Game of Thrones is a hot ticket at Comic-Con and usually one of the more exciting panels to get into—they certainly give the best swag—but this year, several weeks after that tense season finale, the cast and crew in attendance on this year’s panel were uncomfortably mute.

Moderated by Game of Thrones super fan, Seth Meyers, the panel started almost straight away with only a quick sizzle reel of Game of Thrones references in pop culture, including Meyer’s own Jon Snow at a Dinner party sketch and Sesame Street. Then Meyers asked a few fun but ultimately non-newsworthy type questions.

He goaded Gwendoline Christie about her character’s inability to do the one job set out for her, referencing Brienne of Tarth’s oath to save Sansa by waiting for her to light a candle in a tower. “You don’t have to take these oaths,” he teased. There was some banter from John Bradley and Hannah Murray about their characters, Gilly and Sam, finally getting together on the show. Everyone else generally joked about the miserable state of affairs for most of their characters and then they moved on to audience questions.

That’s when things started to feel especially awkward as panelists, clearly in terror of revealing secrets, gave one word answers or vague speculations about the fates of their characters. Meyers interceded a few times to establish that the panelists wouldn’t be able to say much.

What we did learn? That Obama’s favorite episode was “The Red Wedding” and he asked director David Nutter directly if Jon Snow was dead. Nutter holds the stance he’s had since the finale aired: “Jon Snow is deader than dead.” This speculator thinks his consistency of wording is more encouraging than not. “Dead” isn’t always dead in Westeros.

One confirmed dead person, however: Stannis Baratheon. Nutter made a comment about the character—considered unofficially dead only because his death wasn’t shown on screen—that closes the case on him.

Other things we know: That Conleth Hill (Lord Varys) is hilarious and needs his own comedy show, that Maisey Williams (Arya) thinks she’ll have a lot of action next season despite being blind, and that the fun audition reel (see video below) of the cast proves they all deserve to be cast.

Otherwise we remain like Jon Snow: we know nothing.

Game of Thrones audition reel

Game of Thrones season 5 is over, and boy are we crushed.

Season finale “Mother’s Mercy” was anything but merciful. Ananda and Bernard were absolutely wrecked by the string of tragic events that unfolded in the episode. It saw the demise of several key characters, though one particularly unexpected and cruel death was the main cause of our hosts’ misery. All bets are off now, as several popular GoT theories bit the dust along with one of the show’s most popular characters.

What did you think of “Mother’s Mercy?” Do you need a drink as bad as we do?

Game of Thrones – “Mother’s Mercy” Reactions

It’s time to decompress as we near the end of Season 5 of Game of Thrones, so it goes without saying (but we’ll say it anyway) there may be spoilers ahead if you aren’t caught up on this season. Consider yourself alerted.

It’s been a while since we’ve expressed all the feels we’ve had this season of Game of Thrones. But believe me the feels are real. Cersei has been a royal b****, like literally and while we’re totes excited that it’s all blowing up in her face it hasn’t led to a better outcome for poor Margaery or her brother who are also toiling away in cells right now. Man, you give the religious fanatics an iota of power, amirite?

Another reason kids shouldn’t be kings. So ill-equipped to deal when the shit hits the fan.

Meanwhile Jon’s attempt to join forces with the Wildlings was colossally cut short by the White Walkers in last week’s episode, finally bringing some much-needed action to a rather tepid couple of weeks. Especially with Arya getting slapped around because she wants to hold on to a bit of her identity, and Sansa getting, well, violently introduced to the sadistic family behaviors of the Bolton family, and Bran 100% AWOL this season, it’s exciting to see any of the Stark clan kicking ass.

While last week’s episode was a great reminder that GoT is capable of serious action (and another reminder that no one is safe, phew Jon that was close), last night’s episode reiterates something that I’m continuously surprised to hear people complain about: the supposed “line” that Game of Thrones continues to cross. I don’t know who keeps drawing this so-called line, but seriously, dude, just quit.

Think major and beloved characters can’t die? Think again. Think they can’t die in gruesomely awful and sinister ways? Wisen up friend.

Let’s list off every awful and evil possibility and GoT has probably been there, done that—or is getting there shortly. In George R.R. Martin’s world (or the one expounded on by the show’s writers) pregnant women are stabbed to death in the belly. Mystical religious women give birth to shadow babies that murder at their bidding. Innocent women are raped. Good people get their throats slit (or heads chopped off). Sadistic sociopathic bastard sons are given free rein to dismember and enslave. And, like we learned last night, kids can die. No matter how good of heart and adorable they are.

I mean, are we forgetting those poor farm boys burnt to crisps at Theon’s bidding a few seasons ago? This HAS happened before, guys. Poor greyscaled Shireen, another victim of the mindless ambition that fuels those seeking the Iron Throne. Stannis Baratheon has lulled us into believing he may be the lesser of a few evils vying for the throne right now. But no. He’s just as ambitiously evil as the rest of them. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s revealed at some point that this damn throne is like the one ring in LOTR, giving off some mind-scrambling vibes to those who seek it. One of Dany’s dragons needs to drop that sucker into Mount Doom.

