Here is a portion of the recap from yesterday’s Blazers vs Thunder game:

“There are plenty of things to praise in this game. Gerald Wallace has a rough shooting night, and at point-blank range no less, but all is forgiven thanks to some excellent defense and rebounding.  Don’t forget Nicolas’ crucial blocks and timely three-pointer. But, the man of the night is clearly LaMarcus with…”

Head over to BlazersVideos.com for the full article and visit after each game for new content, including commentary, recaps and of course highlight videos!

Andrew Scotts’s  Moriarty remains quite mysterious and the lengths and depths to which he fits in with Sherlock’s world remain undiscovered.  In many ways he is a mirror of Sherlock. He appears to do what he does not for any sort of obvious material gains at this point, but for the superiority of controlling and being smarter than ones “opponent”.

After the credits roll we’re treated to a montage of perspective clients which have no apparent connection.  These clients and past ones are amusingly chronicled by Watson’s blog on Holmes which makes the titular hero something of a media and internet sensation. “Nobody’s reading your website”, Watson says to Holmes. Holmes seems to have no interest in these cases until he is forced to as men in suits arrive and escort both Holmes and Sherlock (from different locations) to Buckingham Palace of all places. We find that brother Mycroft is representing a member of the royal family in a case that calls for Sherlock’s expertise, which he almost refuses to give while dressed in merely a blanket.

It seems there are “incriminating photos” as is always the case with political scandal, which lead back to a dominatrix by the name of Irene Adler. Sherlock quickly sniffs out her location but is met with a difficult challenge. Adler strips herself, quite literally, of any items which Holmes may use for deduction, leaving him befuddled by her beauty and lack of any clues for him to pick up on. It is clear they have a somewhat equal footing in the intellect department. The plot rapidly thickens with CIA Agents arriving at the dominatrix’s apartment looking for her hidden information. Holmes finds a hidden safe, springing a trap and allowing for their escape. Adler quickly turns on Holmes and makes an escape of her own later, leaving Sherlock unconscious.

Months pass in the storyline (apparently 6) and we find Holmes, Lestrad, Watson and company at Christmas-time.  Holmes’ complete detachment from feelings and reality become quite apparent as he belittles poor lab-rat Molly and the object of her affection, which is, though obvious to us, not clear to Holmes; she has feelings for Sherlock.  Realizing his error, he has a genuine human moment and apologizes. A text received leads him to a hidden phone and the body of a dead Adler, uncharacteristically devestating Holmes.

A secret meeting reveals to Watson and then in-turn Sherlock that Adler has faked her death to hide from agencies out to get her: the British, Americans and a terrorist group. Adler later shows up at 221B after a re-appearance of the CIA whom Holmes dispatches quite easily. As Adler works with Holmes we come to understand she is working in her own best interest and with Moriarty only.  Having seemingly beaten Sherlock as the full depth of the political situation are revealed, Sherlock overcomes his feelings, of all things, to finally solve the case, returning to logic while gaining humanity at the same time.

Watson and Mycroft learn later, that sadly, the terrorists have caught up with and executed Irene… but that’s certainly not the end.

Irene Adler played by Lara Pulver is strongly seductive and intriguing, and it’s all in the eyes. As a third party its not hard to believe her at first. Yet when we stop, though privy to more information than Holmes, it’s still somehow jarring that he doesn’t figure out that he’s being played.  And full credit goes to the actors and the story; his lack of self-awareness is due to the fact that, in part, there are genuine feelings underneath all this cleverness and subterfuge.  Holmes is vulnerable to a beautiful and intelligent lady, or at least, he was. Making mistakes of this magnitude are not repeatable patterns for Sherlock.

The end segment was surprisingly touching though a bit out of the realm of this reality. Sherlock Holmes as an action star should be left to the big screen.  It does cement the ever-growing humanity in Cumberbatch’s Holmes; but stepping away from my enjoyment of this first episode, it felt out of place. Overall this is still a really strong entry into this incarnation of Sherlock Holmes’ story.

A Scandal in Belgravia is a play on the Sherlock Holmes story A Scandal in Bohemia which similarly has Holmes investigating a scandal of royal proportions involving Irene Adler, who in the original is an American Opera singer. Belgravia is a district of modern day Central London. BBC’s Sherlock returns next Sunday with their modern take on many peoples favorite Sherlock Holmes story, The Hounds of the Baskervilles.

Max Payne 3 Special Edition Details

The centerpiece of this SE is the 10-inch tall Max Payne 3 statue made by Triforce, a

Click for Larger Image

company that has done figures for the Gears of War and Mass Effect series amongst others. This features a grizzled, aging Max Payne in a tattered Grey suit, guns akimbo.  Recent reveals and coverage of the game have let us know that we will take control and follow a storyline of Max at various points in his life, leading up to the bearded, burly and shaved head Max that has been prominently featured in early previews. This continues the trend of the statue as the centerpiece of many Special or Collector’s Editions these days. It looks like an excellent collectible piece.

Also included in the Max Payne 3 Special Edition is a Bullet Keychain, this will go nicely with my Uncharted 3 belt buckle, and Drake’s Ring and the yet as unsecured Assassins Creed hoodie.  The other trend in SE and CE packages are wearable items, that also continues here. For Videogame soundtrack lovers, such as myself, the inclusion of the official soundtrack, aka, original score music is a welcome treat. I’m not sure who is scoring the new entry, but check out the first trailer below, which makes use of the pure Max Payne 2 theme music.

This has slowly turned into a must buy for me and will set the pocket book back quite a bit as it comes right around the time of the Mass Effect 3 N7 Edition at $79.99. Remember, again, the Max Payne 3 Special Edition Pre-Order is only valid “while supplies last” and up the January 15, 2012 cut-off date.  I sensed a weight on my wallet, drenched in gloom and laden with foreboding…

The Walking Dead – Secrets

Carl is up on his feet and feeding chickens, he notices that there are some missing. It’s because they’re being fed to the walkers, after their legs are broken so they can’t get away. That’s lovely. Glenn discusses the barn with Maggie. Now he has to hide both Lori and the barn, and as he says, “he sucks at lying”. Glenn’s guilt leads to some comic moments, the last two episodes have been full of them. Andrea apologizes to Daryl. He’s cool with it, as long as she knows, “if shoot me again, you best pray I’m dead”.

Glenn offers to go into town for Lori’s “medical condition”. He is a good guy trying to do the right thing and she is too guilt-ridden to a) let him help and b) tell Rick the truth. Carl is discovered with a weapon, which leads to a confrontation between Rick and Lori. Ultimately it is decided that he needs to know how to handle one, and Shane is the best teacher, so he learns along with everyone else. Andrea, in particular shows an aptitude for it. As soon as the group is gone, Glenn spills the beans to Dale.

While the others shoot, Dale confronts Herschel. The walkers, are his wife, family and friends. He is convinced it is a medical condition. Dale tries to convince him otherwise. This will only increase tension between the groups. Later it gets worse as Lori attempts to thank Herschel for his help, only to learn that they will be “moving on soon”. She confronts Rick and scolds him for keeping secrets; pot meet kettle.

Shane tries to motivate Andrea into shooting by berating her. She cannot do it. He continues to badger her saying, “that’s the walker that got Amy”. Andrea is horrified and leaves.  Shane follows in the car and offers half-assed apologies along with the opportunity to check out a planned development where Sophia may be holed up. She is pissed but too excited at the opportunity to be useful and fire more weapons.

Dale breaches the barn and then he breaches the pregnancy topic, speaking to Lori. Lori is terrified at the idea of bringing a child up in what the world has now become. She walks away wounded, Dale cannot find a justification for keeping the child.  Lori sends Glenn on another errand for “supplies”, Maggie tags along so that she can yell at Glenn for giving up her secret. Turns out Lori has asked for abortion pills. As Maggie searches the pharmacy and walker grabs ahold of her. Glenn dispatches the walker in style and you get the feeling Maggie might just now understand that the walkers are not “afflicted” they are re-animated killing machines.

