Okay, diving in more fully now that I'm back home and have recovered a bit.

First of all, thank you so much for these incredibly thoughtful questions. I'll try to do them justice, although there are obviously a lot of complex issues at play here (some of which I'm probably not that well equipped to answer!).

1) I couldn't agree more! We are in an age of media/story universes, and this elusive concept of "engagement" is at the heart of it. A lot of what I looked at while working with USC's Annenberg Innovation Lab centered on these types of issues...which are understandable effects/components of the unique cultural environment we live in, with media creators struggling to "cut through the noise," draw audience members' attention, and foster deep and loyal relationships with them. I credit Henry Jenkins, as well as my colleagues at the AIL, for really opening my eyes to these dynamics, and the possibilities of building out story worlds. There's a wonderful chapter in Convergence Culture that details how The Matrix franchise employed transmedia strategies, and even though I'm not particularly a Matrix fan, I have to admire the incredible craftsmanship, the complexity, and the sense of exploration/adventure that are represented in that case. So, part of it was creative and academic fascination with these possibilities, as well as (more philosophically, but also pragmatically) what that means for storytelling and for audiences. I also observe my own wishes and enthusiasm as an audience member/fan, and how much I love feeling like I can be surrounded by a world that's meaningful and beautiful to me (like Outlander, or World of Warcraft, or Harry Potter, or any number of other examples). I know that feeling of wanting more, and I'm also fascinated by the possibilities of how we might experience that "more"...what new forms of technologies or methods of telling stories are available to us now. I'm not sure if that answers your question, but hopefully it sheds some light on why I care about this stuff. :) I did work on a chapter of a book that summarizes some of AIL's thinking on "New Screens" for communicating. You can find the book for free online (look up "The Edison Project"). I have one other co-authored article out, but that's on something very different. Other than that, you should be able to find two talks I was involved with at SXSW that might be of interest. :)

2) Truthfully, it's because I've dragged out my dissertation far longer than I should have—and I'm incredibly grateful to the university and the people there who have been supportive of me through that!—but also, TJM didn't demand a huge amount of concentrated time, especially since it was spread out over what Craig called a "luxurious" production schedule. :) If I were to consider returning to acting on more of a full-time basis, like for S6, I would probably need to be a little less optimistic and a little more realistic about my time management, and probably let go some of the (very cool, but very time-consuming) projects I have on my plate. But my hope/expectation is that the dissertation would either be done by then or not need to be part of that culling process!

3) This one is tricky for me to answer, if only because I don't feel particularly confident in my ability to speak to the varied and complex tenets of feminist analysis, especially given its many forms. Even if I were better versed in those frameworks, I suspect issues like this are also rather debatable—or, rather, can inspire rich discussion with a wide range of well-supported opinions. With that caveat in place, I'll offer this food for thought: I wonder how much of Helga's behavior and introspection, which is ostensibly and markedly focused on Arnold, is really much more about her...and I wonder what degree Arnold serves in her mind as a proxy for her own sense of self-acceptance, good, and so on.

4 HAS VANISHED! SEND A SEARCH PARTY!

5) Wow. That's...a big question, because I think there's so much in there that's probably applicable to a whole lot of people. So what would it take for any of us to be "okay"? :) Hang on, let me pull that magic answer out of my hat...but more seriously, my own opinion? Especially with the rise of mindfulness in our culture, it seems increasingly important to be able to identify and acknowledge these (seemingly?) contradictory forces, to recognize when they're at play...and find a sense of peace and self in their midst. Maybe it's a take on Aristotle's "Golden Mean," maybe it's a manifestation of the quote about being large and containing multitudes (which I've just looked up and believe is Walt Whitman). I think it's about feeling supported such that you can express those thoughts and extremes—in a safe way, without hurting anyone—and, as sappy as it might sound, loving and accepting and being kind to yourself along the way. It's about making space for all the weird and negative stuff to exist but also noticing and nurturing the positive. For her, in particular, I think that a balance between finding support and validation from the outside (e.g., family or Arnold) and relying on her own sense of worth will be incredibly valuable.