Something next to normal, that's the thing I'd like to try

So... the Dexter finale... happened. And it was even more terrible than anticipated, but it produced some marvelous snark. I think my favorite is the AV Club review, which summed things up thusly:

"The Dexter team outdid itself. Some folks would say “This show is as shitty as it can possibly be, so now we can rest on our laurels.” But not Scott Buck and his team. They never stop striving to create the most offensively stupid show on television. And look, if that was the objective here, a slow clap is in order."

( More not really spoilery snark )

In happier news - and by that I mean devastating, because it's Breaking Bad - here are a slew of links to prepare you for its series finale on Sunday:

* Vince Gilligan explains the title. I kind of love that somehow, throughout the entire development of the show, NO ONE said, "Hey, uh, no one actually knows what this phrase means...?"

* The entire cast was on Conan for a full episode, but the best/weirdest part was when Bryan Cranston read an erotic fan letter: "I am fantasizing about having sex [long pause] with Aaron Paul. [Aaron: "YES!"] And - and! For you to be there watching... I am not sure what your role would be, but I think I want you there."

* A supercut of every bad thing that's happened to Jesse Pinkman. I AM JUST SURPRISED IT'S ONLY FIVE MINUTES LONG.

Also wrapping up are The Bridge and Broadchurch. The latter is fabulous, and you should totally watch it before Fox does an American remake that sucks all the life out of it. The Bridge... I don't know. I really want to like it, and I'm hopeful that the show will improve now that the ridiculous serial killer arc is over.

On the other side of things, it's fall premiere time. \o/ Here's what I've watched of the new shows so far: Agents of SHIELD, Brooklyn 99, Ironside, Mom, and Trophy Wife. None of them really impressed me, but I'll keep watching SHIELD, Mom, and Trophy Wife for Marvel, Allison Janney, and Bradley Whitford, respectively.

In returning series, HIMYM continues to be the Lucy to my Charlie Brown. I DON'T KNOW YOU GUYS. I actually kind of liked the premiere? And I kind of am hoping a season where we actually get to MEET THE MOTHER might be, idk, good? Also caught The Mindy Project and Nashville, neither of which did anything terrible in their season premieres, lol, so I will continue to watch but have very little to say about them, just like last year.

So what are you watching?

* An interview with the incredible Breaking Bad director, Michelle MacLaren, about this week's episode. Plus, eight things you didn't know about the ep.

* Pics of the real-life locations where Breaking Bad was filmed, in case you're in Albuquerque and wanna do your own little set tour.

* Arguments for and against the Better Call Saul spinoff. It's going to be an hour-long series, and it's going to be a prequel. Of course, that means they could bring back characters like Gus Fring or Mike Ehrmentraut, which would be pretty awesome.

* Also, Breaking Bad spinoffs you won't see.

* Clearly there are a lot of Breaking Bad fans on Yelp...

* This is timely, since pocochina just finished Lost: creators Lindelof and Cuse talk about the challenges of ending a TV series with Six Feet Under's Alan Ball and (of course) Breaking Bad's Vince Gilligan.

* After reports that Laura Prepon wouldn't be a regular on season 2, it looks like she'll only be with us for one episode of Orange is the New Black.

* A complete chart of fall TV premiere dates. Mark your calendars!

* Speaking of, here's an extended promo for season 5 of The Vampire Diaries.

* An Agents of SHIELD featurette, plus an interview with Joss Whedon and a response that critiques the pilot's (unexpectedly timely) treatment of secrecy and government spying. And finally, the rebellion against all those damn periods has begun.

* Joss Whedon on casting James Spader as Ultron.

* Tom Hiddleston talks a lot about Loki and briefly mentions that vampire movie he's in with Tilda Swinton.

* Graceland was renewed for season 2, which means more of my bb, Aaron Tveit!

* Jim Butcher talks about the next installment of the Dresden Files series.

* Neil Patrick Harris is prepping to host the Emmys again.

* LOL best captions on boring photos ever. "Dan Stevens at the Grey Goose vodka party, because he's famous and part of his job is literally to drink free booze while people photograph him." She also has a serious crush on Benedict Cumberbatch.

* ETA: And now that it's over, series creator Matt Nix talks about the series finale of Burn Notice.

* Dean Norris talks about Hank Schrader and Breaking Bad.

* Kyle Chandler talks about a couple projects. I'm kind of intrigued about The Vatican, yo.

* What to expect in season 2 of Orange is the New Black.

* 28 Musical Theater Life Ruiners. Buzzfeed knows my jam. Only person missing: my girl Heidi Blickenstaff.

* London, WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH YOUR BUILDINGS. Melting cars is, like, sci-fi shit.

* Throwing this in because I haven't done a cooking post in a while, and these White Chip Chocolate Cookies made me the most popular kid in school when I brought them into work.

* The cast of Bunheads got together to film a goodbye dance sequence.

* Dammit. I don't really want to watch Showtime's new series, The Affair, but Dominic West and Joshua Jackson might convince me to give it an ep or two.

* Another Mockingjay cast announcement, this time for Annie Cresta.

* Joss Whedon talks about how Marvel's dedication to franchises is thwarting his efforts to kill off Avengers. I... may have read between the lines a bit there.

* Zachary Levi talks about Broadway and stuff. I love the question about creating his own geeky musical, because I really just want to introduce him to Jeff and Hunter and be like, "GO BE BESTIES NOW."

