A fair point, but I'd counter with the observation that Ennis is responsible for the Weltanschauung that the showrunners you know what I just used the word Weltanschauung and I'm very sorry I'm going to show myself out and not make any more noise.

Not even a little disturbed or disappointed in Tracy's characterization—we're not meant to have any real sympathy for her, because, again, she was from Annville, and we're not meant to feel bad for what happened to any of its people.

Yeah, as much as I love her on this show, I admit that on some level I'm always going to see her dancing an involuntary jig while singing "I secretly harbor racist views, racist views, racist views" to the tune of "I Saw Three Ships." Stupid magical oboe.

I will always have a soft spot for this show for being completely unsentimental about Hardy's appalling behavior.

I've been thinking about this show and its attitude to mass deaths of extras, and I think that last night's episode clarified it for me—specifically, the casino crowd's reaction to Fiore's real, final death.

Yes. I played coy because "knowledge based on comics" isn't necessarily a spoiler, but it's like being in the same crowded train station as a spoiler, so, trying to avoid a collision, I just hug the wall as I inch towards the 8:15 to Schenectady.

I'm not sure if it makes the wheel-spinning of the first season worth while (okay, fine, "table setting PLUS wheel spinning," there, happy?), but the fact that Season One deviated from the comics more than a little helps prevent the show from being, let's say, a series of satisfied expectations.

As to how the final Lady-Or-The-Tiger question shakes out—Gloria's optimism versus Varga's cynicism, I think we all know which one happened.

I don't think it's deliberately boring, but I think you've hit upon the flaw in Hawley's approach—the focus during these speeches should be less on Varga, and more on the effect Varga is having on others (Emmit, especially.) Varga's speeches are meant to bully, seduce, hypnotize—and anesthetize his victims. It's the…

I'm a teacher, so—yes. Always.

The complaints about Varga's speeches are well-taken, but I think that's Hawley's intention—that they're supposed to be a diminishing return. When he broke out his first one, it was mesmerizing. Second and third, a deeper level of cool, because god-damn, this guy can riff on anything—but by this point in the series,…

I assume he's still working on that software program that steals all the percentages-of-a-penny from Initech.

Observed when Xan throws the bottle at the escutcheon on the side of the dorm: Pretty sure part of the Voorhees Family Crest includes the Flayed Man of House Bolton.

Even without super powers, she should do that.

I'd make comparisons between their dining habits, but jokes at the expense of eating disorders are up on the "Just Fucking Don't It's Not Funny" shelf where we tucked away the "gay" and "trans" jokes awhile back.

Same player, different costume.

Varga's antisemitism seemed to me to be pure Malvo—that is, he uses artificial vileness to draw out the real vileness of others. And given Noah Hawley's overall portrait of America, that vileness is going to lurk in the unadmitted bigotry of the ruling class. He's probably not antisemitic himself, but it's so easy to…

Just let's everyone agree that Andre Braugher's enunciation on "Cowabunga" is enough reason to get out of bed most mornings.

Well, now, no one's debating the relative merit of the California plan. But, uh, might, uh, might wanna take that fella outta your windshield before you go, all's I'm sayin'.

With the addition of Winnie to the cast of characters, it's official—the series needs a new subtitle: