That's the thing. I consider those fifth seasons truly great. This wasn't truly great. It was overall good and had some fantastic moments, but there were too many missteps and a lil too much filler to place it on the upper echelon of fifth seasons.

When I think of the great fifth seasons of TV drama The Sopranos, 24 and Friday Night Lights come to mind (although, I'm not sure if the last one should count considering it was also its final season). I don't think this fifth season was on the level of those. There were some awkward transitions, subplots that went no…

Take me to Coney Island. Take me on the train.

I definitely don't think the show turned to crap (season five was better than season four). It just got significantly less fun, which made the show more difficult to swallow when it wasn't near its best. There were certainly streaks in the final two seasons and even in season five where the show got too dour and…

Definitely agree. One of the biggest problems with post season four 'Buffy' was the lack of fun factor.

So, then Mad Men, The West Wing and even The Practice (which beat The Sopranos' first season) and LA Law are more perfect? Dude, awards do not equate to what the best is. It's sometimes not even an indication that something is good. Hardly anyone would say Argo was the best movie of 2012. You can think BB is the best…

I don't really see how she could "lose you". This is someone she thought she had killed, a freakin' psycho entering the bathroom with a knife in her hand and bloody wedding dress on. That freak out was on point. Anything less would have been underdone. I don't believe Maslany walks on water, but I do believe…

And Modern Family has won four series Emmys in a row. I guess it's closer to perfect than Breaking Bad.

Oh, I forgot I was on the internet. Yes, Breaking Bad is perfection. The best show ever. And all that jazz.

They've had a "change of heart" about Maslany since. I do appreciate that the NYT doesn't just shower every popular, acclaimed show with praise. They're one of a few that's actually called out some iffy-ness from Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones' recent seasons. They can be annoyingly contrary however.

They established the Dyad Institute was pretty close to "clone headquarters" in the premiere when Sarah went there and impersonated Cosima. She went to (Toronto, can we just say Toronto) in the tail end of season one. Cosima has been staying at Felix's since the premiere as far as we know. It's clear she hasn't been…

The Vergers feel shoehorned into this season. They just popped up in the middle of the season, and we're supposed to give a fuck? And Pitt's performance is completely at odds with the series. This episode was a step up over the last several at least, but after this season this will be a "catch up on DVD or Amazon…

This weekend's Orphan Black is getting a great deal of hype. Hopefully it'll live up to it.

I think one of the main reasons Smash isn't as beloved as Matt and Tim and eventually Vince is that (SPOILER ALERT!!!) post mid season 3 he disappears from the series. You don't get as complete a full view of his life. And I agree with others saying that his arc in the first two seasons was a lot more choppy than some…

There's been so many reviews/recaps of FNL episodes all over the internet. (I just re-watched the whole series following Mark Watches reviews). As much as I adore this show I don't believe this was absolutely necessary. Hopefully they finish reviewing the season however.

I agree that beyond season three he never got a great arc, but I think the writers at least kept attempting to give him something. None of it really matched the best of Matt, Tim, Tyra and then Vince. I also believe that as great as his relationship with his mother was they leaned on it too much. I get what they may…

I've said it before, but the genius of season one can only truly be appreciated after watching future seasons and returning to it.

Seasons two and three were probably the most genuinely subtle seasons. Mad Men is really one of the few dramas that revels in subtext, much like The Sopranos or The Wire or The Americans. Though it probably has even more subtext than any of those shows. But unlike those shows there isn't a lot of screaming or killing…

The writers have done a good job at making him a sympathetic and engaging figure again. I just wish it didn't come at the expense of making almost everyone be an asshole towards him.

I really liked Alison and Cosima's scenes. Sarah and Helena just felt like plot maneuvering/fleshing out.