RECAP/REVIEW: ‘The Walking Dead’ – S04E02 – ‘Infected’

The prison awakens to the fallout of Patrick's zombification in what is one of the most gruesome episodes of The Walking Dead we've seen in quite some time. 'Infected,' written by Angela Kang, shows that this season will live up to the high standard set by the premiere episode. In fact, season 4 might be better and more terrifying than season 3. (Spoilers ahead)

(I repeat here there be SPOILERS.)

Guys. Guys. We need to talk about the opening of this episode because, dear Cthulhu, was it masterful.

'Infected' opened with the perfect homage to traditional horror movies.

Karen leaves Tyrese's cell, after declining to have sex with him, and heads back to her own room. She wandering in the dark with only a flashlight when she hears a noise. The audience know it's Zombie!Patrick (Vincent Martella) and we're yelling at our TVs "Don't go that way, Karen! Run Karen!" as she searches through a dark and creepy prison bathroom to find the source of the noise.

She doesn't find anything though and goes to her room. Zombie!Patrick is awake now and hungry for brains. We think this is the moment Karen bites it (or gets bitten), but that doesn't happen for one very specific reason. Karen and Tyrese didn't have sex, so of course she can't die now. She's still "pure!"

I loved this opening. It was clever and gave the audience a little bit of levity before the horror that was to come.

And what horror it was. We get lingering close-ups of Patrick chowing down on intestines and in a terrifying chain reaction one zombie rises after the other. The attack was frenetic and intense. You couldn't tell what was going on, who was alive, who was dead.

This was the kind of episode where you hold your breath the entire time and even when it's done, you still aren't sure if it's safe to breathe.

Even the quieter moments of this episode are rife with tension.

Carol (Melissa McBride) tends to the wounds of Ryan, who was bitten on the arm. As she prepares to amputate, she discovers that he was also bitten on the neck. Her interaction with a dying Ryan is so moving. Her compassion mixed with his fear makes the tragedy palpable.

Sometimes with this show the situations are so over the top that you lose the human element. This scene was quiet. This scene let you feel their reality. It got even more emotional when Carol brings his children in to say goodbye. One of his daughters offers to be the one to kill her father. She panics at the last minute and falls apart and Carol follows through.

This scene affected me more than Carl killing Lori. Perhaps because it was a quieter and simpler scene. As with Carl, the death of a parent sets these children up for a new path in life. They are no longer children. Later in the episode, these girls embrace Carol's teachings and take ownership of their roles as zombie slayers.

The true horror of this episode isn't in who died, it's in the cause of the infection. The zombie virus hasn't gone airborne. It's something else. It's a flu-like virus that spreads and kills fast.

Nearly everyone has been exposed.

To contain the virus, the council quarantines everyone who might be infected. This separates Carl and Rick from Judith. The show doesn't focus much on Judith, because Little Ass Kicker's still too small to slay zombies, but she's not too small to bring more layers to Michonne's character.

When Big Ass Kicker meets Little Ass Kicker it doesn't go so well at first. Michonne appears disgusted by the baby. She refuses to hold her or even to look at her. Beth, as a member of the ever intuitive Greene family, knows that Michonne needs to let go of whatever emotional weight she is carrying. She thrusts Judith into Michonne's arms and walks out of the room. It takes a moment, but Michonne puts down her guard, nuzzles the child and begins to weep. Judith, who was in the midst of a tantrum, stops crying in Michonne's arms.

We know that "guarded" is Michonne's (Danai Gurira) middle name, but she has softened throughout the show. She has a warm relationship with Rick and Carl, so why was she so resistant to Judith? Will we be subjected the trope of "the emotionally guarded woman who lost a child" or is the story more complex?

I'm hoping for the more complex answer.

Speaking of complex, let's talk about Rick. Sheriff Rick became Farmer Rick after the events of last season. Farmer Rick has hope. Farmer Rick isn't a dick. Farmer Rick loves pigs, cucumbers and protecting his son. He walls himself off from tragedy (aka reality).

The walls literally come crashing down on Farmer Rick when the zombies attack the fence. The attack is so forceful that the fence nearly collapses. Much like the outbreak scene in the beginning of this episode, this one is chaotic.

We do learn one key piece of information during the chaos. Someone is feeding the zombies rats.

There is no holding back the zombies at this point. The only thing left is to distract them. Rick must sacrifice something he loves - his hope for a new beginning - his pig farm.

On paper, I imagine a scene where a farmer feeds his pigs to zombies wouldn't read as emotional, but on screen, it was a punch to the gut. The anguish on Andrew Lincoln's face was so visceral. His sacrifice pays off and the zombies move away from the fence long enough for them to repair it. The fix is temporary, of course. The zombies are back at the fence at the end of the episode.

The prison dwellers have three things to worry about now: An impending zombie invasion, a spreading infection and a traitor in their midst. The episode ends with the double murder of Karen and another of the group. They were both burned alive, but by whom? Had they succumbed to the virus before they were killed? Was it a mercy killing or is someone tormenting our band of survivors?

I'm more inclined to believe it's the latter. But is it one person or a group of people?

With all of these variables out there, one thing is clear - there is no saving the prison. It's doomed.

Here's another thing to think about before next week: Farmer Rick dies in this episode and the ghost of Sheriff Rick is also put to rest. So which incarnation of Rick will we get next week? He will undoubtedly be back to a leadership role, but to what extent? How different will it be from past seasons?

