Game of Thrones is back - and it is the same

Game of Thrones is obviously one of the most popular piece of television today. I do not like it. I tend to have a controversial opinion about many things, but I love The Walking Dead and I am pretty sure millions of other people do too. I am not hating on Game of Thrones just to spark a good debate. I have reasons.

The Fifth season kicked off last night and it seems like some people loved it, others were disappointed. Compared to other episodes of this cluttered show, I found this one pretty bearable. Thinking about it now, I don't even remember where the episode started, strengthening my belief that Game of Thrones is just too overwhelming to be considered quality television. It is appealing, for sure. Who doesn't love fantasy, dragons, political intrigue, sword fights and beautiful kings and queens. It seems like it was written for me. I love this stuff. However, when a puzzle doesn't fit together to make a magnificent picture fast enough, no matter the appeal of the individual pieces, I just lose interest and clear the table Cullen style.

So the first episode of Season 5 started with who knows who and who knows where but there are several things I remember clearly: Daenerys is surprised that after leaving her sweet dragons in chain they're not grateful to see her. Jon Snow is totally going to have fire sex with the weird witch person. Some noble's kid can't fight for shit. Cersei has always been a selfish narcissistic psychopath and she is mad at both Tyrion and Jaime. Speaking of Tyrion, he's on some sort of balcony speaking with the big bold guy I never bothered to learn the name. I mean, some of it was entertaining enough but as always, these 2 minutes story lines just make me dizzy.

I do not want to spend 45 seconds with Littlefinger and Sensa when the only piece of information I get out of it is boring and irrelevant. To me, Game of Thrones still feels like there is going to be 100 seasons and the writers can take all the time in the world to "develop" 30 different characters boning in 30 different locations and going in totally opposite directions. Show me what matters. Show me who matters. A viewer's time is precious and I still do not understand how people choose to watch this chaotic and ever changing piece of content which doesn't allow for neither character nor story development.

The Vampire Diaries - now we're talking

I am pretty good at saying things are rubbish but I believe I am equally fair when something is good. I was very upset with the last few Vampire Diaries episodes I watched and I have been pretty vocal about it. Now, we have tonight's episode and I need to give credit where credit is due.

Back from a short break, I feel like The Vampire Diaries has (finally) found its footing this season. It might only be for a short while, it might only be for this episode Ian directed, but it was a thrilling 45 minutes. It was fun, it was funny, it was witty. Was it the lack of coven/twin bullshit? The more focused story? Was it the minimal Elena screen time? The lack of teen hero cheesiness? I believe it was all of the above. They re-focused the plot and wrote a brilliant arc for Caroline. To the writers' credit, they have wrote no humanity Caroline perfectly. She's witty and snappy and if Caroline was my favorite character before, she is now ranking up there with the likes of Katherine Pierce and Elijah Mickaelson. Caroline is a character I care about and I am glad we got to see more of her. Also, props to Candice Accola who is extremely believable and on point, making the cutest villain. The end was also excellent and the twist was clever. I am looking forward to seeing where this is going but looking at what they have done in the past, I fear this rocking story won't last for very long. After all, this is a vampire show, it was bloody time they acted like vampires again. Here is hoping.

The Last Man on Earth or the apocalypse on shrooms

We have just about everything on TV nowadays. Vampires, Super Heroes, Cops galore. But these past few years, we have seen an increase in survival and post apocalyptic stories: The Walking Dead, The 100, Revolution, Under The Dome, Falling Skies and I am probably missing 10 others. It was time to create a funny version of this. Not a spoof but a comedic take on what it would mean to survive some sort of apocalypse on Earth. Enters Will Forte, who cheerfully dumps this hilarious piece of television on 20th's desk and Dana and Gary wept with joy. The show is already a critical hit and I don't think I have seen or heard one bad review of The Last Man on Earth. And I can't do it either.
This show is not only funny, it is clever and it is endearing. Three things that make you come back every week to see more.


