Talking Bad

AMC has a follow up show to The Walking Dead called Talking Dead* where they have cast and crew members and a (varying level of) celebrity guest discuss the show with host Chris Hardwick.  Capitalizing on the monster ratings for Walking Dead, they immediately follow it not with an encore (the "pre-owned" instead of "used" version of "re-run") but this talk show which is entertaining enough to passively watch and (I imagine) a low cost way for the network to get some cash and keep making quality shows.**

* Talking Dead led to this hilarious moment in online polling, when posing a question related to whether the group should spend time looking for Sofia.  The audience clearly had no patience for it.

** Nationals Park in Washington, DC abuts a parking lot that laid vacant for the longest time.  With the rest of the area, which was supposed to have restaurants and bars and retail shoot up, almost completely devoid of options, it makes sense to do the bare minimum, put up a tent, and sling Miller Lights for six bucks, rather than let all that potential income go by the wayside.  That is the concept with these talk shows.  The captive audience from the lead in is there.  This is free money.


It makes sense considering how much and energy we spend discussing these shows, why not do it in house and capitalize?  

They've expanded the concept to Breaking Bad with Talking Bad.  Creator Vince Gilligan and Modern Family's Julie Bowen (who largely carries that show with Ty Burrell) were guests on the first (live) show after the season premiere Sunday.

It's refreshing to see Julie Bowen's sincere and earnest interest in the show.  The Breaking Bad finale is going to be one of those "television events" and it's cool to see a celebrity clearly invested in it.  It's not like celebrities who attend and comment on the Super Bowl, while not actually being a fan of the teams, or football in general  Bowen was clearly a huge fan who wanted Talking Bad to go longer than the half hour allotted.  Anyone who's started talking about a show they love knows that feeling.

Oddly, the show takes a caller like a radio call in show, rather mine from e-mails or tweets.  Given all the sports radio (now podcasts of radio broadcasts) I prefer e-mails because it gives the hosts and production staff a better chance to weed through the nonsense and find comments or questions that are constructive to the show, rather than listen to a caller ramble only to be cut off.   

If the guests remain main cast members, or Vince Gilligan returns I'll continue to watch this Monday evenings.

Have an A-1 Day!

Raw Data: News Night with Will MacAvoy

Thoughts and obeservations on Newsroom episode 2-05, "News Night with Will MacAvoy" written by Aaron Sorkin and directed by Alan Poul (of the season premiere).

