The joke that always comes to mind when I think of Jeselnik:

@avclub-97f832f6f334d64de3e89769806e56b8:disqus Wait a second.  I am trying to follow this.  Asha is one of the books' wittiest and most charming characters, the producers cast a stand-up comedienne to play her…and yet she come across as the most dour, humorless character on the show this side of Stannis?  How does…

The producers have all but said that the Battle at the Wall will be Ep9 of Season 4.  After "Blackwater" last year, they did an interview where they said the next big battle episode on that scale would come at the end of season four.  Pretty much has to be the Wall…

In order, my favorites on the album are: Step, Finger Back, Worship You, Unbelievers, and Hannah Hunt. But yeah, the album is loaded.

What, me trolling?

@avclub-9b7b0109c992b2904b1cb4640cebc223:disqus Well, I'm glad you are amused.  So dead is dead and that's all that matters…then I guess Obi-Wan Kenobi's death is just as bad as Joe Pesci's in CASINO.

@avclub-d980b15d49101608dc407770f35b1d75:disqus I think they wanted to shock us with the worst thing they could think of.  And yeah, I think the sole purpose behind the decision to have Talisa preggers was to make that scene as horrific as possible.

No.  I thought the womb-stab was completely outside the bounds of good judgement and taste.

VanderWerff: "It doesn’t always come off the page in the books, but Martin has a real ear for dialogue"

I disagree.  I always liked the Jon/Ygritte romance in the books. Yes, Harrington and Leslie are doing a good job, and the snog atop the Wall last episode was a striking, iconic image…but I think the books handle Jon's inner conflict much better, IMO.

Agreed.  Millar's dialogue is abominable.  Always makes me cringe when he tries to tackle poltics with what he believes is maturity, too…

I think VanDerWerff is selling the parts north of the Wall (esp. the Jon-Ygritte romance in the books) a little short.  Ygritte is not only there to test his resolve/vows/whathaveyou, but she's a huge part of him understanding the Wildling culture, realizing that they are just people, ect.  It's compelling stuff, and…

Agreed.  Also, in that Arya-Melisandre exchange: Mel is standing in for the Ghost of High Heart in that scene from the books where the witch woman foresees the darkness in Arya's future.  Pretty elegant simplification, all told.

Yeah, I am definitely torn. When a book so much as features an writer as the main character I get leary.  Each thinly veiled allusion to the author's real life adds a multiplier effect to that.  A novel featuring a main character with the same name as the author usually has me running for the hills.

Yeah, the guy Russel decked in the pilot wasn't that big.  Plus he was probably not in great shape after being beaten and tied up in a trunk for several days.

For me it was the first scene with Phil and Elizabeth talking in bed about the posibility of being caught, and what would happen to their kids, specifcally when she wonders about her daughter being too soft.

I dunno.  I still felt like Elizabeth was pretty hardline in this episode.  She's the one who stresses that they have to carry out the mission.  She was unsure about her daughter's possible future because she thinks the girl is too soft (a nice touch with her piercing her ears at the end and smiling when she grrimaced…

So many classic episodes.  Impossible to pick an actual top 5, but five of my faves are:

The "Dear Liz Lemon" letter Dennis reads in "The Break-up" is probably still my favorite 30 Rock moment.

I agree - wekest ep in a while.  Forced is exactly what everything did seem.