Not That it Matters but I'm Back!

   Life has been a bit hectic. Just as it is for everyone but I feel a bit more hectic than usual for me. I'm still unemployed and out studying  and taking up some computer classes and about to do some forklift and stacking training. Anything to give myself some new skills and a better chance at finding a decent paying job. What time I have had online has been studying and a few diversions into Google Plus territory (Oh, I love it so!) and have ALLOWED myself to get a bit down about the entire situation. There's more going on in the house but like I said before, nothing that no one else has gone through.

   Anyways, this blog besides Google Plus are welcome diversions from real life at times. And sometimes necessary to have a few laughs, a few discussions and even learn a few things. I didn't get to review the last episode of "The Walking Dead" and I may still get around to doing a shorter version of the reviews I usually do, and maybe even get around to talking about a few others.

   See you soon! (Sooner if I follow you on Google Plus!) Take care!

A Look At Other Shows That You Should Watch

"Being Human", the American version of the series. Excellent, fast paced, sometimes too jam-packed show about a vampire, a werewolf, and a ghost that share a house. Sounds simple but this show goes from humor to horror to drama within scenes. Well acted, with a mythology that doesn't complicate things too much. Highly recommended.

"Southland", is a low rated series on TNT that was picked up after flailing on NBC. Good for viewers like me that enjoy crime dramas that don't follow the mystery formula of many crime dramas of this era. This gripping drama follows a day in the work lives of several cops and detectives. Anchored by strong actors who seem like the parts they play and the Los Angeles filming which gives it a grittiness that I haven't seen much of since "The Shield". Recommended.

"Being Human", the U.K. version. It's in it's fourth season and at this point is not easy to get into. It has the same premise of the U.S. version but runs for only six episodes a season. It's reinventing itself with new characters but is still feeling fresh. It's the original and is still a fun and psychologically interesting series with strong villains and menaces. Recommended.

"American Horror Story" is the one that is the most polarizing and I can definitely see a lot of people disagreeing with me here. That first season was a throw everything you can into it and extend the boundaty lines of basic cable. See how much they can get away with. Half of the plots may not have worked but the other half did very well. Not neccesarily scary but at times creepy and chilling. The acting was strong enough and the effects were well done. If anything, they went overboard with a few things. But that's what this series is. A show to go crazy with. Very bloody and lots of nudity for a basic cable show. Recommended but not for everyone.

"Alphas" on SyFy is not showing right now, but it had a strong first season. Alphas is the term for humans with super powers. They get together to solve crimes committed by other alphas. This series is way different from say, "Heroes". Where "Heroes" began with a strong first season and then subsequent seasons went downhill, this started out with three or four mediocre episodes but that showed enough promise to stick around. Then all of a sudden, it hit it's stride. Every episode became near excellent and still finding a way to work together made it always entertaining and rarely ever earnest in excess. Recommended. There are several others that would be up in this list but are not shows that may be under the radar. I chose five that I felt should receive more attention.

The Walking Dead "Better Angels"

   This episode could be dedicated to Dale's character. With all the references to him and mentions. It all begins at the funeral service for him with Rick speaking of Dale and his good conscience and how they all should try to keep his forgiving spirit alive. ( I felt it would have been more appropriate to have Andrea speak but they just showed Rick giving out his speech.) The show jump cut in the opening sequence to the group of Shane, Daryl, Andrea, and T-Dog all securing the perimeter of the farm and slaying off walkers. You can say this scene was dedicated to Dale also with how angry and upset the group was. With the anger with which they dispatched the walkers. Most impressive: Andrea slaying a walker by pitchfork.

"Better Angels" was one of the better episodes of the season, if not the BEST one so far. This was where everything that has happened before is affecting everyone and everything. This one was written by Evan T. Reilly and Glen Mazzara, the new showrunner. Strong writing that made the characters not seem stupid, but vulnerable and sentimental.

It had Carl confessing to father figure Shane that he had to do with Dale's death. It had the even stronger response by Shane back. Not your fault, take the gun. It showed how good Shane could really be with Carl and that he really cared. He attacked the guilt that Carl had and offered him a way to defend himself without seeming like a bad guy. Not at all! At one point, he does the right thing in telling Rick about Carl and his situation. And tells Rick that he needs to be a father to the kid. That being more important than Randall.

It had Lori being as sympathetic as she has been during the entire season. She told Shane how she felt and that she needed to thank him for everything he did. This doesn't vindicate Lori but humanized her. Perhaps the death of Dale has a lot to do with this. But she told him everything that she should have a long time ago. Because he did care about them and he wasn't the villain trying to sleep with the hero's wife. He was doing his part in a world that is overrun by walkers. Too late she said it perhaps but it was finally all said. Though that may caused Shane's epic breakdown in the second half of the episode.

Andrea continues to become more of a favorite to me. In her scene with Glenn and the rv, as heavy handed as it was, it was very effective in conveying what Dale meant to them.

Everyone on the show had a few lines and something to do. Even T-Dog! Well, except for Beth. Most of her scenes have been lying down and not in a good way. She was nowhere to be seen.

"Better Angels" was directed by Guy Ferland who is  a television journeyman director who has worked on anything and everything. He didn't go for many trick shots but decided to shoot for "Breaking Bad" type cinematography in several shots. The climactic showdown between Rick and Shane was beautifully shot. Done slowly, allowing both expressive actors time to shine under a clear sky and bright moon. Even that last chilling (chilling!) scene where a herd of walkers are headed towards the farm was directed well.

