I want to know how much of Season 4 is Mitch Hurwitz's actual, genuine vision for what he wanted it to be vs. what he had to do to make it happen. I see a lot of phrases like "bold experiment with form", but all I'm seeing is a man who made a lot of concessions to give the fans what they wanted. It pains me to say it,…

Yeah, without the chemistry of the characters interacting with each other, it's not AD.

Seems like people are doing a lot of work trying to convince themselves they like it. I'm just gonna chalk this one up to ridiculous expectations and move on.

I love the McElroys. I listen to almost all their "satellite" podcasts (The Besties, Satellite Dish, Losing the Sheen), and I'd still listen to MBMBaM even if it wasn't a comedy podcast…but man, it used to be in elite company for laughs, and now it's just average, at least in that regard. Like I said, I'm worried MORE…

Don't get me wrong, it's still near the top of my list, and I still listen to it as soon as it's available on Monday morning…but I find myself laughing a lot less than I used to at what was once an elite comedy podcast. That tells me something's different.

It was 3 weeks ago. The fact that you picked out the loan good episode in a worryingly bland stretch makes me think that, in some way, you agree.

The McElroy brothers of MBMBaM have referenced AV Club reviews, and Tom Scharpling had his slide-whistle bit. I feel like the Sklars have mentioned Podmass, too.

We could probably have a big conversation about whether or not you should criticize free entertainment, but I don't want to get into it, so I'll just say that I think the recent successes of core CBB personalities makes me think there's enough at stake to warrant honest criticism.

Why not? If they're trying to make money or generate interest for their other endeavors, I'd hope that they would realize that the negative reviews probably reflect a drop in quality (I don't know about PB, but MBMBaM has been on a cold streak for months).

All right, I'm gonna retract my earlier comment and just come out with it: you people are us your own asses if you really, legitimately think ANY of The National's albums are better than Alligator. I know you all want to distinguish your taste in music, but seriously. Seriously.

Agreed. And it's not close.

It's even sadder when you remember that one of her first appearances on Comedy Bang Bang (Comedy Death Ray then) with other SNL alum was actually taped the day she was fired from the show…so she had to sit there with Kevin Nealon and the rest with the indignity of being canned. Podcasts are bad for that girl.

This was as good an episode as they've had in weeks, maybe months, but it STILL doesn't stack up to their older stuff. I'm a little baffled at how sharp the drop in quality was, but more than that, I'm worried that the show is on its way out.

Funny, I thought all that slog talk was about their PREVIOUS live show, which, predictably, was also a slog. Good to know that skipping this week's was the right call. WC? is still one of my favorites, but I don't even bother with the live eps anymore.

I thought it was great. People around here are dismissive, sometimes rightly so, of comedians who cover well-trod ground, with rare acknowledgement for those who do it better than most - and Amy certainly does.

Liked for b-b-b-bonus-s-s-s'ing correctly.

When I think about the show, my mind goes right to that vision of McGuirk camped out in the Smalls' backyard, struggling valiantly and drunkenly to put together that ridiculous grill, and it makes me happy.

Howard's stand-up is great, so I have a hard time understanding how he can be so disengaged during the live shows. At any rate, they're among the show's least essential episodes.

Guys, come on, it's b-b-b-bonus-s-s-s.

I keep a thermos of it by my toilet!