Really hoping this mean Davos, Shireen’s best friend and the only voice of reason in Stannis’s house, is the one to take down this guy. It’s hard to imagine him continuing to back Stannis after this kind of batshit cray.

And moving on to Dany! What an exciting day in Meereen. We’ve got some solid banter between Daenerys’ boyfriend Daario and her betrothed Hizdahr zo Loraq, while Jorah fights for her affection in a more physically tenuous sort of way, and new sidekick/bestie Tyrion (this is by far my new favorite development in the series) spouts off sarcastic wisdom. But Dany can’t just have a lovely day out anymore, not with her people rising up against her. It quickly turns into a White Walker situation when the masked Sons of the Harpy circle in on Dany and her crew in an assassination attempt. Then (FINALLY) the Mother of Dragons starts to earn her title. Drogon swoops in to save the day and Dany rides off Harry Potter style.

I’m hoping she spends some time in the wilderness with Drogon, becoming one with her dragon and preparing to be the most badass leader this GoT world has ever seen. I mean let’s be honest, it doesn’t matter who wants to take on the Iron Throne anymore, the White Walkers could waltz up and take it out from under them with their limitless army of dead. We’re going to need some supernatural aid in fighting the world-wide war we’ve been building up to.

So my advice as we head into next week’s finale, just go ahead and jot down anything and everything you can possibly think of that would be horrible, evil, or downright shocking and make your peace with it all. Like some mystical fucked up mathematical equation, there are no lines in Game of Thrones. If you’re going to be a fan, you’ve got to expect the worst—and admit to yourself that this is exactly the reason you watch this show.

Valar morghulis, my friends. All men must die.

Like Grace Kelly, Ingrid Bergman, and Greta Garbo before her, Blake Lively has got the kind of glamorous, rarified Hollywood beauty that makes time stand still. In The Age of Adaline she plays Adaline Bowman, a young woman for whom time stands still quite literally, a freak accident in the early 20th century endowing her with the gift (curse?) of eternal youth. Set in present-day San Francisco, Adaline is a romance fantasy with a preposterous-but-amusing supernatural premise, a great cast, and a promising young director in Lee Toland Krieger (The Vicious Kind, Celeste and Jesse Forever), who’s made a conventional story feel new again not by reinventing the wheel, but by giving his all to make the best damn wheel he can.

While we’ve collectively, understandably developed a cringe reflex in the midst of the current Nicholas Sparks wave of cheesy rom-coms (a wave that shows no signs of receding, god help us), Adaline is a modern romance worthy of an honest look. Lively (and her stunning wardrobe) will catch your eye immediately, but it’s her moving turn as a girl time forgot that’ll keep you in your seat. Better still, the film gives you something to take home with you, a powerful message about the quality of time as opposed to the quantity of it.

When we first meet Adaline it’s the present day, and she’s actually not Adaline: she’s Jennifer Larson, a 29-year-old archivist living in San Francisco. In a series of flashbacks sparked by vintage newsreels she digs up at work, we learn her superhero-like origin story. Adaline Bowman was born in 1908 and grew to be a beautiful young woman, finding herself in a happy marriage and blessed with a cute-as-a-button daughter, Flemming. Then, the accident: Reeling from the sudden death of her husband, Adaline crashes her car in the middle of a rare California snowstorm, plunging into a freezing cold river. A lightning bolt saves her from certain death, and in addition to jumpstarting her heart, the jolt of electricity stops her body’s aging process. The science of the phenomenon is explained in storybook-style narration by Hugh Ross, who cites a thermonuclear law that won’t be discovered until 2035. It’s a funny little wink of a joke that helps the absurdity of it all go down the hatch much easier.

As time passes her by and her loved ones out-age her (present-day Flemming easily passes as her grandmother), Adaline is forced into a life on the run, mostly to stay out of the hands of the government, who’d most likely like to cut her open and exploit her unique immunity to aging. This brings us up to speed and back to Jennifer Larson, her cover for the time being until she moves to a new city and assumes a new identity.

While some may view the prospect of preserved youth as a dream come true (I’m turning 30 in about a month, so to me the idea sure doesn’t suck), Adaline’s found her life to be lonely and cold. She can’t start any long-term friendships. Adaline is constantly forced to deceive almost everyone around her, whipping up lies out of thin air so as to not give away her extraordinary condition. You can see the veiled torment on her face as she shoos people away, throwing to the wind what might have been beautiful human connections.

The worst part of the deal for Adaline is that she must avoid or stamp out any potential romances. Aside from one “moment of weakness”, Adaline’s managed to keep the boys at bay; that is, until she meets charming philanthropist Ellis (Game of Thrones‘ Michiel Huisman), whose dogged flirting (and dashing good looks) at a New Year’s Eve party earns him a spot in the back of Adaline’s mind. Though reluctant at first, she eventually can’t resist Ellis’ charms, and for the second time in her post-lightning bolt life, she has a “moment of weakness.”

