It’s no secret that I thoroughly (and I do mean thoroughly) enjoy the Showtime series Homeland, if nothing other than to watch the spectacular performances put on by leads Claire Daines and Damian Lewis. But the storytelling is equally as thrilling and compelling.
The last thing on my mind when watching the series? Tourism.
I’m not sure why I was compelled to write about this, but I guess it’s one of those “truth is stranger than fiction” moments that seems somewhat worthy of a mention.
We knew it was bound to happen: DEA super-narc Hank Schrader (Dean Norris) would stumble on evidence that would identify Walter White (Bryan Cranston) as the ever elusive crystal meth shadow kingpin, Heisenberg. What we didn’t know, however, is that he’d espy that evidence while taking a shit. And that, fair readers, is why Breaking Bad is one of the greatest shows ever created.
Human Element, being developed for the PC and next-gen consoles by indie game development studio Robotoki, is likely to be a survival apocalypse game by Robert Bowling, former creative strategist at Infinity Ward. It’s a part of a growing trend for survival-apocalypse “next-gen” video games, looks like, and it’s one that I generally gravitate toward inasmuch as I tend to prefer the Mad Max-inspired cerebral experiences of, say, Fallout 3 over the cacophonous, reptilian-brain mayhem of any one Call of Jingoism Call of Duty offering (sorry Infinity Ward, though I doubt you’ll miss my occasional 60 bucks in lieu of your millions of fans).
There appears to be a darker side to the growing sophistication of “simulation” in gaming, however. You can probably guess where I’m going with this, right?
Despite Californication‘s blur of themes in its fifth season finale, it’s wound me up for a somber season six. I was entertained, amused, moved, and for the most part, quite pleased with this run’s story arc. An arc just strong enough to overshadow any of my meandering misgivings.
One more episode till both Californication and House of Lies are in the rear view. The former is ending its fifth season, while the latter is a mere babe in its first. And if it were a competition, I’d say it were Hank and not Marty who’s captivated my interest, tugging at my heartstrings like a marionette.
As a timid apology to my readers, I deliberately kept quiet about last week’s episode of The Walking Dead (“Better Angels“), as I wasn’t sure what to make of its cliffhanger. For that, I am sorry.
