Monday, April 22, 2013

TV Discussion: Week of 4/21/2013 - 4/28/2013

Hello TV Addicts!  Here's our weekly place to discuss the non-recapped shows.  I'm assuming we'll be getting into some pretty intense Game of Thrones discussions.  We have some book readers and some non-book readers.  So, we'll try to precede any book stuff with a "SPOILER WARNING".   See you in the comments!

36 comments:

Mike V. said...

Watched ONCE, GoT, AND Mad Men. I'll discuss everything later when I have time, but.

Game of Thrones: I've been looking forward to this episode for awhile. There's an interview with the producers and Emilia Clarke (Dany) on how that final scene was one of the scenes that convinced them they had to do this show. (Just for clarity, it's only ONE of them...there are still more coming) They handled it amazingly. Not sure how they swung that on a TV budget, but it was great. The only complaint I would have is that they showed Drogon (the dragon) breathing fire in season 2, when in the book this was the first time he used his fire and it shocked everyone reading it. But, I don't think it took away for how awesomely handled the scene was. The Night's Watch stuff is exactly how I remembered it too. Same with Arya's storyline. If you go back to season 1 you can see Ned Stark give his orders to take down The Mountain. The actor who played Ser Beric Dondarrion was a different actor since he only had one line back then. So, we can let that slide! Great stuff. The rest of the episode was great too. A few slight changes, but it all worked. Still 6 more to go this season. Starting to see how they'll squeeze 2 seasons out of this book.

http://insidetv.ew.com/2013/04/21/game-of-thrones-dragon-scene/

Anonymous said...

GoT-Starting to see the bonding of Brienne and Jamie. Mormont's death has the Night's Watch in turmoil/vulnerable. I will miss him, great character and actor. So, who's going to take care of the many Caster's women?

Varys looking out for Sansa,really??

I've been waiting for the Drogon/Kraznys scene--he's not a slave--great line by Danaerys. The way the TV show was moving, it was almost obviously coming. Great reveal on D speaking old Valyrian. Continues to reinforce the importance of Targaryen blood, IMHO--and brings me back to Stannis's blood being important probably because of it. Also reinforced with the Joffrey/Margaery historical review--things that the Targaryens have done.

I noticed the tree growing out of Wintefell during the openings--it's one of those special warging trees--forget their name.

Vikings--another great ep. I really thought the priest was done for. Season finale next week--way too soon. I don't trust the King.

Richard

MJ said...

GofT - I knew she wouldn't give up one of those dragons, just didn't know how she was getting around it! Loved that she understood what that a** was saying the whole time too. And what was that crazy stuff with the Nights Watch ! They killed the lord commander ! So did not see that coming. And forcing Jamie to wear his severed hand - ewww! Poor Sansa ! Her character is so annoying but I still feel sorry for her as I'm sure she should not be trusting Margaery. Ok - so who'd Varys have in that crate? Surely not the guy he was talking about who many years ago made him a eunich ? Theon - still confused about him but I guess I'm supposed to be at this point. But NOW he figures out that the Starks actually treated him pretty well ? LOL Surprised the Podrick thing came back up (no pun intended). Figured it was just an amusing thing for last week only.

Haven't watched Once yet.

Grimm - so far I don't see Grimm on for this friday at all, never mind it being Ring of Fire that should have aired on the 19th

Mike V. said...

Game of Thrones:

Yep, the Jaime/Brienne stuff is as fantastic as I hoped. They're really making us feel sorry for a guy that pushed Bran out a window and illegitimately fathered Joffrey. lol He's a really misunderstood dude with a lot of baggage. Hopefully, they can somehow get more of his thoughts from the book portrayed on the show.

RIP Lord Commander Mormont. He was definitely great in the role. And what an unceremonious end. But, it's exactly how it went down in the book and as shocking. Poor Jorah Mormont is on the other side of the world and doesn't even know his father was just killed. lol I don't even remember what happened with Caster's women in the book....I only remember Sam and Gilly fleeing just like they did in the show. I wonder if Sam will team up with Grenn and that other dude that he's always hanging out with. I don't think he did at this point in the book...but they skipped a really big scene during the Battle at the Fist of the First Men....So, I thought surely it's still coming. (Won't comment in this non-spoiler area what I'm talking about lol)

