Pete and Law are back on the BingeCast to show off their knowledge during Google Voice, their loyalty during TV Round-Up, and their passion during What Did You Watch. Specifically during the review of The Rescue. Shit gets real. I think Pete cries.
Head over to Patreon.com/BingeMedia to sign up for the Full Binge! This week the boys get together for a Fatman commentary with an extended introduction from co-writer and director, Ian Nelms. And we’re releasing it on the regular feed for everyone.
Law invites the sportiest of his friends to join him on the main show. TM and PJ drop their SportsCast nonsense to talk movies and television, answer emails, and drink themselves into oblivion.
Head over to Patreon.com/BingeMedia to sign up for the Full Binge! This week Law, TM, and PJ play Bruce’s Lost in Translation game with pride on the line.
0:02:31-Law and Moreno and Timestamp Guy! Who is timestamp guy? Spoiler: It’s Logan. Did Logan almost die getting to recording? How’s he handling Small Screen Heroes? Vurp. Billy Good Times: What a guy. Where the fuck is Ammon? Who lives in Ammon’s basement? The saga that is Future Ammon. New dropsssss. Stop talking about dicks already!
0:30:10-GOOGLE VOICE. Jack shows up during the segment to report on Rhode Island Comic-Con. He also talks about some wedding.
1:55:45-GARRETT COLLINS GAME SHOW: WAR MOVIE EDITION Part 1
2:15:22-WHAT DID YOU WATCH? Moreno watched The Big Sick. Logan rewatched Dodgeball, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and checked out Thor: Ragnarok. The boys all viewed Mayhem.
2:49:28-GC GAME Part 2
3:16:24-TV ROUND UP. Law has SMILF, Stranger Things 2 and Big Mouth, which Moreno and Logan also watched. Law also checked out South Park. He tapped back into Vice Principals. Alyx is still going with The Deuce. Scientology. Logan is getting through Dexter, and gives his thoughts on Ghosted. What shows were really good at first and then just sucked duhick? Law sludges through the awfulness of Walking Dead. Video game stuff.
As a father of two little girls, I’ve only got a few minutes to spend with you today, but I want to take this opportunity to wish all the dads reading (and those moms out there who have to be Mom and Dad) a very Happy Father’s Day. I know I’ve got a few Binge brothers here on staff as well that have children, so I’m hoping they’re having a great day as well.
Before I get to a couple random things that are keeping me entertained this weekend (one with the girls, the other obviously not), I wanted to revisit a list I wrote about last year on the anniversary of my own father’s death.
My dad wasn’t the biggest movie or TV guy, but over the years, we were able to share some special times together watching flicks, so I compiled a list that makes me think of him. Just click on the link below to check it out. Miss you Pop.
I also want to take a moment to plug my appearance tomorrow on Monday Morning Moreno. I lost my father in 2012. In fact, 2012 was a very screwed up year for a few people, including Moreno. I urge you to tune in tomorrow morning for a very different type of show than you’re used to here at Binge Media, but I promise you, it’s worth a listen. We dive into some very deep topics, including my father, so come back for that. I want to thank Moreno for thinking outside of the box and having me on. It truly was a great experience.
Speaking of daddy issues. After years of putting it off, I’ve finally got around to watching Dexter. I watched season one live, but then got rid of my Showtime, and never got back around to checking out the rest. As evidenced by my title card, I’m obviously a big Breaking Bad guy, so it’s hard from here on out to find any television show that’s going to be better than that. But having gotten through five of the eight seasons, Dexter is certainly not, but it’s putting up a good fight. And this obviously not the thing that I’m watching with my daughters this weekend. But after they go to bed, it does have me engaged enough to make me go right to the Netflix for a few hours each night.
Overall, I think the show is great. Michael C. Hall is absolutely fantastic in the title role, and his narration is nearly as phenomenal as his performances. I’ve seen some great guest spots thus far, none better than John Lithgow in season four. Hell, they even gave me Robocop for a few episodes in season five. I will say that they wasted Jimmy Smits in season three, as some of those episodes just didn’t keep me engaged like I hoped they would, but at least they were better than season five. Julia Stiles is just the worst….no seriously, just the absolute worst. The writing and the story in season five had the chance to be outstanding, but she just turned me off to the whole thing. I stayed up late last night just to get done with it, so I could start fresh with season six and just get her out of my life.
