Scarecrow's Blog From the Darkside

You kinda know that when you being a series and there is an interview with a police detective about his partner, immediately the thought comes: What did his partner do? To say Detective Rust Cohle (Matthew McConaughey; nothing short of mesmerizing and enigmatic) is overcome by the darkness of the miseries he’s encountered/experienced/seen. He considers himself a pessimist, opening up his bleak worldview to his partner, Martin Hart (Woody Harrelson, a terrific alternative to Cohle, with a family and less dark purview of the world for which he lives). Hart is opinionated, counterpoints Cohle’s immediate conclusions to crime scenes with a “woah, don’t rush into judgment just yet” approach that grounds both detectives so that they can investigate without tunnel vision. Allow the evidence to determine the case’s results and solve it without determining motive at first glance and observation. But Cohle is brilliant, reads a lot about true crime and differing investigative methods, what m...

Bill Hader (of Saturday Night Live fame) stars (and also directs, even receiving a Primetime Emmy for this role) as a hitman (returning from Afghanistan a damaged Marine, depressed and unsure of what to do with his life as a civilian), lingering in emotional uncertainty in the Midwest while Stephen Root sends him to different locations to kill “marks” (he stays a little longer which irks Root because of the “extra expenses”). L.A. is the next stop, with Hader sent to execute a gym instructor (wanting to be an actor, of course) but accidentally roped into a theater troupe, all struggling to “make it” in Hollywood. But being on stage, thanks to the very mark he was supposed to kill (!!!) needing a “standin”, Hader realizes that there is potential in “turning his life around”. Winkler (who has his best role in years, also having won an Emmy) is the beloved “old pro theater director”, a mentor (with a price tag, of course) for outsiders arriving in ‘Wood looking to become the next b...

This episode had me smiling ear to ear because it is so clever. It has that wallop of a surprise at the end just jumps in the middle of the room out of the corner and yells, “Gotcha!” There was even use of the old BG theme and this patriotic video package put together by “intrepid, unbiased reporter”, D’Anna Biers (Lucy Lawless) in order to explain to The Fleet that those who serve on Commander Adama’s ship (and under his command) brave it all and sacrifice much as a protective military for what remains of humankind. With a brief threat from Cylons, D’Anna captures them intensely as Adama, Tigh, and his bridge crew (and those serving throughout) remains calm, cool, and collected. Her footage, as it is put together, pleases Adama and President Roslin, while Tigh is for the most part concerned about how they are portrayed—“warts and all”, Adama believes The Fleet should see what his men and women face and struggle through every day, such as beleaguered pilot, Kat (Luciana Carro), try...

As a casual viewer of The Walking Dead, I can see why some have suffered fatigue. I can see why many have fled. But some have stuck it out...for better or worse. I don't have passion for the show, admittedly, but I watch it occasionally to see what is available. Following others, most fairly critique it, but the apathy and burden of 9 seasons....for those who have been there since the beginning, it does appear to be an albatross, oftentimes a wearisome task writing about it. Perhaps not wasting away through the years, popping in and out, has saved me a lot of exhaustion. I can't say personally Stradivarius was a good hour of television. Well, it wasn't technically the worst, either. middling , is the term I'd use. There was a scene where a character named Luke speaks about "unity" regarding how humankind survived down through the years. You have all this hammered home about the need to unite instead of being separate. I had talked with a friend about how this ...