If you haven't already noticed, this is mikejer posting. You'd be right to think that "this can't be good news." Sadly, Ryan will no longer be reviewing for CriticallyTouched.com. He was apologetic about not keeping his commitment to me to finish all of Angel, but his schedule has simply become too busy.

Rather than dwelling on what cannot be undone we must look forward. In light of the fact that I can't stand review sites that are incomplete, I can't just leave the site 'as is.' On the other hand, I have no desire or time myself to finish all of the remaining reviews.

Rick (the one who wrote the supplementary review of Buffy's "Lies My Parents Told Me"), however, came up with a great compromise. His idea was to ask this community for help in filling in the gaps! As of right now I am looking for members of this community who feel they can offer up individual reviews of the quality we've come to expect. Rick has already tentatively committed to reviewing a number of the remaining episodes himself. In light of his contribution, I will also be reviewing select remaining Angel episodes as well! My hope is that with the combined intelligence and tenacity of this community we can get this site completed while maintaining CriticallyTouched's standard of quality in the process.

Are you game? ... If so, click on the title of this news post, read up, and decide if you're ready to join in. :)

Just dropping in to say hey! and I'm still alive and reviewing. Just, you know, not this moment. Or day. Exams are what they are, but I'm still around. Watching.

My review of "Slouching Towards Bethlehem" [4x04] is active, fresh, and tasty.

My review of "The House Always Wins" [4x03] is now available for consumption.

The reboot continues: read my new-new (new) review of "Ground State" [4x02]. I know you'll get along.

If there's one thing I've learned over the past few months it's this: life doesn't care about your plans. To me, this fact is nothing if not highly disruptive to a good, healthy routine of frequent Angel reviewing. And what routine could be healthier?

It's been awhile, gentle readers, and I'm happy to be back. Acknowledging the significant gap between my newest review and my last one, I've decided to hit the reset button and start over on season four. I hope you like the result.

For your consumption: my review of the season four premiere episode "Deep Down" [4x01].

New Reviews, you say? Well, I suppose it has been awhile. My bad. But as of May I'm officially back at the reviewing desk, where I plan to stay, scotch in hand if I must! What does this mean for the site? Well, now that the Non-Reviewing Ryan is gone for good, I plan to churn out a minimum of one new review per week asap. Exactly what I review first may come as a Bit of a Surprise too...

Guess who's back? I'm happy to officially announce that I'm returning to the review desk. Expect new reviews by early May at the latest, gentle readers. Get the full scoop here.

Greetings, gals and guys. It's been some time since I've seen you all. Some new interest in my reviews has brought my attention back 'round to the site, and I have to say I'm thrilled to see new readers are still finding their way here. It's been awhile since I've accounted for myself so I'd like to take a post here to address the nation of you: the Angelverse fans, few but awesome as ye be.

The reason for my absence is stark: I've simply had other, bigger priorities to contend with, and that's why it's been a staggering 6 (wait, tabulation monkey says 7!) 7 months since I last posted a review. The hordes of daily responsibilities have been multiplying like bunnies, gentle readers, and I need not qualify just how trampley the hordes can get. In addition to an increasingly difficult academic career I've also had to take up a job on the side (so, you know, someone pays me) while performing a large amount of extra-curricular work to ensure a future for myself in which I can afford to eat.

The funereal languor that's befallen the site in the meantime is regrettable, to say the least. I miss you all. I miss stirring the trifle pot of internet controversy and telling people that I write for the Web 2.0. Had I realized there was still such an abundance of interest in my reviews I would have accounted for myself sooner.

For this ignorant disregard above all else, I offer my humblest apologies.

But even in the midst of these apologies, I have to be stark: I just won't be able to continue reviewing until a few things have been cleared off my plate. The commitments I hold, not only to my academic and professional careers, but to my family, loved ones and friends, have to come before anything else.

What I will do in the mean time is make a greater effort to be visible on the forums and keep the front page updated with "progress reports" about when I'll be reviewing again.

Carpe Noctem, dear readers. We'll meet again soon.

My review of "Supersymmetry" [4x05] is up.