"This isn't a sitcom!": Slings & Arrows Season 3

Episode 3 of Season 3 of "Slings & Arrows" develops four plot lines: the old man playing Lear is increasingly ill and heading toward death, and now the cast is aware of this and may grow to tolerate his nasty abuse of young cast members, especially Cordelia/Sarah Polly; Jeffrey has to move out of Ellen's house because of increasing conflict with the diva, Barbara (not sure where this is going); Richard getting great joy out of this contribution to the musical production, esp when he shows up the idiotic director, Derrin; and romance builds between actor in Lear and star of the musical, kind of a miniature R&J taking place backstage (with Sara Polley keenly jealous). So in this season more than the first two the dramatic arc is building, but what I do miss is more of a role for Jeffrey - he seems to have no engagement in his production of KL, other than that he reveres the star actor, Charles? - but he lets him bully the cast and act like an idiot and says nothing, he shows no particular vision for this play. To me, some of strongest scenes in earlier seasons were when Jeffrey instructed the actors and drew out the characters, but that hasn't happened yet. At one point, amusingly, when Jeffrey threatens to sleep on the couch, Ellen (Martha Burns) cries: This isn't a sitcom! Of course not, but it shouldn't be a melodrama, either. And it's not - but let's hope it doesn't go there. As with all previous episodes, characters are very likable - even the idiots, in their hapless and amusing way - and the backstage behavior is completely credible, as anyone who's spent time around actors at work will verify.