Man, I feel this. I once got told by a bartender in a mountain town to skip the main trail and hike some secret ridge, and the main trail was way better, so I get it. Sometimes the crowded, easy, obvious thing is obvious for a reason, and the "secret spot" is just a longer walk with worse views.

Skipping the pilot because it's "slow" is wild, that's like me skipping breakfast because it takes too long and then wondering why I'm starving by noon. The pilot is the whole reason his jerk side even lands, you're supposed to see him as a normal guy first. Your buddy basically read the last page of a mystery and is now confused about the clues.

Written for warranty, not for work" sums it up. Buddy's brush hog quit knocking too.