User blog comment:Mattalamode/The Harold Problem (and Vanillagate)/@comment-30307603-20170420215741/@comment-30307603-20170421210806

The more I look at it, the more it seems that "The Cycle" is a poor attempt to give Richard his own version of "The Fury" without understanding what made "The Fury" such an amazing episode. The amazing looking manga and the obligatory anime fight scene aside, "The Fury" succeeded because Yuki had a sympathetic edge to her character. One could understand where she was coming from; she was actually likable.

"The Cycle" seems to have all the basic elements so that it can parade as Richard's "The Fury": the children's involvement, "the sympathetic backstory", Harold's jerkiness. Heck, "The Cycle" even has some heartwarming moments between Richard and the kids (which is probably why I liked the episode more than most people did) like "The Fury" did. However, people seem to find it hard to get engrossed in "The Cycle" in the same way they are in "The Fury" because of Harold.

Tina still has potential. "The Rex", I say. "The Rex". If not that, at least she can be used as a supporting character and not necessarily a main character.