Heroes Volume 4

WARNING!!! This post contains spoilers, so if you haven't seen the season finale of Heroes, don't spoil it for yourself here!!! You've been warned.

Well, another season of Heroes is over, and everybody is talking about it. As I said last night, that would mean everybody that I work with. The reaction to it, as has been the general reaction to the season as a whole, is resoundingly negative. This made me quite sad, because as a whole, I thought season 3 was quite the rebound from the obnoxiously disappointing season 2. Was it as epic and badass as season 1? No. Did that stop it from being good? Hell no. I love season 3 and have defended it on multiple occasions.

Season 3 has done a lot right by me. The focus has kind of shifted from the use of superpowers to this "where do they fit in" premise, and more importantly, to character development. This season, not only did we get to go back and see the buildup of many of the pre-season 1 things (the formation of The Company, Angela murdering her husband, the reason Arthur lived, how Noah ended up with Claire, who Claire's real dad was... these back stories are really interesting for me. Plus, the end of the season featured an entire episode devoted to Sylar vs. Noah Bennett in what is one of the coolest rivalries in TV. I wish they'd made more out of it though.

The focus to more of a character-driven story rather than a power-driven story seems to have pushed a lot of people away form the show, which is really disappointing. As I start to find it more interesting, others start to find it less so. It's a shame, because Heroes has a cast of very interesting characters.

So, what about the end? What about Sylar becoming Nathan (sort of) and Nikki coming back? Most people who I've talked to... scratch that - everybody I've talked to thinks it was lame and they don't like the direction the writers are taking the show. I beg to differ... at least partially.

First of all, I liked the season finale. It had part of the epic, race against the clock feel of the first season, and the end was completely outside predictability. Come on now, who saw Sylar as Nathan? Really? And Nikki coming back was the highlight of my hour. Unexpected and fun.

Yet we run into the issue of where we go from here. Obviously, Nikki will be a factor next season, as (likely) will Sylar coming back out of Nathan. But what of the rest of the story? Certainly they can't write an entire season with just those story points. Nikki is cool, but she's not a very hardcore bad guy, and she also doesn't meet the necessary requirement of being stonger than the good guys. Though turning herself into water bit is pretty cool, but far from the godly power required to be a great villain. Sylar can't really be the big bad guy anymore either. There's kind of a been there, done that stigma about him now.

This touches on the one issue I have with the show, and that's the fact that the story has been slipping. Sure we get this great character development, but it's coming at the cost of making the story truly amazing. I have enjoyed what story there was in this season, but there definitely needs to be more.

If I were to offer up a suggestion for where the show should go from here, I'd say this: Season one was popular, at least in part, because of the race against the clock mentality. There were the heroes finding each other and their powers and learning how to work together to fend of a powerful and mysterious foe who was going to destroy New York City. The heroes have already found their powers, but the heroes finding their place in the world can easily take the place of that part.

The next season needs to start off with a bang, with somebody new and scary and powerful. The writers need to find that sense of urgency we all felt watching season 1, and they need to inject it back into the show. People are falling off this show, in part, like I said before, because they have started to find the story to be stagnate. I understand this. The second part of season 3 started off with a grand plan to capture all the heroes and lock them up and experiment on/kill them, then it kind of dwindled away into Sylar attempting to become the president. Yet, we didn't even know that Sylar was going to do this until the very last episode, so there was very little buildup to it. In the end, it didn't feel terribly climactic. So while I like the shift towards character development, there really does need to be a refocusing on a story thread that continues throughout the season. Good guys vs really strong bad guy is a great setup for creating a lot of drama and suspense.

Perhaps they should take a page out of Supernatural's book. There's always a grander evil behind things, always lurking in the shadows and making appearances here and there to remind audiences that he or she is still out there. Each episode, though, is a self-contained mini-story that relates back to the bigger events several times during each episode. This is a great formula (hell, it worked for Buffy for many years) and one that the writers of Heroes may want to look at approaching.