And I write all of this knowing full well what lies ahead with Debra and Dexter and also how the show ends. So even with its faults, it’s still keeping me in it enough to watch the journey to what I know is a horrible finale. So if you were going to try and be a jerk and spoil anything for me, don’t waste your time.
It’s Father’s Day weekend, so that also means it’s US Open week in the golf world. Usually, I get very excited to watch things unfold, and I still will because it’s the one sport that my daughters don’t complain about watching (after we spend time in the pool anyway), and it’s still the US Open, but I sincerely hope that I never see this course again after today. There are big players and great stories shaping up for the second major of the year, names like Jordan Spieth, Dustin Johnson, and Jason Day, but I am so disappointed with what I’ve seen over the first three days. The golf course itself is not aesthetically pleasing whatsoever, regardless of what the commentators tell you, which leads into my next disappointment. When FOX bought the rights to televise this championship, I knew exactly what was going to happen. I mean, I hoped they wouldn’t do it, but I knew they would. And they did.
Joe Buck.
I have all the respect in the world for his dad, but I’ve just never been able to get on board with this guy. I’m not saying that there aren’t people who are much, much worse, but stay away from my golf, Joe. And while you’re at it, take Greg Norman with you. Corey Pavin and Brad Faxon have been okay, but when you’ve got multiple people constantly calling Dustin Johnson, who happens to be one of the best players in the world, by the wrong name, I’m going to get annoyed as a viewer. The course will thankfully change next year, but we’re stuck with FOX for at least the next eleven Opens after this one. I suppose I can give them a pass with this being the first year, but I really hope that things improve.
So what are you doing with your Father’s Day weekend? Did you watch Dexter? Are you following the US Open? Comment below or hit me up @THElukenorris on Twitter. Once again, don’t forget to come back tomorrow for Monday Morning Moreno and of course, the flagship, the BingeCast. And if you missed my championship edition of the Binge SportsCast last week, click HERE to catch up. You’ll be hearing from me soon. Happy Father’s Day.
Well, the inevitable time has finally come. Animal Man is coming to an end in the New 52, and I’m extremely disappointed. It has been by far one of the best books in DC’s lineup in my opinion, and Jeff Lemire deserves some big props for filling some big shoes. The previous champion of the Animal Man universe was Grant Morrison, who we all know now as one of the best comic writers of the previous decade, and made several great runs on titles like JLA and Batman stories out of this world. The premiere volume of Animal Man was phenomenal, and it was clear then that Jeff Lemire was soon a name to be aware of. He’s done a lot of great original work with Sweet Tooth, Trillium, and The Underwater Welder, but this was his shining moment to prove that he deserves the opportunity to write comics for established characters. What he did with Animal Man is more than I could have ever expected after being a fan of Grant Morrison’s original run. He made it darker. So much darker. And it was gruesome, while Animal Man served to be an excellent hero who teamed up with the likes of Swamp Thing and Constantine. His daughter Maxine finding the Red, the matter which life is made of, and his troubles with his son only deepened the story of Buddy Baker and his family.
Unfortunately, this final volume was not the greatest of the five, nor was it any better than any of the four before it. It was still good, and the ending for Buddy was fitting, and especially fitting for Lemire. I really enjoyed this book, and there’s a cool nod to American Vampire because of Rafael Alburquerque’s work on the book. I would of course encourage any reader, even ones who don’t read comics, to give Lemire’s Animal Man a chance. The story is compelling, and the artwork is among some of the best I’ve seen in recent books on the shelves. It has been a consistently amazing title up until the very end, even though it does not take away from its last issue whatsoever. And even if you don’t give this series a chance, I would highly recommend any of Jeff Lemire’s work to any readers looking for some great stories. Mr. Lemire, you should find those Swamp Thing offices and have a seat. Or just somewhere at DC, please. We’ll miss you Buddy Baker.
