The Mind Of Madness

The ramblings of a pop culture junkie.

[enterthemindofmadness]

“The Championship Argument”

Lebron James and the Cavs successfully avoided elimination for the second straight game against the Warriors, and by doing so, have extended the NBA Finals to a what is sure to be an unforgettable Game 7.  With Lebron James in the Finals for a the 6th straight time (NBA record) the dreaded “championship argument” has once again reared it’s ugly head.  For those that don’t know, it’s a debate that essentially judges a player’s “greatness” based upon the amount of championships that player has won.  It appears to be a logical criticism, except when you realize Lebron James doesn’t play tennis, golf, or any other sport where the individual is solely responsible for the outcome of the game.  In recent years, this argument is largely focused on two athletes: Lebron James and Peyton Manning.  Given their talents and the nature of their sports, the fact that both individuals have a “less than stellar” record in championship games always seems to be a determining factor when discussing whether or not they should be regarded as “the greatest of all time”.  Peyton was able to silence his critics in February when he won his second Super Bowl, and now it’s Lebron’s chance to remove the albatross from around his neck, even though it really doesn’t exist.  

The “championship argument”, by its very nature, is illogical.  You cannot judge a player’s individual greatness by using a team based statistic.  That is just common sense.  Now before you attempt to jump down my throat, let’s clarify a few things here.  We are talking about a player’s “greatness”, not a player’s “legacy”.  They are two completely different measurements.  Greatness is tangible, and can be determined by looking at the overall statistics throughout a player’s career.  For Lebron, it could be points, rebounds, assists, steals, turnovers, etc.  For Peyton, touchdowns, yards, interceptions, completion percentage..you get the point.  Looking at those statistics, compared to other players, will give you a clear picture where that individual ends up.  Obviously, like anything involving stats, you can break it down as much as you’d like, but the numbers never lie.  Based upon the benchmark that is greatness, where does that player land?  Legacy, on other hand, takes those same statistics and factors in the intangibles.  It’s the sum of all parts of that player’s career, factoring in things like performance in the clutch, impact on overall game, play style, off the field activity, and a multitude of other factors, including how many championships that player has won or lost.  Terry Bradshaw won 4 Super Bowls in a 6 year period with the Steelers.  That’s one hell of a legacy, but does Terry Bradshaw come up in the conversation when you talk about the greatest quarterbacks of all time?  Robert Horry has 7 NBA Championships, but isn’t even in the conversation of NBA greats.  He does, however, have a legacy of playing on great teams and being “Big Shot Bob”.  The list goes on and on.  We can talk about Dan Marino and Barry Sanders in the NFL, or Patrick Ewing and Charles Barkley in the NBA.  Not a single one of those 4 guys have a championship.

Now that we have hopefully debunked the championship argument as it relates to a player’s individual greatness, how much of an effect should losses in championship games have on that player’s legacy?  After all, we are still talking about team sports here.  For this argument to have any credibility, you would need to examine the performance of that player in those games, but even that doesn’t mean much.  Let’s say a QB has the single greatest game in NFL history in the Super Bowl, and loses it on a missed field goal.  Suppose that happens 5 years in a row, and he retires never winning a ring.  Years later, we will look at that QB’s legacy and say “he was great, but he never won the big game”.  Now suppose his opponent for all 5 of those losses is the same team with the same QB, and in each game, that QB puts up mediocre numbers, essentially underperforming when compared to his regular season numbers.  Our first QB, the “loser”, is the all time NFL leader in all the important categories, and won the regular season MVP 5 times in the 10 seasons he played in the NFL.  Our second QB, the 5x Super Bowl Champion, is in the Top 5 of all the same categories and won the MVP twice in his 10 year career.  If I were to ask you which QB has the better legacy, who would you pick?  The all time NFL leader in every passing category who lost 5 straight Super Bowl’s, or the 5x Super Bowl Champion who is in the top 5 of every important passing category?  The latter sounds like the better choice, except each one of those wins had nothing to do with him, and more to do with a botched field goal.  In 10 years, nobody will remember the statistics from the game, just the outcome.

Unfortunately, things aren't as clear cut as that lengthy hypothetical I just laid out.  With a loss on Sunday, Lebron James will fall to 2-5 in his NBA Finals career, a record that will surely, albeit unfairly, plague his legacy.  It’s an argument that will never go away, and will eventually find itself attached to current stars like Kevin Durant and Andrew Luck.  For anyone who still believes in this argument, allow me to end with some stats.  Hate him or love him, it’s quite a feat to be involved in 6th straight NBA Finals, and by the looks of it, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see it get to 7 or 8.  There’s no need to debate his greatness, because it is already cemented.  That’s just pure stupidity.  But for those who question his legacy, here are his numbers for all 7 of his NBA Finals appearances…

2007- Cleveland Cavaliers vs San Antonio Spurs (Spurs won in 4) 22.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 6.8 APG *First NBA finals appearance.  Many say his worst showing, but take into consideration he was only 22.  18.3 turnover percentage.  Completely outmatched by the vastly superior Spurs.  First NBA Finals loss.

2011 - Miami Heat vs Dallas Mavericks (Dallas won in 6) 17.8 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 6.8 APG *13.7 Game Score.  Third on his team in scoring.  24 turnovers.  60% from free throw line. Another un-king like performance.  Public enemy number 1 ever since “The Decision”, and promising not 1, not 2, not 3...you know the rest.  Outside of Miami, he gets zero love.  Haters rejoice.  Now he’s 0-2

2012 - Miami Heat vs Oklahoma City Thunder (Miami won in 5) 28.6 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 7.4 APG *First NBA Championship.  Game Score of 23.6.  Finals MVP.  Still somewhat loathed. Now he’s 1-2

2013 - Miami Heat vs San Antonio Spurs (Miami won in 7) 25.3 PPG, 10.9 RPG, 7.0 APG *For those that they he wasn’t clutch, his game 7 numbers will shut them up.  37 points on 52% shooting, 12 rebounds and 4 assists.  Back to back championships.  The word dynasty is starting to get thrown around.  Now he’s 2-2.

2014 - Miami Heat vs San Antonio Spurs (Spurs won in 5) 28.2 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 4.0 APG *Outmatched again, and Lebron had a horrible turnover percentage (15%) while carrying the load.  Lead the team in every major category.  Dynasty over.  Now he’s 2-3.

2015 - Cleveland Cavaliers vs Golden State Warriors (GS won in 6) 35.8 PPG, 13.3 RPG, 8.8 APG *God like performance, although the haters will talk about his shooting percentage.  No Kevin Love or Kyrie, and he still managed to be the first player to ever lead both teams in points, assists, and rebounds.  The prodigal son has returned.  Still has a ton of haters, but WOW, what a performance. Now he’s 2-4.

2016 - Cleveland Cavaliers vs Golden State Warriors (Game 7) 30.2 PPG, 11.3 RPG, 8.5 APG *Shooting 51% through 6 games, and has brought his team back from a 3-1 deficit to force a Game 7.  People are calling him a cry baby and saying the NBA is fixed, as if they don’t remember Michael Jordan being hand-fed grapes by the officials.

NBA Finals Career Stats (2-4) 26.8 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 7 APG *Includes 2016 NBA Finals Stats

Numbers don’t lie.  If you look at Lebron and see 4 NBA Finals losses (possibly 5 come Monday), you aren’t looking close enough.  The problem with guys like Lebron James and Peyton Manning is that they are too great.  We expect them to win absolutely everything, and that’s why this ridiculous argument somehow finds its way into the conversation.  Nobody is talking about regular season MVP Steph Curry’s poor performance this NBA Finals and the fact that he is a defensive liability, at least not yet.  Steph is one of those guys who could be grouped into this debate in a few years, depending on what the outcome is on Sunday.  Either way, the “championship argument” is dead and buried as far as i’m concerned.  If you want to talk about the “legacy argument”, that’s a different debate for a different time.  In the meantime, just be thankful you got to see guys like Lebron James and Peyton Manning in their primes.  Spend more time enjoying their greatness rather than trying to find illogical reasons to destroy it.  

tl;dr: Lebron and Peyton are great, and you’re an idiot if you don’t agree.

[enterthemindofmadness]

“Pre-Game” - Game of Thrones Season 6 Preview

It’s been a long time since the Game of Thrones Season 5 finale--315 days be exact.  Ten months of agonizing over that last scene of Jon Snow bleeding out after being betrayed by his own men.  A lot of time has passed since that collective “what the fuck”, and in a show with this many moving pieces, most of us could use a little refresher before we head back into Westeros.  After all, there was plenty more to talk about other than the “death” of Jon Snow.  

The Wall

Jon Snow: With the White Walkers on their way, Jon Snow saw no other alternative than to team up with the Wildlings, a move that seems to have cost him his life.  His mercy kill on Mance Rayder gave him some credibility with the rival group, and he took down a White Walker with a ,  sword made of Valyrian steel, something that also caught the eye of the Night’s King.  But in the end, it was Jon Snow’s own men (and that little prick olly) who ended up taking him out, for the watch, of course.  

Prediction: HBO will twist the knife even further, opening the season with confirmation that Snow is in fact “dead”.  We all know he’s coming back though, especially with a monster battle slated for episode 9.  My guess is it will involve his lineage and maybe even Melisandre.  If the fan theories are correct, and Snow is a Targaryen, we all know burning his body won’t do a damn thing.  Emerge from the fire, Jon Snow!

Ser Alliser Thorne: The most hated man at The Wall right now, and most likely the one calling the shots.  Thorn led the revolt against Snow, but with the Walkers bearing down, he has a whole lot more to worry about than whether or not fans like him.

Prediction:  The Wall will be finished by season’s end.  They are barely hanging on as it is, and eventually there will be nobody left to help defend against the White Walkers.  They will need to elect a new Commander of the Night’s Watch, and all indications are Alliser is the man for the job.    

Samwell Tarly and Gilly: Sam left for Maester School before shit got real.  I can’t see him playing a major role this season, but I’m sure we will get to see his reaction to his BFF’s death.

Prediction:  Who cares.  

Melisandre: After convincing Stannis that killing his own daughter was the best move in the battle for Winterfell, Melisandre abandons him to head back to The Wall to continue crushing on Jon Snow.  Unbeknownst to her, the plans were already in place to have him killed.  She is the strongest hope for the Jon Snow resurrection, and she coincidentally comes back at just the right time.

Prediction:  Melisandre will somehow be involved in the resurrection of Jon Snow.  She also won’t be the only Red Priestess we see this season.  I don’t think we have seen her true power yet either.

Winterfell

Roose Bolton:  The poor man’s Tywin Lannister is fresh off a win against Stannis’ depleted army and now in control of Winterfell, with help from his bastard son, Ramsay.

Prediction:  Shit is going to go down in episode 9’s “Battle of the Bastards”.  For the time being, he is the top dog at Winterfell, but for how long?

Ramsay Bolton:  The most hated character on the show, and a guy who makes Joffrey look like Ned Stark.  Comes up with the plan to defeat Stannis, but loses his “wife” and slave in the process.  With nobody left to rape, is Ramsay’s next quest is to hunt down Sansa and Theon?

Prediction:  The show will make us hate this guy even more, something that doesn’t even seem possible.  I’m banking on a showdown in episode 9 with everybody’s favorite bastard, but not before he continues brutalizing some Starks (I heard Rickon is coming back…)

Sansa Stark:  With the help of Theon, Sansa is able to escape her second abusive husband by jumping from the roof of a castle and disappearing with her savior.  Rough is an understatement when describing her experiences last season, so hopefully there are some brighter days ahead for Ned’s daughter, although Ramsay is going to be hot on her trail.

Prediction: I don’t think we will see much Sansa this season, but when we do, she will finally have a backbone.  I see a Stark reunion in her future, especially now that Theon told her the truth about Rickon and that other Stark daughter I refuse to Google to get her name.  

Theon Greyjoy:  Theon finally got his balls back, figuratively of course, after he tosses Myranda from the castle and rescues Sansa.  Assuming they survived the fall (Myranda didn’t), Theon and Sansa are now on the run from the Boltons. In a driving blizzard. With no food.

Prediction:  Sansa and Theon will part ways somewhere down the line, with Theon returning back to the Iron Islands, where is has already been declared dead by dear old dad

Brienne of Tarth:  It’s hard to imagine Brienne succeeding at anything, but the last time we saw her, she had Stannis up against a tree, her retribution finally at hand. Did she avenge Renley and claim his brother’s head?

Prediction:  I am one of the few who doesn’t believe Stannis is dead, and maybe that’s foolish of me  Brienne (and Pod) will continue wandering around aimlessly until they find a storyline, which may involve reuniting with Jamie at some point.  

Stannis Baratheon:  Went from indifferent to hated real quick, by sacrificing his own daughter for a chance to win the battle of Winterfell.  Of course, his wife then killed herself, half his men deserted him in the middle of the night, and his crew was absolutely slaughtered by the Bolton’s in quick fashion.  As we mentioned above, last time we see him is pinned against a tree after the fight, with Brienne ready to chop his head off.  We assume he’s dead, but until we see his head on a stake, we can’t believe it.  A character who burns his own daughter alive deserves to have his death shown on screen so we can truly enjoy it.  

Prediction: As I mentioned above, I don’t think he’s dead.  His storyline seems completely finished, but until I see a head roll, my guess is he’s alive and well.

Iron Islands

Balon Greyjoy:  We haven’t seen him in a couple of seasons, but given what happened to Theon, and his appearance in the trailers, we know he is on the come up.  Plus, he is the last remaining from the Battle of the Five Kings, assuming Stannis is truly dead.

Prediction:  I think there is going to be a regime change in the Iron Islands and Balon’s time with us is limited.

Yara Greyjoy:  She got chased by a pack of hounds when she tried to rescue her brother, but just like her daddy, the Greyjoy’s are looking to make some noise this season.

Prediction: She will welcome her brother back and mourn the loss of her father (hopefully).  The Greyjoy’s will be featured a bit more this season, especially when Euron Greyjoy assumes the role of King.

The Vale/House Arryn

Petyr Baelish:  We liked him until he betrayed Sansa and arranged her raping, I mean wedding, to Ramsay Bolton.  He pushed Lady Arryn through the moonroof 2 seasons ago, so it’s clear this man is only out for himself.  He agreed to go back to Cersei in exchange for another promotion.

Prediction: I’m not sure if the man who knows everything really knew the truth about Ramsay’s psychotic ways.  If that’s the case, then I think he will seek out Sansa.  If he did know, then he is a prick.

MEREEN

Daenerys Targaryen: Things didn’t go too well for the Mother of Dragons last season, and we found out she is a pretty shitty ruler and mother.  After repeated assassination attempts, she fled on Drogon and ended up in Dothraki Sea, captured by a new Khalasar.

