Todd's opening paragraph is largely correct in terms of television budgetary constraints which makes a Show like Spartacus all the more impressive.

Bill Simmons probably doesn't qualify but I think Grantland in general is sort of like a base for interesting people to deposit great writing about just about anything.

Are you me mindermast? This is the second time I've completely agreed with you in these comments. Anyway, I love love LOVE Smith's doctor but I'm ready to see him go, as there just doesn't feel like there's much more story to wring out of this regeneration; which is why I also hope there is a clear ending to his story…

YES mindeermast! Amy's arc definitively ends with 'The God Complex' and everything that comes after feels forced. It's like the end of a summer popcorn flick: they felt like they needed a big set piece to end on and apparently God Complex just wasn't big enough a spectacle.

One thing I always notice is that Moffat writes the Doctor in a more goofy way to relieve the tension of his plots which usually have universal consequence whil RTD's Doctors are much more somber but tend to play for lower stakes. Frankly, a lot of RTD's work seems sort of goofy when compared to Moffat. But to be fair…

Just finished The Shadow Of The Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon which I really enjoyed. Started Motherless Brooklyn By Jonathan Lethem and am waiting for Marisha Pessl's Night Film to become available at my library.

Awful. It's every bad web trend rolled into one site.

This WAS NOT a D+ hour of television. It's not great TV by any stretch of the imagination but if you already hate it that much, perhaps someone else should be reviewing it.

I seem to like this show more than most around here but it has shown over its first three episodes action scenes that are without question some of the worst I've seen in a long time. Truly awful.

Great, now I'll have no choice but to watch Sleepy Hollow. Thanks for nothing John.

Completely agree. The loss of overall quality the AV club has suffered over the last six months has been pretty shocking. I know there has been a lot of staff turnover and have tried to have patience but at some point enough is enough. I used to see everything the AV club produced as deserving of at least a skim even…

Indiana Jones and I think we can all agree that it's better if we all pretend like Crystal Skull never happened.

Anna Torv in Yoga pants - HHHNNNGGG

Supposedly he was a really nice guy, he just had this second shadow that dogged him  everywhere and that was addiction.  I mean, maybe he died of natural causes but that seems unlikely. Very sad.

The best book I've read in a while happened to be released this year, Philipp Meyer's The Son.

Finishing up "The Son" by Philipp Meyer. It's about the history of Texas -the war against Mexico, the war against Indians, the war against the land itself- as seen through three generations of the McCullough clan. It's violent, passionate, thoughtful, sad, a little funny, and brilliantly written. You should read it.

EXCITEMENT!

I think special note should be paid to the way Spartacus DIDN'T pay special note to the homosexual relationships on the show.  One thing I will always remember about Spartacus is the respect it showed it's characters and their passions.  It created a world where  disapproving of the love two people feel for each other…

YES!!!  I was so sure that Crassus would kill him with that move that my mouth preemptively hung open and then stayed open when Spartacus himself caught the sword.  Unbelievable.  This shows fight choreography makes 95% of hollywood blockbusters look embarrassing by comparison.  I could watch Dustin Clare in…

With the exception of the infamously awful first episode this series was nothing but an absolute pleasure to experience throughout it's entire run.  Congratulations to everyone involved and gratitude to Ryan for his consistently excellent, thoughtful reviews.