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If Big Brother was kind of like fantasy football or the lottery, I don’t think any fan of this show or someone watching would’ve predicted that this would’ve been the final 3.  Like at all.  The fact that Andy, GinaMarie and Spencer made it to where they are is truly odd and weird but we have seen other contestants in past seasons make it this far to the confusion of fans and players alike.  I don’t particularly think anyone is happy with how this season went down, nor are they happy with the people who are left, but this is what we have to choose from so be it. As Howie Gordon said about the final 2 in Season 6, “I’m stuck with America’s Last Choices”.  Ding Ding.

That being said, one of these three will win $500,000, one will win $50,000 and one will end up with nada.  Boo hoo.  I truly believe this will be the first season where one of two things will happen-  a gay man will win or a woman will beat a man.  It is that simple.  Now, with about 12 or 13 hours to go, here is how I breakdown each contestant, how they got there, and inevitably who has the best show at winning Big Brother 15.

Andy- Andy is someone who never really got much camera time in the beginning of this game as he really didn’t do anything besides be a leech to Helen and her alliance.  He really was in the background for quite sometime until the numbers started to narrow and that is when he jumped ship and joined the 4AM Alliance (I hated it just like everyone else did) with Aaryn, McCrae and Amanda.  Andy did what past winners such as Jun in Season 4 and Drew in Season 5 did in that he jumped alliances at the right time each time.  Ending up with The Exterminators was a brilliant move on this part and no matter what the other people in that alliance thought he clearly was the leader in that group.  Spencer protected him as well as GM to a certain extent, I don’t think Judd would’ve though and that is why they got rid of him.  Also, in a time of need he convinced McCrae to get rid of Elissa instead of him when it was he himself who voted out Amanda.  Smart guy.  I never thought he would be the first gay man to win this game as there has been other viable candidates in the past (Will Season 5, Marcellas, Kevin) but Andy does have a strong chance at winning in the end as a lot of the women on the jury could vote for him.

Spencer- Spencer has been on the block more times than anyone in the history of this game, yet for the life of me I feel like that is all he is known for as the inevitable pawn in the game.  He has never been viewed as as a threat with the exception of the Howard days, and yet each time he is on the block the person sitting next to him is always viewed as the bigger person to go home.  He has never really rubbed anyone the wrong way and had a decent social game throughout.  Unfortunately, that won’t add up to him really garnering any votes especially if he is up against Andy.  GM on the other hand might throw him a vote or two, but don’t expect him to win this game versus either of them.

GinaMarie- I really go back and forth with how I view her in this game.  She really was quite awful in the beginning with the whole “Nick” thing on top of being just as much of a racist as Aaryn was (Welfare is a certain kind of insurance.  Yup, she said that).  Needless to say, she is going to need to be in the final 2 somehow as she got fired from her real job doing pageant shit or whatever it was that she did and her reality will set in quickly after today as to how she is pretty vilified by a good majority of this country.  Her biggest game move as far as I see it is getting rid of Amanda, that was smart.  She was a good competitor as well, in particular the endurance competitions.  That really is as far as it goes in terms of how I view her.  She is the silver medal in terms of who I think should win this game, but I do believe if she makes it to the end with Spencer she will win.

This is how I think the votes will break down depending on who takes who-

Andy vs. Spencer-

Andy- Jessie, Helen, Elissa, Amanda, McCrae, Judd, GM, Aaryn

Spencer- Candice

Spencer vs. GM-

Spencer- Jessie, Candice, Amanda, McCrae, Andy

GM- Elissa, Helen, Aaryn, Judd

Andy vs. GM-

Andy- Spencer, Judd, McCrae, Amanda, Elissa, Helen, Jessie, Candice

GM- Aaryn

Of the two new Showtime series to premiere this year, Masters of Sex certainly caught more of my interest than Ray Donovan. While real life authorities on the study of sex had been documented in films(i.e. Kinsey, A Dangerous Method), I felt taking the subject to the landscape of television could really explore the nitty-gritty of such a profession, and I’m perpetually intrigued to see how sexual values have progressed throughout history. Still, I also couldn’t feel a bit cautious towards the program as well, as Showtime is more a network that specializes in accessibility over analysis, and I felt that the show could end up being something rather hokey. Also, while it certainly is just a surface resemblance, I couldn’t help but wonder how this series would compare to something like Mad Men, another period piece drama that uses sexuality as a central theme. Now, after catching an early premiere of the show’s pilot (currently available through Showtimeanytime.com), I can say that my inkling was correct in supposing that the show would certainly be interesting. Masters of Sex was quite pleasing, but I also feel that my causes for concern weren’t completely unwarranted.

