I had a girlfriend whose favorite book was 'McTeague'—She made me read it as part of a trade where she would read 'Moby Dick' if I did. But we broke up before she got to it. Totally unfair. It was good book but I was not that fond of the ending as I recall.

The reality is that we have a situation that is equal parts '1984' and 'Brave New World' in America. But the former is the better book—it is better written, and it doesn't get bogged down in Chistian symbolism. Orwell was a really smart guy—his entire work is all available online for free BTW, and I get chills from…

Is there a Mrs. Quequeg?

The best way to do the Bible is the King James Version with the Catholic apocrypha—but if you're troubled by begats, I recommend listening to the Bible as read by Alexander Scourby:

Penguin Classics has an annotated 'Lolita'. I'm thinking if I ever reread that book it'll be in that version so I will get all the buried jokes.

Not necessarily alltime favorites but
Larry Gonick's 'Cartoon History of the Universe'—especially volume II—'Moby Dick', '1984', Ching's 'A Visual Dictionary of Architecture' (and a shit ton of other reference books), Anne Sexton's 'Transformations', Dick Hebdige's 'Cut n Mix', Ricky Vincent's 'Funk', WCW's 'In the…

You're right that part of the focus of this episode was that they spent so much of it together, more or less alone—but that's not been the case for most of the series. While they are working "together" much of their investigative work has been separate, and I still believe that professional relationships don't get…

"Where else can we shoot with some CGI …like it's 1938 and it's New York City"
It's been about ten years now since I've been there, but I used to always think Hamilton!, Ohio would be a great location for a city in that period. As I understand it, itwas a big boomtown in the twenties as it was located on the Dixie…

Phoebe Cates was like Veronica Lodge come to life. Also, there's a carrot.

Empty Calories
It's funny because with all the by the numbers 'CSI'/'NCIS'/'Criminal Minds' type team procedurals in heavy rotation (i.e. you can literally watch 'Criminal Minds' 24 hours a day on basic cable, running through the show's entire run once a week if you want, or if you have a thing for Thomas Gibson's…

Also born in '72—and 'Thriller' was just ubiquitus. But MTV was a large part of that—And Michael Jackson's use of video in the Thriller days was as groundbreaking and cinematic as anything Duran Duran would do. Look at the 'Beat it ' video—shot on film (as opposed to the videotape that many were using) on real urban…

"Holder and Linden's day of bonding came near the end of a single, fantastically uneven season"
I think we might excuse the relationship's progess were it unfoldinding over the number of weeks that we've come to know them, but actually, in "show time" they've only known each other for like a week, right? Even at its…

Oh God—Cersei. I hate Lena Headey. She was the worst thing about the 'Terminator' show and she is the worst thing about this one. She's got this persistant head tilt / portentious gaze thing that wears all its sinister / lannister machinations on the surface. You expect that sort of thing from a young and…

I can't help but read Varys in the series as being much the way that the Imperial eunuchs of China were—apparently impotent bureaucrats and petty officials who in fact wielded quite a bit of influence and power in the subrosa intrigues of the empire. In that respect, he tells himself that he's serving the realm, but…

I thought there was a debate in progress about which of two courses of action to take—which of two Lannister forces to engage. I think when he told the spy to tell Tywin he was coming for him he was setting in motion a decoy, so that all his attention would go in one direction while they go in the other.

Or….he's dead, but his son Inigo Montoya will eventually pledge to avenge him.

"Syrio's face-off with the knights using only a wooden sword"
Reminded me (in a good way) of how Toshiro Mifune in Kurosawa's 'Sanjuro' does the bulk of his fighting with his sword still in its sheath—which carries a thematic and even a humorous subtext throughout. That, of course, also references Musashi and the very…

After some consideration
I've been experiencing a lot of the same frustrations as others with this show, but I came to the realization this morning that the show's not being fairly treated relatively speaking. Sure, it's important that we hold a high critical standard to television, but in recent years that standard…

I'm kinda surprised to hear that there's not much racism (and/or smoking)—especially since 'Red Dead Redemption' makes such a conspicuous show of it (and tobacco is an enhancement to your shooting skills).

"there's a phone in the police station"