24 Points About 24 - 11:06AM - 1:00PM

1. Right away we got Gbenga Akinnagbe aka Chris Partlow from The Wire lurking around as CIA agent Erik Ritter. He appears to have a preference for Under Armour so from now on his nickname will be UNDER ARMOUR. 

2. So nice to see that the Industrial Chic interior design schemes of Intelligence Agencies hasn't changed in four years.

3. Is the Jack Hoodie the new Jack Sack? 

4. Still can't believe that President Heller is alive after his car went off that cliff way back in season five.

5. That drone pilot is John Boyega, aka Moses from ATTACK THE BLOCK and also future star of Star Wars Episode VII. He's also a British dude in real life which makes it crazy he's playing an American drone pilot, but I'm into it.

6. Lots and lots of USB sticks on the show. Somehow keeping data in the cloud just doesn't work as well on a show like 24. They need those physical devices to get captured. The plot wouldn't exist without them.

7. I've seen many an episode of 24 and I know not to trust C.I.A. bro-grammers who have funky facial air. This dude who's buttering up Kate Morgan is no exception.

8. Jack Bauer's readings are unnatural! Pulse and Thermal are static. Do these people think that Jack is human? Fools!

9. Tate-Tots (new nickname alert) aka Mark aka Tate Donovan is reading Jack's file shitting himself and that was only like 3 seasons of Jack's kills, if he thinks that's it, then he's got a lot more to worry about than where his wife's jewelry box is.

10. So Kim Bauer had a son! Not only is this setting up the future "Grandson of Bauer" storyline but it also means that one day that son will grow up to hunt down the spawn of the cougar that once threatened his Mom.

11.  With Kate attacking security guards, working with some dweeby nerd, blowing through clearances, and following hunches, it really appears that she is getting set up to be the new Jack. A female Jack, is the world ready for that? Of course they are...don't you watch Homeland?

12. While it's not a kill, Jack's behind the back choking of Under Armour was pretty badass.

13. So Chloe O'Brien is working with Wikileaks now? I'll buy it.

14. CLASSIC 24 Logic that some dude can just stand on on the roof of a van with a rocket launcher outside of the London Branch of the CIA and no one notices. They must be too busy checking out their interior design contracts.

15. The creeping dementia of President Heller is an interesting plot-line. Will be fascinating to see how far the creators take it over the course of a couple hours, but you know he's going to knock out that speech. Or Tate-Tots is going to sabotage him pre-speech.

16. In reference to point #13, Jack Bauer hates Wikileaks, that's good to know.

17. Oh man, the main villain is played by the woman who played Catelyn Stark on Game Of Thrones. That's too many TV worlds coming together. I don't know if I can handle that shit! You hear the way that she said "schedule." Sent a chill or should I say "schilll" down my spine.

18.  This season will be a mild failure if one of these nerds from Chloe's hacker gang doesn't get a "hero moment" and saves the day. Maybe the rotund Ginger saves his girl, that would be dope.

19. Give it up for cinematographer Jeffrey C. Mygatt. The show has never looked better and the camera work, particularly with the interiors is fluid and exciting. Got dayuum, I missed this show!

20. It is interesting seeing a President prepare for a big speech like this. Shades of Palmer.

21. Gotta love how they close out the premiere with ye old tyme one two punch of Chloe on Comms and Jack just destroying everyone.

22. Jack's first kill of the season is standard close range shooting followed by some slicing up of British gangsters. I would have prepared a spiritual sequel to the legendary Vampire bite but sometimes the wait is worth it.

23.  Kind of feel bad for that evil programmer guy Yates, one minute you think you're gonna go live the Greenland life with your blonde babe of a girlfriend who loves to get freaky in bathrooms and then you get a knife in your ear. Such is the way of the world.

24. I was very satisfied with the opening episodes. It literally felt like they were picking right back up where they left off, I easily could have been watching this four years ago. There are many questions if Jack can still fit in to our Obama Presidency existence and with the all the talk of Drones, Freedom of Information, and Hacker Collectives it appears that he is adapting just fine. 

