Monday, March 24, 2014

TV Discussion: Week of 3/23/2014 - 3/29/2014

Hello TV Addicts! Here's our weekly place to discuss the non-recapped shows. See you in the comments!

54 comments:

Anonymous said...

Helix--over 500 years old, wow. Things are happening and Dan is dead. Once I saw him set out to deal with Scythe, it felt like he wasn't long for this world. A great ep. Looks like we're about to exit the lab and take the show on the road so to speak.

Grimm--volga(spel?) too much and you go nutso--seriously our heroes do it ALL the time, kind of a weak premise. Adalind coming back will be interesting for Renard.

Richard

mj said...

Helix - surprised Daniel gave himself to save her though. My jaw dropped a little when he said his age.

Grimm - i think it was if you force vulga too many times, like not doing it naturally. Loved that the whole thing set in a carnival. Ring master being vesen not a surprise though

Vikings - accidently read about crucifixion but didn't realize he is saved from it.

Turn - any one going to check this out? I'm intrigued

Mike V. said...

Turn - I figured I'd set the TiVo for this one. I like the sound of the concept as well. Of course, with Game of Thrones and Mad Men, I probably will be catching up with that one later in the week.

Still haven't watched Vikings or Grimm....almost done last week's Americans. Still haven't watched Justified either. UGH!!

Anonymous said...

TURN--hadn't heard of it. Let me know if it's good.

Blacklist--can't wait for another ep.

Vikings--yea when I saw you accidentally saw something, I was like should I tell her he lives or not--lol. I thought it best you be surprised. But, think about it now as the Priest. Who's left of the Vikings in Wessex, when's Ragnar returning and he's obviously held onto some of his faith.

Helix--yea,listening to Julia it was like they were figuring out how living forever would be. Kind of like vampires--lol.

Richard

mj said...

Justified - you gotta watch! Best death ever on tv.

Turn - billed as first spy ring ever. During Revolutionary war.

Following - Beth fr TWD was on. She looked so strange with nice hair and makeup. Pretty good ep - felt Helter Skeltery to me.

Blacklist - love it when these shows have brilliant teens. lol Tom sure is one cool customer - pretty insane with him and Liz circling the plastic sheets.

Anonymous said...

Blacklist--what a great ep!! So much there, I will watch again. Tom is in trouble now, but Liz may be in more danger now since Tom may suspect something is up and he may get orders to kill her?? Why would someone be watching her, what makes her so important?

Yea, another teenage lover story gone wrong, in the high tech world.

The ending was great and made me feel like Red is her Dad. And I'm OK with it,if he is. Very touching ending. As a Dad I could relate to protecting my daughter.

Red just picked up $8 mill off of this ep. I haven't been keeping up with the dollar flows, but I think Red has made probably $200M or so during these eps?

I knew this was a great ep when towards the end I kept thinking we've got our ep ending scene/climax resolution--then just kept going to another great scene.

Richard

mj said...

Himym - wedding finally ! Ring bear - loved it. Final slap- I liked it for the most part - feel there will be lotsa bitching about it. My only thing with it was really -on the actual altar? But I'm going with it. Even liked the whole locket scenario and Ted saying he's not that guy any more. Don't think its true- but ok with it. Laughed when the vouceover stated this had been one long weekend. Lol. Really liked Barney saying he was done lying. Did not realize the music was an orchestral Sandcastles in the Sand til read it today

Anonymous said...

Forgot to comment on the fire scenes when Liz was younger. That has been referenced in other eps I think from Red's perspective.

Richard

Mike V. said...

HIMYM - Yeah it was pretty much perfect. I thought the slap was great. It came one episode earlier than I expected it but I totally expected it to be sudden like that. Someone had suggested it would be to slap Barney out of a cold feet spell at some point this season (on the EW comments sections)...so kudos to them! As for it being on the altar, I didn't even think about that being a problem. lol

I totally think Ted is finally over Robin. I bought it this time. I thought the episode earlier this season was them burying the elephant in the room...but of course they had to do the whole locket thing. I like how they finally caught up to the flash forwards from seasons' past, and last episode led into it with Barney's tie drama and Robin questioning Barney's love for her and honesty. And it was great that Ted really just needed Robin to say she wanted him (even though she didn't mean it) for him to know that he is over her. It's perfect timing for him to be ready to meet someone else who has a similar level of past significant other baggage.

Loved Robin running into the mother. And Ted's near miss with her. I didn't notice Sandcastles in the Sand either until I read it...then rewatched it and totally recognized it. That was when Barney and Robin originally started their "relationship"...when they watched the video...but then eventually "weren't watching the video". Ring Bear was a good time!

I think they've done a great job in this 2nd half of tying everything up and us getting to know the mother. I feel like we're absolutely ready for the MEETING now! But first, let's party! lol

Finished Americans from last week, started Bates....still have to watch Grimm and Vikings. And I have a feeling after tonight we'll be 2 behind on Justified. :-( It's crunch time with baby prepping. So, we may have some summer catchup to do on a LOT of shows. lol

mj said...

