There are times when you are forced to make a decision that could change your life.  Although we are faced with these decisions on a daily basis, should I quit or should I stay at my job for example, you need to remember to try and look forward and view the consequences.  So many of us make our decisions based on our emotions at that moment in time and while there is nothing wrong with that, you just need to make sure that it is something that you have thought about for longer than a day before jumping the gun.  With the unknown being exactly that, you never know what will happen next when you take that leap and for many us, we are afraid of it.  You never know what else is out there unless you look and that is part of living and might just make things for you a little bit better if you jump out of your comfort zone.

Walking into work, Spencer sees that his office has been cleaned out and wants to know what is going on.  Hearing from his co-workers that Hurricane Joe had finally struck, Spencer sees what his friend is capable of doing.  Being escorted upstairs to his new office, Spencer is approached by the big guns of Mr. Anderson and has been put in charge of the new sports division of the office.  With the keys of the kingdom being handed to him, Spencer does not know what to do and he wants to find out Joe’s side of the story. 

Meeting up with Joe, Spencer finds out that Mr. Anderson had lied to him about why the freak out in the office actually happened.  Finding out that Joe was fired and did not resign, Spencer wants to humor his friend and find out what is on the table for him.  As Joe pulls out his big guns as well, he shows his friend exactly what a boutique agency will look like and putting Spencer down as the head of the company seems like the only thing that he can do to convince the big man to come along with him.  Spencer has to find a way to make the best decision for himself as he does not want to loose face with Mr. Anderson along with losing a good friend in Joe.

Ricky has made a name for himself with his FU Dad statement and everyone around Miami loves it, except one person, his father.  Meeting for coffee, Dennis is not ashamed for what he had done to his son and wants nothing from him except for Ricky to stop bad mouthing him to the press.  As Dennis tells him that he owes him more than he could ever know by putting that chip on his shoulder, Ricky starts to understand what their relationship really is. Being an eye opening experience for Ricky, he relinquishes his jersey number back to Alonzo and is ready to start a new season as the great player that he is and not caring about a number that he knows means very little to him going forward.

Charles and Julie Greane are out shopping for baby goods when Charles gets a phone call from the Miami Dolphins GM Mr. Seifert.  Knowing that his tryout was less than stellar, Charles tries to explain himself, but he has no need to.  Knowing what the old offensive lineman can bring to the team, Mr. Seifert offers him a job.  Charles is beside himself and when arriving at training camp he lets his emotions soar.  Beating down a rookie on the field that has no respect, the Black Swan is back!

Vernon Littlefield has decided to check in, but does not want to talk about anything football related until he can clear his head.  When Jason and Spencer are able to track him down when taking pictures of flamingos, the talk of friendship comes into play.  Spencer knows that the breakup between Vernon and Reggie has messed with his friend, but when Jason reveals that the latest contract offer from the Cowboys came through even higher than they wanted, Vernon has nothing to say other than yes.  All of his problems although being short lived start to fade away when Vernon decides that there is nothing more important to him than family and will make sure that his family understands that.

Spencer has a decision to make between staying with Mr. Anderson or leaving the firm with his friend Joe.  Knowing that either move will hurt him, Spencer listens to both pitches and gives each equal thought.  But when he tries to sell both of the foes on his idea, he may not have the wrong idea.  Trying to convince Mr. Anderson that the sports division would not run properly without Joe at his side, Spencer has one more hurdle to get over.  Being given the ok, Spencer has to convince Joe as well that this is the right move for them both and they need to stay together to keep their streak rolling.  After a couple of shots of tequila, Joe decides that it is the right idea and Anderson 2.0 will be the place he wants to be, not only for the perks that are being thrown his way, but for the friendship he and Spencer have formed over the past year.

