This is a long posting, but as you may tell, I was glad to see someone mention this show and this episode. I had heard _Picket Fences_ mentioned often as a fine TV show and seeing it come up on someone's list of favorites, combined with an ad I saw for the lesbian storyline of last week's show, led me to watch it for the first time last week. My impression was that, as far as the issue of homosexuality goes, the episode validated the gut reactions of the parents on the show - namely, that coming out as a lesbian would make their daughter a social outcast and her life miserable (this actually sank home because it was my own mother's reaction to my coming out). The fact that the daughter's decision (excuse me for not knowing character names) to "choose" men, as the show rather offensively referred to it; the fact that this was not in the end celebrated joyously was a small consolation, but does reflect the liberal reputation that the show seems to have. I actually thought the parallel storyline - of the woman cop who gets passed over for promotion because of her sex - was handled better. Her lawsuit, although treated quickly like the episode in general, was a nice plot surprise. The scene in which the town mayor, defending the need to discriminate if it protects the community, comes face to face with the liberal judge who rules in favor of the woman cop was a good one. Overall, I think the fact that this was the first time I had seen the show colored my viewing. (I also have a theory that one-hour programs do not necessarily have an easier time depicting current social issues than half-hour programs). I found the father character very heavy-handed and unsympathetic and the show had to take for granted that I knew the characters' histories together. I'm curious to hear impressions from folks who have been following _Picket Fences_ regularly. Lisa Malcolm MIT