WHAT THE HELL?!!! Is that the “Working the Weekend with Luke” graphic? Why, yes it is. But don’t get your hopes up. The column is not coming back on a full-time basis, but I wanted to bring it back today as I’m asking for your help on a future project.
If you listened to this past week’s TV Round Up for the season 2 finale of Better Call Saul, then you may have heard Moreno, Liz and myself talking about how we’re going to get through the next nine or ten months until season 3. What we came up with is doing random commentaries on episodes of Breaking Bad, one a month until Saul returns. Sounds fun, right? It’s not yet known when exactly these will air, because before we do anything, we need to pick 10 episodes. Now, Moreno and I have discussed a few of our own favorites that we know we’re going to get to, but we want your help on the rest.
Below, you’ll find every episode of Breaking Bad broken down by season. What we’d like you to do is pick up to three episodes from every season (yes, season five is broken up into the two parts) that you’d want us to discuss and cast your votes. We’ll leave this open for a few weeks, tally up the votes and get to it. Our first commentary will likely air in mid-May.
Take a good look folks. This is the last time you’ll be seeing an article on Binge Media that begins with this iconic image. Okay, maybe it’s only iconic in my brain, but I digress. And before you start sending messages, yes, I know that it’s Monday and not the weekend, but if you had the weekend that I did, you wouldn’t have had the energy to write anything yesterday either. Plus, I know a ton of you are already on the site to download the newest BingeCast, so I figured I’d wait for you. See how smart I am. With all of that being said, I am coming to you today to announce that this indeed will be the final installment of Working the Weekend with Luke.
I would like to go on record and say that this was not a decision that came down from Moreno and/or Law, but a decision that I’ve come to over the last month or so. There’s a reason that you haven’t seen this column in a while. It’s not that I haven’t watched anything new or listened to anything new, but honestly, the BingeCast covers so much that it would be somewhat redundant to put out some of the same thoughts on the same site. And with the fast-paced world we live in, who the hell has the time for that? Tack on the addition of Garrett’s amazing movie reviews, and you’re getting even more great content from so many talented people. That’s not me kissing anybody’s ass. That’s the actual truth. The fact is that although it’s nice to write about things outside the world of Binge Sports, this site really doesn’t need me to do that. I refuse to put out content just to put out content. Your time is valuable and I will not waste it.
To my loyal readers of Binge Sports and my loyal listeners of the Binge SportsCast, fear not. Those two things aren’t going anywhere. The numbers continue to grow on the show, and I’m having an absolute blast with it. I’ve had so many different people come on the show to talk about a lot of different things, and it’s only going to get better. There will be an all-new episode coming your way later this week, so stay tuned for that. I’m also kicking around a few ideas for the upcoming NFL season that I’m very excited about, so make sure to keep checking back for all of the info on that as well. So now you can take a deep breath. I’m not going anywhere. I just want to stay focused on the reason that I was hired by Binge Media in the first place. I’ve also got a few ideas about doing some commentaries on some classic sports movies, so I won’t be completely getting away from talking about movies altogether. And I’ll still be doing the Better Call Saul commentary with Supka and Episode IV when that rolls back around in a few months. Garrett and I also have a special show planned for the fall, Moreno and I have discussed a follow-up show to the Up Close and Personal w/ Luke Norris episode of Monday Morning Moreno that we recorded a couple of months ago, so believe me when I tell you that you’ll be seeing and hearing plenty from me at bingemedia.net.
But if you do get the itch to read something from me that’s not Binge Media related, I encourage you to visit my personal blog, The Luke Norris Experience, or visit LukeNorris.net, which houses all of my writing, including links to every single thing I’ve ever written for Binge Media. You can also receive updates by liking the LukeNorris.net Facebook page. There is going to be a ton of upcoming content from me in the future, so if you’ve liked what you’ve read from me on this site for the past eighteen months, I encourage you to continue to come along this continuing journey with me.
I want to thank Law and Moreno for giving me this outlet and I especially want to thank each and every one of you who have taken the time to read even one word of Working the Weekend with Luke. You can do anything with your time, and you choose to spend some of it with me, so I thank you for your continued support. And speaking of support, let’s get back to Binge Media business. Go to the top of this page to check out the brand new Binge Media merchandise store and do yourself a favor and sign up for the Binge Media Newsletter for exclusive content. This week’s movie homework is fantastic. And as I said earlier, a brand new Binge SportsCast comes your way later this week as I talk the passing of Rowdy Roddy Piper and much more with Batch and possibly a first time special guest as well. Maybe even some of those NFL plans will be revealed. I guess you’ll have to tune in to find out. Don’t forget to follow @BingeSports on Twitter as well for all the latest. Until then, let me know what your favorite Working the Weekend with Luke column was. You can leave comments below or follow me on Twitter @THElukenorris. I hope you’ve enjoyed this column as much as I have. Thanks.
Welcome to a super edition of Working the Weekend with Luke. Okay, so that’s a pretty cheesy opening line, but as you can see from the picture above, I just spent a few days down at the Superman Celebration in Metropolis, Illinois, and I’ve gotta tell you, it was an absolutely amazing experience.
Speaking of experience, before reading any further, I invite you to check out The Luke Norris Experience and a piece I wrote entitled “A Super Trip With Pop”. It will give you a better understanding of what this weekend’s trip was about and why that place is so special to me.
Since I’ve been a kid, I’ve always been a Superman guy. Despite all of the other superheroes that were around and are now constantly in our face at the movies, I continue to be. Need a little proof? Since you’re all such loyal and faithful followers of mine here, here’s a few pictures of a young Luke Norris. What a Binge Media exclusive, right?
See, Superman has always been a big part of my life. So when my calendar opened up for a few days, I decided to take the five hour drive down south and check out the celebration. I’ve been to the town a few times, but never for the actual event, and this year seemed like the perfect time.
I jumped in the car on Thursday morning and hit the road, arriving at my hotel around 4:00, an hour before the opening ceremonies. As I drove in, the streets were already filled with people heading to Superman Square for the festivities. Adults and children alike in full costumes, ranging from Superman to Batman to Spiderman. Honestly, while this whole thing is based around the Man of Steel, it’s an excuse to put on your favorite superhero gear and have a little fun.
I quickly checked into the lovely Harrah’s Hotel & Casino, nestled neatly on the Ohio River, threw my bag in my room and made my way to the square. I will say that the 95 degree heat made the walk a little uncomfortable, but all was well as I trekked up and down the streets of Metropolis, blocks and blocks of food stands, vendors, and the craziest mix of fans I’ve ever seen. I’ve never been, but I imagine this is a very dialed down version of what a Comic-Con would look like. After a quick tour, I headed back to the Superman statue for the opening ceremony, finding a front row spot on the rail. It was absolutely delightful. After a welcoming speech from the Chamber of Commerce and the mayor, a small skit was performed with Superman himself and a cast of villains led by Darkseid. The kids absolutely ate it up, and I found myself being a kid again as well. It’s a nice feeling when that happens.
I walked around for a little while longer, but the heat really was unbearable, even as the day came to a close. I found a nice little bar and found a cold beer and some dinner before heading back to the hotel for a long and insanely refreshing shower. Feeling clean, I headed downstairs to watch the NBA Finals and had a few more beers before heading into the casino to basically break even after a few hours. That was before the blackout, which literally took out power to the entire town. The casino naturally kept running through a generator, but it was pretty cool to see darkness sweep over the entire town. Naturally, there were cries of “Lex Luthor did this”, which was actually pretty damn funny. I may have had the same thought for a moment. I knew Friday was a busy day, so I headed upstairs for some shuteye.