Prediction:  She will be held captive at first, but eventually they will see her true power, and she will end up riding with the Dothraki in her ever expanding army that she has zero control over.  I think her time in Mereen is done, and she will finally head to where the action is.  

Tyrion Lannister:  Fan favorite Tyrion finally linked up with Daenerys after a rough journey with Jorah, only to have all hell break loose in Mereen.  He has her trust now, and is left behind to run the city while Daario and Jorah head out to find Daenerys.  

Prediction: He is going to have a rough go in Mereen, eventually abandoning the city.  He will also split with Varys at some point, but I think it will be amicable.

Varys:  His arrival at Mereen puts Tyrion at ease, who was feeling a bit slighted after not being included in the whole search and rescue mission for Daenerys.

Prediction: His time in Mereen will be short, and he will leave to help Dany’s and Tyrion in other ways.  We all know he isn’t a fan of magic, and with Tyrion enlisting the help of a new Red Priestess, Varys isn’t going to want to be around.  I see a trip to Dorne in his future, something that will help bridge a gap that the books have left out.  

Missandei: Left behind with Tyrion to look after Mereen and her boy toy, Grey Worm.  

Prediction:  Don’t care enough

Grey Worm: Things got a bit hairy for the Worm during the fight against the Son’s of the Harpy, but he survived.

Prediction: Continued bad-assery

Jorah Mormont and Daario:  After bringing Tyrion to Daenerys as a peace offering, the ex-communicated Jorah falls back into favor by saving the Mother of Dragon’s life during the assassination attempt.  Him and Daario head out on a mission to once again save her, although Jorah still has greyscale which means his time is limited.

Prediction:  Jorah will die, but not before he sees Daenerys one last time.  Daario will try to rescue her, only to find out she is now the leader of the Dothraki (again).  She will convince them he is good peoples and they will all ride together.

King’s Landing

Cersei Lannister: Imprisoned by the High Sparrow for her incestous ways, Cersei is forced to admit her sins and complete the “Walk of Atonement”, where she is paraded through the streets naked and spit on by everyone in King’s Landing.  Once loathed, her humiliating walk of shame gained her some fans, and we are all eagerly anticipating her revenge against the Sparrows.  

Prediction:  She isn’t going to take Myrcella’s death well, and she is going to spiral out of control.  Call me crazy, but I think this is the last season for Cersei (same can be said for Jamie).

Tommen Lannister:  The last remaining product of incest, useless Tommen did nothing for his mother or his wife as they were held captive by the Sparrows.  Now that the Queen Mother is back, Tommen will probably spend most of this upcoming season sitting in a corner crying.

Prediction: Fuck this little jerk.  I miss Joffrey

Qyburn:  Cersei’s lackey who finally finished his “Frankenstein” project.  See below

Prediction: Death.  He knows too much.

Ser Robert Strong/The Mountain:  Gregor Clegane is back and ready to fuck shit up.  With Cersei calling the shots, it won’t be long before we see him wreak havoc on the Sparrows.

Prediction:  He will fuck shit up and be a monster, but in the end, Cersei’s new enforcer will meet his maker

High Sparrow:  Just an innocent old man, right? Wrong.  He somehow took control of King’s Landing and locked up the Queen and the Queen Mother (and “Queen” Loras).  He let Cersei go free, but only after completely humiliating her for all to see.

Prediction: His death is one that I am eagerly anticipating, but not before he continues to make life miserable for Cersei and Margaery.  Once killed, he will throw on a pair of glasses and run for President under a democratic socialism platform.

Highgarden

Margaery Tyrell:  Imprisoned in Winterfell for defending her homosexual brother, Loras, things didn’t go too well for the Queen.  Her last hope is her grandmother, Olenna, now that Cersei is free and in “control” of King’s Landing.

Prediction:  She will be let free, after joining the Sparrows, but we all know she is a master of the long con, especially with that big, beautiful, constant smirk on her face.  Revenge will be hers eventually.

Loras Tyrell:  Locked up, they won’t let him out.

Prediction:  Death.

Lady Olenna:  The matriarch of the Tyrell family who has two grandchildren facing punishment in King’s Landing.  She is not to be fucked with, though, as she is equally as cunning as Cersei.

Prediction: The Lannister’s have been cramping her style for quite some time, but she is more calculated than Cersei.  We might see her end up in Dorne, teaming up with other Lannister haters.

Mace Tyrell:  Aloof, and sent to pay a visit to the Iron Bank, which based on the people he is sent with, looks to be an execution.    

Prediction:  He will survive, but get yelled at by Olenna when he gets home for being useless.

Dorne

Jamie Lannister: The Kingslayer spent most of his time in Dorne last year in one of the more pointless storylines of season 5.  After realizing his daughter/neice, Myrcella, was in danger, Jamie took it upon himself to rescue her from the Martell’s, hopefully getting him back in the good graces of his sister/lover, Cersei.  He recruited Bron for the sneak mission, which instantly turned bad, although he was able to make peace with Doran Martell and leave unscathed with his daughter, or so he thought.  After confessing to Myrcella that he was really her father (which she already knew), she dies in his arms after being poisoned by Ellaria.  The Lannisters have quite a few debts to settle this season and it should be interesting to see what happens when him and Cersei swap their respective horror stories.  

Prediction:  He will see Cersei spiraling out of control and eventually leave King’s Landing to put his skills to use elsewhere.  If the Lady Stoneheart rumors are true, I see Brienne and him linking back up at some point, only to finally have to pay for all of his sins against the Starks.

Ellaria Martell:  Oberyn’s wife didn’t take too kindly to having a Lannister infiltrate their city and wanted retribution for the death of her husband, but was overruled by Doran at the end.  She took matters into her own hands, though, and gave Myrcella a poisonous kiss goodbye.  She and her daughters have clearly gone rogue and have now started a war with the Lannisters.  

Prediction:  Dorne is going to be more in play this season, and I don’t see her making it out unscathed.  She betrayed her brother-in-law, but Doran isn’t going to kill her.

Doran Martell: Even though the Lannister’s are somewhat responsible for the death of his brother, Oberyn, he opts to take the diplomatic route when he catches Jamie snooping around Dorne.  He lets Jamie return to King’s Landing with Myrcella and his son, Trystane, but little does he know Ellaria has other plans.  Should be interesting to see how he deals with his sister-in-law starting a war he desperately tried to avoid.  

Prediction: Same as Ellaria.  He is going to be pissed about the new war with the Lannister’s, but it’s time to sack up and pick a side.  A visit from Olenna and Varys will help him finally “stand up” for his city, and allign with whoever (Daenerys?) against the Lannisters.

The Sand Snakes:  Oberyn and Ellaria’s three daughters, who are masters of poison and seduction, and like their mama, have vowed revenge against the Lannisters.

Prediction:  All three will die.

Bron: Seduced, poisoned, and cured by one of The Sand Snakes, Bron was allowed to return with Jamie back to King’s Landing and his unattractive wife.  

Prediction: His time with Tyrion was great, as was his time with Jamie.  He will just end up being Jamie’s sidekick on his next journey

Braavos

Arya:  Finally got her revenge against Meryn Trant, although she went against the Many Faced God and lost her sight in the process.  Most likely temporary, but the young Stark has reached budding badass status.  

Prediction:  Eventually she will gain her sight back, and her training will continue.  She will end up back at Winterfell at some point, maybe even reuniting with her siblings.

Jaqen H’ghar:  King of mind fuckery.

Prediction: Continued mind fuckery

Elsewhere

Bran - Bran who?  He sat out last season after a run in with the undead and has been in hiding with the Three Eyed Raven.  Apparently big things are in store for eason.

Prediction:  Some serious warging  

Hodor:  Hodor Hodor Hodor!

Prediction:  He will say something other than Hodor.

White Walkers/ Nights King:  After witnessing just how powerful they are, winter is finally here and it’s fucking terrifying.  The Night’s King also got into a staring contest with Jon Snow and won when he resurrected an entire beach full of dead bodies with a flick of the wrist.  Their kryptonite is Valryian Steel, which seems to be in short supply.  

Prediction:  They will continue their slow assault on Westeros, but I don’t think we see anything significant with them this season.  There is a lot more going on in Westeros that we need to focus on.  They will breach The Wall, but I think that is all we see this year.

In Memorium

Mance Rayder - Burned at the stake at The Wall, but mercy killed by Jon Snow

Ser Barristan Selmy - Master swordsmen who fell in the Son’s of the Harpy attack in Mereen

Janos Slynt - Mouthed off to Jon Snow and was beheaded at The Wall.  

Stannis - Either killed or spared by Brienne of Tarth.  We will find out April 24

Maester Aemon Targaryen - First natural death recorded in the history of Westeros

Meryn Trant - Met his demise at the hands of Arya

Myrcella Baratheon - Finds out her true lineage and is poisoned by Ellaria Sand

Princess Shireen - Daddy’s little girl no longer

Queen Selyse - Trophy wife of Stannis who hated her daughter so much she had to kill herself

Hizdahr zo Loraq - Rando Mereenite who wed Daenerys only to be killed by the Son’s of the Harpy

Myranda - Ramsay side piece thrown off roof by Theon.  Interestingly, Theon and Sansa fell from the same roof and survived

Jon Snow - For the watch.

[enterthemindofmadness]

New York Comic Con 2015 by Mikey Madness Via Flickr: Photos taken at the 10th anniversary of New York Comic Con in October 2015.

[enterthemindofmadness]

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5o4wnxxThs)

A fake Nike Fantasy Football video I made for my league.  If you draft a perfect team, you let them know it.

[enterthemindofmadness]

True Detective 5x6 “Church in Ruins”

Although not as beautifully shot as last year's shootout with Rust Cohle and the bikers, this week's episode was very reminiscent, especially with the tension in the last 15 minutes. "Church in Ruins" was a pretty straightforward episode, with our task force running a tactical op and Frank Semyon doing his best to track down Caspere's missing recordings. Some would call it a slow episode, but it was exactly what we needed to catch our breath, because after tonight, all hell is going to break loose. Once again, brilliant acting from all of the leads, as you can tell each one of them is completely comfortable in their characters now, driving them forward week after week. Vaughn and Farrell will always be the standouts, but there's something about Paul's subtleties that reinforce his talent as an actor.  And as for Ani, she finally unveiled her superpower tonight. Bottom line, don't fuck with Ani.

It all started with the continuation of the breakfast from hell, with Frank and Ray on opposite sides of the kitchen table with their guns drawn in secret. We all knew it wasn't going to end in a shootout, and it played exactly as we thought. When confronted with the news that Frank set him up, Frank smooth talks his way out of it, simply saying he just passed along the information. At the end of the day, Ray was the one who did what he did, and to some extent, he accepts it. Frank is so good with manipulation, that at the end of it all, Ray is still willing to share the valuable Intel about Blake. Frank says now that his suspicion is confirmed, he will get the full story from Blake in his own way.  Ray wants the name of the guy who supplied Frank the initial information about his wife's attacker, and Frank wants Caspere's video, so they still agree to work together.

For the rest of the episode, Frank is on the hunt for Irena Rufo, but not before stopping at Stan's widow's house to talk to the family. Vince gets better and better each week, and tonight was no difference with the pep talk to Stan's son. From there, him and his henchmen interrogate one of Ledo Amarilla's guys to get the whereabouts of Irena.  It's here we learn how "Nails" got his nickname, as he drives nails into the Santa Muerte member until he finally gives up the location of the house where Irena is.  When Frank and his guys arrive, they are shocked to run into the Gonzalez Brothers who he turned away last episode.  Putting their past encounter aside, they agree to a mutually beneficial arrangement where Frank will let them run drugs through his clubs for three days a week, and in return he would get a face to face to Irena.  Apparently it worked, because later on Frank gets a call from Irena who passes off some of the most important information of the night, confirming what most of us knew all along.  Irena says she was paid $500 by some tall, skinny cop to pawn the merchandise, basically proving Ledo had nothing to do with Caspere's death. Frank sets up a meeting with Irena where she will ID this "el jefe" cop for $1000, but the Gonzalez clan has other plans in mind.

When Frank shows up, he find Irena with her throat slit and the Gonzalez brothers offering slightly new terms to their agreement. Frank is quietly irate, but his hands are pretty much tied at this point. Now I know Irena ID's the guy as a cop, which makes us all automatically think Burris, but I think any white guy in a suit is a cop to Irena. So besides Burris, it could also be Blake, who also fits her description. Either way, Frank is going to need to find other means in IDing this "cop".

Ray, on the other hand, is dealing with his guilt a bit differently.  He pays his actual wife's attacked a visit in jail, and basically scares the shit out of him. He makes it clear that no matter what happens, Ray will get his brutal revenge. It's a great scene for Farrell, who only needed his eyes to convey that type of intensity. From there, he has his supervised visit with his son which doesn't go too well, considering right after he has a whiskey and coke fueled rage party at his house. Once he comes down from that super high, he has a conversation with his wife from his destroyed house, basically saying he won't fight the custody battle any longer, just as long as she promises to never reveal to Chad the truth about his real father. She agrees, however after looking at the actual rapist, I'm not certain that this kid isn't Ray's after all.  Now that Ray has gotten his bender out of the way, it's right back to work.

In the meantime, Paul uncovers some other information about the diamonds which is definitely going to come into play in the last two episodes. We learn that the diamonds were stolen in an armed robbery right before the riots in 1992. Two masked gunmen executed the owners of Sable Fine Jewelers and stole the jewels from the married owners, The Hostelmans. Not only was the woman pregnant, but her two children survived the robbery by hiding in the cabinets.  Paul has photos of the kids, which he shows to the detective who handled the case, and we find out they went into foster care. Now obviously there will be plenty of theories about these kids, but they do share a likeness to the Chessani children, and they both seem about the right age.  They may end up never being mentioned again, but it would make an interesting twist if these two kids are somehow back in the picture.

Athena is able to set up Ani with some information about a party, and from here on out its all tactical, with Ani assuming her sister's identity and infiltrating the party. She doesn't seem bothered until she reaches the bus and realizes it's either "fuck or run", as her sister so eloquently puts it. Ray and Paul will keep eyes on her via a transponder and do their best to stay in the shadows.  Once she's inside, she realizes she is in way over her head, as all the girls are required to take MDMA before heading out to entertain their affluent guests.  Outside the mansion, Paul and Ray are in full on Black Ops mode, taking out security and moving closer to the house. At first, Ani makes her way around the party unharmed, although the Molly is slowly kicking in. She sees a few familiar law enforcement faces, including former AG Geldof and Chief Holloway, as well as Tony Chessani and Osip, before she is chosen by an oil tycoon as his entertainment for the night. While hallucinating, Ani starts to have flashbacks of a bearded man who obviously molested her as a child on her father's commune.  It's a leery disturbing scene, which leads her to make a beeline to the bathroom to vomit up the drugs before they totally derail the operation.