Masters of Sex is based off of Thomas Maire’s biography on Dr. William Masters and Virginia Johnson, although it’s evident that there’s plenty of creative lee-way in it. Michael Sheen stars as William Masters, a gynecologist who desires to understand how the body works during sex. He wants to explore questions of gender, sex drive, and even what it is that truly causes a partner to orgasm amidst the lovemaking. Unfortunately, his superiors are simply appalled by such a proposal, and say that enacting such experiments will give him a name as “pervert” in the scientific community, and therefore act as career suicide. Masters, however, finds a key component for his research when he meets and hires a woman named Virginia (Lizzy Caplan), a former singer with no background per se in any scientific field, but she’s an individual immensely in tune with her sexuality. From here, history tells us that these two truly revolutionized the field of sexual study in America.

It’s certainly a novel idea, and hard to believe that it wasn’t until the 1950s that this type of research was being performed. Sure, this is before the whole so-called sexual revolution of the 1960s, but it’s almost laughable to think that we were just too prudish as a culture in the years following World War II to really delve into the workings of our own sexuality. In fact, if the phrase “sex sells” is still common place in the industry, it’s a bit of a wonder that a show like this hasn’t turned up before. With HBO receiving all sorts of attention for racy sex scenes in shows like Game of Thrones and Girls, it’s only feasible that the other big premium network would eventually try to go for a “more bang for your buck” approach.

Thing is, I wouldn’t call this pilot episode particularly racy, and it actually has a rather light tone to it. Sure, it’s erotic, and has a dildo in it named Ulysses, but the show’s tone is playful as opposed to the rawness of something like Girls, or the melancholy of Mad Men. Masters of Sex has plenty of humor for most of it’s pilot, and then when we finally get to some serious matter near the ending it comes off as a bit melodramatic. As I explicated earlier, Showtime has a more “fun” vibe to it than HBO or AMC, so it’s not surprising at all to see the show carry this sort of feel, and it certainly separates it from other period piece dramas airing on cable right now. It’ll be interesting to see if the show’s attitude towards it’s subject progresses as it goes on, but right now it seems stimulated (no pun intended) in the most energetic sense.

Where the show is a mixed bag, however, is in it’s presentation of the 1950s. Sure, the style of dress, architecture, and vernacular seems to be accurate enough, but the camera style really isn’t. Shot on digital, and with a mise-en-scene that’s the norm for Showtime’s programs, it can actually clash with the period setting, and it just doesn’t seem as authentic as something like Boardwalk Empire or of course Mad Men. The time-inapproriate filming style has been seen in other movies and shows, and frankly cost my enjoyment towards them, such as with Michael Mann’s Public Enemies. It’s an aesthetic concern that I really hope the show’s creators will be able to work out, and I certainly hope that these flaws weren’t the product of pressure brought onto them by the network executives.

Casting-wise though, so far it seems solid. Michael Sheen definitely fits the leading man role well, playing an inquisitive man both intrigued yet baffled by sex. While granted this episode didn’t test his acting range too much, his background in theater suggests we’ll see more weighty dramatic moments from William Masters. Lizzy Caplan is also a great choice to play the show’s voluptuous female protagonist, as not only does she sport a unique look to her, but she certainly has proven her acting range over the years (as have most alumni of Freaks and Geeks). I most fondly remember Caplan from Party Down, the Starz sitcom that was as brilliant as it was short lived, where she showed she was just as able to make us laugh as to relate to a down-on-her-luck character. It’s too early to tell if Sheen and Caplan will really have chemistry, but it appears to be a safe-bet.

