The Blogboard Jungle

The most recent episode of Hannibal was pretty much the middle act of the Red Dragon film. It was familiar and fans of the Hannibal Lecter canon will most likely be familiar with most of it. Bringing the show to the small screen is never without its differences to remix something new to a story a lot of people know. While there were some moments between Graham and Bedelia, the Dolarhyde story was pretty much the same up until he goes to see the Blake painting.  In the film's he never runs into Graham there but they did that here. Even though the encounter was brief, it was a welcome change in episode that may have been a little too repetitive of an old story. If the people at NBC saw these and thought it might be too much more of a story that has been told, before they made their decision to end the last season, they should have been more patient.

Season 3 Hannibal is one of best looking shows on television. The visuals are so good, even if an episode is telling a story we already know, one can't help but watch. After last week began the Red Dragon story-line the show is based on the show seems to be running out of steam. If you have watched the original film and its remake as many times as we have, a lot of the lines were familiar. The show is done so well, it doesn't seem that anyone (except NBC) minds. This episode "And the Woman Clothed With the Sun", is the second act of the Red Dragon story-line. Other than the great visuals during crime reconstruction there did not seem to be too much difference from what happens in the film. Bringing in the Tooth Fairy from Red Dragon is kind of a hint the show is coming to a close. However, they already played the Mason Verger card, which takes place in the Hannibal film so could they be going for something new? Maybe, a new story to let us know where Hannib...

Photo by: Brooke Palmer/NBC While one could make the argument for the show not being renewed for another season , NBC's Hannibal has had a weak season up until the most recent episodes. Fans of the show, fans of any show will be patient unless the show gets hard to catch over scheduling issues. That is besides the point, Hannibal is going somewhere and fans of show are sticking with him until the end. Photo by: Brooke Palmer/NBC This season has been slow up until  recently, bringing in Mason Verger is a good way to save the show's story and fix some plot hiccups from previous seasons. If you remember from the film of the same name, Hannibal (2001) , Verger was the antogonist that had a lot of money and a bone to pick with Dr. Lecter. This was touched upon during the last season and in the film, but no details were really given on what the beef between the two actually was. It looks like we get to see it now and that should make for good TV, NBC may have jumped the gun...

Photo: Michelle Faye/AMC The character of Cullen Bohannon must have the hardest TV life of any fictional character on a show. This episode had him near death once again, in the cold, hanging on for dear life. That was just the beginning. The episode brings back the story a few days before he winds up in his predicament so we, watching at home can see how he got there. Photo: Michelle Faye/AMC The Swede faces the dangers of the cold as well when we see him and the other Mormon's face work in the freezing conditions with poor equipment. Gunderson (The Swede) has had to bargain for survival before and he uses his skills to find a way to keep himself close enough to Bohannon to agitate him. Whatever he is up to for future episodes, it can't be any good. Photo: Michelle Faye/AMC Fong and Bohannon bond over their railroad progress on the mountain and share a secret before we find them where we saw them in the beginning. If you have not guessed the secret before watc...

Final season has begun. The final season of one of the best westerns on television since Deadwood began airing this Saturday. If you have not watched this show, record the final season and watch it on Netflix. It takes place during a pivitol part of America's history, during the reconstruction after the Civil War. Cullen Bohannon played by Anson Mount It follows the hard, sad life of Cullen Bohannon played really well by Anson Mount. The characters in this show have been memorable and big screen worthy. Show's that take place in any period tend to be costly and fans of the western genre are really lucky to see this one come to a close. New villain Chang This season seems to have introduced a new villain now that our protagonist has made it to the west coast. He also encounters the villain that has been a thorn in his side since the first season. They have an interaction at the end of the episode that will leave you wondering, why not finish him off there...

Another one of AMC's dramas are ending this weekend. Mad Men will soon be joining Walter White on the shelf of the network's best shows that have ended. The show about an era, is bringing its own era to end and for the next few days, AMC is airing the entire 7 seasons. Photo: Michael Yarish/AMC This show is something you had to be patient with to get into. If you have not, you won't find any spoilers here. Just know, from the first episode nothing is what it seems when looking into the life of Donald Draper. You admire him at work, hate him as a person, but still wonder about what makes him tick. Watching the professional side of his life will have you rooting for the company he works for to succeed as you feel like another face at "Sterling. Cooper, Draper, Price" working in the background. Photo: Justina Mintz/AMC Watching the women come in and out of his life you'll wonder why they go? Why they stay? Or, why would they come back? It's not ...

It's spring, the long winter is finally leaving, and  another show I followed for a long time has left us.  Last week, Psych aired its final episode and since its airing I have been re-watching episodes on  +Esquire Network  and started from episode one on  +Netflix  .  This change in seasons is welcome, I get to be outside more, hit the mats more, and spend more time with friends since it's not so hard to get around.  I don't mind shows taking breaks this time of year, but knowing they're never coming back is starting to bother me. Shows getting canceled is one thing, like when Copper got canceled it bothered because they pull the rug out from under us viewers and leave us with no say, it's just done, no goodbye and you move on.  But when something comes to close the way Breaking Bad and Psych did it tends to be a little sad.  The final episode of Psych was really well written, and if you didn't think so I recommend you go ba...

