. Err, I mean Kiefer Sutherland. But they promise it will be a balanced West Wing with both sides of an argument being presented…zzzz.Will try 1 EP4 EPsEarly cancellation
DoubtCBSA defense attorney falling for her client. I want to call it quits, but after miss-predicting Madam Secretary, this one likely has some legs. Katherine Heigl’s in fact. Sounds like it will be How to Get Away With Romance but someone watches it.Will try 1 EPHalfRenewal
Downward DogABCShow told from PoV of the star’s dog. Umm…No2 EPsEarly cancellation
Emerald CityNBCLand of Oz, but dark and edgy. Oh, look, someone found a way to copy Once Upon A Time. And if it goes horrible, Shaun Cassidy can show up and sing.Will try 1 EPHalfRenewal
The ExorcistFoxHorror remake, with two priests. It has Geena Davis? What?No4 EPsEarly cancellation
FrequencyCWTwo detectives separated in time, communicate by ham radio. If they can make it like Cold Case or something, might have something interesting to watch. Or it could be like Minority Report’s precog knowledge except post-cog.Will try 1 EPHalfNo renewal
The Good PlaceNBCRedemption in the afterlife. Been there, skipped that.No4 EPsEarly cancellation
The Great IndoorsCBSReporter managing millennials. PassNo4 EPsEarly cancellation
Great NewsNBCNews producer with Mom intern. Andrea Martin? Good god, no. But somebody watches this crap.NoHalfRenewal
Imaginary MaryABCJenna Elfman’s back? Dating guy and 3 kids, seeing imaginary friend. Riiighht. Cuz that won’t get old or stupid.No4 EPs Early cancellation
Kevin Can WaitCBSRetired cop, facing home life. But it’s Kevin James, so a safe bet.NoFull Renewal
Lethal WeaponFOXOkay, so I’m not someone who thinks that trying to adapt a movie to a TV series is automatically going to suck. Sure, just about every attempt has sucked, but it isn’t guaranteed. But when you take Riggs and Murtaugh, and you make Damon Wayans Murtaugh? That’s just flat out ridiculous. And not in a good wayWill try 1 EP4 EPs Early cancellation
MacGyverCBSReboot OF MacGyver, Hard to avoid a cheese factor, but then Scorpion keeps getting renewed somehow too.Will try 1 EPHalfNo renewal
Making HistoryFOXThree friends who travel through time.Yes4 EPsEarly cancellation
Man With A PlanCBSMatt Leblanc as stay at home dad. No, no, no, no and oh, yeah, no again.No4 EPsEarly cancellation
MarlonCBSMarlon Wayans pretending to be Chris Rock, I guess. Based on Marlon’s life.NoHalfNo renewal
The MickFOXHustler inherits nieces and nephews. It entirely hangs on Olson as the star, and how annoying the nieces and nephews are. Plus whether it becomes a Wilford Brimley G-rating or goes edgy. She’s a hustler, there has to be some edge right?Will try 1 EP4 EPsEarly cancellation
Midnight, TexasNBCWith a bunch of supernatural shows biting the dust, this one might succeed. Depends on if they go for True Blood-style graphic content, or go for broader stream “bump in the night”.Will try 1 EPHalfRenewal
No TomorrowCW“Brazilian format”? Ticking off bucket lists for two. Either REALLY annoying or could be fun.Will try 1 EPHalfNo renewal
NotoriousABCPiper Perabo plays Annie Walker, a new recruit to the CIA.. .oh, wait, no, it’s WENDY Walker, a cable news producer. With a criminal defense attorney, high media blitz, etc.YesFullNo renewal
PitchFOXFirst woman to play in MLB. The Bad News Bears turn pro?No4 EPsEarly cancellation
PowerlessNBCComedy about insurance adjusters dealing with damage caused by superheroes? Sounds quirky, just don’t know if it will be funny enough.YesHalfRenewal
Prison BreakFOXReboot / continuance. Cuz that went SO WELL for Heroes. PassNoHalfNo renewal
Pure GeniusCBSMillionaire plays God with hospital that will do risky procedures. Pass for me, but always room at the table for a medical drama if the stars are palatable.NoFullNo renewal
RiverdaleCWThe Archie comics. I have absolutely no clue if this is even remotely got a shot. But it’s Greg Berlanti as a producer, so I’ll give it a go.YesHalfRenewal
Shots FiredFOXThe show lists Helen Hunt and Richard Dreyfuss as being in the cast, which seems just wacky when the main “investigators” are two others. The premise is basically “Black Lives Matter” in Tennessee. But it would seem more like a movie of the week than ready for season 2?NoHalfNo renewal
Son of ZornFOXPerhaps the weirdest show of the fall, we have an animated He-man-like character trying to connect with his human son and ex-wife.Will try 1 EP4 EPsEarly cancellation
SpeechlessABCMinnie Driver, mother of three, one who is special needs. Zzzzzzzzzzz.No2 EPsEarly cancellation
StarFOXThree young singers trying to make it big. Not for me, but Empire is hugely popular with some demographics, so might work.NoHalfNo renewal
Still Star-crossedABCRomeo and Juliet part two. Doesn’t interest me, but if they give it a bit of a Game of Thrones intrigue factor, could have a hit.NoHalfRenewal
TakenNBCA young ass-kicking Liam Neeson…err, young version of Neeson’s character. Right. With Jennifer Beals. Ever since Castle, I won’t trust her in the CIA, but a one man team show that isn’t MacGyver? Sure, count me in. Just like last year with The Player.YesHalfNo renewal
This Is UsNBCEnsemble dramedy with group who share same birthday and life intersections.Will try 1 EPHalfNo renewal
Time After TimeABCH.G. Wells vs. Jack the Ripper and time travel. Hell yes. No chance at renewal but I’ll watch while it’s on.YesHalfNo renewal
TimelessNBCA team travels through time to defeat Vandal Savage…err, wait, no that’s the other time-traveling criminal show. This one has a team of three chasing somebody else. No matter, it’s time travel! I’m in!YesHalfNo renewal
Training DayCBSBill Paxton as a morally questionable detective. Umm. Sorry, can’t see it. I’m out.NoHalfNo renewal
Trial and ErrorNBCNew York lawyer goes to Southern town for murder case. With Lithgow. If Lithgow was the lawyer, I’d think, “Great! Give it a go!”. I wouldn’t watch, but I could see it. Instead, they have the lawyer being the young Michael J. Fox type role from Doc Hollywood or something. I don’t see it gelling.No4 EPsEarly cancellation