• A several month time jump, we're in March 2012.
• This episode happens close to real time (not accounting for showing simulteneous events in a more digestible manner), lasting about an hour (the length of Will's broadcast)
• It's also written more like a play, which you'll see more of in Sorkin's Steve Jobs movie, which is completely real time
• Also happening, ramping up to the Illinois primary, which Mittens won handily
• It may have been planned this way to start but a bottle episode re-allocating resources would make sense considering the mulligan  * 
• If it is a result of saving resources...I think it is one of those times where less resources make you more creative.  The plots meshed well together, like Neil looking at the NewsNight hashtag, linking the LGBT kid and Will's vanity exercise
• Ultimately though, I think it is just Sorkin being the playwright he rightly fancies himself.  The best scenes he writes have a theatrical quality to them, often evoking a play (think Noises Off)
• Think the bugged scotch in Charlie Wilson's War or the Billy Beane's horsetrading on the phone in Moneyball
• Maggie (who walks really slowly on city sidewalks) says something in the control room, but it's a guess.  Nothing like relying on Maggie's (who stands on the left side of the escalator) guesswork!
• Then again, a shot in the dark can't be any worse than work she puts effort into
• Why does Jim even bother to put on a tie?  He looks like shit every day of his life.
• Jim harps on Maggie (who orders her steak well done) for her appearance and rumpled clothes, which is a great example of the crow calling the raven black **
• If a real life media analysis of Will's tie took place it'd say the purple means he's trying to appeal to moderates.  When in reality it would only provide something for the people who picked out his tie and the people talking about his tie to talk about
• Maggie (who says "could care less" instead of "couldn't care less") is making herself useful by waiting for an e-mail.  And only that.
•  Does anyone have a problem with her performance?
• Only every Newsroom viewer
• Did they bring the funny?  Don did.
• Don in the shot (!)
• Another quote from Don involving Germany and 15-20 years of building rage...will get the exact quote
• "Mr. Munch!" - more in the delivery than the text... 
• "Ba-ba-booey motherfuckers!" - and not just the line but that payoff and unexpected twist
•  Mac verbally and intellectually smacks around this kid who gets himself in trouble for tweeting behind the scenes, reminding me of this story
• #D2R
• A serious moment about Maggie, from a writing standpoint I like how her alcohol abuse, or whatever it is, isn't hiding a bottle in her desk or spiking her Big Gulp (cliche....), but going out on the town a lot  more, which results in drinking, as a way to combat loneliness.   
• Related, this episode does a good job in general averting expectations.  Don and Sloane's talk culminates in a funny phone call and beat down rather than a make out session.  The 'trapped Syrians' get karmic comeuppance rather than be a part of some News Night team to the rescue plot.
• After several Godfather-esque moments in Sunday's Breaking Bad, Mac "settles all family business"
• I think an epic quote like that is somewhat overstating what occurred on News Night
• It actually doesn't even factor as high on the Godfather scale as when Lisa went Michael-Fredo on Maggie (who takes the elevator up one flight. Yes we're back to that)
•  And so we'll see the next few weeks how Will deals with his father's death.
• And Stephen Root!  What an awesome actor.  I know he's so well known for Milton in Office Space but he'll always be Jimmy James from NewsRadio to me.  He's also on Justified these days as the most awesome judge in the world.
• Also, what a cast NewsRadio had.  The whole was so much better than the sum of the parts.  I wonder if that show is streaming somewhere...
• Genoa is lurking in the background of every episode, but hardly the primary concern.  Kind of like how Jim and Pam always had a thing going on in the early seasons of The Office, but it was rarely the main focus of the episode.  The meeting between Charlie and his Naval Intelligence friend went like so many of those West Wing meetings.

What everyone will complain about
Not a lot in this one due to relatively little media criticism.  The errors associated with the Zimmerman tape are still fresh in people's minds.Though I would not be surprised to see Mac catch some flack for saying the kid's announcement isn't the kind of thing they do on that show ("oh, they're so self righteous!").  Or maybe some jabs for having Sloane embroiled in this naked photo thing.  Because, you know, Sorkin hates women.

* Articles contains some of the self-congratulatory nature of media patting themselves on the back for suggesting improvements to the show and lauding praise on Sorkin for taking their suggestions

** I don't think I had a chance to mention I finished A Dance with Dragons and no longer risk  inadvertent spoilers pertaining to Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire.

Raw Data: Blood Money

Thoughts and observations for the second half premiere of the final season of Breaking Bad, episode 05-09, "Blood Money" written by Peter Gould who wrote the epic episode "Salud" as well as several others*.  The episode is directed by Walter White himself, who also directed the season two and three premieres. 

* IMDB also lists an episode later this season, "Granite State", which would probably involve Walt's trip to New Hampshire involving the car he had at the Denny's in the flash forward to start last season and this one. Another episode is titled "Ozymandias" which we'll get to in a moment.

