We are currently in the middle of Discovery Channel's annual event; Shark Week and well...I simply could not be happier because Shark Week is the greatest thing to happen in the history of ever. On a personal level, I've always been a big fan of these majestic creatures and this event is always an incredible treat.

For me, my love of these creatures stems from my geeky nature. Shortly after seeing Jaws as a boy I became fascinated and obsessed with sharks and made it a point to learn everything I could about the mighty Great White and well, Shark Week has only helped fuel my childhood obsession. But what I love about this event the most, is not the fact that it feeds the geek in me, I love the science that comes with all of it. 

There's often something new to discover when Shark Week arrives and the last couple of years have popped up some incredible finds. Last year we were introduced to Big Blue, a massive 5,000 lb. Great White Shark that was 20 feet long. She was truly the stuff of legend and the closest thing to Jaws that we have ever seen. This year we met Emma, a 16 footer length wise that just so happened to fall asleep on camera, giving scientists their first ever view of a Great White Shark at rest and it's those magnificent moments of wonder that keep me coming back year after year. 

But what matters most, is that Shark Week gets everyone excited about learning. I see the joy over this event all over my Facebook feed and engage in conversations with my friends about it and that's simply magical to see. This is an era where we can learn anything we want at our own pace, and an era where sometimes science finds itself embattled by opinion over fact. So to see people energized to learn more about sharks and find themselves educated in the process is nothing short of amazing and kudos to the Discovery Channel for figuring out how to make learning fun and to make Shark Week a 'can't miss' event.

Either way, I'm a little saddened by the fact that Shark Week is nearly over, but at the same time I'm filled with joy at the strong possibility that there are people out there now curious to learn more about sharks and will no doubt seek out more knowledge about them once the programming ends and that's largely in part thanks to The Discovery Channel for finding the sweet spot in regards to making learning fun and I certainly hope that Shark Week inspires other programming in a similar vein to pop up to continue to inspire learning about our magnificent world.​

Loss, and the pain that comes with it, has been featured in just about every single medium of storytelling for generations. We are simply fascinated by how fictional characters handle the anguish that we must face in every day life and it's made for some incredible stories over the years, and that includes AMC's Feed the Beast.

After all, loss is central to this story, since Dion and Tommy have both said goodbye to something or someone they love, but if there is one particular element of loss that storytelling as a whole often omits; it's the day to day pain. Those tender moments when the memory of a person or a place slams into us, bringing all kinds of emotions to the surface. Those slices of life are hard to capture in film or television but this series decided to give it a try in this week's episode, 'Gimme a T' and the end result was absolutely stunning.

This entry in the tale of Thirio brought us to an important day in Tommy and T.J.'s life; Rie's birthday, and the cloud of this hung over the entire hour because it was something extremely difficult for them to deal with. It put Tommy in an awful place mentally, making him irritable and well...drunk on several occasions as the loss of his wife and the hole that remains within him because of it was simply too much to bear and this was absolutely heartbreaking to watch. Tommy consistently seemed as though he was on the verge of tears throughout the entire episode and his ability to keep moving through the pain speaks to how strong a man he truly is and that's a good thing...considering the battle that's coming on the horizon for him when it comes to his son.

Because the show was gracious enough to reveal what kind of struggle T.J. was suffering from as well when it comes to his mother being gone and unlike his father, he was happy to unleash his anger and stand up for himself in the process by putting his newfound boxing skills to use and beating the hell out of the bully that picks on him at school when the little punk opened his mouth about Rie, and while it was wonderful to see T.J. finally stand up for himself...the consequences that came with his actions, were far more dire than expected. Not only is he suspended from school for a couple of days, but child protective services are now involved due to concerns regarding T.J.'s mental state and living conditions as well. 