Blacklist - also felt they are leaning toward him as dad again - but I don't like it. lol. Thats actually been my biggest issue wit show - the amt of profit with money and info Red has been allowed to keep

Himym - altar thing - cause you're a guy! Lol. At least it didn't leave a hand print again.

Amc has a short little trailer for our final TWD ep called 'A'.

AHS - newbseason called Freak Show - Kathy Bates coming back

Mike V. said...

HIMYM - Yeah...it was a lighter slap. lol And maybe because I'm a guy! I thought it was more of a potential religious controversy you were speaking to!

AHS - I saw that too, I also saw a whole list of other cast members coming back. And some negotiating to come back. Obviously, the regulars will be back...Jessica Lange, Evan Peters, Sarah Paulson, Frances Conroy etc... Oh and Angela Bassett too.

Found the link:

http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/03/24/american-horror-story-freak-show-details/

mj said...

Himym - I'm way more shallow then that! Lol. all about 'not at my wedding' qnd don't ruin my photos

Blacklist- as EW has stated - Red states emphaticly he has not lied to her and he has said hes not her dad. I want to believe that first one. And it wiilbe lame as heck if they pull a 'I never felt like I deserved to call myself father even though biologically I am' kind of thing

Vikings - heard the priest is forever changed by the incident. Also will struggle with which religion and civilization does he belong with

Anonymous said...

Blacklist--There are lots of clues to say he's her Dad and just as you say, he didn't feel he could say so since Sam was being her Dad. I personally don't think that's lame but can see where it could be viewed as lame. He could also be her uncle and it could be that she had a sister. She also said she was like 14 or 4 when the fire happened, depending on the ep so a little confusing there.

It appeared that both Sam and Red knew the real father and that Red did not want Sam to divulge the info to Liz. He killed him and yet they were friends, seemed like more than a mercy killing??

Vikings--how could the Priest not be screwed up big time, wow. He might play a pivotal future role. Bjorn and the Priest could have a future meeting, they always had an interesting relationship.

I'm also not pulling for Ragnar vs Jarl as much as usual. I mean Jarl was done dirty. Still want to know Horic's status.

Richard

Anonymous said...



Blacklist--a little dated but a good read about the show's secrets--lol.

http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2014/01/13/the-blacklist-creator-reveals-some-of-the-shows-secrets/

Don't forget the scars. I remember seeing those in the alchemist ep, I think.

Richard

Leslie said...

The Good Wife - MJ, do you watch this one? I was SHOCKED with Sunday's episode!

Hope to watch Blacklist and The Following tonight.

Mike V. said...

I don't watch the Good Wife, but I certainly heard what happened! lol Some people are saying there hasn't been an event on Network television that has disrupted the internet like this since the end of LOST. lol

Anonymous said...

Intelligence--actually not bad ep and part 1 of a 2 parter. I don't buy the oriental girl being on their team for real.

Richard

mj said...

Vikings - good point with priest and Bjorn. Jarl def got screwed - but by the king - not Ragnar. Jarl knows this I think but chose to seize Ragnars land rather thengo against the king

Good Wife - second what Mike says - don't watch but certainly heard about it. Read that no one saw that coming. Watched early on so i know who the character was.

Justified - stay away from spoilers. This week was an oh no! And a OMG they didn't !

Intelligence - was pretty good, agreed on chinese chick

Anonymous said...

GoT************book stuff*******************

Can't help myself, have to start getting warmed up for S4--lol.

So, in re AA, Whom do you think is most likely candidate? Have we seen the character yet on the TV show or the books? Is AA also the PTWP--I'm beginning to think this MAY be an area where the books differ from the TV show--but really have no basis to say so. At this point, I think they are the same??

Of course if there are no further dragons to be seen, D has to be AA as far as I can tell. But something tells me that AT will be AA or an as yet unknown character??

AFter thinking about this a little, it seems hard to believe that so much has to happen in just 2 more books--lol.

I mean we are on book 5 and haven't really started on the big story yet from D's POV or most characters.

Richard

Mike V. said...

Justified - Ugh thanks for the heads up...I'll let my wife know we need to watch ASAP. We just watched LAST WEEK's last night. lol That said...seeing Raylan go up against Danny Crowe was hysterical....and seeing Dickie Bennett back was awesome too. (agree he looked thin)

Oh...btw...I saw previews of last night's...they kinda spoiled something big that happens (i.e. in regards to the chief). But, I don't know the end result!

Vikings - I have about 15 minutes more to watch then I'll try to catch up on comments. Just happened to get them on my phone if I'm able to watch during a break today or something. lol

Bates - Norman went all psycho (pun intended) again. Vera Farmiga turned in a great performance with her agony over her past. I forget if Richard Alpert (i.e. Sheriff forget his name) has a family or not...but looks like he started a fire with Zane (pun again..intended!).