So many questions. How do you think they will be answered?

The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9 on AMC.

New ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Game Gets Launch Trailer

Just a couple of months ago, a new TMNT game was released on XBLA, titled TMNT: Out of the Shadows, but a new game, simply titled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, is being released. While Out of the Shadows was more of a fusion of the gritty comic style and the new Nickelodeon television series and featured an adventure style of gameplay, this new game comes directly from the show, sporting cartoonish art and utilizing a side-scrolling play style more akin to the classic TMNT games. Check out the trailer after the jump!

This game looks surprisingly similar to the "Arcade Mode" portion of TMNT: Out of the Shadows (NerdBastards Official Review), which makes me wonder why they would release this one so close to that one. While OotS had it's fair share of issues, it was an enjoyable game with a ton of content, and even looked quite a bit better than this one, to be honest. Nonetheless, you can check out the launch trailer below:

For those interested in picking up a copy of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, it's out now for the Xbox 360, Wii, and the Nintendo 3DS.

[Coming Soon]

BBC Releases Nine of Those Long Lost ‘Doctor Who’ Episodes on iTunes!

This week we've been hearing all sorts of rumblings about the BBC discovering a stash of their Classic Doctor Who catalogue, missing since the episodes originally aired almost fifty years ago. First there were rumors, then the discovery was confirmed, and now, nine episodes have been released, completely remastered, for purchase on iTunes.

The nine rediscovered episodes all come from the Second Doctor's, Patrick Troughton, era and complete the two serials: The Enemy of the World and The Web of Fear. Joining Troughton as his companions are Frazer Hines as Jaime and Deborah Watling as Victoria. If you're familiar with the Second Doctor era these are the same companions traveling with him in the classic, Tomb of the Cybermen, another serial once thought lost yet rediscovered years ago.

If you're wondering how so many Doctor Who episodes were ever lost - there's still a total of 97 episodes missing, all from the first six years of the program - it's because the tapes were often either erased or recorded over. This was long before VHS, Betamax, DVD, or Blu-ray, so no one ever considered the commercial value of a TV program after it aired. Those fools, I know. Over the years some of these lost episodes have been found in foreign BBC offices as it was common for the BBC to send copies of their programs abroad where, thankfully, someone never got the message to dispose of them once they were finished.

This most recent treasure trove was discovered in a television station in Jos, Nigeria by Phillip Morris of Television International Enterprises Archive. Finding lost television programs is kind of his thing, and this is one hell of a find. Whovians couldn't ask for a better way to celebrate The Doctor's 50th anniversary than with episodes that, for many, have never been seen before.

Check out these new, snazzy trailers the Beeb released today, but don't forget to grab a copy of television history from iTunes today!

‘Star Trek’ Returning to Television?

With the success of J.J. Abrams' reboot of the Star Trek franchise, there has been lots of talk revolving around trying to get another television series going. And no one seems to be more about getting this done than writer and uber-producer Roberto Orci - AKA he who helped put the new films together. Now, it seems as if there may be some progress to report. Check out the skinny below.

According to the magic of Twitter, it has been reported that Mr. Orci had a recent meeting with CBS to discuss the future of Star Trek on the small screen. And while a meeting is still miles away from actual execution, with someone like Orci putting his production power behind such a project, it seems pretty likely that CBS will seriously consider what he has to say.

I mean, who the hell doesn't want a new Star Trek television series? It's a no-brainer that a return to the original format that made the show so popular will generate buttloads of cash and further bolster the strength of the franchise name, carrying it even further into the future to excite new generations of Trek-junkies. And with the Star Wars franchise using pretty much the same tactic, they better get going if they don't want to be left in the dust.

Of course, if Abrams is to be believed, CBS has already said they're not interested. In which case Orci is just wasting his time?

Me, I've got money on a new Star Trek series within the next two years. Anyone wanna take that bet? What do the Nerd Readers think about all this hullabaloo?

Thanks to /film for the heads-up.

RECAP/REVIEW: ‘The Walking Dead’ – Season 4×1 – “30 Days without an Accident”

"I don't want to be afraid of being alive."

This season of The Walking Dead represents a new world and a new approach to living. It's not a life of fear and chaos, it's a life hope. Hope with a side of zombies.

Before I get to the premiere and Maggie's words quoted above, let's recap where we left our intrepid heroes at the end of last season:

Where we were:

In case you forgot, Andrea and Merle were zombified at the end of last season. However the audience may feel about these two, their deaths were emotional for all or at least some of the core characters.

Carl grew from zombie-bait to a wise-beyond-his-years asset to the team. Unfortunately, he's seen too much darkness and that seems to be taking a toll on his state of mind.

The prison isn't a Ricktatorship anymore. Rick abdicated his leadership title for a more democratic approach. Rick also "went clear" and has moved through the psychotic break he had after the death of Lori.

Our band of marauders has an influx of new blood from a busload of Woodbury refugees that arrived at the prison at the end of the finale. They could be a source of solace or a source of strife for the prison dwellers. Only time will tell...

And hey, that time is now, so let's get on with the season premiere recap!

Where we are:

'30 Days Without an Accident' opens with Rick (Andrew Lincoln) in the prison yard. Walkers are snarling at the fence to get to him. It doesn't bother him because he's listening to his iPod. He goes about his work despite them.