This is a great season finale because it has tied up all of the loose ends.  Even though you do not get a resolution in the Ricky and Bella saga, you do not feel cheated by is as Ricky is learning much more about himself and why his father did what he did.  I wish there was a little bit more in the Charles Greane storyline, but he has gotten his wish and will be playing football once again since his life as a car salesman was not leaving him fulfilled.  The Vernon story was fun as he has gone through so much with his friends and family and even with the blow out that took place, he accepts that he is nothing without them and cannot stay mad forever.  Spencer is able to get everything that he wanted and with his all of his friends surrounding him, there will be nothing that can keep the ex-linebacker down. Until next season, blue 45, blue 45, Omaha, set, hut, hut, HIKE!

Zeke and Glenn are up and ready for action as they have been assigned with saving the world from a nuclear winter.  Still a bit drunk the two take to the skies to find Zaman’s bomb wielding fighter that is destined to take out Tel Aviv.  While on their strike mission, the two pass a tanker plane and that indicates to them that they are close.  Finding the fighter, Zeke steps up to the plate and is in fighting mode, but with only one missile left, he has to back off and make a controlled decision on how to proceed.  With a firm lock on the target,  Zeke lets out his final missile go and winds up destroying the threat, or so he thinks before he gets a call from informing him to take down another target. 

Alex and Rafiq are trying to come up with a way to fend off WWIII in their own way.  Alex believes that he will be able to get General Zaman to open up and call off the plane before the bomb is dropped.  Talking to the crazy general’s psychologist, Alex finds out something about himself and although he does not agree with it, he believes he may be able to get Zaman to talk and open up a bit.  Before the new President of Pakistan is able to arrive with his torture device, Zaman agrees to talk to the pilot of the plane, but the discussion does not go as planned as the crazy general yells for his plan to be carried out and then shoots himself in the head.  Alex and Rafiq are now in a race against time, since everyone knows that a retaliatory strike is imminent and they all need to get to safety. 

With no way of keeping World War III from starting, President Navarro has been ordered to a non-disclosed location for safety.  Watching as the White House is evacuated, Walter Larson will not leave and takes matters into his own hands.  With minimal staff helping him, Walter calls up all of the world leaders and insures them that the U.S. will be able to end the threat and nobody should release a nuke until there is no other choice.  With only time to kill while waiting to hear back about the jet being shot down, Walter and his wife Joanne have some free time to kill.  But it does not last long as the Israeli Prime Minister interrupts them with news that they are planning to launch a nuclear missile towards Pakistan before they are not able to. 

When Walter gets word from Alex about what Zaman said before taking his own life, he knows that there is more than one threat.  With a call to the cockpit of Zeke, Walter has a feeling that the jet was just a decoy and that the pilot must take down the tanker plane.  With no more weapons aboard the jet, Zeke has to take matters into his own hands and decides to play chicken with the oncoming tanker.  Ejecting before impact, the nuclear threat has been taken down and now it is up to Walter to make sure that all of the other governments are standing down before someone fires inadvertently, and he also learns just how sick a sense of humor the Israeli Prime Minister has in the process.  Saving the world from a war, Alex steps into the oval office of the President and drops his resignation letter on his desk.  Knowing that the country needs him, the President declines it since it was Walter’s knowhow that has kept many people from dying.

Very few shows capture me from the pilot episode and keep me entertained throughout the entire season, but The Brink did it for me.  Now with the season finale in the books, I will not have anything else to watch for quite a while.  Watching as the bomb is found and picked up by a group in North Africa, the shows ending is just the beginning as a new threat is looming.  Do I have any idea where the show can go next?  Not at all, but I will admit that I am excited to see what will come next season and just hope that they can capture the magic that this season brought us.  And having a fallout shelter under a retail store for the highest ranking officials in the country is absolute genius as I am sure that Neiman Marcus sales will skyrocket after people hear about their great deals when war is looming. I will miss this show and hope that it comes back with a vengeance next year.

The more I settle in to watch Starz's new show Blunt Talk, the more I realize just how magical a comedy this truly is. Not only is Patrick Stewart at the top of his game and rip roaringly hilarious, but he's part of a show that features some colorful people and all around good human beings, despite the shenanigans they get into. 

