allhailkingjack

Your call, of course. I didn't mean to imply that Catherine Bell's absence is why the season is bad. It's just poorly done in general.

Skip season 1 because it's terrible and Catherine Bell is barely in it. Things get better in season 2 and onward. Being a 90s relic, the show still has some wrongheaded ideas about workplace equality and sexism in general, but Mac and some other female characters are still somewhat ahead of their time. Overall, the writing quality is substantially better than Good Witch and the cast has talent to burn. It's a fun, enjoyable show, although tonally very different from NCIS.

I'm in a FB group for GW fans and I can tell you they are hyped to see her in these other things. I was a fan of JAG back in the day and I actually think she was quite a bit better on that show. Then again, Mac was written to be a more complicated character with actual human flaws, not the Mary Sue they write Cassie to be. That's why characters like Sam appeal to me - he's allowed to be less than perfect, but apparently that can't be considered for Our Heroine.

I don't recall the friend showing up before. The show is notorious for dropping characters into a black hole with no explanation, so it doesn't surprise me that they pulled this one out of thin air. As for introducing more witches, that would be really interesting and also very much not Hallmark's thing. From what I've seen, they keep things small in terms of storytelling scope.

There's been no announcement of a renewal, and this time last year the news had been out for a month. I'm thinking that doesn't bode well for the possibility of a season 4. Sam's proposal was too soon, just like the "I love you" in episode 4. But I can forgive James Denton anything when he plays a scene as beautifully as he did the proposal. And I'm right about done with Grace's sanctimonious meddling. I don't know why the writers have to make an otherwise likeable girl so obnoxious.

I don't know why, but lately CB's line readings have been making me want to crawl out of my skin. The cadences, inflections, the very rise and fall of her voice are all hideously unvarying no matter what the scene calls for. It wasn't like this in the movies or during the first season, and I guess I had enough goodwill left over not to notice it in the second season. Thankfully, there's more than one way to "visit Hallmark town," as was so aptly stated above.

How do the ratings go up over multiple episodes in which NOTHING happens?

That's nothing to the fact that Martha walked out of Cassie's store with an ENTIRE BAG of ginger candies and Sam and Cassie JUST STOOD THERE. I can't even...I'm starting to wonder if she even charges people to stay at Grey House.

The painter served literally no purpose except to stress out Cassie and Sam about the future of their relationship. Usually people are noticeably improved after a stay at Grey House, but this guy could barely squeak out a "Good to meet you" at the end.

That looks like it's from tvseriesfinale, not tvbythenumbers. Also, Sam did in fact buy the lake house at the end of season 2. We just haven't been back there this season.

Nailed it. I think the flower story was a smart choice, but they resolved it way too soon. This has never been a fast-paced, plot-heavy show - one of the reasons I liked it - but it seems like things are dragging even more than usual lately. I'm also worried they're rushing toward the marriage proposal finish line, and I think it's too soon for that. There should be actual relationship development with those two, not just sweet fangirl moments. We'll see, but I'm getting concerned.

Can't agree with you about James Denton's acting - I think he's incredibly gifted and I see a lot of nuance and polish in his work - but I have wished to see more, I don't know, heat(?) from Catherine Bell in these scenes. I can't tell if it's her acting (or lack thereof) or if it's just the fact that Cassie is written as such a shallow, saintly character that there's literally no script direction for her except to smile. And while they're no longer trying to keep their relationship on the DL, the ILY conversation did happen sooner than I thought it should. (I will say I believed it more from Sam's side because he seems to have been in love with Cassie for quite a while before he even considered telling her - or at least that's what I see in James' portrayal). I love the fluff scenes, but I have been hoping for deeper interactions between them - maybe even a genuine disagreement. But I'm guessing that with a ten-episode season, Hallmark feels the need to rush some of these milestones a bit.

That's a good point. I assume the wheelchair ramp is off to the side and not shown in frame - or at least I hope that's the case.

LOL. It wasn't. I was merely speculating on the idea of a very non-canon relationship.

I'm choosing to take the charitable interpretation that Cassie had one of her "feelings" that Sam wanted to say the words and was having a little trouble, so she helped him along. Seen through any other lens, she definitely came off pushy. Nonetheless, I loved the moment when he said it. Yep, and this is weird because we know she's capable of more. Well, if anything, Abigail was encouraging him not to say the words. Speaking of her, I liked the fact that Sam was able to make her laugh. No one makes Abigail laugh, ever, yet Sam pulled it off. I might wonder, in an alternate universe, whether - but alas, this ain't that show.