An enraged Maggie returns to camp, yelling about her abortion pills. Maggie is falling for Glenn, she is afraid of losing him.  She wants him to stand up for himself, she sees, as we have that Glenn is too often the bait, considering he is one of the most resourceful and intelligent group members. Meanwhile Andrea and Shane explore a cul-de-sac, with a home that has walled off sections.  It seems as if the home is fill of a mass-suicide both upstairs and in the garage. Walkers begin to invade from the partially ajar garage door. The duo fires, Shane more successfully. Andreas weapon jams but Shane lets the walkers gain ground, forcing Andrea to take action. She finally does and then goes on a shooting spree. Suddenly she is taking some sort of sick pleasure out of it. It gets her riled up enough that she puts the moves on Shane during the ride home. Which is strange considering his dark and twister turn and treatment.

Glenn explains to Lori about the attack at the pharmacy. He offers prenatal vitamins as an alternative to the abortion pills. Glenn asks if they are friends, which Lori affirms. So he offers this advice, “your choice… maybe shouldn’t make it alone”. Lori swallows the pills anyways but then runs into the woods to throw them up, leaving the evidence behind which Rick finds. Rick and Lori have yet another heart to heart. She finally spills the beans on her and Shane. Rick knows, “of course he knows”, he says as if to convince himself it’s OK. Who knows what happens from this point on.

Dale confront Shane on their return. He does this for a number of reasons, it’s up to us to decide where is motivation truly lies, but as he says “he is looking out for the group” and he of course has affection (what type?) for Andrea. Dale openly wonders about the night Otis died and is unsatisfied with the answer.  He brings up the moment when Shane had Rick in his gunsights. When he says that he knows “what kind of man you are” cue the creepy tones and the darkness of Shane envelops the screen as he threatens Dale in a most menacing tone. Dale is a badass for standing up to Shane. Shane’s descent is coming to it’s end…

Nebraska Episode Recap

Dexter contemplates “being lost” Rita, Lumen, but his brother Brian has found him. Dexter is turning… saying he can “stop pretending there is any light in him”. The brotherly reunion is interrupted by sister with news. Trinity has popped up again. This floors Dexters. Two new deaths, his wife and daughter. But we know Trinity is dead… so who is the culprit. Jonah, the son survived an attack. Likely suspect #1. Brian figured it out and suggest a “road trip”. Conviently Deb gives him the day off. Shouldn’t Deb be more sad about Lundy? Dex thinks of her last always.

Travis is trying to reform. Spending time with his sister. He almost asks her how he ever fell for Gellar’s B.S. And, on cue, Gellar is at his door. Travis says he is done. Gellar insists they were chosen. Geller will carry on with God’s work until Travis’s “detour” is over with.

Dexter with new guide Brian examine the crime scene photos, piecing together the details of their deaths. Dexter insists that Jonah loved his mother and sister, he did in fact attempt to protect them from Trinity (dad). Brian says, “when has love ever stopped anyone”. “It’s in the blood” Dexter says as he looks at Harrison. Dexter is having second thoughts. Brian talks him back into though, “When was the last time you had fun.”

Laguerta and deb, conference, low numbers etc dex continues his trip. deb says not 4, she needs help, dex is drive by his dark passenger, semi-literally filled by the apparition of his dead brother. brian gives Dex urges to kill against the code. Instead Dexter has sex with her and steals the gun from behind the counter. Dexter is losing it, shooting a gun down the highway and speeding at his brother’s urging.

Dexter arrives and finds Jonah working at a supply store. Jonah knows that Kyle Butler is Dexter Morgan. Jonah lies about seeing his father there, killing his mother. Jonah doesn’t show much emotion while describing the death of his mother, possibly only slight anger. The girl that Travis let go has reported it to the police. Batista and Deb interview her. She recounts her torture and forced blood drinking… ewwww..

Dexter has a flat at the shady lane motel and their something a little weird about the hotel owner who offers to fix Dexter’s flat and tells him to stick to the road walking to town. Dex does not at brother Brian’s urging and discoversa pot farm in the middle of the corn field.

Travis checks in on the church and Gellar disembowels an alligator… creepo.

Mike, Batista and Quinn talk revelations and the Whore of Babylon. She was forced to drink Gellar and Travi’s blood. New intern is going to try and narrow 2400 accomplice suspects. New intern visits with Jamie, he shows her his computer game. It’s a Miami Metro game featuring her brother Batista in primitive graphical form. Deb busts in trying to find Dex because he won’t return her calls while he in psycho-land with his dead brother. Dexter is a dick to his sister when she finally gets a hold of him… not good.

Brian argues against the code. Motel man has stolen his knives and forensics kit, Dexter goes in anyway Jonah’s home regardless. He finds evidence of a cleanup and traces of blood… but Jonah shows up. Dex confronts him and he flees.

Back at shady lane the owner tries to blackmail dex, when he pulls a gun, it’s over for him. In a weird mental representation, Brian pitchforks the owner and we camera roll around his back to Dexter holding the pitchfork. The brothers then strike into a twisted American Gothic portrait pose. Brian see how much Dexter enjoys “the light going out of their eyes”. Dexter “feels like anything his possible”; he seems to spiraling out of control. They dump the body in a grain silo.

Travis returns to Gellar to give him back his things. Gellar paints a picture of the evils of the world trying to conflict the boy and insisting he and Travis must stop it. Travis rages. He wants to be free, Gellar releases him. Back at Miami Metro, Quinn apologizes, finally. Oh god they begin to kiss… but she can’t let this happen. “They are really over” realizes Quinn in a sad moment of closure.

Dexter heads to a meet point with his next victim. The catch is that Jonah wants to die. Dexter makes him explain. His sister killed herself. Their mom was mentally destroying them, blaming the kids, wishing for her serial killer husband to return… causing the sister’s suicide. Jonah raged and killed his mother. Brian urges the kill. Dexter comes to his sense and gets the heck out of town, telling the boy, “forgive yourself”.

Masuka’s intern created software to find the accomplice and narrows the huge list to 200. Travis is on this list. Gellar was in the Travis’s house, creepy. Yay! Harry is back! “Welcome home son,” as Dexter returns to Miami.

Chupacabra Episode Recap

This episode opens with a flashback of Shane, Lori and Carl as well as Carol’s family, stopped on the highway prior to as they trying to flee the city. Shane is horrified as napalm is dropped on the downtown area. As we return to the present the group is laying out grids for the Sophia search. This episode is heavy on the funny lines, beginning with Dale making a comment about Daryl believing in Chupacabra. They laugh at him, but he says is just as outrageous as the walking dead.

Glenn shares an awkward moment with Maggie, letting her know they still have eleven condoms left. Maggie says “that’s eleven minutes of my life I won’t get back”. Zing! Shane and Rick search their portion of the grid, recounting old times in high school when Shane was quite the ladies man. Remember that Rick still has no idea about Shane and Lori, and no one but Lori and Glenn know that she is pregnant, and still further none of them including Lori know who the dad is.  The conversation with Shane immediately turns dark as he believes the search is worthless and challenges Rick to make the “hard decisions”.

Daryl is alone in his search and finds Sophia’s doll in a river bed.  His horse is spooked by a rattlesnake and he fall down into a ravine, hitting his head and impaling himself with an arrow in the process. When he hears noises in the woods he immediate wades through the water to find his fallen crossbow. He then begins a steep, painful climb out of the river bed only to fall a few feet from the top. He is furthered injured and now delirious/unconscious.

Herschel is angry that Daryl took a horse and Jimmy went on the search. Jimmy said he had permission, but he didn’t. Herschel says, “I’ll control my people, you control yours”.

Enter Merle to taunt his baby brother. We quickly realize that Merle is an illusion brought on be pain and blood loss. Not only does this bring back a popular character, played by a great actor, Michael Rooker, but it gives us more of the back-story on Daryl, a character not in the original source material. Merle does two things, in a backwards way he motivates Daryl to climb out and save himself and then at the same time he tries to sow seeds of doubt as to Daryl belonging with this group.

