Hey there, long time no talk Mad Men, huh? I’m here to officially say that we’re not going to be doing the Mad Men retrospective we discussed on the wrap up podcast. Bummer, I know, but! We do have a cool piece of content that was going to be part of that coverage, a behind the scenes…
Many more puzzle pieces fell into place over the weekend as HBO’s Westworld deployed episode 109, “The Well-Tempered Clavier”. But there is still a lot left to uncover. Why did Dr. Ford deploy the reverie code? What is his ultimate intentions for his new narrative and indeed future of the park? What are those sentient robots doing hiding up in the hills of Westworld? And what does the Man in Black intend to do with Delores once he finds her? We’re excited to see how things wrap up next week, as we’re hoping to get a glimpse of how Nolan and Joy intend to expand this series going forward. See you then!
Jim and A.Ron wonder if it’s all worth it anymore after seeing a historically bad episode of AMC’s The Walking Dead, number 706, “Swear”. Aside from being the dreaded single POV focus episode featuring a second-tier character, so much of this made no sense and seemed pointless. From the zombie action sequences involving improbable combinations of dump trucks and sand, to the 538th, 539th, and 540th time we’ve heard one character bemoan the degradation of humanity to another, to questionable directorial and editing decisions, a lot of time and effort was spent to tell us of the existence of a community with an axe to grind against the Saviors that is heavily armed but suffering a shortage of effective warriors. Gee, where ever could we find a place that is disarmed with a crew of killers with itchy trigger fingers? We’re just one broken promise away from getting that creamy peanut butter inside that chocolate folks. Oh, and Heath has gone missing. “PPP” is somehow involved. And Tara has some weird tattoo. And we have feedback! Is this thing on? Is anyone still listening?! YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT IT’S LIKE OUT THERE! THEY AIN’T US! HERE’S NOT HERE!
Jim and A.Ron take in the latest episode of HBO’s Westworld, “Trace Decay”. Timelines are continuing to proliferate (we’re up to four now, in case you’re keeping score at home), everybody is still potentially a host, and William is probably the MiB after all. But there’s a lot of nice stuff here, from the increasingly evident narcisism and nihilism of Dr. Ford to Bernard struggling to cope with his new station in life. And hooboy, is this “upload 35 years worth of Westworld madness into this Abernathy guy’s head” plan of Hale’s going to be a glorious trainwreck or what? Lots of stuff to look forward to, and keep in mind we’ve got just two short weeks before god knows how long of a hiatus. So savor all the timelines, hosts, and idiot techs while you can.
Carl and Enid rolling down the street! S-K-A-T-I-N-G! Sure, we all loved Richonne, but step aside, there’s a new hot apocalyptic romance in Alexandria: Carnid. Or Earl? Whatever, it was cute, and fun, and gives Carl a new angle to work besides the increasingly silly hair and hat routine. What else? Oh, Maggie is a boss, of course, tractors are employed in unusual circumstances, Gregory is literally The Worst, Michonne struggles to adapt to a post-Negan world, and the biggest surprise of them all; The Walking Dead writer’s staff deftly juggling no less than three separate plots in a single episode! All of this and more are discussed, including emails from your fellow fans.
We’re done, and so is FX’s American Horror Story for yet another year, with the release of episode 610, “Chapter 10”. This episode isn’t going to change your mind about the season one way or another, but we found it funny and campy even if the end ultimately didn’t pay off the way it could have if almost every decision about Lee’s character was the literal opposite of what the show did, but hey. You can’t win them all, or lose them all, even if you’re Ryan Murphy writing this crazy, crazy show. For our money, this season will be about the lack of credit sequence and some of the best genuine scares the show has managed in years. Plenty of room for people to love and hate the season, as our feedback section will attest, but maybe that’s part of the fun, too? Stay tuned to Bald Move to see what Cecily and I will be up to next. If nothing else, we’ll be reunited for next year’s run of Orange is the New Black!
The floodgates have opened after the release of the newest episode of HBO’s Westworld, “Trompe L’Oeil”. Everyone is a host, unless you think they’re a host, then they’re a double secret human. There are at least five timelines, six of which take place on Mars. The robots can kill, unless they’re Clementine, but then again she’s an expert at faking it. If you’ve experienced trauma from watching this episode, never fear. Buffalo are standing by to provide medical care and O negative blood and will be there to assist soon.
Jim and A.Ron rap about AMC’s The Walking Dead episode 704, “Service”, and in keeping with the episode title, we’re thinking of stiffing the Gimple and company on their tip. The maniacal focus on single plot line story telling is doing real damage, not just to the pacing, but to their otherwise solid and memorable attempts at characterization with Negan and Dwight. Also, WHERE IS TARA AND HEATH?! Did they run into the crew of the S.S. Minnow and decide to take the three hour tour? On a positive note, the show has us really howling for Negan and his Savior’s heads, which is presumably something the show wants us to feel. Mission accomplished. All this and much more including feedback from our fellow fans coming right up!
A.Ron and Cecily were enjoying the more light-hearted, campy feel of episode 609, “Chapter 9”, and then the Woods Witch showed up, iCloud footage was found, and things got really bloody and gross in a decidedly POV kind of way. We talk about the lone survivor of the season, do some speculation about where the show goes as it heads into it’s final week, and admire the quick recovery of Monet’s spunk and moxy.
Seems like whether you loved the latest episode of HBO’s Westworld, “The Adversary” depends on how much you bought into Maeve running roughshod over two bumbling technicians toiling in the bowls of Westworld’s meat department. Jim’s struggling with this. Meanwhile A.Ron might very well be teetering too close to the crazy town of Tinfoil. We record, you decide!