The first half of the movie is mostly carried by Lively, as the proceedings are pretty conventional, running through a litany of rom-com clichés. When things start to get more serious between Adaline and Ellis, however, an unexpected twist shakes up the entire movie, changing the mood and upping the stakes way higher than one would expect. The sudden change in tone revolves around a contrivance that’s arguably more implausible than Adaline’s condition, but if you bought the car crash, you’ll probably be fine with it. The main cast doubles in size, adding Kathy Baker and Harrison Ford into the fold as Ellis’ parents. The movie gets really, really good from this point on, and the addition of the older cast members seems to light a fire under Lively and Huisman, who noticeably step up their game.

The film’s greatest gift might be that it harbors one of Ford’s best performances in years. You can never tell these days how invested he’ll be in any given project, but Krieger must have the magic touch. I can’t remember the last time Ford looked so invigorated. He’s not playing a grumpy man (himself) here, but rather a man who’s missing something deep in his soul and carries around a world of regret. Almost every scene he’s in threw me for a loop.

Even Ford can’t outshine the luminous Lively, though. Adaline is a complex role that poses several challenges: Lively is a 27-year-old actor playing a centenarian who’s playing a 29-year-old; she has to speak with a faint pre-war accent (she nails it); and she has to be the authority figure in scenes with Ellen Burstyn, an actor 55 years her elder, who plays her daughter. The blossoming actress pulls it all off effortlessly, and she looks like a zillion bucks doing it.

Screenwriters J. Mills Goodloe and Salvador Paskowitz’s dialogue is hit and miss (their talent is more evident in their broad narrative strokes), but Lively makes the words sing with her controlled, gentle delivery. She also looks jaw-dropping in the period outfits draped on her by costume designer Angus Strathie, but that’s just the (ridiculously expensive) icing on the cake. The best compliment I can give the Gossip Girl actress is that I’m genuinely excited to see what she does next.

The story takes place in modern-day San Francisco, but Krieger’s version of the city is one that mercifully ignores the tech boom that currently threatens to sand down the city’s odd, beloved idiosyncrasies. He and cinematographer David Lanzenberg instead accentuate the city’s eerie side, setting Adaline and Ellis’ courting encounters in forgotten underground tunnels, shadowy abandoned warehouses and old hotels. The foggy City by the Bay is a fitting setting for a story so hauntingly romantic.

Michiel Huisman is best known for his work on TV, his turns on Treme, Nashville, and Game of Thrones making him the object of desire for female (and male) binge-watchers everywhere. And rightfully so! He’s crazy handsome, and despite hailing from Amsterdam, he can pull off any accent asked of him, making him a shoe-in for every hunky TV role that pops up.

The Dutch actor has greater aspirations than being relegated to playing the muscly eye candy on every project he takes, though. Despite the success of Game of Thrones, in which he plays Daenerys Targaryen’s oft-disrobed lover and quasi-advisor Daario Naharis, between shooting seasons of the show, he’s made it a mission to take on more dimensional roles and jump from the world of TV and into the movie theater.

Enter The Age of Adaline, Lee Toland Krieger’s San Francisco-set romance with a sci-fi twist. In it Blake Lively plays Adaline, a twentysomething who at the turn of the 20th century is struck by lighting following a fatal car accident, reviving her and, most amazingly, stopping her body’s aging process. As the people she loves begin to out-age her (including her daughter), she’s forced to live a life on the run to avoid being caught by people who may want to exploit her anti-aging properties.

Huisman plays Ellis, a modest philanthropist whose connection with Adaline might be strong enough to compel her to stop running. Ellis seems like standard rom-com fare at first, but when his father (played by Harrison Ford) comes into the picture, the story takes an unexpected turn that changes everything. Huisman’s first major role in a feature film is a memorable one that gets his movie career of on the right foot.

I spoke with Mr. Huisman in a roundtable interview during his visit to San Francisco to promote The Age of Adaline, though Game of Thrones talk inevitably popped up as the conversation went on.

The Age of Adaline hits theaters nationwide this Friday, April 24th.

How much filming did you guys do in San Francisco?
That’s the kind of question I try to avoid, and you start with it! [laughs] The thing is, shooting in San Francisco is a pain. We shot most of the movie in what we refer to as “San Francouver.” It was very strange for me, playing a character that is very much rooted here in San Francisco. It wasn’t until later, after we chopped the movie, that I made my first visit to the city. It seems to be the story of my life, shooting somewhere that’s supposed to take place somewhere else. I was here two weeks ago for the Game of Thrones premiere. Apart from one afternoon walking around and seeing as much as I could, the next day I had somebody take me around town, and I saw a lot. I managed to see the Bliss Dance statue on Treasure Island. You guys see that one?

No!
You should go see it! It’s awesome!

How did you get involved with the film?
By the time the script reached me I was already aware of Blake [Lively] being attached to it, as well as Harrison Ford. The thought of being able to play the male lead opposite Blake and being the son of Harrison Ford in one movie is too much for me, really. That was before I had even read the script. When I read the script, I was swept away by this journey of a woman through time. I thought it could become a very, very romantic movie that kind of feels like a small, independent, well-crafted movie, but at the same time, hopefully it appeals to a large audience. For me there is not a doubt in my mind; I was dying to be a part of it. Also, I come from doing a lot of great TV stuff, which I’m very proud of, but I was really eager to make that step and break into film. The Age of Adaline is special for me from that perspective because it marks the first time I’m playing a leading role in a proper Hollywood production.