Game of Thrones Recap With TPG -S4E5 - First Of His Name

Well damn that was kind of a boring episode right? If you take the ending "battle" out of it, most of it was just talking. Still some juicy tidbits in there though, but seriously, only 5 episodes left, things gotta pick up!

Joffrey Swag - Even after I'm gone they remember his name and his legacy (of terror). I mean if that's not swag I don't know what is.

Direwolf Badassery - 10 Points. Ghost is freed (sorry I called him Snow in the video) and promptly bites some dude's head off. So good to have him back.

1. I really don't care about all the future stops of Daenery's Targaryen's Freedom Quest sequel because enough is enough. Can this girl just get to King's Landing already? I know Sir Barristan wants to get back there, but Sir Jorah, bro just because you're in the friendzone, doesn't mean we have to suffer.

2. Not gonna lie, I was pretty psyched to see Game Of Throne's resident breast feeding 12 year old Robin Arryn return to the mix. Kid is a real character.

3. Pretty crazy to learn that Lyssa Aryn poisoned her husband. That's a pretty deep call back to a central mystery in season one. This show is serious with it's plots. Makes you wonder just how long Littlefinger has been manipulating the game. Probably since his Baltimore days.

4. Sounds like The Iron Bank is a lot like the real life Federal Reserve: people need metaphors to explain it and everyone is trying to get on their best side. Something tells me though that empty mines spells trouble for the Lannisters.

5. So if we're to take things at face-value women from the Vale are A)Psycho B) Stage 5 Clingers C)Sexually demanding D) Have complicated relationships with sweets E) Are mean bloody knuckles players.

6. I'm also getting tired of Arya's routine. She would be wise to learn how to kill, not just sword fight. The Hound seems like a great person to learn that from.

7. All you viewers out there, don't you EVER go falling for Cersei's sob stories about missing her daughter, showing off ships,  and saying things like "What good is power if you cannot protect the ones you love." This woman is EVIL.

8. Podrick Payne continues to be one of the realest characters on the show. Love how human he is, I mean who knows how to cook a rabbit like that.

9. Bran warging Hodor was pretty expected after one of the mutineers said something like "I could take over the world with a body like that" but it still was badass to see Hodor regulate. I wonder how this new ability will factor into future battles with White Walkers.

10. Jon Snow, I'm happy you're reunited with Ghost, but you gotta start stepping up your game. You almost lost to a renegade Benihana Chef in that fight and when you won you got the guy from behind, which is no bueno. 

Wasn't that impressed with this episode. Hopefully next week will be stronger.

Jeff Bauman & The Meaning Of Boston Strong

Like many people who grew up in Boston or the Boston suburbs, I have a deep connection to the marathon. As I kid I used to go pass out water cups, cheer on runners, celebrate with my neighbor who ran every year, and also be grateful that Marathon Day is a day off school right when Spring is in full force. Even today I have family members, high school classmates, and friends running in the event. When I heard about the bombings last year I was all the way in Los Angeles where I live now and I was terrified. The process of seeking information about my friends who both ran and spectated was particularly intense. A couple days later on the night of the shootout with the bombers, I was glued to every form of social media, the Boston Police scanner, the news, and my email as one of my friends lives on the street in Watertown where the shootout took place and was live emailing the whole thing.

Once the lock-down was lifted the city got a clearer picture of what had happened and who the victims were. One of the victims who became a face of the attack was Jeff Bauman who lost both of his legs on that fateful day. Jeff, who also played a key part in identifying one of the terrorists,  just released a memoir called Stronger. He’s widely considered a hero in Boston. He is also a lot like me. We probably both spent part of our weekend watching the Bruins take on the Detroit Red Wings in round one of the playoffs. We share similar habits like blowing off steam with video games and enjoying a hearty round of beers with our buddies. And finally we’re both 28 years old, recently engaged, and grappling with the task of becoming an adult, although his struggle is far different than mine.