Varys looking after Sansa - What's the problem with it? Varys is playing the game...he's the master of whisperers, looking out for the realm. Gossipping with Lady Olena. That scene wasn't in the books, but it was fabulous. There was someone looking out for Sansa in the books but his role was highly diminished in the show. The drunken knight...can't remember his name but they showed him in the season 2 premiere. Ser Doros or something? We find out later who he was under the employ of. I think this will work out. But regardless, the dialogue Varys had with Olena (sp) was interesting. Also interesting that margery proposed marriage of Sansa and Ser Loros (whom Sansa has always had a crush on). Margery had another brother and that marriage was originally set up for Sansa. I guess they're reducing the character list again. It works...except for the fact that Loros is a Kings Guard and can't get married. lol I don't want to say anything further for if that will cause large problems or not because I might accidentally spoil something!

The Tree of Winterfell....it's a Heart Tree in the Godswood. They showed that tree close up in the season 1 premiere...and Maester Llewyn died there in season 2 as well. But yes, it's a good time. As for Targaryen blood....I'm sure it's important, but I see the relevance in other ways. There is a lot of back story with the Targaryen's and it's all important information, so it's great that they're finding ways to share that info. The significance of Dany knowing the language had a smaller effect over the 4 episode arc....she played Kraznys for a fool. He was bad mouthing her all of this time and she understood it. She also knew that Missendi was a decent person for censoring his thoughts (and of course Dany hates slavery). But yeah...the entire scene was just bad ass.

The Theon stuff went down just like I thought it would even though it's not in the books. It's leading to what's in the books. But at least we know where he is now. He's at Deepwood Motte. Makes sense I think if I recall the books right. lol Really don't want to comment further on this storyline so we'll just watch it play out.

Oh yeah and the Theon/Varys stuff was great too. Varys originally tells that story in book 2. and the whole sorcerer in the box is not from the books but it was fantastic.

Love that they are carrying the Legacy of Podrick's "Session" forward. lol

Mike V. said...

Vikings - 3 episodes in and still enjoying!

Grimm - MJ, give the DVRs time to adjust. I read all over the place that it would air on Friday this week. We'll see what happens.

Game of Thones - (response to MJ comments lol)

Actually, I think I discussed a lot of what you talked about above anyway. lol

As for the guy in the crate...no I think we are supposed to think it's the guy that made him a Eunich. He's a red priest just like Mellisandre. But, I think the point was just to show that Varys is very patient but is playing his game and getting his revenge. (And the sorcerer may or may not have just been a metaphor for bigger things. :))

Yeah, they're definitely making Theon a very sympathetic character in the show. I think GRRM is still having a tough time doing that in the books. lol But yes, I think we're all supposed to be confused with his storyline. I only know where it ends up so I have to be careful with what I say!

Anonymous said...

Ser Loras Tyrell--intersting what Varys has caused. I wonder how Cersei will feel about that since she's worried the Tyrells are becoming too powerful. Interesting that her Dad agrees with her brother that she's not as smart as she thinks she is. But, in this case I think she may be onto something..... Poor Sansa, I don't think she could handle Loras as well as Margeary did Renly. Margeary and Lady Olena seem very smart/capable--loved Olena's take on flowers.

Varys opening the crate to expose the sorcerer who castrated him was great--his mouth had been sewn shut--I guess to keep him from doing sorcerer stuff. Just another reason why I don't trust Varys--that lack of trust of course leading to questioning his motives re Sansa.

Yea, the Heart Tree--it is blooming/growing more than before or at least appears that way due to destruction around it. I think some important symbolism of course.

Mike, at some point, I would like to know your different perspectives on the Targaryens--blood lines, etc.

I thought the horse parts spread in an art form were a result of the battle at the Fist of First Men--referencing Mormount loosing over 300 men. So they probably did skip it?

I wonder if Tyrion found some money... Good time to leave that job to someone else, says Baeylish to himself--IMHO.

Will catch up on Madmen later. Bummer about Grimm

Richard

Mike V. said...

Game of Thrones TV STUFF

Did Varys cause that proposed merger? Hmmm, didn't even think about that. I guess it's possible. lol In a sec I'm gonna skip down to talk some light book stuff.

