What car commercials can teach us about bicycles

A bicycle, some argue, is merely a tool for getting from Point A to Point B, and anything else – equipment, type of bike, clothing – is entirely beside the point. We shouldn’t call people cyclists, because no one should be identified by their mode of transportation. I can appreciate idea of this utilitarianism, but I am nagged by this thought: Have these people never seen a car commercial?

Game of Thrones 2.4: Bad Boys

Is there any question, at this point, that Joffrey Baratheon is a horrible person? He’s selfish, arrogant, and cruel, and it’s been demonstrated many times. So why did the writers of Game of Thrones feel the need to emphasize it once more, in one of the series’ cruellest & most gratuitous scenes?

The Office solves a problem no one had

Finally, The Office got around to answering the question that was on everyone’s minds after Andy’s reunion with Erin: What’s going to happen to Jessica?

To be fair, the more prevalent question was probably “Jessica? Who’s Jessica?” Or possibly “What’s the name of that woman Andy was dating?”

Game of Thrones’ Women Troubles

If you set your story in a medieval-style world, are you obligated to treat your female characters like crap?

This is a question that plagues A Game of Thrones, and most of the time, it manages to balance its medieval setting with intelligent & interesting women. In The Night Lands, it drops the ball.

Parks and Recreation 4-14: Operation Ann

Parks & Recreation defines its characters extremely well. Everyone has a role in the dynamic of the show, and while the nature of comedy & drama demands those roles be stretched and challenged from time to time, the show always knows what its characters are about.

Except for Ann Perkins.

Battlestar Galactica 1-11: Colonial Day

Colonial Day is a dull, perfunctory episode. It does one important thing – make Gaius Baltar the new Vice President – and throws in some meaningless conspiracies and a couple of fistfights. It squanders the opportunity to develop the political backdrop of the series.