Sasha Cohen before the long programme

Between the short programme and the long
Falls the shadow?

Expectations? MSNBC even asks Can Sasha Cohen Save the Olympics?, but also notices what ought to matter:

What Cohen has going for her is that she is a truly beautiful skater, a skater who loses herself in the character she plays and surrenders to the passion of her music. At her best she is a true enchantment

In USA Today, Mike Lopresti comments:

Which brings us to Sasha Cohen. Possibly the last obstacle to the Russian sweep. All 5-2 of her.

She had trouble sleeping Tuesday night, so she skipped practice Wednesday. The Alpiners have gone south, the speedskaters can't get along, and the only team the men's hockey team could beat was Kazakhstan. Sasha must save the republic. And she takes the day off.

When her practice slot came in the afternoon, the music for her routine was dutifully played, to empty ice. Her coach was there to swat the flies from the press.
...
Now everyone waits for Thursday night. Nicks as much as anyone, ... "I spend all my time waiting for ladies," he said. "I waited for my sister, my mother, my girlfriend, my wife, my daughter, my granddaughter.

"And Sasha."

So how has our ferocious defender against the Russian medal horde been doing in the athletes' village? "I feel funny," Cohen said, "because figure skaters are the only ones wearing makeup."

Slate: They All Fall Down Figure skating, the world's least-graceful sport.

...
A dancer sweeps you away with her grace and flow and hides her sweat with a flourish. A world-class figure skater, on the other hand, pulls you into her own anxiety. She performs just barely above the limits of her skill, trying jumps you both know she can't always land.

The stress of these make-or-break moments overpowers whatever artistry a performance may have. What should be a choreographed composition becomes a series of near-impossible leaps strung together with idle tootling. Skaters fill up the dead time with gratuitous arm movements as they catch their breath and get in position for the next jump. Meanwhile, the announcers expect the worst.
...
What about those effortless, eye-blurring spins? I've always found them to be the most compelling part of a skater's performance. Nobody ever falls while doing a spin, but they're thrilling and graceful nonetheless. ... but none of that matters in the end ... One of the highest-scoring spins you can possibly do—a perfectly executed flying change foot combination level four—is worth just five points. You could pick up that pocket change just by flubbing a triple axel.

Here's some help with distinguishing the many different jumps.