Are you getting more offers now to play the “hunk” in movies and TV?
Yes, but I think it’s very important as an actor to spread your wings constantly and to not fall for the same thing. One of the things I thought was important during my hiatus between two seasons of Game of Thrones was to shoot a cool movie in which I’m not holding a sword. The Age of Adaline really hit that button.

One through line in your work is that you play a lot of characters that support strong, incredible female characters. Are you drawn to that?
I’m very thankful for the opportunity to work with [those actresses]. I love stories about strong women. I think that there aren’t enough stories about strong women in film and TV. I worked with Reese Witherspoon on Wild and I admired that entire project so much, and the way she played that character, too. If you look at it from that perspective, yeah, I get to support strong women, and that’s cool. I love that. But I also love stories about strong men. [laughs] Maybe in the future I get to play the strong man.

One of the most beautiful messages in the movie is about the quality of time as opposed to the quantity of time.
This woman’s found the so-called fountain of youth, and it turns out to be such a burden. I thought it was a very nice concept. I thought [the sci-fi element of the story], at least on the page, was not so far of a stretch. For a second I thought, “Maybe I should Google whether this is scientifically possible.” Maybe not with a human, but with a mouse. Can you actually kill it and then bring it back to life? I like that idea. You have to kind of go along with the movie’s concept, and I hope the audience will.

What kind of roles do you seek out?
I shot this movie basically a year ago. I went back to Game of Thrones, and it’s a show that’s so much about moments. There’s such a big cast, and as an actor I feel like I want to try to nail the moment. I was hoping to do projects during my next hiatus that don’t force me to nail a moment, that really allow me to be a character and carry a story not for a couple of scenes, but the whole way through. That’s how I pick, together with my team, the project I’m working on during this hiatus. I’m about to finish a movie we shot in Australia. We have a week left of stuff in New York…there you go! [laughs] San Francouver, shot in Sydney, takes place in New York. It’s very much a story in which I get to carry it the whole way through. I really enjoyed the freedom it gave me. In a certain sense, it adds a little pressure because I’m carrying the story. If the movie doesn’t work, it’s kind of on me. But when I’m shooting, I don’t really think about that. That comes a year later when I’m talking to people and they’re actually going to see this movie. When was shooting, I didn’t have four scenes to tell a story and sell a character, but one hundred and four.

Did you feel like you got to have that kind of arc on Treme? Even though it’s an ensemble, it was developed very thoroughly.
That arc was very gratifying to play, but it was that same thing. You get a couple scenes every episode. I love being part of a show, like Game of Thrones for example, that is so well made and so well written. The moments I’m trying to nail as an actor…they’re handing them to me on a little golden plate. “Here you go! You can say to the mother of dragons, ‘The queen of dragons without dragons is not a queen.'” You’re going to do everything you can to try and nail that line! I’m so grateful for that. But when I’m off of [the show], I try to do different stuff. Not only different genres and different characters, but [projects] I can carry.

I’ve met Harrison Ford once, and it was the most terrifying experience. I said, “Hello Mr. Ford!” and he just grunted and walked away. Was it intimidating working with him?
It was a different experience, really. [laughs] It’s a little intimidating for the first ten minutes because of who he is and because I admire him. But when we started working I was kind of surprised by how invested he was in this project and in this story. I think part of me though that, for him, this is just a little movie on his roster. But I felt like it wasn’t, and he gave it his all. Once he enters the movie, it not only puts it into another gear, but he also put me into another gear. He forced me to step it up. God, I loved it.

Harrison’s kind of known to not play well with fans. He hates hearing about Indiana Jones and Star Wars.
Everybody’s constantly asking me, “Did you ask him about Star Wars?!” Obviously not! [laughs]

Now you’re getting a little taste of that with Game of Thrones. You’re playing Daario!
The strange thing is, people are probing, but not really. They don’t really want to know. At least that’s my experience. “What’s happening? Don’t tell me!” I think it’s funny. You don’t want to know, really. You’d go crazy if I told you.

Daenerys’ storyline is going differently on the show than in the book.
We’re letting go of the books this year. I shouldn’t say more. [laughs] Everything I say is some kind of spoiler-y thing.

To bring it back to The Age of Adaline, your character, Ellis, uses his wealth philanthropically. What would you do if you suddenly came into tens of millions of dollars?
I would definitely set up some philanthropic foundations. A line in the movie I really liked was when he says, “It’s actually really hard to do good.” You try to do good and make the most of the money, but it’s actually really hard. Maybe it would be [a foundation] for the arts, something helping kids find a way into expressing themselves through music or acting, things that have given me so much fun and eventually a career.

Season 5 of Game of Thrones has begun!

“The Wars to Come” was a standard sort of Game of Thrones season kick-off, catching us up with where all our wandering characters are and setting up the season. Way Too Indie writers/editors and Game of Thrones devotees, Ananda Dillon and Bernard Boo, react to the season premiere and predict where they think the season will lead and the fate of the good (and bad) people of Westeros.

Were you watching with the millions of others last night (or perhaps one of the naughty people who pirated the show)? What did you think of “The Wars to Come”?