In fact the rich supporting cast, and the depth to Walter Blunt were things that I was not expecting from this series, but considering Patrick Stewart's rich career of playing incredible characters who always have something to contribute to the story I guess I simply underestimated this show and that was never more evident than with the second episode of the series, "I Experience Shame and Anticipate Punishment".

Shortly after collapsing on live television, we find Walter having one hell of an experience, dancing around with joy, surrounded by beautiful women and images from his past before coming to on the set of his own show. Convinced he has had a near death experience, Walter is more resolved than ever to continue to revitalize his career, but nothing ever quite goes according to plan and after being assigned to cover a human piece for the network by way of a Hurricane making landfall in Texas, Walter misses the flight. Terrified that this will be the end of his career, Walter discovers that his new neighbor, and his interesting career choice in "film" may be Walter's saving grace...as long as Harry is willing to make one hell of a sexual sacrifice. 

So, once again, I found myself pausing to catch my breath as often as possible because episode two was just as hilarious as episode one, especially when it comes to Walter's antics. I mean come on, Walter's only hope to save his career is to make use of a green screen that his porn producer neighbor happens to have? Amazing. Not to mention it only gets funnier when it turns out that Harry is going to have to star in one of these films to appease the producer and gain use of said green screen. But as I mentioned before, something we need to discuss a little more in depth this week is the heart you find in this show.

One thing that has absolutely amazed me when it comes to this series, is how much everyone believes in Walter Blunt. I mean, his team, quirky as they may be, will literally do anything for this man and that's just wonderful to see on television. This is a team that is deeply banded together and it's something I simply have not seen on T.V. in some time. Not to mention, despite the fact he's a wild and crazy addict, Walter wants to be a better man. It's impressive and I have to say I'm absolutely in love with this show. I really cannot wait to see what happens next week and I hope everyone enjoys tonight's episode. Until next time. 

After being told to turn in his resignation by the President, Walter Larson has to pull out the big guns to fend off a military strike on Pakistan.  After reaching Alex Talbot, Walter is able to talk to the general in command, Ahmed Ali and get a couple of minutes alone with him on the Ambassador’s private line.  Listening to the general’s demands, Walter is able to provide him with everything that he wants and will back him with the overthrow of Zaman and Alex will have to be there to prove that the overthrow has been accomplished.  With the psychiatric file in hand, General Ali knows that Zaman has gone over the deep end and is ready to assume his position as President of Pakistan.

Zeke and Glenn are suited up and ready for action, but when the officer of the deck sees them he has bad news.  The two have been grounded since they have been POW’s and need to go through their psychological review before being allowed to fly again.  Knowing that this is just some red tape, Zeke tries to convince the Admiral to let them fly, but finds out he will be out of the Navy when the carrier returns to port.  Filling the time and trying to come up with a plan for what they can do when they get off of the carrier and return to civilian life, the two take shots at each other, but the pain may have been worth it when they decide to take the mail plane and fly south to Zimbabwe.

After Alex and Rafiq have been captured by the Pakistan army, they find that they have a little bit of time to talk.  When Rafiq finds out that his sister and the girls are safe at his uncle’s cabin, he finds a little bit more respect for Alex once again.  After Walter gets off of the phone with General Ali, he talks to Alex and puts one final plan into motion, the possible assassination of General Zaman.  With gun in hand, Alex does not think he will be able to go through with what is being asked of him by putting a bullet in Zaman’s head if things go south, but Rafiq is there to keep an eye on him and talk him up when the moment is right. 

With his next plan fully in motion, Walter has to ask his wife for help one more time.  Needing to inform Pierce of his plan and recall the bombers before they blow Pakistan back into the stone ages, he is able to get a meeting.  While General Ali is directing his fellow commanders to arrest Zaman, Rafiq is translating as fast as he can so Alex knows what is going on and when to shoot.  As the power shifts between Ali and Zaman several times, the psychiatric file comes out and now the other generals understand how crazy their leader actually is.  With Zaman in handcuffs, Alex sends photos to Walter to share with the War Room to call off the attack.  But before Zaman can be removed completely from his former position, he has news that might change everyone’s outlook on a job well done.