I awoke Friday with the feeling that even if I left right then and there that the trip would have been worth it. Seeing all those smiling faces of the children at the square and revisiting the sites that my dad and I went to all those years ago put me in a good place. But I knew there was more for me to do today. I had looked at the itinerary for the day in the booklet, and I saw that a big Superman collector and wrestling legend, Jerry “The King” Lawler, was in town signing autographs, taking pictures, and would actually be wrestling in a small show later that night. For more on that story, check out the latest wrestling version of the Binge SportsCast, which I posted earlier today, or you can just click HERE.
There were a few more people at the Autograph Zone, but the line was very long and there were more things that I wanted to get done, so I passed them up, but I’d get a chance later (more on that in a bit). Before heading to the wrestling show, there was one more place that my dad and I had visited that I hadn’t gotten to yet, The Super Museum. It’s fantastic, and only five bucks to get in. It’s full of memorabilia from the movies, TV shows, comic books, and just about everything you’d ever want to see from the world of Superman.
Believe me, I could have put up a ton of more pictures, so I just chose a few to share with you. It really is a great place, especially for a Superman fan. I headed over to the wrestling show, met some nice people, and headed back to the hotel. It was a glorious day that had a little bit of everything for somebody like me. A little wrestling, a lot of Superman. Are you kidding me? What a day. I was ready for a beer, not realizing that the best part of my day was about to happen.
Remember how I said that there were a few other celebrities signing autographs? One was John Shea, who portrayed Lex Luthor in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. Beyond that, he’s an Emmy winner with an unbelievable list of credits as an actor, writer, and producer. A small part of that list includes Missing, Mutant X, Law & Order, Eight is Enough, and more, which you can view HERE.
Another person signing at the event was Stacy Haiduk, who Superman would know as Lana Lang from Adventures of Superboy, which ran from 1988-1992. Besides that, she had a starring role in Seaquest 2032, and has appeared in shows such as Heroes, The X-Files, Prison Break, True Blood, and has done voice work for a few Star Wars video games. You can check out the rest of her work HERE.
And yes, those eyes are that blue. I suppose if you’re in town for an event that you have to stay somewhere, and lucky for me they were staying right there in my hotel. As I came downstairs after a quick rest in my room for another cold beer, I noticed the two of them standing and talking by the elevator from my seat at the hotel bar. Not one to be starstruck or one to interrupt famous people just to bother them and say hello, I sat and drank a nice Schlafly stout and minded my own business. Only a few minutes later, they sat down right next to me. Stacy asked the bartender for a nice dark beer, which immediately caught my attention. I told her that her only option was the beer I was drinking and being the gentleman I am, I told her that this one was on me. I extended John the same courtesy, which he refused initially. Stacy and I would gradually get him to drink with us. We all introduced ourselves to each other and the conversation was off and running.
I asked how the rest of their day was, and they were both full of great stories from fans throughout the afternoon. Actually, when I was standing in line, I watched John take a cigar from a fan in full Superman costume and recreate a face-to-face picture that he had taken with Dean Cain. It was great to hear both of them talk how humbling and cool the experience was for them. While they’re obviously so much more, each of them portrayed an iconic character in the Superman universe and this was a way to show their appreciation to their fans. And they were legitimately genuine about it.
In fact, both were genuine about everything. After a while, I explained that I had been in line, but didn’t get the chance to say hello. John pulled out his phone and asked for my address to send me some things. He certainly didn’t have to do that, but he did. So John Shea has my address. If he actually follows through, great. If not, that’s okay too. He’s a busy guy, but even just the gesture was nice.
They asked if I’d ever been to the celebration before, and I told them I hadn’t, but explained that the town of Metropolis had been very instrumental in saving the relationship between me and my father (if you read the attached article from my website, you understand), and they could have just let it go, but they didn’t. They asked questions, and when the conversation went deeper, they were encapsulated. They listened intently as my life story became the topic of conversation, but it never got too deep. We had fun with it, as I’ve learned to do. Some of the things are just so unbelievable, it’s hard sometimes not to find the humor in it. The three of us talked about life, kids, their experience in the industry, and so many other things over the next hour or two. Hell, right there in the middle of the bar, John took a picture of the tattoo on my right shoulder as Stacy marveled at my daughters’ handprints that I have tattooed on my chest. It was great when John mentioned how many guys want to take their shirt off in front of Stacy. And again, yes, her eyes are that blue. She’s absolutely beautiful. My young writing career came up and they were both willing to offer advice and after telling them my story, they both agreed that I had something there and John had already broken the things I had told him into a three-act script. They both told me that I was right to follow my dream, and not that I need validation from anybody, but it was great to hear from two people who’ve had some success in a tough industry. And before you knew it, we’d shut the bar down.
It was an absolutely incredible night that capped off an amazing two days. I met so many wonderful people, including a ten minute conversation with the mayor that I didn’t even get to. As the first trip was with my father, this trip was exactly what I needed at this point in my life, and meeting and talking with John and Stacy was just an added bonus and I sincerely thank them for taking time to sit and chat with me. It was truly a great and unforgettable experience. I wonder who I’ll meet next year.
Thoughts? Comments? As always, you can leave them below or follow me on Twitter @THElukenorris. I’ll be back later in the week with yet another all-new episode of the Binge SportsCast and possibly making a debut appearance on another show next week, so stay tuned. Hope you enjoyed reading this today as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Welcome to a special edition of Working the Weekend with Luke. I know it’s been a while since you’ve heard from me here, but with all of the work I’ve been doing on the sports side of things, I didn’t want to overload you or the site itself with too much of myself. I also don’t like putting out an article just to put out an article. But today is a special day. It’s Memorial Day, and I know that a lot of you are celebrating with a BBQ or a party, and I’ve got no problem with that. But at least take a moment today to recognize why we’re all able to do such things. For hundreds of years, men and women far better than me have given their lives and sacrificed so much of themselves to protect the freedoms we all sometimes take for granted. Some made it out of their service alive. Some didn’t. It’s today that we celebrate and remember those brave men and women who paid the ultimate price for their service.
So on this day, as we’re still a media site, I thought I’d take a quick look at some of my favorite war movies. There are obviously a ton of them out there, and a lot of my favorites actually aren’t even about American soldiers. Movies such as Schindler’s List, The Bridge on the River Kwai, The Pianist, and The Great Escape come to mind. But today, on this American holiday, I’d like to focus in on those that feature American soldiers as their primary characters. Some of these stories are real. Some are not. But the message gets across in each of these films. I do not pretend to know what it’s like to be in the military. I wouldn’t disrespect anybody like that. But these are movies that spoke to me for some reason or another, so I thought I’d share this list with you today.
PEARL HARBOR
Wait, what?! I kid, I kid. What’s next on my list, The Patriot? This movie is just a terrible waste of a talented cast, minus Josh Hartnett. Seriously, he’s just the worst. The potential was right there in front of them, as obviously this is one of the biggest events in American history, and they threw it away by giving it to Michael Bay. I will admit that some of the action sequences are done somewhat well, but the rest of it is just absolute rubbish. If you’re looking for a real movie about Pearl Harbor, check out Tora! Tora! Tora! It’s fifty times the film that Pearl Harbor is. And just to clarify, The Patriot is just atrocious.
My actual list was quite tricky. Honestly, I could flip-flop quite a few of these, but I just went with my initial thoughts when putting this together this morning. Noticeably absent from my list is American Sniper. The only reason I bring it up is to get ahead of the hate that may come from the omission. I actually thought it was a decent movie, and Chris Kyle is truly an American hero, but as a film, I just don’t think it was a great one. Bradley Cooper did a fine job in his portrayal of Kyle, but it just didn’t match up with some of the greats. I’m sorry for not being sorry, and it’s my list, so suck it up buttercup.
10. (TIE) MASH & GOOD MORNING, VIETNAM
It’s not often that war movies hit the funny bone, but these two got it right. It was difficult to pick between the two, so I figured I’d just go ahead and include them both at the start here. Both have great performances, great actors, and great writing. I would say that both have great stories, but is MASH actually really about anything? It’s a beautiful picture nonetheless.