Merle starts tugging at Daryls boot and then we crossover back into reality and it’s a walker about to take a bite out of Daryl. As he struggles with one and other emerges from the woods. Daryl bludgeons the first attack then pulls the arrow out of his side to brain the other one with his crossbow. This is why people love Daryl, he’s a badass. Daryl uses the negative motivation to get up and get moving.

Herschel “counsels” Maggie to stay away from the “asian boy” and not to get “close to these people”. Andrea is still being a pain in the ass and rude to Dale.  Glenn tries to talk man talk with Dale and lets him know about Maggie. Dale is not happy, but Glenn sadly states he did it because, “I was thinking that I might be dead tomorrow.”

Andrea spots a walker, but it’s really a battered and bloody Daryl in the distance. Andrea is really eager to prove her worth and shoot the walker with a rifle. She is repeatedly told not too as Shane, Rick and T-dog approach. She decides that she’s going to do it anyway. As the boys figure out that it’s Daryl, she takes the shot and he is down.  After an agonizing commercial break we find she only grazed his head. Cue sigh of relief.

Daryl is going to be okay. Lori is not. Dale helps out Andrea with some humor, and they’re probably gonna be OK. Shane is willing to sacrifice children to save Lori and Carl, no mention of anyone else. This is only going to get worse. Maggie and Glenn are caught exchanging notes over dinner. Maggie reads hers later only to panic after discovering Glenn has chosen the hay loft as their rendezvous spot. Finally the secret of the barn (somewhat) is revealed as it’s full of walkers.

Boardwalk Empire – Peg of Old Recap

Nucky is setting up a fight over the “wireless” and reporters are asking tough questions. Van Alden returns to Lucy, who is chain-smoking in the kitchen. His wife has gone away. Lucy wants out obviously. Nelson doesn’t have her money as was promised. Then he bails when the baby wails.

Jimmy is chatting with Luciano, Harrow and their haphazard crew. Capone is there with them.  Eli shows up to join. The are essentially talking about supplanting all the bosses, Nucky, Torio and Rothstein. They are already bickering. Eli suggests killing Nucky. Harrow already seemed opposed to that in the past so I wonder what happens. They all agree, aside from Jimmy. Then he cracks under the pressure, the giant douchebag.

The prosecutors in Nucky’s case have taken up Van Alden’s space and he’s very unhappy about this indeed. God he’s a weird dude. Van Alden stews while Margaret is taking a carriage to.. Brooklyn? It’s her family. Margaret is Peg. It’s awkward… very awkward. She eats with her family. They work hard and are poor. Margaret offers help but is turned down.

Nucky meets with his lawyer until Lucy shows up with baby. She wants money for the baby. She tells Nucky who the father is. Hmm… Van Alden can overhear the case. Nucky is
going to turn the screws on Van Alden obviously. He is in Nucky’s office a short while later and tells Lucy, “We’ll discuss this at home… dear”. I got a laugh out of that. Nucky lays out the deal to keep Van Alden’s indiscretions from becoming known and bank-rolling his mistress and brand-new daughter.

Creepy mom dresses for Jimmy. God their relationship is uncomfortable. Jimmy talks about the ordered hit on Nucky. Creepy mom counsels him to not go back on his word. He doesn’t want to do it now, but it’s late in the game.

Peg/Margaret talks to brother Eamon who makes her feel bad about missing her mother’s death and burial. She left home after she she became pregnant and faced life in a convent. She attempts to give him money, that she previously took when she left home.

Luciano is sleeping with creepy mom again, how could this end up bad? At the same time Van Alden’s wife is back and watching over the baby. Oh wait, no, it’s a neighbor that Lucy has paid to watch the baby. Lucy has gone away.

Margaret says goodbye to her much younger sister, as well as brother and his wife and child. Van Alden talks to the baby about names, settling on Abigail. He is normal, if only for a moment. He then goes to talk to Randolph (investigating Nucky). He confesses about his daughter. He gives up his entire set of files on Nucky. He agrees to testify for her as well. She will sort out the “domestic situation” for him.

Eamon gives the money back. He doesn’t “think much of her at all”. He’s a dick and tells her to leave them alone and not come back.

Owen is missing. I think he’s pegged the shooter. Clever girl. He takes the dude out in the bathroom after a long struggle. Bludgeoning him with a spittoon and the garotting him. He’s blocked the door with bent spoon. Pure bad-ass. Damn, it wasn’t the shooter it was an opponent from back in Ireland.

Dempsey gives a speech, Nucky eyes a new dame. Bad news Nuck, bad news. Jimmy shows up. He’s talkin’ all cryptic and the shooter shows up to take Nucky out. He takes a bullet through the hand. Someone shouts out, “It’s okay, he’s alive.” And Jimmy closes his eyes, perhaps bracing for the coming retribution. While Nucky bleeds, Margaret and Slater get to business, business that will be bad for everyone involved.

The Age of Reason Recap (S2E6)

Van Alden reads his bible, while Lucy requests groceries. Margaret and her boy see the priest with Nucky there.  Prepping for 1st confession. Margaret will have to confess as well. Nucky’s case goes federal, while he gets his shoes shined. Reemus calls over his deal with Smith of the Attorney General’s office.  ”Reemus” talks about himself in the third person and he’s an ass.

Jimmy receives advice from his father’s associate. Who praises Nucky. Lucy’s water breaks and she is of course, alone. Margaret talks to Katy the maid about Slater, she lectures her on her “behavior” yet she sleeps with “uncle” Nucky I cant figure Margaret out this year.

Van Alden is at the hospital checking on his burnt agent Clarkson. Ouch. He lectures his boss about blasphemy at the hospital. Clarkson awakens,  he “sees” agent Van Alden, he “knows what he did”. Van Alden break-down, what happens now?

Rothstein, Waxey and Nucky meet about the Philadelphia booze shipment. Lucy is suffering at the apartment. Jimmy and Ang walk the boardwalk with “wireless” record players. Jimmy sees Waxey and Nucky.

Van Alden calls his wife. about Clarkson. He begins to confess everything because he “loves her”… oh he’s gone off the deep end now. Margaret and Nucky and making sweet sweet love, but Margaret is somewhere else.Then she accuses Nucky of being elsewhere. She is nervous about confession. Nucky is concerned about her honesty in the confessional.

Jimmy gets a call from Manny Horowitz. Jimmy thinks Manny is in on the deal, because Herman was with Waxey and Nucky. Manny’s right hand man. Manny didnt know. Trouble for Chaim…

Owen arrives and chats with Margaret. Margaret gets the tinglies around Mr Slater.  Lucy is still alone, the Pale Rider, Van Alden cannot be far behind. Lucy begins to deliver alone. Senator Edge calls on Attorney General Shooter McGavin. Edge of course has history with Nucky. Blackmail over the Veterans Bureau which is mostly a scam, trouble for Nucky.

Horrowitz is chopping up Chaim (Herman). Waxet paid him to spy on Manny. He spills the beans on McCoys shipment for Nucky to Philly. Manny has Jimmy end Herman. Like the Spiderman kiss scene only with a serrated blade.

Margaret heads to confession. Margaret knows Nucky is “bad, but she is “drawn to him”…. wait a minute, she’s talking about Owen. Yeah, I win again!  Attorney General Harry, withdraws support due to pressure from Senator Edge. Lucy gives birth. Clarkson keeps repeating what he said to Van Alden. He realizes it’s a childhood memory and changes his mind about confession… lame. He returns home to Lucy and the baby with lemons. Van Alden is touched to see his child.

Nucky’s shipment is attacked by Harrow and Jimmy’s crew. Charley recognizes Jimmy’s voice. Lucky Luciano calls out. Jimmy says he won’t shoot. Jimmy and Lucky are spinning a deal, Horowitz included. They let the shipment go, then talk the future.

Van Alden brings the doc. His wife is there, she cleaned up and is taking care of the Lucy. Wow. The child is “for her”.