This opening scene represents the group's shift from fighting the zombies to accepting their existence and building a community based on that acceptance. It's a bit like Woodbury, but without the evil.

The music Rick is listening to is a gospel hymn called Precious Memories. and includes lyrics like "as I ponder, hope grows fonder..." This is a constant theme running through this episode and plays into the line from Maggie quoted above.

The people at the prison have hope now. It's been 6 months since the end of season 3. In that time the survivors have established a makeshift government they call a council. They've started farming. They've dug wells for water.

Everyone at the prison has settled into a state of complacency. After everything they've been through, they deserve some calm, but is a state of calm even possible in post-apocalyptic zombieland?

Everyone is building relationships, shacking up and nesting.... or as a friend said "everyone is all boo'ed up and shit." Tyrese has Karen, Glenn has Maggie, even Beth has a teenage love interest in a boy named Zach. Rick's group and the Woodbury refugees appear to have adapted quite well to life together.

There's even a storytime. But after storytime, Carol teaches the kiddies about knives - how to stab, slash and aim.

These people are living full lives in the new world. They aren't cowering in fear or hiding from it. They are learning to live with it. That means teaching your children how to kill walkers and even people. Carol teaches this lesson, not out of fear, but out of practicality. It's just the way it is now.

We learn a few other things about life at the prison. Including that Carl is a comic book nerd! And so is Michonne!!

The Woodburians are in awe of Daryl (Norman Reedus). Who can blame them? My ovaries are in awe of Daryl, too. This adoration is not undeserved because later in the episode, Daryl kills a walker by stepping on its head. He's so awesome he doesn't even need weapons! Daryl smashes in the skull of a zombie with only his foot!

Daryl's zombie head smashing comes during one of the most inventive zombie invasions the show has done. He, Tyrese (Chad Coleman), Michonne (Danai Gurira), Zach and others go on a supply run. Things go badly when former army medic and apparent recovering alcoholic Bob knocks an entire shelf of wine onto himself. The shelf falling over is a bit ridiculous (and also a waste of wine) but you forget about the plot device because what comes next is fantastic. The zombies on the roof of the supermarket hear the ruckus and start to move. The unstable roof caves in and it starts raining zombies! At least a dozen drop on the group.

Beth's (Emily Kinney) new beau Zach is a casualty. The death itself is not significant, but Beth's reaction is.

When she hears the news she tells Daryl "I don't cry anymore Daryl. I'm just glad I got to know him." She seems unmoved, but her coping mechanism is rather smart. They live in a world of loss. The only way to navigate that world is to be thankful for the time that you have. Otherwise, you live in fear. So Beth, much like Maggie, doesn't want to do that anymore.

Some people aren't in that place, though. Maggie tells Glenn that she doesn't want to be afraid of being alive but Glenn's response is "being afraid is what's kept us alive." This inner war between being afraid and learning to live full lives inside of the given circumstances, no matter how terrible they may be, will be the theme of the season, not just the theme of the episode.

Rick's story arc continues this theme. He meets a woman who asks if she and her husband can come back to the prison with him. Rick tells her that he will bring her back to the prison if she and her husband answer three questions. We don't find out those questions until the end.

Rick's walk with this woman is a reflection on his journey to the leader that he is today. She tells him that she's done horrible things because of the zombies. "Did you do things like that?" she asks him. He did all of those things, and more. Some of them we know he regrets, others he would do again, but they were all part of learning how to lead in this new world.

The most notable change in Rick is that he's learned that "people are the best defense against walkers." He's evolved from his former stance of keeping the group small. He's learned there really is strength in numbers. I've been hard on Rick in the past, but I do think his character development has been realistic. He hasn't always made the best decisions. He even lost his mind out of grief last season. But what makes him a good leader is that he learns from his mistakes and his past.

We'll never know how this woman and her husband would have evolved, because when Rick gets to their camp, we find out her husband is a zombie! She planned on feeding him Rick's brains. But, overcome with grief, she stabs herself. In the end, all she wants is to be a zombie like her husband so that she can be with him in death.

With lesser actors, this scene would have been melodramatic but with Lincoln and Kerry Condon in these roles, it hits all the right emotional notes.

As she's dying, she asks Rick what the three questions were that he would have asked her and her husband.

1. 
   

   "How many walkers have you killed?"

   
   
2. 
   

   "How many people have you killed?"

   
   
3. 
   

   "Why?"

   
   

It turns out she hadn't killed any zombies and the only person she's ever killed was herself, making the situation all the more tragic. To answer Rick's final question, she breathlessly states "You don't get to come back from things."

This deeply resonates with Rick who's just narrowly come back from the brink after losing Lori. Later, he doubts if he will stay stable. But the ever wise Hershel assures him:

"you get to come back, you do."

The writers are going out of their way to telegraph the theme of this season. It's repeated almost ad nauseum in this episode, and almost always by a member of the Greene family. Despite fear, despite loss, despite horror, you still get to live a life.

Where we're going:

A lot of people didn't like the pacing of this episode. But I think it was purposeful and on point. It was slow and boring because life is currently slow and boring for the characters.

As long as the show doesn't stay in this lull, which it clearly won't, I think the complacent nature of the premiere was a wise choice. It's going to make what's to come hit even harder.