(9) THE LONGEST DAY
Okay, so this is a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to the cast, but the presence of American soldiers is heavy in this great ensemble drama from 1962. If you haven’t seen it, it deals with the D-Day landings at Normandy, dealing with many different aspects of the invasion in a docudrama kind of style. And just listen to some of this cast: John Wayne, Sean Connery, Henry Fonda, Richard Burton, Robert Mitchum, Robert Wagner, Red Buttons. The list goes on and on. If you haven’t seen this, or even heard of it, I highly recommend giving it a look.
(8) PATTON
Is there a more iconic speech in war movie history than that given by George C. Scott as General Patton? I highly doubt it.
(7) THE THIN RED LINE
Sometimes regarded as “the other war movie from 1998”, this underrated flick marked the return of director Terrence Malick after a twenty year absence from making films, and he certainly delivered here. With an unbelievable cast (just look at the names above) that delivers extraordinary performances, this film didn’t even take in 100 million dollars at the box office. However, it has gained a small following over the years, and I certainly had to include it in this list.
(6) FULL METAL JACKET
Naturally, as with most Kubrick films, Full Metal Jacket was a little different. He decided to go with a two-part theme, which actually turned some people off, but I absolutely love the writing of this movie. And while Modine is good, Vincent D’ Onofrio and R. Lee Ermey are especially fantastic here.
(5) GLORY
If it weren’t for the fact that it was hard to get behind Matthew Broderick in this type of role, I might have actually put this movie even higher. I don’t know what it is about this film, but I absolutely love it. It may not get the credit that some of the others on my list do, but it’s amazing. The story is obviously very important to our country’s history, and the scene that you see above is heartbreakingly beautiful. Denzel Washington gives an amazing performance in Glory, and with the addition of Morgan Freeman and the debut in film for a babyface Andre Braugher, this slid into my top five.
(4) THE DEER HUNTER
Certainly, the scene above is what most people talk about when referencing The Deer Hunter, but let’s not forget how awesome the rest of the movie is. De Niro, as usual, was great, but the breakout performance here came from Christopher Walken. A lot of younger folks reading this know Walken from some pretty goofy performances over the past twenty years, but if you want to see the real talent that he possesses, just turn this movie on.
(3) PLATOON
Often called one of the most realistic war movies ever made, Oliver Stone drew on his own experiences in Vietnam to make the best picture that he’s ever done. When you can make Charlie Sheen great, you’ve done a damn good job, but other great performances from Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe, and John C. McGinley only add to this amazing movie. There’s even a little baby Johnny Depp in there for you. And Forest Whitaker. Never forget Forest Whitaker. Ever.
(2) APOCALYPSE NOW
It’s Apocalypse Now. Do I need to go any deeper than that?
(1) SAVING PRIVATE RYAN
The top spot was hard to pick, as it was a toss-up between Apocalypse Now and this. The only reason I chose to put this at the top was the experience I had at the movie theater. First of all, there’s no discounting that Saving Private Ryan is an exceptional piece of filmmaking. The opening scene itself is about twenty of the best minutes you’ll ever see, and the intensity only continues throughout the movie, while mixing in some great drama and character development. But I digress.
I sat in a packed house for this movie seventeen years ago. I was nineteen years old when this movie was released, so I was actually one of the youngest people in the crowd. It was full of senior citizens that lived during this time, and I could only assume that there were many veterans sitting in this audience. As the movie ended, the people my age or just a little bit older began to get up and exit as you do, but if I see a good film, I usually stay for a second and watch a few credits, collect myself, and make a quick decision on my thoughts about it before I get up. What I noticed was that many of the older folks were not moving. They sat and sat and sat, and it was only then that I began to hear sniffles and saw heads drop. I could only gather that these were men that had served during World War II and were taken back to that time by watching this movie. As much as I wanted to go to each and every one of them and just say “thank you”, I didn’t. I was afraid that I would never be able to say enough words or the right words to people like that. That’s why I put this movie at the top. I watched what a movie could do to grown men who had actually been to war, and while I was sitting there just watching a movie trying to understand what soldiers go through, soldiers were sitting all around me remembering what they had gone through. It was easily the most interesting and rewarding experience I’ve ever had at the movies.
There you have it. Where do you come out on that list? What did I get right? What did I get wrong? Leave your comments below or follow me on Twitter and tweet @THElukenorris. Binge Sports will be back soon with new episodes of the Binge SportsCast, previews of the NBA Finals, Stanley Cup Final, and I’m sure something else may come up in there as well. Until then, I wish you a very Happy Memorial Day.
Welcome to the April 19th edition of Working the Weekend with Luke. I’ve got a nice little mix of things today. I’ll start with some talk on Louie, get into the trailer frenzy that nearly broke the internet over the past few days, and finish up with some info on a great little country duo I’ve been following. I’ve had a busy week with Binge Sports with the NHL and NBA Playoffs both getting underway, and you can still vote on Round 1 for both (NHL HERE andNBA HERE). The all-new Binge Sportscast will also get underway later this week, so stay tuned for that. But for now, let’s talk a little TV, a little film, and a little music.
LOUIE
I’ve been fan of Louis C.K. and his stand-up specials for a long time, but I’ll be honest with you that up until last week, I hadn’t sat down and watched one full episode of Louie. It’s not that I didn’t have any interest in it, but I really just don’t watch a ton of live television outside of sports. I usually wait until I can binge-watch something and then I get after it. Such was the case last week when I watched the first four seasons of this amazing show.
When the show debuted, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. As I said, I’d been a fan of his stand-up for a while, and with the show being on FX, I knew it wouldn’t be anything like Seinfeld, but I sure didn’t think it was going to be this.
I knew there would be laughs, but I had no idea that there would be this much heart. At some point, I expected to cry from laughter, but I NEVER expected that it would bring the other kind. During so many episodes, I found myself getting extremely emotional, basically due to the connection I feel with the main character.
Without giving spoilers or getting into too much of my own life, I’m a divorced father with two little girls. The episodes that have his daughters in them are extremely personal to me, and I really made a connection with the feelings he’s trying to get across to the audience. I’m going to stop before I get into too much and write 5000 words, but seriously, if you haven’t watched Louie yet, get on it.
STAR WARS/BATMAN v SUPERMAN
Have you heard that there’s a new Star Wars trailer out? Of course you have, and so has the rest of the world. As someone who grew up during the height of this storied franchise, I will admit to getting a little excited for last Thursday’s release. After the disappointment of the prequels (minus the last 45 minutes of Revenge of the Sith), this franchise needed a kick in the ass, and it looks like we’re getting it. Hearing the voice of Luke Skywalker and some of the images from that trailer actually has me believing that The Force Awakens has a chance to right the wrongs from the previous three films. And yes, I’m a Skywalker guy, but the Han/Chewbacca sighting at the end was pretty solid.
I’ve not seen one person over the last few days make a bad comment about the trailer above, but the trailer below is another story. The first real trailer for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice arrived this past week as well. Some people are excited. Some people are disappointed. If you don’t know me, then let me fill you in. I’m a big Superman guy, a BIG Superman guy, so consider me on the excited side. I actually watched Man of Steel again a few nights ago, and it keeps getting better with each viewing. Is is perfect? No, it’s not. I think Russell Crowe was completely wrong for Jor-El, and part of the movie suffered for that. The opening was too long, or maybe I just think that because of the Russell Crowe factor. But I thought that Henry Cavill did an excellent job (certainly better than the rubbish I had to sit through with Brandon Routh). As I am with a lot of topics, I could go on and on about this, but as for the trailer itself, I’m pleased with what I see so far. This movie is going to be dark and that’s exactly what it should be. The end of Man of Steel was very controversial to some, but I think it was building to this. I think that Lex Luthor (nice to hear Jesse Eisenberg’s quote) is going to get in the ear of Bruce Wayne and that will lead to the conflict. Ultimately, we know where things are going to go, but I think this movie has a chance to be very solid, as long as Snyder reels it in a little bit.
