Episode 079 - Take Two with Brady Jennings

Paul returns for the first podcast in months and talks to Brady Jennings about everything from the historical ramifications of the 2015-16 NBA season, to pessimism in politics, to the start of the 2016 MLB season.

Episode 076 - Kobe's Retirement, Lakers, Pacers, and Wizards

Chris and Paul discuss Kobe Bryant’s announcement that he will be retiring at the season’s end, including the concept of finality among great NBA players and which current superstars will age well as they enter the twilight of their careers. After about 10 minutes they transition to the Los Angeles Lakers and how the franchise stands, post-Kobe, and then the strong recent play of the Indiana Pacers and, alternately, the struggling Washington Wizards. They end with some TV talk on The Leftovers, Master of None, and Jessica Jones, and some slight video game musings.

Episode 067 - Summer League & Emmy Impressions

Chris and Paul delve into the various NBA Summer Leagues and the young players who have stood out this summer, then discuss some leftover free agency news and trades, and go through the Emmy categories to narrow down their rooting interests.

Episode 064 - NBA Finals Recap and Draft Preview

The NBA’s offseason is here, and before Chris and Paul get into the NBA Draft and their favorite prospects, they first begin by recapping the 2015 NBA Finals and the Golden State Warriors’ complete team victory, small-ball strategy, and LeBron James’s historical dominance. As always they end on some pop culture talk, including Daredevil Episode 3, the Season 5 finale of Game of Thrones, and some miscellaneous TV talk (Community, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, True Detective Season 2).

Game of Thrones - Season 5, Episode 9 - "The Dance of Dragons"

HBO's Game of Thrones - Season 5, Episode 9 - "The Dance of Dragons"

Paul: As a fan of HBO's Game of Thrones and George RR Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, I'm by now almost used to the unexpected, and to the moral compromise that's inherent with the nihilistic tone of the universe. I've excused or looked past the violent rapes and head-popping executions and baby murders of previous seasons, with the trust that the writing could either overcompensate, put it into context, or use the macabre to transform its characters or stories into a more complex and developed place. After Episode 9, "The Dance of Dragons", I no longer have that confidence in the direction of the narrative.

Episode 063 - NBA Finals Preview

Chris and Paul preview the 2015 NBA Finals and the hype and various narratives leading up to it, transition to some recent coaching hires, and then wrap up on the second episode of Netflix’s “Daredevil” and the series finale of “Mad Men”.

Game of Thrones - Season 5, Episode 8 - "Hardhome"

HBO's "Hardhome"

Paul: Wow. I can't think of another episode of Game of Thrones that so perfectly gave the fans what they wanted, so to speak, and I think I'd be hard-pressed to find a certain "type" of GoT viewer who wasn't satisfied with "Hardhome". The fans of the show's interpersonal politics were treated to extended sequences between Daenerys Stormborn and Tyrion Lannister as she interviewed and then hired him as campaign manager (before the 2016 season heats up). Acting snobs saw more proof as to why Lena Headey deserves a Best Supporting Actress Emmy (at the least). Even fans of the Starks or character development had Sansa finally step up and extract some humanity and answers out of Theon Turnclock. And then everyone else witnessed the Battle of Hardhome.

Perhaps even more impressive were the character moments and touches of humanity within the pure chaos north of the Wall. Wun Wun the Giant and Dolorous Edd getting acquainted. The Thenn's newest Magnar condemning the Crows and then fighting alongside them. Tormund's reluctance to leave the battlefield. And the death of Karsi, a character given the kiss of death of characterization just minutes earlier, by the group of child zombies was legitimately sad and amazing and awful all at the same time. I have no question for you; that was amazing.

Game of Thrones - Season 5, Episode 7 - "The Gift"

HBO, Episode 7, "The Gift"

Paul: Now that's how you end an episode. While not exactly a great hour of television, "The Gift" continued to advance the plot as the fifth season comes to a close, by pairing up the characters in a given location and slowing down the pace a bit to let them breathe and interact with one another. The various combinations in King's Landing supplied the politics and exposition, as the High Sparrow added another Queen to his collection, while the dungeons of Dorne seemed much more hospitable (and with better acoustics) than its counterparts at the Capitol. Samwell Tarly and Gilly again found themselves in a volatile situation that was meant to show how isolated our heroes at Castle Black are without Lord Commander Snow, but instead ended with Sam "the Slayer" forsaking his vows with Gilly, finally. If only Stannis Baratheon had similar success with Melissandre.

