I just finished Set 23 (yes, it took me longer than usual, but with finals and papers all closing in at once...), and I've concluded that 1840 is indeed quite hit-and-miss. At times I'm positively glued to the screen (usually when Samantha and Quentin and Gabriel are on); at other times I barely manage to get through an episode (all the boring pseudo-scientific stuff with that Head). The dialogue is still mostly poor (I'm not expecting Shakespeare here, but please...! At least live up to past standards!); the characters lack motivation and reason (why, oh, why did Quentin hire Daphne? This makes absolutely no sense whatsoever!); and there are *so* many continuity problems (esp. in regards to [spoiler]Roxanne becoming a vampire).[/spoiler] However, there are moments of brilliance. Quentin and Samantha's fight over Tad is pure soap opera joy. My new favourite quote: [spoiler]"He's *not* your son!".[/spoiler]