And what's to come is major. Because the episode does not end with Hershel's inspiring words. It ends with a terrifying scene. Patrick (Vincent Martella), a friend of Carl's, feels ill during storytime and then drops dead in the shower. Moments later, he turns into a walker.

We don't know why or what happens next. We know there was a sick pig on the farm. Is that the cause or has the virus gone airborne? He also coughed into the water supply - which means he could have contaminated it and doomed everyone.

We'll have to see how this plays out and which characters are hold onto their hope and which ones believe they will never come back from the madness of the new world.

The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9 on AMC.

‘Walking Dead’ at NYCC: More Season 4 Casting Announcements

This weekend was a great one for Walking Dead fans. Not only was there the Season 4 premiere (Reviewed for you right over here.), but at New York Comic Con there was a panel held featuring Robert Kirkman, Scott Gimple, Greg Nicotero, along with an assortment of the cast, at which some very important casting news was announced.

Michael Cudlitz (Southland, Band of Brothers) and Josh McDermitt will be joining The Walking Dead as Abraham and Eugene, respectively; rounding out the trio of newcomers we knew were on their way since the announcement Christian Serratos was playing Rosita.

This is old news, though, if you watched the live stream of the NYCC panel. Were you watching said live steam you were undoubtedly confused when the first question of the Q&A portion had a rowdy audience member calling showrunner Gimple a motherfucker, repeatedly. Only to have it turn out to be Cudlitz in what is easily the most fun anyone's had with a casting announcement. And if that prank was only a tease of what Cudlitz is bringing to Abraham, absolutely no one will be disappointed.

In equally pleasing news, Nicotero confirmed McDermitt will indeed be, "fully mulleted" for his role as Eugene. Aw yiss.

The Walking Dead airs Sunday nights at 9pm EST on AMC. When will Abraham, Rosita, and Eugene make their first appearance? Sooner than later, I hope!

Marvel Planning to Bombard the Airwaves with Four New Shows and a Miniseries

With the success of super heroes on the big screen, it's only natural that we should see them all moving down to the small screen as well. DC figured this out with their successful take on Green Arrow and then Marvel followed that up with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the snowball continues to roll. If the rumormill is to be believed, Marvel has four new shows coming, along with a miniseries.

The source of said rumor is Deadline, who said that Marvel is...

...quietly putting together a package of four drama series and a miniseries - a total of some 60 episodes - that would be taken out to the VOD and cable space, with Netflix, Amazon and WGN America rumored as potential candidates.

Of course, that doesn't tell us what they plan on putting together, though I'm sure they'll be letting us know as soon as they have some solid ideas ready to go. There have been rumors about an Agent Carter television show, so that's way up on the list. But what else could they be planning?

Anyone out there in Nerd Reader land care to hazard a guess at what Marvel characters we could see in the near future?

Thanks to ComicBookMovie for the heads-up.

Check Out John Hurt in the TARDIS and More Pics From ‘Doctor Who’ 50th

Can you believe the Doctor Who 50th anniversary special, The Day of the Doctor, is a mere month and a half away!? Time sure does fly, even without a TARDIS. Take a peek below to see the new, tantalizing images the BBC released today.

That above image sure looks like a much better, official version of this.

Here's the mysterious, not-a-Doctor, John Hurt at the console. See what's peeking out of his jacket? Looks to me like a sonic screwdriver! And I'm still holding to my theory that waist coat he's wearing is Eight's and that leather jacket is what becomes Nine's.

Speaking of Hurt's Doctor, the true mad man with a box, Steven Moffat spoke with SFX (via Geek Tyrant) elusively-y'know, that was a typo, meant to type exclusively, but really, elusively works too-about what this new Doctor is all about,

Why not a mayfly Doctor, who exists for one show only? I'd often thought about that. Would it be weird in the run of the series to have the 45th Doctor turn up and be played by Johnny Depp or someone? Would that be a cool thing to do? There was also the idea that if you could bring one classic Doctor back, you'd actually, impossibly, want it to be William Hartnell. You wouldn't want any of the others. You'd want him to come and say 'What in the name of God have I turned into?' That's the confrontation that you most want to see, to celebrate 50 years. Going round and round in circles on it I just thought 'What about a Doctor that he never talks about?' And what if it is a Doctor who's done something terrible, who's much deadlier and more serious, who represents that thing that is the undertow in both David and Matt. You know there's a terrible old man inside them. Well, here he is, facing the children he becomes, as it were.

Intriguing, Moffat. Tell me more. Or just make me wait until November 23rd, whatever you prefer.

Well there's a sight for sore eyes! Ten in the TARDIS! Oh, David Tennant, how she's missed you.

And not to be left out, here's Eleven, Matt Smith in what will be his penultimate episode as The Doctor. Let's hope it's a good one!

Here's a couple more shots, one featuring Jenna Louise-Coleman and Jemma Redgrave, the other has Eleven sailing high above Trafalger's Square, a scene the Who crew filmed quite publicly.

Thanks to the Doctor Who Tumblr for sharing! And for being awesome folks in general.

Something Tastes Aweful in New ‘Toy Story of Terror’ Clip

Your favorite toys are returning for a new adventure, and you don't even have to leave your (bad dream) house to enjoy it. ABC, Disney and Pixar are bringing the gang from Toy Story to TV in the special Toy Story of TERROR! and it looks like it promises the same mix of humor, charm and heartfelt emotion that made the three Toy Story movies very, and repeatedly, enjoyable.