Back outside, Paul and Ray peer into window and see Osip meeting with Jacob McCandless, head of Catalyst, about land deals. They sign the deal and head out of the room, giving Paul the perfect opportunity to sneak in and grab the documents. When he gets out, they run into a security guard, but it's nothing Velcoro can't handle, as he pummels the guy (probably to death).  Inside, Ani just finishes throwing up when she notices none other than Vera, her missing person, passed out against the wall. She knows it's time to hightail it out, so she grabs Vera and makes a run, but she is stopped in her tracks by the oil tycoon. No big deal for Ani, as she delivers a quick groin shot, but that draws the attention of a giant Russian who choked her out against the wall. Ani, about to lose consciousness, executes a perfect series of knife strikes that take a second or two to kick in, but once they do, the Russian knows he's done for.  She grabs Vera, runs to the nearest exit, and runs into Paul who escorts them all to safety. A minor chase ensues, but despite a few gunshots back and forth, they all escape unscathed, as Ray picks them up at the perfect time and the four of them head screeching down the hill to the backdrop of the largest full moon ever seen on TV.

So what now? Well, Paul has plenty of incriminating documents and Ani has Vera, so Katherine Davis' case is looking better and better. Even though Ani killed a Russian mobster inside, I doubt they will want the police involved, so I'm pretty sure that will stay quiet. I'm sure absolute panic is going to set in once the party goers realize what just happened, especially when Catalyst sees their documents have been stolen. We know now Vera wasn't the woman tortured in the snack at the beginning, but who was?  Was it Tasha, Caspere's favorite girl who went missing around the same time. The case is out of their jurisdiction, so unfortunately it will be left up to the Sheriff's Department, but preliminary reports show that the blood did belong to a female and the crime happened weeks before.  For once, it's a win for the good guys, definitely sending Chessani, Osip, and Catalyst in full on panic mode. Sure, Ani can't say she was at the party and the evidence is most likely completely illegal, but it helps explain the bigger picture. We will have to wait and see what Katherine has to say, and my guess is she is going to chastise her little secret task force. After all, there are nothing but power players involved at the party and this thing could get squashed immediately if not handled correctly.  One thing is certain, the last two episodes are going to be insane, and I wouldn't be surprised to see some big characters die along the way, and some possible twist involving Paul.

Case Notes

I'm calling Athena's death by season's end. Smart money is on Ani's purse being empty and having nothing leading back to her sister, but Blake did check her in and called her Athena. Through video surveillance (which we know they have) it wouldn't be too hard to put two and two together and realize "Athena" caused trouble at the party.

I didn't compare the mystery bearded man in Ani's hallucination to the old photograph, but perhaps it was the mystery fifth man?

Couldn't help but notice Jacob mentioning the full moon helping to ratify alliances, which we see in the last scene, but also on the invitation from Sept 9th, which was in fact a full moon.

The two kids are going to play a huge part in my opinion. Another possible theory is the girl from the photo is the bartender with the scar.  Maybe the sister and brother will end up being the "Birdmen", part of an elaborate revenge plot for what happened to their parents? Foster girl in and out of the system, starts working the parties, finds out about the diamonds, tells her brother. Just spitballing here, but why the hell not.

The people who robbed the jewelry store were wearing masks, which is not uncommon for an armed robbery, but given her emphasis on masks, it's something to consider.

Just another theory.  Velcoro's father also mentioned the 1992 riots, I wonder if he has any Intel on the jewelry store robbery?  My guess is it was an LAPD job who knew the riots would cover up the crime. Afterwards, the cops move to Vinci PD (Burris, Holloway?), just like Eddie Velcoro said some of the cops did. Somehow Chessani is involved in this, and adopts the kids as his own to preserve his twisted legacy.  Goes along with the parenting theme of the season and problems with conception. Somehow Caspere gets the diamonds (buy in for land deals?) and this is why Vinci PD sends Teague out to look for them. The tracing of the diamonds is crucial.

[enterthemindofmadness]

True Detective 5x5 “Other Lives”

Did the Mexican’s really clip Caspere?  That was the question being whispered throughout this week’s episode, a question we already knew the answer to long before the worst shootout in American law enforcement history.  No, the Mexican’s were not solely responsible for the death of Benjamin Caspere, and for once, the viewers were a few steps ahead of the True Detectives.  We pick things up a few months (66 days) after the bloodbath, with our task force long gone, just like Velcoro’s moustache.  Career wise, all of our detectives seem to have fallen on hard times, a far cry to what was promised to them from the very beginning.  True Detective is one of the few shows that treats its viewers with respect. and through careful exposition, it does a fantastic job of catching us up with everyone without shoving it down our throats.  Not only that, this episode has got to be the highlight of the season as far as acting and dialogue are concerned, as there were some truly powerful performances from our leads.  A lot of shows would have used this episode strictly as a reintroduction, but “Other Lives” not only continues on with the story, but makes some pretty heavy revelations, taking us down the road we all knew we were headed for.  We pick up the story roughly two months after the shootout, so lets take a look and see where each character is at now.

Ray Velcoro

Ray is no longer working for Vinci PD, and has instead taken Frank up on his offer to be a “security consultant” for his organization.  Lt. Burris drops by to let him know that he is being evicted, and also to find out some information on the late Teague Dixon, who we know was doing some snooping of his own.  Velcoro needs some extra cash for the custody battle with his wife, so Frank asks him to do some investigating on Blake Churchman, an employee of his that he has a bad feeling about.  Frank’s hunch turns out to be true, as Ray follows him to a meeting with Tony Chessani and Dr. Pitlor, where Blake picks up some girls and transports them over to Osip.  Ray seems content with his new gig, even when Ani drops by with some new leads on the Caspere homicide.  He only decides to join this new investigation when Katherine Davis, the state official who was originally gunning for him, offers to help him win the custody battle with his wife.  It is at this moment that Ray learns the disturbing truth about his wife’s attacker.  Davis reveals that the attacker was caught a few weeks earlier, which means Frank set up Ray and had him kill an innocent man.  Ray joins the new investigation, and pays a visit to Dr. Pitlor’s office, where he beats the truth out of him.  We learn that Tony Chessani and Benjamin Caspere throw high-end sex parties for affluent individuals, only to end up blackmailing them in the process.  Ray is last seen at Frank’s door, where he tells him they need to talk.  From the previews for next week, we see them both seated at a table with their guns secretly drawn. Farrell’s acting in the scene where Davis tells him the truth about his wife’s attacker was superb.  For all Ray’s faults, at his core he is a man of morals, and the fact that he now knows he killed an innocent man is going to have massive repercussions.  I personally don’t think Ray is going to survive this season, although I don’t think it is going to come at Frank’s kitchen table.  

Ani Bezzerides

Following the botched raid, Ani was demoted to TV’s lowest job in cop dramas, the evidence room.  She is forced to go to sexual harassment classes, where she in turn is sexually harassed, but not before she has some fun of her own.  Ani’s interest in the Caspere case is reignited when she receives a call from Danielle DeVayo, a women she served foreclosure papers to earlier in the season who told her about her missing sister, Vera.  Danielle received mail belonging to Vera that contained an invitation to a high end party, as well as numerous photographs, one of which was of the blue diamonds found in Caspere’s safety deposit box.  She is able to ID Caspere in one of the photos, as well as Fred Jenkins, a state senator.  With the help of her former partner, Elvis, she is able to get an address that appears on both Vera’s phone records and Caspere’s GPS.  She also learns that the infamous blue diamonds have disappeared from both Vinci and the State’s evidence rooms.  Velcoro has no interest at first, but Ani gets help from Katherine Davis to basically continue the investigation under the radar.  She has her sister keep an ear to the ground about any upcoming parties, while her and Paul take a trip up north to investigate the mysterious address.  The address is the same cabin from the photos, and while looking, Ani notices birds circling a nearby location.  Paul and her investigate, and come across a hidden shack, complete with a torture chair in the middle and blood everywhere.  

Paul Woodrugh

Paul is promoted to detective and assigned to insurance fraud, not exactly the job he was looking for.  He is also still dealing with the whole actress fiasco, where he is challenged about the Vinci shootout and his time with Black Mountain.  His fiance Emily is four months pregnant, and with the help of some vodka in his iced tea, he seems fully committed to faking happiness.  His mother isn’t very happy with his life choices, and the two of them have a brutal fallout at her trailer park.  He flips out on her when he realizes she stole the $20k he had stashed for the future.  She blames him for ruining her career, calls him weird, and says she knows all about his hidden sexuality.  Katherine Davis brings Paul back on to the investigation, where he will follow up on the blue diamonds.  During his investigation, he learns that another cop had once visited the same shop, asking about the same diamonds.  It turns out to have been Teague Dixon, who seemed to know about the diamonds before they were even recovered from Caspere’s safety deposit box.  He also learns Dixon requested that the diamonds be kept off the “hot sheets”, something he discusses with Ani on their trip up north.  There is still some mystery to Paul, especially when it comes to his scars and his time in Afghanistan.  

Frank Semyon

Frank and his wife, Jordan, have downsized and moved to Glendale.  Frank is now running Lux Infinitum, much to the chagrin of some of Santos’ old partners who pay him a visit.  Frank visits Mayor Chessani’s office to talk about the suspicious death of the owner of a waste management company, originally owned by Frank.  It is here we learn the intricacies of all these land deals, and how companies like the waste management one would pollute the land in order to cheapen the value.  With the death of Caspere, Stan, and now this recent incident, Frank is well aware he is trying to be squeezed out.  In a last ditch effort to get a piece of the pie, Frank visits Jacob McCandless, leader of the Catalyst Group, to try and blackmail him.  Although it backfires, Jacob and him reach and agreement.  If Frank is able to locate Caspere’s missing recording device and home videos, Frank will get back his 5 parcels of land.  On the homefront, Frank and Jordan have a great scene together about him being a “gangster” (a word he hates) and her not being able to conceive.  Frank is doing everything he can to return to legitimacy, but in the process he is neglecting his wife.  The scene with the two of them really shows off Vaughn’s acting chops, as he goes from hardcore to vulnerable in just a matter of seconds.  The two of them decide to adopt a child, but their morning tryst is interrupted by Velcoro, who just found out Frank had him kill the wrong guy.  

Katherine Davis

With Attorney General Geldorf announcing a run for governor and showing a massive “warchest”, Katherine Davis finally sees what Velcoro has known all along.  The original probe into Vinci was just a payoff, and she is now assuming the Harvey Dent “white knight” role.  She brings back the remaining members of the task force and launches an investigation into the whereabouts of the woman who pawned the watch for Ledo Amarilla, but the true purpose is to uncover the widespread corruption.  She also now trusts Velcoro, knowing that he couldn’t have killed his wife’s attacker since he was just apprehended, which absolutely floors Ray.  In return for Velcoro’s assistance, she promises to help get his son back.

Teague Dixon

Although he had his face blown off, Dixon is still very much present in this investigation.  He was the one who ID'd Amarilla's hideout, but failed to mention it was a cookhouse. We knew he was out taking pictures of Paul at the dirt bike rally, but we also know that he had quite a bit of dirt on other people as well.  Lt. Burris alludes to this, but it is unclear how much he actually knows.  We do know that Dixon was out looking for those blue diamonds weeks before they were uncovered by the task force.  The real question is, who exactly was Dixon working for?

Dr. Pitlor

We always knew he had a hand in this, but didn’t exactly know the extent.  We found out this week that he works on the girls for Chessani and Blake before bringing them back to Osip.  We also find out a little more about his time with the late Mrs. Chessani, who just couldn’t maintain her sanity due to her husband’s crazy and violent ways.  Last time we see him, he is spitting up blood as Velcoro stands over him, possibly delivering one last knockout blow.

So what do we know? We know Tony Chessani and Benjamin Caspere came up with this idea of the high end parties, and the Mayor just reaps the benefits that come from it. We also know that Tony and Caspere would secretly photograph their affluent clientele in order to blackmail them down the road, and preserve the Chessani legacy. It looks like Jacob McCandless and other Catalyst brass may have been some of those clients, as he desperately wants Caspere's videotapes found. Tony Chessani is also linked up with Blake Churchman and Osip, running girls behind Frank's back. Dr. Pitlor claims his job is just to "turn 8's into 10's", but we all know he is one of the guys in the Bezzerides photograph, so there has got to be more. And the stuff we don't know?  Who are the Gonzalez Brothers who had an agreement with Santos, but are turned away by Semyon? Who's blue diamonds are those?  The hard drive at Caspere's house is obviously an integral part of the puzzle, but who has it? The killers didn't know about it originally, which is why they went back and had to retrieve it, only to run into Velcoro at the house. The fact that they used riot shells is a clear indicator of police involvement, but I don't think it was necessarily Burris.  People like Ernst "Go Stand in Front of a Tank" Bodine exist so that the Burris' and Chessani's of the world don't have to get their hands dirty.  Although we were given a pretty decent structure and now know all the players, we are a still a week or two out for it all making sense.  As for next week’s showdown at the kitchen table, my gut instinct is that Velcoro is going to walk out alive.  I don’t even know if he is going to bring it up just yet, he may just let Frank talk and then tell him about Churchman.  Velcoro is too smart to just fly off the rails, and Frank could always play dumb, although that would be a tough role for Mr. Louche.

[enterthemindofmadness]

True Detective 2x4 “Down Will Come”

For the first 45 minutes, “Down Will Come” was a slow moving, methodical representation of a homicide investigation.  Detectives meticulously connecting the dots, following up on leads both big and small, and eventually arriving at a potential suspect.  Then came the last 15 minutes, which went from 0-100 quicker than Drake in a top fuel dragster.  In a matter of minutes, we went from cross referencing phone records and GPS coordinates to a broad day shootout that made the movie “Heat” seem like “Boyhood.”  It was like watching a 14 year old play Grand Theft Auto and it was fucking amazing.  It wasn’t only Mexican gangbangers, police officers, and innocent civilians that died tonight, we also witnessed the deaths of fan theories everywhere, as Nic Pizzolatto threw a giant wrench into the turbine that is True Detective.  Farfetched? Sure.  Over the top? Certainly, but as always, there was a ton of information given throughout the show before all hell broke loose.  So before we get to the ending (and the time jump from the previews), let’s take a look at the events leading up the the bloodiest law enforcement shootout in the history of the United States.