In the book Bauman goes into great detail about that struggle. He really opens up about his guilt about the attack, his continuing journey to walk again, and dealing with for better or worse becoming a living personification of the now iconic phrase “Boston Strong.” That phrase seems to be everywhere now, but when you learn about the everyday struggles both mental and physical that Bauman and others who were impacted by the tragedy go through, you get a sense of what it truly means. Bauman’s accounts of the emotional weight of the tragedy and how it weighs on him, his fiancee Erin, and his family are more raw and intense than any of the recounts of the bombing or the police shootout in Watertown with the suspects.

My favorite parts of the book are where Bauman opens up about his feelings for the Tsarnaev brothers who committed the terrible acts. He makes it clear that he doesn’t have “vengeance in his heart” for the bombers, which says a lot about Bauman’s character considering what the bombers did. That ,to me, is the ultimate message of the book and “Boston Strong.” The message is not to be strong in the face of our enemies. It’s to be strong for each other. To run towards the chaos and people in need of help not away from them. To treat survivors like people not like super-heroes or icons. And as Jeff says so well, know that we are stronger when we have “people to love” and make sure they know it.

Game Of Thrones Recap - Season 4 - Episode 3- Breaker Of Chains

"Breaker of Chains" was for the most part a pretty damn boring episode. Luckily it saved itself at the end with some good old fashioned medieval village raising and a prettayy freaking awesome kill by Sir Nashville above. Let's get into it.

Direwolf Badassery - 0 - I'm starting to wonder if direwolves are still even on this show. 

Joffrey Swag - 10 Points - Even in death Geoffrey proves that he's so insanely maniacal that A) He deserves rock sunglasses, the mark of a true swag-king who will swag so hard in the afterlife B)Makes his weirdo brother and sister parents have extremely creepy evil sex next to his body. He was an evil bastard and I think this is the last we will see of him.

1. The episode title seemingly referred to Khaleesi's nice little speech to the slaves of Mereen, but it actually applied to so much more. With Joffrey gone Tywin's is set free to really RULE via extremely impressionable Tommen Lannister. Arya is slowly losing any shackles of innocence. And the Thenn showed just how dark things get can when there are no chains of civilization at all, cause you know, they just eat little kids's parents in front of them.

2. Give up for Game of Thrones cinematographer Anne Haellmigk who made some truly stunning images in the opening sequence with Sansa fleeing the city.

3. Got Dayuum, just when I thought he was becoming a likeable hero Jaime had to go rape his sister. You suck Jaime, I feel tricked by your entire arc so far on the show.

4. I really enjoyed the Hound and Arya's latest episode of their dynamic duo adventure for two reasons. It was interesting to see how civilians lives are impacted by the war for the throne and also because we got another hilarious scene with The Hound trying to get his grub on. 

5. Hearing Ayra shout out the Tully clan made me wonder what happened to Brynden Tully aka The Blackfish, a totally badass character who escaped the Red Wedding last season. Can he please return!

6. Samtell Tarly is a really good dude but I can't help but think that he's a fool for leaving his girl in that town. It's all good though because I'm 95% certain he's going to play the hero and come back and save here when the White Walkers roll in. 

7. At this point I don't understand Khaleesi's grand speeches and posing with her army. The bad guys send a champion out and she sends a dude. Why doesn't she just laugh and send in THREE dragons to turn said champion into a human-horse s'more? People will bow down to you ASAP. The whole time I'm watching that (admittedly dope) scene I just thought --- yo don't you have dragons?

8. "There has never lived a more royal squire" - truer words have never been spoken by Tyrion before because Sir Podrick is the realest and most ride or die character on the show. He is immensely loyal, loves wild women, can drink with the best of them, bullshit with Bronn, kick-ass in battle, and now not even testify against Tyrion. Truly the most purest and legendary character on the show.

