1 had really good writing. 2 was the clown nose version of 1. Still good in ways, but a lot of what made 1's writing good stayed in 1.

Based on what I remember, anyway. Been awhile.

I feel it was more consistent humor. It did the job of being a reprieve while keeping to the heavier feel of the overall story, something that 2 only really starts accomplishing when Jack stops fucking around, and his sense of humor changes with it.

Pre-Sequel felt like an overall continuation of 2s writing, but 3 absolutely fucked it right out of the gate. It didn't feel like a parody, or poking fun at streamer culture, it felt like being locked in a goddamn room full of them.

It's barely even toilet humor really

Give us that deep toilet humor, like the darkest depths of the sewer where El Chupanibre lives.

I've been thinking about this more recently after trying to get my partner into BL2 after she saw my friends and I playing through 3. She lasted about an hour and a half into BL2 before she wasn't interested, and in all fairness? It was the same for myself and my friends who'd spent 500+ hours in it previously. Even scooter's nonsense was failing to get any giggles out.

The concensus on 3 is largely on point, but somewhere along the line people decided Jack was a great villain and BL2 was incredible. I can't say I agree, in spite of having a blast when it came out but I think it's fair to credit that to playing with friends. It was just such a huge expansion from BL1s flat story and pushed further with abandoning the brown syndrome BL1 just barely sidestepped. Jack is currently being viewed with rose-tinted lenses, he was always annoying (just not as grating or recently experienced as the Twins) and the humor really does fall flat more than it doesn't.

I'd say you're right that it is a time capsule, and it's not without its charms, as you said, but people are on the bandwagon puffing it up due to nostalgia, frustrations with BL3 (and the movie), and these articles talking about wanting to cut down on the toilet humor.

Edgy won't do it, they need to figure out how to be cleverly dumb rather than in your face aggressively dumb which the Twins and Jack both did.