Mike V. said...

GAME OF THRONES (BOOK STUFF)

I think we've discussed this before and you've definitely thought about more and researched more the candidates for AA and PTWP. I know that there are things that both Dany and Jon have gone through that fit the bill for some of the stuff. I just can't remember what that stuff is!

Of course, we don't know if prophecies aren't really real either. lol Granted, a lot of the stuff from Dany's stint in the House of the Undying (in the book) has come to pass, so that would suggest prophecies DO come true. lol I'm thinking we have met the character(s) at this point though...

And it's a good question if the show will differ from the books. I originally wouldn't have thought so but now with the show positioning to pass the books...there's a good chance of it. Or they won't even address it.

At this juncture, I don't see AT as a very important character...at least not THAT important. He's just competition for the crown. If Martin is saying that more than one person might sit on the throne before the end, he may get there first...but he won't be the last! lol Hell..maybe Tyrion is one of them especially if his parentage comes into question.

2 books yes...but 2000 pages worth of stuff. Martin has gone on record saying "it ends when it ends"...meaning...if he has to write more and make an 8th book or a 9th book...then that's what will happen.

I don't know if I agree that we haven't gotten to the big story yet. If you think of the STARKS as really the core heroes of this story. (That opinion differs, but they are the first family that we really get to know and root for)....then I would say A Storm of Swords is definitely the MIDDLE of their arc. They're at the lowest of the lows at this point and can only rise from the ashes (or burn off into non existence. lol). Dany's story and Jon's story I've always seen as the slow burn of the saga....meaning the big part of their story will be AT THE END of the story....so I think book 5 ends in a place where Dany is ready to start making the move towards that. Maybe even Jon too....of course that's a cliffhanger...and one that might lead to the whole AA/PTWP stuff...maybe even finding out who his parents are (but I still think that's a last book type of thing).

Anyway...I forgot to tell you. Many chapters of Winds of Winter have been released here and there..or George has read them at book signings. I haven't read really any of them. But there is an mobile app that was just released to coincide with of the World of Ice and Fire book (at least I think it's coming out)....much of the app is locked and you have to pay to unlock. But, for free, there is an excerpt of a Tyrion chapter in WOW. It was certainly entertaining and is getting me excited for book 6!

So..you think you'll read Winds of Winter or will you just read the wiki sites to catch up? lol

Anonymous said...

GOT*********book stuff*******************************

Yes we have spoken about this before and will again likely--LOL!!

My kids have bought at least 2 of the books, will end up buying them all. So, yes, I will buy WoW and will likely read or skim it.

Yea, the Starks as being central is what you think of originally. But, with Tyrion, JS, Danny and AT there seems to be a Targaryen theme(who has the dragons and who is up North--Targaryens--lol) to the overall story, esp since Robert's rebellion is what took them out of power. Obviously IDK for sure. But for now, I'm going with the Targaryen storyline as being the over arching story from a Houses POV. ie, taken out of power and then regaining. But L is an important mother too tying in the S family even if you take a T POV.

I anticipate AT being a big deal since he's a surprise, but could end up being a false AT even--lol. AA will be a big deal and so looking out for Lightbringer. If you look at seriouis AA candidates, they are T. Just another reason I tend to take a T POV.

An interesting consideration. D has completely dominated the Essos side of the story and will more so. Westeros has been a hodge podge with Stark's mostly central. With that in mind and the dragons, could be hard for D not to become AA. The thing is, it's just tooooo obvious--lol.

How many pages has the knot taken up--lol??

Reruns have been on, but I haven't watched--kind of not interested in a way. I saw some of them twice already and really paid attention and so I catch myself when watching a rerun saying--"this or that happens next" and get bored--lol Consequence of having invested a lot already. Maybe there are some nuggets out there. So, if there are some eps you would recommend I watch again, just let me know.

Richard

Anonymous said...

Buy the way, went to purchase the EW special on GoT at Publix. EW is not carried by them.

Sad,I guess I'm not the only one not buying EW--lol.

Richard

Anonymous said...

GoT--sorry to go on, but just found out that D&D got a two year extension to carry them through 6 seasons. Also, much material in last 2 books will not be used. Makes you wonder about the concept of running out of material vs TV production going on their own so to speak??

Richard

Mike V. said...

******************GAME OF THRONES (BOOK STUFF)**********

I don't think the Starks have any interest in the crown. But, by the end of the story they should be in a place where they can reclaim the North...and I'm sure they'll each play their vital role in the threat from the north. Rickon will probably end up being the Lord of Winterfell when all is said and done. Oh and most of all....Eddard's credibility and honor should be restored. The least honorable thing he ever did was supposedly have a child outside of wedlock. It doesn't add up. Finding out who Jon Snow really is should restore that creditbility. Of course, he also went out with people thinking he was a traitor before Joffrey beheaded him. Not sure Martin will go that far to restore his credibility. But, people root for the Starks...and in the end there is hope that the remaining kids will come out of this thing okay. And of course Lady Stoneheart is still looming out there...so who knows how that will come into play! (BTW...I speculated about it last year...but I really think they will end with the Lady Stoneheart scene this year. People would go nuts!)