Here’s a summary of my predictions by network:

NetworkTotalWon’t watchTry 1 EPWill watch4 EPsHalf-seasonFull seasonEarly cancelNo renewalRenewal
FOX11542641641
ABC10622541532
NBC11434290245
CBS9630252252
CW3021030021
Total442114915254151811

Looks like I’m going to give Fox and NBC a try this year. Although with estimating five renewals, I am sure I am giving NBC way too much credit to stick with shows long enough to do that.

Approaching the TV renewal bubble…

The PolyBlog
March 4 2016

Over at TVGrimReaper.com, the e-ink is dripping with new announcements coming regularly:

CancelledWicked City
Blood & Oil
The Good Wife
Angel From Hell
Mike & Molly
Truth Be Told
The Player
Heroes Reborn
Minority Report		Wicked City, Blood & Oil, Angel from Hell, Truth be Told are no surprise. Mike and Molly and The Good Wife are ends of long runs (arguable in some cases that it was TOO long a run). And while I was watching Heroes Reborn, it wasn’t gelling; The Player wasn’t that compelling; and The Minority Report was too diffuse in its focus.
On fumesCSI: Cyber
Code: Black
Person of Interest
Mysteries of Laura
The Grinder
Second Chance
Crazy Ex-GF
iZombie		This is an oddly satisfying category — I tried 6 / 8 of them, and passed on all of them except 1 in the first episode, and the one that I’m still watching (Second Chance) has no redeeming value other than the one actor I like. A friend watches iZombie and likes it, and I thought I would try it on binge, but maybe not now.
Likely to be cancelledGalavant
The Muppets
Agent Carter
Nashville
Undateable
Telenovela
Sleepy Hollow
Bordertown
Cooper Barrett’s Guide to Surviving Life
Last Man On Earth		I gave almost all of these a pass early on, with exception of 4, and only 1 am I still watching (Sleepy Hollow) but don’t disagree with plan to cancel, it has really deteriorated.
Toss-upAmerican Crime
Castle
Quantico
You, Me and the Apocalypse
Grimm
Grandfathered
The Vampire Diaries
The 100		This is where the pain starts, but not that much. Castle should have died last season, and based on what they have had left in the tank, it did die, just nobody told them. Quantico started out strong, but it’s been slipping in quality steadily for me. Grimm is a show I really like, but the plot with the Black Claw this season has been slow and monotonous. Finally they have gotten to the keys and the map and Eve, and if they did that in Episode 2 or 3, it could have been rocking.
Likely to be renewed – no idea whyDr. Ken
Fresh off the Boat
Last Man Standing
Grey’s Anatomy
Once Upon A Time
Hawaii Five-O
Madam Secretary
2 Broke Girls
Mom
Criminal Minds
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
New Girl
Reign
Jane the Virgin		Fourteen shows in this category, and basically I can say “I don’t understand the attraction of these shows”, or more pointedly, “I don’t get them.” Sure, some of them are not for my demographic, sure. I only ever had even basic attraction to Once Upon A Time, Hawaii Five-O, Madam Secretary, and Mom, and that interest left REALLY quick for the last two.
Likely to be renewedElementary
Limitless
Blue Bloods
NCIS: LA
Lucifer
X-Files
DCs Legends of Tomorrow		I separated these ones out as I am watching them. I am shocked though that Lucifer is in this category, as I see almost no redeeming quality to it at all. I love the premise, but the acting is questionable, the writing needs a lot of work, the visuals and plots aren’t compelling. Happy to keep watching for now, but surprised. Also, same for Limitless and Blue Bloods — *I* like them, but not sure why they are ranked this high. Rest have obvious fandoms.
Waiting for notification of renewalHow To Get Away With Murder
Black-ish
Scandal
The Middle
The Goldbergs
Modern Family
Life in Pieces
Family Guy
The Originals
Supernatural