A majority of tonight’s episode focused on two things, good old fashioned police work and Frank Semyon continuing his triumphant return to the criminal underworld.  After last week’s failed attempt to apprehend the masked arsonist, Ani and Ray seem to have reached a new level of trust in their relationship.  It is abundantly clear after tonight that they are going to need to have eachother’s backs as they try and navigate the rocky terrain of these dual investigations.  Ray is still sharing the details of the case with Frank for obvious reasons, but after everything that happens, you have to wonder how much longer that relationship will continue.  Ani, on the other hand, goes out of her way to let her boss know that Velcoro saved her life.  None of that matters for Ani though, as she is told she is now being investigated for sexual misconduct, stemming from her relationship with a subordinate.  Although she is still allowed to work the homicide, she is being placed on administrative leave and is not allowed back in the building.  At this point, Ani really has nobody to trust but Ray, and with everything going on in Ray’s personal life, the same could be said for him.  Up until this point, Ani has underestimated Chessani’s power, but given her current predicament, she is starting to see just how far his reach can go.  Velcoro even tells her that the State’s investigation into Vinci is nothing more than a shakedown, and when shit hits the fan, which it does at episode’s end, she is going to be the one who takes the fall.  The arc of their relationship is very similar to that of Cole-Hart from season 1, where the loyalty grows over time, leading them to solving more than just a homicide.  

Their newly blossomed partnership takes them all over, from Chessani's Bel Air mansion all the way up to the dried up farmlands of Fresno. Fresno ties in because Ani found some maps in Chessani's office with the same coordinates that appeared in Caspere's GPS.  Not sure what to make of it all, but all of this contaminated farmland that's been ruined by the mining industry is somehow extremely important in this lucrative land deal/high speed railway. Ani seems to have an epiphany while the EPA worker is explaining it all on a map, but to me it's all gibberish. I just know it's a conspiracy, and that's good enough for me. Earlier in the day they trailed Betty Chessani to a hookah bar where she reveals some interesting tidbits about her mother.  The original Mrs. Chessani was diagnosed as a schizophrenic and was under the watchful eye of Dr. Irvin Pitlor when she hung herself. You may remember Dr. Pitlor as the creepy psychiatrist with the bird painting and vagina geodes that Caspere used to visit. Ani also lost her mother as a young girl, so she can sympathize with Betty, who ends the conversation abruptly, but not before telling the detectives that her father is a bad man.

Their next stop is a visit with Elliot Bezzerides, whom Irvin Pitlor said he once knew, even remembering Ani as a young girl.  Elliot tells Ray and his daughter that Irvin used to frequent the compound, and was actually friends with Mayor Chessani's father. He even has a photo of all of them together on the beach, including a young Austin Chessani. How's that for connecting the dots?  During this whole interaction, Elliot can't help but notice a giant green and black aura emanating from Velcoro that takes up the whole room.  Now, being the true detective that I am, I did some research and found out the following: a green aura signifies that of a healer/teacher and people who work for the public good; a black aura signifies negative feelings and unforgiving spirits.  Whether you believe this hippie nonsense or not, both of those colors pretty much ring true for Velcoro.  The black aura is a no brainer, as Velcoro has plenty of demons, including an unforgiving spirit in the form of the man he killed as vengeance for his wife's attack. As for the green, besides working for law enforcement, he actually exhibits the healer/teacher role in a conversation with Paul, who seems to have hit rock bottom early on in this episode.

Paul wakes up after a rough night at Lux and finds himself in Miguel's bed. It's unclear if anything went down, but it's clearly implied.  He storms out and has an emotional breakdown on the way back to the club to get his bike, which he then finds out has been stolen. If that's not enough, paparazzi ambushes him outside of his hotel, questioning him about war crimes and his history of abuse towards women. He has no choice but to run, which is where Ray and him link up later. Paul confesses he doesn't know who he is anymore, and these tabloid stories and combat have basically ruined him. Ray, being the healer that he is, tells him he is a fucking war hero, and everything else is just dust he needs to remove from his eyes. It seems to help, as Paul is able to put his wild and crazy night behind him and get right back to police work, finding the lead that may very well close this case.

Paul locates Caspere's watch at a pawn shop, and is able to get an ID and video from the transaction.  From there, they are able to identify Ledo Amarilla, as their prime suspect, a local Mexican gangster who has one of his girls pawn the watch. The story goes that Ledo got wind of Caspere's wealth through this working girl, and proceeded to torture him for his money. Sure, it sounds nice, and after a gun battle in broad day that leaves your main suspect riddled with bullets, who is going to say otherwise. But this is True Detective and we know better.  Before World War III erupts in Los Angeles, Ray makes sure Frank knows about Ledo, but Frank isn't entirely buying it, mainly because it has no connection to Stan's death, something Ray knows nothing about.

Speaking of Frank, he is continuing his reign of terror on his former associates by going back and extorting them all over again. His back is against the wall and you can see the intensity in his eyes growing darker with each episode. Now that he is back in the club business, he works out a deal with the Russians to move the women and drugs through Lux Infinitum, although they are a bit hesitant because former boss Danny Santos promised that business to the Mexicans. Frank tells the Russians not to worry about the Mexicans, and by episode's end, it looks like he's right.  Frank still has an uneasy calmness to him even though his world is crumbling around him. His wife can't get pregnant, his avocado's aren't growing, and nobody wants to do business with him, including Pam's ex-fiancé Roy, who looks like he left Dunder Miflin for much greener pastures. Malkin isn’t the least bit interested in Frank’s proposal, and just came so he could flirt with his wife the whole time.  Bottom line is, Frank is still missing his money and someone is gunning for him, possibly even his own henchman, Blake Churchman, who he demotes to pit boss.  The last time we see Frank is right when the explosion happens during the battle, where he calmly tells his wife to go back inside. Now that's either street instinct, or inside knowledge from a guy who knows exactly what is happening a few blocks away. Don't forget, getting rid of the Mexicans is good for business, and Ray gave Frank the intel before the cops raided the place. Perhaps Frank, and maybe a few other Vinci power players, had something to do with the massacre?  Or maybe Frank is in the middle of an elaborate setup that will frame him for the deaths of Caspere and Stan? By the way, louche means disreputable or sordid in a rakish or appealing way.  Frank would crush us all in Scrabble.  

As for the raid, the briefing was pretty straight forward, although in retrospect, Lt. Burris questioning the manpower seems a little shady. As does the Mayor, smugly telling Bezzerides and her squad "let's be careful out there". There's something not right about these two, especially considering Burris once specifically told Velcoro to pin the murder on a pimp and be done with it. Although the end result is a tragedy, it's exactly what was wanted by the Vinci higher ups. The case is essentially closed and the probe into Vinci will take a backseat to the civilian casualties caused by a state led investigation. One can only wonder if the powers that be wanted Bezzerides to be a part of that body count, I'm sure Chessani did.  Once the police storm the building, some of the decisions by the cops are laughable.  A gunman opens fire from a top floor window, yet the team thinks it's a good idea to run around like maniacs looking for cover. Paul is the only one who seems comfortable, and for the first time, he doesn't need one of those little blue pills to feel alive.

An explosion rocks the top floor, which can be heard for several city blocks, and the shootout continues. This is where we see Frank send his wife back inside, almost as if he knows exactly what is happening. There is a lot to nitpick in this scene, like every shot being a kill shot, and trained police officers not knowing how to properly use cover, but it's a TV show. The scene itself is long and violent, with innocent civilians taking most of the casualties. One shocker comes when Teague Dixon gets his face blown off while maneuvering through cover. If there was one star, it's Paul, who is just about ready to explode after this episode. His demeanor during the fight is exactly why our three main leads seem to be the only ones left standing at the end. The episode ends with everyone dead, including our suspect and half of Vinci.  The preview for next week spoils things a bit, showing Ani trying to get the gang back together after some considerable time has past, very reminiscent of season 1.  

Surely, Amarilla is just a patsy, similar to LeDeux from the original season, and the real story is buried in the contaminated land and the photo Elliot Bezzerides shows Ani and Ray.  Ledo seemed to be a member of Santa Muerte, and we all know Caspere had the statue at his house, so there is a definite connection, but not enough for Ani to let rest.  Someone must have tipped off the Mexicans, and I would take all my money to Semyon’s casino and put it all on Chessani and Burris.  Frank definitely has his hands somewhere in this pot, but I don’t think he knew anything about Amarilla, or else he wouldn’t have held a meeting with his men to search far and wide for him.  Once again, more questions from this episode, mainly who is the mystery fifth man in the Elliot Bezzerides photo? Is it Caspere?   The time jump from next week feels a bit lame, especially since it’s a ripoff from the first season, but why not play to your strengths.  It’s a bit disappointing though because Paul looked like he was about to go Black Ops on every single character and just fuck shit up, but now it looks like he will be married (to his beard) with a kid.  Only time will tell, and in typical Pizzolatto fashion, we are going to need to look the past and the future to figure this all out.

Case Notes:  

The Mystery Photo: (from L to R) - Mr. Chessani, Young Mayor Chessani, Mysery Man, Elliot Bezzerides and Irvin Pitlor.  Who is that 5th guy??

Either the prop department half-assed it, or Paul Woodrugh is a shit detective, because these are not the same watches. (the connection link is totally different, and there is no writing on the bottom).  

Once again, there is a mention of super secret parties up north, this time by Athena when she is talking to Ani.

How about Vince noticing the watermark (Caspere and Stan’s eyes) on the table as he was trying to sell Malik on the land.  A possible foreshadowing of his death?

“Chessani’s Lodge” was the name given to the crew seen in the picture.  Lots of comparisons to Bohemian Grove this season, although that involves world leaders, not just Vinci’s finest, but I respect the comparison.  

Maybe it’s just a coincidence, but Amarilla means yellow in Spanish. Perhaps a nod to the Yellow King?

[enterthemindofmadness]

True Detective Case Files - Everything You Need to Know

This week’s episode will mark the midway point of what I think has been a great sophomore season of True Detective. We’ve all been patiently waiting for Vince Vaughn to breathe some life into his character, and after last week’s outing, it finally feels like the show is firing on all cylinders.  Sure, some critics are still wasting everyone’s time with the season 1 comparisons, but they can take their Rust Cohle boners over to HBO Go and literally beat it.  Farrell has been outstanding, Mcadams has been rock solid, and Vaughn just made us forget his string of mediocre comedies the last few years.  Kitsch is the only one yet to breakout, but the way his character is set up, it shouldn’t be long before we get some of that old Tim Riggins intensity.  On top of all that, the story is as twisted as David Lynch in a Spaceballs teleporter.  Honestly, what more could you ask for at this point?  

Once again, we are being crushed beneath an avalanche of fan theories and finger pointing, where every character we’ve seen thus far is a potential Birdman, quite possibly even Birdwoman. Could it be the Mayor’s douchebag son, Tony, or is he just another one of Pizzalato’s red herrings?  How about Ernst Bodine, Mayor Chessani’s right hand man?  Every scene is dissected by the Internet detectives, with screenshots of movie sets and Chessani’s home office making the rounds on Reddit.  Did you notice the woman who was thrown into the pool was the same woman who gave Semyon the info on Caspere’s house? Or that her floating in the pool was eerily similar to that strange milk bath decoration in Caspere’s first house? Nope? Me neither. Hell, I couldn’t even tell the difference between Conway Twitty and Elvis Pressley, but that’s the beauty of True Detective.  You can almost guarantee that every song played on the show has a meaning, which is why the lyrics to the opening credits changes with each episode. Yup, I didn’t know that either until I saw it on Reddit, but that’s what I am here for.  So before we get to the chaos that awaits us in “Down Will Come”, let’s take a look at some other things we may have overlooked in the first three episodes. After all, the lawnmower man was handed to Cohle and Hart on a silver platter early in season 1, and it took them 14 years to realize that. Let’s see if we can avoid that same mistake with a comprehensive look at the minor characters and places of importance so far.

**Many thanks to the users over at r/TrueDetective (especially u/lebeast), a great resource for True Detective and the first place all of you should visit at the end of every episode (besides by blog)** 

Persons/Places of Interest

Detective Teague Dixon

Fourth member of the task force and Velcoro’s partner at Vinci PD. Seen taking photographs of Paul at the dirt bike rally when he fights his old combat buddy. Puts on a front that he doesn’t know much, but he’s obviously a seasoned veteran.

Mayor Chessani

Corrupt, alcoholic Mayor of Vinci. Used Frank Semyon to get his son out of a hit & run accident and isn’t too fond of Ani Bezzerides

Ernst Bodine

The Mayor’s trusted advisor and right hand man, who is also the first person Tony Chessani calls after Ani and Paul visit the Chessani mansion. He also has a striking resemblance to an actual bird.

Tony Chessani

Mayor’s son who looks like a friend of the Entourage crew. He calls himself an “Organizer/Party Planner” and sports shitty accents while throwing hookers into pools. The girl he launched off the balcony was the same girl who gives Frank the info on Caspere.

Betty Chessani

The Mayor’s daughter who we see briefly looking at maps before she shuts the door in Ani’s face. Not much is known about her, which is exactly what makes her an interesting suspect.

Veronica Chessani

The Mayor’s trophy wife who spends her days getting high and cutting up fashion magazines.

Erica Johnson

Former Caspere assistant who still works for the City of Vinci and is sent to the movie set to collect documents in preparation for the states investigation. Seems to know more than she leads on.

Ashley Daison

Film director who partied with Caspere “somewhere above Ventura” and apparently lies to Ray and Ani about the nature of the party. Caspere helped with the tax incentives for the filming.

Set Photographer

I don’t know if he gives a name, but he works on the set of Ashley’s post apocalyptic revenge film and takes photos. He recognizes the man in the photo shown to him by Ray (most likely Caspere, but I’m not sold) and says he has been on set before and has partied with Ashley.  There is also a scene when he walks by Erica Johnson and her demeanor changes, almost like they spoke.  His scene is very reminiscent of the lawnmower man from season 1.  Hmmm.

Tommy Peru

Former set driver who quits around the time the Cadillac goes missing. The car is then set fire to in front of his house in an effort to implicate him. Ani and Ray see the masked men who sets the fire and give chase before losing him.

Nails

Seems to be Semyon’s right hand man. He was there back when Frank gives Ray the information on the man who raped a beat his wife.

Ivar

Semyon’s main muscle. Big, red headed biker thug who gave the beat down to the bookie in episode 2.

Blake Churchman

Member of the Semyon Organization who was missing in action for a bit before delivering the news about Stan. When confronted by Semyon, he gives two lame excuses.

Stan

Member of Semyon Organization who is found murdered. His eye wounds are very similar to Caspere. For those who can’t remember him, he was the one who pepper sprayed the bookie in episode 2.

Danny Santos

Now toothless operator of Lux Infinitum, a club formerly run by Semyon

Osip Agronov

Russian-Jewish mobster involved with Semyon who seems to be hesitant about moving forward in their business. Frank thinks there is a chance he may have killed Caspere.