Our Reactions to Game of Thrones – “The Wars to Come”

As hundreds of thousands of fans clear their schedules tonight for the season premiere of hugely popular HBO show Game of Thrones, piracy site users are already four episodes deep. The first four episodes of the upcoming fifth season of Game of Thrones leaked online Sunday morning on BitTorrent sites. These leaked episodes likely originated from review copies sent to press outlets, as TV critics are often sent the first four episodes for review consideration. According to TorrentFreak, these leaked episodes were downloaded more than 100,000 times in just three hours.

Game of Thrones is no stranger to piracy though. The show is the most pirated TV-show of the last three years.

Though despite these leaks, rest assured millions of viewers will still plant themselves firmly in front of their TVs for tonight’s season premiere. Including us! We’re branching out beyond film and music into the world of television, and Westeros seems as great a place to start as any.

In fact, our excitement is probably best summed up in this video from The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Enjoy!

Here it is. We’ve made it to the top. The top ten that is.

Breaking down all of the television shows we’ve come to love over the past five years (not even mentioning all the shows that premiered previous to 2010 that we’ve been dedicated to all this time) has been a monstrous undertaking. Collaborating on these lists not only made us want to re-watch everything we’ve put on here, but exposed us to great shows we hadn’t already been watching. Basically none of us have had much of a social life the past few weeks.

Talking about all this great TV, with stories, visuals, characters, and creativity that rivals the very best that cinema offers us, has also just whet our appetite to talk about it more. All we can say is keep an eye out, you may just see more of the small screen represented here on Way Too Indie in the near future. No need to prattle on about the many virtues of the following ten shows by way of introduction. The writers can explain how they made their way to the top, and you can let us know if you agree or not and which you plan to binge first.

Best 50 TV Shows Of The Decade So Far
(#10 – #1)

The Walking Dead

Based on the The Walking Dead comic book series created by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard that was first published by Image Comics in 2003 and follows the survival of sheriff Rick Grimes and his team surviving a zombie apocalypse, Frank Darabont who’s known for his screenplay for The Shawshank Redemption created the show in 2010 to much praise and popularity. Winning two Emmy’s for outstanding prosthetic makeup and countless other nominations, it hasn’t been without a significant amount of professional accolades as well.

Since its premiere on AMC on October 31, 2010, however, it has veered off significantly from some of the storylines within the comics from the deaths of certain characters and the survival of others to the outright creation of characters never seen in the comics at all (Daryl Dixon). That has not stopped it from being the most-watched drama series in basic cable history, with a viewership of 17.3 million for it’s season five premiere. Executive Producer David Alpert has stated that there are enough storylines from the comic series to take the show well into the 12th season and then some. Us fans grab hold of bits of hope like this as we would follow the show to the end of the world. Both figuratively and literally speaking. Other shows have gone creepy and weird (American Horror Story and The Returned are two on our list) but no show delivers scream-out-loud scares the way those always gruesome walkers do. Even more scary, is that as attached as we get to characters—and boy, do we—Kirkman and the writers have shown us time and again that no one is ever safe. [Scarlet]

Girls

Watching Lena Dunham, creator and star of Girls, rise to the top with such rapid momentum used to be somewhat of an annoyance to me. I’d seen her film Tiny Furniture before Girls came about and found her portrayal of someone basically like herself—aimless and emotionally stunted—to be narcissistic and weird. Hearing she’d fallen into the favor of Judd Apatow and was being handed a show by HBO felt like a joke. Thus I began my viewership of Girls armed and ready to rip it to shreds. And then in those incredibly quick 30 minutes making up the first episode, I found myself not only guiltily laughing, but strangely seeing through the general weirdness of the film’s central characters—Hannah, Marnie, Shoshanna and Jessa—to find that I understood them. I understood their motivations because the part of me that can’t deny my millennialness (I’m on the oldest side of the spectrum) doesn’t behave the way they do, but understands the thought process that gets them into their ridiculous situations.

Thoughts on pursuing dreams and needing work to feel meaningful. Thoughts on being loved. Thoughts on sex. And most significantly thoughts on the importance of one’s girlfriends. In an age where women marry older and older, female friendships are sort of the early loves of our lives. The candor and sometimes graphic intimacy these girls share, its very real. And the ways in which they mess up their lives is happening on a daily basis among twenty-somethings somewhere. We don’t watch for the storylines necessarily, and the gritty and deliberately dirty state of the characters is at times gag-worthy, but if you want to understand the insecurities and general hopes of the female new-adult generation, Girls is a great place to start. Plus the music is always seriously solid. [Ananda]

Homeland

It’s odd to have to defend a show that’s so high up on our list. But that’s because a lot of people fell in love with Homeland early, only to be let down by a somewhat ho hum third season that contained such a daring ending that it actually divided fans. It’s true the first two seasons set the bar incredibly high—first by making us decide if Brody is telling the truth or if Carrie is just plain nuts–then by pairing the two as a couple despite finding out the truth. But if we learned anything from season three, it’s that Homeland loves to paint itself into corners and has no qualms about killing off major characters. Some of its big gambles pay off while others don’t, but it deserves respect for attempting such risky storytelling. Not to mention continuous outstanding performances from Claire Danes, who has picked up two well-deserved Emmys so far. Those who kept watching the show were rewarded with a brilliant fourth season (just don’t ask us to comment on its finale) and recent news that Season five will shift locations again and jump ahead in time. Homeland finally made Showtime a major player in original programming. [Dustin]