And if you haven’t seen Pete Holmes’ take on this whole thing, do yourself a favor and spend a few minutes watching this.
Told you it would be worth it.
WHISKEY ROSE
I know that this isn’t the biggest forum for country music, but I’m a guy who listens to just about everything. I’ll say it…I like country music. I’m a lyrics guy and I like for songs to tell me a story. So if you’ve followed this column from the start, you know that last summer, I met a young indie duo that goes by Whiskey Rose. They were here in my hometown for a three day festival with the likes of Brad Paisley and Hank Williams Jr. I was working at a TV station at the time and was able to meet Kristen Kuiper and Skye Claire at a VIP event and again when they came into a taping at the station. These ladies couldn’t be sweeter and they’ve been working hard over the past year to try and make a real name for themselves. So it’s nice to bring you the news that last week, Whiskey Rose released their first EP, “Don’t Slow Me Down”. I’ve been saying since I met them that the time is coming for these two, so it’s really great to see things start to happen for them. Good for you, girls. Congratulations. I’ll look forward to catching up with you this summer.
To download “Don’t Slow Me Down” and catch up with Whiskey Rose, go to their website, www.whiskeyrosemusic.com
Thoughts? Comments? Leave them below or follow me on Twitter @THElukenorris. And once again, stay tuned for the all-new Binge Sportscast, debuting later this week right here at Binge Media. Until next time.
Damn, it’s been a while since I’ve put that logo up, so it’s nice to be able to say welcome back to Working the Weekend with Luke. For the last few weeks, there’s been so much going on in the sports world that my Binge Sports columns have been substituting for this one in my normal Sunday slot. Don’t get me wrong. I love writing about sports, but it’s nice to branch out from time to time, and I do have some Binge Sports info for you, but we’ll get to that in a little while. But before I get to that announcement, I’d hate myself if I didn’t once again mention how sad I am about the death of Lauren Hill. I’ve been following her inspirational story from the start and I can never say enough about how this courageous young woman impacted me. If you missed my story on Friday afternoon, click HERE. RIP Lauren.
But what else have I been up to lately? I’m so happy you asked.
FURIOUS 7
This is exactly what an action movie is supposed to be….and more. Yeah, I know most of the guys have hit on it at one point or another over the past week, but I just couldn’t help but commenting on it. I’ll admit that when the series first started, I basically refused to see it. I don’t even think I saw the first one until maybe five years after it came out. But all of a sudden, they started to become guilty pleasures that I just couldn’t turn off. Was the acting the greatest? Come on…it was Paul Walker and Vin Diesel. But I was entertained. Give me Jordana Brewster and Michelle Rodriguez to boot. Yeah, I’m in. Then we throw in Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, and Eva Mendes in the sequel. A little more comedy and well…Eva Mendes. Sure, Tokyo Drift was the weakest in the series, but when the main cast reunited for the fourth installment, I was intrigued so I checked it out. And once again I was back in. And then you throw in The Rock and Gal Gadot and Gina Carano in the next couple flicks. Yeah, I’m in.
Then I hear that Kurt Russell has joined in. Jason Statham shows up as the new villain. Djimon Hounsou comes on board. Ronda Rousey gets a chick fight with Michelle Rodriguez. Yes please! And then tragedy strikes. In a cruel and way too ironic accident, Paul Walker dies in a freaking car crash. Wait, seriously? Now, whether or not you were a fan of Paul Walker is irrelevant. Was he the best actor in the world? Certainly not. But I’ll make the same point that Jack made on Tuesday. He was perfect for this franchise. His on-screen chemistry with Vin Diesel was fantastic. And if they had been a real life couple, he and Jordana Brewster could seriously have made some of the prettiest babies ever. On screen, this is where some of the great drama was in this film. There’s a real family element here now. Not just the “familia” stuff that Vin spouts about, but an actual man, woman, and children (minor spoiler) family. And this is really where the story gets you.
But before we get to that, let me get to the action without giving away too much. The first big fight scene between Statham and The Rock is just awesome, and I will tell you that Statham gets a Rock Bottom through a table. For you non-wrestling folks, you may not understand the reference, but as a fan, it was nice. Keep it real Dwayne! Were some of the stunts over the top? Of course they were. Did it work? Of course it did. Yeah, I know you’re all skeptical about the cars dropping out of a plane scene, but the ridiculousness is overshadowed by the brilliant comedy of Tyrese in this scene. Seriously, I don’t know what day he decided to not just be a singer, but I’m happy about the decision. He brings a different element to these movies and it’s been great. The back and forth between he and Luda is phenomenal and has been for a few movies now.
There’s almost too much to get to. There’s Kurt Russell, who you sometimes forget just how awesome he is until he pops up in movies from time to time these days. But he’s Kurt Russell, so you know it’s good. Fun fact: they tried to get Denzel but he declined. Of course, there’s the revenge story of Han. And kudos to Lucas Black for making an appearance. Then you’ve got the Dom-Leti relationship and her memory loss. Yes, the result is pretty much impossible, but it’s a nice ride (pun intended) to get where we get to with that.
But the end is really what the movie is about. After Walker’s death, I was so curious on how they could finish things up, but I don’t think it could have gone any more perfectly. Before I give the ending away, I’m going to stop and just say that you’re not supposed to get emotional at anything having to do with this franchise. You’re supposed to go to the movies for a couple hours and just have some fun and not think about anything. But knowing what you know when you go in, you can’t help but get choked up at certain points. And the very end…forget about it. It’s the perfect tribute with some perfect words from Vin Diesel. I never thought I’d write that sentence, but it’s the truth. Now I know the plan is to make three more, but I wish they would leave it alone. For a blockbuster, it really does give you everything. It would be the perfect ending to one of the most successful franchises in cinematic history.
Wow, where do I go from there?
Well, I finally made the jump. DirecTV is gone and I’m now for the most part a streaming-only kind of guy.
I went out and bought the Roku 3 and it’s what I run just about everything through. You’d think they were paying me, but they’re not, but I highly recommend this for anyone who’s not using the smart TV. It’s got the ability to run all the channels and services that you’re looking for, but I’ve found that I really don’t need that much.
As of right now, these are really the only ones that I need. Netflix is well….Netflix. I wish they had more newer movies to stream, but if you’re looking to binge a television show, this is the place for you. They’ve got just about everything you’re looking for on that end, not to mention their own original programming like The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, which was absolutely fantastic.
Hulu Plus lets me keep up with some of the broadcast stations, which I can still get with a little in-house antennae that I bought. But if I’m looking for Saturday Night Live or The Last Man on Earth (which is great), then I can find them here. You do have to deal with a few ads, but it’s really not that bad.
Sling TV gives me the rest. This is where I can get my ESPN, TBS, TNT, and AMC. You know I need my sports and my Better Call Saul. The original package is only $20 per month, but you can add more channels if you want to pay a little more. Overall, though, it’s really worth the price.
Overall, I’ve cut my bill by more than half every month. I have all the content I really need and I don’t have to worry about a storm screwing up my dish. I should have done this a long time ago. Welcome to 2015 Luke. Idiot.
Now, I know this one isn’t for everybody, but I also pay the $9.99 per month for my WWE Network. If you’re a wrestling guy or gal, just do yourself a favor and sign up already. I’ve had it for a few months now, and I’ve been kicking myself for not doing it sooner. Not only do you get every single pay-per-view that comes up, but they have every single one from the past. Every. Single. One. Just get on it. It’s worth it.