Overall it’s a good first episode, that’s certainly not anything groundbreaking, but it just as much shows promise. Sure, I couldn’t help but feel that modern film making techniques clashed with the show’s period aesthetic, but I also enjoyed the rest of the episode enough to give it the benefit of the doubt that it’s still trying to find it’s voice. Hell, one of the many productive things I’ve learned from the massive amount of time I’ve spent watching television, is that plenty of great shows had rocky beginnings. Just look at the early episodes of Parks and Recreation, The Office (U.S.), and even Seinfeld. I even had a lukewarm reaction to the first episode of Orange is the New Black, and now I’m championing it as the next leap forward for the medium. Masters of Sex is absolutely worth checking out, especially if you really like…masters!

*Spoilers

*Major Spoilers

*Trust Me. You do not want to read this until you’ve seen the episode

Alright now that that’s settled

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R.I.P Hank and Gomez

It really couldn’t have gone any other way. They were out manned and out gunned, yet the fact that we’ve seen Hank survive two other gun-fights before made us think that he could really get through this ordeal, but this time he just couldn’t. Still, he just showed what a noble and strong fighter he was even till the end, accepting his death and refusing to beg for mercy. His last line really summed up his relationship with Walt the best, “You’re the smartest guy I’ve ever met, but you’re too dumb to realize he made up his mind 10 minutes ago.” When the gun shot finally came, the effect was simply devastating, almost as much for a viewer as it was for Walt. Walt’s action had caused the death of a family member, the one threshold he truly did not want to cross. It was heartbreaking on so many levels!

Ozymandias was an episode that really brought the series direction to an immensely powerful and satisfying destination, perfectly setting the show up for it’s final two episodes. In a tactic fully adroit to the show’s nature, Ozymandias’ cold opening does not show us the aftermath of the massive gun battle just yet, but instead takes us to a flashback scene that must have occurred within the show’s first or second season. We see Walt and Jesse (back when they had mustaches instead of beards) in lighter times, which makes one recall that at one point the show was actually quite a bit more humorous than it now is. Seeing Walt call Skylar to talk about going on a weekend vacation or contemplate their baby’s name, it really shows that the initial reason that Walt became involved with this game was always for his family’s sake. It’s enough to bring a tear to one’s eye, after everything else that follows in this episode.

Since the show’s second season I’ve contemplated how Walt would tell Jesse about Jane. I had often thought that Walt would tell him while under the influence of alcohol or some drug (similar to that time he drank too much wine and said some potentially dangerous things to Hank), but I never thought that Walt would tell it to Jesse’s face to spite him. I was really choked up seeing Walt give Jack his permission to kill Jesse, and then allow them to take him away to do god knows what. Still, the fact that Jesse survived the neo-nazis (so that he could become their enslaved meth-cook), makes me optimistic that he will have a “happy” ending, and perhaps it’s not too late for Walt and Jesse to find redemption together.

So yes, Walt lost so much due to Jack, from his brother-in-law to the vast majority of his fortune, but this episode would see him losing even more. Once again we see how Walt tries to save his family, but cannot be honest to them at the same time. Skyler immediately feels that Walt is Hank’s killer, and when she grabs a knife things only got uglier. The fight scene really was a tumultuous scene, and it was shot in just such a shocking way. It felt that Skyler or Walt Jr. could be on the receiving end of that blade at any moment, but fortunately Gilligan and his writers realized that this episode had enough bloodshed already. Walt kidnapping Holly was a huge shock as well, and I can imagine there was a very involved discussion by the writers about whether Walt would keep her or not.

Lastly, before I close this blog post and wait with abated breath for next week’s episode, I must bring up Walt’s phone call to Skyer. Skyler has often been referred to as a “bitch” by the show’s fans, and has faced so much fan-forum ridicule over the years. Still, when Walt calls he a “stupid bitch”, it really carried so much gravity to it, especially after Walt began to blame her for all his problems. Walt had said last season that he wanted to continue to cook as without his family he feels he has nothing, and in this scene we see him in full Heisenberg mode. He’s detestable, he’s intimidating, and certainly terrifying.  On the other hand though, it’s hard not to acknowledge that Walt’s whole plan has gone to shit in just one episode, and we fully understand why he is so full of rage. When Walt leaves her behind, it acts as a sign that their is still humanity to him, and it makes me hopeful that Walt will earn some sort of tribulation for all the evils he’s done. The only thing is…I have no idea how that’s even possible.