Black Mirror

As smart phones or other ‘black mirrors’ become an increasingly prevalent aspect of modern life, Black Mirror examines our increasingly complicated relationship with emerging technologies, as well as their unforeseen, unintended consequences. English satirist Charlie Brooker created the series, an anthology where each 45-minute installment exists independent of the others. The episodes take place in varying, unspecified periods of the not-so-distant future; whether they’re taking place 1 or 100 years from now, the conflict is derived from evolutions of contemporary tech. Brooker poses that these aren’t only problems we can see now, but dilemmas that will grow worse with time.

Beyond the moral questions that the series asks, Black Mirror is an exciting, highly unpredictable show. Every episode paints a detailed picture of the world in which it exists. The intriguing circumstances only become more captivating as the storylines take wicked twists. Brooker’s pitch-black wit provides dark laughs, relieving the tension in Black Mirror’s most shocking moments; however, the series’ strength is in its ability to build to a devastating conclusion. You won’t know whether to laugh, cry, or get angry. Brooker develops a universe in which he introduces advancements that visionaries might one day dream up, only to reveal the awful implications each change may provoke, and our seeming hopelessness against them. [Zach]

Transparent

The first season of Transparent premiered less than a year ago, and yet here it sits in the top ten shows of the last five years. If you think this ranking might be a little unreasonable, you probably haven’t seen Transparent. Jill Soloway’s show packs more drama, character development and naturalism in its ten half-hour episodes than most cable and network dramas do over an entire series. The show, for those living under a rock, profiles the Pfefferman family as their father Mort (Jeffrey Tambor, who already won a Golden Globe for his performance) comes out as transgender to her three selfish children (Amy Landecker, Gaby Hoffmann, and Jay Duplass).

And as Mort becomes Maura, Transparent focuses on the effects of her transition on herself and those around her. The show’s premise alone makes Transparent something entirely new to TV, but it’s the smart, sensitive portrayal of Maura and the Pfefferman family that makes this first season launch straight into the pantheon of great TV shows. Maura isn’t the only one going through some sort of transition; all of her children find themselves going through major changes themselves, whether it’s starting a new family, coming into adulthood, or just trying to figure out what to do with their lives. Transparent puts these stories together, but it never equates them. It uses the Pfefferman children’s stories to highlight their privilege when it comes to uprooting their lives in comparison to the intense struggle Maura faces for wanting what is essentially the same thing: to find happiness being herself, and finally living the life she wants to live. It’s a marvel that the show does this without compromising any of its characters, showing them as people just trying to do the best they can instead of putting them into easy archetypes. Transparent is, quite simply, revolutionary TV. [C.J.]

House of Cards

Because season three is still so fresh in my memory, having binged it only within the past few weeks, my ability to talk smoothly around its many merits might just be a waste of time. The show’s main character, Frank Underwood, played by Kevin Spacey, is next-level evil. Like, forget ax-murderers and sociopaths (though he may be borderline), Frank is a purebred egomaniac filled with oodles of charisma and a cunning and sharply calculated brain. Beside him in his pursuits of the most powerful spot in the country, and the world, is Robin Wright’s Claire. She, the most poised and well-spoken woman to ever understand exactly how to use her femininity to befuddle, bemuse, and work her way to the top. And these are the MAIN CHARACTERS. Watching their relentless political pursuits, their consensual affairs, wily networking and bargaining and consistent success, makes one wonder who to even root for in this world. And harboring even the smallest fear that politics could be half as dirty as they are in this show really makes one question their patriotic pride.

The show is based on the British version, which I tried watching an episode of and found I just couldn’t trade Underwood’s smooth southern drawl for a British accent.His asides to the camera, where he tells viewers directly all the evil things he’d like to say but won’t, make it impossible to wonder if Frank is at all conflicted. Knowing he’s 100% depraved somehow makes him even more intriguing. But it’s Frank and Claire’s psychologically-muddled marriage that fascinates to no end—especially in this last season where it was tested to its limits. No word yet on a confirmed fourth season, the network wants to toy with us like Frank toys with congress, but we’ll be waiting to hear. Simultaneously dreading and hoping. [Ananda]

True Detective

Not four months had passed since Breaking Bad ended its run, and rumblings already started to spread: there was a new show in town that might give Vince Gilligan’s crystal meth-epic a run for its money as One Of The Greatest TV Shows Ever. In hindsight, much of this is chalked up to hyperbole since True Detective only has the one season to its name. But, my goodness, how magnificent, absorbing, twisted, darkly poetic, and sickeningly compelling that first season is! Created by crime novelist Nic Pizzolatto, True Detective shifted the paradigms of television before Steven Soderbergh got a chance to do the same (see No.19 on this list).