One of my big gripes with the second half of this season was the episode entitled "1961" in which Angela takes her family along with Noah Bennet to Coyote Sands to uncover the roots of The Company. It is also in this episode that we are introduced to her sister. This episode has some great back story for both The Company and Angela, but it accomplishes nothing as far as pushing the story forward. I heard much the same thing about the episode "I Am Sylar" which explores Sylar's complications with his newly stolen shapeshifting ability, but that pushes Sylar's character into new territory, so I have fewer issues with that.

Anyway, going back to "1961" for a moment, the end of that episode was a classic example of what I call Heroes' "reset button". Many times during this series (throughout, not just this season) the story starts to go somewhere interesting, then something happens to "reset" it back to square one. Arther Patrelli's death was one such incident. It eliminated the bad guy of the moment (leaving Sylar, once again) and destroyed Claire's real mother, leaving her once again with the Bennets. "1961" is another example of the reset button in action, because the story could have gone any number of directions with this new character or this new knowledge we had about The Company, but it didn't. Angela's sister disappeared and we find ourselves right back in same place the episode started. Reset button.

Going back to my original point, the writers of Heroes really need to pick up the pace of the story a bit if they expect to get their viewership back. Episodes like "1961", while fascinating from a perspective that I enjoy, do not allow that to happen. We could have covered the same backstory about Coyote Sands in a 10 minute flashback and still used the episode for furthering the story, rather than the entire episode feeling like an hour-long intermission.

I really enjoy Heroes. I think it's a great show, and I think they left the door wide open to do some exciting things with the next season. I just hope they are able to walk through that door rather than just timidly peek in.

Southland - Ep 3: See the Girl

Preface: It is hard to find pictures of this show, because a search for "Southland pictures" yields a ton of results for Southland Tales, a movie starring The Rock and Stiffler.... and not nearly as cool as a similarly-named TV show. Anyway...

I'm just giddy every time I watch this show. Yes, I know, I'm almost a week behind on this one, but damn, it was still great. 

The more I watch the show, the more Ben and John grow on me. This was really their episode, and as they continue to grow as characters and as people, my interest in them does likewise. This episode gives us some more background as they compare their fathers and their level of bastard-ness. The final scene introduced Ben's father and was just a great TV moment as he wordlessly turned and walked away. And the bombshell that was John's revalation of his father's crime... wow. This show defines epic TV. More people should be watching it. 

Perhaps more interesting than Ben and Joe individually is the dynamic that exists when both are together. They are slowly developing a firendship, becoming true partners rather than just having a trainer/trainee relationship. I can't wait to continue to watch this develop.

This episode barely had time to run through the other characters. Lydia made a few spot appearances, but other characters like Sal and Sammy made no showing at all. We got plenty of the ever-annoying Dewey (who was supposed to be retiring after episode 2, but I guess not) and Wade, the actor who got pulled over in episode 1. I'd like to punch him in the face in theis episode. It may not sound great, but there have to be some characters that I don't like, right?

Oh, and whoever the basketball player was should be smacked. I'd hit somebody like that... in the face, with a shovel. 

Anyway, check out the newest episode over at Hulu. Tune in tomorrow (well, technically later today) for my thoughts on Heroes Volume 4 and the season finale that has everybody talking (well, at least where I work everybody is talking). As usual, my opinion is quite the opposite of those I've heard so far. Until then.

Random Thought For the Day

A significant percentage of conservatives don't think Stephen Colbert is joking.

That is all.

New Bioshock 2 Video

The more I see of Bioshock 2, the more I really can't wait for this game. Playing as a big Daddy just seems to feel so right as a progression in the story, and c'mon, what could be cooler than running around drilling everything?

Remember the video that played in the first game when you sat at the main menu for so long? I want to do that to somebody.

In any case, check out this new preview video from IGN. Look out for the part where the Big Sister runs along the glass wall, punching holes into the glass to allow the water to come through....

Watch in Hi-Res if at all possible. 

More Bioshock 2 Info

Stupidity Personified

Have you ever seen the show Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? It tries to show that 5th graders know more of what is considered "basic" knowledge than adults. They usually succeed in showing this, as many adults just don't know that much.

