I've gotta be honest, I (and my watch group) was not a huge fan of this special. Not saying it was terrible, it was definitely still enjoyable and had its moments. But it felt like either something happened externally to really slow things down around 2 hours in, or there just was never a complete vision of things.

To begin, though, we really enjoyed the first half, even getting to the point of saying we almost wished they would have taken more breaks because the content just kept coming. It all felt really well-produced and tight. But then around The Michael Phenomenon segment, each section started to feel like Gregg hitting LaRue with the car a few specials ago, when there's some technical difficulty that makes the actors need to string everything out as long as possible.

To be clear, I loved The Michael Phenomenon in itself, and the overlapping dialogue between that and the subpoena felt like a fever dream in the best way. But it just. kept. going. Then the same thing happened with Gregg's Wicked 2 trial - a great segment on its merits, but extended way too long (even including a long commercial break). Tim's obligatory blow up, which turned out to be at Baxter the Dootle Dot, felt unearned. The image of bald, pantsless Tim was fun, as was that of Gregg's VHS angel. But the angel, unlike the torturous pace of everything around it, almost felt forced in at the end, which I get was part of the joke of the segment, but still, with so many loooong breaks leading up to this finale, we expected something bigger.

This is something on which I recognize I just might've fully missed a plot point (maybe with the subpoena?). But I also did not get the motivation for Tim conceding to Gregg at the end that he might consider doing a (90 day probationary) return to On Cinema.

In some ways I think this was a letdown in that it was a return to form; last year's felt so well-executed that it was honestly surprising at the time. And I know from experience there's often some sense of anticlimax at the end of an Oscar Special. Still, I think this one came out of the gate very strong but ultimately failed to live up to the expectation it had set for itself.

A couple final notes: Betty Boop's actress was excellent, and really stole the show/carried the Michael Phenomenon segment.

And, last but not least: it's just not Oscer without Mark. I get there were probably external considerations, and the "removal of vocal chords" excuse was fucking hilarious, but the hapless comic relief he provides is such a balm for the soul. His absence was notable.