This is where they lost me. This wasn’t good drama, it wasn’t organic, it was just vindictive and cruel for no reason. The show has always used Carolyn as a punching bag to some degree, but this was so obviously out of character, and so completely crossed a line, that’s it’s past my tolerance. And then, for the rest…

That’s why I hedged with “by and large.” You’re absolutely right that there’s a capacity there for something darker.

The single most ugly, needless, nihilistic episode in the history of this show. I honestly considered stopping there and never coming back. There’d have to be some incredible payoff from that episode for them to really regain my trust, and if that’s the case it’s certainly not present in season 4.

Yup. Mr. Peanutbutter is a genuinely well-meaning person, by and large, and that makes all the difference.

This is the first of what I think are many missteps the show makes with Carolyn this season. It’s a shame, too, because so much of the other stuff going on is so well done.

Leviathan Wakes really is a great read - it’s unfortunate that the series is all down hill from there. At least it stands alone reasonably well.

Leviathan Wakes really is a great read - it’s unfortunate that the series is all down hill from there. At least it…

You’re not being childish, you just enjoy your hobby. If you find the right person, they’ll understand that - hell they may well join in (my wife of twelve years certainly does). The author of this blog post apparently values a big party more than they value their games. That’s up to them, but it has literally nothing…

It’s useful to be occasionally reminded just how utterly useless music “criticism” actually is, so thanks for this.

Exactly. People keep forgetting that Google is (and has always been) an advertising company first and everything else second. Every service they provide is a means to that end.

All the Alexa promotion is particularly creepy. “This Amazon surveillance device is a must have for your home, buy 3!”

Personal insults like “bootlicker” undermine what is otherwise a terribly important point. The adoption rate for self-surveillance devices is terrifying, and I think most people genuinely don’t understand what they’re signing up for.

Personal insults like “bootlicker” undermine what is otherwise a terribly important point. The adoption rate for…

Courtesy of SMBC:

Courtesy of SMBC:

“Decided to raise my own kid instead of paying someone else to do it for me” is a mark of character and should be viewed as a positive. It’s incredibly depressing that it’s not.

Star Trek ‘09 represents the only time I’ve felt embarrassed to be in a theater watching a Star Trek movie. It’s also the last time I went to a theater to watch a Star Trek movie.

Star Trek ‘09 represents the only time I’ve felt embarrassed to be in a theater watching a Star Trek movie. It’s…

It wasn’t my intention to suggest that there was only one demographic watching it, that’s just the one I’m aware of.

Based on the people I hear talking about it in real life, it seems to be wildly popular with uneducated middle aged white women.

Yup, the whole thing scans as a privacy disaster.

Exactly. Who the hell keeps compromising photos on their phone? Who then hands that phone to people that they wouldn’t want to see those photos? In short, why are people idiots?

The polls say it’s going to be close and half the internet seems to be dedicated to fostering complacency - I dearly hope we’re not heading the the U.S. equivalent of the Brexit vote.

This post needs ALL THE STARS. This entire discussion is painfully ignorant of current political realities.