I am a co-founder and the editor of drinkfive.com. In order to stave off fantasy football insanity, Dave and I have branched out to cover a variety of interests. When I'm not knee deep in wikipedia pages, I like to hang out at breweries or a disc golf course (especially both in the same day). FSWA Member for 5+ years.
On this installment of the Retrospectical Podcast, Dave and I delve into the movement to legalize marijuana in the United States. Cannabis prohibition goes back a ways, and there's been an almost ongoing fight since the 70's to try and reverse that trend. We looked at the history of prohibition as well as some of the issues that are caught up in the debate, like industrial hemp and publishing magnate conspiracies. We were joined by Allen St. Pierre, the Executive Director of NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) to shed some light on some of what's currently going on.
(Retrospectical Podcast Ep 13 - Legalizing Marijuana in the United States)
We would like to thank Allen again for being so gracious with his time and wish him and NORML all the luck in the world in their quest for sane marijuana laws. For some extra viewing, check out a few of the things we mentioned:
Dr. Sanjay Gupta's excellent CNN Special Report: Weed (also check out Weed 2 and Weed 3)
Evergreen: The Road to Legalization (available on Netflix)
And for a few chuckles, check out Reefer Madness from 1936.
We're back to the fantasy football podcast again this week. This time, we take a spin around the NFC North. We start our trip in Green Bay, discussing all the fantasy awesomeness to be had there. Then we look at the Lions and try and figure out if they're better this year or not.
Listen to the Fantasy Football Podcast: 6/9/15, NFC North Spotlight
We looked at all of the key additions and departures to all the teams. The Vikings get Adrian Peterson back, which isn't technically an addition, but it will certainly make a difference! Finally, we finish off in our hometown and talk about the Bears. The new regime has tried to put their stamp on this team, but they're still handcuffed with the same old QB. Can they succeed?
Update: Dave and I did manage to decide on a bet. He'll be taking Eddie Lacy and I'll take Adrian Peterson for season long points. We're wagering pizza!
This episode seemed to be a departure from most of the season, but not necessarily in a bad way. Obviously, a few characters have plot armor, but a few things still felt a little over the top - mainly Fisk's assault on the bridge. I digress, so let's start back at the beginning.
Ben/Karen
The Ben Urich chapter of this show has ended, and the characters are saying goodbye, in the most coincidental gathering of people in New York City - hey, it's most of the cast! Ok, ok, that's going to happen in these kind of shows, I'll let it go. It was a nice funeral for Ben, with Foggy noticeably absent. Karen is terrified that Fisk will find out that she visited his mother with Ben, though he did do an ok job of covering for her, I just hope Fisk's mother doesn't say anything else about it.
Fisk/Owlsley
Wilson has been able to take Vanessa home from the hospital and he's a little worried there's some funky stuff going on in his business. Without Wesley around, he has no one to rely on for these things. He goes to visit Owlsley and doesn't get the answer he was looking for and it doesn't take much for him to figure out that Owlsley has been stealing from him.
TV Soup Podcast: Daredevil, "Daredevil" Review
Owlsley makes a really big mistake, telling Fisk that their real target was Vanessa. That's what we call a sensitive issue in Fisk's world. Even with the bargaining chip of Detective Hoffman in his pocket, he's unable to keep his mouth shut and Fisk shows him to the bottom of an elevator shaft.
Matt/Foggy
Matt and Foggy are finally talking again. Matt's rage is definitely getting the better of him. He wants to lash out at Fisk and everyone he works with, but really the whole thing is a bit quixotic. Matt is just one guy, and Foggy can only shout the truth back to him - you can only defeat him with the law.
They decide to move forward, and go see Sgt. Mahoney and pick his brain about Ben's death and what's going on with Fisk. They're really just in the right place-right time, as Matt is able to easily eavesdrop and finds out that Hoffman is still around.
Matt/Foggy/Karen
The band is back together, and Foggy is daydreaming about being a butcher again. Seems like this might be the kind of gig he'll retire to. Or maybe it's really corny foreshadowing for his nickname when he turns evil (now that would be a twist). Digging through Owlsley's records, they manage to find out where Hoffman likely is (and through a smooth move, Karen might be a little suspicious about the man in the mask's identity).
Man in the Mask
Matt manages to locate Hoffman just in time, of course. After a rather interesting conversation, Matt is his usual persuasive self. Hoffman (blood still covering his face) turns himself into Mahoney. They're finally able to get in a room with the right people who aren't bought by Fisk. Hoffman elaborates on the extent of the criminal enterprise and Matt and Karen are taking a mental victory lap. Cue the montage of bad guy after bad guy getting busted by the FBI (not Fisk's guys), and this is clearly the best work that the Mask has done.
Fisk goes down
All the missed connections in this show (who shot Wesley? who was the rat at the newspaper? etc) remind me of an unreliable narrator in books. It rewards someone who can watch everything in depth, because only the viewer (or reader) is able to put the entire correct story together. In a very dramatic arrest, complete with perp walk, Fisk is taken away. This leads to a fun little victory party for the crew at Nelson & Murdock.
You didn't think it would be that easy, did you? Fisk takes a moment to tell his captors a story from the bible. This is yet another way that the show has used religion to impress not faith upon people, but just examples of how to live their lives. It makes religion feel like a real part of the show, rather than some one-sided part of some aspects of the story. Fisk, like Jules in Pulp Fiction, mostly uses his bible story to deliver a badass line before the shit goes down. "I am the ill intent, who set upon the traveler on a road that she should not have been on."
Fisk gets away in a rather over the top fashion, of course. Why not just run away in the first place, if that's what you were going to do anyways? It's all over the news right away, so it's not like this is stealthy or anything,
Matt, knowing he needs a big upgrade, goes to Potter and gets his new threads. He's now got a proper superhero costume and some actual protection so he doesn't get the crap beat out of him all the time. Like any boy with a new toy, he's eager to try it out and goes Fisk hunting.
The final battle between Fisk and Matt is another in a long line of wonderfully choreographed fight sequences in this show, Matt had to finish off the fight with some sticks, a nice call back to his old buddy. Mahoney is the guy who shows up on the scene and he's able to take Fisk in and even gives Matt his nickname - Daredevil.
Parting Notes
- Foggy getting back with Marci? Go after Karen, dude!
- Does Karen, at the very end, know Matt's secret, or at least strongly suspect?
- Fisk gets to stare at a white wall again, this will definitely end well.
- The horns are too much, I agree with Foggy.
On tonight's episode, we discuss cloning and its impacts when it comes to humans. We talk about a bunch of different aspects of cloning, from clones in movies & tv, cloning animals and the history of cloning. We talk about a few famous clones, like Dolly the sheep and Second Chance, a brahman bull.
(Retrospectical Podcast Ep. 12 - Are Human Clones an Eventuality?)
There are lots of pros and cons for cloning for the benefit of humans, or just cloning an entire human. We meander through the topic, and even touch on the bizarre story of David Rorvik, who wrote a book claiming a human had been cloned.