Action packed episode without a shot fired.  Walter is still doing his duty to keep the world from ending while everyone else thinks that his plans are worthless.  With his only shot of getting Zaman out of power is installing Ali who is also crazy, he is just changing the level of it.  As Joanne helps him get time with Pierce, she is fired, and although she is pissed off, she has done the right thing.  Zeke and Glenn are the only two pilots left on the carrier when word filters down that a nuclear devise is being sent toward Iran on a plane and they could be the world’s only hope in stopping it.  Even with the change in power, the world is on the brink of war and who knows how it will end…if it will end.

Something that many people do not want to do is to test their friendships.  Even though you may have been friends for all of your lives, you never want to put any strain on it, especially if you want to remain friends going forward.  This seems to be a little bit silly to me, since I expect nothing more than my friends to be there in a time of need, because that is what I do for them.  But there are so many people out there that do not even expect that which means that at the first sign of troubles, their friends might just bounce.

Getting his clear bill of health, Spencer is back at the doctor’s office for a follow up.  Wanting to make sure that his head is ok, he is still having problems with his flashbacks and wants to figure out what the next steps are.  After talking with the doctor, Spencer is told to man up and face what he thinks are his demons, since he will not go and talk to a shrink about what is keeping him awake at nights.  Spencer will need to find a way to get ahold of his old foe, and has the perfect way to get the two men to meet up.

Vernon is feeling better about his situation and now that all of the mess with the pictures is taken care of, he is almost on the top of the world. When Spencer and Jason arrive with some even better news that Dallas is ready to send over an offer, Reggie gets upset and tries to make a scene once again.  Putting the blame on Spencer for all that has happened to his friend, Spencer knows something about Reggie that will shut him up, possibly for good.  After asking Reggie to give Angie a ride home from the bar the prior night, Reggie tried everything in his power to get her to have relations with him.  Kicking her out of the car when she refuses, Reggie shows how much class he truly has.  Vernon is blown away by this fact and wants nothing to do with his best friend, or any friends at this point and needs to be alone to gather his thoughts.

Ricky is trying his hardest to show Bella that he is changing for the better, but she is not having it.  Knowing that she loves him, it may not be enough since he is really no better than his father that he cursed on national television.  Ricky is trying his hardest, but that may not be enough to make it up to the woman he possibly loves more than he is willing to admit.  Doing something for his friend Charles, Ricky and his friends make up a comeback testimonial for the retired offensive lineman to try and get him fired up before he head off to his tryout for the Dolphins.

Joe is still showing up to work and when he gets the chance to talk to Mr. Anderson, he takes it.  Apologizing for the party and everything that happened on the boat, Joe is still not on his boss’s good side.  With Spencer becoming a renowned agent after getting the photos back, Joe is starting to get jealous of the two’s budding relationship.  Joe is still trying to come up with a way to get Spencer to think about leaving the company, but when Spencer has another guest to take to the Marlins game, Joe knows that he is quickly falling out of favor.

Spencer uses his doctor’s advice and is ready to confront his past.  After blowing out his tires and calling for a tow, he finally gets to sit down with Dan Balsamo, the running back whose career Spencer ended with a massive hit.  Although Dan does not want to talk about it, Spencer is able to pull out the big guns in front of his family and takes Dan and his son to the Marlins game.  Even though Dan is dishing it out pretty hard, he appreciates that Spencer is taking the time to talk to him about what happened, but Dan has a confession of his own and the hit that he received was more eye opening than anything else.  Being happy with where he is in life, Dan has no regrets and tells Spencer that he should not have any either, especially if it has to do with one play that happened years ago.  Being honored by the Marlins to throw out the first pitch, Spencer hands the ball over to Dan since in his short career, he never had anyone cheering him on.

