I still like the show, but this episode was so much more consistently serious and depressing compared to previous episodes that it really upset me.

That lo-fi rendition of Star Trek's theme song is pretty amusing, but I think the funniest part is how Doohan sounds when he's briefly heard. It's like an intentional parody of how adults sound on Charlie Brown cartoons.

Thank you for making me feel smart for doing exactly what you'd thought of doing. I knew it would suck without Opie. I like how you describe him being gone as the show losing its soul. Great point.

Xander, the other characters, and that series as a whole shouldn't be judged based on season 1. The level of improvement in season 2 is astronomical. I can't stand to watch most of season 1, since most episodes are so lame and cheesy, aside from a few standouts like "Angel" and the finale.

That's how I felt about Opie. To me, he was the most likeable, sympathetic character with the most unnecessary death. After he was gone, I lost all interest in the show, deciding it was too masochistic and repetitive.

I quit after Opie, didn't even stick around long enough to see what you've mentioned. I'm so glad I didn't. They killed off way too many characters.

"Sons of Anarchy". It's not just because they killed my favourite character (although that's the biggest reason). It's also because they killed off so many characters that after awhile the deaths had no impact anymore and I felt like there's no point in watching if they're just going to keep going back to that same…

Yeah, I was actually expecting Darden to call O.J.'s team out for trying to have their client's past misdeeds dismissed while insisting on drawing attention to those of Fuhrman. I was disappointed when he didn't.

I too missed R.K.'s overuse of 'Juice'. At least we got those protestor signs that say things like "SET THE JUICE LOOSE!"

Thanks. Fascinating piece of trivia there.

I agree, although I'm still frustrated by the high pitch of his voice. I almost wish they'd electronically lower it. I don't know if he's always been like this because it never bothered me in his movies. In this show, however, it has felt like a real hindrance to the man's performance.

Yup. Watching his performance, I couldn't help but think "GIVE THIS MAN ALL THE AWARDS!"

Nicely done, reviewer. I really love how you described Cochrane's smug little utterance. I had the same thought that "This is a holy shit moment if I ever saw one". It actually made me gasp. Haven't often seen television moments that can get such a reaction out of me since "Breaking Bad" finished its run.

I've never listened to his podcast because I find him so frustrating to just read. He makes some insightful points sometimes, but ruins his credibility (while trying my patience) with the arrogant and obnoxious attitude that permeates his work. The habit he has that irritates me most is smugly taking shots at certain…

Well, this is kind of bittersweet news. On one hand, I'm happy that the guy behind some of my favourite Star Trek stories is coming back to the franchise. On the other hand, I'm annoyed that people running this franchise didn't welcome him back into the fold earlier.

Oh come on, it's hilarious. Especially when he said 'Uncle Juice'. I was telling a friend how much I'm enjoying the ridiculousness of someone using that name while being dead serious. "Please, Juice. Don't kill yourself. Everybody loves you."

Me too, Officer Meow Meow Fuzzyface. That's the most fun goofy credits timing I've seen since the "Breaking Bad" episode where Walter is talking about some Peter whose last name he can't remember as the name 'Executive Producer Peter Gould' appears below him.

I agree and love how both shows expanded their audience's knowledge of sexual vernacular this week.

But oddly, in the re-run of last week's episode played before the new one, Clark's "motherfucker" line seemed to be replaced with "Cock [Silence]". That was a weird edit.

Another thing they have in common with The Ramones - stage names that reference the band name. I love that there are members named 'Billy Jeans' and 'Jeans Wilder'.