Tasha

One of Caspere’s favorites who hasn’t been seen in a few weeks, according to Lux Infinitum club goers interviewed by Paul.

Agnes

Works at Lux Infinitum and has had interactions with Caspere in the past. She is also the woman Tony Chessani throws from the balcony into the pool.

Katherine Davis

State attorney who wants nothing more than to see Velcoro burn.  She thinks he may have faked the whole shooting and sent investigators to question Ray’s wife.

Police Chief Holloway

Stone faced Vinci PD Chief who is most likely “getting too old for this shit”.

Lieutenant Kevin Burris

Vinci PD Lieutenant who oversees Velcoro’s work as part of the task force.  First on scene when Velcoro is shot and wants all evidence processed by Vinci PD.

Eddie Velcoro

Racist father of Ray and former Vinci cop who smokes weed and watches Kirk Douglas movies. Vouches for Burris and Holloway, calling them good cops.

Elvis Ilinca

Ani’s partner.

Miguel Gilb

Paul’s “partner” for a 3 day stretch overseas. Has obvious feelings for Paul, who seems to be repressing their relationship.

Gena Brune

Ray’s ex-wife. Her and Ray have a child, Chad, who may have been conceived as a result of Gena being raped. All signs point to the child not belonging to Ray. Gena and her husband, Richard, are currently seeking full custody of Chad. Ray also may have delivered his own justice to the man who raped and bear his wife.

Athena Bezzerides

Ani’s sister and former drug addict who know performs XXX webcams shows. She has a rocky relationship with her sister.  In Greek mythology, Athena is the goddess of wisdom and courage, although in the show, her father incorrectly say she is the goddess of love.

Elliot Bezzerides

Father of Antigone and Athena Bezzerides. Religious guru and lecturer who runs a hippie commune called “The Panticapaeum Institute”. Like all other parents on this show, he has an antagonistic relationship with his daughter.

Nancy Spencer

Creepy mother of Paul Woodrugh who has a very touchy relationship with her son. She lives in a trailer and loves Clint Eastwood movies.

Places of Interest

Catalyst

A company that was paying rent on Caspere’s second home and is also somehow involved in the land deal with Frank Semyon

Lux Infinitum

The club that seems to tie everyone together. Frequented by Caspere and other high rollers. Formerly run by Semyon before handing it over to Danny Santos. Paul conducts his field interviews here, where he finds out about Tasha’s disappearance.  Means “eternal light”

The Panticapaeum Institute

Run by Elliot Bezzerides. In Greek mythology it is where the character Mithradates died after taking poison to make himself immune.

Case Notes

Benjamin Caspere is murdered at his second home and driven by Cadillac to a bench off the side of the CHP where he is found by Paul Woodrugh. Wounds indicate torture, including his hydrochloric acid in his eyes and a shotgun blast to his pelvis.

A task force is put together and led by Ani Bezzerides, who is simultaneously investigating the City of Vinci. Velcoro and the rest of Vinci is aware of the probe being conducted by the Attorney General’s office.

Velcoro is shot at Caspere’s second house using riot shells, typically used by police.  Video recording device is subsequently stolen.  Velcoro was told about the place by Semyon, who received the info from Agnes, a girl who works at Lux Infinitum

Caspere and Stan were killed in a similar manner and both have ties to Frank Semyon

Incorporation papers for two companies and blue diamonds are found in Caspere’s safety deposit box.

Phone records indicate that Caspere made numerous late night phone calls to the Chessani residence. According to Veronica Chessani, the number is a business line.

Random Thoughts

With the underlying theme of familial issues this season, how about this quote from Proverbs 30:17 “They eye that mocks a father, that scorns an aged mother, will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley, will be eaten by vultures” (Courtesy of Reddit u/popajopa)

Great screenshot below I found on Reddit showing a still shot of the driver (Birdman?) carrying a dead Caspere (Courtesy of Reddit u/Philadahlphia)

[enterthemindofmadness]

True Detective 2x3 “Maybe Tomorrow”

After the cliffhanger from last week, True Detective’s sophomore outing finally came into it’s own on Sunday, with an episode that felt very similar to the show we became accustomed to last year.  At it’s core, True Detective has always been a show about it’s characters, so I am not even going to try to figure out what the hell is going on with Caspere’s homicide and the probe into the City of Vinci.  All we did last season was dissect children’s drawings and threw every character under a microscope until the very last second, where we found out we were completely wrong.  Our job is to identify the “True Detective(s)”, and the way this is shaping out, anyone who says they know what is happening is full of shit.  Pizzolato scripted a complex web of conspiracy and corruption, where the clues trickle out like a faucet that hasn’t been fully turned off.  We can pretend we know what’s going on all we want, but the fact of the matter is we are all throwing darts with blindfolds on.  As viewers, we aren’t meant to solve a homicide, we are meant to investigate the characters.  Sure, there are clues deliberately placed within every frame, but they won’t make sense until we see the final scene in the last episode.  Allow me to quote the great Ray Velcoro when I say “I’m not exactly Colombo”, and for now, I will not try to be.  That being said, there was a plenty to talk about tonight, mainly the biggest question we had from last week, what happened to Velcoro?

I had to make sure I taped the right show when the episode started, because for a minute I thought I was watching Blue Velvet.  Velcoro survives his “shotgun” wound, but not before having a Lynchian dream about him and his father sitting in Ray’s favorite corner booth in the world’s shadiest bar.  With a Conway Twitty impersonator setting the mood, Eddie Velcoro tells his son about his own dream, one that had Ray being chased through the woods, only to be shot to pieces at the end.  In this “limbo” sequence, Ray doesn’t know where he is, but wherever it is, he was here first.  I personally think this scene foreshadows Ray’s inevitable death at the end of the season.  Ray finally wakes up, and we find out he was shot with riot shells, the same ammunition used by the police.  It is also strange how Vinci PD is the first on scene and requesting all evidence go through them, not to mention the video recording software was stolen after Ray was shot.  Could this be some elaborate set up by Ray’s own police department, with or without his knowledge, to somehow get an inside track on the probe being conducted by the AG's office?  Either way, Ani is pissed that Ray followed up the lead on his own, and she is also pissed that Lt. Burris is at her crime scene.  The injury to Ray allows Paul some much needed screen time, and we all know he has some serious issues that need to be uncovered.  

This episode pretty much confirmed what we knew about Paul all along.  Him and his buddy shared some intimate moments together overseas, a three day stretch that Paul does not want to talk about at all, even though his buddy seems to be madly in love with him.  They get into a bit of a lover’s quarrel, which is all captured on camera by Det. Teague Dixon.  Paul's demons definitely don't just stem from him repressing his homosexuality, it's something much deeper. Whether it has something to do with the "desert" or his weird relationship with his mother, being a closeted gay man in Los Angeles isn't exactly a tough cross to bear.  Paul actually gets to do some police work this episode, although Ani relegates him to dealing with the hookers because of his good looks.  The two pay a visit to Mayor Chessani’s house and we get to meet his picture perfect family, namely his douchebag son Tony and his drugged out model wife Victoria.  It’s pretty much just a neverending party at the Chessani household, but I am mostly intrigued by his daughter, Betty, who we only see for a split second before she slams the door in Ani’s face.  As Ani does her warrantless search of the house, she stumbles across some blueprints for land deals and gets to see a hooker thrown from a balcony into the pool by Tony the Party Planner.  Tony is as sleazy as they come, showing that the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree.

Mayor Chessani isn’t too pleased with Ani, and he has some choice words for her (actually just one) when he reams out Velcoro for letting this shit happen right under his nose.  Velcoro gets reprimanded by his superiors, but also fulfills his end of the deal, giving them all of the information he knows from the murder scene.  They obviously don’t give two shits about Caspere’s murder, they just want to keep the state as far away as possible.  Lt. Burris and Chief Holloway don’t seem to the least bit interested in the missing video recorder or the land deals or the fact that Catalyst was paying the rent, they just want Ray to pin the homicide on some random pimp and keep Ani busy.  Although Ray says he’s not exactly Colombo, he’s smart enough to play both sides and knows not to trust anyone in his office.   At the same time, Ani is also meeting with her superiors, who are hellbent on proving Velcoro is dirty.  They even float the idea that the whole shooting was possibly staged, although Ani can’t see any reason as to why Velcoro would do that.  She tells them that it’s all a waste because she views him as just a burnout, although something tells me that her character assessment will change as time goes on.

Ray pays a visit (in real life) to his ailing father Eddie Velcoro, bringing him his “meds”.  Eddie is a former cop, a bit on the racist side, who likes to smoke weed and watch Kirk Douglas movies.  Time to time, he throws his badge in the garbage and misses the old days, before the riots and O.J. Simpson.  It’s evident in the scene Ray doesn’t have the best relationship with his father, but who does in this show?  At least it looks like he is one of the few who wasn’t abused as a kid.  Ray does some of his own investigating, asking about his father’s time with Burris and Holloway.  Eddie Velcoro says they were both good cops, but I don’t know if Eddie is the best judge of character.  Either way, Ray is getting wise to what’s really going on, and it’s clear that he wants to return to the decent cop he once was.

Ray returns to work and him and Ani investigate a good lead the group got from traffic cameras that picked up the mysterious Cadillac on the CHP the night Caspere was found.  One thing I love about this show is how they handle actual police work.  Homicide cases aren’t solved by fake CSI bullshit, they are  solved by meticulous work and following up on leads.  Ani and Ray learn that the Cadillac was registered to a film company shooting in the area, where it was subsequently stolen and reported missing.  Ani and Ray visit the set and question everyone from the director all the way down to the guy who handles the transportation.  

It is here Ray proves he’s actually a good detective by talking with a set photographer who tells him about Ashley Daison, the director of this post apocalyptic revenge flick, partying with Caspere at some wild LA party with “wall to wall pussy”.  I may be way off here, but we don’t actually see the picture that Ray shows the photographer.  Sure, it is most likely Caspere because the photographer says he is “some city guy who wants to brush shoulders with the industry guys” , but we know Ray is starting to have his own doubts about the City of Vinci.  Could it have been someone other than Caspere in the photo, maybe the Mayor, or someone in that circle?  Most likely not, but whoever was in the photo had an epic night with Ashley Daison, and when asked about it, Ashley says it was just a normal business dinner.  Whatever is going on with Caspere’s death and the City of Vinci, it definitely involves some freaky “Eyes Wide Shut” fetish parties with some well connected people.  Ani and Ray also happen to run into Caspere’s former assistant, who is visiting the set to gather all of the tax information to prepare for the states probe.  She seems a bit naive to have anything to do with all of this, but it also felt like she was withholding some information.    

Paul is tasked to hit the streets and use his good looks to get some information on Caspere's sexcapades, and it works, although not on the gender Ani was thinking.  Paul gets some good intel from a male hooker, which leads him to Frank’s former club to do some research, although not before he spots his “guardian angel” escort giving a blowjob to a man in the woods.  Naturally, Paul has better luck with the men, and learns about Tasha, Caspere’s girl of choice, who has coincidentally gone missing as well.  Paul actually bumps into Frank in the club, who is there to conduct some business of his own.  

Not only is Frank dealing with the loss of all of his money and fertility issues with his wife, but he just found out his henchmen Stan was murdered at one of his properties, and seems to have suffered the same eye wounds as Caspere.  Say goodbye to the eloquent legit businessman, because it looks like Frank the Mobster is back.  After getting back into the extortion racket earlier in the episode and realizing Osip, the half anaconda half great white, may have had something to do with Caspere’s death, Frank has all of his guys meet at Santos’ club to find out who is gunning for him.  It is here that we see the real Frank Semyon, after Santos disrespects him in front of a room full of anonymous thugs.  Frank tries to handle things like an adult, but quickly turns into a golden glove boxer and beats the shit out of Fat Santos, ending the scene by ripping each one of his gold teeth out. Vaughn is brilliant in this scene and it's about damn time.  I am pretty sure Frank has everyone’s attention now, and has each one of his employees get whatever information they can on the late Benjamin Caspere.  

The episode ends with Ani and Ray following up on information they received from the movie set, visiting a driver who quit a week before due to personal reasons.  Before they head out, Ray is visited by his ex-wife who lets him know that state investigators paid her a visit and asked questions about the rumor of Ray's involvement in the death of the man who attacked her. She knows things are about to get ugly with the probe and the custody battle, so she attempts to pay him off and urges him to leave, which he quickly denies.  The lead ends up being a dead end, however Ray notices a fire from around the corner, and when they race to see what it is, low and behold it's the mysterious Cadillac engulfed in flames. They spot a masked man across the street and give chase, however he gets away when Ani draws her gun and is almost crushed by a tractor trailer before being saved at the last second by Ray.  In return for his heroism, he wants to know what the state has on him, but Ani says she doesn't know. It is clear at this moment that Ani is starting to trust Ray and both of them are going to put their side projects on hold for a bit and focus on being the True Detectives.  

There are a lot of moving pieces to this homicide/scandal and it's tough to follow everything, but one thing is clear, whoever is behind it all has an inside track on basically everything from every side. As soon as the Cadillac is ID'd, it's torched in front of the former driver's house, at the exact moment the cops are doing their questioning. They also knew exactly where Ray was going to be the night he was shot.  It’s not just revenge or a money grab, its more personal.  The way everything is done has a theatrical feel, from Caspere’s body overlooking the Pacific Ocean to the multitude of masks, someone is having a good time fucking with Vinci PD and the Semyon Organization.  I think it's now safe to say that this season has crawled out of it's big brothers shadow and separated itself, especially with this episode. The performances are getting better with time, and Farrell continues to dominate the screen. So much is left to be answered, with more questions coming at us with each scene, but if we learned anything from season 1, there's a good chance we have seen the killer already.  I am going to hold off on any story predictions until next week.  For now, I will let everything marinate and just be happy Velcoro is still here with us.  

DETECTIVE NOTES

"What kind of way is this to greet the world" - Welcome to True Detective Vince Vaughn, we have been waiting for you.

Loved the American Sniper billboard in the back while Paul was out getting information form the working guys/gals.  Not sure if it was done on purpose, but it is clear Paul has PTSD from his time with Black Mountain.

When the bartender asks what happened to Ray, Frank responds "someone murdered him". Mix that with the fact Eddie Velcoro mentions Ray being shot to pieces and the whole interaction with the doctor asking Ray about his desire to live, there's a lot of inference that Velcoro is a dead man walking. I'm calling it now, Ray dies at the end of the season.

Det. Teague Dixon is certainly not the bum I thought he was early on. Why is he out taking pictures of Paul at the dirt bike rally? I wouldn't be surprised if he was actually the smartest guy in the room.

