There seems to be a parallel at work here between fan service. and product placement. Now that Kickstarter makes it possible for fans to be literally invested in the film, the question of throwing a wink to one's audience takes on a whole new dimension.

I could probably list dozens of these, but I have to give ultimate props to "Turn It Out" and "Romantic Rights" from Death From Above 1979's You're a Woman, I'm a Machine. No other album is as effective from taking my mood from zero to TAKE ON EVERYTHING as this.

@avclub-4c7dad974f6cd6dd2ce6e8a7e438fca8:disqus , It's just another name for Italian ice. That's just what Pop Pop's calls it, apparently.

@avclub-4c7dad974f6cd6dd2ce6e8a7e438fca8:disqus , It's just another name for Italian ice. That's just what Pop Pop's calls it, apparently.

@avclub-b587da25f0be5b669a8bc5d582f4b165:disqus , Skinny Pete and Badger are bundled up due to the altitude. Being at 5000 feet, not to mention being at the base of a mountain can cause some pretty dramatic fluctuations in temperature throughout the day. Take a look at the weather report for this week - it's 91 in the…

@avclub-b587da25f0be5b669a8bc5d582f4b165:disqus , Skinny Pete and Badger are bundled up due to the altitude. Being at 5000 feet, not to mention being at the base of a mountain can cause some pretty dramatic fluctuations in temperature throughout the day. Take a look at the weather report for this week - it's 91 in the…

The fact that you call it Pop Pop's tells me you're not ready.

The fact that you call it Pop Pop's tells me you're not ready.

Best of luck, Joe. I know you've been a big part of The Onion since the early days.

Limehouse is played by Mykelti Williamson, who was Bubba in Forrest Gump.

The Internet always provides
My first thought upon seeing Ron Swanson's Snakejuice-fueled jig:

Ripped from the headlines!
I'm late to the party on this, as I didn't watch this ep until last night. But their attempt to cram hot-topix into the plot didn't work for me. The faux-Ayers thread felt clunky at best. But the Cabrini-Green stuff was downright squirm-inducing - one of those self-congratulatory bits at…

Speaking of which, any comments on Bourdain joining the writing staff of Treme? My head still can't process that knowledge.

I can't stand Mike as a person. But if I pretend he's an animated talking bulldog, he's alright.

I agree, Holland Oates. It's Top Chef, not Top Montessori School.

I hear ya, Ship. You could hear the screenwriter chuckling to himself as he shoehorned that line in there.

I watched it. Every five minutes, my wife would turn to me and ask "what the fuck is wrong with these people?" What may be good for a smug, self-satisfied chuckle on paper does not make for good television.

He'll be great, but I'll spend most of his on-screen time waiting for Moriarty's dad to appear out of nowhere and smack him with his cane.

I had that vibe about Caleb as well. I kept expecting a stinger at the end of the episode mirroring the undercover cop's call to Jarek, only with Caleb and Ronin. I suppose they probably want to slow-play that revelation for a while.

He's trying his best, but you can still hear the Aussie dropping in from scene to scene. Maybe he and Dominic West can team up from some kind of buddy comedy down the line.