And that leads me to the big announcement.
Well, due to the great response from the Wrestlemania podcast, the Binge Sportscast will now be a regular thing here at Binge Media. I know, how many more can we fit in, right? But I’m extremely excited about the opportunity to do this. I can’t tell you that it will be a weekly thing on a certain day, but when big events are happening, I’ll be there to cover it. One definite is that Batch and I will be doing a monthly wrestling podcast right around PPV time. I’m not sure whether we’re going to do it before or after each show, but we’re working on the format now. I don’t have a definite date just yet, but Kupka and I will be bringing you constant coverage of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, so we’re excited about that. I’m also working on finding a co-host for the NBA Playoffs podcast, so stay tuned for that as well. Since I started doing the Better Call Saul show with Kupka and Jack, I’ve been having a blast. Throw in the fun that I had with Batch for the premiere of the Binge Sportscast, and I can see why all these guys want to do it all the time. So that’s the big news, and I couldn’t be more excited about it.
Wow. That was a lot to get to. But hey, I had to make up for the last few weeks. I’m sure you understand. So what do you think about all of what I just talked about? Did you love Furious 7 as much as I did? Do you have stories about cutting the cord? Are you on board with the new Binge Sportscast? Is there something coming up you’d like me to cover? Let me know below or find and follow me on Twitter @THElukenorris and @BingeSports. Believe me, you’ll be seeing a lot of me coming up as the NBA and NHL Playoffs get underway this week. I’ll see you soon.
You saw the title but I’ll go ahead and say it again. Baseball is back! And so am I here at Binge Sports. Welcome back to our continuing coverage of my favorite time of the year in sports. We’ve already gotten through the madness of March and last night’s Final Four. We’ve got that championship game tomorrow night. We’ve got the Masters coming up later this week (of course I’ll have a preview). The NBA and NHL playoffs are right around the corner, and I’ll be covering every single round of both. The NFL Draft is later this month and we’ve got The Kentucky Derby and Mayweather-Pacquiao on the same day in less than a month. So you’ll be seeing plenty of Binge Sports coming your way.
But today, we’re here to talk about one of my favorite days of the year. No, not that one, but Happy Easter to you anyway. No, it’s the start of baseball season. It’s the time of year where every team gets a fresh start. Believe me, as a fan of the Chicago Cubs, that’s a constant issue. But I’ll get to that shortly. Two years ago, I wrote a little piece about baseball on my personal blog, The Luke Norris Experience. Cheap plug, I know, but I went back and read it before I started writing this to once again remind myself why I love this game. I had actually forgotten what I wrote, but I kinda liked it, so I thought I’d share it with you here.
“Throughout the years, the game of baseball has certainly had its share of problems. From the color barrier to the steroid problem to work stoppages, the sport that once ruled the country has certainly taken a hit in popularity. Television ratings are down, as are attendance figures. Football has blown by it as the most popular sport in America. So why do I keep coming back every single year? What is it about baseball that makes me so sentimental? Maybe it’s the fact that baseball was my first love. Maybe it’s the fact that one of the main reasons I know how to read is that I used to sit on my grandfather’s lap as a child as we read the Chicago Tribune to catch up on our beloved Chicago Cubs (yes I know, even more torture to myself). Maybe it was playing home run derby in the street with my friends until we couldn’t even see the ball. Maybe it was catching the end of a game on WGN when I got home from school. Maybe it was a 75 cent pack of Topps cards if my mom let me get them at the grocery store. Maybe it was a fun rivalry with my dad, a lifelong Cardinals fan, watching a weekend series at Busch. Maybe it’s taking a break from working in the yard, having a cold drink and listening to the game on the radio. Maybe it’s because that every time I walk up the ramp at Wrigley Field and see the scoreboard, the green grass, and the ivy, I immediately turn into my eight year old self again. Or maybe it’s just the game itself. Maybe it’s a suicide squeeze. Maybe it’s a 5-4-3 double play. Maybe it’s a 95 mph fastball followed by an 85 mph breaking ball that buckles a batter’s knees. Maybe it’s a ball that’s certain to leave the yard until an outfielder reaches over the fence to bring it back. Maybe it’s watching a group of innocent kids in a little league game that play for the love of the game. Maybe it’s watching a minor leaguer in countless small towns throughout the country strive to achieve his dream of one day making it to the show. Maybe it’s watching your favorite big league ballplayer hit a walkoff bomb and seeing the joy on his face as he rounds third toward the mob that awaits him at home plate. Maybe it’s just watching the complexities within the simplicity that is the game of baseball. Whatever it is, baseball is back. Will I be watching? Definitely.”
So after reading that, you know that I had to obviously be excited with the game that gets the season started tonight. It’s the St. Louis Cardinals visiting my beloved Chicago Cubs. Fanfreakingtastic.
Believe me, I could write for days and days on the beauty of the Cardinals and Cubs rivalry, but I’ll spare you that today. But this really is a great opener for baseball. The Cubs have very high expectations this season, but I’m not one of those fans to say that this is THE year. Naturally, I hope that every year is finally the year for the Cubs, and they’re certainly in better shape than they’ve been in a long time. But so many of their young superstars haven’t spent a full year in the major leagues. There’s talent everywhere, but this is the show. This is where the best players in the world are. So to my fellow Cubs fans: Calm down a little. It’s okay to be excited. I am too. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. There’s 162 games between now and October. The division is tough. There’s a lot of good teams in the NL Central, and to get to the ultimate prize, we’ve got to dethrone the team that’s owned this division for years. Yes, it’s the St. Louis Cardinals. They’ve got to be thrilled with all of this hype surrounding Chicago. With all of that talk and hype, the Cardinals still have to be considered the favorite to win the division. Of course, it pains me to say that, but it’s true. The Cardinals just find a way to win, so although I don’t necessarily like the Cardinals, I respect the hell out of them as an organization. Okay, that’s enough of that. I feel dirty.
But seriously, this is one of the best rivalries in baseball with loads of history to back me up on that, so it’s really great to know that the next chapter begins tonight.
And one more thing before I move on. I understand that some of you may be upset with the Kris Bryant situation. This guy is a monster and I would have loved to see him on the roster to start the season, but let’s keep this in perspective. He’ll be up very soon and he’ll be ready. If keeping him in the minors for a few weeks gives us an extra year, I’m all for it.
Okay, I know that the Cubs and Cardinals aren’t the only two teams in baseball. So since I’m such a nice guy, allow me to get you ready for Opening Day. Here’s a nice list of every single game on Monday, along with the starting time, so you’ll know exactly when you need to “get sick” at work.
BLUE JAYS @ YANKEES
1:05 Eastern/12:05 Central
ESPN
Shocking! The Yankees kick off the day on ESPN. But thankfully, I really don’t see New York being a contender this year. Jeter’s leadership is gone, but at least we get to hear about Alex Rodriguez’s comeback (need a sarcasm font). The Blue Jays, on the other hand, should be a contender in the AL East behind a powerful 3-4-5 in the lineup with Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion, and Josh Donaldson.
TWINS @ TIGERS
1:08 Eastern/12:08 Central
It’s a nice story to have Torii Hunter back in Minnesota, but it’s certainly not enough to keep the Twins competitive in this division. I just don’t think they have enough to keep up with teams like Detroit, who should contend for another AL Central crown. Justin Verlander will start the season on the DL, but the pitching they still have should keep them afloat at the beginning of the year, even with Max Scherzer jumping ship. If not, there’s always that good offensive attack led by perennial MVP candidate, Miguel Cabrera.
ROCKIES @ BREWERS
2:10 Eastern/1:10 Central
I don’t see either one of these teams contending in their respective divisions. The NL West not only has the defending champion San Francisco Giants, but also a really solid Dodgers squad. A fourth or fifth place finish looks to be in the cards for the Rockies. The same could probably be said for the Brewers, who may try for a while, but won’t keep up with teams like the Cardinals and Pirates in the NL Central.