Obviously Tyrion, JS, Dany are huge characters in this story and we root for them all. I'd say even Jaime at this point too. They're all going to play a large part. Dany may even end up as Queen of the 7 kingdoms. But, that doesn't take away from us following the Stark family from start to finish. Sure, GRRM has broken tradition with who we perceive as the HERO of this story, but there still has to be some kind of structure to follow. If something tragic happens to Arya, I will most certainly throw my iPad off a cliff! lol

Back to the Targaryan thing. Yes, I think they will play a huge part and their return to power is a big deal in the story. But, a big theme of the books and the show is well was it their right to be ruling in the first place? Aegon Targaryan conquered the 7 kingdoms with his dragons. It wasn't his by right either. So, who is to say that Dany truly deserves the crown? Of course, we root for her as well and we want to see those dragons wreak havoc on the Lannisters. (Of course the Lannister family is ridiculously intriguing. We despise Cersei. We hate things that Tywin has done but respect his strategy. We hated Jaime, now we like him...and we've always rooted for Tyrion. But when it comes down to Lannisters vs. Starks, we kind of root for the Starks. GRMM is crazy with giving us conflicting feelings!) Of course...while we root for Dany to come to Westeros and conquer....we know that there is a threat from the North coming. And we know that the dragons will be helpful in that battle. It might aid Dany's quest to be loved by the 7 Kingdoms.

Anyway...I'm rambling. Yes..the Targaryans may fulfill all of the prophecies and end up on the throne and all of that. But, if Jon Snow is who we think he is...he would be the spawn of a Targaryan "AND" a Stark. Fire AND Ice if you will. lol That could unite them for a similar cause in the end. Saving the 7 Kingdoms from certain peril and then claiming the throne for an era of Peace.

Mike V. said...

******************GAME OF THRONES (BOOK STUFF)********** (continued)

I think this boils down to our thoughts on who the true lead of Revolution is. You look at screen time for that, I look at whose point of view we've been kind of following since the beginning and whose we will probably end with. Jack was the main lead of LOST but there were episodes where he wasn't even featured. It was an ensemble cast but we started and ended with him. With this story...we basically start with Eddard (outside of the whole prologue north of the wall) and then dive into his family. There are many main characters to this sprawling epic....but we always read on hoping for that Stark reunion and rebuilding. Sure, larger things that impact the realm are taking place and we're invested in all of that. But, the Starks...we want a happy, if maybe a little bittersweet, ending for the Starks.

As for the AA stuff...I really have no idea. I need to look the stuff back up. lol But yes...Dany being AA would certainly be pretty obvious in the end! But, I think we have clues that Mellisandre has read the fires wrong...she knows that Stannis is NOT the chosen one. But, I thought "all she saw was snow" kind of indicated that Jon Snow plays a big role in these prophetic events. Surely, somehow Dany and/or Jon fit into the prophecies somehow. Especially if (I seriously hope no one who hasn't read the books is reading this) Jon actually was killed at the end of book 5 only to rise again! lol

REWATCHES - Ahh..I get sucked in every time with this show. It's like LOST that way. I always feel like I pick up on more stuff each time even if it's just a reminder. I can't think of any specific episodes to watch though, sorry!

MAGAZINE - Not sure if you have an iPad or iPhone (can't speak to Droid)....but Entertainment Weekly is available digitally too. That's crazy Publix doesn't have it though. Don't have any Publix around here in PA but my wife is from Tennessee so I've been to it down there! We got a good Wedding cake from them. (That's right...our wedding cake is from a grocery store! lol) Maybe Walmart or Barnes and Noble or something? Can't remember the last time I bought a magazine in a store. lol

Just saw you posted again...i'll check that out now. lol

Anonymous said...


Interesting Martin/GOT info:


http://io9.com/george-r-r-martin-says-game-of-thrones-film-being-act-1548324328

Mike V. said...

Game of Thrones (TV Talk) - Yeah, not sure if it was this week or last week but I think I shared some links to that. Maybe not. lol I certainly read it!

They're signed on for 2 seasons but the show has not been officially renewed just yet. (it will be of course)

But yes, they have sat down with GRRM and know the broad strokes of how each character arc ends. But the details just aren't written yet. So the end of the show and the books will probably differ. The problem I see with this is....GRRM is not going to want some big reveals happening on the TV show before he writes them in the book. i.e. R+L = J or maybe even some of the prophecies. Maybe he's not concerned if some of it is being revealed in book 6. I just assumed a lot of it would be final book stuff.

So, I would think that they would be contractually obligated to not reveal certain things if they do indeed get ahead of the books.