Just Let Go – Season Six Episode Six

Dexter just misses out on finding Gellar after following Travis because Deb has informed him about Brother Sam. Gellar chastises Travis for being hesitant, telling him to do as he’s told or, “be destroyed along with the rest of the scum”. At the crime scene Dex lays out the crime perfectly, leading Masuka’s new intern to call him a “fucking rock-star”. That he is. Dex collects a blood sample from the bat the he took out the assailant previously with, pegging this guy as the likely shooter.

Masuka and Batista give Lt. Deb the cold shoulder. LaGuerta is on her ass about the Doomsday killers. LaGuerta isn’t even interesting as a character anymore. Dex visits Brother Sam at the hospital and vows to let his Dark Passenger bring him justice. Later while at a candelight vigil at the shop, he tries to convince Nick to give up his old crew. Sam’s dog is trying to tell us and Dexter something, just not sure what… could Nick have possibly been involved?

Batista and Quinn explain Gellar’s paper, believing Revelations to be a sort of 7-step program to creating the Apocalypse. These tenants he created are what got him kicked out of the university.  Quinn recognizes the tattoos on the “test” victim in old photos as Professor Porter, the woman Quinn slept with and Gellar’s former T.A. Quinn tries to force Batista into keeping it from Deb.

Travis prepares a brand to mark the “whore of Babylon”. But will have find “strength” enough to do it as Gellar and God demand of him? Batista plays Deb to try and go see Porter, but Deb tells him to bring her in, thus destroying Quinn’s ruse.  Quinn is screwed and deservedly so. Batista is going to “handle her”, but what the hell can he do?

Dex stalks the the gang. Jamie is packing Deb’s stuff, she shows interest in Dexter again. Don’t know if they take that anywhere.

Dexter is losing it, can’t admit to himself that he cares about someone that is not his immediate family. Dex talks with Harry about seeing the good within himself. Dex is tasting a small portion of redemption again. Deb is struggling as well. It comes out during what should be a final meeting with the precinct psychologist. Deb feels out of place, she can’t interact with people like she used to. Shrink tells Deb to relax and to stop suppressing things. She tells Deb she should go along with her housewarming party idea.

Dexter returns to stalking the Locos crew, Leo specifically. Mike is doing some detective work of his own when he spots some crack-heads. He hits up the junkie for some Locos information. He “flamingos”  the guy to get Leo’s name, this will conflict with Dexter’s dark revenge. Leo pops out for Dexter just as Mike shows up at the door. Leo takes on the cops with a shotgun… and he’s down. The sadness on Dexter’s face is noticeable. What does he do with the anger. It’s not over yet, it can’t be.

Mike’s sure this is the right guy. Dex notices the DVD player is running. It’s the security footage from the garage. The footage is inconclusive. Mike points to Leo. Dex feels it’s wrong and so do we. I’m pointing to Nick again, based on the dog’s recation. Dexter figures out the same thing.

Travis is putting his blood in a jar? Part of the branding? There are many jars of blood in the fridge? He grabs sandwich fixin and makes up some food for the “whore”. She begs to see her son and to be let go, but Travis doesn’t comply. Travis visits his sister who is teaching class. Travis is a very lost soul that Gellar latched onto. He is kind and mild-mannered. It won’t end well for him though.

Dexter hits up Nick’s apartment to do some forensics work, matching a 9mm slug to the assault on Brother Sam. Dexter is barely containing his rage.  While Dexter moves, Batista questions Professor Porter. She confirms her identity in the photo. Deb realizes Quinn is not in on the questioning and tells him to get in there. This is where it begins to unravel. When the questioning gets tough, she lets it out that she slept with Quinn. She leaves, angrily. When Deb reprimands Quinn he tries to spin it as jealousy. What the fuck?!

Dexter sends Jamie with Harrison to Deb’s housewarming. He’s about to go after Nick, when he gets the call that Sam is awake. He is going to die. Sam doesn’t want revenge. Even as he is dying, he has a message for Nick, that he forgives him. He only trusts Dexter to deliver this message. This is a major challenge for Dexter. He knows about Dexter’s darkness but he sees his light in him as well. This was a touching scene.

Quinn shows up to Debra’s completely waste.. Masuka’s intern questions Jamie about Dexter. Intern is flirting with Jamie, she shows interest, until Quinn gets in her face. Batista punches Quinn when he won’t stop talking about Jamie. He is an amazing douchebag, no matter what happened to him with Deb. They try to soften things, by Quinn asking Deb is she ever loved him.

Gellar expects the marking to be done, while he “furthers preparations”. Travis grabs the

brand and approaches the victim. Will he? Won’t? He let’s her go! Brother Sam is gone and Dexter struggles with the idea of proposing forgiveness to Nick per Sam’s request. Harry tries to make sure Dexter does the right thing. But when Nick shows up, he invites him for a ride. Deb calls for Dexter, she needs help… guidance and eyes the card of the psychologist.

Nick killed Sam to get back into the gang. He delivers Sam’s message. Dexter is doing the right thing, until Nick starts to laugh about the situation. So Dexter performs another baptism. “There’s no light in me.” Woah, Ice-truck killer brother shows up, is this his new guide, has Harry, the voice of reason been pushed aside for this darker manifestation? The only thing more disturbing than this ending are the scenes for next week.

Cherokee Rose Episode Recap

As the motor home and the remaining survivors enter the farm, with the barn sitting ominously in the background, a grave is prepared for Otis. Dale and Rick share a hug of relief over the recovery of Carl. Herschel begins a funeral service for Otis and then asks Shane to speak. He does so, with great reluctance, as visions of poor Otis being ravaged by walkers play in his head and on our screens.  As Shane struggles with his speech we know his internal struggle, ever-present in his wild eyes. Cue creepy-ass theme music.

The search for Sophia will begin again, but with Daryl by himself due to the weakness and injury of others. Not only does Herschel not want any gun training, he wants weapons confiscated; later we figure out he doesn’t want them to stay for long either. What is Herschel “protecting” his people from?… answers lie in the barn not far off in the distance. Of course after essentially telling them to leave, he later lectures Rick on God.

Maggie is their “go to town girl” and Glenn is her counterpart. They are headed to the pharmacy for more supplies. Andrea is complaining about weapons again, Shane teaches her how to unload and clean them. Daryl heads out on search.  Lori has a special item request for Glenn which she describes on paper. Glenn is awesomely awkward in his interest for Maggie and also in his “feminine hygiene” quest.

Dale is a good guy. He chats with T-Dog as they pump from the cattle well. Dale discovers a nasty surprise in the shape of the cellar-dweller from Evil Dead 2 hanging out in the well water. “Come to Henrietta!”. This ends up being possibly the most contrived scare to gore combo the show has ever seen. It looked cool but it was very forced and feels even more so as I attempted several times to describe the scene here. To sum up, they put Glenn in the well as live bait, which of course “goes wrong”. Then they try to pull up the bloated animated corpse which also “goes wrong” as the corpse is rended in two.

Daryl discovers a home on his search. It appears that someone has been there.  They’ve slept recently in a cupboard and eaten canned foods.  On this property Daryl finds a flower, a Cherokee Rose which he gives to Carol. The rose has ancient Native American ties and symbolizes the return of children. As another friend said to me, Daryl is a real love/hate character. People hated that he was made up for the show and that he was a scumbag redneck.  But then he’s a bad-ass with a crossbow and has these moments of real humanity and warmth. He’s the most interesting deviation from the source material.

Shane takes Andrea out near the woods to shoot. Shane talks about taking a life, under the guise of police experience, but obviously he is talking about Otis. Shane is caught up in his own damaged psyche and everyone is seeing something different from him. Andrea gets the “dealing with choices speech”. Lori gets the “do really want me to be here, I’ll do what you need”. It’s a long slow burn towards a catastrophic explosion, folks.

The biggest action of this episode is the action that Glenn gets with Maggie. After finding Lori’s special package, which is, of course, a pregnancy test (Loris sneaks off later to confirm that, yes, she is indeed pregnant), Maggie comes back.  Glenn covers it up by holding a box of… condoms?  This leads to some amusing dialogue, which turns into some tenderness between two lonely, lost people. Way to go Glenn. Side note, Maggie is ridiculously cute, enhanced even more by her British accent off-screen.