A new comic out of Image got my attention in our catalog, and so I finally was able to get my hands on the first volume of Nailbiter. Of course, the cover immediately grabbed my attention with all of the blood splatter artwork. It’s been pointed out that I tend to favor books with blood splattery artwork, but regardless, I enjoyed this comic. From the moment it starts, there is this lingering dread and darkness that surrounds the story but never casts it completely into darkness. The characters are interesting, as NSA Agent Finch visits Buckaroo to find out why there are so many serial characters born from this overcast city. As Finch uncovers the mysteries of Buckaroo, serial killers new and old run rampant throughout the city leading the Agent on a goose chase. I particularly like the killers and their reasons or methods of killing, as it is something fresh in the comic book world after all of the zombies and vampires we’ve seen. Finch is forced to team up with vindicated and now good guy, ex-serial killer nicknamed the Nailbiter. It’s all extremely gruesome and dark, and the artwork definitely fits the story. Joshua Williamson has crafted an excellent story that draws to mind Chew and some of Jeff Lemire’s personal work. I would highly recommend this title to horror readers, and fans of darker comics. Probably Dexter fans too, but I think those all vanquished from existence after that series finale.
Welcome to the most spoilerific spoil-fest that was ever spoiled for you. Seriously, there be spoilers below, if you’re not up to date on any of these shows (The Walking Dead, Homeland, Sons of Anarchy, Dexter, Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire, Breaking Bad) just leave now. And slap yourself.
I’m surprised there’s not a trendy name for this wave of killing off main characters in television. It seems if you have a hit television show nowadays you have to delete at least one major player per year to keep things interesting. I wonder if ‘Happy Days’ would have done even better if they had killed the older brother instead of just forcing us to forget about him. ‘M.A.S.H.’ pulled this shit off before you were born and it went off like a shart in church. Today’s television is different though. It’s all about keeping the audience guessing and truly making us believe that nobody is safe anymore, even Emmy winners. Let’s take a look at the past year’s fallen and how they contributed to the golden years of the small screen.
DISHONORABLE MENTION: Brian – FAMILY GUY
I had this as a legit entry for about three weeks. That’s as long as Brian remained dead. The easy thing about killing off cartoon characters is that you can just pencil them back in when you figure out you made a stupid mistake. I didn’t really expect an animated network show to have the balls to pull off something like this. Poop to Seth MacFarlane for proving me right.
HONORABLE MENTION: Deb – DEXTER
It was really, really hard to write “honorable” and “Dexter” in the same title but if anybody on this show deserves some respect, it’s Deb. Everything else about this season was pure garbage. Having Dexter survive the storm of the century was one final kick to the nards in a long line of nard kicking. And to think, a few seasons ago, this show had one of the greatest deaths of all time. Literally, from that moment on, this show has never been the same.
10. The Governor – THE WALKING DEAD
It’s hard to rank this exit any higher as everybody knew his reign of terror had to come to an end at some point. Still, it sure was fun to see, and watching the end of one of television’s greatest villains is always must see. Just a note, the next major villain to come across the survivors makes The Governor look like one of the Brady Bunch. Peter, to be specific.
9. Clay – SONS OF ANARCHY
Any other season and this fights for the top spot on the list. This season, however, Clay felt like a burden to the story. There’s so much going on with the club, and the transgender family drama, and the ice cream shop, and Robocop, and Bobby’s huge penis that it was way too easy to forget about Clay’s giant cranium rotting away in prison. So when he gets out and looks as if he might complicate things more – just shoot him in the neck. Works for me.
8. Catelyn – GAME OF THRONES
Personally, this death might have rocked me more than any other here. As for the impact on the show, she just happened to be there. The Red Wedding was set up to kill Rob (we’ll get there) and Catelyn might have even made it out alive had she not lost her shit and started killing people of her own. If I do this list at the end of 2014 it might strictly be filled with ‘Game of Thrones’ characters. Hold on to your butts.
7. Harrow – BOARDWALK EMPIRE
His death matters less to the future of the show than what he did immediately before it. Accidentally killing Chalky’s daughter is going to be the last ingredient of the shit-storm that will most definitely touch down next season. What truly sucks here is that Harrow was the one dude you could feel morally justified in pulling for on this show. You sympathized for him, you admired his badassery, you kind of cringed every time he looked into the camera, and now you get to mourn for him. Get over it.
6. Hershel – THE WALKING DEAD
This one is going to be felt for a while by the survivors. His daughters are going to be a mess, Rick is going to take back the reigns, and nobody is going to have a voice of reason to turn to in times of desperate need. This will all lead to chaos and the eventual end of the world. Way to go get your head lopped off, Hershel. Seriously though, this is going to lead to an interesting dynamic to this story when comparing it to the comic book. In the book it was Tyreese that was beheaded. His alpha male role was soon replaced with Abraham, another fantastic character from the book. Now the TV show will house both characters at the same time. Fighty.