It made those final moments with father and son together, enjoying memories about their mother all the more important because...it could potentially be the last time Tommy and T.J. are granted that kind of peace with the storm clouds gathering around them and while that may not be the happy ending one expects on television, it's a proper one. Sometimes life doesn't quite go the way we want it to, and we sometimes make mistakes when anguish is in our hearts. We can only hope that Tommy does indeed 'get his shit together' as suggested by the school counselor for his family's sake, and that may be extremely difficult considering Tommy's suspicions about a relationship on the side between Dion and Rie. But in the meantime, it was wonderful to see a television show finally present the long term effects of grief and loss in a frank and compelling manner and I hope it continues to challenge other tropes in this fashion as the season rolls on. Until next time. 

There's really only two words that properly summarize this week's episode of Preacher...at last. After weeks of toying with storylines, quietly introducing them and leaving us without any answers or clues as to what may be going on in this quirky and fascinating universe, 'South Will Rise Again' finally delivered all kinds of surprises answer wise and story wise, making it the best episode the show has offered up to date, because it covered so much in such a short period of time and everything it provided us with was oh-so satisfying.

Take for example the Cowboy. We met him a few weeks ago in the cold open, only to return to present day quickly and more or less forget about his story. But this week, we went back in time to learn more about him, and well...his story was nothing more than a grand tragedy and set the tone for this week's episode by reminding us that sometimes, good men are going to suffer by way of the evil that other men do, and suffer is all the Cowboy did this go round. He was beaten, mocked and torn down by the world around him for trying to ensure the safety of the innocent and his reward? Arriving too late and finding who we can only assume to be his wife and daughter dead from the illness he went off to find the cure for. It was a stark way to open the show and well...the anger and vitriol we saw in this cold open didn't end there.

Once we made it back to present day, the story continued to be filled with fury. Eugene's father was filled with resentment toward his son, even going as far as to tell him to finish the job suicide wise. Tulip continued firing her resentment toward Jesse's choice to be a preacher instead of the bad boy she fell in love with. Donnie continued to express his disdain and distrust for Jesse, the anger simply just kept coming. In fact in many ways the town of Annville seems to be a pressure cooker waiting to blow and at the center of it all is Jesse, enjoying his new found celebrity status after getting Odin to convert back to being a church going man and spending his days now dishing out advice with a touch of that power within to the good people around town. Heck, he even got Tracy's mom to forgive Eugene. Jesse truly seems to be the only town's hope for salvation at this point...and just when it looked like that's where the series was headed, it took one hell of a left turn.

At long last, we got a showdown between Jesse and the two angels who, finally tired of waiting confronted our beloved preacher face to face to let him know that what is inside him is not in fact the power of God sent here to make the world a better place; but a powerful mistake that has been used too much already and well, the show hinted that there may be an inherent flaw to his power weeks ago when Jesse told one of his flock to open his heart to his mother, thus prompting the man to literally rip out his heart in front of his mother. It seemed like a fluke but the fact of the matter is, whatever Jesse is hosting from beyond another plane can indeed be used for good, but there is the risk that if there is evil or malice in one's soul...the message gets lost in translation and the person under the influence adapts it as they see fit. Case in point, that wild and crazy ending where Odin brutally slaughters the competition with a high powered shotgun in his office.

It's going to be tough from here on out for Jesse because it's clear now that Odin's 'misinterpretation' of Jesse's command is only the beginning. Others will follow, especially considering how many people received his kind words and direct influence at the diner and once he learns of Odin's act and the other ugly ones to follow...Jesse will most certainly be shattered internally and put at a crossroads. Does he try to figure out how to use this power for good since it clearly is capable of doing so, or does he hand over the being to the angels from Heaven that have come to claim it? Either way, this episode was an absolute joy to watch through and through. It was nice to finally have some answers and have a great conflict for the rest of the season set up and well, this particular tale did such a great job, it made the slow burn we've been suffering through completely worth it. The stakes are raised, and well...Sunday can't get here soon enough. Until next time.

When we are frightened by a horror movie or a horror story that revolves around possession or things that go bump in the night, it's not uncommon for us to quietly remind ourselves, while we sit in the dark waiting for the shadows to move, that demons simply aren't real over and over again until our nerves finally give way to the gentle wonder of sleep.