Some Thoughts

There have been complaints about the quality and pacing of the show this season, despite it’s record breaking premiere numbers. I can see where people are concerned.  The difficulty is, as I have mentioned before, this isn’t just a Zombie show.  This is a story about survival, humanity and multiple character studies.  To get more out of our characters, we have to understand them better. To retain a horror audience we need to have gore and scares. These two needs produce uneven episodes like this that people complain about.  On the whole I will admit it was weak, probably more for the “well walker” sequence than anything.  But it’s a setup, and if the previews of next week are any indication, this was the proverbial calm before the storm.

Deb has a staff meeting on the case and Dex lies to her about finding anything with the Wings. Masuka has replaced hot intern with new computer expert, who figures that 1260 is the next target number (found on or in victim’s bodies). Later Quinn seems to be acting civil for a change and politely asks for the engagement ring back. She agrees, only issue is that she doesn’t know where she has left it, she asks Jamie (Harrison’s babysitter) for help.

Dex bumps into brother Sam at the precint, apparently Nick’s old brothers shot up the shop. These guys are definitely friends now. Dex awkwardly invites Sam over to see Harrison and an awkward acceptance is given in kind.

Dex hits an art gallery to talk about restoration. Where… dun dun dun, Travis works restoring paintings.  Mike Anderson (new detective from Chicago) calls in Dex at a crime scene. It’s a murder-suicide which Dex solves in minutes. Mike wonders how he works with the “chuckleheads” at Miami Metro. Dex not so subtly lets him know that Deb is his sister… poor Mikey, so uncomfortable in Miami.

Gellar and Travis are at a club looking for the Whore of Babylon where the spy the latest newspaper featuring Gellar’s face and the doomsday killer title right on the cover. Travis’s abnormally long neck frightens me. Gellar ducks out leaving Travis to do the stalking, but he botches it.  Dex talks about his  mother with Sam, pretty strong thing for him to be sharing with someone. They talk about the darkness. Dex tries to remember his mother. Sam says, there’s , “no darkness the light can’t overcome”.

Gellar comforts Travis on his screw-up and tells hims it’s OK. They will “carry out God’s plan” on the following night. The next day Dex is tracking Travis. He enters Travis’s apartment when he leaves. Dex finds the numbers, apparently cut from an ancient bible. He secures a sample page for analyzing and they match perfectly.

Batista and Quinn talk to professor Porter, she was Gellar’s teacher’s aide and defends him without prompting. Admitting to man people’s admiration for the man and how he likes to stir trouble. Charismatic and brilliant, she seems enamored. She lived with him for awhile. She was one of a “long line” but still seems enamored with him. Quinn flirts. At the precinct Mike and Deb talk, Mike misses Chicago obviously and Deb lets him know she sees that he’s unsure of his co-workers.

Later that evening, Quinn is flirting with a drunk Porter, Quinn doesn’t know shit about literature, and is an idiot for getting involved with a witness. Batista is trying to talk him out of it. Because it is possibly tampering with the investigation. But they end up at her place anyway. Jamie finds the ring. She a Deb are fighting and Dex has to deal with it. Deb is obviously having issues, and when forced to talk with the department psychologist she unloads, reluctantly at first.

Gellar and creepy minion hit drunk man and woman and nab the incoherent female and throw her in the trunk. At Professor Porter’s house, Batista seesboxes marked Gellar, with hand-written documents, including creepy and elaborate drawings and images depicting things specific to the Doomsday killing… but are they there under false pretenses. This will come back to bite them in the ass. Wowsers.

Deb takes the ocean-front apartment with some advice from the psychologist and secures herself a good price with some help from Mike. Masukas intern sort of helps with the ice truck stuff, “erasing all traces of it from the Internet”.

Dex has Travis.  Travis is totally brain-washed. Dex is pretty creepy under the red light in back of Travis’s car.. Travis didn’t perform any of the killings… thus he is not part of Dex’s code. “I know more about darkness than most”. Dex counsels Travis and then… lets him go. Gellar gently threatens Travis against running away. In the morning Dex is on Travis’s trail again.

Drama at every turn this episode only heightened with Brother Sam entering his garage and being shot multiple times by an unknown assailant. Dexter will avenge his friend, pretty certain of that.

Save the Last One – Episode 3

The episode opens with Shane shaving his head and staring into a mirror, clearly disturbed. We then cut back to the events leading up to this point.  Shane and Otis are running from the walker through the halls of the high school. Rick and Lori look over Carl, whose condition is only getting worse. Rick tells stories of Shane’s hooligan past. Reaffirming to himself and Lori that Shane will make it back, he always does.

Daryl is disturbed by Carol’s crying, whilst Andrea practices loading his gun. Daryl decides to look for Sophia, Andrea tags along much to the chagrin of Dale. They have a conversation about Daryl’s trouble past and when he was also lost in the woods as a child. Daryl wants to know if Andrea wants to live. She agrees to answer if Daryl will put a walker, a man who hung himself in a tree, out of his misery. She doesn’t commit to wanting to live or die, or just “go on”.  Not much of an answer, Daryl agrees with me, but shoots the walker regardless. Andrea is “working on” forgiving Dale she says after he gives her weapon back.

Lori is contemplating letting Carl go, as she sees no place for him in this world of endless running and suffering.  She challenges Rick to come up with a reason. Back at the high school, Otis plays decoy so that Shane can get out a nearby window with half of the supplies. Shane saves Otis from a crawling walker that gets ahold of him. Shortly thereafter Otis returns the favor taking out multiple walkers, with his last rifle bullets, that are about to take down the injured (from the 20 foot fall out of the window) Shane. They are both running low on ammo and moving slowly.

Carl awakens and talks of the beauty of the deer before having a terrifying seizure. Rick insists this is why they have to try. Despite all the horror and sadness in the world, Carl’s focus was on a singular moment of beauty. Herschel tells them to make their choice and Lori agrees with Rick. They they have to try, even without the medicine. As they start, a vehicle pulls up and Shane comes out, with the equipment and medicine, alone and wild-eyed.  He said that Otis was going to cover him, but when he looked back…

It’s clear that Shane is breaking. They finish the procedure on Carl before Rick and Herschel tell Otis’s wife Patricia, while Lori looks in on Carl.  Glenn comforts Maggie, Herschel’s daughter who has known Otis since she was a child. She has lost faith and tried to comfort Glenn as he struggled, so he in turn helps her.  Lori tells Shane to “stay”, it feels like a temporary relief, but not much.

We are now back at the beginning of the episode. Shane has a change of clothes and stands in the bathroom. He takes his shirt off.  Is that a bite mark?! A patch of hair is missing. He frantically searches the medicine cabinet?  For medicine? To cover-up. And then the real terror unfolds. Not zombies, but the breaking of humanity that really makes the Walking Dead a character study more than a horror story.  Though this never happened in the graphic novels, this is the turn that will put Shane back on the track that his character was originally written for. Shane’s wounds are from him fighting off Otis, after he shot him in the leg and left him for the Walkers so that he could get way with medicine. He begins shaving his head to mask the missing patch and he stares hard, into the mirror, frightened, angry and slightly lost and insane all at once.

The questions we will be asking ourselves as this unfolds; if they take this where I think they do and should, are What would we have done in that same position? Is Shane truly evil? What is an acceptable sacrifice to keep on living? This is probably the beginning of a dark decent for Shane and in the much longer run for Rick as well… stay tuned it’s gonna get hairy. Watch for more Glenn and Maggie, Andrea and Dale, the fall of Shane and possible secrets revealed about Herschel’s farm. Otis (Pruitt Taylor Vince) we hardly new ye.

Gallery Below shows a brief glimpse at some of the stages of Zombification.

[View with PicLens]

Now that we are so close I went digging for some new soundtrack info and the full track list has been released and it’s a 2 CD collection. Tracklist below. iTunes only seems to have the tracks from CD1 listed, but they will be available Nov 1 on launch day. Amazon has the full 2-CD set but it will not be released until Nov 15.

