Todd, if you really didn't like this episode, then why did you give it a B? There are also the options of C, D, and F (and no, it doesn't deserve an F). Maybe because you have to make it look on its face like ANYTHING is better than season 4?

Replying to the person who first mentioned the puppet episode, but this comment is for all of you. There should be a name for what you guys do…it's that thing of when you defecate all over an otherwise perfectly good episode because it's from season 4, and you secretly think doing so will make the series' crucified…

I think I may prefer S4 to S5 as well. Honestly, if 'Basic Story' and 'Basic Sandwich' had aired during season 4 they'd be lambasted far and wide as travesties. But because Harmon was behind them, they get a pass. Todd suddenly gets all the intricate subtleties and waxes on about them for four paragraphs.

I guess….people don't actually reply to Todd's reviews with their own opinions and analyses of the episodes.

No, I thought the same thing too. And so I stopped downvoting. I'm not sure how to feel about all this.

Wow, you were harder on this episode than I expected. I loved it. You mentioned that a viewer shouldn't need to be familiar with the homage for it to work, if the episode is done right - but that's exactly why I was 'eh' about 'Advanced Dungeons and Dragons,' seeing as how I'd never played it. (It's also why I didn't…

Again with the overwrought dismissal of season 4. It didn't 'try too hard,' unless by 'try too hard' one means that it tried to be the best show it could be without Dan Harmon despite the fact that fans would issue overwrought dismissals of it like sheep.

I was just thinking about that episode earlier to day! It was so weird and wrong, haha!

Well said. After season 3 I had to stop paying over $100 for cable, so I didn't see season 4 in real time. By the way fans disparaged it across the board, I didn't really want to see it…but finally got the DVDs and found myself binge-watching and laughing and being very pleasantly surprised.