Well it's interesting to think about this considering Mindy from the first seasons (especially season 1). Younger Mindy was all about tempestuous romance and dramatic gestures. But now that Mindy has matured a bit we see that this kind of drama isn't sustainable in real life— it's emotionally draining to be with…

Sure it does! The point is real-world redneck villains are probably more interesting to observe than the ones on the show.

I still think we can do better than the 'checkbox' criteria (I'm saying this as a gripe-ful minority myself), but I take your point that we can also do a whole lot worse. If nothing else, it's a snappy idea that helps to raise consciousness.

Ha, I actually don't have any examples in my backpocket because I'm not really ticking off boxes when I watch a show I like. I also have a feeling any example I pick would be crucified (not necessarily by you). Peggy and Joan from Mad Men would qualify for me as many of their conversations are about relationships and…

When it comes to how I feel about Elijah, sometimes it feels like I'm taking crazy pills because everyone on AV club just loves him and I just find him ok.

Rick's evolution has been pretty interesting. He went from frustratingly noble (where the group relies on Shane to do the needed dirty work), to striking a balance between nobility and ruthlessness when the realities set in.

Poor characterization of black characters is a fair criticism to make for the show (your last sentence really hits the nail on the head). On the other hand I feel that I pretty much remember all of the minor black characters that have appeared on the show, as they were all given at least a little bit of…

If you make the "I fucked Tad" t-shirts on CafePress I'll buy 'em.

Well, you see what she gets when she even subtly reminds the audience that she's into women. I don't blame the girl for laying low as far as character development.

"You look ridiculous" - Daryl, upon seeing Carol's choco-smeared face

We've come a long way since his cheesy "they're screwing with the wrong people". See how good it sounds when the dialogue isn't so forced?

"There goes the neighborhood, and not because of the zombies." - Deanna, probably

Elijah always makes me laugh, but let's not pretend he isn't a vehicle for the writers to roll out all their Will and Grace one-liners.

Rick, m'ask you sumthen.

It used to bother me that his initials weren't the final part of his comments, but now I feel like I'd be waiting for the other shoe to drop if he didn't include the final rimshot.

If they found a stream they'd just fill up the bottles. In the circumstances of a drought I guess they weren't thinking they'd end up using the bottles to collect some raindrops. I guess that's just me being nitpicky about your nitpick, though.

I do feel kind of bad that Tiko Tiko was in the line of fire, though. He's just an entertainer whom lots of Ecuadoreans have grown up with, and singling him out to make fun of him is like making fun of one of France's famous mimes, or one of China's respected opera singers.