When is someone going to investigate Catalyst? They rent the house that Caspere stayed in, paid for his car, do land deals with Semyon.

What is the significance of the blue diamonds in the safety deposit box?

Frank noticing Ray not drinking is just another example of him losing control of things around him.

I need Frank Semyon to stop talking like the Architect from The Matrix. We get it, Frank, you're a business man now, not a mobster, stop using words that I need to google mid episode to understand what the hell you are talking about.

[enterthemindofmadness]

True Detective 2x2 “Night Finds You”

Last week, a lot of critics launched an all out assault on the second season of True Detective, calling it a mess after having only seen a few brush strokes. After tonight’s episode, there's a pretty good chance some of those critics will be calling their troops back and letting things play out a bit more before they jump to anymore ridiculous conclusions. This week's episode, "Night Finds You", jumped headfirst into the investigation, which is also a cover for a separate probe by the Attorney General's Office into the entire city of Vinci. Ani and Paul are made aware of their secondary responsibilities, although the power players in Vinci know exactly what's going on and make sure Ray is on board with keeping the city's best interests in mind. So here we have Ray Velcoro, tasked with solving the homicide, not only for the state, but for his buddy Frank Semyon, and at the same time trying to keep everybody away from what's really going on in Vinci.  It's a complex episode that swan dives directly into the rabbit hole and leaves us with a shocking final scene that seems like it was ripped right from the pages of Game of Thrones.  Is it possible HBO just "Ned Starked" us all over again?

Frank kicks things off with an existential breakdown while laying in bed staring at a watermark on the ceiling. Sure, it was a bit melodramatic, but it gave us some more insight into his character, who seems a bit hollow so far. Frank talked about how he was locked in the basement as a kid while his father went out drinking. On one occasion, daddy never came back, and Frank was left in the dark killing rats for a few days. Eventually his father came home, but now Frank wonders if he ever really left the basement and if this is all just a dream. I have no clue what the fuck he is babbling about, but it finally gives him some substance, even if it is just paper mâché.  Although he tries to play the role of a legit business man, Frank is is a mobster at heart. His vocabulary is so calculated (modus operandi?), it almost seems like he is trying to compensate. Now that Caspere fucked him out of $5 million and his land deals, I think the true Frank is bound to come to the surface sooner than later.  Frank is dead broke at this point and he is desperately trying to get answers, which is why he is willing to do some investigating of his own. Vaughn shines in the scene where he comes to the aid of a Vinci bookkeeper who was just pummeled by some random thugs. It's classic Vince schtick, and something I hope we see more of as the show goes on.  Frank has his back against the wall, which forces him to go back to his old stomping grounds to get some information from a girl who provided some "services" to Caspere. Frank is able to get a second address for Caspere, which he then passes off to "Raymond". We will talk more about that later.

Even though it's a jurisdictional nightmare, the task force seems to work well together.  Ani is the primary on the case, with Velcoro acting as her second in command.  The two of them have some great back and forth, and although it's nothing like Cole and Hart, cop banter is something this show does well.  On the other hand, Paul seems like the odd man out, but still seems to show some interest, even though he is stuck with Det. Teague Dixon (Warren from There's Something About Mary for those that didn't know).  Dixon is the classic cop who doesn't give a shit anymore and is just waiting for his pension, reminiscent of the two bums from the first season of The Wire.  

Paul is still a mystery, although we do get a glimpse into his family life as he pays a visit to his touchy-feely mother. Once again, the Greek mythology tones are strong here with something of an Oedipus complex brewing beneath the surface. Not quite sure what to make of him just yet, although we do learn from his girlfriend (now ex-girlfriend) that he was part of some group called Black Mountain Security that was apparently involved in some horrible shit during the war.  There are a few scenes that make me think Paul has some issues with his sexuality, one where he randomly mentions a male bank employee hitting on him, and another when he is eyeing a male escort from his balcony. Too early to tell, but Paul definitely has a ton of secrets and some possible abuse in his past.

The group does some good old fashioned police work, cross referencing bank records with Caspere's personal calendars and GPS coordinates to develop leads. It's refreshing to see TV writers showcase police work as it actually happens, and not with that fake CSI non-existent technology. When Ani and Ray follow up on those leads, we get a decent victimology on Benjamin Caspere, a non-violent sexual deviant involved in some big money developments with some bad people.  A visit to his therapist, played by Rick Springfield (insert Jesse's Girl reference here) reveals that Caspere suffered from all sorts of problems, stemming from the guilt he feels because of his sexual attraction to younger girls.  We knew just from looking at his house that he was into some kinky shit, but now it's abundantly clear. Caspere was clearly tortured, having his eyes burned with hydrochloric acid and his penis blown to bits by a 12 gauge shotgun. Somebody wanted something from Caspere, and it almost certainly has to do with Frank's money and the big railroad deal.

For all intents and purposes, Ray is honest with Ani. He tells her all the rumors before she hears them elsewhere, even mentioning there is a story about him killing the man who raped his wife. Ani doesn't hold back either, and the scenes with them in the car have some of the most memorable lines of the episode (what the fuck do I want with all those flies?).  Ray brings up a good point to Ani, asking her if she thinks it's strange that such a high profile investigation into a homicide and city corruption was given to her and some kid from CHP, or is it just a tactic to bully Vinci into sharing some of their profits with the state.  There is clearly a ton of shit going on behind the scenes in both Vinci and the AG's office that is above everyone's pay grade. Even as a viewer, it's hard to understand what the fuck is going on with land deals and city grants and blah, blah, blah.  I will say this though, Vinci's Mayor is one shady dude.  In a scene where Frank comes in to give him some kickbacks, the Mayor busts his chops, to which Frank brings up helping the Mayor's son after a coke fueled hit and run. Frank makes it clear to the Mayor he wants his money, but the Mayor also makes it clear he isn't the type to be pushed around.

Ani's family is brought up again, this time by Dr. Rick Springfield, who mentions that he knows her father. Ani lived on this hippy commune and seems to be the only one to escape unscathed, although she does seem to take a keen interest on watching double penetration videos online, although I'm SURE it's all part of the investigation...as she pours herself some more scotch.  Ray also seems to be having some family problems of his own, as his wife is seeking sole custody of Chad (the fat pussy). Ray says he will burn this fucking city down if he has to, but all she has to do is mention a paternity test and that calms him down. Ray may be a shitty father, but he loves Chad, probably because that's the only thing he has left in the world. He even dangles "what he did" for her over her head, but she wants no part of that. In some weird way, Chad is a reminder that Ray used to be a decent man. Now maybe I'm just spitballing here, but maybe his love for Chad has something to do with the fact that he killed a man in cold blood, albeit for a perfectly good reason. There's more to this revenge story too that we have yet to uncover, and hopefully we do, although after the crazy ending, who the hell knows.

So now let's talk about this crazy fucking ending that nobody saw coming. Following a lead given to him by Frank, Ray visits Caspere's second house in Hollywood all by himself. As he sneaks down the driveway, you can't help but notice that black Cadillac parked across the street, the same one that was driving around a dead Caspere with the birds head on the seat. Ray gains entry, and immediately here's some music playing and see's a pool of blood on the floor. A perfect time to holster your weapon, huh, Ray? Now, if you looked closely, you'll see some masks on the well, but one of them is conspicuously absent. Why, you ask? Because it's being worn by the guy who sneaks up behind Ray and hits him with a shotgun round to the chest. At that point we get a clear look at our killer Birdman, and it's most certainly not Michael Keaton. Birdman stands over Ray and let's off one more shot, point blank range, right to his gut. A collective "WHAT THE FUCK" could be heard around the world at 9:59 as the episode faded to black. And there we sat, in complete shock, just as we did two weeks ago when our beloved Jon Snow was killed and we faded to black. So now it starts again, a question we've been agonizing over for two weeks already, is he alive? Thankfully we only have to wait a week to find out this time.

So here are my thoughts on this argument. Two shotgun blasts, one at close range to the gut, and your dead. I don't care if it's bird seed, buckshot, or shotgun shells, that's a fucked up injury. We all saw Reservoir Dogs, and Mr. Orange didn't fair too well. However, what if Velcoro decided to wear a Kevlar vest that night? There's also the part in the coming attraction where Velcoros lieutenant says "we have an officer shot", not "and officer killed". That's gotta mean something, no?  Lastly, it's Colin fucking Farrell, the best character so far on the show. I don't care how coveted these roles were after the first season, no way he is signing on for just two episodes. Could we see him in flashbacks for the rest of the season, sure, but his character arc is nowhere near complete. In a show primarily about characters, how can we just get rid of him that quickly, without achieving that redemption he seems so tortured by. So what if he moonlights as a goon for Semyon, he still has qualities that make you like him for some odd reason. We won't know until next week, but I would be shocked if this was the last we saw of Ray Velcoro.

Now for some stray observations I don't quite know what to make of just yet, but need to be mentioned. 

So are we all on the same page that the scarred up bartender is the missing person than Ani and her partner are looking into?

What's with the scars everywhere? The bartender, Paul Woodrugh's chest and arms, and that weird plastic surgery facility with all the girls in the rooms.

Did Ray and Frank meet before the incident with Ray's wife? The mention of dumping a body could be alluding to someone other than the suspect.

I'm thinking Paul was abused by his mother and is possibly repressing his homosexuality.

More Greek Mythology. Do the Lion and Horse mask, along with the Bird mask somehow allude to the Labors of Hercules?

Loved the Lone Star neon sign in the bar. Great callback to Rust Cohle's drink of choice.

Just saying, Season 1 had the cult that wore animal masks. Could there be some sort of tie-in?

Is it possibly Velcoro killed the wrong guy? All he had to go on was Frank's info (so far). Just a shot in the dark, but we did see a big red headed henchmen tonight assaulting a Vinci worker. Also, what the fuck is that all about?

Check out the art in the therapists office. It's a man with a birds head...

There is a scene with the skeletal Santa Muerte statue standing right over Velcoro's shoulder while investigating Caspere's house with Ani. Foreshadowing?

[enterthemindofmadness]

Critics Response to True Detective 2x1 & Random Thoughts

This week’s episode of True Detective was met with some pretty harsh reviews from critics unfairly comparing it to the first season.  Some of the criticisms I read that the episode was too slow, or that Justin Lin hasn’t figured out how to properly capture Pizzolatto’s story.  Some of these boneheads even went as far as saying that the sweeping shots of the coast or the overhead views of the freeway were unnecessary.  Really? A split second shot of a refinery somehow ruined the first episode for you?  Last week’s showing did exactly what it needed to do, introducing us to the characters and their flaws while setting the stage for the next 7 episodes.  There were also plenty of subtle clues along the way, and if you watched the first season, you know that those minor details will almost certainly come into play down the road.

I’m sure there is a good reason one of the main characters is named Antigone, the daughter of Oedipus, and her sister is named Athena, the goddess of wisdom and courage.  I don’t know shit about Greek mythology, but I can almost guarantee Nic Pizzolatto does. How about Frank Semyon’s loving wife almost fitting the Lady Macbeth trope to a tee? Or the eerie similarity between the missing woman and the bartender with the scar who serves Velcoro?  There was also the giant bird’s head sitting next to Caspere, and the fact that his entire house looked like it was designed by David Lynch.  Pretty much every decoration in Caspere's house could be a clue, including the out of place Santa Muerte statue amongst the piles of giant dildos. And how about Caspere's wounds?  A severe pelvic wound and missing eyes?  Considering how sexually over the top his design choices were, could the killer be an angry woman? There were plenty of classic True Detective hints along the way, and maybe if the writers over at Huffington Post were paying attention to those instead of critiquing the overhead shots, they would’ve enjoyed the episode.

[enterthemindofmadness]

True Detective 2x1 “The Western Book of the Dead”

It’s going to be impossible to find a review that doesn’t compare this season of True Detective with it’s predecessor.  Lucky for you, you stumbled upon this blog, where you will find no such nonsense.  The only thing I will say is that the second season is very much in line with the first in the way that the characters are at the forefront of the show, not the crime.  The investigation of the disappearance and subsequent murder of a city planner will only serve as a backdrop as we weave through the fucked up webs of our main characters.  Carey Fukunaga will be missed behind the camera, but Justin Lin is more than capable of bringing Nic Pizzolato's story to life. This season of True Detective is classic noir, a gritty depiction of the corruption, violence and sex that fuels the criminal underworld of Los Angeles, as seen through the eyes of characters with more baggage than LAX.  

This season's investigation focuses on the death of Benjamin Caspere, a major player in a $68 billion dollar transportation deal, and the political scandal involved with bringing a high speed railroad to Northern California.  Mobster and casino owner Frank Semyon is at the center of this deal that has attracted both criminals and politicians alike, as well as the interest of a journalist intent on uncovering the corruption within the fictional city of Vinci, California.  The first episode tried it's best to introduce us to the intricacies of the deal, but it's far too complex to grasp in an hour. The rest of the episode was spent delving into the characters, using not so subtle exposition to bring their many, many flaws into the spotlight.

Collin Farrell plays Ray Velcoro, an alcoholic Detective with the Vinci Police Department, trying to salvage what's left of a disappointing career.  Velcro wasn't always this way though, as we learn through a flashback.  Early on in his career with the LA Sheriffs Department, his wife was beaten and raped, giving birth to a son 9 months later. There are the obvious paternity questions here, but it's Ray's son whether anyone likes it or not. Ray must have went down a bad path after the incident, most likely stemming from a meet up with an up and coming Frank Semyon, where information on the suspect in his wife's case was exchanged.  It is unclear what happened to the suspect, but it looks like Velcoro has been in Semyon's pocket ever since.  Now he see's the world through a bottle of Johnny Blue, taking time out of his day to strike fear into the hearts of high school bullies everywhere by beating the shit out of their fathers with brass knuckles.  When he's not drunkenly screaming at his son, you can see him donning a ski mask and gloves to perform Semyon's bidding, in this case assaulting the journalist who's running a series on the corruption in Vinci. Just when you forget that Velcoro is a police officer, he is assigned to the disappearance of Caspere. The clean cut deputy we saw in the flashback is no more, having been replaced by a bolo tie wearing madman with a badge.  Right before he gets the call that sets the series in motion, he is black out drunk, face down in a bowl of complimentary peanuts, fresh from a meeting with Semyon to pass off the journalists laptop.  Although the character is cliche, Farrell plays him in a way that invokes sympathy. Him and his wife were dealt a horrible hand in life, and clearly it broke the both of them.  He desperately wants to be a good father, but his son is a bit of a pussy and got his Nike Lebron’s stolen, and we all know those cost about $200.  