Yeah, Cersei really is an idiot in the books...and in the show. lol It only becomes more apparent later on. But, she's so awesome as an idiot, I love seeing the train wreck. The funny thing is that Tyrion, Tywin's most despised child, is his most competent. And Tywin is a master strategist.
Hmm, I'll have to watch various opening credits again to see if the tree blooming changes. lol

Fist of the First men - That battle was hinted at at the very end of season 2...and season 3 opened with a black screen and lots of battle noises. That was it. They definitely skipped showing it. But, I don't think they would skip Sam's scene. That has to happen at some point. And it's still a long way back to Castle Black.

lol...yeah Tyrion is gonna have fun with his new job!!

GAME OF THRONES BOOK STUFF (spoilers!!):

So, we know that the marriage to Loras will never happen. As Sansa is going to get promised to someone else quite soon. In the book I think this already happened by now...but they really seem to be dragging out the King's Landing plot this season intentionally. I think that wedding might happen in the 2nd half of this season. I think the ROYAL WEDDING (purple) will be a season 4 thing. But, there is one other wedding that will definitely be featured this year. lol Speaking of which...have you noticed Tywin writing lots of letters in his scenes? Surely, they are showing his "war of words" in action...as we will see the result of that later on this season. "MASTER STRATEGIST"

I don't really have a different perspectives on the Targaryans. Obviously, they are one of the 4 major houses in Westeros. The Game of Thrones Logo at the end of the opening credits shows that. Dragons, Direwolves, Lions and Stag. So, their family history is very important. Dany is obviously special and is the blood of the dragon. She survived fire, she brought dragons back from extinction. Some say she is the fulfillment of a prophecy herself. The history of the Targaryans also may play into Jon Snow's birth if theories turn out to be correct. So it's all important. I've never focused much on who's blood is in who's body though. lol I'm sure it will come into play and has since Mellisandre has an interest in Stannis and other Baratheons...and eventually Jon. But, I haven't done my research beyond that...so feel free to share anything else you think! lol

Anonymous said...

Some spoiler book stuff on GoT

Yea, I see the T+S wedding happening later this season. Maybe last ep after RW???

I guess I'm not nearly as interested in the Kings Landing stuff as the core of the ice and fire theories, etc. Understanding that we haven't yet been dealing with the true battle of humankind. That story is still not fully developed and so the mystery of it and it's huge implications are what I think about most.

So, I am theorizing that the Targaryens are special as they represent the core of the fire along with the dragons--or vice versa--lol. They married their own for example--I think to keep the bloodline "pure". Gendry and Jon don't have silver hair, but we know why--probably.

The following from wiki of ice and fire:
Velaryons, like the Targaryens, often have the Valyrian features of silver hair and purple eyes.

From what I can tell the Targaryen blood has mixed with and resulted in descendants with only Baratheons and Valeryons. So, that makes them particularly important IF a part of the "fire" are the Targaryens as well as their dragons.

Richard

MJ said...

GofT - well if Theon is at Deepwood Motte we do know that his sister took that city as ordered by her father, so hmmmm. Isn't the brother that Margaery is trying to set Sansa up with the gay one? he was Renly's lover. Yeah - The Lady Oleann/Varys conversation was fun. Jamie/Brienne - eating after she told him too - guess they are bonding as you already discussed.

Fios's guides were a wreck this weekend. I found a Vikings marathon next saturday and set them up to tape, then later saw in the schedule that I was taping all these Pawn Stars and How the States got their shapes. Whaaat? Yet when I searched for Vikings it said that was on at that time. LOL Fios doesn't have ep 1 and 2 on demand any more so I have to wait for them to air it again. Unlike yoy youngsters I have no desire to watch it on my pc or tablet - want it on my nice big 50 incher.

From last week - Revolution is still marked as new on Fios DVRs so it tapes it no problem.

Mike V. said...

GAME OF THRONES - NON-SPOILER

@MJ - True...maybe they're not really at Deepwood Motte, I just assumed Theon would recognize it. But yeah "THE BOY" that was escorting Theon talked about his sister being there. Maybe they're somewhere else. I really have no idea! lol

Yes, Sansa is being set up with gay Loras. lol That didn't happen in the books but she was set up with another Tyrell...so it should suit the purpose I think. The only thing is Loras is Kings Guard and they cannot marry. But, maybe Sansa doesn't really know that. lol
I don't
watch too many things on my computer or devices...only when necessary! lol But good to know Revolution is set to record. It is at my house too. Maybe TiVo fixed their previous issues. lol

BOOK STUFF:

@Richard - I hear you on what is still a mystery and agree that those are definitely fun to discuss. I do enjoy the King's Landing political scheming too though. The whole story is just very fascinating. Things can move at a snail's pace but it's all very interesting. But yeah, are thoughts with the Ice and Fire stuff are pretty much aligned. I usually only think about Dany = Fire and Jon = Ice But it can be extended like you say. I'll write more later if I can. Have a meeting in a couple minutes! lol

MJ said...