5. Tara – SONS OF ANARCHY
Who knows where this is going to lead other than a sure-bet clusterfuck of a finale. Jax might get arrested early but there’s no doubt the majority of the next season will be him finding out who did this and why. Does that mean he’s going to shoot his mom in the neck on the last episode? Probably, but I expect 90% of the rest of the cast to go down before her.
4. Brody – HOMELAND
The importance of this death works two ways. 1) It’s the only reasonable ending to this arc. Brody was an enemy to everybody in the world by the end. He literally had no country to run to. It was either spend the rest of his life in Carrie’s closet or accept his demise. 2) Now what the hell do they do? If it ended forever after this moment I’d have no choice but to deem it a great overall show. While it lost it’s way in the middle, the entire first season and the last half of this past season were fantastic television. Now they have to continue without their Emmy award winning lead and introduce an equally interesting storyline to keep us glued. I think I’m already out.
3. Hank – BREAKING BAD
I almost switched this pick with the one below it. One (I) could argue that Hank’s death set the stage for Walt’s. Without one you might not have the other. And while Walt does eventually pay the ultimate price, I think it’s Hank’s murder that convinces him to set everything right in the end and take his fall gracefully. I look at it like this – Hank’s death stung a lot. Walt’s made me feel warm an fuzzy. I was wearing a onesie.
2. Walt – BREAKING BAD
In the end though, what is, arguably, the greatest television show ever without a definitive stamp on it’s ending (fuck you, Sopranos)? As I said in the last paragraph, Hank’s death inspired Walt to scrounge up just enough more bad-ass to leave this world with a bang and take any and all that deserved it with him. You can rank this moment where you want on your own list but I hope we can all agree it was a fitting end to something special.
1. Rob – GAME OF THRONES
Simply put, I know what’s to come, which is why I know the importance of losing the King in the North. And without spoiling anything about the next season, The Red Wedding will not be forgotten. This next season of ‘Game of Thrones’ is going to be epic and untouched by anything else on the small screen. Probably even the big screen. Winter, bitches.
Every second that goes by on Breaking Bad in these final eight episodes inches it closer to being crowned The Greatest TV Show of All Time (if it already hasn’t been). So compact are these last remaining moments. There hasn’t been a single wasted frame. Every line of dialogue is seamlessly leading us to one of the most anticipated end games in the history of home entertainment. Even Marie has shit worth listening to. It’s all too much to handle. Literally. Fans of Breaking Bad, like myself, have developed an unhealthy obsession with the show that has led to a disinterest or mistrust for anything else on television. Great shows are being buried by the phenomenon. Whether I deem it unjust doesn’t matter, I’m simply trying to make you aware of some other options before this magical joyride comes to a devastating halt. The end is near, friends. Have your remote ready.
Complain all you want about how overly dramatic and cringe-inducing sentimental The Newsroom can be. Fact is, I love this show. This second season has truly amped things up by focussing on one of the most compelling stories of recent memory. The Genoa plot with it’s war crimes and global cover-up is interesting enough but it’s how ACN goes about cracking the story wide open and the repercussions in running with it that keeps me glued to the screen. Scene after scene the antics of those in the newsroom are funny, smart, educational, heartbreaking, and downright intense. And all of this is highlighted by a cast of characters worth caring about. I don’t even watch my own local news. They’re all dicks.
By mid-week something weird happens. That’s around the time all the Breaking Bad theories have surfaced online. The internet becomes a giant Easter-egg hunt for those wanting to know why Skylar wore a yellow skirt or what was in Saul’s desk drawer and how it relates to episode 3 of season 2. It’s obsessive and stupid-awesome. I forget all about The Newsroom.
I forget how brilliant Jeff Daniels is as the confident-yet-vulnerable Will McAvoy. I forget how surprisingly impressive Olivia Munn is. Wow, is the dialogue always so witty and delightful? Jane Fonda is in this?!? Every week. Forgotten.
The Newsroom deserves much more attention that it’s getting. Remind me of this next week.
You’d think the slot following the final season of Breaking Bad on AMC would be a coveted one. The problem is the mixture of satisfaction and anticipation one might be experiencing immediately after BB. Think of it this way – You’ve just had unimaginable sex with the hottest woman on the planet in your apartment for the last hour. As she’s walking out the door she turns and says “That was nothing. Wait ’til next week.” Two minutes after she leaves, the slightly attractive new girl from across the hall invites herself in and proceeds to introduce herself for the next sixty minutes. You don’t hear this woman. She’s just there… making mouth-noise.
