Squawking Dead

House of the Dragon reminds us that those who shirk honor/power/glory often have the burden thrust upon them. Both Rhaenyra Targaryen's & Alicent Hightower's collective loss and abandonment run parallel. Aemond Targaryen is hot on Daemon Targaryen's (coat) t(r)ails. We're suspicious of both Daemon & Rhaenyra recent blessings.

Formerly titled Assassination Run, Eric Kripke has finally found his line after doing the Mexican Hat(e) Dance on it for most of Season 4; KUDOS, however: pulling their punches resulted in a worthy close to The Boys' 4th season! Billy Butcher has gone full T-800. More than we imagined, Ryan Butcher may be far more powerful than Homelander. We'll probably see you again to cover Gen-V as we transition into the New World Order before Season 5.

Rhaenyra Targaryen further embraces her inner Jaeharys The Conciliator while Daemon Targaryen embraces his inner Aegon The Conqueror. What do Aemond Targaryen, Aegon Targaryen, and Viserys Targaryen now have in common? Both Rhaenyra & Alicent Hightower learn different lessons at their respective small councils.

Bro. BRO! Plot-lines are accelerating on this hot Christmas special! Kimiko reunites with Frenchie, which is "the bees knees". Ryan Butcher does the right thing on live television. We've got another shapeshifter, but it's not Hughie Campbell's mom!

It's easy to forget how the Game Of Thrones universe works: the characters you don't want to die end up dead (and the ones you thought were dead end up not dead). All the while, we explore the schism in Daemon Targaryen's psyche and what might become of both #TeamGreen & #TeamBlack as a result of this episode.

In a twist of irony, this episode was so gross it turned us all a little conservative! Ashley Barrett is here to stay, putting on quite the show in Tek-Knight's Tek-Cave. Homelander's imposter syndrome and the return of breastmilk kryptonite. Speaking of Mothers Milk, has M.M. been suppressing his powers this entire time?

A noteworthy amount of movement in the storyline and mirroring going on between #TeamBlack & #TeamGreen. Is Helaena Targaryen's dreamer/seer gift/curse like Bran Stark's, only on crack? Might Rhaenyra Targaryen's meeting with Alicent Hightower avert worse tragedy and ultimately yield The Prince That Was Promised?

Joe Kessler plays the diabolical devil on Billy Butcher's shoulder. Victoria Neuman surprises everyone. Frenchie wins the best line award, this episode, despite his guilt-ridden conscience. Homelander is outpacing Billy at Father-of-the-year to Ryan, at the moment.

Reaction: 2024/06/23Breakdown: 2024/06/26 What does love look like in different cultures/houses? Why do we worship royalty/celebrity? Alicent Hightower escapes her reality by way of Ser Criston Cole, defying Otto Hightower's authority and denying her children love: so much so, Aemond Targaryen seeks it in the arms of a brothel madame (who looks strikingly familiar to her).

Oi! We're busting into The Boys universe, too! Covering the first 4 episodes, titled, Department of Dirty Tricks, Life Among the Septics, We'll Keep the Red Flag Flying Here, and Wisdom of the Ages. With it's next season (5) being its last, our full cast of characters are finally becoming much more self-aware. This makes them simultaneously terrifying and fascinating but also, more than anything else, moves them into a far more grey area than we're used to.

Taking our 1st stab into the Game of Thrones universe, House of the Dragon finally returns after 2 years away: #TeamBlack licks its wounds after the loss of Lucaerys Targaryen, while Daemon Targaryen amplifies Rhaenyra Targaryen's cries for vengeance. #TeamGreen finds the center does not hold and will have an even harder time of it after Blood and Cheese are through.

The Fallout Universe truly starts venturing into uncharted narrative beginnings for both gamer and watcher, alike. Will Lucy MacLean discard Hank MacLean's values? Will Knight Maximus shed The Brotherhood Of Steel long enough to find Lucy? Is Cooper Howard looking for BOTH Barb Howard AND Janey Howard, despite what we've learned about the former? As we head to New Vegas, where does that leave Norm MacLean? Holy Deathclaw, Batman: almost every question answered has another one to replace it!

In varying degrees, everyone in this story is a "bad guy" or a coward: the difference is the degree to which they are self-aware. In contrast to the start of the series, we're not sure whether any of these characters see themselves as the hero of their own story (any longer). Regardless, they all do their best to forge a better path forward.

Expectations are subverted at every turn: and they're just going to do it again next episode! Who's side are you on? Is Cooper Howard or Barb Howard the hero? Is Maximus or Lucy MacLean right about Vault 4? ...and when, since opinions swap! Or is forcing us into a binary choice an intentional distraction that benefits a more malevolent force?

Maximus and Lucy MacLean learn to trust one another, while Betty Pearson (Cooper Howard's long-lost wife?) becomes Vault 33's overseer (obviously planned?). We explore Shady Sands' / New California Republic's lore, as well as Vault 4's, as it pertains to the games and how the TV series has expanded the Fallout Universe.

SQUAWKing down a couple rabbit holes: we uncover more evidence that Vault-Tec's cluster of vaults - 31, 32, and 33 - are merely a science experiment. The Enclave? Merely Vault-tec rebranded. On top of an immediate Season 2 announcement, will we at least get an announcement that Bethesda will be releasing a new game based, in part, on the events of Amazon Prime's knockout season?

Ah, The Golden Rule. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you". Our characters are a product of their environment - a system - and seem to be moving beyond their societal expectations, for better or worse. Feo, Fuerte, y Formal, indeed.

It seems as though all of our main characters are exhibiting aberrant behavior, stacked against the mission of their respective collectives. And Doctor Siggi Wilzig seems to know an awful lot about Lucy MacLean, doesn't he?

BEYOND The Walking Dead Universe we go (again), as we discuss the pilot of Amazon Prime's Fallout! The most notable takeaways are how the Fallout universe was on the verge of becoming The Jetsons until the nukes went off and it's evident by way of the most informationally dense first 15 minutes we've ever consumed in a television series. We're extremely lucky to have - talent artist and resident console gamer - Carinae Davey along for the ride to give us a gamer's perspective throughout our discussions!

It's been a week since The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live's season(/series?) finale dropped: we took our time to isolate the full spectrum of our impressions on the conclusion to Rick & Michonne's fraught journey. Even if you had issues with Richonne's #TWDfamily reunion with RJ & Judith Grimes, the people have spoken in the form of chart-topping ratings.