RED SOX @ PHILLIES
3:05 Eastern/2:05 Central
The Red Sox are probably the favorites to win the AL East in a really down year for the division. They had a very good offseason, adding Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval, and it should be enough to get them into the playoffs. Speaking of playoffs, remember when Philadelphia was in them? I think the most we’ll hear about the Phillies this season is when they decide to unload some of that pitching. Cole Hamels will be a hot commodity this summer.
ORIOLES @ RAYS
3:10 Eastern/2:10 Central
The question for the Orioles is whether or not they can repeat what they did last year. They dominated the AL East in 2014, but they didn’t really make any big additions in the offseason like the Red Sox did. But when you win the division by 12 games, maybe you don’t need to. They’ll still look different with key players like Manny Machado and Matt Weiters returning from injuries. If their pitching can hold up, expect to see them in the mix come September. Just don’t expect to see Tampa Bay there. Their pitching is really good, but they just won’t score a lot of runs. Unless they expect to win a lot of 2-1 games, the Rays might end up at the bottom of a mediocre division.
METS @ NATIONALS
4:05 Eastern/3:05 Central
ESPN
Can Matt Harvey regain the form he had before his Tommy John surgery? That’s the biggest question that the Mets will need answered this season. The rest of the rotation should be decent enough, and I’d say the Mets will finish in the middle of the pack in the NL East. They’ll probably hover around the .500 mark for most of the year, which won’t be enough to keep up with the division favorite, the Washington Nationals. These guys are stacked from top to bottom. When you have a guy like Stephen Strasburg get bumped to second in the rotation, you know you only have the good kind of problems. Adding Max Scherzer to the rotation that includes three other really solid pitchers in Jordan Zimmerman, Doug Fister, and Gio Gonzalez, and you’ve got a formula to win 100 games, if not more. If I had to pick one team right now to win the World Series, I’d pick the Nationals.
BRAVES @ MARLINS
4:10 Eastern/3:10 Central
Staying in the NL East, the Braves just aren’t the Braves anymore, are they? The rotation just isn’t where they need it to be. The Upton brothers have been split up, and Jason Heyward is now a Cardinal. Where’s the offense coming from? Freddie Freeman, most likely. But that won’t be enough to keep pace. Offense certainly won’t be a problem in Miami. If Giancarlo Stanton can mentally get past being hit in the face last fall, he’s primed for a monster year. They’ve got some good hitters surrounding him in Christian Yelich and Marcell Ozuna, along with some solid veterans like Ichiro and Michael Morse. I don’t know if they can steal the division from Washington, but they will be right in the wild card mix.
WHITE SOX @ ROYALS
4:10 Eastern/3:10 Central
The White Sox should be much improved after adding a ton of key players in the offseason. They got help on offense. They got help on defense. They got help in the rotation. But with all of the talk being on the North Siders, they’ve quietly put themselves in position to be a legitimate contender in the AL Central, assuming ace Chris Sale can come back healthy after breaking his foot, which he should. Gross. Now I have to get that dirty off of me as well. Much like I said about the Orioles, can the Kansas City Royals repeat the dream season they had in 2014? This exciting young team made it all the way to Game 7 of the World Series before losing to the Giants, but they sure were fun to watch. Expect some of the same in 2015, but they’re going to have to play good baseball all year long to contend in this very competitive division.
ANGELS @ MARINERS
4:10 Eastern/3:10 Central
These are probably the two best teams in the AL West. The Angels, despite not getting the production they expected with those big contracts, can still score runs with the best of them. Mike Trout is arguably the best player in baseball and should have another MVP-caliber season. The rotation is really solid with guys like Jered Weaver and C.J. Wilson. Expect them to be right there come late September. The question is whether they’ll be chasing or fending off the Seattle Mariners, who come into 2015 looking really good. I guess we can’t really make fun of Robinson Cano anymore for signing in Seattle. It looks like he made the right choice. Add Nelson Cruz to hit behind him and teams will have some problems with that lineup.
PIRATES @ REDS
4:10 Eastern/3:10 Central
If Mike Trout isn’t the best player in baseball, then is Andrew McCutchen? This guy is a treat to watch and he will keep the Pirates near the top of this division. They still might not be as good as the Cardinals, but they’ll certainly contend in the NL Central again. The rotation has a solid top three in Liriano, Cole, and Burnett to boot. Can the Pirates take that next step? Don’t expect too many steps from the Reds. Sure, they’ve got a lot of power, but it’s homeruns and strikeouts for these guys. As with the Phillies, the most we’ll probably hear of the Reds will be whenever Johnny Cueto hits the trading block.
PADRES @ DODGERS
4:10 Eastern/3:10 Central
The Padres will be in the top half of this division, but how much is that really saying? I like some of the pieces in their lineup with Matt Kemp and Justin Upton, but will that be enough? The addition of James Shields to their rotation was a major upgrade and should keep them at .500 or better for most of the year. The problem is that they’ll be chasing not just the defending champion Giants, but a Dodgers ballclub that may be just behind Washington as the biggest threat that the National League has to offer. The rotation is great. When Zack Greinke is your number two, then you’ve got a good rotation. Ace Clayton Kershaw is just about as lights out as you can get. And the lineup is loaded. Rollins, Crawford, Puig, Gonzalez. That’s not a bad 1-4. The Dodgers have to be considered the favorite to win the NL West.
INDIANS @ ASTROS
7:10 Eastern/6:10 Central
ESPN
These are two teams on opposite ends of the spectrum right now. The Indians have been picked by some people to go to the World Series. They don’t have many well known players, but they’ve got a lot of guys that do the little things that are necessary to succeed. And in that division, they’ll need to do just about everything right. On the other side, you’ve got the Astros, who are still in the process of rebuilding. They’re doing exactly what the Cubs have been doing, but just aren’t as far in. I think that in a few years the Astros will actually contend, but this year certainly isn’t that year.
RANGERS @ A’S
10:05 Eastern/9:05 Central
The Rangers really took a hit when it was discovered that Yu Darvish will miss the entire season. Taking away a team’s ace is never a positive. I don’t know if they’ll be able to keep up with the Angels and Mariners in this division. They’ve got some power in the lineup with Beltre and Fielder, but they’ll need a lot more to contend in the American League West. The A’s might have problems as well. They’ve basically got an all-new lineup in Oakland. But that’s what the A’s do. They make you think they’ve got nothing, and then all of a sudden, they’re in a pennant race.
GIANTS @ DIAMONDBACKS
10:10 Eastern/9:10 Central
It’s an odd year, so I don’t know quite what to expect from the 2010, 2012, and 2014 champs. I still don’t know what to make of Tim Lincecum, but Madison Bumgarner became a star last fall. The Giants are hoping he and Matt Cain can keep them competitive after losing some offense to free agency. The Diamondbacks just aren’t good. My sincere apologies to any D-back fans that I offend, but you know it’s the truth. There’s not much more I can say than that. If you finish within 25 games of the Dodgers, call that a win for the year and look forward to the future.
There you have it. All 30 teams accounted for. But we’re not done yet. You know how much I love my fan voting, so I’ve got yet another one for you. From time to time throughout the season, I’ll be giving updates on what’s going on in MLB, and every time you’re going to see this fan vote. What I’d like to do is have you vote on who you think is going to win each division. I just want to see how much the voting changes as the season goes on. I haven’t put a limit on the number of times you can vote, so each time you see it, go ahead and make your pick. So let’s go ahead and start it now and we’ll see how things shake out throughout the year. And……..GO!
AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST
[yop_poll id=”205″]
AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL
[yop_poll id=”206″]
AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST
[yop_poll id=”207″]
NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST
[yop_poll id=”208″]
NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL
[yop_poll id=”209″]
NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST
[yop_poll id=”210″]
Did I miss anything? Who’d you vote for and why? You can leave your comments below or you can always catch me on Twitter @BingeSports and/or @THElukenorris. Check back later this week for my preview of one of my favorite events of the year, The Masters. Until then, enjoy some baseball.
Welcome to a special edition of Working the Weekend with Luke here at Binge Media, which is really what I want to talk to you about today. I try to bring you the best original content I can each and every time you hear from me. Today, I could have given you my thoughts on the final season of Parks and Recreation, which I admit I watched in one sitting. Or I could have revisited Big Fish, which I’ve actually got on the TV at this very moment. But instead, I wanted to share some big news and a couple of milestones with you.
One of the milestones, which I wasn’t even aware of until today, is that I’ve now written over 100 articles for Binge Media. As I’ve not even celebrated my one-year anniversary as a member of this team, I’m extremely pleased with that information. Between Binge Sports and Working the Weekend with Luke, you’re actually reading article number 103. In case you’re wondering, I celebrate my first year here on April 15th.
The second milestone is that my personal blog, which you may or may not have read, The Luke Norris Experience, is now officially two years old as of this past Friday, which actually leads me to my big news.
I’ve decided to follow my heart and actually write for a living. If you’re looking for the full story, please CLICK HERE for the 2015 State of THE Luke Norris Address.
So what exactly does this have to do with Binge Media? In a word, everything. Even as a writer, it’s hard to actually put into words what this site has done for me, but I’ll try quickly anyway. The guys that run this site and every single person on this great staff has passion. Whether it’s the weekly columns, or the too many to count podcasts that you come back for every week, it’s obvious to notice the effort that each and every one of these guys puts into their topic of choice. And nearly a year ago, they let me into their world. They gave me a forum to talk about one of my passions and turned me loose. After a few months of talking solely about sports, they let me start this very column to expand into movies and television and books, all of which are passions of mine as well. What it’s allowed me to do is to get back to wanting to write. If you went back and read my address, you’d know that I’ve actually been writing for quite a while, but I gave it up for a long time. I got lazy and disinterested and just stopped.
Binge Media helped me find myself again. Binge Media helped me rediscover my true passion. I am a writer. I now realize that’s all I’ve ever wanted to be, and I’m now taking the steps to make that happen. Binge Media gave me a forum. Binge Media helped light a fire that I have no plans to let extinguish for a long, long time.
This is the real reason for my article today. I’ve already been asked the question as to whether or not I’ll keep writing for Binge Media with all of the other writing I’ll be doing. The answer is a resounding YES!!! These guys helped me realize what I really want to do, and now matter what else I write from this point on, I’ll want to be a part of Binge Media for as long as they’ll let me. I want to take this opportunity to thank Law and Moreno for giving me the shot. I want to thank all of the other staff members for putting out high-level material that makes me want to get better each and every time I open this computer to write. And I certainly want to thank each and every one of you that takes time out of your day to click on an article I’ve written and read it. It’s my goal to entertain you and I can only hope that’s what I’ve done thus far, and it’s definitely my goal to keep you coming back to the best damn media site out there. I hope you keep reading. I know I’ll keep writing.
Keep checking back in as there’s a ton of new articles on the way. As always, you can comment below or follow me @THElukenorris for all the latest updates. See you soon.
After a week away, Working the Weekend with Luke is back! While I do apologize for leaving you in the dark last weekend, it was for a very good reason as my kitchen has been completely overhauled and looks spectacular if I do say so myself. But you certainly don’t care about my home remodeling, so what exactly do I have in store for you this week? Well, I’ve actually been waiting six days to write this and you’ve probably already seen a ton of coverage on it, but I refuse to not write about last week’s episode of Better Call Saul. I will warn you once right now and that’s it. THIS WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS! Continue at your own risk.
“I broke my boy.”
Damn, I knew I was going to get ahead of myself. Okay, before I get to that, let’s just get this out of the way. I have a problem and the first step is admitting that you have a problem. But it’s an issue that I will never fix and I’m completely okay with it. Whew, here it goes….Hi. My name is Luke and I’m addicted to all things related to Breaking Bad. I’m not even sure anymore how many times I’ve been through the series. In all reality, I just finished binge watching all five (or what Gilligan calls five) seasons yet again and yes, I took some more new things out of it…yet again. But before I write 100,000 words on a series that’s been over for a year and a half (and that may be low-balling it), let me move on to the best prequel, sequel, and spin-off that will ever be. (Sorry, I didn’t watch that much Frasier).
When the announcement was made that Better Call Saul was actually going to be a show, I will admit that I was nervous. Breaking Bad was so absolutely perfect in my eyes that I thought tinkering with anything at all could be disastrous. The fact that Saul Goodman and Mike Ehrmantraut were my favorite supporting characters only heightened my fear that the show could fail and I’d be left with a bad taste in my mouth. But that’s what I get for doubting Vince Gilligan. Better Call Saul is absolutely phenomenal and I will literally (using my best Rob Lowe voice here) fight anyone who thinks otherwise.
Okay, that may be a bit much, but let’s get serious. The early storytelling of this show has been perfect. While the reviews have been pretty solid, I have heard rumblings that “it’s too slow” or “it’s certainly not Breaking Bad”, but here’s the thing. It’s not supposed to be. Is it cool to see some of the old faces from time to time? Sure. I mean, seriously, who didn’t gasp at least a little bit when we saw this at the end of the first episode?
Tuco? Are you kidding me? And how hilarious was it in the next episode when he looked at No-Doze as they had Saul in the middle of nowhere and told him to “stop helping”? Any Breaking Bad fan worth anything had to get a good chuckle out of that. But let’s all remember that for the time being, this is an origin story. Sure, later on, I see things moving in a direction where we maybe get Saul’s side of what’s going on during the Breaking Bad timeline, or what happens to Saul after he ends up in Nebraska (we already know that his best-case scenario of working at a Cinnabon in Omaha has happened). And yes, it would always be great to get another taste of Walter White or Jesse Pinkman or who seems to be everyone else’s favorite secondary character, Gus Fring. But for now, as I said, it’s an origin story for Saul Goodman and will continue to be. But in all the greatness that the first five episodes gave us, last week’s episode (Five-O) finally let viewers in to the origin story that we’ve all been waiting anxiously for, that of Mike Ehrmantraut.
We open Season 1, Episode 6 in a flashback as Mike is fresh off the train in the ABQ. He’s met by a woman named Stacy and they exchange quick pleasantries but before they can leave, Mike heads towards the restroom.
But instead of entering the men’s room, he instead walks into the women’s room to get himself a maxi-pad. Wait, what? This is stone cold hard-ass Mike we’re talking about here. Oh, now I get it. He needs it to cover up a bullet wound to the shoulder. That’s more like it, Mike. But when and where did Mike get shot?
We’re now back at Stacy’s and as a familiar little girl (well of course it’s Kaylee) plays in the background, we learn that the husband and father of this family, Matt, has recently died. Stacy asks Mike if Matt seemed different in the weeks leading up to his death, but in true Mike fashion, he plays the whole conversation very nonchalantly, responding merely with “he seemed okay to me.” Obviously not satisfied with Mike’s answer, Stacy continues to press about a phone call she overheard between Matt and a mystery man on the other end, who she is pretty sure was Mike, mainly due to the fact that Matt wasn’t an angry person unless it had to do with Mike. Shockingly enough, Mike denies it, gets in a cab and leaves.
