We at AtAT are currently trying to deal with our traditional post-Sweeps-Month doldrums. All the ratings-grabbing episodes are over, all the numbers have been tallied, and now the networks are airing reruns and more conventional fare. It's only natural that we'd feel a little depressed at the end of four weeks of nonstop televisual sex, violence, and surprises. Sure, we've got our memories-- the spurting wrist-stump on ER, the return of WillowVamp on Buffy, the incredibly confusing "revelations" on The X-Files-- but even such delightful memories as those are scant comfort from the knowledge that we're entering one of the troughs of the television season.

Take "Redmond Justice," for example: everyone's favorite antitrust courtroom drama certainly didn't disappoint any viewers in February. We had all that great stuff with government lawyer David Boies debunking Microsoft's video evidence-- not once, not twice, but three times. And is it mere coincidence that Microsoft finished with its last witness and rested its case on the last court day in Sweeps Month? We think not. That's right, both sides have now cranked through their allotted twelve witnesses, and Judge Jackson has called a month-long recess before the court reconvenes to hear the summing up. Which means that the show is on hiatus for the entire month of March, and fans will have to content themselves in the meantime with what we assume will be endless armchair analyses of the case so far and summaries of the highs and lows. For instance, there are already some good ones available from the Industry Standard and the Seattle Times-- it's more fun than reading Soap Opera Digest.

While we understand everyone's need for a good long rest, we're a little disappointed that the show's producers didn't take this opportunity to follow some of the characters into their private lives. For instace, the chief attorney on Microsoft's team, John Warden, pretty much went from the courthouse directly to the airport on Friday, eager to catch his plane to the Bahamas. Imagine the possibilities! The feckless Warden thrust into Magnum P.I.-like settings, trying to solve murder mysteries while wearing a stunning array of Hawaiian shirts. We'll just have to keep our fingers crossed and hope that they're filming it all for the next Sweeps Month.