Yes, I liked the second half of the season a lot better.
(Hmm, liking the second half better than the first half. Does this sound familiar?
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2x11 is definitely not my favorite episode at all. I like the Tess/Kyle stuff, but the rest was never super memorable to me.
Oh, actually, I like Sean, though, too, and like his stuff with Liz in this episode.
2x12 is not my favorite, either, but I like 2x13 and 2x14 a lot. Mainly because they're Michael/Maria heavy.