Shane. Damn, I'm missing his character already. In the comic book series, he was just villainous but in this series, he was kind of a "tweener". He did everything that was needed to survive but was mentally breaking down. Whether it was because of love or just the desperation of this world, but he was losing it. His final scene with Rick was incredible. Leading up to it, Rick and Shane searched for Randall. A man that Shane had let loose and then killed out by the trees. Rick at a certain point, KNEW something was wrong. And Andrew Lincoln just killed it by showing how smart Rick was at that point. He knew it was coming down to a confrontation with Shane away from everyone else. And Jon Bernthal killed his scenes by being alternately scary-psycho and heartbreaking. Then came the scene that delivered on all it's promise. The accusations, the pleading, and everything that Shane DID NOT say when he was confronted by Rick at the crossroads episodes ago came flooding out.

And Rick killed him by stabbing. Were his real intentions to kill Rick? Or was he committing suicide in a way? Or leaving Rick with the tough decision of having to kill someone close to him, forcing his hand and leaving behind the legacy of Rick now graduating into the man that Shane said he had to be? Wow! Certainly, Shane could have killed him but the more I ponder the scene, the more it looks like after what Lori said to him and everything else going on, that he wanted to die! Perhaps I'm wrong. Perhaps he was just mentally breaking down and was willing to do whatever he needed to to feel better. And what the hell was that going on his head before he became Zombie Shane?

Through his eyes, we could see his mind filled with blood, gore, teeth and biting sounds. Then he turned. He wasn't bitten. Randall wasn't bitten. Those guards of a couple of episodes ago weren't either. Is this how people die in this world now? Their heads filled with images of walker sustenance? Then raising up from the dead to feed on live beings, whether animals or people? What turned everyone into walkers after death must be a disease. It's already in the air! How much do you want to bet that what Dr. Edwin Jenner whispered into Rick's ear was that everyone is infected already and destined to become walkers? That they are practically the walking dead already?

Thoughts?

Randall the Limping Dead

Some new tidbits were learned about Randall this week. All of them through terrified pleading to Andrea, Carl, Rick, and of course Daryl.

We learned he is part of a group of "thirty men". So he says. We learned he was with a smaller group of those and they committed rape and torture right in front of him, but he took no part. So he says.

But the confidence that his group had in town when they were firing against Rick, Herschel and Glenn makes me believe he was a trusted part of their group. Or he's just a plot device thrown our way. In any case, he's causing much consternation between the survivors.

What shall I call him? Just plain old Randall? Or because of his witnessing or participating in a rape, should I call him Rapist Randall? Or even the far fetched moniker of Henry Gale? ("Lost" fans know what I'm referring to here.) The man who was imprisoned with the group on the island and tortured by Sayid (parallel to Daryl here.) and once he made his escape, he was known to have been the leader of "The Outsiders". Can this be? Young man turns out to be more than what he appears? He does know how to kill a walker. That was established already. Here is a detailed description of what Randall  has done on the show.

I honestly don't think he is anything else than a rat. Someone who will do whatever he can to get away from the group and save his life. And IT WILL HAPPEN. For dramatic reasons and the Rick Grimes -conscience- er, stupidity reasons he will escape. Fine. It can help the writers plan on fixing up Rick's character for season three. Make him more of a mix of Rick with some Shane mixed in. More reactionary, less conscience. Less stupidity.

Now, it will be interesting to see how this is pulled off. Randall should have a horrible injury that would hobble an average sized man for weeks. I hope he isn't shown RUNNING or even JOGGING away. At the very least, so our intelligence is not being insulted, have him do a kind of one legged hop. If I see him running, I will be upset. In fact, I would like for everyone else watching to be upset if he does run. So unless his group of thirty men are out searching for him and pick him up halfway, I better not see him sprinting.

The survival of Randall's character also serves to use this as a way to learn more about the group. What they're willing to do to survive or not willing to do because of a -conscience- er, dumbassness. But this show could have very well left him to stay impaled by his leg while walkers came over for their easy shish-kabob. No bullets wasted and no meds used up. Just plain left him there. Cruel yes. But in this series, the heroic thing to do would have been to just have Herschel put him down like one of his horses at the barn.  Not allow him to suffer his ghastly injury and not be eaten alive. And the show could still have had the feeling of impending danger by having a group of those thirty men searching for the farm. Can't be that hard to find it in that small town.

Wouldn't it have just been easier that way? Poor Andrew Lincoln. There's a good actor there that delivers but I wonder if in his head, he knows his character has been emasculated and criticized more than he ever thought his lead character should be.

The Grimes' Family Stupidity

I can fill out a 400 word post on how stupid the decisions of the Grimes family (Rick, Lori, and Carl) have been on "The Walking Dead" series. And I'm sure it's been done to death on message boards, blog, Twitter, fan pages and discussed on Mondays during lunch breaks. So I'm not going to do 400 words. Just a fraction of that and I will let you (whoever reads this) to decide if I'm right or add to this.

I'm just going to list the latest ones because there are too many.

Randall: Why go through so much effort to save him? Yes, it's been established that Rick Grimes is an honest man, a former sheriff that has a conscience. He's saving a man that tried to kill him and Glenn and Herschel. That could have costed more lives on the farm. Protect what's yours now. He can't arrest him or take him to a hospital and put a deputy to guard him and then stick him in the "pokey". Taking a seriously injured man to the farm and use up whatever meds and first aid they have left to them and then do what? Is this some man that wants to take in what seems to be a criminal? Endanger his family and friends and other survivors? Even worse, Randall mentioned knowing Maggie and about the farm. Then why take him there? And then sitting in the back seat so his leg gushes all over the back seat increasing the odds that he bleeds out before reaching the farm. Then drive over 18 miles away looking for a place to release him and "give him a chance". To then fight almost to the death over him (Though to be fair, there were some underlying issues between Rick and Shane). Then return with him and keep him chained up as a prisoner while his fate is decided. And once his fate is decided, then to not pull the trigger in what is one other thing that we as viewers KNOW will come back to bite him and the group.