Ones I watch

Agents of SHIELD
Supergirl
Scorpion
NCIS: NO
Gotham
Rosewood
Arrow
The Flash		There’s nothing particularly surprising to me in the first group. I don’t “get” these ones, but I see the attraction. For me, the WTF moment came for the shows I *do* watch…why is Scorpion consistenly ranked so high? Incredibly cheesy and makes MacGyver seem realistic. NCIS: NO is also this high? And Rosewood? Who is watching these crappy shows besides me?
RenewedShades of Blue
Superstore
Chicago Med
Chicago Fire
Chicago P.D.
Law & Order: SVU
Scream Queens
Bob’s Burgers
The Simpsons
Bones
Empire
Blacklist
NCIS
Big Bang Theory
Blindspot		Hard to believe SoB is renewed already — it just premiered, I haven’t even tried to catch up on it yet. And reviews aren’t that solid. Somebody has a good contract. Superstore has buzz, maybe that’s enough these days. Chicago x 3 is a good budget decision. SVU is still on? I guess if you rip from the headlines, there are always more headlines. Bones? I have never gotten the appeal of this show. I like both the main actors, love forensics, hate the show. They even did a cross-over to Sleepy Hollow and I thought they pulled that mediocre show down further.
Blacklist is uneven, but renewal makes sense. NCIS is the cash cow, okay. Big Bang Theory is the same.
But Blindspot has been popular yet so uneven, I hope they gave a really good pitch for where the storyline goes from here.

Overall, they’re not cutting anything I want to keep, and none of them are head-scratchers to me. I get a bit more cheese than anyone needs in their diet, and we haven’t seen the new stuff yet, but overall, I can live with a high dairy content from time to time.

A few TV shows have been axed, finally, more to come

The PolyBlog
December 2 2015

Over at TVGrimReaper.com, the e-ink is dripping on all the recent updates as we start to see mid-season finales.

