Do you not think it rings a bit false to have a real world catastrophe treated in the way the real world legitimately treats it, but with characters and a world where that sort of thing happens pretty much weekly and Damage Control always seem to have everything rebuilt within a month?

I thought the neatness of Loki's time-loop was astonishing - that's the level of craft I expect from JMS and I'm glad that on a good day he can still manage that. And the Odin stuff, for all that I often find father/son stuff really forced, was very good too. But the whole Latveria bit...sure, Balder is naive, and manipulated, and feels he has something to prove. But the Asgardians are a warrior people who sing of their great deeds at their banquets. Has Thor really never mentioned Dr Doom during one of those tales, and how camping out in his back garden might be a poor plan?