I’ll take a stab at answering this seriously. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that the season was all fan service, but I think I can distinguish fan service from natural narrative progression. To be clear, I definitely agree that narratives have to, you know, get somewhere eventually, and I personally am so fucking…

It goes beyond merely the tactics. It suggests equivalent morality, which is patently false.

Unsurprisingly, the Charlie Daniels Band.

This. I wouldn't be surprised if we see Arya and Sansa spar in some way, at least initially, or grow estranged, again initially. But we're dealing with Chekov's Valyrian Steel Dagger. This is stirring the pot and building the drama, rather than Arya just walking up to him and shanking him.

Whoa. Josh Radnor is looking seriously scruffy in that picture…

In 1999 or so, just before the PT toys swamped the stores, I found myself at a Toys R Us as a 20-something with disposable income (I think my friends and I were buying waterguns for a watergun fight we were gonna have). The '95-era POTF toys were all on sale, and I basically went on a shopping spree. I picked up the…

That's actually an excellent point re: interconnectivity, because the mid-90s was really the first beginnings of the internet. It's at that point that you start realizing "There are DOZENS of us!!!"

And 1993: X-Wing, aka Holy Shit I Get To Blow Up The Death Star!

Sean, I went through much of the same thing that you went through with the franchise. Although, I will say that the recent resurgence under Disney has been mostly enjoyable on my part. I don't consume Star Wars with anywhere near the vigor I once did, but there's a lot of good stuff out there now, and enough that…

Probably cast that way because the Charlotte actress can't speak convincing Ukranian.

I actually think the Dark Judges are a bit too surreal and weird to work on TV or in film. I wouldn't want to see them.

This. He's just pitching to his audience. They want to hear about how these kids today with their blogs and their hula hoops and their rock and roll just don't respect American values and blah blah blah.

Quiet!! For chrissakes, don't give them any ideas!

Right into the meatloaf.

Perhaps never in all of recorded human history has Betteridge's Law of Headlines been so appropriate as it is with this article.

Damn right.

That guy was up for the role? I had no idea, but yeah, he would've been great on the fighting side. No idea on the acting.

Wait, what?

I think they might. With Shou Lou gone, we may end up kinda having to lean into the weirdness more. Plus, Iron Serpent is there with him, so that could provide another good point of divergence. Really, though, I think the show just needs a different direction with the same cast.

Exactly. The cast is all talented (although Finn needs to work on his fighting, as I mentioned). They seem to mesh pretty well with each other, too. But the central story arc for Danny? Boring as shit.