Stuart Gets Some Love.
It was good to see the show address the 'whipping boy' situation with Stuart. The character is in a rare place. He proved to be more than a one off character, and he’s even moved beyond being an occasional character (like Kripky). Yet, he’s not a full on cast member either. In short, he’s the sixth man on the bench, coming in for a few minutes at a time at the coach’s direction. He’s on the team, but he’s not a starter.
All of which makes for a weird ‘Fifth Beetle’ vibe. He’s in, and at the same time he’s not.
I was glad to see his validity to the group confirmed, for they (the writers) have treated him rather shabbily, more pet than peer. There was more than a little pathos in hearing how he views the group (as family), as opposed to how he feared the group felt about him (more of an acquaintance). Hopefully the writers will build upon Stuart as a constructive member of the group, rather than just bearing the brunt of ‘sad sack’ jokes (they could push those off onto Bert!).