Well, here's a thought. Perhaps we should put the members of the House of Representatives on that show to find out what they know. I'm really, really curious as to how this particular Representative was ever elected into office, as he's clearly dumber than the cows he used to herd. He asks what may be the dumbest question ever uttered on the floor.

Basically, Representative Joe Barton (R-Tex.) asks Doctor Chu where oil comes from. This (obviously) befuddles the good doctor, who was not able to do much but stutter out a brief lesson on the origins of oil, and because of that, Barton tweeted that he actually stumped the doctor AND he posted the video on YouTube. Little does he realize that the video actually reveals him for a ignoramus he is. Check it out for yourself.

Once you finish cleaning up the spot on your desk where your jaw impacted it, here's the transcript:

Barton: You’re our scientist. I have one simple question for you in the last six seconds. How did all the oil and gas get to Alaska and under the Arctic Ocean?

Chu: (laughs) This is a complicated story, but oil and gas is the result of hundreds of millions of years of geology, and in that time also the plates have moved around, and so, um, it’s the combination of where the sources of the oil and gas are–

Barton: But, but wouldn’t it obvious that at one time it was a lot warmer in Alaska and on the North Pole. It wasn’t a big pipeline that we created in Texas and shipped it up there and then put it under ground so that we can now pump it out and ship it back.

Chu: No. There are–there’s continental plates that have been drifting around throughout the geological ages–

Barton: So it just drifted up there?

Chu: That’s certainly what happened. And so it’s a result of things like that.

Emphasis added to point out the most absurd statement in the transcript. I'm curious as to what warmth has to do with.... never mind. There's no point in trying. As we say at work: You can't fix stupid.

NOM Commercial "Gathering Storm" Rant

Lordy help us all, this is just ridiculous. I don't think I've ever seen an advertisement that has so offended me. This commercial, sponsored by NOM (National Organization for Marriage) takes the the issue of gay marriage and completely blows it out of proportion. For me, gay marriage is a "who cares" issue. Let them do it if they want, I have no beef with that. Yet this takes that and says "them getting married impacts my whole life and threatens my stability as a person". Fuck that. If people would live their own damn lives and stop trying to make everybody else conform to their narrow beliefs, we wouldn't have crap like this. Anyway, watch this:

Ah, so some smart person decided to add subtitles to this commercial to show us what the underlying message really is. Unfortunately, the original video was removed from YouTube, because apparently, it hit a little too close to the actual mark (NOM filed a DMCA complaint). Fortunately, somebody else has posted a new copy of the video. Check it. 

It's nice to see that there are people out there who can actually cut through the crap and give us some truth. Pay attention to those subtitles, for they're what the commercial is actually talking about. 

Finally, a parody. This thing had me rolling around laughing - it's really a well-done piece of parody. Sponsored by God and Doctors.

A Gaythering Storm from Jane Lynch

Gavin Mikhail's Newest Album Out NOW!!

Good afternoon, folks. 

I keep meaning to post this, but I keep getting sidetracked, so here we go (finally!).

My good friend Gavin Mikhail has released his new album (well, EP really), "The Real World Sessions, Vol 1", which covers his time at Real World Studios and the AMAZING recordings he did over there. I highly, highly recommend this one (and not just because he's a cool guy... the music is awesome too), so everybody should just mosey on over to the links I'll post below, and buy it. Multiple copies even! :)

Anyway, pick it up off of iTunes by clicking here. <-- (Edit: working on the link Edit 2: It's working now!) This link will open iTunes, so don't click it if you don't have it. Purchase the whole album to get a bunch of exclusive content, including the super-hot graphics. 

Or, for a limited time only, he'll burn you a copy of the CD (including the sweet graphics) and autograph it if you purchase it here. I recommend this purchase method, because autographs are cool. While you're there, pick up his other two CDs as well - you won't be disappointed.

For those of you who don't like buying before trying, check out Gavin's MySpace page to hear the awesomeness for yourself. 

