User blog comment:Mattalamode/A Second Opinion: The Roots/@comment-30307603-20171008012545

I remember when this episode was first revealed and everyone thought it would be another poignant piece much like "The Shell" or "The Origins". Because of this, many people came out of the episode disappointed and missed out on one of the funnier episodes from the season.

I, in particular, am really glad that they opted out of a more emotionally-driven episode and instead went for something more comedy-focused. I feel as if trying to make this premise more emotional would ultimately prove fruitless in the long run; not only would it contradict everything we knew about Darwin's feelings towards his family (with Darwin viewing the Wattersons as his genuine family despite the biological differences and him being quite happy with that), but such an episode would drag for a conclusion that would mean nothing. Regardless if Darwin's issues are fully resolved, Darwin's deuteragonist role in the show as well as the show's reliance on the status quo would force him back into the Watterson family. Any emotional build-up would be meaningless because it would mean nothing for any of the characters involved in the long run. "The Roots" knows that any attempt to be touching would be a pain for everyone involved, and it uses that fact to its advantage.

Next week is "The Dress"? "The Dress" is such a weird episode for me to conceive an opinion around, but I will hold on that discussion for now.