Look, I'm a big fan of this episode, for all the obvious reasons, but let's face it: the Rachel arc was dull. This episode was heavy on that, and therefore that drags it down. But no episode this Emily-heavy (& with Rune!) could be dragged down too far, no matter what else was going on…

Good point. The whole Dragonfly arc, over several seasons, is actually a pretty realistic (or at least, to someone well & truly outside the idea of 'owning a business') depiction of what that process must be like. And you're right - many other shows would've had them buying it at the end of season one with the Grand…

My favourite Jim-&-Dwight-join-forces story is in 'Travelling Salesmen'. I just love how well they work together in their meeting, with Dwight acting all odd with the telephone before the reveal that it was their strategy all along.

'The Job' is one of my all-time favourites, especially when coupled with 'Beach Games' (it really is a two-parter to close out the best season).

Isn't there a pretty specific confirmation of that after Trix dies?

Man, I love every scene between Marion Ross & Kelly Bishop. It's completely over the top how rude Trixie is - and that Richard never seems to notice - but I'll overlook that every time for Emily simultaneously frightened, resentful, grudging, filled with loathing and eager-to-please.

Err, might be time to invest in a calendar of some sort. Released June, now the end of April: month & half!

Yeah, that's never happening. Didn't most of the band leave half a decade ago?

Coming to this a couple of weeks late, but I just wanted to say that this is a really good analysis. You put into words some of the problems I had with the US version but hadn't really thought about.

I just liked each of these responses, but time to also add (for @avclub-0d04659047f95a243e71c97e64ae4812:disqus & @avclub-d301bce59916e4713089b7b3c335635a:disqus): I've just rewatched both Party Animals and State of Play (2nd time I'd seen PA, about 4th-5th for SoP), and both of them were more interesting on rewatch…

Part of me wishes I had waited on the whole series finishing before watching any of it, rather than bingeing. Because if I had done that, I would have been spared sitting through Every Claire Scene. I always figured eventually it would pay off. Knowing that it doesn't, I could've just fast-forwarded through every…

I maintain that the final season's dedication to absolutely killing off the Lorelai & Christopher relationship was, while not always enjoyable tv, at least something in that season's credit. They may have taken a long & occasionally irritating way of doing that, but I'm glad that door got comprehensively slammed.

He also is - mostly - happy for Rory to dictate their relationship. He does things he wouldn't have done without her because she wants him to - the Chilton dance, movies with her mother, the debutante ball, dinner with the Gilmores etc. We don't see nearly as much of her doing things she doesn't like for his sake.

For my 30th birthday a few years ago, my wife got me the complete OED - as in, the full 20 volumes. It's huge, and sits on the top of my bookshelf. Some volumes I haven't even opened yet. While she was researching where to buy it, she learned that it will be the last print edition - they're going online only for the…

I laughed, but I also thought it was a deliberately terrible pun. It was the sort of thing you'd expect one of your wittier friends to say, and for everyone to simultaneously laugh and groan.

SPOILERS, kinda

I hadn't thought about The Godfather, but that's actually a pretty good comparison. (And remember of course that the film/s add a considerable amount of seriousness that the book never pretended to have. The book is pure pulp - very good pulp, but indisputably pulp.)

Yeah, fair point. Breaking Bad is very pulpy. But I still think it's main interest is not 'will Walt get caught?' but 'what is happening to Walt's humanity/soul/other word of choice?'. Whereas The Shield (I think! I'm very probably wrong) was less concerned with that more existential question for Vic - albeit it was…

Oh, I just meant in terms of sometimes glorying in the violence of its world. I sometimes got the feeling with The Shield that they deliberately enjoyed showing truly awful crimes (in case of the week situations, I mean) for the sake of the shock value etc. Just as L&O:SVU was never happier than when it was detailing…

If it helps, up until season three I found it a little underwhelming, but pushed on because I knew a lot of people raved about the last season. So I can attest that it gets better the longer it goes. If you feel like this still after season four, I'd stop there unless you've got nothing else to watch. If it's still…