Breaking Bad pre-finale review

(NOTE: Six Feet Under finale spoilers at the very end of the episode)

We're just over 24 hours away from one of the defining pop culture moments of our generation, as viewers wait in uncontainable anticipation for the series finale of Breaking Bad. In preparation, we spoke about the season thus far, the series as a whole, and how this thrilling ride might come to an end. You can listen here or on iTunes here.

Survivor 27: Premiere review with Ian Terry

Formerly reigning Big Brother champion Ian Terry joins us today to give some brief thoughts on the close of one season - and the man who took his crown - and the start of another (Survivor coverages starts at ~28:00). How did the barrage of twists we saw at the start shape the way the game played out in its first days? What can be said about the returning players, who - in a true blindside - were the group neglected in the premiere? How pessimistic should we be for future episodes, with more content to be shown and less airtime to assign to it? And how awkward are the Peterson family reunions going to be? All this and more on this week's show, available here, below, or on iTunes here.

Survivor 27: Season Preview

Something erroneously labelled 'Survivor' is airing on CBS in a week, and podcasting about it is a good outlet for our frustration. Still, among a bevy of twists and a cast assembled by lottery, there are a few bright points: two Survivor winners, a Big Brother winner, and some nondescript female twenty-something who will inexplicably win Colin's heart. You can listen to the usual mix of predictions and lamentations below, here, or on iTunes here.

A Closer Look at "Whodunnit" with Kam Perez

During its inaugural run this summer, "Whodunnit" proved to be the smartest and most captivating game in recent reality TV memory. Today we're pleased to be joined by defender of the homeland and ABC's newest quarter-millionaire, Kam Perez, to talk about his time spent sleuthing, politicking, and ultimately winning the game. In this episode he walks us through everything from his near-miss casting experience, how he adjusted his strategy as events transpired, what ultimately made #TeamKam an unstoppable force, all the way to slapping the golden handcuffs onto the Killer Queen $250,000 richer.

What initially sparked the Kam versus Geno dynamic and how palpable was that tension in real time? Why didn't he ever suspect Cris or Lindsey to be the killer until they were the last ones standing? How did his real life knowledge and experience impact his investigations and political tactics? And why does he share Dom's ire for immortal mountain lions? Find out when you listen to this episode on the player below, find the direct link here, or find us on iTunes here


LINKS:
Kam's Reddit AMA

Breaking Bad: S05E09-10

Breaking Bad made its long-awaited return to our screens two weeks ago, and the start of this final stretch has lived up to the hype. We discuss all the action from 5-09 and 5-10, use our historically unreliable powers of deduction to make predictions for the next few episodes, and explore the wider issues raised by Anna Gunn this week surrounding the show and its fandom. Listen here or on iTunes here.

LINKS:
Sepinwall: 5-09, 5-10
Anna Gunn's NYT piece

Whodunnit: Discussing Episodes 7/8 + Finale Predictions with Jay Fischer

Freeing us from the shackles of the seasonal reality TV Grodnopoly, "Whodunnit" has proven to be a breakout star within the genre and today we're back to discuss the two most recent episodes, joined once again by our go-to guy for all things campy murder, Jay Fischer.

Was RonDawg's theory legitimate or was he just... monkeying around? Was Kam's knowledge of ricin designed by production or was it just a.... bad break... for the others? Was Lindsey's lack of familiarity with liquid nitrogen truthful or was it.... engineered? And what kind of beauty queens and flight attendants just so happen to also be ace detectives?

All of that as well as our predictions for this Sunday's final episode when you listen on the player below, find the direct link here, or find us on iTunes here.

BB15: The Haters' Guide to Weeks 4, 5, and 6

In loving memory of the bear shirt (2013-2013).

Against our better judgement, we summoned up the motivation to talk about the last few weeks of a lackluster season of a show bearing a slight resemblance to Big Brother. With the gameplay tainted and cautious and the tone as low as it can be, there's more material for angry rants than for thoughtful analysis this season. Nevertheless, we managed to spend two hours talking about the events of the past few weeks and looking forward ahead to what will hopefully be a semi-normal game for the remainder of the season. Did Judd have America or himself to blame for his blindside? Who will and should be the first to strike in the inevitable Helen-Amanda showdown? How are this season's power players approaching the 'game within a game' of winning the hearts of America and production? And will any of these people learn to keep their mouths shut?

This and more on this week's episode, available below, here, or on iTunes here.

LINKS:
The Amanda insensitivity supercut
Ian Terry's take on the Spencer controversy