F you, Rick! Hand over the reins of the group to Shane and go off and tend to your Olive Oil wife and son who needs you so you don't have him running off and making stupid decisions like grabbing a gun like a kid that finds his daddy's gun and wants to show it off in school and then tease the hell out of a walker almost getting killed. Where is Lori during all this? Wasn't she the one that said the women needed to tend to things around the farm? Doesn't that include watching your son, Carl? The same one that turned you into a blubbering mess when he was shot in the chest? Didn't you see what happened to Sophia in the woods? Why is your son unsupervised in the woods? You couldn't be THAT busy. Oh, and Sophia was the one that died because Rick had her go inside a cave. Yes, she should have stayed in there. But what was he thinking in the first place? No wonder so many people feel that Daryl is their favorite character. No wonder in my household no one seems to hate Shane the way Dale and a few of the others seem to.

There is some sloppy writing in this post which is customary for me but it's more this time because of the topic. This is a rant. On many shows, characters do stupid things because that's part of the plot and part of those characters and their motivations and beliefs. We may not like it but it makes for good drama when handled right. (See "The Shield", "The Wire", "Justified", "Southland") But here?! It smells like ...sniff...sloppy writing! I can be sloppy. What excuse do the writers of the show have?

Shane's Reflections

  
   This is the image of Shane that I had mentioned before in a previous post that made him look like a walker. It was shot in a way that made him seem taken aback either by how he almost took Rick's head off with an oversized wrench, or by the reflection of his own image on the window pane or the sound of walkers waking up inside what they thought was an abandoned building. Form your own conclusions.

The Walking Dead: Judge, Jury, Executioner

   Glenn: "We've lost so many people already." (During the philosophical discussion at Herschel's house.)

   Dammit! Poor Dale.

   This episode had a philosophical debate about if the group should take it into their own hands to kill off another human being. The human being in this case is limping Randall, who is being kept prisoner inside the barn until they decide what to do with him. A man who for the viewers like myself, find it rather easy to understand the wanting to kill him. He was part of a trio of men that tried to kill Rick, Herschel, and Glenn. He's part of a group of (according to him) of 30 men that have committed horrible crimes. In fact, he tells Daryl while being interrogated of one incident that had to do with the torturing and rape of a family that those men committed. Knowing everything we know as viewers and the fact that he was the one that knew about Herschel's barn and knew Maggie from school, why would we trust him to remain and even become an asset to the group?!

   But Dale is different. He's always been kind of the moral compass of this group. He's the one never afraid of bring up what he believes happened or his theories and even though his holier-than-thou act could wear a little bit, he was always a good human being. So when the sad ending came to his character at the end of the episode, it hit hard. Not just that but he was ripped apart. He wasn't even bitten! Ripped apart! Beyond the point of being able to be saved. And the worst thing about it? This death did not need to happen. This was indirectly, Carl's fault.

   This episode 11 of season 2 was directed by Greg Nicotero, who has a long history in genre movies doing FX and more. This looks like his sixth episode directed so far. No fancy camerawork here. Just the bare tacks. This was written by Angela Kang, who had written one other episode in the first season. If she was looking for a strong sendoff for Dale, she did well by him. Even though his debating began to be more and more desperate and even tiring as the episode wore on, it turned out to be a fat acting portion for Jeffrey DeMunn. It also worked if Angela Kang was looking to turn another Grimes family member into the list of most hated characters on the show.

   Carl, Carl, Carl. The kid first almost gets into it with Randall at the barn. Randall is pleading with Carl and the kid approaches to do who knows what. Until Shane stops him and sends him off. He then goes and takes Daryl's gun from his satchel and goes off by the stream and finds a walker stuck in the mud and leaves. He begins toying withe walker and even gets close enough gun in hand to possibly shoot it. But he falls once the walker twists enough in the mud to loosen himself. He barely gets away with his life but this walker gets loose. The same walker that at the end of the episode kills Dale. Dammit! Oh, and Carl also walks into the barn during the culminating part of what was to become Randall's death.

    Now, I may be in the minority but I don't hate the kid. For once, he was given something to do besides just looking innocent or laying on a bed almost dying. He's a little kid. He is going to do stupid things. There's no other kid around. His mom and dad are too preoccupied with Shane and the baby coming up and everything else related to a walker-apocalypse. I could see him getting into all types of trouble. The one thing I don't understand is why he is running off on his own so much after Sophia's death. Lori should be keeping closer watch. What else can she being with her time? There's no internet, no Xbox, no cable. You should be keeping closer watch, Lori. And the boy wandering off into the barn during the execution of Randall. The execution that never happened. Whether Rick would actually go through with it was becoming highly doubtful and then Carl just walks in and says to his dad, "do it." Of course Rick wasn't going to do it now. What I found interesting was the look by Lori when she hugged Rick after this went down. Could it be possible she sent Carl over so the execution would be interrupted and avoid Rick becoming a stone cold killer? I don't know.

