So the war is over. At least for now. The resolution of the writers' strike in time for a "kiss and make up" Oscar telecast was pleasing to the Academy, ABC, and the entertainment community in general. The overwhelming passage of the new writers' contract is also a sign that peace has prevailed, and the tide is running against the probability of an actors' strike in July.
But who was the winner of the WGA's battle? Any fair analysis would suggest that they won something, gave up something, and caved on getting a boost in the DVD residuals (which at first was the sore spot that rallied so much initial attention to their cause).
By holding out for 100 days, studios and networks certainly have not won much either. Outside of Fox, ratings across the board have dropped considerably, the mad scramble to repair the TV season has been thorny at best, studios are still in the mode of "punishing" writers by holding back on the overall deals that they force majeured, and the audience has yawned, finding that those new modes of entertainment they turned to during the strike (chiefly, increased internet viewing) aren't such a bad alternative after all.
War is Hell, General Sherman reminded us. That the 2008 Oscar telecast was the most poorly watched in modern times suggests Heaven isn't awaiting anytime soon.
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