except they really need an Expand option, like, stat

There is one. Maybe it's only for paid accounts, though (which is how it is on LJ). I was like, "Wait, there isn't? I never noticed that!" and had to go check my journal, lol. But yep, comments expand. In fact, in the last code push (or maybe the next one?) they're implementing a feature where you can expand ALL comments at once, rather than expanding each individual thread.