Scarecrow's Blog From the Darkside

"Filter" doesn't necessarily give us a hell of lot but does offer some context to the yet-to-be-named character of Skarsgård, who tells Pangborn he's not the Devil. But at the very end of "Filter", Skarsgård tells Pangborn that he shouldn't have left him in Warden Lacy's trunk. In the previous episode, there was a flashback revealing Pangborn, much younger, pulling over Lacy, hearing the banging in the trunk, seeing Skarsgård (who, despite 30 years, hasn't aged), and yet not interfering, leaving "the kid" in there. Arriving at Ruth's after a successful search for Lacy's car in an auto junkyard, Pangborn isn't prepared for blood on Skarsgård's hand, panicked and rushing into the house, finding it in disarray with bloody handprints and drops leaving us with that unknown of her condition. The series has been building to this, although to the extent of what damage Skarsgård would cause to those close to Deaver wasn&

As the episode, Local Color , the third episode of Hulu’s Stephen King series, Castle Rock , was finishing, I couldn’t help but hearken back to a conversation I had with a friend at work who told me she didn’t want anything to do with “scary” movies. I tried to convince her to give this show a try as it was more about mystery and intrigue in a failing Maine town seemingly overwrought with financial/economic ruin. Then the end of the episode has struggling psychic (who just wants the ‘thought’ messages and voices to go away), and wannabe realtor success, Molly Strand, pulling a large butcher knife [natch] from the drawer of the kitchen in her ransacked home, gradually surveying the area, hearing a noise/sound upstairs (*gulp*), cautiously moving up towards her bedroom, reaching around carefully each corner or room until she gets to the bed, looking under it for clues, before exiting into the hall where she indeed comes in contact with a bandaged figure representing the pastor, the adopt

Heavy is the head that wears the golden crown... Viserys was no dragon. --- Game of Thrones, A Golden Crown

I must say that Terry O'Quinn (as the warden of Shawshank Correctional Facility...I hope they keep the King throwbacks coming!) throwing a tightened noose around his neck (after tying the rope to a nearby tree) and driving over a cliff decapitating himself was not exactly what I was anticipating!  The show certainly offers plenty more odd twists where that came from! Like a cordoned cell block (F) with a "hole" containing a "cage" holding prisoner a cadaverous gaunt young man (Bill Skarsgård) who only speaks the name of a former resident, Henry Deaver (André Holland).  Nearby the unnamed prisoner's cage was a seat and a bucket of used cigarette butts, later to be revealed as the warden's.  Warden Dale Lacy is the one who actually tells the young man to mention Deaver's name when he's found...that certainly begs to question what about Deaver is of such significance to this whole discovery of the "inmate" with no record on file of h

So I have been watching the Hulu Stephen King homage series, Castle Rock, and if love the author's work, or grew up in the 70s-90s during his real heydey, this show should check all the boxes. Or at the very least, it will have you studiously examining the show for those prize connections to past works. I might include just some of what I have recently reviewed almost exclusively for my IMDb user account as context. It certainly sparks up the Halloween spirit and spirits up the urge to go and binge everything King.

When Ned and Cat embrace and kiss, the camera makes sure to hold fixed on Ned's face as she moved away, the proper foreshadowing and providing a tragic finality similar to his telling Jon that when they met again he'd give him history on the mother he never knew. Understanding that their son, Bran, no longer capable of walking and unable to remember the cause of his fall, was the victim of the Lannisters but without real proof, Cat needs the smoking gun. However, that proof remains elusive. As Ned looks on as his wife leaves, the camera and Sean Bean's marvelous subtlety give us a specific reason to not be a shocked at what is to come. Ned and Cat would never see each other alive again, both victims of this harsh world in Westeros.

Robert Baratheon : What about Aerys Targaryen? What did the Mad King say when you stabbed him in the back? I never asked. Did he call you a traitor? Did he plead for a reprieve? Jaime Lannister : He said the same thing he'd been saying for hours... "Burn them all". Jaime Lannister : It must be strange for you... coming into this room. I was standing right here when it happened. He was very brave, your brother. Your father too. They didn't deserve to die like that. Nobody deserves to die like that. Eddard Stark : But you just stood there and watched. Jaime Lannister : Five hundred men just stood there and watched. All the great knights of the Seven Kingdoms. You think anyone said a word, lifted a finger? No, Lord Stark. Five hundred men and this room was silent as a crypt. Except for the screams, of course, and the mad king laughing. And later... when I watched the mad king die, I remembered him laughing as your father burned... it fe

During the first season, it was a given that eventually Sharon Boomer Valerii would "get turned on" and become a danger onboard the Battlestar Galactica. It wasn't a matter of if but when. The conclusion of "Kobol's Last Gleaming Part 2" leaves Sharon tackled to the floor of the bridge after shooting Commander Adama in cold blood as he was about to congratulate her on the successful explosion mission, boarding and destroying the Cylon Basestar orbiting Kobol, thanks to a transponder that tricked the cylons into believing a Raptor was commandeered by a cylon agent. The trick works, but Sharon realizes when meeting numerous clones that she is a cylon, later unloading her gun on Adama when he allows her to get close. Her mission was indeed a dangerous one, but her ability to both board and bomb the Basestar seemed all part of a bigger cylon plan. When a Raptor crashes on Kobol, certain officers (and Gaius Baltar) escape the burning wreckage, includ