9. Oberyn finally got his crazy orgy scene and it was cut short by the Lord of all ball-busters - Tywin Lannister. I'm intrigued to see how his role on the trial of Tyrion plays out but more intrigued by a potential showdown between him and the mountain Sir Gregor Clegane. Most anticipated fight of all time.

10. The village attack scene might be remembered by the Thenn cannibals being terrifying creeps, but the real star of the show was the BG aka the Badass Ginger aka Tormund just wrecking everyone. Guy's a fighter, can't wait to see him square off against Jon Snow!

Game Of Thrones Recap - Season 4 - Episode 2 - The Lion & The Rose

This was worse than the Red Wedding, I'm so shaken up by it I'm not even talking straight in the video blog I did above. It's with a heavy heart that I write this post. RIP Joffrey. 

Direwolf Badassery - 3 Points. We got a pretty cool POV sequence of Summer killing a deer but...a deer...couldn't it be a White Walker?

Joffrey Swag - To the stars and beyond. Fitting that in his final moments the legend Joffrey would just radiate swag on all of us. He got too close to the swag son and burned up once he tasted true swag Nirvana. His final moments lest we forget: He was snooty about the goblet his father-in-law gave him, he chopped the book up after praising it, he had an epic cape swirl, there was a dope sword name, he made his bride have some 80's hair style (nice one Joff!), henripped off a power kiss, called Renly a deviant, made fun of the fat drunk knight who is important now I think, brought midgets to the party, and finally served up his uncle who slapped him. Still, his death was traumatic as hell. I still haven't recovered.

1. Terrifying opening shot with Ramsey Snow's dogs chasing down a poor girl. Yet another reminder that Ramsey Snow is the #1 character I can't wait to see die a horrible death. Just a little shit all around. Who's gonna do him? Future magic Bran Stark? Or is Hodor going to just rip him apart?

2. Don't feel bad for Theon at all now that he's a weird imp named Reek. Just remember all of the super lame power hungry business he pulled back in Season 2?

3. Is Roose Bolton (the guy who killed Rob Starkk) going to be a main character now? All I want is to see this guy die, not scheme for power?

4. As much as I find Shae annoying, it was kind of heartbreaking seeing Tyrion just shred her heart to bits. I understand why Tyrion had to go about it that way, but damn, that's almost as brutal as that horse getting chopped in half way back in Season 1.

5. STANNIS aka the realest character on Game of Thrones. Dude is just burning his In-Laws alive and has somehow got his wife thrilled about it. His character may be underdeveloped but it doesn't matter cause this dude just oozes determination. Others want the Iron Throne, he needs it.

6. Melisandre's little visit to Stannis's daughter was interesting. Does she play a larger part in the story? What kind of potential is her dragon skin infection?

7. Absolutely loved Bran touching the Weirwood tree (just like the one the Night's Watch take their oath at) and have some trippy dreams. The Dragons flying over King's Landing was especially epic, but I'm more interested in what's waiting for him in the North. Considering his magical powers as a Warg are growing I think he'll have a part to play in the big ass showdown that's going down with the Night's Watch and the Wildlings. Maybe he'll even slay a White Walker. That would be choice.

8. Yes, that was the epic orchestral rock and roll soul shaking Icelandic band Sigur Ros performing for Joffrey at the wedding. It had to be Margaery's pick ,though. I'm sure Joffrey only listens to Slipknot.

9. I know he hates his nephew but I really don't think Tyrion had it in him to kill Joffrey. Smart money is on the Tyrell's because that Grandma is colder than Tywin will ever be. That line to Sansa about killing at a funeral...c'mon Grandma...we know you want your grand-daughter on the throne.

10. Really enjoyed seeing Bron and Jaime practicing sword-fighting. Two quick thoughts on that. The first is when is Jaime going to learn to use his gold hand as a weapon. The Second...those two would be REALLY fun to party with.

No updates from Jon Snow, Arya, or Khaleesi this week. Hopefully next we'll get a little less Wedding drama and little more carnage. Swag on Joffrey. Swag on.