Nomi

My sense is that Joan does have real feelings for Morse, knows he loves her, but she is angry and frustrated that he won't (can't) just go for it, and refuses to sort of do that part for him. She suspects that he cannot be truly emotionally intimate and doesn't want to have feelings for him anymore. But...she does. So, she does things like tries to fix him up with someone that she knows on some level will never be serious about him (or anybody), but she hopes will serve to help her distance herself from him. I haven't finished this season yet, but I'm guessing it doesn't work. There is a real connection between them, but Morse will never be able to have a full relationship and Joan, tho I think ultimately capable of one, is still very lost at the moment herself. But not so lost that she can't see that Morse, despite his profound need, is mired in fear and self-protection. Comes by it all honestly like most of us, but that doesn't make it any easier to take.

Tara, you're right to point out that this is not a done deal. Just want to correct one of your points about what could go wrong. Milch is well-known for not really writing scripts. If that sounds mad, it is. But that is how he works. He has things in his head to some unknown extent, and then writes dialog at the very last minute, as in, at most, the night before shooting. And then, during shooting, he often changes lines. This is part of why he had to leave network TV (NYPD Blue); most crews, actors and TV production schedules are not equipped to work that way. At HBO he was able to surround himself with people who understood what they were getting into and joined willingly. IF something throws this off the track, it will not be him spending too much time on the script.