"It’s like the show was hiding what it truly could become until now."
You'd be hard-pressed to find even the snobbiest critic saying unkind things about Harry Potter, particularly after Book Three, when the story stops being good and starts being ninja-good.
—Dan Bergstein of Blogging Twilight
You weren't that impressed with his first movie; he wasn't your favorite Avenger; now, get ready for the sequel that made everyone say: "HOLY SH*T! Who knew Captain America kicked so much ass!"
Sheldon: (to Amy) Run to Best Buy and see if they have a portable DVD player and Season One of a show called Hannah Montana.
Raj: Have her get Season Two. Season One, it was still finding itself.
Monkey Cop? Ah! What a stinker! We should watch Monkey Cop 3! Everyone knows the series didn't hit its stride until Primates On Patrol.
—Dick Daring, The Replacements
In my not-so humble opinion of Torchwood, series one was crap, series two got a little bit better, Children of Earth was when they really came into their own.
"Pretty early on in Thor: Ragnarok I realised something kind of incredible. The Marvel Cinematic Universe may be the first film series in history to take nearly twenty movies to hit its stride...you can tell that Marvel have been paying very serious attention to the criticisms that their movies have been getting, creating better villains, better visuals, and hiring genuine idiosyncratic directing talent over journeymen. Crazy as it sounds, I think we’re getting to the point where Marvel’s movies stop being merely “fun” and becoming actually…artistically noteworthy. In fact, we might already be there."
(after viewing Episode 1 of BoJack Horseman)
Mr. Enter: That was... alright, I guess. But I don't see what the fuss is about. I mean, it's just another typical adult cartoon. It's another show about another asshole with random cutaway gags and a good helping of gross-out humor. Not to mention that that animation isn't really doing much for me. And how the hell could anyone relate to a character like BoJack?! He's a rich, washed-up asshole! Who would want to relate to a character like BoJack?! But I got the whole season, so let's keep going.
(after viewing Episode 4)
Mr. Enter: Well, that was surprising. Goddamn, BoJack, how could you? Let me guess, though. Next episode, we're back to square one and this will never be mentioned again except as maybe some random throwaway gag. That's how this kind of show works, right?
(after viewing Episode 8)
Mr. Enter: Okay, that is not how this show works. At all. I, uh... I think I kind of like this show. But I don't think the show's going to top that.
(after viewing Episode 11)
Mr. Enter: Okay, this show topped that! So, that's how you could relate to a character like BoJack. But still, I have to wonder if you would want to. This kind of show, it makes you realize parts of yourself that you've been hiding from, and it's not a pleasant feeling.
(after watching Episode 23)
Mr. Enter: Holy shit. So... that's... that's how you end an episode.
(after viewing Episode 35)
Mr. Enter: I'm... I-I'm not crying! Come on, t-there's only one more episode! I can do this!
(after viewing Episode 36)
Mr. Enter: Fuck... I think I need to lie down and stare at the ceiling for a while.
"[Huey Lewis and the News'] early work was a little too New Wave for my tastes, but when Sports came out in '83, I think they really came into their own, commercially and artistically."
— Patrick Bateman, American Psycho
"I think season 2 is a fascinating one to revisit for this very reason, to see all those seeds planted, all those story concepts they continue to revisit. To look at Flanders and say 'Huh, he's starting to get a little more religious...', to look at the beginning of Selma's story arc, to witness their very first 'Treehouse of Horror'. The reason that season 2 doesn't feel as 'weird' as season 1 is the fact that almost all those experiments were successful. You don't get the kind of evolutionary dead-ends that were in the first season. They very quickly grasped what's working, what isn't, what they can change, like all good season 2's do on television. Yes, it is certainly more slowly-paced, relaxed, and traditional than the later iterations, but this is basically the show that we all know and love. Season 1's successes got them to season 2. Season 2's successes got them to season 6. Or something like that, I'm speaking more figuratively here. Season 2 proved that The Simpsons wasn't a fluke, that it had lasting appeal. The show is here to stay, and boy, did it stay. Disney should be thanking season 2 right now."