But despite the fact that we sometimes find ourselves scared of stories like this and we reassure ourselves that the world is safe and free from monsters such as that, we are in many ways wrong. There are demons out there, just not in the traditional storytelling sense of beings that look to possess humans. Instead the demons we know are already inside of us, and they come from trauma and memories from our past and well...they drive us to do things out of anger and fear and we do our best to fight them, sometimes on a daily basis. These are the kind of monsters that were explored in depth on Outcast this week and well...the fact that 'A Wrath Unseen' made that the focus story wise made the show uncomfortable on a whole new level and in its own special way explained how evil is finding its way through the world.

It's ironic because this was in fact a filler episode, one that didn't advance the plot in the slightest, but it did certainly answer quite a few questions that were posed last week and well, let's start with the good before getting into the bad because it was extremely pleasing to know that the Chief isn't in on any conspiracy after all, he just wants proof that weird stuff is going down. It turns out that one of his closer friends is potentially the man behind the scenes when it comes to that camper and now that the Chief has seen the camper burn down at his friend's hands...he's ready to dig in and find out what the hell happened there. But sadly, as Mark pointed out...it's going to take a month to get the results of the forensics test and let's be honest, there's a good chance something extremely wild is going to happen before those results make it home. 

Is it possible that there might be more to life than just having a ton of money? This question can be skewed many ways these days since it seems to be getting more expensive to live on a daily basis. With all of the prices of homes skyrocketing, along with the price of food, there may be no end to it. But when it comes to living life, does it matter more to you if you are in a large house filled with nothing, or a small house, surrounded by your family and friends? Everybody needs more money to live, but what really matters is what you are willing to give up to get it.

Sean Moore is on the top of his game and now is ready to sell off the company he built when he was eighteen years old. Getting is daily itinerary from his secretary Kate, Sean is surprised to have a reporter waiting for him in his office. Speaking to Elizabeth Carter for a couple minutes, Sean’s past is brought up and questioned. Sean is not proud of what he did, but without trying to take the bull by the horns so to speak, he would not be in the position he is in today. Sending the reporter away, Sean is shocked to see that a piece of his past has shown back up in his office. His father’s 1927 Yankees baseball, the one that Sean sold to start his company is back in his possession and he is dying to figure out why.

While finishing up with a working girl, Sean sees that another element of his past has come back to haunt him some more. His old lettermen jacket is hanging in his closet and even though it might be a replica, Sean finds the letter from his high school girlfriend in the pocket to prove that it was his. Thinking that the reporter was behind this, Sean finds her standing in the parking lot of his offices and tries to find out what her game is. Being able to put two and two together, the reporter is his ex-girlfriend Bess Wicker. Putting a call into the magazine that is working on a story about his success, Sean finds out that Elizabeth/Bess died three days ago in a car crash.

Seeing now that he is being haunted by his past in more than one way, Sean seeks out his mother to try and make things right. Trying to give his mother the baseball that he sold many years ago, she will not take it back. Sean’s actions back then destroyed his family and broke his father’s heart, and no amount of money would ever make that right again. Presenting a video for the company that is ready to buy his old one, Sean is shocked to see that it has been replaced by an old family movie. Going back to his childhood house, Sean is approached by Bess once again, but now he is starting to understand why she is coming around. With the flick of a switch, Sean may be able to change his life by one simple act, but will he be able to give up the money for something much more fulfilling?

Wow, this episode really hits you hard, especially if you have given yourself up for what you think is important, when in reality, what you sacrificed yourself for was never that big of a deal. Watching as Sean’s past comes back to him, he starts to understand something about second chances, and might want to take at least one. Bess is trying to make sure that Sean understands what will make him happy in life and after seeing the home movie in his office, Sean’s focus is completely changed. Living the life of luxury, Sean has missed out on so much more that could money could never buy. This is a story that could stand the test of time since we all get caught up in the unimportant things, especially if we do not know that we are hurting ourselves by letting the important things slip by.