   Another detail here was the return of the awesomeness that is Daryl. He opens the episode torturing Randall and in the end of the episode, he had Randall strung up while playing with a knife, sharpening it...made me believe that he was about to do the deed himself. Until, the entire tragic scene with Dale happened. Greg Nicotero speaking on "Talking Dead" confessed to this himself, that that's what they were trying to imply.

   Not that I believe this but I read a few comments by people comparing Randall to possibly Ben Linus on "Lost". Fans of "Lost" around the second season will understand this mention. Something to keep an eye on.

  Dale Horvath, rest in peace.

The Walking Dead: 18 Miles Out

   This season two, episode ten of the series focused on two plots. The first followed Rick, Shane driving over 18 miles to find a place to release Randall, the young man that was taken to the farm with an injured leg. The second plot was a female philosophical discussion caused by Beth's wish to die by suicide. What both plots have in common is how Rick and Shane argue over Randall and if they should release him somewhere where he has a "chance" or just kill him. While the other has to do with the ladies (Lori, Maggie, Andrea) all arguing with each other over Beth's wish to die. Beth wants to die, as she finds no future prospects in a world overrun by walkers. Randall's life is in the hands of Rick and Shane, as he has no say in what they do with him.

   During the entire episode Rick and Shane are practically frenemies. Rick bluntly points out that he will do whatever it takes to keep his family safe. In a very good monologue that covered his feelings and then Shane quietly explained why everything happened after Rick was layed out in the hospital in the beginning of the world seemingly dominated by flesh eating dead humans. One very good thing that writers  Scott M. Gimple and Glen Mazzara do here is allow Shane to be humanized and explain himself without seeming like the bad guy. The only big difference of opinion between them is whether Randall should be killed or just released. Once again, it's written in a way that makes you believe it's a tough decision for a man with a conscience. Andrew Lincoln also does some of his best acting here as he wrestles with the decision he has to make. Jon Bernthal also can make a scene where he is just thinking seem interesting. How good are his facial expressions?

   This episode was directed by Ernest Dickerson who has vast experience directing for television series'. It showed in a few nice visual touches. Shane's reflection on a broken window pane as he staggers after almost killing Rick in the heat of the moment during their big fight. He staggers while bloodied and makes him seem like a walker himself. Then the hand appears behind that window pane. Once again, another scene from the point of view of someone on the ground. Randall looking up at Rick and Shane as once again he goes into their car trunk. Lots of camera angles from below cars, from Rick while being attacked by three walkers on top of him. The only issue I could find was that if Shane could get out of the school bus through the back, he should have done that earlier and I feel he would have outrun them. There were no walkers in the back when Rick and Dead-Man-Limping-Randall returned to rescue him. Perhaps Dickerson should have had a walker or two in the back and then Rick killing those off so Shane could get out the back?

   A lot of action in the episode but the highlight for me was Andrea laying the verbal smackdown on Lori at the farm. Lori being accusatory about Andrea not holding her own weight according to her.  Then Andrea goes off a nice monologue that delivered a needed tongue  lashing at Lori. Also made Andrea's likability go off the charts here. I felt she was right in how the suicidal Beth needed to make a choice and if she wanted to kill herself, eventually she would find a way. These are issues that would naturally come up in a real world situation IF zombies were walking around in constant bloodlust.

    Another common theme was blood drawn on themselves. Rick, Shane and Beth all drew blood on themselves for survival and in Beth's case intended suicide.

   Rick, Shane and Randall drove to a place called Mert County. The only Mert County I could find was in Ohio and the first thing to show up on Google is this. Coincidental that the next place the characters in the comic book series travel to and seek shelter in is a prison?

   Wasn't it interesting that Randall once he got loose, he knew exactly how to incapacitate a walker by breaking her arm and then stab in the head? He has had some training with the other guys he was with? One problem once again is how quickly someone healed. In this case it's Randall. He had a horrific leg injury and at one point doesn't limp so much as jog away with Rick.

   I liked how they showed the lone walker crossing a field slowly while Shane looks at him. On the way back to the farm, the walker was closer. Is this foreboding? How they slowly may explore and make their way across fields and finally the farm?

   Half the cast was missing and this is half due to the episodes' needs and half due to the budget cuts. It worked out well.

   The song played at the end of the show was Civilian by Wye Oak.

    Thoughts?
 

The Walking Dead "Triggerfinger"

 
  Season 2, episode 9 was some of it's most action filled episodes yet. It started with Lori in the precarious situation of being in a car that is flipped on it's side while injured on a deserted road at night while walkers are always around. She faces herself in front of a walker that would literally lose his face to be able to press it inside the broken windshield to be able to feed. If you ask me, she wouldn't be much of a meal. Otis on the other hand was a veritable buffet for the walkers. Poor Otis.

   The entire scene with Lori was handled well cinematically. In fact, the entire episode was shot very well. Weird angles, views from above and from the eye view of a dead character.  This was directed by a man going by the name of Bill Gierhart. From his IMDB.com page, he was a camera operator that worked on "The Shield". This is where we see what Glen Mazzara is bringing to TWD now. He bought in someone with camera operating experience and it showed. Some of the best filmed scenes of the season. I didn't catch who the writers were. Can anyone help me with that?

   Also Rick, Herschel, and Glenn are in a bad situation but fighting against other walkers that are alive. They are seeking their two friends that Rick put down in self defense last week and they will not leave until they have them. Our heroes are kind of trapped inside the bar where they were last week while the others who are heavily armed shoot at them. The entire scene was handled well. And Herschel showed some bravery and initiative here, while Glenn became a mouse. Steven Yeun who plays Glenn said on the "Talking Dead" which goes on at midnight Eastern time that his character is the eyes through where the viewer sees the show. I never saw it that way and if he's playing the character that way, he's making a mistake. No wonder he is so earnest in his portrayal. Steven, don't be such a whiny wuss. Even Dr. Carter when he was the "eyes" of "E.R." would take some action.