But yes...they spoke to a lot of book 4 and 5 not needing to be covered in the show. I would agree to that to some extent. I just wonder if they'll cut out characters completely....like some of the Ironborn stuff.

****"BOOK STUFF"****

Anyway, you asked about the KNOT. lol I think books 4 and 5 pretty much WERE the knot. He had originally planned on "skipping 5 years" after book 3 and have all of the characters and dragons, but he felt like that cheated the readers out of seeing the aftermath of all of the big events. So basically he had to spin his wheels with Dany as he figured out how to get her out of ESSOS and to Westeros....and of course he mobilized people coming towards her too. He went through various rewrites to get it to where he has it...resulting in a 10 year wait for readers to find out what happened to everyone after Storm of Swords. He also originally envisioned the story as a trilogy...but he got very detailed and kept coming up with more stuff and it expanded to 5, then 7. So there's no telling if that'll be the end. (obviously book 4 and 5 were supposed to be one book too but it got too big)

Mike V. said...

GOT - Yeah..saw the film idea too. The issue with that is still that the kids will keep aging!

Sometimes I wonder if George and D&D are all on the same page. Sometimes George just spouts off ideas that he has to keep the show from catching up to the books....and D&D just make definitive statements like "we're doing 7 seasons". lol

Obviously GRRM is a producer on the show and writes a script per season, but I think a lot of these decisions aren't really his to make. But, obviously they want to stay true to his story in the end....so the movie thing is a natural development to consider.

Leslie said...

Good Wife - definitely a shocker! Really good show.

Bates - great performances by Vera and Freddie! They both are great as these characters! Very creepy dynamic with their relationship.

Blacklist - Glad Liz finally knows about Tom. I hope we get the answer to the real connection with Liz and Red by the end of this season. At this point, I just want to know.

Anonymous said...

GoT***********book stuff*********************

JS as both S and T as you say both ice and fire is kind of what I was getting into with LS being his mother and RT his dad. You said it much better with ice and fire.

Funny about Arya--I don't think you have to worry as she's just getting started and will grow a lot this season. I too hope for Starks to come back and there will be a leader in the North from their house. Ned was a big hero of mine and when he was killed off was tough.

I'm not a Danny fan though.

JS dying and coming back is an interesting idea.

io9 has an interview mentioning several things coming up this season. I wouldn't read it if you don't want some spoilers. I think it came from the EW article. Tyrion's trials are mentioned prominently.

Funny about the cake.

Richard

Anonymous said...

Blacklist--I'm not sure when would be good for the REd/Liz relationship to be fully disclosed. The search for the info is one key thing keeping me interested. But, I can see where wanting to know soon makes sense as it could be dragging the storyline out too much.

Richard

Mike V. said...

I'll respond to TV shows in a second. Wanted to share this link with everyone though. It showed up on my facebook feed.

http://graphtv.kevinformatics.com/

Basically, it's all of the IMDB ratings per episode graphically represented for ANY TV show. You can see the quality trend for any show. Naturally, I searched all of my favorite shows. While I already knew it..it was cool to see graphically where the low and high points of LOST and FRIENDS and FRINGE were. Funny seeing that the Slapsgiving 3 episode of HIMYM was rated a 5 but the How Your Mother Met Me episode from this season was rated a 9.5...basically indicating that the show's worst and best episode for the entire series were in the final season. lol Based on IMDB votes of course.

It's absolutely accurate with what the general consensus for worst episodes of LOST and best were. (Stranger in a strange land, Fire + Water worst .....Through the Looking Glass and The Constant BEST) Also interesting to note how awful final episodes are rated in general. Sopranos "Made in America" while the end is memorable the ratings tracked lower than a lot of the season (with season 4 clearly lower than all the other seasons...that is obvious!).....Fringe's finale got the highest rating of ANY of its episodes....but White Tulip, Over There, Peter and a few other ones stand out as some of the best.

Game of Thrones trends very high on the scale...with key high points with Blackwater and Rains of Castamere.

Just cool stuff! I may link to it from this blog for future rerence!

Mike V. said...

@Leslie - Agreed on Bates! I've heard great things about Good Wife. It's just so intimidating an amount of episodes that I'm not sure when I'd ever be able to catch up! Plus I heard one of the seasons (maybe last season?) was pretty bad and you just have to power through it. Maybe it was just a particular story arc lol


GAME OF THRONES ******BOOK STUFF******* DEFINITELY DON'T READ. We're speculating on when things will happen in season 4!!! ********************

So we're pretty much agreed with JS. lol

Arya is easily one of my favorite characters in the book and her chapters were so sparse in Dance with Dragons...but they were all great. She definitely has some great stuff coming up on the show. But yeah...her character arc seems to be headed somewhere important and I doubt GRRM would kill her off. But you never know!