Feed the Beast continues to be quite the fascinating show. It is a series that features flawed and broken characters that tend to do plenty of dumb things along the way, but what makes it so refreshing is the fact that despite their mistakes, these are good people at their core who are trying to do something special in their lives and when you combine that with the fact that this series likes to throw in a weekly morality lesson, one cannot help be be entranced by what the story has to offer. 

Take this week's episode, 'Secret Sauce' for example. This is a story that showed us Dion at one of his lowest points to date, doing drug deals to make ends meet and pay The Tooth Fairy what he's due, while at the same time working to do right by his friends and co workers. In many ways this episode was a grand examination of the duality of man, our ability to be ruthless and conniving on a consistent basis while demonstrating our ability to do wonderful things and inspire hope in others, and all of this was achieved by this week's "theme of the week" in standing up for one's self.  

Everyone was getting their affairs in order this week, setting right every wrong and the show started off on a chilling note with Patrick dealing with the guard who clearly took a bribe from other gang members to get access to his father. But while the Tooth Fairy was able to take a stand in simple fashion this episode, everyone else's journey was far more complicated. Tommy had to confront his father yet again in order to restart the flow of money and despite the fact that Tommy backed down quickly when trying to play hard ball with his dad, it was nice to see him be bold for a change, if only for a moment. Whether or not that leaves an impression on Aidan has yet to be seen. 

But, Dion's journey this episode was absolutely the highlight of the story, and well...we learned this week that he is not a man to be messed with when you get between him and his dream. Dion will fight you every step of the way at first to wear you down, but when he discovered he couldn't get under Chef Kevin's skin, he found a new way to deal with this road block by playing nice and getting cozy. That whole part of the story seemed pretty weird at first and so unlike Dion, but the master plan he set in motion...to sleep with Kevin's daughter and get the new Chef to come to blows with him and strategically get him arrested was a stroke of genius and well...Thirio is back in his hands because of it. 

However, despite the uplifting moments in the show of watching everyone find a voice and stand up for what was right, there's still plenty of trouble on the horizon. After all, the money is apparently about to run out on Aidan's end, putting the restaurant in jeopardy and one has to wonder how long Pilar can keep her ruse going and if her newfound relationship with The Tooth Fairy will come back to haunt her. But the biggest conflict now brewing on the show, is between Tommy and Dion, simply because it's clear now that Dion is being more of a father to T.J. than Tommy and it's only a matter of time before that boils over. Either way, this show is quickly turning out to be comparable to the fine wines that Tommy serves at Thirio, it's getting better with age and next week, can't get here soon enough. Until then. 

Episode 6:
This episode has a cold open. For little to no reason the Warners spoof the intro to Flipper, singing about their own obnoxiousness as they swim like dolphins and get Ralph the Guard smashed against a buoy on waterskis.

Temporary Insanity
This is another Thaddeus Plotz-centered episode. I don’t know why they chose to put two-episodes with the same antagonist back-to-back, but whatever. Plotz’s unnamed secretary has come down with a case of gale-force sneezing and goes home sick for the day. Without his secretary, Plotz is absolutely helpless, and accidentally dials the Warners’ water tower.

Aside from, arguably, 'Nighty-Night Toons', this is the first look we get at the interior of the water tower. I’m sure as a kid you wouldn’t mind living there: it is covered in movie posters, has a train ride and a log flume, a water fountain over a WB-shield topiary, a pipe organ, a couple basketball hoops, and a backdrop resembling a normal living room. They also have a Bugs Bunny shaped phone, which introduces the major running gag of this cartoon: every time the phone rings, the Warners fight over who gets to answer it, with Wakko the least likely to win the battle.

Plotz lets the Warners stay as temps after seeing Dot competently set up an appointment for Kevin Costner. It doesn’t take long though, for things to go awry. Dot keeps holding all the calls, and Yakko tries to dupe Plotz into signing a check for 80 zillion dollars. Then Mel Gibson walks in, and Dot throws herself at him the same way the brothers do with Hello Nurse. Yakko gets kicked out of Plotz’s office and has his check torn up.