• The flash forward picks up in what appears to be a scene that would directly follow the opener from last year at the Denny's.  The Good Denny's.  Here's what we learn
• Walt is identified as Heisenberg and it's well known
• Skyler and Junior are elsewhere
• The house has been abandoned for quite some time (but we know less than a year)
• Walt's neighbor (a different one than he sent to "check on the burner") dropped some oranges, which symbolize death or are at least a bad omen.  Recently seen at the Beneke residence.  
• Walt retrieves the ricin he stowed away after the Jessie/Brock/Roomba incident, which would mean he'd want to use it.  Which is decidedly more subtle than the BFG.
• In the scene they show before (last season) Walt says how long it takes to make the drive "if you only stop for gas" which makes me think he knows because he just did the drive without sleeping
• Hey, maybe Walt is on meth!
•  Present day!  Hank gets off the epiphany toilet
• I wonder if there is some legal thing Saul can do for Hank taking the book
• Probably not because I bet it doesn't matter.  The book was just the inspiration for Hank.  He's going to retroactively connect the pieces. 
• Walt's downfall has often been his pride, whether it be in spats with Mike, or prodding Hank to re-open the investigation.  His shortcomings with Grey Matter and his unrealized potential are the impetus for much of this and it's a trait often cited to lead to his likely downfall.  While it can manifest itself in a desire for quality, like Walt taking pride in his 99 percent purity, and I don't think it will lead to it in the sense that he will get sloppy because he takes so much pride in running things tightly...but because he will overreach.  Walt couldn't stand the fact that he had to launder money through his son's Web site, and would not accept a gift from his friends (partly because he wanted credit for bringing in the cash, however elicit).  Even though he is out of the game at this point.....well, we still have seven episodes for him to get back at it.
• The "Ozymandias" commerical lends itself to this. 
• Even keeping Leaves of Grass is an example of this.  More on the hubris end of the scale.
• The "Ozymandias" commercial may lend a peek to what is going to happen, if Walt ultimately wants to be recognized in some way for his achievement, or flies too close to the sun (as Victor did...) or taunts Hank too much.  The thing about the drug trade is that no matter how often the busts happen, someone else will be there to pick up the pieces and no one will give a second thought to the former man in charge (Walt/Ozymandia).  In a way, the show could end a lot like The Wire in that Walt's efforts to make his mark are as futile as efforts to change the game, whether it be drugs, politics, or education.  Ultimately, the larger institutions or whatever higher power looms over it all (glides?) will push Walt back down
• Ozymandias is one of only a few poems to ever leave a mark with me (or be understood by me), probably my favorite.
• The four toed statue on Lost always made me think of this
• Speaking of, Walt and Ben Linus could put on a clinic about getting punched
• Walt is back to wearing a lot of light and earthy tones and his underwear is conspicuous
• Between Lydia coming for Walt and Hank coming after Walt...I need Sil to cheer me up..
• Just when I thought I was out
• they pull me back in
•  Walt emulates Gus on two occasions
• His demeanor with Lydia at the car wash he shoos her away in an overly polite manner while running his legit front
• Folding the towel and placing it at the base of the toilet as he barfs, to soften the floor on his kneeds
• I chuckled on a repeat when Walt is staring at Gus in the garage through is binoculars, Walt has managed to find a piece of cardboard to there to soften the ground against his knees
• When Walt is honest with Skyler about Lydia pulling him back in, it's jarring.  Because he's being honest.  Which says a lot.
•  I assume whoever wrote the Badger and Skinny Pete scene is a huge Star Trek fan and had a lot of fun with that
• "My script, I just have to write it down"
• Oh jeez someone already animated it
• Huel is looking at Jessie in the waiting room pull out his cigarette pack, probably thinking back to when he lifted the ricin 
• Mike's not dead.  Okay, Walt is back to lying
• Jessie's never been motivated by money, but by being good at something.  He went middle child that one time during an argument between Walt and Mike on costs, offering his whole share so Walt could keep his.   
• If you are playing Breaking Bad Cinematography BINGO, there's some good POV and super close ups of the pool and skateboards to mark off on your card
• Walt pretty much simultaneously admits everything and nothing to Hank, while also simultaneously goading him to investigate and reasoning with him to give it up...then threatens him to "tread lightly"
• I thought Walt would take the strategy of reminding Hank how foolish he'll look if he has to turn in his brother who was under his nose the whole time.  The last ASAC was booted when Gus was discovered for the same offense.  This is even more extreme
• I also thought he'd involve Skyler and Junior.  "Does Skyler know?!  She not only knows, but is laundering the money!  Put me away, put her away, and leave Junior an orphan."  Walt's approach is much more aggressive.
• After a lot of speculation, the real point of the episode was to see how Hank would react to the news.  I could not come to a reasonable conclusion and was surprised at him punching Walt, while also thinking this makes complete sense.

 Have an A-1 day!

Eli's Coming

A Vulture post recently discussed the use of music, particularly "dad rock" in Aaron Sorkin's shows.  

I've always loved the music that goes into Sorkin's shows. Sometimes before I hear it used, and sometimes because I so closely associate it with a particular scene. Often both.