Dany is a tough one. I don't know if I'm a fan of her as much as I just want her to get to Westeros and see where that story is going. But, she is a sympathetic character from the start and one that you build a relationship to root for her along the way. But yeah..book 5 is not her strongest material so she may have some detractors. lol

I've read plenty about season 4 so I'm sure it's similar to what I read in EW. Not really worried about spoilers since we pretty much know what's coming. It's really how they'll employ the plot during the season. i.e. Jaime is in King's Landing early...as is Brienne. So there will be more scenes between him and Tyrion than there were in the books. Sansa is still there as well (but I'm thinking she won't be there too long. I'm hearing PW might be as soon as episode 2). I wonder if they'll start delving into book 4 stuff with Jaime this season since he doesn't get to King's Landing until the end of book 3. i.e. him starting to use his left hand for sword play. He practiced with Ser Ilyn in the books. But, that actor actually was diagnosed with some type of cancer so I'm not sure if he'll be returning.

Sounds like the battle at the wall is going to be pretty spectacular too...they brought back the Blackwater director for it to unfold. Just the budget for every episode this year sounds like they're going for broke on every episode. I'm imagining episode 9 will be Tyrion's "escape" from King's Landing...and what he does during that escape. (Privvy...chains....need I say more? lol) The big thing at the Vale will probably happen at the end of the season....and then of course Lady Stoneheart to cap it off!

I think season 4 will probably top last season. There's just so much stuff that happened directly after the Red Wedding! So excited.

mj said...

Justified - wasn't Danny dying by falling into the grave dug for the dog and stabbing himself just hysterical? The thing with chief was the oh no.

Bates- actor who plays Norman was fab. Our first time seeing Norman'become Norma' and it was chilling. Zane is a total wacko. Loved oxygen girls awkward morning after with pot boy. lol

GoidWife - at the time just had too much to watch so let it go.

Blacklist - interesting that it was some dumb toy that is supposedly popular with kids the age he teaches sitting in the trash was what finally gave her her AHA moment.

GofT - wow, lots of book talk -all very well marked. Thanks guys

Mike V. said...

Justified - We couldn't stop laughing at the Danny thing. And I figured with the Chief! Hopefully he's okay but I don't want to speculate.

GofT - You're welcome! lol

Anonymous said...

GoT---I've been a bad boy--lol. Just read a recap for S4E1 re Chicago premier.

Opening is strong and sets stage as we would expect. Further down the road than we may have expected with some characters.

I will say this again but, can't wait.

Richard

Anonymous said...

GoT--******************************************Book Stuff***************************************

I would expect the PW early on since T is in jail a lot. RIP, J.

Battle at the wall will be spectacular as will PW. Merreen will be a big deal too. I've heard they've added more battles than in the books.

Stoneheart for a last ep is interesting and likely. I had thought it would occur earlier given where we left off. But, there is so much material to deal with I could easily see it being the last ep.

Won't Stannis participate with the battle at the wall, I think he's heading up there at Melisandra's urging?

Of course we will still have Reek to watch--which I wish we didn't.

Richard

Mike V. said...

Game of Thrones

LOL..yes you are bad! That's enough of a teaser for me. :-)

*******BOOK STUFF**************

PW - I think I'm pretty certain it'll be episode 2. Most people previously thought episode 4.

Agreed on Wall

Meereen - Yeah anything they can do to enhance the story from the books will be welcome! lol But, I recall the initial arrival at Meereen (I can't spell it lol) was still pretty entertaining and in book 3. There just will be the new Daario instead of Strong Belwas.

From what we've seen of Stoneheart in the books...there are only 2 real scenes with her and the first piece doesn't really follow any chronology. As long as it's before Brienne runs into her (during her Sansa/Arya search)...it should be fine. It would just be a nice cliffhanger to leave the show on. But you're right...it might not work depending how far into books 4/5 we get into.

Stannis is pretty much the savior at the wall. Of course, in the show they've made it clear that he's heading up there so maybe they're going to handle it differently. Though...there have been clips in the previews that he's going to stop at Braavos on the way to do some financial talks.....Tyrion spoke about the Bank of Braavos always getting their money one way or another in season 3. It may have been alluding to changing allegiance to Stannis.

Yeah...we'll get more Reek but at least he'll be free of his chains.

Mike V. said...

GofT - another chapter from winds of winter released in addition to the one I was referring to earlier.

http://shelf-life.ew.com/2014/03/26/winds-of-winter-sample-chapter/

mj said...

Himym - tvguide.com has great musical moments of the show. Id forgot some of them!

Anonymous said...

No REvolution last night. I didn't realize it was gone. Strange how various shows don't get broadcast when scheduled--w/o much notice. It's like the networks are expecting us to use dvrs to keep up with their changing schedules. I like consistency and reliability when scheduling.

Why are so many shows going on a hiatus the next week or so??? NCAA tourney?, that wasn't last night? OH well

Richard

Mike V. said...

HIMYM - Thanks MJ, I'll check it out!