I read EW's recap - I don't know if it's me or just my mood but I didn't think Dany's thing was such a game changer. I loved the whole scene from start to finish - but a game changer? I always assumed we'd see her dragons breathing fire, always assumed that she'd get an army eventually, figured she'd not really give up one of the dragons for that army - so how was this game changing?

Now the Nights Watch killing their own leader was more game changing to me (as non-book reader). Now a bunch of men (some of whom were not good people to begin with) are loose without any controls and as the reviewer did mention - in a camp full of women do we think they will keep to any vows they made?

Anonymous said...

GoT,
I think you're right--a camp full of women and uncontrollable men who have been w/o women for a long time.

I wasn't surprised by the Dany events. But, getting her army changes her abilities in a real way vs theoretical, imho. What she does next is interesting.


GoT--some book stuff



I too think/thought of fire=Dany, ice=Jon, but now I'm beginning to reevaluate after reading more and thinking about it. For example fire=dragons/Targaryens, ice=the others/white walkers??? It will likely require the dragons to beat the white walkers in the end? But in the original battles with white walkers(8000 years ago), I don't recall the dragons being used.

Richard

Mike V. said...

@MJ

James Hibberd has read the books too and he's been hyping this episode up for awhile because he's seen it. He probably went a little too overboard on praising it. lol Game changer...the fact that she has an army now certainly changes the game. And again..in the books, this is the first time a dragon breathed fire...we were led to think they were too young and it just came out of nowhere. In the show...we had already seen it in the House of the Undying. But yeah...that scene in the books was just oustanding and can definitely see it as motivation to do the show. But there's another one coming that sealed the deal. Hopefully TV viewers get the same reaction that book readers did. lol But, I'm gonna guess it won't be the same reaction. I'll just be relieved that we can finally talk about it! Back to Dany again...her story just gets a little more interesting now at least through book 3. Season 2 there wasn't much for her to do...but there's lots of meaty stuff in book 3. So, in that sense it's a game changer as well.

Night's watch stuff was definitely a game changer as well (in more ways than one). I didn't even think about the night's watch people with all of the girls...I know richard brought it up too. lol I may have thought about that during the books...but then it wasn't really focus if I recall.

BOOK STUFF:

Oh yeah...I think about that too. When I say Dany = Fire...I refer to everything surrounding Dany which includes her dragons. lol I figure the battle for the throne is just a minor subplot in the grand scheme of things. Those dragons will be needed for the fight against the white walkers. As for 8000 years ago, I don't realy know if the dragons were involved in that battle or not. The only time Dragons are mentioned is with Aegon Targaryan's reign as king (i think)

Anonymous said...

One thing, when Dany took her soldiers, etc(over 8000) out of Astapor, I asked myself did she leave it better off then she found it. I'm not so sure she helped the city by dramatically changing it and then leaving it--particularly not without a transition plan to a new economic/philosophical way. There did not seem to be a clamoring for freedom/change by those living in Astapor. Maybe they didn't know there could be another way.

It will be interesting to see the new city leaders and them at work.

Also,it's just a real world thing, but I didn't see much support staff/logistics for the 8000 unsullied--lol.

Richard

Mike V. said...

Don't know how to answer your question without getting into "BOOK STUFF" :-) lol So, be warned below!