Uncharted 3 Original Video Game Soundtrack Tracklist

Uncharted 3 Drake’s Deception Original Soundtrack – iTunes
Batman: Arkham City – Original Video Game Score – Amazon

Some help from the recap: Nucky gives Eli a final chance to come back over to his side. Richard Harrow speaks about his past and his loss of the ability to feel after the war. He poses for drawings by Jimmy’s wife. Harrow is obviously having difficulties. The commodore has a full-on stroke, paralyzing half of his face and taking his ability speak.  This throws Eli and the conspirator’s into chaos as they have a huge deal to finance shortly. Nucky takes on Owen Slater’s help. Slater sets up a bomb to take out one of the distilleries, severely burning one of Van Alden’s men there to investigate his boss and his dealings. Jimmy makes a deal with Manny Horowitz (William Forsythe) for booze delivery which will eventually conflict with Nucky’s dealings in the area. Nucky’s lawyer figures out how to to turn his case federal and will allow him to get off with help from the Attorney General.  The episode ends with Jimmy’s Mom recounting her rape by the commodore and then savagely beating the stroke victim… phew…. He deserved it, but man was that brutal… Onto…

Gimcrack and Bunkum Episode Recap

We open with Nucky’s speech for Memorial Day where he makes a play at Jimmy, attempting to make him look bad by inviting him up to speak. Jimmy ends up handling it fairly well. At this same time Harrow, a veteran himself, declines to be there. Instead he thumbs through his scrapbook of ideal scenes, stopping on the drawing of himself done by Angie next to an photo of how he looked before his injury. He’s packing up and heading somewhere.

Nucky shmoozes with the Attorney General and his people, while Jimmy tries to do the same with the commodores people.  He says he speaks for the man and tries to lead. He gets smacked in the head with a cane by a man who made a fortune off of war-profiteering and slaughtering Indians. Jimmy takes his leave with Eli, thoroughly breaking down by this point, following after and trying to stop him.

Harrow is out in the woods.  He appears to be taking in the sounds and sights of nature. He removes his face mask and lays back. Harrow is going to kill himself. NO! One of my favorite characters. He is interrupted by a dog who steals his mask. Richard is forced to give chase. In the mean time, Nucky returns home to find Margaret disturbed by a guest, his brother Eli. Eli is attempting to get back into Nucky’s good graces. He works up the tears, says he’s made a mistake, etc. Nucky appears to accept, until he tells Eli to get on his knees and kiss his feet. A brawl between the brothers ensues. Punching, choking, general chaos, interrupted only by Margaret pulling a gun on Eli.

So, how does Eli handle the fact that he is completely screwed? He gets completely drunk. But that’s not enough, he drunkenly bludgeons, I think it’s George Baxter?, to death with a giant wrench. An accident at first he then finalizes his crime with a graphically depicted head smashing. Yuck. You see, poor George was gonna jump ship back to Nucky.

Harrow meets up with hunters and bootleggers, who have the dog and the mask.  They are kind and fairly gently let Richard know they know what he was there to do. “These woods are for living”, not for dying is the gist of it. Harrow gets the message. After returning he asks if Jimmy would fight for him, the response is, “to the last bullet”. With that they head to a job which is payback on the old man war-profiteer.  He gets some Native American justice via a scalping at Richard and Jimmy’s hands… Ouch!

Nucky is really pissed off, eh?  Trouble can only grow where this show is headed.

A Horse of Different Color Recap

Dexter is attending the baptism being held by Brother Sam. Dex ponders religion vs
science. He seems to still be trying to grasp the concept of redemption. He discussed this with Brother Sam. Dex is called away to the apocalypse crime scene, horses still roaming the middle of the street. Guess it wasn’t just his head; his parts were spread throughout the 4 horsemen. Mike (the new detective) connects this scene to passages from Revelations.

Dex and Deb discuss the case as he reconnects the body parts at the lab. He finds a number hidden inside the eyelid. They go back and check the snakes victim with apocalypse stomach stitching and there are numbers inside the intestines. The killer(s) are leaving messages, but what do they mean?

La guerta having trouble with deputy chief. He informs her that Deb will be handling the press conference, which takes the spotlight away from LaGuerta. Deb gets tips from LaGuerta on “being herself” probably more of nudge towards failure, and Mike tells her to dress nice, which she doesn’t like hearing but ends up doing anyway. The end result is Deb dressed up nice, but being herself, by cursing on live television and cutting the conference short. LaGuerta thinks she’s won based on the performance, but later the deputy chief lets us know the public is eating up Deb’s no-nonsense approach.

Hot intern girl continues to be hot and lets Vince know that she’s also a roller-derby participant. She continues to flirt with Vince, but wants their “date” to take place in the evidence room looking at more serial killer cases and evidence. Vince is getting played, but not for long. A man calls asking as to the authenticity of an ice-truck killer part up for sale on an ebay clone. He quickly figures it out and confront hot roller-derby intern. She insists is was because they were going to waste and she was short on rent. Masuka is downtrodden, though she insists she has genuine interest in him. Vince tells her to leave.

Later EJO and Travis, his follower, are having lunch at a restaurant. Trav is making headway with the cute waitress, EJO wants him to focus on the task at hand. Meanwhile Dex is taking his car to the bodyshop, again, and has a talk with Brother Sam about Revelations and how people use God to justify strange things.  Dex ends up back in the lab and figures out based on the delicate horsemen scene setup and the hack-job on the corpse that two different people are participating in this “show”.

Immediately following Deb’s botched (but not really) press conference Dexter is called to the hospital where his son’s appendix has just burst. Brother Sam graciously joins them to support Dexter. These guys are becoming legit friends though neither will admit to it when Deb questions them.  Brother Sam shares the story that essentially start his journey with a “dark passenger”, watching his father murder a man after using young Sam as a distraction. Aster and Cody are finally mentioned at the hospital, guess they do still exist!

While all rhis is going down Quinn who is still being a major asshole and Batista are smoking weed in Batista’s Trans Am. I guess it was kind of funny but it seems sort of pointless otherwise.  Not sure if this plays into anything later.  They think they have found a lead, but it’s the same one new detective Mike has found to0. A man named James Gellar, EJO’s character, who is a “Revelations Expert”.  Gellar was fired from his professor religious studies job, he is thought to have stolen an ancient sword, believed to have belonged to John the Revelator. This sword happens to possibly match forensics on the kill weapon for the Doomsday murders.

The final scenes of the show involve the elaborate death trap for Travis’s unfortunate female waitress companion.  After Travis defiled her, Gellar felt her purification fit “God’s plan”. She is hung on a cross with sharp instruments around her neck and arms.  The entering police trigger the trap which snaps her neck and lacerates her throat.  To top off the scene a plague of locusts, bibilical style is released upon the crime scene.

Have to say, not real excited about the Doomsday performances yet, but their kills are impressive. Mos Def is doing a great job. His acting is really up several notches over what I’ve seen from him before.  The musical score in this episode was especially good. The last scene is perhaps some of the creepiest music ever from this show.

Herschel’s crew stands on the porch safeguarding the home briefly until they determine that the boy is shot as opposed to bitten.  Herschel appears to be a doctor of some sort and quickly begins working on Carl, with Rick providing blood transfusions. Shane has to keep Rick together because he wants to leave and get Lori. These moments really show the connection and strength of friendship that these two men have, or at least had at one point. Shane is gentle yet firm.  When the time comes he holds down Carl as a bullet fragment is removed sans anesthesia, a difficult scene to watch.

The rest of the group is still out looking for Sophia, unaware of what’s happening at the farm. On the highway T-dog and Dale look for medicine in abandoned cars. T-dog now has a blood infection from his lacerated arm and he is feverish and delusional. Andrea is attacked in the woods by a walker before being saved by a woman on horseback from the farm who takes her to Rick.  The rest of the group returns to the highway where Daryl reveals brother Merle’s stash of drugs, which includes antibiotics and painkillers.

