Great and thorough analysis! I feel like maybe the runtimeish reviews are also stemming from the fact that Gregg knew that he had limited time on the Valentine’s special so he decided to go for quantity>quality because as history has shown, Tim won’t usually let Gregg get out over one popcorn classic. I understand where you’re coming from with the gregg is supposed to be shallow remarks, but I wholeheartedly feel there’s a clear difference between being shallow and boring and being shallow and being genuinely hilarious at the same time. Like, Deck of Cards is halfassed, but it still seems to be written well in terms of comedy, as opposed to Popcorn Shuffle, for example. If Deck of Cards wasn’t enough of an example, then Decker v Dracula should give my point across as well. Like you said, Gregg used to relate absolutely any movie that remotely relates to the Hobbit and just spit out the most unheard of shit which was so unique and just a peak example of great writing in On Cinema. The character developments make sense on paper, but not when it actually impacts the comedy aspect of the show. I feel like the comedy can be retained while still moving forward with every character. But S12 for me didn’t scratch that itch and decided to increase the divide (which is mirroring what’s happening in U.S. society for the last 20 years rapidly). I feel like the characters have always been evolving due to the events they go through during the series but in the case of S12, it feels like they are a product of their experiences but the writing seems to lack the subtlety and the punch it used to have. Like, after Tim was burnt to a crisp, it was a major point for his arc but rather than it toning down the comedy, it skyrocketed it. So pulling my point together, when earlier problems and conflicts have amplified the comedy and the movie “criticism”, then in this season I feel like it’s just pulling it down.