Rachel McAdams plays Ani Bezzerides, the standard “tough bitch, take no shit” female cop with her own anthology of problems.  Right off the bat, we learn she has issues with men, an obsession with knives and anal sex, and arms herself to the teeth in an almost comical fashion. During a raid of a suspected prostitution ring, she finds her sister, a former drug addict who is now spending her days doing online pornography.  The business ends up being totally legit, but it does shine a light on just some of the family issues Ani is dealing with.  Later on, she begins to investigate the disappearance of a young woman that is somehow connected to her father's hippy little religious institute, played by the always enjoyable David Morse.  There is some heavy Greek mythology being thrown our way with the Bezzerides.  Ani is short for Antigone, daughter of Oedipus, who hangs herself in a tomb, and her sister’s name is Athena, the goddess of wisdom and courage.  Not sure what this means, I just wanted to show off my knowledge of  Greek mythology.  ANYWAY, this whole family is clearly fucked up, which explains why when Ani gets the call at the end of the episode, she is in the same situation as Velcoro.

Vince Vaughn plays Frank Semyon, our resident bad guy, although this episode portrays him as gentle, Shakespeare quoting casino owner.  It is obvious he is a mobster trying to go legit, but he seems to be the only main character with his shit together.  Just like everyone else, he is consumed with the disappearance of Caspere and the upcoming newspaper article, but you would never know it by the way he carries himself.  The only time we see Frank rattled is when he is dealing with Osip Agronov, a business partner who clearly has a lot of power.  Apparently Osip isn’t quite ready to sign off on this railroad deal until him and his “organization” make sure everything is in order.  This is where Frank loses it a bit, as Caspere’s disappearance looks like it is throwing a wrench in his plans. 

The last of our main characters is California Highway Patrol Officer Paul Woodrugh, played by Taylor Kitsch.  We first see Paul making a traffic stop on an actress who is drunk driving down the PCH wearing an ankle bracelet, a not so subtle jab at Lindsay Lohan and the other entitled Hollywood airheads.  She attempts to get out of the ticket by bribing Woodrugh with sex, which he denies, although it looks like he gets fucked anyway.  The actress accuses him of soliciting sex, which prompts the CHP to send him on administrative leave.  For all intents and purposes, he seems like a good cop, although we later learn he has some issues of his own.  He is a loner war veteran with scars all over his body (apparently not from the army), and needs to sneak away and take Viagra before having sex with his girlfriend.  He never spends the night with her, which he blames on work, but in actuality he’s just out speeding down the highway on his motorcycle with no headlights.  Who knows what the hell he is chasing, but whatever it is, it must be pretty substantial because this guy looks like he has absolutely no emotions anymore.  During his midnight thrill ride, he comes across Benjamin Caspere’s body, sitting upright with his eyes removed, a severe pelvic wound, and his wallet placed carefully on his knees.  His discovery prompts the phone calls that lead to our three cops all converging on the crime scene, knocking over the first domino in what is sure to be a long, winding maze of destruction.

It wasn’t the greatest episode of all time, but it certainly wasn’t bad.  It did exactly what it needed to do in setting up the characters and the season.  It also had a fair amount of creep to it too.  The giant eagle head in the car with Caspere? The giant dildoes and perverse art in Caspere’s house? The potential is clearly there, and the fact that it is no longer a 2 character show bodes well for this season.  They have a great cast, and Collin Farrell showed us why tonight. They have my interest, let’s just hope they don’t fuck it up.  

[enterthemindofmadness]

Preview: True Detective Season 2

True Detective was easily the best thing on TV last year.  The brainchild of evil genius Nic Pizzolatto was critically acclaimed, and had it not been for the final season of Breaking Bad, it would've been a lock for every major trophy come awards season. From the onscreen chemistry between a white hot Matthew McConaughey and the underrated Woody Harrelson, to the hypnotizing vision of director Cary Joji Fukunaga, the show was a triumph at every level.  The creepy outskirts of Louisiana, arguably the main character, served as the backdrop for a homicide investigation spanning nearly seventeen years.  By the time the finale aired, we had these crazy theories on the true identity of the killer, even using drawings that appeared on a fridge for a split second to support our claims.  We cracked six packs of Lonestar with Marlboro Reds dancing in the corners of our mouths trying to figure out who the Yellow King was.  For those brief eight weeks, it was more than just a TV show to us, it was an experience.

True Detective returns for it's second season this Sunday, and although it's an entirely different puzzle this time, the two most important pieces remain the same: Nic Pizzolatto and Cary Joji Fukunaga. Fukunaga will serve as an EP, with the talented Justin Lin (Fast & the Furious 3-6) taking over behind the camera.  If the first season taught us anything, it's that True Detective is first and foremost a character driven show, and I absolutely love the casting choices this year.  Sure, there is a ton of risk involved here, but each one of the main cast is more than capable of blowing us away.  You could argue that Collin Farrell and Vince Vaughn are both on the back 9 of their careers, but couldn't the same thing have been said about McConaughey and Harrelson? Colin Farrell has done the straight thing before, but it's been a long time since we've seen Vaughn in something other than a screwball comedy.  If anybody is going to blow us away, it's probably Vince, and I think the show's success is very much dependent on him.

Rounding out the main cast are Taylor Kitsch and Rachel McAdams. Neither of these two worry me, and I'm especially excited to see Kitsch get something good for once. Friday Night Lights fans know what he's capable of, but unfortunately the poor bastard had John Carter and Battleship in the same year. The ignorant people have already criticized the casting choices, just like they always do. Like Ben Affleck for Batman or Heath Ledger before him, the television audience always thinks they know best.  For me, part of the lure of a show like this is the chance to be blown away by an actor who may not have been the obvious choice. Nothing against Vaughn or Farrell, but it's been a long time since they gave us a riveting performance, and I think they are both chomping at the bit right now to do just that. Maybe I'm overly optimistic, but I have a tremendous amount of faith in Pizzolato and Fukunaga. How could you not?  After the banter last season between Hart and Cole, and that epic steadicam sequence of McConaughey running in and out of houses at a drug deal gone bad, I'm dying to see what they have in store for us this year. They don't strike me as the type of duo that gets complacent.

We will have to wait until Sunday to see what the finished product looks like, but if the trailers are any indication of things to come, we can all breathe a sigh of relief.  Vaughn is right in his wheelhouse as career criminal and entrepreneur, Frank Semyon, and I've already said I'm picking him to steal the show. Farrell, McAdams, and Kitsch will all play cops, with Kelly Reilly playing the supporting role of Vaugn's wife. Veteran character actor David Morse is also listed on the cast list, and he is always brings a nice edge to his characters, so that's also promising. Unfortunately, no matter how good season 2 is, it will live in the shadow of its predecessor.  Either way, I'm excited to have something new to sink my teeth in while I still cope with the reality that Jon Snow could very well be dead.  So here's to hoping that True Detective can recapture the atmosphere from its first go around and provide a much needed distraction for the next few months.

[enterthemindofmadness]

Review: "Jurassic World" (no spoilers)

Cheddardactyl.  Provelonesaurus.  Gorgonzola Rex.  These are just some of the dinosaurs you can expect to see in this summer’s biggest cheese fest.  Ok fine, I know that the movie is supposed to be family friendly, but I’m not 10 anymore, I am a 30 year old cynic with a blog that nobody reads.  At least The Avengers has the decency to pander to their adult audience.  Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the movie, I just had to suffer through a script that was most likely written in crayon.  I am a huge Chris Pratt fan, and have been before you people even knew who he was, and somehow they managed to make him seem like a horrible actor.  I don’t know if it was done purposely (I’m praying it was), but if there was anyone else in his role, this would have been a bomb.  He somehow manages to salvage the childish dialogue, even getting laughs from the younger crowd, which is exactly who this movie is aimed at.  I saw the original Jurassic Park when I was 10, so naturally it is one of my favorite movies of all time.  For 5 weeks in a row, my father took me to see it in the theaters, and even tried to get me to read the Michael Crichton novel. Dad, I’m 10, I’ll stick to Goosebumps if you don’t mind.  Clocking in at just over two hours, the movie definitely finds its footing in the second half, and that’s when it starts to feel like the Jurassic Park from 22 years ago.

Fans looking to feel nostalgic won’t be disappointed, as there is an abundance of throw backs to the original (thankfully not the sequels).  It was great to see BD Wong reprise his role as Dr. Henry Wu, but he is the only onscreen character you’ll remember from 1993.  The newcomers all hold their own, despite some of the more horrific lines.  As I mentioned earlier, Chris Pratt can do no wrong, and seeing him in this role just proves that he can carry a movie all by himself.  Vincent D’Onofrio could’ve played this role in his sleep, and as usual, does a phenomenal job playing the “bad guy”.  The biggest surprise for me was seeing Jake Johnson (New Girl’s Nick Miller) in a small, but hilarious role.  Anyone who watches New Girl on Fox knows how funny he could be, and he makes the most of his minimal screen time.  The special fx are everything you would expect from a big budget summer movie, but the set pieces don’t really blow you away.  The thing that bothered me most is that the trailers almost ruin the movie.  Every scene that could’ve been a big moment is spoiled by the trailer.  I found myself knowing exactly what was going to happen next at the most tense times in the movie.  

What the movie lacks, it makes up for in a truly awesome end sequence that definitely had me feeling like a 10 year old again.  The difficult thing with Jurassic Park/World is that you LOVE the dinosaurs.  It is tough to root against a T-Rex, and everyone knows the Raptors were the best thing about the original, but Jurassic World does a masterful job at balancing those emotions, and it all comes to a head in the last 15 minutes.  Sure there were times that I was shaking my head, but for the most part I was glued to the screen.  It starts off like a brontosaurus, but once all hell breaks loose, the movie quickly turns into a T-Rex chasing a shirtless Jeff Goldblum in the back of a jeep.  

There were some head scratching moments and questionable decisions, mainly from scenes involving park owner Simon Masrani, but the quicker I realized I was watching a movie about fucking dinosaurs, the more I enjoyed it.  That’s the beauty of movies, not everything has to be logical or have some underlying theme or agenda to shine a light on real life issues.  Sometimes its just two hours of dinosaurs fucking shit up.  Not once did I think about the logistics of opening a park like this after the disaster that befell its predecessor, and also the second failed attempt that lead to a T-Rex running through the streets of L.A., ok, so maybe I gave it a little bit of thought.  My point is that Jurassic World is a true summer blockbuster, a throwback to the original.  It doesn’t have to be scientifically accurate, it doesn’t have to have an Oscar worthy script, and it doesn’t need to cater to bitter 30 year olds who are just mad they can’t experience it again as a 10 year old with his father.  Jurassic World is a way to introduce one of the greatest movies of all time to a new generation of fathers and sons.  We had the ripples in the glass of water, the Dilophosaurus spitting in Newman’s eye, and a cigarette smoking Samuel L. Jackson saying “hold onto your butts”, and now some 10 year old in the audience has his own moments.  It will never be as good as my Jurassic Park, but it doesn’t have to be.  My only wish is that by the time Jurassic World 2 comes out, I have a son to take with me, although I might have to clone him from DNA found in a dead mosquito fossilized in amber if I want to make it in time, and that never seems to end well. No worries though, after grossing half of a billion dollars at the box office over the weekend, I’m pretty sure there will be plenty more sequels on the way.  Just promise me that there will never be another scene of a 13 year old gymnast killing a Velociraptor with an impromptu parallel bar routine.  

[enterthemindofmadness]

Game of Thrones 5x10 “Mother’s Mercy”

Wow.  That’s really the only thing I can say at this point.  Game of Thrones may have just had the most shocking finale in TV history, closing the curtain on, in my opinion, the best season so far.  The 63 minute roller coaster ended in stunning fashion, as we watched our hero, Jon Snow, get betrayed by his own men, leaving us all feeling like we were stabbed in the gut.  So what happens now? If he is actually dead, which we won’t know for what feels like an eternity, it’s going to be a tough pill to swallow.  Kit Harrington (Jon Snow) gave an interview to Entertainment Weekly where he basically said his character is dead and wouldn’t be returning, but fuck that interview.  We all know Kit’s not going to give anything away, and the truth is nobody knows except GRRM and the showrunners at HBO, because good old George hasn’t finished the next book yet.   So for the time being, let’s be optimistic (or delusional), and explore some of the popular fan theories that are making their way around the internet.  

It wouldn’t make sense to kill off your main character, and for those who want to throw Ned Stark’s name around, this is different.  Ned was only with us for the first season, Jon has been the focal point for five straight seasons.  Even an ensemble show like this needs a “hero”, and Jon has been that character.  His story isn’t finished yet, and those that subscribe to the fan theory “R+L=J” know that there is a lot more left to tell.  If in fact that theory is correct, and Jon Snow ends up being a Targaryen, that bodes well for a resurrection.  After all, we saw Danearys reborn through fire, so why can’t the same thing happen to Jon, especially since Melisandre rode back into Castle Black at the perfect time.  She has been infatuated with Jon all season, so perhaps she can work some of her magic on him.  She has a prophecy in the book that says “now he was a man, now a wolf, now a man again”,  which is almost certainly talking about Jon Snow and his direwolf, Ghost.  Even if Melisandre doesn’t bring him back, there is always the whole warg thing, so perhaps Jon’s soul is transferred into his wolf.  There are also other characters from the books that I am not familiar with, such as Lady Stoneheart (not yet introduced on TV), and Bran the Bloodraven.  The point is, resurrection is a real possibility, it’s just a matter of how.

Another batshit crazy theory floating around is a connection with the White Walkers.  In episode 8, Jon has a stare down with the Nights King, the apparent leader of the White Walkers.  We have already seen them bring back thousands of dead soldiers by just raising their arms, so why not Jon.  I know it sounds a bit insane, but we are talking about Game of Thrones here, where anything is possible.  Another crazy fan theory has Jon Snow becoming the leader of the White Walkers, awaking the Ice Dragon, and going up against Dany and her dragons.  Yup, the internet has gone mad with theories, but it’s all for a good reason.  We want Jon Snow back in season 6 dammit, and we don’t care how, just make it happen!!