The below clip comes from TV Guide and it offers a hint as to the special's storyline and some of the toy characters who play a part in the spine-tingling tale. Not to spoil anything, but it involves a missing Potato-Head, some dinosaur drama, some mysterious goo, and some wise (not to mention meta) words of advise from Mr. Pricklepants.

But why take my word for it, let's role the clip below:

Toy Story of Terror will air on ABC on October 16, and rerun on ABC Family on October 19.

Source: /Film

‘Masters of the Universe’ Moves Forward? – New Writer, No Director

Now, for some news on that long-awaited and oft-forgotten Master of the Universe movie reboot. It looks as if Warner Bros. is damned and determined to get this thing going and there has been a little more progress... well, sort of. A new scriptwriter has been brought on-board to try at yet another incarnation of the film, while the director previously signed on to the project has bowed out. Who now has the power? By the power of Greyskull, read on through to find out.

As for the script, it looks like Terry Rossio will be taking a crack at putting together something that WB is willing to shoot. Known for his work in crafting such works as Shrek, Pirates of the Caribbean (all four and the upcoming fifth) and this summer's mega-flop, The Lone Ranger, we shall have to wait and see what he can do for MotU. Mayhap we will be getting another big-budget explosion-fest?

Or perhaps not. For it also seems that mister explosion himself, Jon M. Chu is out of the director's chair. In case you don't know, he's the director that brought us such classics as G.I. Joe: Retaliation and those two fabulous Justin Bieber documentaries. So yeah folks, I think we just dodged a major bullet with that one.

So what will become of Masters of the Universe? Nobody knows... but at least we do know they're still trying to make it happen.

Thanks to /film for the heads-up.

Matt Smith’s Final Doctor Who Delivers a Lump of Coal

Recently I returned to watching Doctor Who, after years (decades more likely) away. I did so because of the incredible excitement and passion of the current fandom - after all, millions of screaming fans can't be wrong, right? So I watched most of the previous season, and caught up on some of the run of the ninth and 10th Doctors.

That led me to be full of anticipation for the most recent episode, in which the 11th Doctor, Matt Smith, bids his farewell and regenerates into the 12th Doctor, to be played by Scotsman Peter Capaldi. The episode was aired on Christmas Day and was a Christmas-themed special, so imagine my surprise when instead of a wonderful gift of an episode I found a lump of coal in my stocking. To explain why I need to reveal some spoilers, so if you recorded the episode "Time of the Doctor" and haven't watched it yet - SPOILER ALERT!

Steven Moffat, the show runner for Doctor Who and the writer of "Time of the Doctor" is the Grinch in this scenario, but it wasn't his heart that was two sizes too small. it seems to have been the part of his brain involved in writing intelligent creative fiction. And the worst part was, he did so by violating the very situations he himself had set up, both within this episode and in previous stories. The story ultimately takes place on Trenzalore, the planet that we have known for a long time as the ultimate grave site of the Doctor. And yet, despite the ominous future of this completely alien world, Moffat puts a town of perfectly human-like people on it - a town called Christmas. That name seems to have no bearing whatsoever on the story, except that it is a Christmas special, so some nod seems to have been required.

Moffat also completely screws up what may be one of his most disturbing enemy creations, the Weeping Angels. As soon as the Doctor and his companion Clara Oswald arrive on Trenzalore, they find themselves surrounded by snow-covered Weeping Angels. Now, the trick is, if you look at a Weeping Angel you have to keep looking, because they can't move (being statues of angels and all). But once you look away, they zoom in for a certain and violent death. The Doctor instructs Clara not to look away, but they both keep turning their heads, looking from one to another. As original defined, the Weeping Angels would have rushed in and ripped them to shreds. No explanation is given as to how they managed to escape simply by running away.

Even one of the very conditions he wrote into the episode itself is violated by Moffat. Christmas is surrounded by some form of Truth Field, which forces one to say the exact truth when confronted with a direct question. The Gallifreyan Time Lords, trapped in a pocket dimension for their own safety by all the Doctors in the recent 50th anniversary episode, have torn a small rip in the universe somewhere in Christmas and through it are repeatedly broadcasting to the entire universe the question, "Doctor who?", trying to get the 11th Doctor to say his secret name which is apparently the key to getting them back in this universe. Yet the 11th Doctor resists saying it out loud, despite the fact that mere minutes prior his was spilling all sorts of uncomfortable truths without control.

The show even teases the idea that maybe the 11th Doctor is actual the source of the Father Christmas legends, by having him spend 300 years in the town to keep all of the evil alien forces in their vast spaceship armadas in orbit from destroying the town. He slowly ages, starts wearing fur-lined jackets (already a purple that could shade easily into burgundy) and becomes the local repairman for the children's toys. Does Moffat do anything with this and the fact that they are in a town called Christmas? No. That is all just lip service to appeal to people who tuned in on Christmas Day, and nothing more.