LOL...You see, I keep thinking you've read the books (i know you've just done research on them). Pretty much Dany's story in Slaver's Bay is a giant mess that Martin has been trying to get out of for years. That question you ask was definitely posed in either future chapters of A Storm of Swords or maybe it was in A Dance with Dragons. Martin got comsumed by the political consequences of what Dany was doing in Slaver's Bay...and how she just can't make a clean break for Westeros without leaving the other side of the world in turmoil. He initially wanted to fast forward in time to go right to the conclusion of the story. Let the dragons get bigger, let the kids get bigger (like 5 years)...and then have Dany head west. But, he got into issues with slavery and the towns being all out of whack due to what she was doing. It all comes to a foot in Meereen....he needs people from the West to come in contact with Dany, yet Dany is still in political turmoil. There was a reference to this all in last week's episode when Tyrion referred to the Meereenese Knot. That is what has taken Martin 10 years to get himself out of. We can only hope that book 6 will have Dany free and clear of those troubles. lol

But yes...we do hear from Astaphor again. And it's not all thanks and praise for Dany!

Anonymous said...

Saw Madmen--At the ending of last week and this week I thought some significant tell tales on Don. Last week, him sitting on the floor near his doorway in seeming desperation. This week, Silvia telling him that she prays for him to have peace with himself.

So, no beans or ketchup now. Great scene at the coffee shop with the 2 different agencies. Brings up an oft heard phrase over the years.."buyers are liars".

Of course Don's not wanting his wife in love scenes is almost laughable, obviously double standards, etc.

Loved Roger asking if they should fire the guy before he cashes the commission check.

I've heard they may want to film in FL for a NASA storyline.

Richard

Leslie said...

Mad Men – Don’s face when he came out and saw Peggy waiting to pitch ketchup was priceless! Don and his double standards for Megan – wow, classic Don! The scene with the other couple inviting them back to get to know each other was hysterical. And, Don still shows up on the set to watch Megan shoot her love scene. Good grief!

Harry was a total ass about Joan! He should be thankful he got that commission check that was larger than his whole year’s salary and not be a partner where he has to contribute in bad times. There’s a downside to being a partner. Remember Lane?

Anonymous said...

Defiance--Saw the beginning of the pilot, best part was the Johnny Cash song--LOL. I am a Cash fan, hoped to hear more, but no luck in the new ep tonight.

So tonight we saw more what was going on with the Volge attack, etc. Trying to figure out how the old St. Louis was covered over, including the sky scrapers, but not the arch. BTW, I have been at the top of the arch-lol. Did we miss how they get water, haven't seen any rivers,lakes,etc?

I thought the ketchup deal would take up more eps. Something bigger must be on the way.

Yes Leslie, I did think about Lane when Harry brought up wanting to be a partner--good point.

Richard

MJ said...

GofT - I hear both of you and agree her finally getting her army will def have a larger impact ont the fight for the throne, might even make some enemies align against her too, but guess 'game changer' is what I didn't agree with as I always thought this is what would happen. I'm taking his words too literaly I guess.

Following - yay! Claire got to stap Joe again ! LOl This was one crazy episode. Emma kills jacob ( he did say that he didn't think he had much longer to live), Claire gets away and gets captured again - like mother like son - and Debra gets taken and buried alive. And now there is some new mystery guy whom every body has to meet up with (Alex maybe?) - like when we kept hearing about Roderick ! Followers getting shot, hung from the rafters, civilians getting stabbed - love to know the whole body count/injured numbers for this ep. But Joe - wow he's really losing it. Obvioulsy he's not dying - but dang he gotta be close at this point. Still icky watching Joe watch Ryan have sex. Loved the spaghetti dinner - guess followers don't get to eat ? LOL But that chick who stabbed to reporter and then was all crazy-like when talking with Ryan - she was spooky. Not sure what it meant when she said Claire has to die so Ryan can be reborn, guess it went with Ryan saying Already Dead on the sex tape. I guess I don't understand the deeper meaning or whatever - it's crazy.


Once - I'd forgotten that Regina did not know that Rumpy was her adopted kids g-dad yet. And Charming decides to help Gold get with his true love? Really ? Loved Lacey and how she actually liked Gold when he was mean and powerful and not the nice old lecherous guy. Emma didn't get much to do this week - excepts lie very poorly to Regina so she could find out about the beans.

Defiance - no explanation on water - or food yet really. Thought I saw flowing water in the buried nuclear reactor though. LOL Guess the Terra Forming - which grew up and over St Louis crumpled the building but could not topple the mighty arch ! LOL I thought the same as you and while the arch is taller than a lot of bldgs. surely some tall bldgs are similarly tall as it.

Mike V. said...

Mad Men - You guys pretty much covered it! lol I don't know why but I'm feeling pretty "blah" about the show this season. It might be because it's following Game of Thrones every night which is tough since I'm obsessed with it! MM is still entertaining though. Don is a hot mess as always. But, he did seem proud of Peggy when he was eavesdropping on her presentation. I think we all assumed Dawn would get fired due to her color, so it was interesting that Joan did the right thing in firing the other girl. Of course, Harry then went all nuts. lol Good point about Lane.

Am I catching on right? Was Harry selling advertising time for the 1st Super Bowl? I think they started discussing it last week and then continued this week with "Broadway Joe". Pretty cool to see that shown on the show.

As for NASA...interesting. I'm assuming that the Moon Landing would be covered in the final season next year since that was 69. Also, Woodstock won't be far from them...so I could see Peggy or someone attending that. lol But, for them to actually film at NASA? That would be strange.

Vikings - 4 eps in now. The brother is getting seduced by the dark side!

Defiance - Don't think I'm gonna keep up with this one. lol

Mike V. said...

Game of Thrones - Yeah...like I said...it was a bigger game changer in the books because it was the first time a dragon breathed fire and we still thought they were too young for that. lol And it also does make Dany's storyline more interesting going forward.

The Following - Yeah...kinda saw Emma killing Jacob. He was way too honest with her! lol I think I missed the talk of the mystery guy. But I agree it was one totally crazy episode! I figured the crazy lady was saying that Ryan would be reborn into "THE HERO" once Claire was taken out of the picture. Actually, thinking about it in that context and thinking of multiple seasons...maybe Claire will die next week (leaving her available for Justified again lol)...and that will open up Ryan's storyline. I guess the bigger question is if Joe will survive this season or if there will be a new serial killer next year. Maybe this Alex guy. But yeah...the Debra getting buried alive thing was pretty rough!

ONCE: I think Charming realizes is Gold is on better behavior when he is with Belle! lol And yeah...definitely interesting with Lacy liking the evil Gold. Of course, the dialogue was the same as the flashback...and that IS how he won her over the first time. (being his evil self...but showing acts of kindness) Yeah the Emma lie was pretty rough. lol Love that Hurley's still on the show (my bad...TINY! lol)

Anonymous said...

Vikings--Keep up with the priest too. Brother is also very important. But, how Ragnar uses the priest shows his intelligence. I think that's part of what this show is about--that Vikings weren't just brutes, but smart. I believe the Vikings eventually made it to Paris. They found America before Columbus and I wonder if that will eventually be worked in. Ragnar had a lot to do with putting them on this path of expansion/conquering.

His relationship with odin will continue to be important as well.

Richard

Mike V. said...

Vikings - Oh yeah I'm keeping tabs on the priest. And also assumed Ragnar would pick him for his "one treasure". I also figured eventually they would be dealing with "The New World" (as I assumed that's what they originally meant when they were sailing west lol). Not sure how they'd handle that on the TV show. If they'd actually be at see for episodes on end or if they'd fast forward to them getting there and back. lol But yeah...seems like there's a lot they can do with the show. It's definitely entertaining. A good treadmill show. :-)

Leslie said...

Mad Men – I remember they talked about the Super Bowl last week, but the show Harry was pitching this week was a variety show with Broadway Joe Namath with the main sponsor being Dow Chemical to try to turn their reputation to something more positive.

The Following – Definitely a crazy episode! I think it was Alex they referred to as the one they were to meet up with. I guess with Debra getting buried alive let’s us know for sure that she’s not one of them! I know early on we all wondered about her. It will be interesting to see how they wrap this up in the finale.

Anonymous said...

Will Debra be rescued??

Richard

Mike V. said...

Mad Men - Ahhh, guess I just assumed they were still talking Super Bowl ads FOR Dow. lol

The Following - I just assumed there will be attempts to rescue Debra. If they are successful or not, I don't know. I'm guessing there will be at least one fatality on the heroes side. Ryan I'm guessing is exempt...so there's Claire, Debra, Mike and some of the other minor characteres. I'm questioning more if Joe will die or not. Really depends on where they intend to go with season 2.

Vikings - Watched episode 5 today. Basically Ragnar healing from his wounds over the winter months. The wedding scene for the Earl's daughter sorta reminded me of some wedding scenes we might be seeing on another show soon. lol And now Ragnar has challenged the Earl to a duel since he has his brother held captive.