Now go!

Southland - Ep 2: Mozambique

I need to write this. I wasn't going to, but I finished this episode and I just need to share it. I absolutely cannot believe how great this show is. This is quickly climbing the list of my favorite TV shows. What's so exceptional about it? Like any TV show worth the time to watch it, it's the characters that make this show work. They are unbelieveably deep, moreso than I had first realized when I posted about the first episode, and they have me craving more. I canNOT wait until next Thursday so I can see another episode.

My favorite character thusfar is Ben Sherman (as played by the rather talented Ben McKenzie), a rookie cop in his first days on the job. He's training under John Cooper, the hardass training officer who's showing Ben the ropes, what the force is like in the real world. The interactions between the two, particularly the way Ben reacts to the gruff way that Joe treats him, are just awesome. There is some heavy-duty acting going on in this show, and it pays off in really bringing the characters to life like few shows can. I find myself kind of rooting him on, willing him to succeed in the face of a hardass partner who doesn't really like him, at least on the surface. In the second episode, we learn why Ben is such a great shot, and his story actually made me sad, I felt for him, and that's a huge deal for me, seeing as I rarely actually feel for fictitious characters. It also brought back memories of a few comments Joe made in the first episode, and Ben's reaction to those comments suddenly make a lot of sense. Great writing (and acting).

The other really awesome character in the show is Detective Lydia Adams (played by the lovely Regina King). She's got a strong personality and fits the role of a detective well, but she also has a soft side that's endearing. She's kind of this humanizing figure, reminding us that these cops are really people too. In Mozambique, she fights for the mother of an abandoned child, and it's truly heartwarming to see it happen.

Oh man, I am pumped about watching this show again next week. This show is kind of what I keep wanting Law and Order to be, and it pulls it off so well, it's a bit hard to describe. So, I'll stop trying. You can watch Mozambique right under this paragraph (courtesy, as always, of hulu.com). Also, for those of you who missed the pilot episode (what were you thinking???),  you can see that here.

Resident Evil 5

Even in times of an economic shitstorm, it's good to know that people still recognize good video games and will still purchase them. IGN is reporting today that Resident Evil 5 has sold over 1.5 million copies across all platforms after one month. This is a one month sales record for the Resident Evil series.

It's great to see people picking up on this game, for two reasons. First, it gives me more people to play online with, as was evidenced by the long queue of games to join last night when I tried out Versus Mode. Second, it's nice to see video game developers rewarded for taking a chance. Capcom took what is, in my view, a huge leap of faith by eschewing all elements of survival horror for what I call a deliberately paced action setting. In my mind, it paid off in spades, because I still haven't found a game I'd rather play on my 360 (though Rock Band is sneaking back into the mix since I can play tons of Pearl Jam now). This elevates my hope that the next Resident Evil game will play similarly. My only other wish for RE6 (or whatever it may be called) is that we play as the same cast of characters (Chris and Sheva).

Speaking of Versus Mode, I'd recommend it. Yes, there's the whole debate about whether the content was on the disc or not, and like I said before, I really don't care. I downloaded it last night (for a whopping $5.00) and rocked out the rest of the night blowing the shit out of people I didn't know online. I loved it. In fact, I'm going to do more of it tonight.

Assassin's Creed II

IGN has announced that Assassin's Creed II is coming to my beloved 360 THIS YEAR! It won't be until late this year (read: Christmas time or so), but this is still great news. I am still pumped about what happened at the end of AC, so I can't wait to see where that goes in the sequel. 

The announcement trailer is posted below. The game takes place during the Italian Renaissance, but it adds the twist of the assassin and his impact on the course of the Renaissance. This has a ton of potential to be just great from a storyline standpoint. Check it out.

More Assassin's Creed II News & Previews

Moon

Wow... I just saw the trailer for Duncan Jones's first movie as a director: Moon. It stars Sam Rockwell of Choke and Frost/Nixon fame.... mostly by himself. There is nobody else in the trailer (though Kevin Spacey provides the voice of the robot - how badass is that?).  This movie just looks superb, and I'm officially adding this to my must-see movies of the summer list. 

Pay close attention to the soundtrack for the trailer too. That's one of the geniuses of our generation at work in Clint Mansell. This guy always writes a powerful score to the movies he works with. Even from the trailer, I'm hoping this score makes a CD release. Beautiful.

Anyway, check out the trailer below (make sure to watch in high res), and make sure you check it out in theaters when it hits.

More Moon News & Previews

Prototype

One of the games that I'm looking forward to most has a firm release date now. IGN is reporting that Prototype will release in the US on June 9. Of this year! I seriously can't wait. 

There aren't too many details out about this game right now, but it is an open world game (a la GTA) in which you play Alex Mercer, a shape shifter (!!!!) with no memory of his past whose entire purpose in the game is to find out where he came from. The gameplay promises all the joy of Mirror's Edge parkour style gameplay mixed with lots of Alex-Mercer-is-a-badass-destruction.Game Informer previewed this game something like a year ago, and it's been on my radar ever since. 

June 9 is going to be one sweet day.

More Prototype News & Previews

Kings Ep 2 Prosperity and Ep 3 First Night

What can I say about this show other than WOW!!! Kings continues to get better as the episodes go on. There are easily 5 or 6 things going on at any one time, and the way they keep crossing... sweetness. In episode 3, Michael Stahl-David of Cloverfield fame has a role, and I hope that's a recurring role as he's awesome. 

Also, Allison Miller is just great as Michelle, the princess and David's love interest. The plot setup that gets David to not attend the ballet is just great. And the sub plot with the reverend....  The role of religion in this show befuddles me. It's obviously a huge part of society, and portents abound, but what is the overall meaning of everything?I suppose that's something I'm going to have to wait a good long time to find out. Let's just hope that enough people are watching this show and loving it as much as I am to keep the show on the air. 

I think that Jack might be my new favorite character in the show. His personality is deep and I get the feeling that we are just scratching the surface. Yes, he's a complete ass hat, but his personality is fascinating. 

The end of Episode 3 jsut completely blew my mind. What the hell?????

Assassin's Creed 2

The evening was supposed to be fun, exciting, out of the house. Yet, here I am, dinking away in front of the computer. Yay for failed plans. 

Anyway, epic news. IGN has posted the Assassin's Creed 2 teaser trailer. Now, unlike the Mass Effect 2 trailer, this doesn't tell you anything about the game, it's pretty much an "Assassin's have been here throughout history" montage. That being said, it IS damn cool, and it shows that one of the games I'm looking forward to this year is definitely on its way. So, for your viewing pleasure, I give you the teaser trailer (epic drums here).

More Assassin's Creed 2 Info

UNC Wins National Championship

For those of you that haven't heard yet:

UNC WON THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP LAST NIGHT!!!!

What a game! It was thrilling to watch as the Heels spanked Michigan State. And (in part to spite certain hateful friends who read this blog) it was truly a joy to see Tyler Hansbrough, a player I've been following diligently for the last 4 years, cut the net down. Congratulations are definitely due to the entire team. 

This was a group of guys who are good at what they do and have been good people about it, so it was easy to get behind this team even more vehemently than I usually am. I've been rooting for them for the past 4 years, convinced that before they graduated, they would have a national championship under their belts, and it's good to know that they do. So, congratulations, guys. 

Some facts for your viewing pleasure:

• 72,922 people packed into Ford Field to watch the game, the most ever to view an NCAA tournament finals. Most of them were Michigan State fans. They were very quiet through most of the game.
• At the 4:25 mark, the game was 17-7, and that was the closest the Spartans ever came to catching the Heels.
• In the first half, the Spartans had 14 turnovers... and only 12 baskets.
• This team was the first UNC team to start and end the season ranked at No. 1 since 1982 (that's before I was born, and that was the team on which Michael Jordan played).
• UNC's 21-point halftime lead was a championship-game record.

Last night was indeed a great night to be a Tar Heel fan.

Let me tell you a story. I've been a basketball fan for a number of years now, and I've been a Tar Heel fan since the beginning. I have no particular reason for it, per se, but the first game I ever watched when I started watching NCAA hoops was UNC vs. Duke, and I ended up rooting for UNC. That game was so amazing (as any good rivalry game should be) that it forever made a college hoops fan out of me. After that, I started following UNC regularly, and that ended up evolving into fully-fledged fandom. 

Enter the first peice of the current UNC puzzle, Roy Williams. I've liked Roy since about the day they announced him as the new head coach. He strikes me as a good guy and he brings a lot of heart to the table as a coach. He immediately led the Tar Heels to a national championship, cementing his place at UNC. 

The following year, he started bringing in his own recruits, and that started with his new centerpiece, Tyler Hansbrough. I was captivated with this kid from the moment I saw him play his first game. He oozes passion - he is not the person who plays basketball to get money or sponsorships and what have you, no, Hansbrough was here because he genuinely enjoyed the sport, and that much was obvious to me immediately. The sports writers wrote about how quiet, modest, and polite he was; the players on the team talked about how he changed on the court. I had a feeling that he could go all the way.

Of course, as with any great player, he polarized the country between Hell fans and Heel haters. The criticisms, taunts, prank calls, etc started coming in as Hansbrough started making a name for himself in the college world. Add to that the fact that Hansbrough and UNC suffered three heartbreaking tournament losses in the previous three years, and not only was it looking like maybe UNC wouldn't get the title while Hansbrough was still around, the criticisms started coming in all the more. 

From ESPN: 

Through four years and three crushing losses in the NCAA tournament, Hansbrough has endured more heat and taunts than anyone this side of Christian Laettner.

He handled it with grace, maintaining his stoic demeanor amid the din ... which, of course, served only to incite the rabble-rousers even more.

This weekend, he spent the bulk of his time defending his own legacy, insisting he didn't need a national championship to legitimize his career.

Maybe he didn't.

Everyone else did.

The four consecutive spots on the All-American team -- a first by anyone in an ACC uniform -- the rewritten league and NCAA record books, all of it would have been nice fodder on a solid résumé but the 10 ringless fingers would have been the only digits anyone remembered.

Personally, I have never understood the criticisms that said he was unemotional when he played. I certainly picked up on his passion for the sport very quickly, as did his team and those who are close to him. In fact, it's been a really long time since I've seen a team rally around a player quite like the Heels have rallied around Hansbrough. Yes, Lawson was the more talented one this year, but Hansbrough was quite obviously the heart of the team.

As Sports Illustrated puts it: 

That's why his [Hansbrough's] teammates smiled so wide when they saw him climb that ladder, snip that net and punch the sky with a pair of gold-plated scissors. "He's going out the right way," forward Deon Thompson said. "For all the things he's accomplished in his career, this was the only thing missing. Now, he's a legend."

Put that in your pipe and smoke it, critics! 

Anyway, in that same vein, here's an interesting thought from Roy Williams, one that really shows both his heart and what Hansbrough meant to that team: 

When Carolina coach Roy Williams inserted his walk-ons with 1:03 remaining, Hansbrough walked off the court and wrapped his coach in a bear hug. Williams will cherish that hug forever. "I earn a good salary, but if you put $10 million in that pile right there, and say, Roy, you can have that $10 million, but if you take it, you'll forget that feeling you had when that big rascal came over and hugged you," Williams said, "you guys can split that $10 million, because I wouldn't give $10 million for the feeling that I had at that moment [...] I desperately wanted this championship for that young man. I know that's corny, but that's who I am."

So, once again, my heartfelt congratulations go out to the Tar Heels. I might actually have to start following the NBA just to see what Hansbrough, Lawson, and the rest of the team end up doing.

Kings - Goliath Parts 1 and 2

What is up with TV lately? there have been some damned impressive shows coming out recently! I started off the evening with Southland, a surprisingly powerful drama. Then there's Kings, NBC's new show. It was certainly hyped up enough prior to its premiere, and I decided I was going to give it a try. I'm sure glad I did, as this is my new weekly must-see show.