To be fair, Moffat completely jumped the shark, story-wise, in the 50th Anniversary episode, by negating the very thing that made the Doctor, when the show returned to the BBC with the ninth Doctor, a tragic and flawed hero. As originally defined, the ninth Doctor (yes, I know, technically the War Doctor, but still that makes him the ninth, and Christopher Eccleston's version the 10th) wiped out his entire planet and all the Time Lords to save the universe from the Daleks, also wiped out. Moffat decided to change all of that in the 50th Anniversary episode, and so the 10th and 11th Doctors got together, ultimately with all 13 to save Gallifrey by hiding it in a pocket dimension. This was supposed to be a trick to convince any remaining Daleks not also destroyed in the attack that they had vaporized Gallifrey. And yet in "Time for the Doctor," the very next episode Moffat wrote, he negates that by having the Time Lords shout at the entire frigging universe from a tear in reality. So much for hiding.

When Doctor Who gets some guest writers, like the brilliant Neil Gaiman, who has written a handful of episodes during Moffat's run, it is still very enjoyable. But Moffat has turned it into a confusing pale shadow of the show that had millions of people weeping for Rose Tyler and David Tennant's 10th Doctor. The episode "Time for the Doctor" was just the latest, and most egregious example of Moffat's awful story telling.

Martin Freeman to Play Lead in ‘Fargo’ Miniseries

British actor and nerd luminary Martin Freeman, known best for his work in The Hobbit, Sherlock, The World's End, and The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, has been cast as Lester Nygaard in the upcoming tv miniseries based on the Coen Brothers' 1996 film classic Fargo.

The role is apparently analogous to William H. Macy's character: Jerry Lundegaard-the pathetic, amoral car salesman who hired kidnappers to abduct his wife in order to pay off his debts with the ransom money paid by his wealthy father-in-law (if you remember.....great movie).

The 10 episode series will be produced by Joel and Ethan Coen and, according to The Hollywood Reporter, will

"follow an all-new 'true crime' story with a new case and characters all seeped in the humor, murder and 'Minnesota nice' of the original."

This new adaptation of Fargo is due to air in the Spring of 2014 on FX.

Source: GeekTyrant

‘Breaking Bad’ Finale: An Open Discussion *SPOILER ALERT*

*Spoiler Alert*

This is an open discussion of the finale episode of AMC's Breaking Bad and there will be spoilers in the post and comments section. If you don't want to know, get out now.

It's over, the last episode of Breaking Bad has aired and those of us that have had a chance to watch it, know it all. Or do we? One of the things I have always loved about Breaking Bad was reading what others had to say about the latest episode, things I missed, or just didn't see the significance of at the time. So I am looking forward to seeing what comments everyone has about the series.

I guess I'll start it off with a few things that I really enjoyed about the series and the finale in particular.

1. Jesse does Todd. It was so satisfying to see Jesse exorcise some of his personal demons and get some payback for everything Todd has done to him and those he loves.

2. The red pointers in the shadows turn out to be Badger and Skinny Pete. I love those two guys. They've brought some of the funniest scenes to the show and I love that they got one more scene before it all ended.

3. Lydia proves that no one should be so predictable when your dealing with a criminal genius. I wonder if there will be any changes in sales of Stevia after this?

Now we want to know about your views on the series and finale.

Where there any loose ends that weren't tied up?

Are you OK with Jesse not shooting Walt at the end?

Where you satisfied with how the series ended?

Let it all out in the comments section below!

I found the parody ad below on the Internet today and thought my fellow fans of Breaking Bad should see it. Brendan Tobin is the creative genius behind this little gem.

‘Who’ News – Moffat Talks Female Doctors and Weeping Angels, Plus 50th Anniversary Special Air Date

Every once in a while, Doctor Who's showrunner Steven Moffat steps up and lets us know what's on his mind. He usually tends to get more vocal when something is happening in Who-land, such as an impending change of Doctor during a particular 50^th Anniversary Special. This time around, Moffat rehashes an old issue and gives his two cents on the likelihood of a female Doctor as well as discussing a Who-monster that may not be making a return to the show (at least during the remainder of his tenure). Check out what he had to say along with some 50^th Anniversary air date news after the jump.

First and foremost, what about that whole female Doctor thing that people are always arguing about? Any potential there, or what? In interview with Nerd Cubed, Moffat had this to say:

The problem with this whole [female Doctor] argument is everybody [just] says 'a woman' - you don't ever cast 'a man' as the Doctor, you cast a particular man.

One day I'm reasonably confident somebody in this [showrunner] role - whether it's me or someone else - will say not, 'Let's cast a woman', they'll say, 'That person, that's the one who could the be the Doctor'. You're just casting someone that you think will set that role on fire. I think for now that is Peter - I thought it was Matt [Smith] before - it's not about the gender thing.

Well, we'll just have to wait a few years and see what happens there.

Next up, in the same interview, Moffat had a few things to say about the role of certain monsters in the show:

I'm probably done to be honest on what you can do with the Weeping Angels. But other writers have to have a go. There's only so many times you can think, 'Right, it's a chase scene and statues'. How many times can the lights flicker? What happens if a moth sees them? Is the alien invasion cancelled at that point?

Some may be disappointed, but he can always change his mind, so don't fret too much. In fact, read what he had to say next:

It's not going to happen but a very good Doctor Who writer pitched a great idea for the Weeping Angels the other day and I was very excited about it. We had a long phone call about it and I went away thinking, 'That is going to be brilliant!' And about two days later he admitted he wasn't going to have time to do it. Hopefully we'll get to it in the next year.