    It was mentioned how every character does what they do because of love.
Rick loves his wife and son.
Lori loves her husband, her son, and herself.
Shane loves Lori.
Glenn loves Maggie and Maggie loves him and so forth.
    This is what makes Daryl so interesting because he just takes action for survival reason and not because he's all gooey for someone. It also leaves poor T-Dog as a future redshirt that gets a few lines per episode.

   Jon Bernthal who plays Shane keeps getting some of the best scenes and he knocks all of them out of the park. He continues to be the best actor on the show and will be missed once he inevitably is killed off. Whether it's a past writers' mistake or not, he is looking like a man that has been on the right side of many decisions made on the show. But the other characters in the group don't trust him. This was addressed well here by showing Dale and Lori going about in ways alternately stating-his-case and manipulating-her-husband to try and show he is a cancer to the group. Also by having Andrea say to Shane that his "presentation" was wrong. A perfect way to put it.

   Interesting note: The young actor with his leg impaled on that spoked fence went to college with Jon Bernthal. Bernthal didn't even know he had been cast on the show until he saw him on the farm set.

   I had no problem with this episode. In fact, it had action and made me root for Rick a bit more. Also it established clearly that Lori can be manipulative and that it's not a mistake that we all dislike her. My peeve with this episode is something that has been done on TWD often. Injuries and illnesses sometimes are glossed over in the narrative.

   Beth is in what looks like a catatonic state with her eyes open almost all the time. When I see this, I feel my eyes dry up as if sand had gotten into them. People, close her eyes or something!
   Lori is injured in her car and apparently spent enough time for the sun to go down from the time it occurred. But by the halfway point of the episode she is fine. No one asks to check if she miscarried. Nothing.
   Herschel must have a tolerance for liquor. He must have just begun to drink when Rick and Glenn found him? Would have been made for interesting scenes if he had been brandishing a weapon while drunk.
   Carl who had an injury that almost killed him (shot in his chest) is walking around like nothing. Damn Herschel did great work!
   What else?

   Enough from me. What did you think?

The Walking Dead "Nebraska"

  
      I did not see this coming. Not at all. This has to go down as one of the weakest episodes yet. And THAT, I did not see coming.

      I could describe this episode 9 of season 2 like this:

      Aftermath lingering of the final scene of episode 8 right before we went through an almost three month break. And oh, did they linger.  They even had a skyview shot that hopefully didn't dig too much in the finances of the series.

      They had characters arguing about the moral implications of what they did. They had Dale speaking for no one when he mentioned that Shane was more than a hothead but that he may killed Otis. Now, what bugs me about this is that this is Dale guessing. As if the writers had to find a way to have Dale be against Shane and move the plotline towards the inevitable scene of Shane going crazy and getting shot dead.

      They showed Carol, grieving over her daughter in a flower and weed destroying scene that made her look like a little girl having a tantrum.  They showed Shane washing her hands and forearms of dirt and grime just to make sure you remember he's not a full on bad guy. Guess the writers were keeping Daryl away from water so he could look dirtier and meaner.

      They showed Lori having a conversation with her boy Carl.  Then being shocked that he speaks of having to shoot someone dead too. That part is fine but then she sends him off to "rest". Rest? What has he done? Just sit next to his mom in the middle of the day and she sends him to rest. 

     They did have a scene between Daryl and Lori which was highlighted by him calling her Olive Oyl. That works for me on two levels. One because Sarah Wayne Callies is looking really stick thin and also because Olive always had two men after her. And then what? She makes one of those really dumb decisions that the characters on this show continue to make. Go search for Rick on her own. Then get into an accident with a walker and have her car overturn putting her in mortal peril. Not just her but the baby. I am sure the writers are trying to find different ways for us to worry about these characters but not when you make them this dumb.

      Herschel is out in the town having a drink or twenty at some bar while his family needs him, including one that goes into some type of shock. See, I didn't have as much a problem with this one. Except for the fact that he has his back turned away from the door. This brings me to what I found to be the most interesting part of the episode. Two stray outsiders walk in and have a quiet type of menace to them. They chitchat and mention destinations in passing. And the discussion turns a bit philosophical when the smaller of the two strays mentions the stuff that they have had to do and that he's sure even Rick has had to also to survive. It's a shame too, when it ends so quickly. Because in a world with no rules that's the type of thing we would see happening more often.

      I'm also sorry because it showed a hint of something that happens in "The Walking Dead" comic book series and it's a danger from other humans. Also, the actor with the most dialogue in that scene was Michael Raymond-James who is small in stature but has always acted with a quiet menace to him. He guested in one scene and that was it. Is that why he isn't even listed on the IMDB page credits?

      This series has really run out of any momentum it had earlier this season.

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog review

First of all I want to make note that this review is meant for people who have already watched this. There are spoilers everywhere!

"Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" is only 42 minutes long. (Left me wanting more!) It was made for the internet by Joss Whedon. (Genius!)

It's about a minor league criminal evil scientist type played by Neil Patrick Harris (very talented!) self named Dr. Horrible who is not really that horrible but is ambitious. He has a vlog where he answers questions from followers of his exploits while he practices his "Evil Laugh of Evil" and brags about "a letter of condemnation from the deputy mayor, that has some weight...fingers crossed" which will help him be accepted as a member of "The Evil League of Evil".

