Found this to be the perfect "intro" episode for trying to get friends hooked on the show.  Had two storylines that were absurdly broad on paper (though that makes them accessible), but the execution was so fresh, light and funny, and all the main characters had moments to shine.

It made sense here, though.  If you remember (her paintings of Barney and Marshall, for instance), Lily's artwork was very crude and childish.  So this child-like drawing of an elephant is exactly the kind of painting she would embrace.

Yeah, I saw a lot of debate about whether Barney was actually there, and I'm just not sure why.  He clearly was.

Didn't hate this episode (mainly because I'm a sucker for the sappy character reveals…Lily's in this case), but I found the construction of it very cheap.  They superficially used a bunch of classic HIMYM elements (Aldrin Justice, sandwiches, the inaccurate narration/varied-perspective storytelling, etc) but didn't…

I don't remember the My Morning Jacket episode with any detail, but wouldn't that storyline sort of be the reverse?  My Morning Jacket is a band that you're "supposed" to like but might not get at first listen (or ever), whereas the default reaction to Anne Murray (particularly from Americans) is to dislike her music,…

It's not that I disagree with the broader thesis here, but I feel that "violence" is being tacked onto an age-old storytelling argument as a way to make it seem fresh (and particularly connected to a new show like The Forgotten).

You only think that because you see Carol as "Daryl's girl" (not to mention someone who's been damaged & abused by men) and so there's something skeevy about another guy flirting with her.  But there was no inherent creepiness to his antics here.

It was absolutely conveyed.  "We're leaving/going" wouldn't mean they were moving to a different part of the prison because they were already in a different part of the prison (not allowed to cross that one room).  Plus, the idea was that Rick is NEVER going to let them merge with the group and that he'd possibly…

It's weird.  Andy was still super unlikable and annoying this week, but I
found his shtick funnier than I have all season.  Very Ben from Ben
& Kate vibe on some of the jokes and delivery (Zero Clark Thirty,
etc), which follows up on his Nat Faxon hairstyle from the previous
week.

The idea seemed to be a parallel of the special relationship/connection she and Michael had.  For all his insanity and goofiness, there was a legitimate respect between the two of them.

Shocked to see such praise for the music.  Those cheesy musical songs as the wedding was beginning represent Glee at its worst and most stereotypical for me; I love the mash-ups, interesting contemporary pop-rock covers (even if Glee rips them off from other people) and the Broadway/standards ballads/epics (Don't Rain…

Amazes me that the girls playing the daughters are sisters in real life.  They look notably different (which I thought was part of the design to show that one was Deacon's kid). Maybe it's just the glasses though.

I saw this as a screener and don't watch much ABC programming live, so I was shocked when I saw a commercial running teasing Rayna's career-jeopardizing meltdown on stage.  What a misdirect.

I can think of some references to the sheer number of women Jerry dated—and to the absurdity of his superficiality—but I don't know that the show's script actively ridiculed the mismatch between his looks and the looks of his dates.

Well, remember, Robin was "scared of babies" (though she did fall victim to "sock").

Even though their episodes have become hit-or-miss over the years, you can usually count on the Bays/Thomas-written episodes to involve some sort of relevant social commentary or clever framing.  That wasn't really there this week.

I enjoyed this episode, but this was another example (and I feel like I say this every other week) of Family Guy's lengthy production cycle ruining the efficacy of the parody.

Wasn't there also a love triangle fakeout with the guy from Mad Men a few years ago?  Where he seemed super into Pam at art school but then nothing happened.

Wasn't there also a love triangle fakeout with the guy from Mad Men a few years ago?  Where he seemed super into Pam at art school but then nothing happened.

Liked this episode, but I was bummed they took the easy way out with the Juliette storyline.  It would have been so much more compelling for her fans to ACTUALLY hate her new "artistic" side, thereby creating a sense of imprisonment in which she's stuck making music that she hates.