Meanwhile Shane and Otis arrive at the highschool with makeshift CDC checkpoint in order to grab supplies.  The school is overrun with zombies.  They are able to distract them using flares from a nearby abandoned police vehicle.  They get into the mobile medical building and begin looting supplies, including oxygen tanks and a respirator.  Trouble begins when they leave as the flares haven’t distracted the zombies for long and they are soon on the run.  The duo eventual lock themselves behind a flimsy security gate with an army of walkers pressing in and that’s how the show leaves us this week.

Jon Bernthal’s Shane really gets to shine this week. His character gets to focus on on Rick and the strength of their past friendship and momentarily forget about his troubles with Lori, though you can still seem them in his eyes when he talks to Rick about Lori’s strength when he was shot. He is tender, yet commanding, taking the lead again as Rick struggles with the situation at hand.  Then he takes on a mission with bad odds and we leave him trapped. Lori continues to be all over the place, which I guess is fitting given her circumstances. She gets catty when she finds out that Herschel is a vet, insisting that he’s in “way over his head.” Herschel’s simple reply sums up everything nicely, “Ma’am, aren’t we all?”.

The new character of Otis is played by a wonderful actor by the name of Pruitt Taylor Vince. He’s sometimes type-cast as redneck and a seedy guy, but he can fill up much meatier and interesting parts, see Heavy or The Legend of 1900. I look forward to more of his work on the show. The Walking Dead Season Two premiere broke viewership records and Season Three is a sure pickup.  Come back next week for the next recap.

Batman – Arkham City Musical Score

Batman Arkham City Original Video Game Score – Amazon (individual tracks are $.99, $.30 less than iTunes).

Batman: Arkham City – Original Video Game Score – iTunes Full Album

1	Arkham City Main Theme	Nick Arundel	02:47	$1.29
2	Sorry, Boys	Nick Arundel	01:49	$1.29
3	A Monument to Your Failure	Ron Fish	01:56	$1.29
4	Have You Got My Location	Nick Arundel	04:20	$1.29
5	This Court Is Now In Session	Nick Arundel	02:16	$1.29
6	It Was the Joker	Nick Arundel	02:19	$1.29
7	I Think You Should Do As He Says	Nick Arundel	02:35	$1.29
8	Refusal Will Not Be Tolerated	Nick Arundel	02:43	$1.29
9	Wham. Gotcha!	Nick Arundel	03:28	$1.29
10	Let’s Hear Him Squeal	Nick Arundel	03:00	$1.29
11	I Know What You Guys Are Thinking	Nick Arundel	03:34	$1.29
12	It’s Initiation Time	Nick Arundel	01:59	$1.29
13	What’s He Doing Here?	Nick Arundel	02:14	$1.29
14	How Does It Feel, Pig?	Nick Arundel	02:19	$1.29
15	Call Him Off	Nick Arundel	04:36	$1.29
16	You Should Have Listened to My Warning	Nick Arundel	02:10	$1.29
17	You Need to Think This Through	Nick Arundel	02:43	$1.29
18	Bring Her Back to Me	Ron Fish	02:08	$1.29
19	It’s Not Even Breakfast	Nick Arundel & Ron Fish	03:50	$1.29

Batman – Arkham City Original Video Game Score Review

Okay, I’ve finally had the opportunity to listen to all of the tracks completely and this is really a top notch score. The tracks serve to elevate the scope of the game and at the same time not get in it’s way at the quieter moments. It is dominated by Batman’s brooding and still has the touches of whimsy for the child-like nature of some of Arkham’s most insane inhabitants.  Right of the bat, you’ll want to check out the Arkham City Main Theme, the undertones of this piece carry through the majority of the others, truly serving it’s purpose as the main theme and in my opinion is the strongest track appropriately enough.

Don’t get me wrong, I understand the appeal of having strategy right at your fingertips and the artwork and quality of the books are usually really high.  The majority of my console gaming still takes place right next to a computer, so I have free information right at my fingertips and I’ve never really been interested in the high cost of most of these guides, often times heading towards $30.  The Uncharted 3 Strategy Guide is intriguing for a few reasons. First, here is the lowdown from the amazon Description

Uncharted 3 Strategy Guide Collector’s Edition

• THE 100% COMPLETE GUIDE TO UNCHARTED™ 3
• WALKTHROUGH REDEFINED - Provides a visual, step-by-step guide through the entire adventure supported by behind-the-scenes commentaries from the Naughty Dog team. And yes, all collectible Treasures are included!
• HI-RES TOP-DOWN MAPS - Annotated maps combined with easy-to-follow tactical advice cover both the most challenging and the most interesting combat encounters.
• IN DEPTH EXTRAS - Offers advanced playing strategies and techniques for the unlockable Crushing difficulty setting, plus a story recap and analysis of key mysteries from the entire UNCHARTED series.
• ALL SECRETS INSIDE - Includes all Treasures, Trophies and moves. Expert-level graphs, stats and tips will help you master all weapons and overcome all opponents.
• MULTIPLAYER CHAPTER - A massive 64-page section, packed with detailed tables, diagrams, maps and countless useful tips, covers all features in both the Competitive and Co-op play modes.
• CAST GALLERY - This exclusive 16-page section features stunning character art supported by illuminating notes from the Naughty Dog team.
• MUSIC - Includes a free  audio CD with ten tracks from the official UNCHARTED 3 music score.
• SPOILER-CONTROLLED DESIGN FROM PIGGYBACK

One of the first things that intrigues me is the Cast Gallery. Naughty Dog has an amazing staff of artists, The Art of Uncharted 2, is a perfect example and is a highly coveted item; the limited edition sells for a huge premium. The other big get is the included 10 track Uncharted 3 Soundtrack sampler. The Uncharted series has been beautifully composed up to this point, and I expect that to continue.  It is also nice to see that the guide is designed in a way that is spoiler-free according to breakdown. So there’s why you’ll want to buy the Uncharted 3 Strategy Collector’s Edition strategy guide.

I spent a few hours with Arkham City this evening. I have to say that I can definitely see where all the positive hype is coming from. As I discussed in the preview article, Arkham Asylum was a bit of a surprise.  There wasn’t much to complain about with the first game and from my initial play-time it feels as though they have been able to improve on virtually everything somehow. I made the brash decision to go ahead and begin my play-through on hard difficulty, having recently replayed Asylum in Hard mode.  Now, maybe it’s just me but this game feels to have amped up the difficulty.

Arkham City’s world is large and open and you can encounter groups of gangs almost anywhere.  Even the small groups tend call in reinforcements having you fight at a bare minimum a dozen foes at once. When a game gives me free roaming and load of side objectives I tend to forget the main quest for large portions of time. So it is, that after several game-play hours I have managed to complete only 3% of the games main quest.  Within a half hour of playing this game I had already encountered Dr. Strange, Two-Face, Catwoman, The Penguin aka Oswald Cobblepot, Bane, a mysterious unnamed observer and had the Riddler chirping in my ear.  There have already been mentions of Mr. Freeze amongst bantering Arkham City residents (aka prisoners) as well.

The graphics are excellent, dark and moody and light touches of snow are always good in my book. Combat remains fluid and you have one of you power takes downs fairly quickly along with most of your gadgets. Be careful when roaming freely, there are inmates with firearms not far from your starting point and firearms are death for The Bat nearly instantly on hard difficulty.  Weapon upgrades are done through VR Challenges which all seem to involve advanced versions of Batman’s gliding mechanics. While I successfully completed the first set to upgrade my grapnel, I am having difficulty mastering the dive mechanics for some of the new challenges.

The music seems to have taken it up a notch from the first and become even more cinematic feeling to match the visuals.  Everything in general is just expanded in quality including counters and takedowns which can now include multiple bad guys simultaneously. And, I almost forgot to mention, pre-orders should have received a copy of the Catwoman DLC. This should be installed immediately. Catwoman’s combat is not as strong, but increases the acrobatics and speed. It’s really beautiful animation. I can see a lot of hours being “wasted” on this game, but the first play-through is going to need to speed up; we’ve got Uncharted 3, Skyrim and Assassin’s Creed revelations mere weeks away.  So many games and so little time.  Batman Arkham City is definitely recommended.