* If you've ever wanted an article that explains exactly what's wrong with Dexter, congratulations: here it is.

* In the best pop culture mash-up of the night, Hank and Marie Schrader react to Miley Cyrus' VMA performance.

SPEAKING OF BREAKING BAD OMG CAN WE TALK ABOUT IT?? The writer of last night's episode, Gennifer Hutchinson, did. But also...

( cut for spoilers )

* Parks and Recreation is getting some great guest stars this season, including Breaking Bad's Jonathan Banks and Orphan Black's Tatiana Maslany.

* This is really cool: photos from inside the Breaking Bad writers' room, including the in-progress storyboard for season 4.

* Even Carlton Cuse has noticed the many similarities between Lost and Breaking Bad.

* The latest Avengers casting rumor is that Elizabeth Olsen is up for the Scarlet Witch.

* Joss Whedon and Agents of SHIELD made the cover of Entertainment Weekly. ETA: And here's an interview with Jed and Maurissa.

* John Oliver gives his (hilarious) take on reading slash fic about himself and Jon Stewart.

* West Wing cast reunion on Twitter, you guys! I love how everyone is still mean to Josh Malina, lol.

* Mandy Patinkin has some adorable and touching things to say about playing Inigo Montoya in The Princess Bride.

* Meanwhile, his co-star Damian Lewis talks about Brody and season 3 of Homeland, which will be "hard-boiled" and "dark" and "unforgiving." That sounds promising, no?

* Apparently the Little House series was a secret libertarian fantasy, and I had no idea. Then again, I didn't realize the Narnia books were about Jesus until, like, college, so...

THEMES - 50th special edition

family	rivalry	empire	enthusiasm	tardis
wicked	experiment	naked	team	yellow
identity	necklace	time out	witch	eye
newspaper	trickster	young	5	0

fandoms: Parenthood, Nashville, Breaking Bad, Doctor Who, Wicked, Game of Thrones, Friday Night Lights, How I Met Your Mother, The Americans, The Vampire Diaries, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Marvel comics.

While I am waiting for the episode to start, links:

* This article on character-driven vs. plot-driven TV watching tackles Breaking Bad. Plus, an interview with Vince Gilligan where he talks about Walt as a villain.

* How to Make a TV Drama in the Twitter Age has some interesting things to say about the changing models of television, the pros and cons of having so many ways to watch a show, how and when to end a TV show, and of course social media and its impact on writers and their interaction with fans. (Of course, it also includes the Dexter showrunner continuing to not get why people who happily watch a show about a serial killer might still not be okay with sibling incest coming out of left field [hint: it's a characterization problem, not a ~morality issue], so...)

* Meanwhile, unlike most new series, which send out screeners to critics in advance, Agents of SHIELD is keeping the pilot episode tightly under wraps, including serious security measures during the few public screenings.

* But if you're into spoilers, here's a description of some new footage that was shown at D23 from Thor: The Dark World and Captain America: Winter Soldier.

* Three changes the Catching Fire movie is making from the book. Nothing shocking - trimming minor characters for time and simplicity, mainly.

* While the actual documentary on the history of American comics sounds interesting, the TCA press tour's panel on Superheroes: The Never-Ending Battle seems to have been about reinforcing all the sexism in the comics industry. No, really, ALL OF IT. This panel wins Comics Sexism Bingo.

* Social media explained via donuts. 1. Brilliant 2. Hilarious 3. Mmmmm donuts.

* An interview with Jason Katims about season 5 of Parenthood.

* New Homeland trailer for season 3.

* Lots of promo photos from the final season of Breaking Bad. Plus, two 10-second teaser trailers, and some thoughts on Hank as the unlikely hero of the show.

* Interview with Krysta Rodriguez about First Date, Smash, and... all of her career, basically. She is just so adorable, I cannot even.

* Veronica Mars is going to be a book series, set after the movie. On a related note, has anyone ever read any of Rob Thomas' YA novels? I read Rats Saw God recently and thought it was quite good, but my library does not have any others. :(

* Lots of new Catching Fire posters, although I am not clear on why each photo got released "exclusively" by a different website?

* A new website has launched as promotion for Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Which also has a new trailer!!

* Mark Ruffalo addresses the recasting rumors sparked by the Marvel contract negotiations. LOL basically: "Uh, no one's fired me yet, so...?"

* Another spoilerific IM3 discussion that I'm sticking here so I can go back to it later.

* Community has been renewed for a 13-episode 5th season. I'm not sure this is a good thing.

* Now that the fate of most series have been decided, NBC's fall schedule has been announced, along with FOX's. The rest of the networks will follow later this week. Also, here's a full list of renewed, canceled, and newly picked-up shows by network, in case you've lost track.

* Especially for pocochina, because I'm sure she's dying to know: here's a preview for season 2 of The Newsroom.

* Vince Gilligan talks about bringing Breaking Bad to a close.

* What is going on with the accents in Game of Thrones? "Like most fantasy television shows, Game of Thrones is largely populated by English actors speaking with English accents. This is because Americans are still unconvinced that England is a real country, and associate English speech patterns with kings and magic and sorcery and frequent stabbings." LOL, but seriously, WHY do all the Stark kids have different accents? They all grew up in the same house, right?