SportNight's "Eli's Coming" is one of my favorite episodes of television, period.  The song and the plot associated with it play a large part as to why.   Of Sorkin's four shows, SportsNight probably made the best use of music of all four shows. They don't even mention a bunch of my other favorites like "The Weight" at the end of Quality of Mercy at 29K which would be the best ending ever if not for "Eli's Coming."

Some other good uses of music:

• "Afternoon Delight" at the end of "The Apology" 
• "Sloop Jon B" at the end of "The Sword of Orion"

Breaking Bad's Coda

Breaking Bad returns on Sunday.  How will it end?

The well known pitch of the show "Mr. Chips to Scarface" may provide a glance into what's going to happen.  In this case, Walt's last stand.  He's slowly progressed from Hero to Villain over each season, with stops in between as an anti-hero and an anti-villian (good aims, bad means).  Each season represented a solid progression on that scale. Who knew Hal would come this far?

In the premiere of the most recent season, we saw Walt celebrating his 52nd birthday, alone, in a diner.  The scene also served to show two years had passed between the pilot and that scene, and that Walt's cancer has returned.  Walt purchases a BFG from the same man who sold him the side arm, along with a car to get out of town.  He's on the run.  If his cancer is back and he's unable to seek treatment, it's possible Walt is a man with nothing to lose, perhaps already embarrassed by being exposed by Hank  to the public including the last two members of his family who don't know, Betsy and most importantly Walter Junior.

How does it end?  Well, how does Scarface end?  Walt's not going down meekly.  His son may or may not want anything to do with him toward the end of the series.  Back in the first season, Walt told his family he did not want to undergo treatment in order to avoid the financial cost of a procedure that was far from guaranteed to work, a cold but pragmatic approach.  Walt may take a similar pragmatic approach, understanding he's going down anyways but engineer it in a way where he comes out looking like a good guy.

Additionally, it's not often the innocent get out of Albuquerque.  Between planes crashing, or Gale, or a kid riding his bike into the desert to catch spiders, there's plenty of blood spilled, not to mention near misses including Hank's attack and the kid Walt poisoned, thanks to Walt's actions and decisions.  Whether it's Junior or another family member who suffers as a direct, indirect or six degrees from a result of some decision Walt makes, it will no doubt be devastating.

Breaking Bad airs on AMC and is available on Netflix streaming.

Raw Data: Unintended Consequences

Thoughts and observations for Newsroom episode 2-04, "Unintended Consequences" written by Aaron Sorkin and directed by Carl Franklin who was an actor on The A-Team in the 1980s and recently directed "Chapter 10" and "Chapter 11" of House of Cards.

• Following a morning visit to the Newseum I hoped this week's episode would deal with a high minded look at ethics in journalism or something similar.  Instead, we got a lot of Maggie.
• I find it difficult to read any other analysis of Newroom, but for a different reason than before.  Some now include faint praise of the episode but in a backhanded manner.  Writers will praise an aspect of the show, explain why it was lacking, that it was identified in the media and pat themselves on the back for recognizing it and raising it to the attention of Sorkin.  They will also compliment Sorkin for taking their sage advice.
• Noticing the word 'abudiate' I wondered how Maggie (who reclines her seat all the way on airplanes) could have a word in her vocabularly that I did not.  Quickly fixed by acknowledging this is not a word.  See "refudiate" for Real World example.
• Whatever happened to Gary Cooper?
• He was gay?
•  Maggie and Gary are going to do some piece on KONY 2012.  Is that the same reason as before?
• This OWS girl is dressed much more nicely than one would expect for a OWS-er.
• All of Will's points are valid, considering that she cannot articulate a best case scenario.  Or even identify who would meet with Congressional leaders if they walked down there one day and said they were willing to listen to their (scatterbrained, disorganized) demands.
• Will is still battling with that internal conflict to be liked and though of as a moderate, admitting to being harder on OWS than he had to be because they are a convenient target for someone in his position with his credentials
• Though I didn't think she took any lumps that weren't warranted or justified.
• Mentioning Entebbe brings to mind this movie
• Here I am thinking this fixer is as useless at his job as Maggie, who is terrible, is at her's.  But when the cattle bandits come, he's pulling out his gun, checking things out and getting everyone onto the bus.  Bam!
• This scene brought out a tension and suspense not often seen in Sorkin's work.
•  Good plan to stay off the doctor prescribed Paxil.  Very smart.
• The Mayo Clinic states the generic form of Paxil, Paroxetine, is used to "treat mental depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety disorder (also known as social phobia), premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Paroxetine belongs to a group of medicines known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). These medicines are thought to work by increasing the activity of the chemical called serotonin in the brain."
  They mention SSRIs earlier in the episode, but I can't recall the context
• Instead, Maggie (who is a poor tipper) medicates herself via haircut which lies somewhere between here and here and here 
• Speaking of tropes, Mac is on her way to becoming the Only Sane Employee
• Did they bring the funny?
• "I always...I hate that name...I did it..." - Jim, of all people
• "Couldn't find a map with a fucking map" - Will
• Don's rambling on how he's the only one who can save the situation with OWS and the source, followed by his immediate bungling of the situation