Smokey and the Bandit

Deb is already stressing herself out to start the show, worrying about what to wear. She banters with Dex. Meanwhile at the abandoned church we find that the jogger was not a kill, but an abduction. He is chained to the floor and will not “be released” until he repents. The EJO character is painting mannequin parts and “waiting for the right time”.

We head to a crime scene where Batista spots a Smokey and the Bandit car, that he’s wanted since he was a child. The scene has a dead hooker and it appears that someone tried to pull out her tooth. This reminds Dex of a serial killer icon from his childhood, the Tooth Fairy, who murdered women and stole one of their teeth in the Northwest during his childhood.  Quinn shows up at the scene with a chick and is obviously trying to get back at Deb, trying to turn Batista against her as well.  Batista sticks with Deb, giving her advice for dealing with LaGuerta later in the show.

Dexter researches the Tooth Fairy and surmises he would be a man in his seventies and tracks one Walter Kenny from Grants Pass, Oregon.  This is played actor Ronny Cox who has appeared in many television shows and movies. I instantly recognized him as the captain from Beverly Hills Cop. Dex gets his car back from Brother Sam, who invites him to the baptism of the young man whom he helped to save from thugs in the previous episode.

Masuka continues, in bad judgement of course, to flirt with his hot intern.  He shows her evidence from the Ice Truck Killer case and she is very interested. She later agrees to go on a date with Vince, but does she really have any interest or is it just so she can steal some evidence from the aforementioned case, which she does.  She seems to have a serial killer fetish. I wonder if this will possibly carry over to Dex?

Deb leads her first briefing and is doing well until Quinn tries to mess with her. LaGuerta backs Quinn, Batista backs Deb. Later Deb has a conversation with Quinn whom seems to be mellowing… nope wait… he’s an asshole! Yeah, I can hate Quinn again! Dex gives Quinn the cold stare during the briefing, this may reignite their spotty history.

Dex eventually confirms Walter Kenney as the Tooth Fairy and proceeds to get “close” to him. Its a pretty funny dynamic of an old serial killer turned cantankerous old man. Dex laments Kenny as possible fate for himself, alone with nothing as the last days of his life come in old age. Kenney figures out that Dex knows who he is and tricks him into the car at gunpoint, but Dex crashes his car (again!) to avoid the danger.  Dex takes the tooth fairy out, smothering him (a natural death) in order to not continue his legacy. One more bad guy down.

Later the jogger begs for forgiveness and to be “purified”, EJO says he’s ready. What does that mean? Apparently that means parading four horses with the painted mannequins parts riding them through crowded city streets.  Except one of the mannequins now wears the poor joggers head.  This is Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse style and the killer/s are dubbed the Doomsday Killer. At the end of the show Batista rides away Smokey and the Bandit style.

The Walking Dead – What Lies Ahead

Rick gives the walkie talkie a monologue, aimed at Morgan and his son from episode one. It mostly just bring us up to speed and gives us a glimpse at Rick’s mindset; grim to say the least. As the crew begins to make their way down the highway they run into trouble.  The RV blows it’s radiator as they weave their way through a graveyard of cars.  It’s not long before the walkers show up, but not from ahead, a “herd” approaches from behind.

As the crew hides underneath vehicles, T-dog slices open his arm.  It looks like he’s done for, until Daryl saves him and covers them both up with walker bodies. Yuck. Sophia leaves the safety of a car too soon and it looks like Carol may watch her daughter eaten alive…. but she escapes.  Two close calls pretty quickly in. Andrea is attacked inside the RV’s bathroom. Dale on top of the RV, gives her a screw driver which she uses to dispatch the undead assailant.  Rick gives chase towards the walkers and Sophia.  When he catches Sophia he has her hide while he leads the walkers off.  Again, she leaves safety too soon and never makes it back to camp. Rick dispenses the baddies with a large rock.

In the graveyard of cars Carl discovers a cache of bladed weapons which the crew arms themselves with to avoid the noise of firearms.  Andrea is mad at Dale for “saving her” and she wants a gun which Dale won’t let happen. The majority of the group set out to find Sophia, eventually finding a church when they hear bells in the distance.  The church has no bell-tower, just a speaker on auto-pilot, and a few dead inside. Zombies go to church still apparently; there’s a joke there somewhere. One cleaver, one machete and one hatchet = three walkers down.

Lori seems to love antagonizing Shane, whether that is the intent or not. Shane clues her in to the fact that they both share blame and that he is going to be leaving. Andrea overhears this and tells Shane that she’ll be going with him. Shane, Carl and Rick stay behind to look for Sophia while the others go on. Lori stands up for Rick within the second group, challenging them to lead and insisting that they recognize the strain on him and appreciate how hard he is trying to do right by them.  Back at the church, Rick has a talk with God as best as he knows how; at turns showing confusion, hopelessness and touches of anger.

Rick, Shane and Carl share a moment as what sounds like a walker turns out to be a young buck walking through the woods. Carl slowly approaches the deer and the small group is
amazed by the beauty and simplicity still left in the world… until Carl gets shot. Rick runs to Carl as Shane takes a tactical position in front of them with shotgun raised. Fade to black.

Phew. A good start to the season, at 90 minutes long it felt fairly brisk though I think Rick’s two monologues could have used some better dialogue or even brevity. We have a knife through the brain, a screwdriver through the eye-socket, a bow through the head, two rocks to the head, a cleaver, a machete and a hatchet to the zombies. The good guys took a sliced arm and rifle shot to the gut. Carl getting shot appears to now reconnect the series to the graphic novel as the previews of next week show Rick taking Carl to Herschel’s ranch, an important segment of the early comics. Welcome back and look for the next The Walking Dead recap soon after next Sunday.

For a little fun, check out every zombie death from season one in less than two minutes.

Perhaps one of the most important aspects of any game, that I feel some people over look, is the quality of the voice cast. Luke Skywalker Mark Hamill’s Joker is superb. It embodies the character perfectly. Nothing against Jack or Heath, but as far as sounding the part, Hamill owns this character. Kevin Conroy’s Batman encompasses the tone of the Dark Knight to a T. Tara Strong’s Harley Quinn is a perfect companion to the mania of the Joker and Wall Wingert’s Riddler takes on the air of superiority that the character feels towards The Bat, becoming increasingly frustrated as his riddles are solved. Now they’re adding in a cockney-accented Nolan North as Penguin (interesting) and an extended cast. Can’t wait to hear how they sound.

Arkham City looks to improve and expand on every facet of the game.  Not confined to Arkham Island, the city becomes more open-world as you can experience and discover locations in a non-linear path. The cast of characters has also expanded greatly. Joker, Riddler and Bane are back (you even fight alongside Bane at one point as seen in the trailer below) and added into the mix are Penguin, Dr. Strange, Mr Freeze, Talia al Ghul and a host of other big names from one of the most popular and long-lasting comic franchises of all time. Get just a taste of the game through the extremely well-done launch trailer below.

Batman Arkham City Launch Trailer

Continue on to page two for Pre-Order Bonuses and the Collector’s Edition breakdown.

With the London Philharmoic these tunes will automatically gain some legitimacy, grabbing classic tunes from Super Mario Brothers and Tetris and mixing them with fan favorites from Final Fantasy and then mixing in contemporary videogame music scores such as Uncharted, Splinter Cell Conviction and Mass Effect you have a gateway for music lovers of all types. As I spoke about in a recent post about videogame music, during a sale, there are some film music and classical music fans out there that could easily become videogame music fans given the right introduction. Including Mass Effect and Uncharted, two mentioned in that post are definitely heading things in the right direction.  Below is the tracklist, pre-order The Greatest Video Game Music from Amazon now for November 8th release.

For my money, as I’ve said before, “From the Wreckage” on the Mass Effect soundtrack is one of the most beautifully composed videogame soundtrack cues of all time. Here it is: