"I mean, killing people because you believe in an ideology doesn't protect you from being a monster either."

I think he probably has some sort of conscience too and isn't fully a sociopath but I think his characterization still puts him close enough to the Tony Soprano side of things that in television terms we can call him a monster. Ruthless pragmatism and all. In a show like this it's all interesting shades of grey,…

Also his marriage to Martha. She was clearly uncomfortable at their wedding. Clearly, Phillips's emotional relationships with other people must bother her much more than physical ones because at some level it brings into question the legitimacy of her relationship with him.

I'm finally caught up. This might secretly be the best show on Television now that Breaking Bad is off the air. It'll never be able to compete with the production values of say, a Game of Thrones but the way this show combines complex themes of culture, identity, marriage, parenthood, and politics with top notch…

Is a black man and a small supporting character. In the context of the show he has a white family background. His character does not make the show feel more diverse. Anyways it's been a longstanding joke (credit to Dave Chapelle, I believe) that white people love Wayne Brady.

I'm at the point, and have been for a while, where I do not receive a whole lot of joy from an average episode of this show. This episode was better than most, if mostly just for the parade of where are they nows for the minor characters, but as I was sitting, watching, reflecting on this show it really struck me at…

It's a Simpson's reference.

Well, I'm out for the time being. There's not enough here to separate it from being just another sitcom. Not that it's bad, but they're way too hesitant to take advantage of the military setting and that leaves everything feeling very generic. Any sitcom could've done this plot. Fox's treatment of the show hasn't done…

Ben and Leslie have been single adults without kids for awhile before their marriage and we can assume Leslie didn't take vacations. She would have considerably more disposable income than her job would suggest. It's in her character to spend that money on her friends.

- I assume you're referring specifically to Ben and Leslie's gifts. Ben's gift was a carriage ride, a couple of classes, and a massage. Overkill for sure, but affordable for successful bureaucrats. Less than the price of the Jewelery a lot of couples in similar financial circumstances would spend. Leslie's gift to Ben…

Larry. Ben&Larry. The name change is canon, folks.

It was the day before her anniversary.

It's so nice to be able to sit down and watch a show and be nearly guaranteed that you're about to watch an excellent half hour of comedy. It's incredible that we're in the 6th season of this show and it doesn't yet feel stale. Compare that to The Office's 6th season.

I will note that in NY the Supreme Court is the court of general jurisdiction, not an appellate court. The highest court in the NY system is the Court of Appeals. Court of Appeals Judges are in fact appointed.

Yeah, the one thing they get consistently right with this show is casting. Ray Wise and all the guest stars have been great this season and like everyone else I love Milioti.

Well that's a reason, I guess. Albeit, one that implies they have little confidence in their writers. Considering they chose to write The Mother as "girl Ted" maybe I shouldn't be so surprised.

Why would they choose to reverse the Lilly/Robin bi-sexual dynamic at the end of the episode? That felt off to me. Lilly's attraction to Robin is a well-established part of her character and now its just not? Weird.

I wasn't expecting a 60 minutes piece. In my other post I mentioned that I watch the Olympics for sports and entertainment. I was just expecting more context than we ended up getting. And if the Stienbrenners were involved with violent protests I'd expect that to come up during Yankee broadcasts.

No, you do already understand. Most nations rank through gold medal counts. We do total medals because the U.S is stronger if that's how you rank the nations. I don't see a problem with that though.

Journalistic responsiblity. It's never wrong to remind people that these games are taking place while Ukraine is going through a pseudo-revolution trying to overthrow the Putin aligned government there. It's part of the story.