I liked the piece, though I do think he overstated the case when he said that nobody was arguing that jokes about rape shouldn't be allowed.  I did see that sentiment.  In fact, most of what I read about the Tosh incident claimed that the audience member had said just that, that rape could never be the subject of a…

I have never been able to decide why I find Larry basically likeable, in a way that Hank absolutely isnt', despite the fact that both of them are undeniably narcissistic douchebags.

For me, the best joke of the episode was probably just the name "Venturestein," and the henchmen with similar names (that I've already forgotten, but like Tomstein etc.).  I love neologism-that-makes-no-sense humor, like the Onion editorial "I'm like a chocoholic, but for booze!"  There's something priceless about…

Oh, and while we're on the topic of the friends not always being likeable — I've always hated this show's anti-intellectualism.  The most obvious instances are those in which Ross' intellectual hobbies are immediately dismissed as boring and awful by his friends — not just his chosen profession, but his interest in…

I never got the impression that there was meant to be a point made about why Chandler and Janice are drawn to each other — it's not a very deep show.

I really am surprised by the general tone of these reviews.  It feels like David accepted (or requested) this assignment without realizing that his affection for GG is less than he remembered.

Allow me to do the unexpected, and list my own titles that should have been included.

See, with all due respect, I don't get this criticism.  I just don't understand it.  Maybe it would have been a good idea to simply toss the "Hobbit" name altogether and call the movies Lord of the Rings:  There And Back Again or something like that.  That way, nobody would think this was trying to be the book at all,…

That seems a bit simplistic here.  Sure, Bilbo and Gandalf are major characters we know will survive, but the other LOTR characters are much less important.  And it's far from clear that EVERY other character dies in the prequels.  Bilbo is travelling with THIRTEEN damn dwarves!  Are they ALL going to die?  Surely…

I think the problem  with these movies — well, one of many — is sticking in all these LOTR characters and subplots, even though this is all "accurate" from the ROTK appendices and other Tolkein materials in terms of what was going on during these events. Yes, it makes the movies connected in a way they otherwise…

A few points:

I was really hoping that was going to be the "summer in a bowl" scene, because that has NEVER failed to crack me up.  He complains to his hot new female roommate about the bowl of disgusting chips she leaves out, and she tells him it's potpourri and he's supposed to smell it.  He sticks his face in it, then looks up,…

The other thing about Phoebe that I find interesting — Kudrow has said in interviews that she liked the early version of the character, as a soft flaky hippy, rather than the more hard edges they'd sometimes give her (like the recurring joke of her killing Ross) or the "alt universe" Phoebe where she's a hard-edged…

Aniston really is underrated for her growth as a comic actress on this show.  She started out without much to offer, but after a few years she was very good.

Interesting response to the Carol/Susan plot.  I see where it's coming from, but I don't get the same icky aftertaste you seem to.  It's possible for me (maybe as a privileged white male) to feel sympathy for Ross being squeezed out in this situation, despite the fact that Susan has no legal rights here.  He's not…

So glad you guys pointed out Reality Bites.  The first season of Friends is painful for me to watch, mostly because of the way it's trying to be Reality Bites The TV Show (and Reality Bites wasn't that deep, or good, a movie to begin with).

You know, AV Club, you could just say "Here's a pretty girl wearing panties."  You don't need "journalism" or "analysis" of a "show" we "watch."  Just say "Here is a nearly naked girl."  We'd still respect you. 

There is nothing about this article, this news, or that picture that I do not love with all my cynical heart.

That story about the shorts is awesome.  Very effectively described, as well, and in-keeping with the F&G vibe.  I can picture the whole scene unfolding, starting with the kid on the court holding his shorts up, then getting more awkward (and funnier) as his mom shouts at him to fix the shorts, and finally climaxing…

Two things that I noticed about this episode: