"The Gripes" is an episode I've come to appreciate a lot more in recent years. More than I can say for stuff like "The Worst" and "The Revolt." It's social commentary, but it's commentary that actually says something about its characters as well, which is something I can get behind. Don't let society box you into a stereotype and whatnot. He finds comfort in the "golden girls" and joins their group, embracing another side of himself. Richard is not conventionally masculine, which makes it hard for him to find other male friends. You already covered The Golden Girls parody and how on-point it was, but I would like to add how it handles Richard and his masculinity. "The Lady" could have turned out horribly (and given Season 5 and 6's spotty track records with topical issues, it was a possibility), but I'm glad that the episode turned out so well. While Tobias' role in the episode is excellent, other parts of the episode are a little on-the-nose. With that said, having to write "The Test" from your perspective has really opened my eyes to some of its flaws, and while I still think of it as a good episode, it's definitely much of its luster. I'm still laughing like an ass about the whole article swap. It's not a bad episode by any means, but I didn't expect something such as "The Painting" to make it this far. I will admit, though, that I'm surprised to see it so high. Given who the characters were in Season 1, it did a great job trying to explore the family dynamic and it was the first real attempt to flesh them out. It's nice to see "The Painting" get some recognition. Still, it's certainly a Season 6 highlight. I think the first-to-second-act time ratio could have been larger I get that Polly serves to make sense of the chaos, but I think there is a certain fun in just embracing where the wind take the brothers wherever it takes them, and Polly's piece being five minutes takes away from that. Having the Watterson brothers go about their day sleep deprived allowed for a unique story structure with unreliable narrators that led to a bunch of creative moments. Regardless, I agree in that it's just an overall fun episode. Knowing how much you enjoyed "The Mess," I'm somewhat surprised to see it didn't rank any higher. Glad to see you're back, and that the countdown is back on! Great post as always.
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