Man, I had a hard time with this episode. It started off completely wrong when Cassie bailed on Sam for no good reason at all and got worse when Sam didn't get to do much more than be a love interest (and a frustrated one, at that). The hardest thing to take was when Abigail decided to steal everything Sam paid for - and no one even bats an eye. Ugh. And I still don't understand exactly what was happening with the time thing, although I'm sure there's some obvious explanation. I did like that Sam's tendency to plan things and aim for perfection is consistent with what we already knew about his character and personality type as early as season 1. And I admire that he wanted to do that for Cassie, but I could see his stress levels rising throughout the episode. I liked that he got an emotional break at the end.

No, not at all. Abigail explained in season 1 that she did not want Sam for herself. She always felt strongly that Sam and Cassie should be together, which is why she kept interfering with Sam and Stephanie. This bears out in Secrets of Grey House, when Abigail pushes Cassie to consider Sam more seriously as a romantic partner. Well, no one ever said she didn't have things to learn. She came through on that one with flying colors. Then again, I've never understood the Abigail hate. The character is a great study in how magical powers manifest themselves in a morally gray person, and Sarah Power plays her so perfectly. Yes, absolutely. And yes, I adored that storyline.

Excellent catch. And Cassie did say that everyone in Middleton was sort of tied to the plant, though not as strongly as she, Grace, and Abigail are.

Wait, what? Does the plant snip affect everyone in town? I thought it was just the magical residents, but maybe I was off-base on that.

Lord, I loved this episode. I would've liked more Sam/Cassie time, but at least the scenes they had were basically perfect. I laughed out loud at Sam's "Speak for yourself!" to Nick. He got the lady he wanted and he's pretty damn proud of himself. (James Denton was genius in that whole scene, natch.) I love too the way Sam's affection for Cassie shines so clearly from his eyes, even while he tries to keep it on lockdown in front of others. And he's spoiling her with all the flowers, which is really sweet. The ending scene was perfectly played by them both - he's awkward when he realizes he'll have to announce his presence, and Cassie tries to cover up the fact that she didn't anticipate him. What I'm hoping happens is that Sam realizes fairly soon that something's wrong with Cassie, tries to find a medical reason for it, and gets really worried when he can't. Meanwhile, Cassie, of course, can't explain to him what the real problem is because she knows he's a skeptic. I thought Grace brought a little too much attitude to her mom about Sam, considering they did discuss it at the end of season 2. And I really did not like Stephanie acting all entitled to a free handout from Cassie. She should've at least offered to pay her for it later, not ask for a gift outright. I do like, however, that Grace is somewhat off-balance about her feelings for Nick. Then again, maybe that's just the cut flower wreaking its havoc. But it would be no bad thing for someone who's always so sure of herself to deal with a little confusion and internal conflict about her two friends dating each other. I kind of hope Grace and Nick stay just friends, but judging by the social media reaction I'm in the minority on that one. ETA: All hail the return of Curmudgeonly Sam! I've missed him so. Not only that, he seems more settled in who he is. He's not one to overflow with happiness, but he reads to me now like a man who has everything he wants in life. Obviously Cassie's not the only factor there, but I think his growing security in that relationship has made him feel like he's really got the tiger by the tail.

I have to admit I've always found the pacing of most Hallmark productions to be really jarring, like a totally different rhythm I have to get used to. The scenes are too short, the dialogue is too rushed, and the reaction shots are a beat too long. Also, there's way too much chuckling, especially given the poor quality of most of the dialogue. James Denton manages to suck me in with pro-level readings of poorly written lines and his otherworldly handsomeness. And I still look out for Catherine Bell because she's TV royalty in my mind, thanks to JAG. But after finally watching the first two Good Witch movies, I was surprised to see how much of that wonderful sparkle she had is just missing in the TV show. ...yeah, still re-watching obsessively because those two onscreen together make me so damn smiley I can't even deal with it. I have no defense.

My rational mind acknowledges and agrees with every negative thing you all have said. Despite all this, and despite how poorly it reflects on my taste in TV shows, I have to confess that I absolutely love the show and can't wait for season 3. I started watching for Catherine Bell and continue watching for James Denton, who I think is beast-mode sexy and terrifically skilled in his role. And, not for nothing, cheesy happy fluff like this is great when my personal world is collapsing around me. Maybe it helps that I haven't seen the movies, though. I see lots of magic in the show, via Cassie's knowledge of what "medicines" people need, her manipulation of events for the best outcome for everyone, and of course the way she knows who's with her before she turns around. But it sounds like the magic was very different and more overt in the movies, so I can see why that would be frustrating.