Also, the title of the episode is a reference to Watchmen. It really did have everything!

5 Buckets of Los Pollos Hermanos out of 5

Yeah I know, Sunday’s episode of Breaking Bad can’t come here quick enough. I mean, we’re always eager to see the next episode, but after that cliffhanger! I for one am thinking there’s gonna be at least one major character death, and that the show is gonna make me fucking cry! Hopefully you can tide off the wait a little bit though, by reading this special editorial edition of my Breaking Bad column. While I had always intended for this to be a series of recap articles, I feel that the recent confirmation of the series getting a spin-off deserves a few of my thoughts and words.

So yeah, it’s official. Breaking Bad is getting a spin-off tentatively called Better Call Saul, and it will act as a prequel series for the titular character. I for one am pretty excited…not everyone else is though. Since this announcement was made, I’ve talked to quite a few people that have expressed their misgivings with it. Some have told me that they’re skeptical that Vince Gilligan is not going to be the show runner, and also that they’re uncertain if the character can hold his own series. Of more valid concern, however, people have told me that they feel that making a Breaking Bad spin-off is merely a cash-grab tactic, and could ultimately prove gimmicky. These are all concerns that I feel are right to consider, but I also feel that there’s plenty of great potential in this series if it’s worked the right way.

For starters, I would say that Breaking Bad is a universe rich for exploration. Characters like Gus and Michael were so complexly rendered, as both humans and monsters, that it’s easy to feel that they have backstory not unlike the one we’ve seen Walt having these last 6 years. Over the last few weeks I’ve heard from a few people that they’d rather see spin-off series for those more action-prone characters, as opposed to Saul who comes off more as a middle-man. That’s exactly what got me thinking though: Saul is the ideal character for a spin-off as he is the middle man. This series will undoubtedly look into how the character obtained his underworld ties, and also possibly act as a prequel series for the show’s other great characters. How did Saul hook up with Euell and Kuby? What was Gus’ rise to power? How did Mike leave his cop background behind for a life of crime? All these answers could be seen through the eyes of Saul Goodman.

I also admit that I was instantly attracted to the idea of a Saul TV series, as I am a massive fan of the actor that plays him. Before Breaking Bad, Bob Odenkirk was probably best known as a comic, and a very respectable one too. His 1990s sketch comedy show Mr. Show has often been called the blueprint for more recent irreverent humorist shows like Children’s Hospital and Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job, and his work on supporting roles on The Larry Sanders Show and The Ben Stiller Show demonstrated that he was just such a shoe-in for secondary roles. It’s for those exact reasons, however, that people are feeling that he’s not a safe-bet for starring in an hour-long drama. I for one beg to differ once more. Odenkirk has proven that he’s a very good actor in Breaking Bad and has certainly transcended any notion that he’s merely comic relief. The scene from just two episodes ago when Jesse slugs him in the face is enough to ascertain this. Also, his bit parts in recent dramatic films (such as The Spectacular Now) shows that he is able to use his penchant ability for channeling gusto and charisma into true girth. While some have told me that it seems silly to cast the 50-year old actor into a prequel series, as it will be difficult to make the character look much younger than he appears in Breaking Bad, all I have to say is this: wigs.

As for Vince Gilligan stating that he would not be acting as show-runner, I actually think it’s a smart move too. As brilliantly paced and cohesive as Breaking Bad was, I feel that this sequel series needs to take on it’s own identity. I for one think that it should be a bit more comic, and dare I even say conventional? Saul’s profession as a lawyer should prove interesting as since Damages ended there hasn’t really been any new above-average law-based TV shows to come out. I feel that Peter Gould, the writer who will be serving as the showrunner, may very well see this show as an opportunity to skewer other Law and Order-esque programs, and perhaps even satirize them. Seeing that Gould is the actual creator of the character, I feel that he would know better than anyone how Saul’s show should look, act, and feel. Hell, I’d also be open to them giving the character a change of location, perhaps to a metropolitan city. Could New York possibly work?

