There was a solid ten to fifteen minute stretch there where I thought this episode was A-worthy. Somewhere between Annie decorating and the Dean's entrance.

Bwahaha. Yup, they're the same.

Actually, I'm saying that people that criticize the episode for being poorly thought-out or illogical are clearly mistaken, because if anything this is one of the most ambitious episodes of the entire series.

You're right about the format being restrictive. Muppets rely heavily on sight-gags, funny character design, distinct vocal performances and musical numbers to convey personality and emotion.

Yup. This is the last episode they shot this season, and it's pretty obvious the writers had some serious regrets.

Don't get your hope up about that deadline. The writers couldn't plan for it because they assumed the season would start in the fall, and they wouldn't have that air date.

I took that moment of Shirley shutting down Abed's Lost reference as one writer saying to another, "Stop writing what we think Dan Harmon or the fans would want us to write for Abed."

I think to appreciate this episode you have to know the history of the show, and Dan Harmon's significant, yet ultimately toxic and poisonous influence on it — even in his absence.

Um, I guess I'm fucking dense, but …

I have to say after re-watching the first two season recently, AND re-watching the episodes of season 4 IN CORRECT order (yup, I'm that bored), that I really think that Season 4 isn't that bad. 
While there is a drop-off in quality in the beginning, it's not as jarring. The first two episodes (History 101 and German…

@avclub-da518aecddbf5c94588f53562012c452:disqus You watch far more television than I do, sir.

The decline in Simpsons was more gradual, but it's barely recognizable now from it's golden years.

I just re-watched the episode with my wife, and I definitely enjoyed it more the second time around.

Yeah, this episode is pretty unspectacular, especially compared to original music of the Christmas episodes.

Really? I really thought the Dean has saved a few episodes this season. Herstory of Dance was particularly good.

I'm a little torn. I wanted to like this episode a lot more than I actually did, because Hey — it's puppets! and like Abed, I'm a fan of the medium.

There's nothing inexplicable about it. It's like going to the same barber or dentist since you were 11, or supporting your home team that hasn't won anything meaningful since the 90's.

I've been rewatching the first two seasons, and it's pretty magical how solid a run the show had — although I still think a lot of fans romanticize how good those individuals episodes were in comparison to Season 4. There's a drop off at the start of season 4, sure, but Advanced Documentary Filmmaking and Herstory of…

I thought this critique of season 4 was interesting. It basically argues that Harmon was the driving source of the show conceptual novelty/brilliance in the first three seasons, but is primarily to blame for the problems the writers and actors are having in season 4.

For all the self-styled moral authorities out there in this thread, I was wondering … do you think the journalistic landscape would be better off without a show like this?