The first half of the first episode was extremely tough on me as I felt so awkward and sad and anxious looking at an empty Earth and putting myself in Phil's shoes. I liked the character's monologues and random tantrums, and I liked seeing him go about his routine but at one point, I felt depressed and I wanted it to stop, for his sake and mine! Watching him pour cheese in wine or destroy fish tanks with bowling bowls really made feel ill at ease for some reason. Well, in my book, it just means they made the show the right way. I was glad to see the introduction of, Spoiler Alert, a female character who happens to be Kristen Schaal. Dare I say that she is perfect in that role and so annoying in the right ways that it made the show ten times better. Obviously, Will Forte's character has beautifully written monologues and his performance stands on its own but the quality of the writing and the acting can only ever be complete and judged with two ore more people in a scene. It very much felt like real life if you ask me. How good can it be if you do not have people to interact with? The show put the same principle in place and, at the right moment, when Phil and the viewer have had enough, introduced the lovely Carol. From there, I was laughing at just about every line and every looks and every gesture. These two characters are extremely well written and work perfectly together. The highlight for me was definitely Phil giving Carol a tour of his house. From these first episodes, I will add the following in my vocabulary: Masturbatory Magazines and Margarita Pool.

Dragon Age Inquisition - Multiplayer thoughts

I have obviously bought DAI when it came out but I have only signed up for Playstation Plus yesterday. Any past and subsequent Dragon Age games were and will always be epic single player adventures for me. I have never been a fan of MMOs either, no story, and I have never been a fan of multiplayer add ons. The Mass Effect multiplayer was fun enough but it lost its appeal fast for me as it was too repetitive and didn't feel like a Mass Effect experience. That is why I postponed playing the DAI multiplayer. I kept seeing all these multiplayer events popping up on social media and the DA team referring to players as agents and I was intrigued. How can I possibly enjoy the DAI multiplayer I thought? Oh boy. Do I enjoy it. The first thing that appealed to me was the similarity between the single campaign and the multiplayer menus and design. The crafting, the inventory, everything is streamlined to be more concise but it is the same clear and familiar design which is great. The chests are presented to you by an Inquisition soldier and in it you can find your usual loot items but they are portrayed on cards, as the DA world is now depicted. It's so easy and pretty and consistent it's perfect.

The starting characters are good and what you expect them to be. All the races are there and as you put more hours into it you will be able to unlock the best of them ie: Reaver and Arcane Warrior in my humble opinion. The best part is that you are feeling like the matches you do actually matter and are part of the Inquisition. They have added the voices of Cullen, Leliana and Josephine to make you feel like your are truly on a mission for the Inquisitor which is so welcomed. Also, I had the chance to play with people with mics who were wondering what the dwarf legionnaire was talking about when the line about the Deep Roads came up. What?? You don't know about the Deep Roads? Let me educate you! It was amazing to share my knowledge of Thedas with someone who just got DAI and who hasn't played through the whole series. I can't wait to put hours into this, participate in the weekend events, meet fans like me and just have a fun time playing in the Inquisition world, in Thedas, forever!

Better Call Saul - "Catering for Breaking Bad fans" is AMC new tagline

I obviously watched Better Call Saul last night. I suppose every Breaking Bad fan watched the premiere of the anticipated return of Saul Goodman. They even made history with the ratings which probably means some people who were not familiar with Breaking Bad tuned in as well.

I don't think there was a better character to use for a spin off than this "colorful" lawyer. Obviously, he was an iconic member of the Breaking Bad family but he was also the funniest and most interesting character to share Walt's secret. He had everything to build a great spin off with. What's his story? And that's what we get in Better Call Saul. 

The show starts off in Nebraska, where Saul is now working in a Cinnabon, just like he predicted at the end of Breaking Bad. Remember this line? "If I'm lucky, three months from now, best case scenario, I'm managing a Cinnabon in Omaha". And boy was he lucky! The question I am asking myself is whether this show can actually be picked up and enjoyed by non-Breaking Bad fans. Let's face it, when you see him in that cap and moustache in a Cinnabon at the beginning of the episode, it made your eyes water a little bit. Don't lie. It was so amazing to lead with that. But it obviously only had meaning if you watched Breaking Bad. There were a lot of references to it in this episode and a lot of meanings carried through for all of us but it must have been lost to everybody else. I cannot objectively judge this episode only for what it is, as a separate entity to Breaking Bad because right now, it is not. 

