Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t Spirited the last picture Miyazaki wrote as an original story himself? Howl’s, Ponyo, and The Wind Rises are all adaptations of other works. I guess my point is: his best works poured fully out of his head. I’d probably say my three favorite are Nausicaa, Castle in the Sky,…

I agree with the review 100% and the fact that I read it, and understood what and to whom all those goofy-ass Middle Earth terms and names referred to is a testament to this show’s success so far. And I say “goofy-ass” with all due respect and affection for the goofy-ass source material.

See? Actually a B+ appearance on SNL probably got him (through his agent) most of the roles we’re seeing now. It takes two or three years for these things to come to fruition. “Should we cast Harry Styles?” ... “Well he was good on Saturday Night Live.” ... “Fair enough.”

The current trilogy ended when the volcano blew up half way through part two. That was a fucking great volcano explosion. After that: nada.

I liked this one. From a pure sitcom standpoint, I thought everything came together really well. If they’re trying to do the “three jokes a page” thing, it felt like everything hit. Would have liked a two or three second shot of the nuptials (I do... I do... Jen holding the dog) just so you knew the reception was…

Two double DDs there.

Yeah, she’s Jen... so she can be Jenny.

Take off your coat and stay awhile... again!

The dude begging for his life had some Schmatta/Miller’s Crossing vibes.

https://www.teenvogue.com/story/game-of-thrones-star-maisie-williams-always-thought-arya-stark-was-queer

At least with DA they started with, like, a core dozen characters and built out. Here they dropped us in on two fully staffed households, two side dowagers, Nathan Lane, an affluent black family, a railroad, a printing press, and the origins of the Red Cross! I’ll keep watching for the visuals and some of the history,…

I think you’re right. Arya was coded gay as well (or at least the actress said she played her that way) and she’s the biggest hero of the whole saga. Our AV reviewer, it seems, docked the episode a letter grade because of Ser Joffrey’s portrayal. I felt he was basically the equivalent of a Star Trek red-shirt and I…

I don’t disagree. You could argue the straight white guy with the unyielding morals was the one who flipped out - clearly not a heroic move on his part.

Also true that were talking about wealth, greed, and rich people. So there’s an angle where viewers seem to want representation in fairy tale fantasy where characters good at heart survive vs grim-core fantasy where schemers get what they deserve.

Fair. The character(s) on Gilded Age are only one season-in, so they might get better and more interesting arcs as the show progresses. 

True that nobody on GoT dies of a nice, simple, heart attack, but the content criticism seems more due to a generational shift. The same problem is going on over on The Gilded Age. Not so much the “Kill Your Gays” issue, but that the gay characters are too frequently portrayed as shifty schemers. GoT and Gilded Age…

I think the thing with Titania is she still hasn’t fully bloomed yet. This show’s pace is what it is. Nikki and Pug got some qt this episode, even though they could use more. Big T will get there. It might all culminate in the finale. SHAaL really should be like 16 episodes/season.

I was pleasantly surprised that they brought in the bad-match dates to help her win the case. I wasn’t expecting that call-back. And though, yes, the fashion/LA/spoof/commentary was hit and miss I had three lightbulbs go off for me this episode:

Episode 2 knocked it out of the park too. I can’t remember a season where they came out of the gate this strong. 

This is the kind of show that shouldn’t sit on the shelf for two years before season 2 comes out. D+ should commit to renew the show, commit to a season a year, and seasons with 13 episodes and 35-40 min runtimes. If they do that, Nikki and Jen’s dad and others can shine.