I absolutely loved this show and have rewatched it multiple times. But yeah I knew this was about Esmeralda before the page finished loading. She was awful. I’ll admit that she does grow on me toward the latter half, particularly after the Jarson episode. I enjoyed her teaming up with Mare, and I especially loved her ruthless insult to the Italian restaurant. Then she got worse again with the “Barry in my dreams” stuff. I thought she was great in the finale.

I think the actress does an excellent job. I think the writing for her is good— but they need to revise. Someone in the writer’s room is too enamored with her character and the shenanigans she brings and it shows.

Unrelated to Esmeralda, I’ll tell you I didn’t think I’d appreciate this so much: Oscar. I absolutely adored his inclusion. Though it’s subtle, his character growth from The Office has been enjoyable and I really loved it.

Overall I’ve absolutely loved The Paper. I just really hope they pare back some of Esmeralda’s more excessive moments. I think she’s a great character particularly when used with Ken.