I certainly wouldn't mind a slowing down of the narrative, but I really don't think it's the main problem.  The scattershot approach to the various storylines just hasn't worked, while I'd argue all of the strongest episodes succeed primarily because they place the focus where it needs to be.

Sepinwall's review of the new season of Game of Thrones gets to the heart of my main problems with the show.

I legitimately enjoy The Room.  It's one of the best cinematic experiences I've had.

For a team that ostensibly dabbles in advanced stats, getting Murray is really baffling.  He's a complete black hole of puck possession, and not nearly good enough to make up for it.

I think the Penguins' odds would improve if Fleury started out-and-out sucking, actually.  Vokoun is the better goalie of the two, but with Fleury being the incumbent (and cup-winner) he will get the playoff starts unless there's a massive performance difference between the two.

And the collective hockey media falls on its ass!  Huzzah!

So Game of Thrones filmed in five different countries for its third season.  That's gotta be some kind of record, right?

I feel like lots of writers fall back on upping the stakes as a way to drive dramatic tension (it's something that's endemic and awful in video games).  It can very quickly become tiresome.

I sometimes wish period dramas would indulge in a little more of the ol' alt-history.  I think a Soviet invasion of West Germany would liven up Mad Men considerably.

I also think it has something to do with relatability.  Even in the darkest of moments, people crack jokes, laugh, smile.  I think it's strange when something is humourless.

I didn't like the Theoretical Phys Ed joke because it marked the point where Greendale became as silly as Professor Professorson's "Night School."

I don't understand the amount of vitriol directed at Quentin Tarantino's acting.  I haven't seen all of his acting roles, nor do I think he is some kind of master thespian, but the opinion on the internet always seemed extreme.

There are tons of very nitpicky people on the episode reviews.  I do believe there is a certain segment who are actively looking for faults.

"Duchess" was the name of the show when it started production, actually.

The third act was a bit of a letdown (suffering from being a bit too on-the-nose), but otherwise this episode was really fun.  Silly, yes, and Abed's plot probably should've been cut to better accommodate the others, but this episode was really, really enjoyable.  B+

This Shirley/Troy subplot is really fun.  They rarely (never? I'm not sure) get plots together, and it's utilizing their characters extremely well.

Not only am I not dreading every appearance of the Dean, I'm actually really enjoying him.  I really didn't see this coming (especially after the premiere).

This is a great cold open.  Hopefully my "Cold Open Inversion" theory doesn't come into play.

As amusing as it is when the Maple Leafs play in Ottawa, I like it when they play in Buffalo more.

The Dunk and Egg stories have great potential for television.  It would be extremely easy to make it a mix of story-of-the-week episodes and longer arcs, and it's much more fun and light in tone.