I’ve thought about it long and hard, and I definitely feel that Better Call Saul really does have a lot of potential, and I don’t think it will tarnish the Breaking Bad legacy at all. That series has shown us that Gilligan and his writers are very cautious and adept at their story decisions, so I don’t think they’d be going ahead with this unless they knew they were onto something special. So what I’m basically saying, is that if you have any doubts about this decision, then you should wait and see. Until then however…only three more episodes of Breaking Bad to go!

Talk about having a slow burn payoff, huh?

Of AMC’s two great shows, Breaking Bad is often seen as being less prestigious and dramatic than Mad Men. It’s such an ironic claim to make though, as Breaking Bad is more concerned with focused storytelling than Mad Men, as well as something far more tense and ultimately gripping. All regards to Mad Men, as it is a wonderful, wonderful television program, but when it’s final season airs next year, I doubt it will have an episode like To’hajiilee. It’s an episode that’s extraordinarily pulse-pounding, expertly filmed, and able to be fully satisfying even while giving viewers a cliff-hanger ending. This is television at its very, very best.

Picking off pretty much where last episode left off, we see Walt contacting Todd, and Hank and Gomez expressing their irritation with Jesse’s backing out on the Walt contact. Soon, however, we find that Jesse does indeed have a plan to bring down Walt, and it means getting to the source of the matter: threatening his money stash. The plan they concoct to extort the information from Saul’s bodyguard, Huell, proves wonders for two reasons. Not only do they find out that Walt stashed his money in barrels and had them relocated, but they also put him under watch so that he can’t be contacted by Saul. Later on in the episode when Walt learns that Huell is missing, this is certainly enough to drive his paranoia up to stifling levels.

Speaking of Walt, he once again showed us how sloppy a criminal he can be. Contacting Uncle Jack to put out a hit on Jesse certainly puts his request in capable hands, but their request proves to be a bit more than Walt bargained for. When they ask him to cook meth for them, you know that only bad things will come from this decision. Then, when Walt decides to drag Jesse out by contacting his ex-girlfriend and having her contact him, one begins to realize that his plans are running on fumes. Also, if Walt really took the time to think about it, I know he would have realized that Jesse probably hadn’t located his money. All of these fuck-ups on Walt’s part puts us well on the side of Hank…which is exactly why this episode had such a gut wrenching end to it.

Another attribute that specifies how brilliant a show this is, I will whole-heartedly admit that there were two plot points that I predicted in To’hajiilee, but it just made the whole of it even more nail-biting. The hyper-kinetic sequence of Walt driving into the desert while Jesse taunts him over the cell phone was so gripping, so well shot and edited, but I don’t think any of us really suspected that Jesse really had found his money. When Walt finally snaps and yells out to Jesse about all the people he’s murdered, it becomes clear what the real operation was at hand. As edging as this scene was though, I found the whole scene involving Hank taking his sweet time to arrest Walt was even greater. I knew Jack wasn’t going to back out on rescuing Walt, even after Walt asked him to stand down once he discovered that he would be asking them to kill his brother-in-law. I was thinking that Hank could get a sniper bullet to the head at any moment, and that would be that. Still, seeing Jack’s trucks come along put such an uneasy feeling in my stomach.

As I said before, Breaking Bad has always been about build up, and here it paid off ten-fold. I can’t tell you how agape my mouth was the whole time seeing Hank and Gomez with their arms drawn against a group of merciless killers. Such incredible pacing too, as director Michelle McLarren (in her final episode for the show) kept off the gunfire until the time was just right. We haven’t seen any casualties yet, but there’s so much to consider from the episode’s last few shots. We saw Gomez going for Walt’s car keys, and we also saw Jesse try to reach into the glove box. I’d hate to see Gomez, Jesse, or Hank go next episode, but I can’t predict an outcome where all three of these characters get away safe. This is exactly the type of scene we’ve been waiting for over these last few episodes, and only one thing about the aftermath is certain: it’s not gonna be pretty.

5 sleazy-characters-played-by-Bob-Odenkirk out of 5