Kudos first of all to the folks who headed up the casting for this show. The acting in this show is brilliant; the characters are endearing (some are more hate-inducing, but that's because of good acting as well), and the story - even in the first episode - is full of twists.

If you haven't seen it yet, go, and go now. The remainder of this post is spoiler-riffic.

The country, Gilboa, is ruled by a king, King Silas, as played by the stellar Ian McShane. The king is immensely popular amongst the people he leads, and why not? We have full 1984 in effect here, from censorship of the media to the the king knowing everything about anybody. The king is an interesting character because of his dual nature. On one hand, he cares very much about his country and his people... on the other, he demands strict obedience and won't hesitate to use lethal force to get it. One member of his "cabinet" reminds the king that he won't negotiate with terrorists not 30 seconds after the king said it himself and is subsequently killed (though that happens later in the episode). 

The king is married, has two kids, a son and a daughter, and thus is his public image. Yet there is a another woman, one that he sees in secret, and he has a child with this woman. Under ordinary circumstances, this would serve to villify a person, yet this is the king's soft side, he is happy and tender when he is with this woman, so this piece serves to humanize him.

Finally, and perhaps most disturbingly, we see that the king is shadowed by a biographer, who notes every action in a way that makes the king shine in a golden light.

One of the king's favorite stories seems to be one about butterflies and how god told him it was time to build one strong nation under one king when he sent butterflies to form a living crown on Silas' head. It's a powerful image, and one that is key later on.

Gilboa is at war with Gath, and the king's son, Jack, is a soldier in that war. As we learn later on, Jack is in the war only to become a war hero (Silas was also a war hero in teh briefly mentioned unification war, which brought Gilboa together under one king), which will give him the respect of the people for when he takes the throne. In any case, Jack's unit is captured. Enter our main protagonist, David Shepard, played smartly by newcomer David Egan. Shepard is... I think the best description for him is good. He's good at fixing things, and he's a good person with his head on straight and a strong moral compass. He ends up saving the king's son and becoming a war hero, which lands him a promotion and new job: call the new job glorified press secratary.  

Thus is David thrust into the cruel and corrupt world of the political goings-on inside Gilboa's capital. The first episode of this show is filled with some astonishing plot twists. How many people were shocked when we found out that Silas orchestrated the Jack's unit getting captured so he could rally public support for an offensive strike against Gath? How many people had to scoop their jaws up when they went back to war after the king's string were pulled by his corporate puppetmaster? 

Did I meatnion the love interest between David and Silas' daughter. WOW!

I knew I wsa going to like this show from about 15 minutes into it, but what really hooked me was the part about an hour into the first episode where David is standing int he middle of the battlefield, crying, screaming about how senseless the war is, how the blood that has already been spilled should be enough... and I was almost moved to tears. My vision was getting blurry, and I knew in that moment that I was going to be watching this show for a good long time. Nevermind the part at the end where the butterfly story comes true but it's David who is wearing the living crown... What a way to end an episode. 

Anyway, if youre still reading, I assume you've seen the premiere episode already. I'm going to go back and watch episode 2 now. Writeup of that coming soon.

Southland - Ep 1: Pilot

I just finished watching the premiere of Southland over on Hulu. I'm humbly impressed; the show is actually really good. It's a bit slow moving in some parts, but the end just gave me chills. Check it out if you've got 45 minutes to spare.

Now, it's off to watch Kings. I've been looking forward to giving this show a whirl for quite some time, so now that I've got the chance to do it, I'd be loathe to pass it up.

Video Games of 2009

My last post was about movies that are coming out soon, today I'm talking video games. It looks to be a good year for the video games - heck, it already has been a great year with Resident Evil 5 still sitting in my 360. Let's take a look (in no particular order).

• Halo 3: ODST - It's Halo, what else do I need to say? Plus, unlike Halo Wars, it is being scored by Marty O'Donnell, the genius behind the soundtracks from the Halo Trilogy.
  