Didn't realize it was a 9 episode season and the finale is Sunday. I don't think I'll be able to catch up but I should finish the season next week some time.

MJ said...

Following - I think they will rescue Debra. Wondering if being buried will trigger some issues for her of her time in a cult though. They can't kill Joe surely ! If they move on and just have some random serial killer then it's not even The Following - then it's Hannibal or Criminal Minds.


Bates Motel - this show has gotten pretty good. Don't know if anyone is watching.

Mike V. said...

Following - True...I just don't know how sustainable the story is. But, that's the issue with a lot of these shows these days. lol

Bates - Didn't start watching yet but it's still recording. I've been following Carlton Cuse's tweets so I knew this week's ep was a big one and his favorite of the season. But, don't know why! :)

Anonymous said...

Vikings--yea, me too--didn't know about only being 9 eps. I think they had NO idea how big it would be(for a cable scripted show). Don't know about S2 qty of eps?

Yea, the brother gets Ragnar going, interesting chemistry between those two.

As Ragnar heals, the priest is watching too.

The guy I can't stand is the short dude helping the Earl--what they did to that boy was awful.

Following--I haven't and may not have time to see the ep. Fox isn't on the OnDemand cable system like the other broadcast networks.

Totally agree with they have a problem with the story line getting old. Like with Claire earlier. Did Roderick bite the dust? I can see where Joe escapes in a finale to carry over into next year using a strong new #2 or a close Ryan/FBI ally turning bad. Some kind of shocker beyond the "normal killing".

Richard

Richard

AUStarwars said...

I'm late to this discussion..as someone that read the books a few times its good to see they handled Dany's scene very well...too bad as a character and whiner its all downhill from here..

Mike V. said...

Vikings - I haven't heard about # of eps in season 2 either. But totally agree with the Earl's #2 guy. He's totally a DB. lol I think he's intended to be. Like this guy that is not physically intimidating but is the Earl's left-hand man so it makes him an ass. lol Of course, he did shoot that arrow into Ragnar. But he did run afterwards like a wuss! lol

The Following - Yeah, that is how I would see it going down too. New followers basically. But, we'll see!

Game of Thrones (Book stuff warning as I'm commenting on AUStarWars's vague comment! lol) - Yeah @AUSW - No comment! lol I think the rest of her Storm of Swords story (season 3 and 4) isn't too bad. And I could see the show handling her story in ADWD better than maybe the book did. Or, maybe there will be room to tweak things. I, personally, didn't think it was THAT bad. Plus, there are some pretty intense things that story, especially near the end of it.

mj said...

I think Following repeats on friday nights

Mike V. said...

I think you're right MJ. It did last week...my TiVo got all screwed up and didn't record it and it caught it later in the week. We had already purchased the episode to watch at that point though!

But, Richard you might want to look into that! (I think you said you missed the ep).

Anonymous said...

Vikings- Check out the mythology part of the history channels website. Yggdrasil tree, interesting in comparison to GoT, so are the many gods. Interesting too comparing the many gods vs one god in both series. But really the actors are just strong too.

Thanks,I'll try to catch up on the following.

Richard

Mike V. said...

Vikings - I'll check it out, thanks! Yeah the show definitely focuses a lot on the Viking gods vs. the Christian God. And of course, Martin metaphorically represents that in his saga as well. Of course there's just tons of religions in Westeros and beyond. lol

I watched the next episode...Ragnar is now the Earl and his brother seems to be plotting against him. I was surprised and not surprised that Gabriel Byrne was killed off. I figured if anyone was a short-term contract it would be Mr. Movie Star. lol But, it seems to make sense for the story. My DVR cut off the end of this episode though. It was with the England King threatening to throw his guy into a pit of snakes. Don't know if he actually did it or not. I'm guessing he did. lol

Anonymous said...

You can catch the eps on the website too. So I won't confirm/deny about the snake pit. Yea, him becoming Earl is historically true as far as I can tell. What happens in the next ep is pretty good too. And they show him exercising some mature judgement.

BTW, that King in Europe seems to have really existed and you can check him out too, if you want.

One thing I like about this time period and subject is that there seems to be enough historical info on the main things, but not enough to fill in all the gaps, so a writer can work this this data and come up with a killer script. Some say Ragnar is a composite figure, some say he was real. His era predates Leif Ericson by about 2 centuries--just found out.

Richard