Okay, by this time, we’ve obviously figured out that Matt is Mike’s son. To be honest with you, that answered a ton of questions that I had during the Breaking Bad days. Seriously, how many times did you sit and watch as Mike would drop off Kaylee but not really talk with her mother? Initially, I thought maybe he had some kind of falling out with his daughter, but it’s actually quite nice to know that this woman isn’t his daughter at all, but instead his son’s wife. So even if nothing else came out of this episode, I at least had an answer to that.
After a very quick yet awesome scene where Mike gets his wound stitched up by a veterinarian…….
…….we’re back in the present, at least what we’re calling the present for this show. Mike is now being questioned by the two detectives that showed up at the end of the previous episode.
As these two attempt to get Mike to talk, he only responds with one word: “Lawyer.” But who by chance would Mike know to represent him?
Why yes, it’s Saul Goodman…..I mean, Jimmy McGill. Sorry, it takes some getting used to. Make note of that cup of coffee in his hand, by the way. At this point, Jimmy is absolutely clueless to why he’s been called in, but he’s about to find out that Mike has a plan. Shocking, I know. That cup of coffee I mentioned is actually an integral part of how he’d like things to go down once the four of them are in the interrogation room together. Mike wants Jimmy to spill the coffee on the shorter detective to the right in the picture above, Detective Abbasi, so Mike can grab the notepad that he’s been writing notes in. Trying to play it straight from here on out, Jimmy’s not happy with the plan and initially refuses, until he hears what comes next.
This is where we really start to dig deep. Matt Ehrmantraut was a Philly cop just like his old man. After answering a call about shots being fired with his partner and a third officer, we learn that Matt didn’t make it out alive. There were no suspects and only two months ago, the other two cops (Hoffman and Fenske) were found murdered. And here we go.
At this point, I must ask that if you watch the episode again, please take a look at Bob Odenkirk during this scene. This is the kind of stuff that makes a great actor. His subtle reactions and facial expressions as he listens to the struggles of a man he barely knows and has had some recent sticker run-ins with are perfect. Sorry, but I just had to get that in there. But things are now starting to take shape. Have I mentioned that we’re not even close to this being the best part of the episode?
As the conversation nears its close, Mike explains that he doesn’t know anything about the murders and didn’t even hear about it until he was past Kansas City, which happens to be the day after the killings occurred. He tells the detectives that he had seen the two out drinking that night. And as we knew he would, Jimmy changes his mind and spills the coffee, allowing Mike to retrieve what he was after.
With everything that comes later, it’s easy to overlook a very key part of the timeline here. In my mind, this is really where Jimmy takes a big turn towards becoming Saul Goodman and it’s definitely the real start of the relationship with Mike. There’s now some emotion that doesn’t involve parking stickers, but more importantly we now have something to bond the two together: a little bit of trust.
We all know why the detectives are there. Obviously, Jimmy knows why as well. “In case you missed it, your friends from Philly back there think you killed two cops.” And it’s here that we get a classic Mike Ehrmantraut answer: “Yup!” Awesome.
So now Mike is on a mission. He calls Stacy with a demand of “we need to talk” and things get even better from here. He asks if she’s the one who called the cops and it turns out that she had after finding thousands of dollars in one of Matt’s old suitcases. Stacy thinks her husband was a cop on the take.
“My son wasn’t dirty!” Chills.
We’re now back in Philly on the night in question. We see Mike breaking into a cop car outside of the aforementioned bar. Soon after, we’re inside as a very drunken Mike (apparently a problem back in the day) sits at the bar and spots Hoffman and Fenske across the room. He staggers over, puts his arm around them, and gives them a quick “I know it was you”, as only the legendary Michael Corleone could have done it.
Mike, now fully inebriated, is attempting to walk home as Hoffman and Fenske pull up in their police cruiser and offer a ride home. After a search and retrieval of Mike’s gun, they buckle him up in the backseat and head out.
“You killed him, you killed Matty. You killed him for nothing. You killed him because you were scared of what he might do. You made it look like it was a junkie with a gun, but it was you. I know it was you and I’m gonna prove it.” Silence.
With the plan to simply drive Mike home now derailed, the officers instead take him to an abandoned part of the city to figure out where to go from here. Damn, I’m getting excited just getting to it. We now see that this is going exactly the way Mike wanted it to. Mike isn’t drunk. He’s in complete control of the situation. Why had he broken into the cop car? Oh, you mean the backseat of the cop car he was just in? It might be a good place to hide an extra piece. He takes a bullet to the shoulder (okay, we’ve got that cleared up), but he does indeed kill Hoffman and Fenske.
So that just happened. Damn, Mike, you weren’t kidding. That’s certainly not a half-measure now, is it? Did I mention that we’re STILL not to the best part of the episode?
I can only describe the next scene as what I believe to be the best part of this series thus far, but arguably one of the best scenes in the entirety of this fictional world as a whole, meaning that yes, I’m including Breaking Bad as well. I’m not even going to attempt a description. Just read this and then watch the episode if you haven’t already. And then watch it again.
Mike: You let some things slide and you look the other way. You bust a drug dealer that has more cash than you’ll ever earn in a lifetime. Some of it doesn’t make it back into evidence, so what? You took a taste. So did everyone else. That’s how you knew you were safe. It’s like killing Caesar – everyone’s guilty. Matt wasn’t dirty. I was. Everyone was in that precinct. That’s how it worked. You turn in your buddy, you’re screwing yourself. You go along to get along.
Stacey: And you went along.
Mike: I did. Yeah. I did.
Stacey: Okay. But you said Matt didn’t.
Mike: No. Not Matt. Fenske got to Hoffman early – kickbacks from some gang or another – protection, basically. And Hoffman went to Matty and offered to cut him in. Only fair, right? They were partners. And Matt did what you would think – He agonized. And then he came to me, wanted to go to the I.A., do the right thing, shut ’em down.
Stacey: Oh, my God. And you let him? That’s why he got killed… ‘Cause he was gonna turn on those guys?
Mike: No. No. I told him… You know what a cop fears most? More than getting shot, more than anything? Prison – Getting locked up with everybody you put away. You threaten a cop with that, you make him dangerous, and that’s what I told him. I talked sense. No one was getting hurt. But if you go to the I.A., if you even look like you’re going… He had a wife, a kid, responsibilities. Take the money. Do something good with it. Well… I tried. I tried. But he wouldn’t listen. My boy was stubborn. My boy was strong. And he was gonna get himself killed. So I told him… I told him I did it, too, That I was like Hoffman, getting by, and that’s what you heard that night – me talking him down, him kicking and screaming until the fight went out of him. He put me up on a pedestal… And I had to show him that I was down in the gutter with the rest of them. Broke my boy. I broke my boy.
He went to Hoffman, he took the money, but he hesitated. Even looking like you’re doing the right thing to those two meant that he wasn’t solid, that he couldn’t be trusted. I got Matty to take the money. And they killed him two days later. He was the strongest person that I ever knew. He’d have never done it, not even to save himself. I was the only one – I was the only one that could get him to debase himself like that. And it was for nothing. I made him lesser. I made him like me. And the bastards killed him anyway.
Stacey: Hoffman and Fensky… If they killed Matty… Who killed them? Pop… What happened?
Mike: You know what happened. The question is… can you live with it?
Holy hell, are you freaking kidding me? We saw very little emotion from Mike in Breaking Bad, outside of the constant anger outbursts. So to see something like this really speaks not just to the writing of the episode, but to Jonathan Banks himself. If you don’t know anything about him, just check him out and you’ll see that he’s been around forever, but this one episode really brings his most well-known character to an entirely new level. You start thinking about how this one episode of Better Call Saul can completely change the way you look at him in Breaking Bad. But now, it’s more important to think about where we go from here in this series. Saul Goodman is coming. And now we know where Mike Ehrmantraut came from. And I’m damn happy that I found out.
Thoughts? Comments? Leave them below or follow me @THElukenorris and don’t forget to listen to the brand new Bingecast right here at Binge Media.