  
  
  
• Prototype - Sandbox world with a main character who can't remember his past and can run as fast as a car on the freeway. What's not to love?
• Wolfenstein - My personal favorite Nazi zombie shooter is back for the first time since the original XBox. That was a masterpiece, so I can't wait to see what this holds.
• Dragon Age: Origins - One of my favorite game developers of all time (BioWare) brings some fantasy RPG style to the 360. BioWare also made my until-recently-favorite game on the 360, Mass Effect, so I have nothing but lofty expectations for this game.
• Batman: Arkham Asylum - It's Batman, it's the Joker, it's intensity in a game. This is being touted as being a superhero game unlike any we've ever played, so it's a shoo-in for this list.
• Bioshock 2 - Bioshock ranks as the second best FPS on the 360. It had one hell of a twisted story and depraved characters, and it all built up to one of the most jaw-dropping revelations in video game history. I expect nothing less from Bioshock 2. 
  
  
  
  
• Mass Effect 2 - Though this isn't slated for release until early 2010 (which probably means Christmas 2010), it still makes the list. As the sequel to my second favorite 360 game, there is nothing that will come between me and owning this game on midnight whichever day it ends up coming out. Just from the teaser trailer, I guarantee you this game will be EPIC!!!
• Modern Warfare 2 - This game seems to be ditching the Call of Duty moniker for just Modern Warfare. That's fitting considering the less-than-cool direction CoD 5 took. Call of Duty 4 is the best FPS I have ever played - it included some of the most gripping cinematic moments (yes, better than Bioshock's) in the history of video games. The story was great, the action was heart pumping and white knuckled... but there were these moments in the game that dragged you to the edge of your seat with bug eyes and no conscious awareness of anything else going on around you that made the game something special. The level Shock and Awe will live forever in my memory as the single most startling and one of the most heart-wrenching scenes to cross the pixels of my TV. Can the sequel be better? This game is being developed by Infinity Ward, the same company behind CoD4 (though not the same one that brutalized CoD5), so I believe it can.
  
  
  
  
• I Am Alive - Very little is known about this game, but check out the coverage - it looks like it's got plenty of potential.
• Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction - This has been on Ubisoft's plate for quite a while. I wasn't the biggest fan of the previous Splinter Cell games, but this one looks entertaining. 
• Tekken 6 - My favorite fighting game franchise is no longer a PS exclusive, and I couldn't be happier. Thoughts of beating face with King in glorious HD have me all giddy in anticipation of this release.
• Assassin's Creed 2 - Yet another Ubisoft title, the original game made me love platforming like Prince of Persia just never could. The story was topsy-turvey, and the end left me scooping my jaw off the floor. I can not wait until the sequel to show me what happened after the earth-shattering end to the first one. 
• Borderlands - This looks to be an entertaining FPS RPG (two of my favorite genres, mixed!). There are a rumored 650,000 weapons in this game!! WOW! Plus, add in my new favorite video game feature - cooperative play - and you have the makings of a winner.
• Alpha Protocol - This game is loosely defined as an action espionage RPG. Seems to be in the same vein as Mass Effect, but the previews indicate there will be tougher choices with more impact. Seems like my kind of game.
  
  
  
  
• The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf - The Witcher, an action RPG, was a smash hit on the PC, and the developers are talking about a brand new combat engine specifically designed for the console. This could be really good.
• Alan Wake - I have a friend who's been hyping the crap outta this game since he first heard of it. He's convinced that this will finally be the game to justify that 360 purchase he made. To that, I say, "Play Resident Evil 5", but this looks pretty darned good too.
• Splatterhouse - The return of one of the most blood-tastic games ever made. This time it comes in splashy HD. Should be fun.
• Aliens: Colonial Marines - This game is based off the Alien movie franchise. That means it could be either really great or it could suck some major butt. 
• Halo 3: Mythic Map Pack - It's not a game, but it IS more maps for Halo 3. What more do I need?