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I think people have a legitimate gripe with how this show was sold. The marketing campaign was genius -- the slogan to sound like Survivor: "25 suspects, 13 weeks, 1 (guffaw) killer". They created a companion website on Harper's Globe with social networking that is arguably higher in quality than what we are seeing on television. The advertisers sold a "mystery" to us where we are supposed to figure out who the killer or main killer is. That's just not the project that was actually made. Can you imagine being the advertisers being told, "Okay, we have a 13 week slasher film. Go sell it to the 60 years olds who watch CBS."? They did their jobs. They got people to watch the series who otherwise would not have turned in to watch it.

If we go back and watch the original 15 minute promo that was used to sell the idea to prospective producers, which was the original vision of the creators...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XrWalrn79k

...we see the disconnect between what the creators wanted and what the advertisers sold. That is why the original video looks more coherent and cogent than what we ended up with. The original was more "thriller" than "mystery". "Shoot anyone who isn't with their buddy" isn't "mystery" per say. The only thing they originally promised was fast paced music and that people would be killed off one by one.

Here's the trailer that came by in Week 2 of the series:

http://www.youtube.com/wa...sC8s&feature=related

It has the newer cast mixed with old footage (Booth at the exploding boat); deleted scenes (Malcolm falling into the trap while on the scavenger hunt with Beth); and a couple of replace cast members (I think that is a previous Chloe saying, "please let me go"...)

I guess we'll never see the Screaming man in the tunnel scene at the end of this second clip. I think that is supposed to be a previously cast version of John Wakefield.

Anyway, no doubt to actually get the film produced by a broadcast demographic to a viewer base that skews older than your typical pre-18 teenage male movie going audience, the creators had to promise to tweak the project. This is why the "mystery" seems more of an afterthought than the crux of the story. It was added on top of a slasher plotline, obviously under request of the producers who ponied up the dough.

The trailer's never promised us a mystery to solve or ask us to see if we can find out who the killer is. Only the advertising campaign did that. Blaming CBS is still fair game because they had to have known. But as long as bodies were in front of the television, it probably didn't matter. Only the idea that there was "1 killer" were we invited to solve it. I guess "26 or more suspects, 13 weeks, 2 killers" just doesn't have the same ring to it.

However, I can absolutely appreciate what we have now. The Cal/Chloe ending was great television. But, what we're watching isn't what I and many people expected in the type of show it is, so it takes a moment to adjust. Clues and logic mean nothing when the majority of the murders are likely committed by a serial killer who didn't use logic, just whatever and whoever was available.

I'll still enjoy the ride. But if I had paid attention to the tone of the original promotional video (with different cast members), I would have realized that the producers weren't interested really in Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle type "mystery or sleuth" yarn.

That said, this is still addictive and I will definitely watch the finale, as we approach our sad, pathetic, and inevitably disappointing ending.