"Look, credit where credit is due. After last week's dumpster fire of a penultimate episode, "Tragedy and Flies" ends the season on an acceptable note. Yes, it's longer than it should need to be, the result of weeks of wheel-spinning. And it doesn't provide any closure regarding the offshore rig that took up so much time this season - if Charlie does find gas and manages to keep M-Tex afloat, we won't see that play out until season three. But this wasn't awful."
"I stand by everything I said about Paigyn's characterization - as presented in that episode, they came across as a total stereotype, a strawman constructed from Fox News talking points - but this episode shows them in a new light. And as I expected, it does undo some of the damage to Ainsley's stagnant character arc, allowing her to finally grow up a little by moving back into the dorms."
Tragedy and Flies ends the season on an acceptable note despite excessive length and weeks of wheel-spinning. The offshore rig plot remains unresolved, delaying any payoff for Charlie and M-Tex until season three. Ainsley's storyline improves as Paigyn helps with an ankle workout and the two bond during cheer practice, leading Ainsley to defend Paigyn against leering boys and move back into the dorms. The episode softens Paigyn's stereotype and allows Ainsley to mature, but writing remains flat and lacks clear moments of pronoun use or stronger characterization.
Read at Vulture
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