: The way I see it, TLW is a good ensemble show.

: So, while some may want to see a "Veronica" series and others would like a "Marguerite-Roxton" show, I feel most would still prefer the kind of ensemble show we've had so far.

I agree with you on many levels - the fact is that The Lost World is a good show with an ensemble cast, with actors who have to read what is written for their character, and I hope we don't lose any of them. This show is one of my favorites, and I have made up a web site dedicated to the show in appreciation (number twelve on the web-ring). I think the actors have different degrees of talent; perhaps it's because they have various amounts of experience. It is also a fact that it is inevitable that people will have favorites, and will talk about them, especially when the creators of the program ask for people's opinions on who they think should survive a fall that is potentially lethal! Also, when there are two women in a cast, made so deliberately different (except for their strength and independence), comparison between them is especially inevitable. I know I personally wasn't trying to step on toes or be mean, but when people are in the public eye, the public will talk about them and the talk isn't always good, pleasing, or fair to everyone.

: For all the hammering that Jennifer O'Dell has received in recent days, I think one should keep in mind that she's doing a good job with a part that is difficult to pull off. Some may find such a statement surprising, but it's not if you look at it closely. The character of Veronica, almost by definition, defies belief. Of course it's basically a comic book character, bordering on the ridiculous. Yet O'Dell manages to not just give a rendition of "Baywatch in the jungle" (Sorry, Troy :-). She plays the part for all that it's worth. There is room for improvement, of course. If she would get a bit more relaxed, a little less tense, it would help the portrayal. Still, I feel that one tends to underestimate the difficulties involved in playing such a character.

I"m sorry, but look at Xena, or Gabrielle, or Callisto - you MUST suspend disbelief to watch that show, but the actresses, all of them, are first class - even though much of Xena, the Warrior Princess, is cheesecake, T&A, Baywatch in the Ancient World, whatever you want to term it. I feel with and feel for them, I cry with them. They do their job, and they do it well - they move me, lift my spirits, make me want to be like them, entertain me. I cried with Marguerite several times this season: when she had to make the decision whether to kill Roxton to save her own life a couple of weeks ago, just recently when she saw him plummet off the bridge. Rachel Blakely has the ability to make me FEEL something about her character, and to a lesser degree my own life; Jennifer O'Dell doesn't - yet - maybe that will change when she develops a little more experience.

: Marguerite on the other hand has the advantage of having been provided by the writers with that "mysterious" background that so many on this board have speculated about. Naturally there's a richer field to plow as far as acting is concernd when you get to work with a part that allows more variations.

I've always heard that most actors prefer to play an evil person than a good one, and I'm sure we can all understand that it's probably a lot more fun and challenging. Any artist of any sort, would prefer to stretch their wings. BUT, a character is only as good as the actor behind the words and actions the writers give them, and Rachel Blakely, as Marguerite, never fails to hit the mark.

: Consequently, on of the most important thing is the script. For that very reason, I still feel unable to truly assess David Orth's acting abilities, because for most of the season he had to play a rather pale, ill-defined character. Let's hope that in the future the writers will explore the different characters better than in season 1. This is all the more important with regard to Challenger and especially Summerlee, whose neglect in the latter part of the season has robbed the show of a vital element.

Again, as I said earlier, an actor's job is to do the best they can with what they are given. In a large cast, there are always going to be a few that are more popular, and it's almost always going to be the "beautiful", more obvious ones - human nature. After all, this ia a fantasy show - everyone's favorite's appeal to different sides of their nature. Personally, I'd like to be like Marguerite, be with Roxton, get the kind of mouth-dropping attention that i'm sure Jennifer O'Dell gets, have a father like Challenger, and a grandfather like Summerlee. I don't have much use for Ned, because he has no place in my head - BUT that doesn't mean I want him off the show, just that if anyone had to go for some bizarre reason, he's the most easily "dumped". He's the one with least to contribute, survival-wise. Marguerite has her wonderful sense of self-preservation, Roxton is the muscle and hunter, Veronica has jungle-smarts, and Challenger and Summerlee are the scientists with the fix or cure for everything.

The actors have to deal with what the writers give them, but the acting ability or lack of it, is their own. If they truly aren't pleased with the flow of the show or the way their character is portrayed, and choose to be artistic instead of materialistic, any actor can choose to leave the show at the end of their contract. The fact that it's an ensemble show doesn't mean that a few won't shine - it happens in every large cast.

I'm sorry this went on so long, and I hope you aren't offended, as that wasn't my purpose. I know I am one of the Marguerite/Roxton fans, and I've knocked Jennifer O'Dell and David Orth, so I guess I figured I'm one of the people you're writing about, so I wanted to respond, maybe elaborate why I've said the things I have on this board. I love the show, as a whole, and don't want to lose anyone! :)