And finally, news that should make everyone happy - it looks like America will not have to rely on torrents or live-streaming to get a look at the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special! Coming to the small screen on November 23rd, it looks like the BBC finally got smart on this one and realized that we're going to watch it with or without their help. Check out the official BBC America statement below:

Announced today, BBC AMERICA will simulcast the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special, The Day of the Doctor, in the U.S. on November 23, 2013. For the first time ever, the world's longest running and most successful sci-fi series will be broadcast simultaneously to millions of viewers worldwide in a global simulcast.

From the U.S. to the U.K., Canada to Colombia, Brazil to Botswana and Myanmar to Mexico, fans in at least 75 countries spanning six continents will be able to enjoy the episode at the same time as the U.K., with more countries expected to be confirmed within the next month. The one-off special stars Matt Smith (the Eleventh Doctor), Jenna Coleman(companion Clara), David Tennant (the Tenth Doctor) with Billie Piper and John Hurt.

In addition, BBC AMERICA will be dedicating an entire week to Doctor Who in November, including the new film An Adventure in Space and Time, marathons and new specials to be announced.

On top of the worldwide TV broadcast, BBC AMERICA will announce in the coming weeks details of select 3D screenings of the anniversary episode in theaters in the U.S.

"Few TV shows can still lay claim to being appointment viewing but Doctor Who takes this to another level. In its 50th Anniversary year we wanted to create a truly international event for Doctor Who fans in as many countries as possible and the simultaneous broadcast and cinema screening of the special across so many countries will make for a fitting birthday tribute to our Time Lord," states Tim Davie, CEO of BBC Worldwide.

Steven Moffat, Showrunner for Doctor Who and Executive Producer of the 50th Anniversary episode, adds: "The Doctor has always been a time traveler - now he's traveling time zones. On the 23rd of November, it won't be the bad guys conquering the Earth - everywhere it will be The Day of the Doctor!"

In London, birthplace of the iconic series, the 50th Anniversary weekend will also see over 20,000 fans gather at the ExCel exhibition and convention centre for the official celebration event which will feature appearances from cast old and new including Matt Smith and former Doctors Sylvester McCoy, Colin Baker and Tom Baker.

And if you've read all that and made it all the way down here, you get a free Internet cookie.

Thanks to Blastr and BBC America for the heads-up.

How Does This Week’s ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ Ratings Stack Up to the Pilot?

Last night's episode revolved around the team investigating an "0-8-4," but the big push in the teasers leading into the episode seemed to be for the special ending credits cameo. While I was disappointed by last night's episode, I must say, they delivered on that last scene, which was a pretty neat surprise. But, how did that translate in the ratings?

After last week's record-breaking 4.7 rating for the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. pilot, the show took a 34% dip in its second episode's ratings. Last night's "0-8-4 aired to a solid 3.1, which are still fairly good ratings, but shows quite a few viewers have already dropped off the S.H.I.E.L.D. hype train.

While these numbers certainly don't put the show at risk of being canceled, the steep decline in viewership, coupled with last night's lackluster showing, may be cause for concern for the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. crew. What did you think of last night's episode, or were you one of the viewers that didn't bother tuning in? Let us know in the comment section below!

[ComicBookMovie]

‘Fringe’s’ Dr. Bishop to Add to the Crazy on ‘Sleepy Hollow’

If you're going to transplant one actor from Fringe to a new part in Fox's supernatural conspiracy drama Sleepy Hollow, then you couldn't do much better than John Noble, and Deadline is now reporting that the actor has just signed on for a recurring part in this fall's first new hit. Noble will play Henry Parrish, who Deadline describes as "a kind and reclusive man who possesses supernatural powers that have the potential to help the series' protagonist, Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison)." There's no word yet though just how many episodes Noble will appear in, or when his appearances will begin.

Did you see the series premiere of Sleepy Hollow this past Monday? If you didn't, you missed a rare treat, a bizarre conflagration of National Treasure, Washington Irving, The X-Files, Grimm, and Twin Peaks, and what kills you is that you buy it hook, line and sinker. Sleepy Hollow may end up being the best tongue-in-cheek, campy genre TV show since the heyday of Hercules and Xena (oddly enough Sleepy Hollow co-creators Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman got their start on those shows).

Anyway, if you haven't seen Sleepy Hollow yet, you should at lease be prepared to see it stick around for a while. The first episode was watched by 10.1 million viewers and a 3.5 in 18-49 demo. The show was Fox's biggest opening for a fall drama series in seven years.

What do you Bastards think of Sleepy Hollow? Looking forward to more Noble-level zaniness? Sound off below.

Source: Deadline

A Behind the Scenes Look at Marvel’s ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’

If you're reading this, chances are you're one of the many, many people who'll be watching Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. tomorrow night on ABC. You need no more convincing, and you were hooked in as soon as they announced the Joss Whedon produced series, which you should already know is a follow-up to the smash hit, The Avengers. But, hey, if you're looking for something to get you geared up for the premiere, here's a cool behind-the-scenes look at the show!

It's kinda cool how they stayed in character a bit for the video, and even though it's nothing we haven't already gotten from the trailers, it gives us a slightly different perspective of the characters. I like that they bring up Agent Coulson dying, and I can't wait to see how they handle that. Will they really make it as simple as "Yeah, he's just not dead anymore"? This is definitely a show that any self-respecting nerd won't want to miss (Joss Whedon's return to television!), and be sure to check back tomorrow night after the show airs for our official Nerd Bastards review/recap of the show!