After a blackout, Plotz gives the Warners a task apiece: Wakko is supposed to make copies, Yakko is supposed to type a letter, and Dot is supposed to file. Yakko imitates Jerry Lewis’ invisible typewriter gag while Wakko Xeroxes an x-ray of himself and breaks the copier, sending paper flying all over. Dot takes out a giant nail file and literally files down the papers given to her until she wears out a hole in the carpet. Frustrated, Plotz tries to get the three of them to take a letter. None of them get it right. Plotz is prepared to throw them out when the phone rings again, and THIS time Wakko is dertermined to get it, chasing the phone all around the office and pulling down phone towers until they level the whole building. Wakko answers the phone and tells Plotz his secretary is still out for one more day. Plotz gets knocked out by a brick. End of cartoon.

Operation: Lollipop
At least after the Warners-heavy first half, we get a pair of new characters. Buttons and Mindy are the last step of evolution for a specific cartoon plot-type that’s been around since the 1950s: The innocent toddler, Mindy (voiced by Nancy “Bart Simpson” Cartwright) leaves the safety of her baby harness and her backyard to chase after an object of interest, in this episode a lollipop. Her caretaker, a dog named Buttons (Frank Welker) chases her and absorbs all the damage that’d understandably occur when a toddler walks off on their own. There are other famous cartoon characters who had runs doing this plot, but that’s for another episode.

Mindy’s lollipop gets stuck on the side of a mail truck. For much of the cartoon, Mindy and the lollipop remain glued to the side of the truck while Buttons takes several headers from the mail truck in an attempt to stop it. He’s momentarily distracted by a fire hydrant, and a crocodile down a sewer manhole. Then when the lollipop gets tossed onto an air mail plane, Buttons boards the plane by getting crushed in the landing gear compartment, and then has to climb the side of the plane in mid-flight in order to retrieve Mindy, and float safely back into the backyard using a mailbag as a parachute. Compared to what would happen in later episodes, this is probably the easiest Buttons has it in his entire run.

What Are We?
This episode ends on a song. In the episode itself, there is no title card, but other episode guides and listings say this segment is called “What Are We?”

Dr. Scratchansniff attempts to cure The Warners with hypnosis. When it doesn’t work he questions, among other things, what species the Warners are supposed to be. The song itself is just the Warners themselves questioning whether they’re dogs, cats, bugs, horses fleas, or eels. They simply come to the conclusion that “they’re cute,” and give Scratchansniff a great big kiss.

Adult Jokes and Neat Moments:
-Wakko eats Plotz’s paperweight. “Give me back my paperweight!” “Okay, but you’ll have to wait a while.”
-Dot: "Mr. Sinatra, hold. Mr. Redford, hold….Me. Mr. President. Get to work!"

Slowly but surely, Preacher is starting to come together. The plot still isn't moving forward at a break neck pace, but this week's episode managed to provide us with some pleasant surprises by once more making characters the focus of the story. While last week focused squarely on Jesse and what kind of man he is, this week's episode, 'Monster Swamp', focused on the people of Annville, giving us some in depth insight into the colorful people of this town that surround Jesse on his newfound journey toward righteousness.

If anything, this was an excellent move by the show, because over the past few weeks we have been introduced to one character after another a breakneck pace, so it was nice to slow everything down and really get to know some of these people, especially considering that some of them, like say Odin Quinncannon, have only had a few minutes of screen time. In fact his story was perhaps the most fascinating one of the night, but before we explore that mysterious man and his ancient company, let's talk about what else we learned about Jesse's friends.  

For starters, it turns out that Tulip is one angry, angry lady. Sure the show has hinted at it, but last night is the first time we saw that kind of fury on display. It's fascinating to see her fight for every single cause that she can and one has to wonder exactly what from her past always has her feeling as though she needs to be some kind of a pioneer for vigilante justice. Granted, she's in the right when it comes to her causes but her temper damn near got her in big trouble this week when she went after Clive from QM&P, and ended up causing pretty epic harm to Cassidy. It should be interesting to see where her relationship with him goes from here, considering she now knows that he is indeed a vampire.