Yeah as I said in another response, "parody" is probably the wrong word. I just mean that it's knowingly commenting on these things, not mindlessly portraying them.

"Parody" was maybe the wrong word. "Knowing commentary." "Slight criticism." It's not a program that endorses the behavior of its characters, but rather one that lightly mocks it.

Well that's where the parody aspect should be even more apparent - because Hannah is NOT Lena Dunham's doppleganger at all. Hannah is a Midwestern born only child of middle class parents who's an unsuccessful writer, unlucky in love, unmotivated in her career and friendships. Lena Dunham was raised by wealthy artist…

The thing with this show that I think some people have a hard time understanding is that it has ALWAYS been lowkey parodying young white hipster feminism. I think it's slowly becoming more obvious, but it's been there all along.

My favorite thing about that is that it's also a part of the continuity - she had it last season too. Such a great detail.

I'm confused about why this review keeps talking about this like it MIGHT be the second to last season. It is confirmed that season six will be the show's final season, by HBO and Dunham. This IS the penultimate season opener.

You really should! I think it's super interesting to watch it as an adult and see it for the big funhouse mirror that it is. And also to truly appreciate how good early Spielberg was at crafting spectacle out of the mundane. I miss that sense of whimsy he brought to all of his 80s projects.

I agree with the other comments that this is more spookhouse/adventure-type storytelling with a supernatural tinge, but I was absolutely HORRIFIED of this movie when I was little. I think the truly gruesome thing about it is that it preys on childhood fears in a way that's borderline manipulative – but not in a bad…

Well, I never said she was just some lesbian to me, either, only that Whedon seemed to show a lack of respect for his most prominent queer couple and that it's troubling and noticeable to me as a queer woman.

My source is Charisma Carpenter: https://www.youtube.com/wat…

Yeah that's a fair point. It's ok to call it out if you see it. To me, it still feels a little more "SEE HOW MUCH I CARE, LET ME PROVE IT WHENEVER I CAN" than genuine, but I'm admittedly pretty biased against him at this point. Also the fact that he said it in response to a feminist publication feels weirdly glib.…

He fired Charisma Carpenter from Angel when she got pregnant and was apparently a terrible, petulant child about it. He has a history of making his female characters prove their worth after being sexually assaulted, which is a super gross trope (Dollhouse is an entire series based around this idea). He also just…

I appreciate Joss Whedon caring about feminism. I would appreciate it more if he didn't throw stones from his glass house. (And don't come at me with the Buffy defense. His feminist politics are selective and troubling.)

I should iterate that I have no developed opinion of Jon Stewart/barely watch The Daily Show – just saying that there's a reason why people are reacting so strongly and it's because THEY care a lot about the sanctity of the show, whether or not that sanctity is necessarily earned.

You might be right, but I also doubt it's the witch hunt people are thinking it is. Possibly someone who used to follow his comedy remembered these and shared them with a friend and it went viral.

I just said that I personally don't think it's a huge deal or worth taking super seriously, but that I understand the logic behind some people being upset.

You're right, it's super offensive to start reading back through the Twitter account of the new host of your favorite TV show to familiarize yourself with his comedy only to find that he's said some really stupid shit.

Whoa whoa whoa… YOUR AV Club?

It's exhausting, sure, but Noah is filling the shoes of one of the most beloved comedians and hosts of the Millennial generation. That sounds hyperbolic, but it's not – the Daily Show is a big deal for a lot of people, and a place that always felt "safe" against humorless, sexist, racist bro-type comedy trolls. So…

The irony being that if he didn't think it deserved more than 2 seconds of thought, maybe he shouldn't have spent way more than 2 seconds thinking about it.