[ComicBookMovie]

Damon Lindelof Argues Batman and Walter White’s Similarities

Damon Lindelof - some find him to be a brilliant writer, including all of those in Hollywood that keep giving him job after job. Others of us think a bit less of the man, annoyed with his tendency to use intentional obscurity to spice up his scripts. But whatever you think of him, he has his fame and when he has something to say, people listen. And he does have something to say right now, and it's about how Breaking Bad's Walter White and Batman are the same character at their core. Check it al out after the jump:

In a recent editorial with Vulture, the man had these things to say to prove his point. He begins with his assertion that Batman was, in his soul, always the person he ended up becoming:

"Bruce Wayne was already Batman.

"Because millions upon millions of people are murdered by criminals all the time - especially in comic books. But the sons and daughters of those people do not become Batman. But Bruce Wayne?

"Bruce was different. There was something inside him. Lying dormant. He just needed something powerful enough to awaken it."

Well, that's kind of a painfully obvious statement, but where does Lindelof take it from there? He makes the point that Walter's origin catalyst was his cancer and that even when the cancer went away he did nothing to put his life back to normal, comparing that to a hypothetical Batman situation:

"But then the cancer goes away.

"This is the equivalent of Bruce Wayne's parents suddenly reappearing to him and saying, 'We had to fake our deaths when you were a kid and we've been in witness protection all this time, and we're so sorry, but the guy who shot us was actually an FBI agent helping us and he wasn't even a criminal and we love you, so can we have our pearls back and NOW YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE BATMAN ANYMORE!!!'

"But would Bruce stop being Batman?

"No. He would not. Because he is Batman. And once the catalyst has ... well, catalyzed? There is no going back"

He then goes further into demonstrating the comparison by making some rather stretched connections:

The first scene of the season-three finale, "Full Measures" is a flashback, which, as you might surmise, I have an affinity for. In this moment from the distant past, we see a newly married Walt and Skyler being shown a house by a real-estate agent. This house, of course, is the one they will end up living in for the next couple of decades...

So here's your homework. Go and watch that scene. Hear Walter White's voice as he frowns upon the modesty of the home he has not yet purchased. Look into Walter White's eyes when he says, "I don't think this is gonna be enough." Is it ambition you see? Or is it something else?

Of course, by Lindelof's reasoning, you can compare Walter White to absolutely any character that finds themselves in extreme circumstances and manages to rise to the occasion. Thus, pretty much every super hero and super villain. So why choose Batman specifically? Who knows?

You can head over to Vulture and check out the entire editorial, but it reads a bit like Creative Writing 101. Still, you might get something out of it that I didn't.

Thanks to blastr for the heads-up.

An Upcoming Episode of ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ Made Joss Whedon Cry

The night we've all been waiting for is upon us, and we're just a few short hours away from the premiere of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on ABC! Despite the rumor that Joss Whedon had to rewrite a few scripts because of how awful they were, Whedon seems to confirm the contrary in a recent interview.

Now, this doesn't necessarily mean he didn't have to rewrite the scripts, as he says he read it in its outline form, but I think that this is a good sign of how deep this show's story is going to go. Also, he confirms that he is more of an overseer of the project, not unlike he is with the rest of the Marvel universe, and we know that his brother and sister-in-law, Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen, will be taking over show-running duties as the show moves forward.

This definitely gets me amped up and excited to watch not only tonight's episode, but also the rest of the show, which obviously was the point of the interview, but I don't care. This show looks great, and it's not something that you're going to want to miss. Also, be sure to check back here later tonight for our Nerd Bastards review/recap!

[Comic Book Therapy]

Get Ready to Freak Out for No Good Reason: Jed Whedon & Maurissa Tancharoen Give a ‘Dr. Horrible 2′ Update!

In all this hype leading up to the premiere of Agents of SHIELD - tonight at 8pm EST on ABC! - executive producers Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen have been giving all sorts of interviews. They gave one such interview today to The Hollywood Reporter, in fact. It's full of all sorts of bits about their creative process, their expectations for SHIELD, and the trials of creating a superhero-less superhero show. It's really great, go check it out.

But first! Let me draw your attention to this. THR, wisely, took the opportunity to get any info out of the pair about the much anticipated Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog sequel. What did they have to say?

Tancharoen: We wish we could be doing everything at the same time, but it's always something that is in our hearts and always something we desperately want to do. But now Joss is away. He's in London prepping, and we are here everyday consumed by this. But there are about six songs ready to go.

Whedon: In some form or another, it will exist. Obviously we've been saying that for a long time and it's been slow going. But we never forget. It lives in our hearts.

Tancharoen: I will play Groupie #1 before you can call it Old Hag #1 (laughs).

Six songs, guys! That's something, right!? Though I'll admit, I don't believe there's any way in the forseeable future Whedon, his brother, Joss, or Tancharoen will find the time. And let's not even imagine what the schedules of Neil Patrick Harris, Felicia Day (assuming her character would appear in a sequel), and Nathan Fillion are like!

Sheesh... more and more Dr. Horrible 2 sounds like a pipe dream, but what do you think? Will we see a sequel before we're dead? Maybe they'll just release the songs or even record a soundtrack only at some point?