This episode covered so much more than it should have in just thirty minutes and it leaves you wanting more.  Spencer is able to show his human side, which has been coming out more often when trying to confront his past.  Pretty soon he will feel like a normal person once again and can let go of his overaggressive players past.  Vernon has gone missing in action when Jason gets a hefty offer from the Cowboys to make him the highest paid defensive lineman in the game.  Joe is pissed off at the world and after talking with a friend at the bar, he might not even want to take Spencer with him when he decides to leave Anderson Financial.  Charles got his day to tryout and even though he thought he was ready for it, he is far from being in game shape.  Being yelled at by the otherwise calm G.M., he is starting to rethink his comeback and even with Julie cheering him on, it may not be enough.  But Julie has even better news than football when she reveals that she is pregnant and Charles is going to be a daddy.  Only one episode left.  You can start the snap count now!

The year was 1987 and I had tuned into KWGN Channel 2 in Denver on a Saturday night for one simple reason...they were airing the series premiere of Star Trek: The Next Generation. It was here that I was introduced to British actor Patrick Stewart and over the next seven years he would become my hero as he portrayed the iconic Captain Jean-Luc Picard. 

Needless to say I followed his career past that point, watching everything I could that he was in because he's a damn good actor and well, after all these years I'm still tuning in and I recently had the pleasure of watching Patrick in his new role as Walter Blunt for the Starz show, Blunt Talk. From the promos I knew this would be a different kind of role for him, after all it was a comedy about a troubled news anchor, and man...even that didn't prepare me for the grand departure that Walter would turn out to be for Mister Stewart. Fact of the matter is, this isn't your dad's Patrick Stewart, nor is it the Patrick Stewart from X-Men: Days of Future Past...this my friends, is an actor at his absolute finest. 

Tonight's series premiere, "I Seem to Be Running Out of Dreams for Myself", takes us inside Walter's crazy life. This is a man who drinks too much, loves his drugs, and his hookers and well...gets himself arrested for beating the hell out of a couple of L.A.P.D. cops and just so happens to have the whole ordeal caught on video. Being the face of the network, this doesn't go over well with the executive brass, giving Walter the idea that the only way out of this mess is to face the public for his actions and after giving his boss his beloved Jaguar to get one more episode to prove his worth, Walter decides it is high time to be interviewed by the only man who could properly handle this story...himself.

Needless to say, this show is so freaking funny that I not only had to pause the DVR to get all my laughs out, but I also had to go back and listen to several scenes once again to catch all the other jokes I missed. I was blown away watching Patrick in action as a comedian. Yes, we've all had a taste of him doing comedy on Family Guy and American Dad but this is unfiltered genius. The man knows comedy, and some of the stuff that comes out of his mouth, with his unique delivery is simply magical. In fact everything comedy wise in this show works. Doesn't matter how ludicrous the situation or how wild the idea, you buy in completely just to see what happens next.

But the show is not without heart. Walter is a deeply flawed character, and while the laughs are the big focus, there are those brief moments of reveal that are done in sublime and subtle fashion, right before Walter downs some whiskey or does a line of coke. Plus, I do need to take a moment to mention, keep your eyes peeled when you tune in for a couple of surprise cameos/guest stars that will leave Trek and comedy fans happy as can be. Either way, I'm hooked on this show and I'll be tuning in for the next ten weeks for what looks like one round of laughs after another and I strongly suggest all of you do the same. Until next time. 

Zeke and Glenn are back on the carrier when Zeke receives word that he has a phone call from the main land.  Walking into the room, Zeke sees Lt. Sweet standing in front of him along with his ex-wife Ashley on the video screen.  Trying to explain himself, since even now he knows that his plan will not work to keep both families running, he confesses his love to Ashley.  Without the response that he expected from that, Zeke has to get back to work and start moving the new product that she has sent him so they will have a little startup money to possibly move back in together and start their family anew. 