So, let’s break down the “how.” Firstly, the architecture of the story’s arc is the Golden Gate Bridge of television writing: a single case involving two detectives in Louisiana, spread across decades, into a single season, divided not so much into “episodes” as much as “chapters.” Pizzolatto’s background in fiction and academia filters through his cadenced dialogue and exceptional layering of the psychology of his two detectives. Secondly, casting two movie stars in the form of Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, who were able to commit thanks to the show’s anthological nature and deliver mind-blowing performances. And lastly, nabbing Cary Joji Fukunaga, one of the most promising young directors out there, to direct every single episode (it was almost Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu, but my gut tells me it’s a good thing it wasn’t). One astute writer, one exciting director, one formidable DP (Top of the Lake’s Adam Arkapaw) and one knockout ensemble cast. True Detective combines all the sensibilities of cinema, and spreads them out over the temporally-liberal format granted by television. The result is nothing short of groundbreaking. [Nik]

Louie

The fact that Louis CK landed a deal with FX that grants the comedian full creative control over his show, and nearly unlimited leeway to mold it to his pleasing, was unprecedented. His ability to turn Louie into the most surprisingly honest and endearing program on TV is a testament to CK’s creative genius. Writing, directing, editing, and starring in nearly every episode, Louis’ series sacrifices traditional sitcom continuity for flexibility. Each episode’s situation has been crafted to fit the story that Louis intends to tell, which means that introducing a new sibling or a black wife for your white children is simply a new reality in which CK can craft a hilarious, engaging narrative.

Louis CK has developed into one of the funniest, most successful stand-up comedians in the world today (he splices clips of stand-up into most episodes); however, he was already an experienced television writer, self-taught video editor and aspiring filmmaker without a vehicle suited to his sensibilities. This series occasionally feels like a collection of CK’s early short films. Some stories simply serve as brief cold opens to episodes, while others unfold in 2, 3, or 6 part installments. Louis allows the story to inform the structure, and consequentially his bits don’t appear cut short or too drawn out. Each episode is hysterical, beautifully crafted, and often climaxes with touching vulnerability. It’s easily the most essential comedy on television so far this decade. [Zach]

Sherlock

In the same year Steven Moffat replaced Russell T. Davies as showrunner, lead writer and producer of the 2005 revived Doctor Who, he was also launching, with Mark Gatiss, what would become a pop culture phenomenon and sensation for British Television and the world: Sherlock with Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. In 2014 it won 7 Emmy’s including Outstanding Lead Actor for Cumberbatch, Outstanding Supporting Actor for Freeman, and Outstanding Writing for Moffat. Moffat and Gatiss were also nominated for two more Emmy’s for their creation of the show. Gatiss, who also plays Mycroft Holmes on the series, had also been a writer for Doctor Who along with Moffat before their co-creation of the tv-adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s character who personifies the essence of intelligence…and neuroses. Its intense and catchy theme music was composed by David Arnold and Michael Price for which they also won an Emmy in 2014.

The show incorporates technology into the show inventively, especially considering the dated source material. What it does best, however, is plays up the bromance between Holmes and Watson, letting their friendship be the driving dynamic that carries the show forward. The ‘ol Conan Doyle penchant for cliffhangers helps, too. One of the most frustrating parts of being a fan of Sherlock is the aggravating wait between each series which averages a break of two years in between each 3-4 episode season. Moffat and Gatiss announced that they have already developed plots for a fourth and fifth series as well as a Christmas episode that will supposedly be broadcast this November. Filming for the next series should begin late 2015 for its 2016 release. [Scarlet]

Game of Thrones

The king—or queen—of the shows has arrived and I only hope I can express accurately why it is. Just. So. Good. In an age of DVRs, Roku’s, AppleTVs, and Chromecasts there is very little reason to watch anything live (not to mention have cable), but Game of Thrones is one of the shows I make time for every Sunday night during its season. For one, the fear around spoilers as people discuss the show is very real. There ain’t no fan, like a Game of Thrones fan. They want to discuss episodes and events, and they want to do it immediately. But what really makes me shirk Sunday Funday plans to plant myself in front of my TV every week is that my devotion to the heroes and villains of the show is so strong that I literally can’t wait to see where each new episode will bring them.

Set in the fantasy realm of Westeros and Essos, the show follows a great many characters, some who live, some who die, some we hate, some we love, some we don’t know how to feel about. The main premise is political. Everyone wants to sit on the iron throne. Some would claim it based on lineage, some would like to simply take it for their own. The film has outstanding visuals and amazing actors and falls firmly within an R-rated sensibility. It has given great roles to Sean Bean, Peter Dinklage, Emilia Clarke, Kit Harrington, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Lena Heady and so, so, so many more. The costumes are elaborate, the magic is subtle but exciting, the dragons are awesome, and scope is epic. All of this make Game of Thrones feel timelessly legendary. It doesn’t matter if you read the books or not (personally I’m saving them for once the show is over and I need my fix, though apparently the ending will have already been ruined for me), this show, and its source material, capture imaginations and don’t let go. It’s the kind of show people will return to for many years to come, and it feels exciting to be experiencing it with the world week after week. [Ananda]

Check out the rest of our Best TV Shows Of The Decade lists!

