TV, or not TV.

Since my cable has returned after Isabel deprived me of it for almost two weeks, I guess it's time to talk about TV again.

The West Wing. The new-and-really-not-improved Sorkin-less production is a real disappointment. In two episodes, they've resolved virtually all of the pieces of the season-ending cliffhanger (except: where are the members of the missing sleeper cell? Will we ever find out?), and in a boring and suspenseless manner. This show has gone from "tape-and-rewatch" to "Is it on? Oh, I think I'll do a load of laundry, instead" in record time. As one TWOPper put it, "At least TWW didn't jump the shark. The new team flew it over in a chopper. "

The Lyon's Den. Maybe Rob Lowe was prescient and saw in advance that the West Wing was going to take a header. Maybe. I prefer to think that it was his ego and wallet that made him decide to leave. He couldn't stand to be "just" a member of an ensemble cast of terrific actors on a show with then-great writing, when clearly he should be the star. So now he's the star, on a show with an ensemble cast of second-rate actors and extremely muddled writing. (I'm glad to see that the HoloDoctor has expanded his repertoire beyond Italian opera, though.) Hope he enjoys it, while it lasts - I don't really expect it to be around for an entire season.

Nova. This week's season opener, on the rediscovery and translation of Archimedes' "Method of Mechanical Theorems," was good. With elements of a detective thriller and the high-tech tools of C.S.I., it shows the excitement of prying the secrets out of this 11th-Century copy of his book; a copy that was turned into a palimpsest in the 13th Century. Great fun, in a geeky sort of way.