Seems interesting. Perhaps when I finish A Dance with Dragons and free myself from this Westeros-prison my imagination inhabits, unwillingly, for hours at a time.

gasp

Linus is the greatest Peanuts character and I won't allow any slander to his name.

-Hanzi's Native American animism-thing extends to an awareness of aliens? What the fuck does that mean? I don't know. But we'll see.

-I love the money joke, really reinforced how little the other characters actually cared to empathize with gay people and systematically overcompensated like a deadbeat dad.

Wait. The Shining most definitely had psychological undertones. Jack Torrence, as a character, was a manifestation of the alcoholic, abusive husband. It was the hotel's consciousness that was fundamentally unknowable (unless you subscribe to the Native American allegory theory, which I do.) People fear the unknowable,…

His advice is reasonable, but his attempts to communicate with his son are rudimentary. We've already seen (from Rye and Dodd) the presumption and expectations that accompany the Gerhardt name, and Bear's son is young and inexperienced as well. Bear doesn't address his son's ambitions or desire to find a place in the…

Sissyphus could be represented by several characters.

-The Gerhardts seem mostly aware of their place in the criminal ecosystem, except for Dodd. I understand he's filling in for his malevolent father, but his aggressiveness is clearly leading to mistakes. Why doesn't his mother or brother tell him that to his face?

The way Dodd tells him to stay in the kitchen conversation made him seem like a bodyguard or hired gun. He seems like a clear predecessor to mute Mr. Wrench, but then, this is the type of show to develop narrative parallels just to surprise viewers later.

-That song playing on the radio was "Kansas City", a country/blues standard. So that's neat.

-Yes, Alia Shawkat, Jack McBrayer, and Maya Rudolph all have "expressive faces." It's a condition known as 'large eyes.'

Tolerate the League

Honestly, it seemed like he never really began to deal with his sexual identity. He reacted to self-awareness with such extreme panic, the warrior stuff seemed like a flimsy facade of traditional masculinity.

-Ray's (moral and paternal) legacy turned out to be the most satisfying narrative in the show. Huh.

I'll admit, there is a thematic significance to "Everything is fucking." Ani's entire career has been a reaction to her sexual abuse, sublimating mistrust and her need for retribution into a violent struggle for (other people's) justice. Frank's 'impotence' is an obvious motivation, while Ray's rage and dread…

I doubt it'll go that nihilistic, based on last season's spiritual finale. But there is a distinct lack of investment in character growth, and doomed characters like Paul aren't really even presented as sympathetic. Frank's self-awareness has come at a steep cost, almost universal betrayal and financial ruin. Ray and…

I don't understand why that seems odd. They had Paul detained, for a time, and it was a set up, so why wouldn't someone else know beforehand? And since they use the tunnels, they probably monitor them by some means, so who's to say Burris didn't get a heads up from some security guy? Maybe Paul took the first and most…

The investigation segments seem to be the thematic through-line between seasons. Both involve rote-but-involved scenes in clerical locations, implying the critical thinking takes precedence over pacing. But last season's supernatural undertone made this theorizing entertaining, because there was some (implied) secret…

-"Here we are, under the bright lights." *sigh*