It's divided into three acts like a play. In fact, I can see it become one if they wanted to turn it into one. The first time you watch it, the first four minutes have a slow WTF-is-this vibe. Once it gets four minutes in and introducing Penny, the girl that Dr. Horrible sees in the local laundry frequently and likes, you get the first song and a feeling for what they are doing with this. Yes, I watched it a second time. The second time the first four minutes aren't slow but charming as it sets up Dr. Horrible's vulnerability played strongly by Harris.

As this (mini-movie?) continues the doctor is awkward and painfully shy around Penny while he also schemes to steal some wonderflonium he needs to finish his freeze ray (ahem, Death Ray) and become the "horrible" villain he is trying to become. But in his path comes "Captain Hammer", a bragging, boastful, over confident hero who is introduced trying to foil the robbery while singing one of the funniest songs  "A Man's Gotta Do". Not only does he ruin Horrible's plan but also gets to save the girl, Penny, the pretyy sympathetic girl that just wants to open up a building fr the homeless. Distracted by Penny, Hammer is taken by her while Horrible gets to steal the wonderflonium.

Cue act two: it shows Dr. Horrible in a stunned and vulnerable state. This little scene focusing  silently on his face sets up the ending perfectly. I'll return to this.

What I found interesting was the irony of both Horrible and Hammer lying about things to Penny. Horrible doesn't show who he is and doesn't like helping the homeless or doing laundry but he tells her that he does to stay in her good graces. Hammer fakes sincerity but can't even bare to be touched  by a homeless person. May not even want to look at them. This is where Nathan Fillion (an actor of boundless charisma)  does great work with his expressions.

The melodic songs are easy to listen to, understand the lyrics, funny and at times touching. Every character gets to sing and one of the best songs was the "So They Say" one sung by several characters, even news anchors, groupies and more.

By the final act, I was already so taken by this thing (movie?) that I wanted it to last longer! And I kept getting flashbacks to "Despicable Me" and wondered if this inluenced the creators of that one.

At one point in the final act, Dr. Horrible sings a line about how  there are "no happy endings for me anyway". Wonderful foreshadowing. For when in the end the climactic fight between Horrible and Hammer comes to a head with the now named "Death Ray" playing a big part and in a not-the-way-he-thought manner killing Penny. Still in the end she sees Billy aka Dr. Horrible as himself and not the villain and all she worries about is him and that he is all right! And not to worry, Captain Hammer will save them. Then she dies. Heartbreaking.

Joss Whedon and company then launch the final song sung by Neil Patrick Harris in a more aggressive way to express how this results in his turning bitter and into a murderer now thought to be horrible like his namesake. This ends with that final two second shot of him sitting alone in a sad shock with the last two words "a thing". End.

What??? I wanted more!!! Positively freaking loved this thing! Major shout out to one particular friend who recommended this!
    

  

The Walking Dead mid season finale

This second season mid-season finale was about realizations for all the characters. From Sophia's mom coming to grips with that her daughter may no longer be found alive. Shane knowing that the walkers in the barn are dead and have no cure and should be eradicated. Glenn feeling that he owes more to the people he has survived with than a girl (Maggie) he has feelings for. Dale even with seething inner jealousy still concious of how dangerous Shane can be and is. There is more but that is the feeling I got with this intense episode.

"The barn is full of walkers".

That bought to a head a group that was just a bit passive, searching for Sophia the missing girl in bursts and taking advantage of some of the calmness in Herschel's farm. Still the group doesn't let their guard down. You see Andrea sharpening a big knife and the guns are all being touched and grabbed by either Andrea, Shane or Dale. And in the end, wasn't it a good thing that Dale didn't hide the munitions?

The biggest debate in this episode is between Rick and Herschel and Rick and Shane. Rick handles both differently. With Herschel he is trying to convince him that they can stay and can help at the farm. He's willing in exchange for safe haven of assisting Herschel and his family of corraling the "sick people" and taking them to the barn. This also helped explain how they got all the other walkers into the barn in the first place. This leads to another realization in the end, this one for Herschel when he witnesses Shane put four bullets into the walker that was his neighbor without killing her. Then when he is on his knees mourning in shock what has happened that you can read different emotions coming off his face.

With Shane, it's more personal. Rick is trying to keep control of the group and of his family and uses his last card on Shane by telling him "Lori is pregnant". He knows what effect that will have on Shane but notice how slickly he didn't show all of his cards and tell him that he knows that Lori and him had something and that baby may be his. This news makes Shane more protective but to a point where he will do whatever it takes to protect the group. And that means facing Dale in a manner that could lead to his death and he risks it but gets what he wanted which are the guns. Leading to the gut wrenching finale.

  Did anyone guess that Sophia would be in the barn? As the saying goes, she was right in their backyard! For dramatic purposes it makes sense that she would be the last one to exit the barn in a heartbreaking scene. But it also makes sense because she was the smallest of all of them and leaving the barn last would make sense also. I found it a great touch that even Shane in his almost maniacal intensity pointed the gun down and did not take the shot at the girl. It allowed in a moment of realization (that word again) Rick had to make a decision to put down a child that was a part of their group and became a walker. And that that may be something that can happen again in the future. There is no sickness that can be cured here. You can almost see it in his face.

  What happens now? We have to wait until February. Agghh!

Platonic Friends of the Opposite Sex

    Can I or any other straight male be platonic friends with a female?

   I had to ponder this as it's something that comes up with some regularity in life. Because most people will look at crazy if you mention that a friend you kick it with is of the opposite sex.