View Other Picks in this Feature:
Best 50 TV Shows Of The Decade So Far (#50 – #41)
Best 50 TV Shows Of The Decade So Far (#40 – #31)
Best 50 TV Shows Of The Decade So Far (#30 – #21)
Best 50 TV Shows Of The Decade So Far (#20 – #11)

Celebrating its 5th Anniversary (just like us!), The Toronto Irish Film Festival, established to help promote Irish film within Canada, is exhibiting a unique collection of Independent Irish films over the course of three days.

The Toronto Irish Film Festival runs from Friday March 6-Sunday March 8th for more info visit: http://torontoirishfilmfestival.com/

The Festival opens with Standby, a gentle romantic comedy based in Dublin. It stars Brian Gleeson as Alan, a musician with a passion for skiffle music. Alan is fed up, stuck with a boring job in a tourist office in an airport, being perpetually single and living alone with his father. His life appears to take a turn for the better when he runs into his former fling Alice (Jessica Pare, Mad Men), who is grounded in the city after a delayed flight and needs somewhere to stay. Standby is a charming, naturalistic comedy, and the perfect opening to the festival. (The screening also features a Q&A session with Brian Gleeson) (Screening: Friday, March 6, 2015 at 7pm)

Also showing at TIRFF is the uplifting Good Vibrations, which tells the story of Terri Hooley, a man who, in the midst of the ‘troubles’ in 1970s Northern Ireland, opened the record store ‘Good Vibrations’. Hooley and ‘Good Vibrations’ was hugely influential in establishing the Belfast Punk scene, and the film features great music from punk bands of the era including The Undertones and lesser known bands such as the The Outcasts. It also offers an honest account of life in Belfast during one the most difficult moments in its history. (Screening: Saturday March 7, 2015 at 3pm)

Also based in Belfast in the heart of the conflict in the 1970s is the outstanding ’71 which I raved about back when it was released in the UK. Starring Jack O’Connell, it follows a British solider separated from his unit and left to survive the night in a hostile West Belfast. It’s a fantastic debut from director Yann Demange, one that shouldn’t be missed. Consider this a sneak preview screening too, since it’s showing a week before its theatrical release in Toronto. (Screening: Saturday, March 7, 2015 at 5:30pm)

Finishing off the Saturday evening is Irish Film and Television Award winning comedy Gold, a film which sees Ray (David Wilmot) trying to reconnect with his ex-girlfriend and her daughter (Maisie Williams), now a potential track and field star, who is under the thumb of her controlling PE coach stepfather (James Nesbitt). (Screening: Saturday, March 7, 2015 at 8pm).

The festival finishes on the Sunday with Rebuilding the World Trade Centre, an observational documentary by Belfast artist and filmmaker Marcus Robinson, which chronicles construction on the new World Trade Centre. The film uses a mixture of time lapse photography and interviews with those working on the build, offering insights into this important attempt to rebuild one of New York’s most iconic buildings. (Screening: Sunday, March 8, 2015 at 7pm)

The festival also includes a series of 6 short films highlighting the work of new and upcoming Irish film directors as part of TIRFF 2015 IRISH Shorts Programme. (Screening: Sunday, March 8, 2015 at 4pm)

If last week’s release of the new Jurassic Park trailer wasn’t enough to trigger some pleasant nostalgia, then the trailer for Alan Taylor’s Terminator: Genisys, the first of a new trilogy of Terminator films, should really cap off your Throwback Thursday. As if this jaunt down memory lane wasn’t exciting enough, Arnold Schwarzenegger is BACK, making good on that over-quoted promise, to reincarnate the much beloved cyborg hero.

This time, Skynet has it out for John Connor using both the past AND the future to stage the ultimate attack. So it’s a good thing Matt Smith is rumored to be among the cast as he does seem to have a penchant for time traveling gigs. No doubt John Connor, played by Jason Clarke, will be needing a Doctor over the course of this three film journey. Game of Thrones’ Emilia Clarke will be breathing new life into the indomitable character of Sarah Connor. Really, as if we needed another draw. With the usual exorbitant amount of explosions, gunfire, and car chases complete with air-flipping school buses, the release date for this robot reboot is set for July 1st, 2015.

With the help of the Internet, missing Comic-Con no longer means you miss out on all the sneak peeks and fun videos shown.

We’ve put a few of the essentials up so you can catch up all in one sitting. Of course there’s a few things that you can only see if you are there (Marvel hasn’t released the Avengers: Age of Ultron trailer), but this should tide you over for now.

The Avengers assemble for Age of Ultron Panel

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 Teaser

The film comes out Nov. 21, 2014

Horns Trailer with Daniel Radcliffe

Frank Miller’s Sin City: A Dame to Kill For Red Band Trailer

Film comes out Aug. 22, 2014

Mad Max: Fury Road Comic-Con First Look

Film is coming out May 15, 2015

Kevin Smith’s Tusk Official Trailer

Movie releases September 19, 2014

Kevin Smith Describes Visiting the Star Wars Episode VII Set

The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies Full Panel

The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies Teaser for Trailer

The film releases Dec. 17, 2014

The Walking Dead Season 5 Preview Trailer

Game of Thrones Blooper Reel

Warcraft Title Teaser