  1. Euthanized: Wicked City, Blood & Oil, Truth Be Told, The Player, and Minority Report
    • Well, I lost two of those (Player, Minority Report) and I was enjoying both. As mentioned earlier, I think there is a nugget to be cracked for the “one man” action type show, but in five seasons, nobody has done it yet. Into the Badlands on AMC is awesome, but it went way deep into the action, with one of the fight scenes from week 2 being the best I’ve seen on TV ever, and probably best for TV or movie in about 10 years. Minority Report was a conundrum from the beginning, and I think it was almost diluted by having all three pre-cogs involved. It was nice that they got to do some form of wrap up of the storyline in episode 10, unlike the Player which had only a very small wrap-up for week 9.
  2. On Life Support: CSI: Cyber, Code Black, Mysteries of Laura, Crazy Ex-GF, and iZombie
    • I gave CSI: Cyber, MoL and CEG a try for all of one episode and passed quickly. CB had no interest for me. So those four are no great loss for me. However, I had heard good things about iZombie from a co-worker, and had it on my list to try sometime. Maybe not now.
  3. Critically-ill: Undateable, Sleepy Hollow, The Grinder, Bones, and Last Man on Earth
    • Undateable became almost unwatchable after the first 5 episodes, and I watched awhile longer to see if some of the spark would come back. It didn’t. Grinder was good for an episode and I passed, never watched LMoE, and Bones never held any chemistry for me (I like the stars individually, just not together). I like Sleepy Hollow, but I think someone needs to take a heavier hand to the story arcs. I think the show would fly on short series orders of 10 EPs a season, and darker / grittier than regular TV allows. I watch, but I won’t mourn its passing.
  4. Touch-and-go: Nashville, Castle, Muppets, Elementary, Good Wife, Hawaii Five-O, Heroes Reborn, Grandfathered, and Scream Queens
    • This is where the pain starts for me. I’m already in pain because Castle sucks this season, but I’ll watch it to the bitter end (it should have ended last season). I really like Elementary, and hope it survives, even though they gave way too little attention to the drug crisis of last year’s cliffhanger. I still have hopes for Heroes Reborn, but I’ve been disappointed before. Good Wife is a future potential binge-watch title, the rest are more surprising in that they are still on the air.
  5. In recovery: Last Man Standing, Dr. Ken, Quantico, Fresh Off the Boat, Once Upon A Time, Grey’s Anatomy, Blue Bloods, NCIS: LA, Madam Secretary, Limitless, Mom, 2 Broke Girls, Supergirl, Grimm, Law and Order: SVU, Chicaog Med, Vampire Diaries, Reign, and Jane the Virgin
    • There are a lot of surprises in this one for me…I don’t care about LMS, DK, FotB, OUaT, GA, MS, Mom, 2BG, SVU, CM, VD, Reign or JtV. Most of them are really not my demographic, and some of them are okay shows, just not for me (others make me shudder that ANYONE is watching them). However, I have been enjoying Quantico, as I like the flashback style of telling the back story (similar to Arrow). I’m a bit surprised to see Blue Bloods / Limitless / Grimm / NCIS: LA ranked this high as they are a bit niche-y, but not surprised Supergirl is still up there. I think it will only go higher as the year progresses.
  6. Ready for discharge: Agents of SHIELD, Black-ish, The Middle, How To Get Away With Murder, The GoldBergs, Scandal, Modern Family, Criminal Minds, NCIS: New Orleans, NCIS, Scorpion, Life in Pieces, Blacklist, Rosewood, Family Guy, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Gotham, Empire, The Originals, Supernatural, Arrow, and The Flash
    • I don’t watch Black-ish, Middle, HTGAWM, Goldbergs, Scandal, MF, CM, LiP, FG, B99, Empire, or the Originals, but again, I’m not the intended audience. Most of them are okay, I just don’t see the appeal. Supernatural is on my future binge-watch list, not sure I’d watch all of them though. I’m a sucker for Arrow and The Flash, so hard to be objective about those. I’m really surprised SHIELD, Scorpion and and Rosewood are ranked this high though, and NCIS: NO. While NCIS is probably a no-brainer, the cash cow that keeps on lactating, it does have to end sometime, doesn’t it? I am reassured somewhat to see Blacklist this high, as I think they are now in their third year of telling different storylines each year, or a different form of storytelling with a different feel to it, and each time, they’ve thrived. However, I’m not surprised to see Gotham this high…it’s one of the best of the genre, and watchable even if you’re not into the mythos of comics and superheroes.
  7. Home with the family: Big Bang Theory, Chicago P.D., Chicago Fire, Blindspot, Bob’s Burgers, The Simpsons
    • I am not interested in any of the Chicago series, too soap-ish for me, and I’m not watching the animated ones (future bingewatch potential). Happy for BBT, although I have been off watching it this season, waiting for January to roll around to catch up on it with my wife. Last in this list is Blindspot, and I’m of two minds for renewal. First, it’s a hit, great, should be renewed. Second, by contrast, it’s got a major plot problem coming up — if the people had all the info that they did to tattoo on her body, why did they not reveal it in a far less cryptic fashion? If there was some sort of “magical/mystical” element, as in Minority Report with pre-cogs, there would be something to go on. The big reveal (CAUTION: SPOILER ALERT) was that she volunteered for the assignment, it was her plan to put it all over her body as tattoos. Maybe it will end up being an intelligence agency computer dump that was all jumbled together, but then why wipe her memory? Why not reveal the source of the info? If the payoff doesn’t match the mythology, and we need some pieces of it this year, season two will drop in the ratings pretty fast as viewers see too little reward for their investment of time.