Jon Snow’s “death” wasn’t the only memorable moment from tonight’s episode, in fact, they were coming at us so fast that it was hard to process it all.  Stannis is finally ready to go to war with the Bolton’s, especially when Melisandre tells him that she saw an icicle melting.  Really, Melisandre?  Maybe the icicles were melting due to the heat coming from Shireen’s burnt corpse, or maybe it’s just because Stannis is the fucking devil.  Either way, Stannis is amped up, until he finds out that half of his men deserted him in the middle of the night.  I guess that’s what happens when you murder your own daughter for a tactical advantage.  No biggie though, because he still has his wife and Melisandre by his side.  Scratch that, his wife just hung herself in the forrest.  Well, at least he has Melisandre and the Lord of Light in his corner.  What’s that? Lady Melisandre was just seen fleeing from camp?  Oh well, there’s always Daavos...oops.  Nevertheless, Stannis is determined to ride into Winterfell and kick some ass, except that the Bolton’s cut off Stannis mid march and basically slaughter his entire army in a matter of minutes.  Stannis manages to survive the fracas with only a leg wound, and props himself up against a tree to catch his breath.  Thank god there isn’t anybody else around who has vowed to kill him.  Hey, look, its Brienne of Tarth here to avenge Renly’s death.  Although this whole battle was laughably fast, Stannis’ face at the end is priceless.  He is completely shocked on how awful this day has been, and just tells Brienne to “do her duty”.  Brienne raises her sword, and in typical GoT fashion, we cut to a different scene, leaving us with no clue as to what happened.  There is one constant in this show that has always been true.  Unless you see a character’s head ripped from the rest of his body, he isn’t dead.  So basically Stannis’ is still alive, we just don’t know why.  Maybe it’s because Brienne fails miserably at every single thing she ever does, so why would this be any different.  

Jamie and Bronn somehow managed to escape Dorne unscathed, but the same can't be said for poor little Myrcella. Word of advice Jamie, don't let your daughter/niece make out with a woman who excels in poison and despises your family.  Turns out Ellaria wasn't quite ready to bury the hatchet with the Lannisters, but at least the poison she planted on Myrcella's lips wasn't instantaneous, allowing Myrcella enough time to tell Jamie she knows about him and mommy.  It was obvious the moment Ellaria kissed her that she was doomed, but it was still a heart breaking scene for Jamie. The good news is Trystane is also onboard the ship, so you can pretty much pencil him in as dead too, it's just a matter of how.  

Cersei is finally released from her dungeon after she confesses to fornication and incest. She is allowed to return home, but only after she completes her "atonement", which consists of a new haircut and a naked march through the streets.  It was a pretty brutal scene to watch, as she is verbally and physically abused throughout the entire walk back to the castle.  She returns home a broken woman, bloodied and covered in all sorts of disgusting bodily fluids.  Hopefully she's looking for vengeance, because Qyrell welcomes her home and has a pretty bad ass gift waiting for her. It looks like "The Mountain" has been successfully resurrected, fitted with shiny gold armor and ready to do the Queen Mother's bidding. I don't know what's in store for Cersei, but I'm praying that she sends Zombie Mountain back to the Sparrow and he and his followers are ripped limb from limb. And maybe when he's done there, he takes a trip to Dorne and wipes out Ellaria and her Sand Sluts. Welcome back, Gregor Clegane.

Elsewhere in the episode, Sansa is finally able to get the hell out of Winterfell, mainly due to Reek finally getting his balls back, figuratively, of course.  Nothing like throwing an evil bitch off a roof to make you feel like a man again.  Theon Greyjoy is back, and him and Sansa decide to jump from the top of castle and hopefully land on a really deep, really soft snow mound.  Speaking of Starks in peril, Arya finally had a scene worth talking about.  I’ll admit it, I haven’t always been a fan of hers but she might have had the best scene in the entire episode, posing as a helpless little girl, only to savagely murder Meryn Trant.  Arya must have been feeling pretty good, up until she got caught by Jaaqen, who continues to mindfuck everyone.  At the end of the day, although warranted, she betrayed the Many Faced God, and has to pay for it, and it looks like she is paying with her sight.  

Finally, we learned that Danearys survived her first dragon flight, and her and Drogon are laying low somewhere in the countryside as Jorah and Daario head out to find her.  Tyrion is tasked with staying behind and running Meereen with help from Missandei and Grey Worm, a job he isn’t too thrilled about until Varys magically appears behind him.  Dany looks to be in a bit of trouble though,  as Drogon is injured, and we end the scene with her getting rolled up on by an army of Dothraki’s.  I don’t really see the danger since she was married to Khal Drogo, but who the hell knows at this point.  

So now comes the long, long wait until the start of season 6, which means a neverending stream of fan theories and endless speculation on the fate of Jon Snow.  We have already been told that GRRM is releasing the next book in 2016, which means that finally, the elite book readers are stuck with the TV crowd for at least the next 6 months.  So grab your swankiest black fur and a shit load of dragon glass, because it’s going to be a very long winter.  

[enterthemindofmadness]

That last royal rumble post was a very nice read

Thanks man! I know this is months late but I appreciate the comment.

[enterthemindofmadness]

Game of Thrones 5x4 "Sons of the Harpy"

If you’re a casual fan of Game of Thrones, then you loved tonight’s episode.  If you’re a hardcore fan, then not only did you love it, but you had to change your pants immediately after watching. Ok, maybe that's a bit hyperbolic, but  it all depends on how familiar you are with the “R+L=J” theory that has been floating around for awhile now.  If you have no idea what the fuck I am talking about, then either prepare to be really confused or really, really confused.  Tonight’s episode was heavy on action, something GoT does better than any other show.  We had Jamie and Bronn going at it with the guards in Dorne, the introduction of the Sand Snakes, and two separate “raids”, one ending in the possible death(s) of a fan favorite, although I would like to see a severed head for confirmation.  But even with all that, the best moments in the episode came from three separate, subtle conversations that the casual fan may have overlooked.  And when I say “casual fan”, I’m not talking about the non-book readers, because I haven’t picked up a book since Goosebumps.  When I say casual fan, I mean people who don’t sit on Reddit for hours reading theories and arguing with the experts, you know, the ones who start every sentence with “well, have you read the books?”  I had no idea who Rhaegar Targaryen was up until tonight’s episode, but thanks to Wikipedia, I am going to pretend, for the sake of this blog, that I am one of the experts and talk about the “R+L=J” theory, or “Rhaegar + Lyanna = Jon”, as I learned about 15 minutes ago.  

The theory itself is not overly complicated.  It basically puts forth that Jon Snow is not the bastard child of Ned Stark, but the child of Ned’s sister, Lyanna Stark, and Rhaegar Targaryen.  Thats great and all, but who the fuck are they? The story, as it’s told, is that Rhaegar Targaryen kidnapped and raped Lyanna, who was betrothed to Robert Baratheon.  Robert wasn’t cool with that, so he declared war on Rhaegar and his father, The Mad King.  Yup, thats right, that makes Rhaegar and Dany brother and sister.  Anyway, the aptly named “Roberts Rebellion” takes place, Rhaegar and the Mad King are killed, and Robert claims the Iron Throne.  Rhaegar goes down as a rapist, Robert is hailed as a hero, and Ned Stark ends up with a child that he passes off as his own to avoid any repercussions.  Seems pretty straightforward, right? Now maybe this isn't a shock to anyone, but for the sake of sounding smart, allow me to continue.

So how does that little nugget make “The Sons of the Harpy” any more significant?  Well, up until now, it was just a theory, but this episode beat us over the heads with Rhaegar and Lyanna references all night, so how could it not be true?  I think people in showbiz call that exposition.  The first hint comes when Stannis is watching his man-crush duke it out in the courtyard.  Yea, thats right, Stannis is hardcore in love with Jon Snow, so much so that he spends his lunchtime in the courtyard watching him work up a sweat.  I bet that isn't in the books.  It isn’t until Hurricane Selyne strolls over to her husband with her dark cloud of an existence and starts picking on Jon Snow.  She calls him a bastard, which Stannis quickly disagrees with, saying there is no way Ned Stark would father a child with a tavern wench.  A-ha! I would like to submit this into evidence as exhibit A.

The second hint comes in the tombs of Winterfell during a conversation between Sansa and Littlefinger.  Sansa is lighting a candle for her aunt Lyanna when Littlefinger comes in and they start talking about her.  Sansa says her father didn't speak much about dear old Lyanna, but she would see him down here occasionally lighting candles. It is here that Littlefinger brings up the story of Rhaegar and Lyanna, although his version sounds more like a rom-com and less like the horror story were all told.  According to Littlefinger, Rhaegar won a tournament (against none other than Barristan Selmy) and gave a rose to Lyanna, who was Robert’s girl.  Robert was also in the tournament, so this is a double slap in the face. This one choice ended up starting the war, which led to tens of thousands of deaths..  Littlefinger paints Rhaegar to be a romantic, smitten by Lyanna, however Sansa still sees him as a rapist and a killer.  It’s Littlefinger’s smirk when Sansa mentions this that tells us there is more to the story of Rhaegar and Lyanna then we were told. Hmm..exhibit B?

The last hint comes at the end of the episode, with Dany and Ser Barristan reminiscing about the old times. Barristan tells stories of Rhaegar, whom he fought against in the tournament, and how he was a man of the people.  Rhaegar loved to sing, so they would hit the streets, light a fire in a garbage can, and sing doo-wop for the common folk.  Dany doesn't know this side of her eldest brother, only that he loved to fight.  This is the second time in this episode where Rhaegar is portrayed as more valiant than villainous. Let's call that exhibit C. So when you add up all these quick stories about Rhaegar, perhaps he wasn't this big, bad rapist, and Robert started a war out of pure jealousy.  If you remember, Robert Baratheon wasn't exactly a saint. He was a fat, alcoholic womanizer who had more kids than Antonio Cromartie.  So if this theory ends up being true, it would mean Jon Snow's dad was the man, which explains a lot. He is also the nephew of Danearys and the rightful heir to the Iron Throne.  

Ok, so maybe that whole theory didn't blow your mind, but there was plenty of other stuff happening in this episode to be excited about, mainly the ass kicking comedy duo of Jamie and Bronn.  The whole episode could've been these two talking about the weather and it would've been the best hour on TV.  Although I will say that for two badasses, their convo about their ideal death scenarios was a bit lame.  Bronn knows exactly why Jamie has undertaken this rescue mission for his "niece" and Jamie makes no secret about his desire for redemption and his disdain for Tyrion, although he is still sticking to the story that it was Varys who freed his brother.  The two BFF's arrive in Dorne by way of a merchant ship, and although Jamie paid off the captain, Bronn isn't sure he realizes just how much people hate his family.  After a quick snake breakfast, they come across a Dorne patrol that they make quick work of. Well, Bronn makes quick work of 4 of them, while Jamie has a hard time handling the last guy.  They better do some more training, because little do they know, their covert extraction just went to shit.

Thanks to that greedy merchant captain, Ellaria and her Sand Snakes now know Jamie is in Dorne to rescue Myrcella.  The writers do a good job quickly introducing us to the Sand Snakes (Nym, Obara, & Tyene) without complicating or slowing down the episode. These are obviously characters who are going to have a big role this season, and in one brief scene we get a good idea of what they are all about.  They respect Ellaria enough that they are ready to go to war to avenge Oberyn, and we learn they aren't in the business of fucking around. Unfortunately, our loud mouthed ship captain learns this the hard way with a spear to the face, courtesy of the smoking hot Obara.

Back in King’s Landing, “King” Cersei has taken the catfight with Margaery to a whole new level.  First, she sends Mace Tyrell to go meet with the Iron Bank aka certain death, then she decides to arm the Sparrows, who turn the town upside down.  The hit the streets hard, destroying liquor, statue’s and raiding Littlefinger’s brothel once again.  This time, they graduated from public humiliation to full on murder, which seems to contradict what the High Sparrow is all about.  Seems a bit odd that their leader is all about leaving the punishment up to God, meanwhile his lackeys seem to take pleasure in cutting people's penises off.  For their last order of business, the Faith Militant arrest Laurus Tyrell for being gay, reducing Margaery’s support system to zero.  But Margaery’s is married to the king, so surely he can fix all this, right? Wrong!  He marches into Cersei's room and demands his mother relase Laurus, but she puts him in timeout for raising his voice.  Then he tries to speak with the High Sparrow, but is turned away at Flea Bottom, and leaves peacefully rather than fighting.  Tommen is in so far over his head, you almost miss Joffrey, who would’ve happily had every member of the Faith Militant murdered right there on the steps.  He goes back to his wife, who successfully unscrews what’s left of his manhood, and takes it with her as she leaves to go stay with her family for a while.  Cersei seems to have won this round, but Margaery is writing to her mother, Lady Olenna, who will most certainly have something to say about this, and if the past is any indication, it will not end well for the Lannisters.  

Over at The Wall, Stannis takes a break from pining over Jon Snow and spends some quality time with his daughter, Shireen.  Shireen comes in and cuts right the point, asking her father if he is ashamed of her.  Up until this point, Stannis has been nothing more than a cardboard cutout.  He has pretty much been Melisandre’s puppet the whole time, and really hasn’t had any emotional scenes.  Well that all ended tonight, with a touching story about his daughter and her battle with greyscale.  It's a nice change of pace for his character, and finally Shireen gets some much needed love from her parents.  Meanwhile, Jon Snow is finding out that Lord Commander isn’t all it’s cracked out to be.  His first day on the job, he got to execute someone, now he is stuck writing letters to random Lords begging for additional men.  What’s even worse is he had to send one to Lord Bolton. I’m sure it went a little something like this:

Sup’ Roose,

When you’re done murdering members of my family, can you send a couple of guys down to The Wall.  We’re pretty much fucked over here.

Sincerely,

Jon Snow,

#RIPRobb.  

Melisandre pops in to try and get his mind off things, but Jon is still very much in love with his dead Wildling, so he declines her and her breasts.  Stannis better not find out that Melisandre is trying to hook up with his man, or else he going to slap the Lord of Light right out of her.  

After last week’s cliffhanger, we catch up with Jorah Mormont, who has stolen a boat and is now taking Tyrion to the queen.  Its a brief, but hilarious, scene that answers what we already knew, Jorah is not taking Tyrion to Cersei, but to Khaleesi.  Tyrion has a good laugh, and lets Jorah know that this is a wasted kidnapping, because that’s where he was headed anyway. Speaking of Khaleesi, things are about to go from bad to worse for her.  If she thought she was having a rough time in Meereen before, wait until she finds out what the Sons of the Harpy have in store for her.  While she hears another plea to open the fighting pits, The Harpy’s stage an assault on unsuspecting Unsullied.  It’s a complete slaughter, until we find out one of the Unsullied is fan favorite Grey Worm, who goes on a rampage despite being stabbed.  The Harpy’s outnumber Worm by a dozen or so, but thankfully Ser Barristan was just walking the streets and hears the commotion.  Barristan rolls up and takes out about 10 guys singlehandedly, despite also being stabbed numerous times.  Right when it looks like Barristan is about to be overpowered, Worm decides to rejoin the fracas and save Barristan from having his throat slit, although it looks like it may be too late.  Worm and Barristan are both severely wounded, laying amongst piles of dead Harpy’s as we fade to black. Yikes. So there you have it, the first big death of the season. Khaleesi better get her shit together next week otherwise she will end up looking like Tommen.