Unfair as it is, Low Winter Sun is that second woman. It’s a shame too, as this is a pretty great show. I hoarded the first three episodes and made some time for them this past Wednesday. I can’t believe I hadn’t heard of this show. At all. Go on the internet late Sunday night and the “Walt this” and Jesse that” starts immediately and doesn’t seem to stop until the next episode starts. A couple things connect with me when it comes to LWS. 1. It’s easy comparison to The Shield, one of my favorite cop shows to ever grace the small-screen and, 2. It takes place in Detroit, and more importantly, makes mention of my home town (Windsor, ON) more than a few times. When you live where I live, this is a big deal. Hannibal Lecter once travelled through Windsor in the novel, Hannibal. I literally put the book down after I read this and called my mother to talk about it. True story.
Mark Strong. Lennie James, and scenes taking place fifteen minutes away from where I live. Why was this not on my radar? Because Hank figured out who Heisenberg is and nothing else matters. That’s why.
If Walt, Jesse, and Hank didn’t exist there would be no contest as to who my favorite character on television is. Ray Donovan (Liev Schreiber) is a man that gets shit done. Whether it’s that dead hooker in your bed in the morning or the video of you giving head to a tranny in a bathroom stall, Ray will fix it for you. If there’s enough time left in the day he’ll hatch a plan to murder his own father, handle the lump sum of cash his brother got from the church for getting molested by a priest, and scare the holy hell out of the punk wanna-be rapper across the street that’s rubbing up on his daughter’s boobies. There are many layers to Ray Donovan, and when peeled back, they all reveal a unique version of badassery.
The cult of Heisenberg laugh at it all. Ray is just a rookie when it comes to saving his own ass. What’s that, Ray? you had to blackmail n FBI into framing another FBI agent who is hot on your trail for a murder that took place years ago? That’s cute. Heisenberg had to almost murder his partner’s girlfriend’s son in order to convince said partner to explode their boss’ face in a nursing home because he’s too tremendous at making meth. Trumped.
Fair enough, but I still say there’s room for another great character on TV. Get acquainted with him now and you’ll thank me after Heisenberg hangs up his hat for good and Ray comes back next year wearing the unified belt. The belt of Badass.
Poor Dexter. What should be a celebrated retirement tour has turned into nothing more than an awkward nod of the head and silent slip through the back door, pathetic and unnoticed. This fall from grace is hardly Breaking Bad’s fault however. Sure, it’s comical comparing the two shows at this point but Dexter forgot how to Dexter all on it’s own a long time ago. Breaking Bad is just making it easier to let go. For proof you have to go no further than the latest episode. As I considered my approach to writing this article and half-heartedly waded through the latest instalment of “The Drama Formerly Known as Dexter” I had a short burst of obnoxious laughter when the scene below appeared.
Was this just a coincidence? An homage? A ploy by the producers to distract fans of Breaking Bad and have them lose all interest in the scene because they were trying to find the Br and the Ba in the background? If that was the plan, it worked. Any fan of Walter White’s magical circus has no idea what was said between Deb and Dexter here because we were playing the game forced upon us.
Dexter is guilty of one of the biggest mistakes in television history. After making an incredible comeback in season 4 (season 3 was a huge drop-off from seasons 1 & 2) they prematurely killed off the one of the greatest villains on TV. Had Dex let Trinity go at the end of the season and then found his wife in the tub they could have milked the manhunt for at least two or three more years and went out with a memorable bang. Instead we’ve got four mediocre (at best) seasons of boredom. It’s the golden era of cable television’s version of jumping the shark.
We’re back with our first officially official TV Round Up podcast. To date, we’ve molded TV Round Up around Game of Thrones commentaries, but here we take a look at some of the good (Luther, Ray Donovan, The Killing, Drunk History), the bad (The Bridge, Dexter) and the ugly (True Blood).
We were a bit worried what TV Round Up would become after Game of Thrones ended and before Breaking Bad started (commentaries to come), but we feel we have some pretty good shows to get us through the summer.
After some show discussion, we relive some of the most heartbreaking moments we’ve experienced in TV. Sadly, Tom Hanks being a drunk on Family Ties didn’t make the list.