     The end is definitely nigh for Walter White, Jesse, and so it seems Mr. Goodman at the start of this episode. We finally get to see one of the guys Saul knows to make a person disappear and what that disappearance entails. We also get to see what Jesse's life as a prisoner is like with Jack, Todd and the rest of the Aryan Brotherhood. While Breaking Bad was making it's dominance know at the Emmy's , Walter White and Jesse Pinkman were being tested as they have never been tested before.  When this episode begins we see out favorite quick witted lawyer Saul Goodman being forced to use one of his infamous "guy, who knows a guy" for himself and he gets a ride in that burgundy van Jesse didn't take, and Walter White did when all came crumbling down.  The "guy" in this episode is a pretty well known actor who seems to always be cast as that kind of guy.  Robert Forster, best known to younger folks as the bail bondsman from Jackie Brown plays the...

     Nice memory in the beginning of this one, Walt and Jesse's first cook, Walts first lie, in the same desert we were left in last week where the shootout between hank and Todd's uncle.  AMC showed last weeks episode just before this one popped off and if you didn't notice Marie was wearing all black in a show she consistently wears purple that may have been the firs indication of how Ozymandias was going to begin.      There's no long action sequence, we here the gunshots stop, Hank took one in his leg and Gomi has already fallen to the hail of gunfire. Walter White hasn't been the only character in this show that evolved into something he wasn't when it started.  Hank was a law enforcement stereotype, bad jokes, treated work like a game, even his own courage would come into question with himself when he experienced the level of violence the cartels dealt when he first transferred out of his own department.  Now, in the f...

     Talk about having the rug pulled out from under your feet, if you ever want to ensure your viewers will return for your show next week Vince Gilligan just gave you the formula.  End your show with a standoff, gunfight right when the shots go flying.  If you have not seen last nights episode, stop reading and watch it because you do not want this one spoiled.   Heisenberg move in this episode. A hit is out on Jesse, Jesse and Hank are out to get Walt and Creepy Todd is out to get Lidia in this episode.  This episode was a big chess game between Walt and Jesse in who's going to get who and  where.  The episode was one of them and their display of tactics as one man was trying to lure another.  Th"other way" Jesse referred to last week was to hurt Walter by attacking his money, Walter went after what Jesse holds dear, Brock and his mother.  He did not do it in an aggressive manner, he really didn't do anything...

     Breaking Bad keeps from being predictable once again when they bring us back to Walt rushing home to stop Jesse's rampage only to find he's just not there anymore.  This episode was very Tarantino-esque in that they explain what stopped Jesse's rampage later in the episode with a flashback to fill in the blanks.  The scene with Marie talking to her therapist was a little long but helps explain her non reaction to Hank having Jesse in his house to be his key evidence in bringing down the Heisenberg train.  This happens while Walt makes up some sorry story about a gas pump malfunction and relocating his family to a hotel to protect them from Jesse.  The funny thing about this episode is that Walter's untruths have become readable, even as the audience watches we can tell everyone he's talking to knows he's lying to them.  Pretty much any long winded crazy story Walter tells, while trying to do something around the house and seem innocen...

     If any episode of Breaking Bad made you think Walter White has become a despicable man, it was this past Sundays episode.  Aside from previous seasons, where he's poisoned children, let co-workers girlfriends pass away in their own vomit, and EVERYTHING he does to Jesse.  This weekend, he lied to his handicapped son, threatened to frame his brother in law, and STILL manages to hurt Jesse...again.  The only difference this time, is that Jesse called him on it and knows about some of the things he's been lied to about by Walter. Wore this shirt watching "cofessions", pretty fitting for this episode. Jess gives nothing to Hank in the interrogation room we were left off in last Sunday, other than an "eat me" to Hank when he tried the nice cop approach.  Hard for him to swallow since last time Hank spoke to him it was with his fists.  Saul tosses him out with an awesome Rocky movie reference that makes me laugh as I type this....

     "Am I under arrest!?" There's a way to get out of an awkward conversation with your DEA brother in law if you ever saw one.  The great thing about Breaking Bad is that they do not do predictability in that  show.  The title alone, "Buried" would lead one to believe that someone dies, and while people do die it's not anyone really major to name an episode after this last one. None of the above have been buried...yet. 'Buried' picks up where we were left last week after the Hank and Walter's confrontation with  Walter leaving Hank in his garage after his "Tread lightly" threat.  The persona switch between Heisenberg and Walter white can be comedic at times, watching Walter frantically try and get in touch with his wife and move his mega stacks of cash was comedic yet anxiety driven that it crosses over to the audience.  His quick meeting with "Better Call Saul", was also a good scene that Odenkirk found a way to ins...