Revolution - Richard, I hate to break this to you, but I'm pretty sure you're the one that let ME know that it wasn't on this week. LOL Remember, I lost the last minute of the episode on my DVR so I didn't see the end or the previews. And I think the previews indicated "in two weeks". lol

Usually after February sweeps, shows take a quick break. Of course, with the Olympics that changed things a bit. So, maybe it was delayed. But yes, many shows do not air against March Madness on the first big Thursday of the tournament. I'm not sure why Revolution took a break. But, they had been airing a steady stream of eps. I welcomed the break! lol Then again, my Wednesdays are really busy so that may be different for me. :)

Mike V. said...

Richard...I couldn't resist. This was in your comment from last week's Revolution.

"Evidently there isn't a show next week "

LOL...I don't blame you for forgetting. It's tough to keep track of all of this stuff! I have to rely on my TiVo "To Do" list often.

Mike V. said...

Hiatuses - Another thing worth noting is that while Networks are getting more flexible with how/when they air episodes (this year being very apparently with many finales coming before May), they are still tied to the antiquated Network Nielsen Sweeps scheduling. Some shows premiere in September to promote new shows in the lineup, save big episodes for November Sweeps to get the advertising dollars, same with February sweeps...and end the season in May sweeps. There have to be reruns on occassion. There aren't enough weeks between September and May to air new episodes every week.

BUT...with the network now competing with cable, they are changing their ways a bit with serialized, heavy mythology stories. You can see it most with FOX. They are doing 12 episode seasons for Sleepy Hollow, The Following, even a 24 mini-series this summer. Those they can air straight through. I'm sure it's no coincidence that 24 will be premiering in MAY during May sweeps. So, they're finding ways around it. Revolution pretty much has stuck to the traditional network schedule this season. Kicked off in September, took a fairly large hiatus to reduce SOME of the reruns, but still had to take a week off. I wouldn't be surprised if THE VOICE was on last night in its place. If I was NBC, why wouldn't I put a higher rated show on when possible? lol Especially with Revolution on its last legs. Still not sure if Revolution is doing 20 episodes similar to last season (instead of 22). Guess we'll see!

Anonymous said...


GoT "Samwell" interview on WSJ


http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2014/03/18/game-of-thrones-star-john-bradley-previews-new-season-for-fans-at-wsj/

Very interesting that he believes S4 is further away from the books than prior seasons. And that going forward they will become more different.

REinforces my thoughts about the ending of the TV show being different from the books for many characters. ie, many characters will have their "final chapters" only in the books. I could also see a kind of epilogue broadcast/movie being done after the last book is written

I read where people paid as much as $1500 to see the S4 premiere this week!

Richard

Mike V. said...

GoT - Interesting...I'll check out the article. I've definitely heard some critics speculate that the show may start going in its own direction. Their goal definitely was to get to the Red Wedding. But, there's too much in the end of Storm of Swords to not incorporate into the books. But yeah, you have to start writing for the way your actors portray the roles and make those parts come alive on screen. I think in basic structure they will move in the same direction but there will be less word for word adaptation of the material.

There always have been scenes that never took place in the books...like scenes between Littlefinger and Cersei or Robert and Cersei. At the time those characters were not POV characters so we never would've seen them. This season if Stannis goes to Braavos, sure it may have happened but we never saw it.

But yeah, I don't think it's a stretch to think the show will end differently than the books ESPECIALLY since the books haven't been written. But, if they do end the show in a place where they could always pick it up for a movie to wrap things up as the book did...that could be intriguing. As long as there felt like there was some kind of closure in the TV series too.

That's nuts on paying that much to go to a premiere! Of course, it's more the spectacle of the whole event than actually seeing the episode at that point. So, if that's how people want to spend their money more power to them! I remember I was exhausting all my resources to try and get to a taping in Los Angeles of one of the final FRIENDS episodes. Didn't work out for me as they weren't offered up to the public. But, I think at that age, I would've spent some serious bucks to get in there! lol

I also would've loved to see the LOST season 6 premiere in Hawaii too. But, I streamed it on my computer in my basement instead. lol

Anonymous said...

REvolution/Broadcasting--LOL,LOL,LOL seriously I forgot. As they say, short term memory is the first thing to go--

I get what you're saying and so like with Criminal Minds they use a lot of reruns. I don't watch it live any more because with the dvr I just erase the reruns and watch something else. I can't be the only one getting spoiled to avoiding reruns & "NoShow" nights. I watched what I wanted last night and fast forwarded through the commercials as always.

My wife was with FOX when they bought the NFL package. It was such a big deal it really legitimized FOX to many advertisers. She was in TV for about 15 years so I know a little about the business. Fragmentation and dvring are just 2 of the threats to the current TV model. CNN was at one time, my biggest customer--I helped supply the eqpt used in Iraq/Afghanistan. Wow, has that business changed too. Nobody really knows how things will end up.

I know this, consumer behavior is naturally selfish/greedy/optimizing when it comes to spending our time/money--we want the most bang for our buck. However that "product" is ultimately provided to the end user customer will have played to that behavior the most optimally while making money.