What everyone will hate
Sorkin used kids, African kids no less, to manipulate the viewer, introducing a character for the sole purpose of drumming up empathy and magnifying the tragic outcome.

However, I'm sure everyone will pat themselves on the back for calling out Sorkin on smugness and making him draw attention to it as Will, Sloan and Don march in a self aware smugness and condescension parade toward the OWS rep.

Oh, but they are going to lose their minds about Halle's editor yelling at her over the phone.  "No one could ever say that!"

Uganda
Part of the problem with the Uganda story is it will ultimately not be worth it because of the simple fact it is happening to the worst character on the show.  Trauma is a tricky thing to convey because it relies much on the established endearing nature of the character.  Besides the quality of the Maggie character lacking, the quantity of time we've gotten to know her is lacking we well.  Newsroom has only broadcast 14 episodes so far, eight less than the number than ran before "In the Shadow of Two Gunmen."

It's also unclear to me how the Uganda story connects with the subject of the wrongful termination suit, besides Maggie's (the insane, unbalanced one) ability to testify as a credible sane person.  Which I'm not sure she could do anyways.  Also, why she has to tell them every excruciating detail.  It's a matter of suspending disbelief which I will give someone like Jeremy Goodwin when he writes his deaf sister Louise, but not to a terrible character like Maggie (who we hate).

And ultimately, the terrible thing that happened to Maggie (blah) didn't actually happen to Maggie (blerg).  It happened to someone else, and she bore witness.  Which is terrible.  But not as terrible as Maggie (narf).


Next week!
Trayvon.  Fuck.

That's great, but who are the chefs?

Great googly moogly!

Top Chef is returning, in Masters form.  Being the only show I watch on Bravo, there's nothing I'm watching that tells me Top Chef is coming back so it's usually by word of mouth I find out it's back a few episodes into the season.  Seems like a marketing flaw, considering how much television I watch that I could somehow not know one of my favorite shows is on.  But then again, Top Chef is on Bravo, which is owned by NBC Universal, which is owned by Comcast.  So, with those guys on the job, I'm not particularly surprised.

This season is worth watching, to me, for the sole reason that Bryan Voltaggio returns.  Voltaggio was the runner up to his brother in the (probably strongest) Season Six in Vegas.  While he did not win a Quickfire, he did win four main challenges * and was selected in the top group four additional times.  He never was in the bottom group to be possibly eliminated, which even Kevin and Michael cannot claim.**

* Though it seemed like he was unlucky, never winning one of the challenges that had a cash prize as a reward.

** Looking to see if anyone else in the show's run can make that claim.  Thank you Wikipedia.

I think I was a fan because I could see the older brother in him come out often.  Bryan and Michael exemplified an older/younger brother relationship.  One segment, which I think was online and not on the show, was when a snake got into the the house.  Brian dealt with the snake while Michael drunkenly sat there ready with a knife in case the snake pounced.

Despite the often flawed competition structures they have which can result in the worst dish not being eliminated * Top Chef is still one of three reality shows I watch **.  If Kristen, unjustly elminated early due at least partially to a dishonorable competitor, hadn't ultimately won*** I may feel differently.

* Often due to a team or bracket style match up.

** The other two being The Amazing Race and Survivor.  Both competition based, rather than candid.

*** In some weird Iron Chef finale cookoff.  Hopefully TC doesn't continue to try to be something it's not.