   I have many female acqauintances but I also have ONE clear cut female friend. We work together and wound up hitting it off right away. We had some things in common and it turned out she liked the fact that I was a good listener. We wound up sharing long conversations both serious and fun, so of course we bonded.

   It took me longer to trust her than it took for her to trust me but eventually it did happen. The deal here and one reason it makes it all simple for us is that we both see other people. There really is no sexual tension. THAT is the main thing. I recently watched an episode of the always interesting "Louie" show and in it he was hanging with a female friend that thought of Louie in a platonic way and in his case it was the total opposite. And he almost wound up ruining the friendship because he had underlying feelings for her. And if  my female friend and I had any underlying tensions like that, this friendship wouldn't work.

   What separates us from being acqauintances is that we have both spent time with eac others' families and have done favors for each other in times of need. We both get along very well with the opposite sex too. We have discussed dates with others at times and offered candid opinions to each other and advice and anecdotes.

   We're also fortunate that we work someplace where we're not being judged for talking to each other and joking around. I guess the ones that would have trouble understanding are the people that we date.

   But it's a good feeling to have a meaningful platonic friendship that offers different perspectives on things many times. I think most people could have this but there can be NO SEXUAL ATTRACTION.

   Is that possible?

Gravel Truck, Cover Thyself!

   On the way to work in my short five mile trek I don't have to deal with too many road annoyances. But this time I was ticked off because of something that is against the law AND common sense and still is seen on the freeways.

   No, not the texting driver, the eating on the way driver, the makeup applying driver or even the zig zag crossing the lanes with no blinkers driver.

   This is just a big truck carrying gravel. Without a cover or tarp over it.

   The sound of teeny gravel pebbles falling feet or yards away behind it as it gets on the freeway. The sound of little tippity-taps as the gravel hit your car. And the sound of my mouth as I hold my breath hoping that I don't get a cracked windshield out of this.

   Ohhhhh (imagine sounding like Simmity Sam here) Ohhhhh, that varmint! You see, I don't care about the exterior of my admittedly old jalopy of a car. But what I do care about is not having to fix a cracked windshield because someone decided it was a good idea to get on the freeway at 55+ miles per hour driving a truck that is releasing pebbles at an unacceptable rate. Acceptable rate is zero.

   Well, I made it through okay. Having three lanes and moving two away worked fine. But what about other drivers?

*The ones with brand new cars.
*The ones driving a convertible.
*The ones on motorcycle.
*The ones that have no choice but to get behind this truck and get that cracked windshield or worse.

   Has something like this happened to you? Or really just annoyed you?

I'm the Juggernaut, Bitch!

From Friendliness to Flirting

   So I ask myself, is innocent flirting with a person that has low self esteem a no-no? I now realize it can very well be.

   At my job there is a female in the front office that is friendly and cordial. Not my type but has a good natured personality and welcoming smile ever since I started working there.Interacting with her came easily. She assisted me with paperwork when I began there and I just used my sense of humor to cheer her up when I greeted her. This escalated into everyday hellos and accompanied by comments on how she was a light on a dark day. Yes, talk about cheesy!

   A little flirting would happen on my behalf  just to pass the time. I actually DID want to make her feel good and maybe cheer her up. At some point soon afterwards, she began to be 'playfully' upset that I was paying and being payed attention by other women. This is where office politics come into play unexpectedly.

   There is a female there that she seems to have a rivalry (?) with. Where she feels she does not get the male attention she deserves because of this other female. This other female and I flirt to the point where we call each other 'future husband/future wife'. No big deal but just nice comments thrown about but we both know we're not taking it any further. Sort of an unspoken deal we have. But the first female (front office one) had some questions and the one thrown at me was that she "needs" to know if I like her more than the other one. As Scooby Doo would say "Roh oh!"

   Not wanting to ruin a friendship, I patiently asked what was wrong. So she goes on a long admission (confession?) that she has self esteem issues and needed to know I liked her more! Too late I realize I felt like I was being trapped in a slowly closing trash compacter ala "Star Wars".  I don't want to be a dick either so instead of doing the manly thing of just telling her that she needed to get over that and not involve me in any personal office rivalry politics or tell the truth and say that I wasn't really attracted to her, I proceeded to patiently say "I'm a man and I flirt. I pick no favorites and my favorite would be the one I'm sleeping with."

   Which is still a dickish way to answer.

   I did not want any drama at this job. How should I have handled this?

Should he have snooped through her things?

   I work at a place that shall remain nameless here, but that some of my closest friends that read this may know. I will keep it nameless because of course I want to be able to keep a job! That being said...

   On occasion a bag belonging to someone is forgotten and afterwards we find it. Mostly handbags. Or small luggage. In the past there had been an employee that had been stealing, er, stole for the first time and was caught on said first time. That person was caught in a similar way. That person forgot their handbag and once it was checked for identification and who it belonged to, security saw some items that had no business being there and belonged to the place that person worked for. That became a "Here is your bag and you're fired" deal.

   Now as I found this handbag this time, I was not about to sift through it looking for identification or anything. Knowing the person that forgot the bag, I tried solving the situation by sending it back to it's proper owner before that person was gone for the day. My manager was standing a few feet away when I found it and stopped me so he could take a look at it. Not waiting for any security he then proceeded to look through that persons' things. I mean, makeup being moved around, ladies' personal items and even lunch/dinner. Containers opened, other parts unzipped. At this point I'm feeling uncomfortable because I can tell the manager was searching for something incriminating. But everything checked out well.