The new digital signals are HORRIBLY WEAK and so with $100 special antennae you can't get all the channels broadcast in the market. The government wanted extra money by selling the digital spectrum and ditched the end user who didn't want to pay for their entertainment in many areas. So, the government along with industry working together toward "selfish ends" have caused some of these changes. News has become more entertainment than news now, in order to attract an audience. One thing I've noticed now is how few news orgs get "feet on the street" in areas outside of NY/DC when news happens. They can't afford it any more. Also, notice how high the % is for news involving NY--it's cheap content.

Richard

mj said...

Himym - actors all on Actors Studio on Bravo tonight

Mike V. said...

HIMYM - I have the TiVo set! :)

Revolution - lol we all forget things Richard!

DVR - Absolutely. It's been a plague to network execs since the early 2000s and has gotten worse over the years. Of course, for the viewer, it's the ultimate source of flexibility. (Unless you don't mind waiting until next day then Hulu and other streaming options might work too) Of course, this also encouraged programmers to put up their best shows against each other because people would just try to record ALL of them. lol Then it became a battle of which one will they watch LIVE. I can't tell you the last time I watched something TOTALLY live. Sunday night has so many shows on that we're usually catching up for those shows for the rest of the week. But, if we watch something "real time", we're always watching on delay to skip commercials. I think the LOST Finale was the last thing I watched live and that was for selfish reasons because I wanted to take notes..and I wanted to be experiencing the episode in real time and watch the twitter feed and all of that. lol

That's crazy that your wife worked at Fox...yeah I'm sure it's crazy. Interesting info on the antennas and NY stuff too. Of course, just another reason why Cable providers are still holding onto their control of the market and why a lot of streaming device applications are still tied to subscription services. Many people want to be able to just buy an Apple TV and order channels a la carte. With Comcast still a large national monopoly...channels like HBO are not going to budge. Steve Jobs probably would've made it happen somehow! lol (half kidding)


Anonymous said...

Vikings--a great ep! Bjorn staying and Lagertha leaving--I think we'll see her again. After all, she has a husband, oh yea, we forgot--lol.

Ragnar toughening up his son, making him do the sacrifice, etc. And Flokie reveling in the blood as a comparison. Rollo is a warrior.

The Priest's visions were crazy and some just wrong which made him question himself. His comparison of communion to their "slaughtering festival(can't recall name) was strange. And he spat out the bread.

I loved it when the sorcerer told Ragnar that he's fooling himself if he thinks he's in control--LOL,LOL--how many men need to hear that when it comes to their wives--LOL.

So, we know Horic's alive--he should be as he's got more to do from a history POV.

Does someone recall Aslaug's prophecy that she mentioned to Ragnar?

Richard

Anonymous said...



Lyrics to If I had a Heart by Fever Ray--Vikings theme song. I love this song.


This will never end
'Cause I want more
More, give me more
Give me more

This will never end
'Cause I want more
More, give me more
Give me more

If I had a heart I could love you
If I had a voice I would sing
After the night when I wake up
I'll see what tomorrow brings

If I had a voice, I would sing

Dangling feet from window frame
Will I ever ever reach the floor?
More, give me more, give me more

Crushed and filled with all I found
Underneath and inside
Just to come around
More, give me more, give me more

If I had a voice, I would sing


Of course I also think this song's lyrics relate to the ever exploring/raiding aspect of Vikings
Richard

mj said...

Haven't watched live tv in years. I'll start an hour show 20 mins into it so as to not catch up. Its why I also record so many half hour shows - allows a 20 min watch and allows me to plan my hour-long viewings.

This is a tough weekend- Helix finale, TWD finale then Himym! Mother better not be dead! I won't feel I wasted years if she is, but I don't want that ending. Surely the behavior of those kids allthese years does NOT point to her being dead. Sigh!

Americans - how awkward! When his fake wife is giving deets to his real wife about their sex life. With the amount of sex they have with others she could at least have thrown that sailor a bone(r) ! Lol. just saying! Mossad agent hit home with his digs. Not sure what that new guy is hoping to gain but I know this FBI guy is gonna be stupid to save Nina.

No Vikings or Scandal. Watched a movie - Silver Linings Playbook.

Mike V. said...

Vikings - Good summary of everything that went down. lol Don't have much to add and don't remember the prophecy either. It was a really good episode though! And yeah...I'm sure the song lyrics lend to the themes of conquering/exploration.

WKND - Yeah will be a busy one! I saw a rumor going around that Mary of Terminus may have been wearing Beth's sweater. lol I don't know about it!

Americans - LOL on giving the sailor a bone. Yeah the crib notes discussion between the "wives" was hysterical! Still enjoying the season.

Silver Linings Playbook - Love that movie! Filmed in Drexel Hill, PA or close to there! lol

No Scandal for me yet either. Still no Shameless or Justified either. :-(