I must admit that I wasn't expecting to see Helo shoot "the other" Sharon Boomer, but considering what the cylons did to his race, it probably shouldn't be too shocking. And having such an intimate encounter, too, adds a particular layer of difficulty as Helo realizes his sexual involvement with a cylon. And on the BG, the Sharon counterpart cannot deal with the troubled psyche and disconcerting, nagging impulse to be violent towards someone she cares about, talking it over with Gaius before trying to kill herself. Tyrol visiting her doesn't help matters as he reminds her of her ensuing isolation, unable to have a decent relationship with a partner of her choosing. Starbuck sleeping with Gaius but calling out Apollo's name during their sexual encounter certainly increases tensions and ruins the pleasure! Apollo realizing the two were involved and punches thrown between Starbuck and Gaius only makes matters worse. Starbuck tries to apologize but

Hand of God did sort of have a Star Wars vibe to me as Apollo must fly his Viper into a narrow tunnel located in a base on an asteroid containing much needed ore, occupied and featuring a swarm of cylons. Commander Adama picking Starbuck's unorthodox brain for an attack strategy that the cylons might not anticipate really is quite a statement of his respect and interest in her unique space fight perspective. Because the cylons would tactically coordinate attack plans based on how the military have conducted themselves in the past, Starbuck could perhaps offer Adama a different approach to surprising them. The base on the asteroid needs to be taken out so the ore can be used for fuel the BG and Colonial ships are in desperate need of. In fact they have enough fuel for like two jumps and the cylons could always challenge them at any time. Using cargo holds to hide Vipers and Colonial ships as decoys, the attack plan might just work, but Apollo will counted on to us

So Gaius Baltar ends up banging a "reporter" who is wearing no panties and goes out of her way to let him know she's interested as the two wind up in a restroom stall, elected Roslin's Vice President, stirring up popularity with "constituents" and the public despite "reformed prisoner/terrorist" Zarek gaining momentum, and is "given permission" from the Six in his mind to have sex with any woman he so chooses (...as long as he remembers she has his heart, and can rip it from his chest!). Oh, and he even gets to dance with an elegant Starbuck, "cleaning herself up good" to prove Apollo a point. Colonial Day is more or less a politically charged episode, obviously pulling from what existed at that time in 2004/2005, revealing that Roslin was dead-set on stopping Zarek from securing the power he so desires, that of being her Vice President. Even Apollo, who considered Zarek a charismatic figure gaining traction w

* * * * / * * * * I fully understood that there isn’t much more I personally could add that hasn’t been picked with a fine tooth comb and analyzed ad nauseum regarding Game of Thrones. At some point somebody has made a point or comment about every aspect and characterization involved in each and every episode. But I have had some really good discussion with folks at work about the show, particularly with a few big fans, so some passing thoughts do ping-pong about in the brain. In fact I have actually written about The Kingsroad a few years back on the blog. I’ll try to make it quick, then. Bran awakening at the end, his eyes opened when it wasn’t expected, I just thought that was great stuff. Certainly he shouldn’t be. With Cersei and Jaime believing their handiwork in the previous episode would take care of him, a hired assassin not preparing for Cat and Bran’s direwolf to defend a comatose Bran also not successful; Bran’s recovery at all is seemingly a miracle. The episode

* * * / * * * * I think Smile -despite the satisfaction of seeing Kilgrave's neck snapped like a twig by Jessica Jones, his body dropped in a heap to the sidewalk of the marina where he had a bunch of folks attack each other until seizing control of Trish, mocking his adversary regarding how he would rape and torment her "sister"-does suffer from a sense of inevitability and predictability. Being that this is the final episode, it was obvious JJ wouldn't die. Sure there might have been concern that something might happen to Trish, particularly because she kept helping Jessica and putting herself in the dangerous crosshairs. Jeri Hogarth even actually makes herself useful instead of a liability; facing being pushed out of her firm, having lost her lover due to the murder charge regarding the ex-wife, and still enduring the scars caused by Kilgrave's orders, Jeri defends Jessica when the law wants to pursue litigation against Jessica. Jeri c

  Laura won't be for all Walking Dead fans. Some might consider it a "filler" episode or a "character piece", an episodic romantic interlude within a season needing a brief respite from the ongoing backwards/forwards story arc about Madison's faction and Mel's faction. It does give back story to how John Dorie and Laura (Naomi to Madison and her folks) met, fell in love, and their time spent together on his farm, often fighting off zombies with axes and knives to the heads/faces. Truthfully that description is exactly it. John Dorie is by himself, thinking up words while playing Scrabble all by his lonesome. He finds Laura washed ashore, injured and in need of medical assistance (a wound to her side will need stitching), offering his home and food to her while she heels up. She is a warm body to talk to, spend time with, even share popcorn while watching a movie. While in the middle of a nap, John Dorie awakens to Laura looking at hi

* * * * / * * * * Okay, so my friends and I had a good laugh because of mybrevelamy rto them of this novel of notes I had after revisting Game of Thrones, the first episode. Previously I already have written about it, but all of this kept beckoning me. Admittedly my blog has fallen on hard times lately after a strong start to the year but nonetheless I trek on... Just a smorgasbord of bits and pieces. I have a friend of mine who agreed to watch the show along with me. It gives us some topical conversation to ward off the tedium. "A madman sees what he sees" Bran must watch as Ned lops off the head of a "deserter of the night watch".  "Law is law" You must not leave Night Watch under any circumstances. If you do, execution is the result.  When the Starks depart after Arya shows up Bran with her bow/arrow skills... Lady Cat looks at Jon Snow in repulsion. The first episode doesn't necessarily elaborate too much on Jon's status Me