I originally read that as Keymakers and thought of the Matrix trilogy.

I didn't even know there were fervent Catholic believers in Australia, much less ones that are so arch-Catholic that they reject Vatican II and engage in old-school anti-Semitism. I think even modern neo-Nazis have moved on from The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.

I'm pretty sure it's just a generic Apocalypse Now-ish ref to U.S. Special Forces in the Vietnam War.

This is an excellent post, not only for cogently and calmly explaining a source of fan outrage, but for looking into why video game stories are different to critique from film and TV stories. My only surprise is your dig at KOTOR II, which I had assumed is generally preferred over the original because Chris Avellone…

Yeah, video game criticism is truly in its infancy. If Mass Effect 3 was a movie it wouldn't get this level of unanimous high praise.

Human Revolution at least gave you different footage and different narration. And ME 3's endings neglected to steal the best part of DX's endings - they had cool pretentious historical quotations.

StalkandVine - a few lines from the Catalyst aside, the three endings, as presented, look virtually identical. The big send-off of the ending for all three endings have almost the same video, except with different colors. That makes it into a false choice.

Ktotwf, the three endings were virtually identical to each other. You can literally put them through different color filters, and different squad members emerge at the end, and create those same endings. It's not just the endings lacked closure or were unhappy. The endings, as presented, didn't explain anything, nor…

A.V. Club, sounds like you guys got fooled by the Onion… oh, wait.

An alternate perspective: http://www.youtube.com/watc…

I agree that the writers probably stumbled upon this completely by accident. However, I could see the real-world parallels closely enough in this episode, so intentionally or not it does help the realism slightly.

Oops! Great post, I didn't realize someone else had already pointed out that Sabre's floundering resembling real-world corporate behemoths.

As far as the realism/logic of the episode's portrayal of consumer electronics, I think it's actually realistic. From Microsoft and Sony creating knock-off Apple stores, to the derivative hype machine of CES, to the spectacular failure of RIM and its Blackberry brand we are witnessing right now (the wireless coming in…

The viral video was just pandering, but people genuinely liked "Niagara." It had heartfelt moments.

I could elaborate, but this whole arc has been really really showing development, or at least depth of Dwight in terms of his interactions with other people, in his jockeying for power in a new context, and it has simply been a string of strong performances. It is appalling that McNutt doesn't even address this, much…

Yes, yes. They can remake it right after they adapt Anno Dracula for theaters.

Then you must not have delved deep into geekdom, then. Truly a wasted life.

In this age of reboots to comic book adaptations every three to five years, they really need to reboot this one.

Blame Robert Rodriguez for starting that trend with Sin City.

I still can't get over how someone still has the same first name as Tamerlane. Would it be kosher six hundred years from now to name your child Adolf?