I don't know if I would have found this first episode appealing if I didn't know Saul before yesterday. I feel like these references will slowly disappear, they cannot keep up with so many, but still, I feel like this show is very much catered for one specific audience. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. I mean, seeing Mike again was the highlight of this premiere for me. I screamed "Tucoooooo" at my TV and at my boyfriend at the end of the episode too. I loved every bit of it. As far as the quality of it goes, I thought the acting was, as usual, pretty exceptional. Bob Odenkirk is amazing and I would be happy if the show relied entirely on his genius this first season. The camera work was beautiful, especially for the first scene in Saul's condo. The writing was, and I am sure of it, always will be the highest quality possible. I already love this show but I know I do because I feel like I am watching the sequel to Breaking Bad. Unlike movie sequels however, I am pretty sure I won't be disappointed in this one.

The Walking Dead returns - with a deep message

The Walking Dead is back! TWDisback! Or however you want to say it, the most popular show on TV is returning from its mid-season break and everybody is pretty damn psyched because this season is by far the best of them all. There was death and drama and suspense and action. But everybody is super sad now. Well, Beth is gone and I was pretty surprise when it happened during the mid-season finale. Beth was sweet and didn't deserve to die. But that's also why she did. She was kind of the easiest non-secondary we-dont-give-a-shit-about-your-face character to kill off.

I loved that they showed the first 2 minutes of this episode prior to the premiere but to be fair, it was sort of a teaser trailer if you look at the way it was edited and everything. So the first few minutes of this episode served as a polished and aesthetically intriguing reminder of the horror they have been going through and the loss and the hardships of survival. The title of this episode is amazingly well suited for what you are about to watch. After the credits, you see part of the gang driving to somewhere supposedly safe and we get some character development along the way. Tyreese keeps sharing his deep voice wisdom, all through the first part of the episode. Thanks Yoda Tyreese! For the good it did him to be all wise and shit, am I right?

When they arrive close to their destination, Rick decides they will go through the woods "just in case". Rick has truly become a rock and this force of nature you can rely on. He's the closest thing to a superhero this show will ever get. He's a leader, he makes the tough decisions and he's awesome for it. Obviously, everybody is on their guard and as a viewer, you know better than to hope for some "normal" people to answer the door. So you are as wary as they are. You just know there is a nasty surprise waiting for them. And no, it is not a safe haven. You feel bad for poor Noah, but you haven't known him long enough to feel heart broken. Noah takes Tyreese and the viewer on a tour of his house and damn, it's grim! There are walkers and there are scares but they are not so scary as they are sad and uncomfortable. And ew, that Tyreese scene, talk about having death starring you right in the eyeballs. That was unpleasant. The end was very thrilling too and pretty macabre walker wise.

Unfortunately, the town's demise also means the end of the very short lived dream for Rick and the group. Nobody truly believed anyway. Not the viewer, not the group, definitely not Rick. So hope is running super thin and now that they're all back together with no DC mission the question is, "what the hell do we do?" Michonne wants to stay put or at least, she wants a plan. I would want a plan in their situation too! So Washington is back on the map baby.

I found the cinematography and editing pretty genius in this episode, it was visually stunning but the pace was slow. Of course, there needs to be a beat, the characters need to reflect on what has been going on and take a breath. That's credible and welcomed. But it didn't come close to the quality of the season premiere in my opinion. I was blown away by Carole and didn't expect it at all whereas this episode didn't have any wow factor. Tyreese bitten? I saw that coming a mile away. But what this episode lacked in wow, it made up in feels. I enjoyed Tyreese vision, the writing was incredible, "Domino Shit", that's what I am calling this monologue. "You don't want to be part of it, but being part of it, is being now", that shit is deep. Is it better to die and to be in peace rather than live in this violent hopeless world? Is it worth fighting anymore? It's not a question of survival or morality anymore, it's a question of will. And Tyrese lost it.

The Governor was back (for 1 minute) motherfuckers! I am just all sorts of excited when I see this man. They should really pull a CW and bring him back to life. This episode reminded me that I was also going to miss Beth's voice, she was awesome. Beautifully written and edited episode, if slow, it was a good come back TWD.