   The thing is, I felt uncomfortable about the whole deal. I felt that the manager should not have searched through the handbag. Maybe I'm wrong about feeling this way? 

  

       

What is going on in this pic?

   I like the idea of DC Comics reorganizing and trying something new with their line of comics. And I like the teaser art for the relaunch. Jim Lee is still boss. But still, what exactly is going on there? Let's see...

• Batman: He is stuck right in the middle of all the other heroes. He always is in the shadows or in the middle is fine for a selling point. Front and center. But he has to be uncomfortable. The heat from Cyborg and Flash should be burning him up. Green Lantern has some machine gun right next to him. Hope Bats has his earplugs. Superman flying over him will probably make Bats cape go right over his head and cover his floppy ears. Aquaman smells of fish. I'm not even going to mention that if he looks up and right he is looking straight into Wonder Woman's 'chesticles'.
  
  *Aquaman: Poor guy. There is almost no way you can make this guy look regal or powerful in between everyone else. Besides having a cool hairstyle because everyone knows Atlanteans have great hair products. And what is he doing there? Is he leaping? He's not surfing. He is carrying a trident that looks like it was made at the same "Lowe's" that Blue Devil's was. What is going to do with it? He won't be allowed to spear anyone. And will the Justice League's enemies always know they're about to show up because of the smell of fish?
  
  *Green Lantern: Okayyy. WHERE is that machine gun coming from? It actually looks like he is wearing it as a jockstrap! Is it really coming out from his manhood? Because that's what it seems like! Way to go, GL. Now people know you're making up for some shortcomings. Wonder Woman is not impressed.
  
  *Wonder Woman: You are not a very good cowgirl. That lasso looks like it will get caught on the tip of Aquaman's trident. And looks like you were fairly close to looping it around GL's neck and causing either an accidental hanging or knowing his freaky self, bringing him to Michael Hutchence type fame. Careful with that thing. And speaking of thingS, you really need to cover up a bit. Yeah yeah, I know Superman has seen it all before but do you REALLY want to fight Dr. Light wearing that?
  
  *Superman: He's just chilling. Flying. With his eyes closed perhaps. Showoff! And that green from GL's ring around his manhood looks suspiciously like kryptonite green. GL really is that insecure that he is doing that? Shenanigans I say!
  
  *Cyborg: No complaints about him. Lee drew him in a position like he was about to tackle someone a la James Harrison. He is the only one that seems to be smiling. Probably because he's been upgraded from the Titans to the Justice League. Plus he's a human computer. He may actually be reading the latest from cracked.com in there.
  
  *Flash: No complaints here either. He looks good there even though he is photo bombing. All he needed was crazy eyes or something like that.
  
  That is my take on this. And doesn't Batman look like he was hitting the weights quite a bit? He looks bigger than Batista!

What the hell have you done with "House"?

   Season seven of "House" is probably the penultimate season of the series. I have enjoyed this show big time ever since it began back in 2004. Now in 2011 I don't want to say the show 'jumped the shark' because I find that term antiquated and overused. But it's done some damage that I (finally) feel cannot be fixed.

   (Spoiler alert)...House drives his car straight through Cuddy's house into her dining room almost killing her and some guests. He calmly hands her a comb that he was returning to her and walks away, er, limps away.

   Several things are wrong with this scene. Not only because the writers who are fairly smart decided it was smart to write House as unhinged and almost a murderer, but also by committing this act (crime!) he may have passed the point of fans like me seeing him as flawed and grumpy and now almost Vic Mackey in a hospital. The patience with which Lisa Cuddy and best friend Wilson have dealt with him for many seasons of him treating them like dirt and no real redemption nor payoff for his character or how he treats them. They must be destined for angel wings the way they have been so patient with someone who has made them miserable. SO MANY TIMES!

   AND do the guests in the house where said car now resides call the authorities? Do they ask him how he is? No. They stare at him. Okay, shock and all that. But then he walks away, er, limps away. How far would he really have gotten? No neighbors are outside with their cameras taping it all for "YouTube". None.

   If that had happened where I live, about 50 people would show up in the first minute alone. And held the guy that drove the car.

   In the end he is on some beach...somewhere. On the lam as they used to say in old movies.

   Writers of "House", you have just fallen for what afflicts every show that feels they need a big send off for a season finale. So, writers of "House", how do you fix this and will I even care?

   From a loyal and disappointed fan.

  

Funny and Weird Drink Names

Besides the Flaming Dr. Pepper and the Chocolate Covered Grasshopper, what is there?!
Roll Me Over and Do Me Again
Purple MotherFucker
Jamaican Me Crazy ( I LOVE this pun!)
Sex With an Alligator
Gets Ya Laid Coffee
Godmother’s Lesbian Lover (Ha Ha Ha)
The Lost Tourist (sounds like I won’t drink that one on my trip to Mexico!)
Smurf Piss (these are ALL real)
Duck Fart (who comes up with these?)
Bend Me Over (someone was drunk when they came up with this one)
Alien Secretion
Hop, Skip, and Go Naked
Don’t Spread Your legs in the Jungle (yeah, insects n stuff)
Santa’s pole (this one makes me chuckle)
Tie me to The Bedpost, baby
The Spitting Hamster
Fuck Me Rough
Vulcan Death Probe (drunk by nerds everywhere)
Suicide (never drink this one on a bridge)
And the one that tickles my funny bone the most…
LegsSpreader
There are plenty more out there, but these are my personal faves. You can look them up, they’re not invented by me.
Any additions?