So which was your favorite character pairing in this episode, Chris? Also, with the (kind of random) passing of Maester Aemon Targaryen, which minor character's death has affected you the most, in the five seasons?

Episode 062 - The Conference Finals Round and Draft Lottery

Chris and Paul delve into the Conference Finals and the Draft Lottery results, before wrapping up with some talk on TV, books, and movies.

Game of Thrones - Season 5, Episode 6 - "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken"

HBO, Game of Thrones, Season 5, Episode 6 - "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken"

Paul: Now that we're on the back stretch of Game of Thrones' fifth season, the plot and conflicts have picked up dramatically in places. This week's episode, the sixth this season, gave us ample amounts of action (Sand Snakes vs. Bronn & Jaime at the Water Gardens), character combinations (Olenna Tyrell vs. Cersei Lannister), and plot advancement (the Inquest) or exposition (Petyr Baelish, to Cersei), but did it all work? The last ten minutes or so focused solely on the North and, unfortunately, another Westerosi marriage, this time between the Starks and the Boltons. The final scene cemented Andy Greenwald's point about the show's "most exhausting habits: the idea that the most important lessons to learn in life are also the ugliest", but, at this point in the series, do we still need to be reminded as to these lessons?

Game of Thrones - Season 5, Episode 3 - "The High Sparrow"

screen cap from "The High Sparrow", Moat Cailin

Paul: A lot went on this week's episode, beginning with a wedding and ending with an execution (as, it seems, per usual on an episode of Game of Thrones). Sandwiched in between were some great character moments, expository back story, and plot advancement in both King's Landing and in a rebuilding Winterfell, while also giving us a glimpse at Moat Cailin and some fascinating camera work from director Mark Mylod. There's a lot to unpack here, plot-wise, from episode writers Benioff and Weiss, but once Littlefinger revealed his marital intentions for Sansa Stark maybe halfway through the episode, I spent the last half-hour rocking back and forth in my chair, repeating "No, not Ramsay Bolton..." over and over to myself. Dare I call that reveal one of the most important scenes in the show's history, both to any long-term plot implications but also to any conversations about converting the book to the television show?

Game of Thrones - Season 5, Episode 2 - "The House of Black and White"

The Titan of Braavos

Paul: It's been about a half hour since the second episode of Game of Thrones's fifth season, "The House of Black and White," aired on HBO, but I'm already calling it a classic. I feel like the scope was spread pretty thin in introducing a new region/character while still spending time progressing the plot in some familiar settings and sticking to their central theme. So, black or white? Petyr Baelish or Brienne? Lord Commander or Jon Stark? (Public) Execution or mercy? Mereen or literally anywhere else?

Game of Thrones - Season 5, Episode 1 - "The Wars to Come"

2015, HBO, inc.

In an attempt to discuss the most recent season of HBO's Game of Thrones, Chris and I started an e-mail chain to provide thoughts on each episode, beginning with the premiere from this past Sunday, April 12th. We've both read the five books and any assorted "Dunk & Egg Tales", so slight spoilers might slip concerning secondary characters and the TV series' deviations from the source material, but we're approaching the catch-up point to George RR Martin and spoilers might not be an issue after this next season or two. We'll try to be vague enough to encourage you to pick up the books.

Paul: Season 5 of Game of Thrones premiered last night, putting us another step closer to author George RR Martin's trail while providing plenty of non-book material from episode writers (and showrunners) David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. The series premieres are often scattered and spent establishing the disparate locations and plot threads, so did the season 5 premiere succeed in that regard, and did it effectively establish some of this season's conflicts? I was a bit disappointed that we didn't get to Dorne, but there were enough interesting character moments to enjoy. Any particular favorites?

Episode 046 - NBA Randomness

Chris and Paul cover a bunch of NBA teams in about 40 minutes, starting with the Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors, and then talk some Serial, True Detective, and other random podcasts and TV shows.

Worth a click:

The Grit and Grind Grizzlies can actually score now (Mike Prada, SBNation)

Marc Gasol is the best big man in the NBA (Zach Harper, CBSSports)

The art of being terrible in the NBA (Paul Flannery, SBNation)

Searching for Balance: The NBA’s Lopsided Conference Problem (Zach Lowe, The Triangle/Grantland)