President Navarro is looking to cover his back after his smart bomb blew up the Pakistani palace with Raja inside.  Knowing that there is plausible deniability, he is looking to take the next steps in now removing the previously removed president from the face of the planet.  When General Zaman tries to launch a nuke, the war room erupts in chaos and everyone is trying to find the solution, including Walter Larson.  But Walter has been sidelined with the loss of Raja and now he is out of ideas of how to stop World War III from taking place.  With ideas going around the table, Walter sees that no one has any answers to what their attack plan will do to the landscape, much less to how many innocents will be killed in the process.

Alex is trying to make sure that Rafiq and Fareeda know that his intentions with the seven girls was pure.  As the Ambassador gets word to clear out the embassy, the girls will be taken along with him as he will need them to pass over the wall and into the twelve gates.  Fareeda is not comfortable with this plan, but when the helicopter arrives to take the group to safety, she has little choice.  With Zaman’s men pulling down the gates to the embassy, everyone needs to be off of the ground, but when a hang up keeps Rafiq from being able to get on the helicopter, Alex has no choice but to stay behind and help his friend.  While traveling to the border, the helicopter encounters a hiccup and is forced to land at Fareeda’s uncle’s cabin and unload the girls to help with the weight issues the pilots are encountering.

This episode covered so much in such a short time, it is amazing that it was not an hour long.  With Walter trying to keep the blood thirsty War Room from starting the next war, he is defeated and has to lash out more than usual to make sure everyone knows what they are doing.  After beating up Pierce, the President has had enough and wants Walter out of the house.  But Walter will not go down without a fight as he is trying to get ahold of the other pages of General Zaman’s psych evaluation.  Zeke is put on the spot when orders come through that his carrier will be launching a massive offensive on Pakistan and there will be bombing runs lasting up to thirty six hours.  

With his uppers in hand, he is ready to make a ton of money, but when nobody is willing to pay his hiked up prices, he is forced to give them away for the greater good.  While Alex is trying to convince Rafiq and Fareeda that the girls will be in a better place outside of the embassy, he has something else up his sleeve as he pays off the helicopter pilots to deliver the girls to his friends cabin.  But being stuck in the embassy while General Zaman’s troops are taking over, Alex and Rafiq are the highest ranking officials in the building and when Alex’s phone starts ringing, there is no reason why he should not answer.  This series has been great and with only two more episodes in season one, I am curious on how everyone will come together to prevent the next World War…if they are able too.  

It is easy to get caught up in the moment and run your daily life purely on emotion.  Most people would rather jump into the situation before taking the time to think about what the consequences could be.  Looking back, I have done this several times and have tried to scale it back, but there are just some times when you know it is the right thing to do and even taking a moment to think ahead, it did not stop me.  The more you live your life, the more you learn about what it could have in store for you and you should never shy away from it whether it is good or bad.

Joe and Spencer have been called into Mr. Anderson’s office and not for a good reason.  After receiving the Vernon Littlefield pictures and videos, Mr. Anderson is making his stance known to both of his employees and there is nothing that either man can say to make it right again.  Telling Spencer straight up that he did not want the former football player on staff at all, he forces his oversized employee to do what was asked of him by Angie who needs to get paid for the pictures.  Leaving the office, Spencer and Joe have different reactions to what has just happened and it might end up splitting the new sports power couples unity.

While keeping an eye on the sales floor, Charles sees that a couple of the staff members of the dealership are having an issue.  Needing to move out one of the floor models that they cannot locate the keys to, Charles suggests that they just push it out.  Nobody thinks that they will be able to move the massive truck and a challenge is put in place for the retired offensive lineman.  Putting on his old hat, Charles is able to move the truck with little effort, but does not stop there when he is offered double or nothing to push the new model up the ramp.  Loving the feeling that he has received form his new fans, Charles talks with Mr. Seifert from the Dolphins and is ready to make his comeback complete.

Ricky is trying to find a way to win Bella back and hits up a jewelry shop.  Buying a four hundred thousand dollar ring just might open her eyes to how much he loves her, but when presenting it to Bella, she is not impressed.  Starting to let out his feelings and letting the ring see the light, Bella believes that it is an engagement ring and knows that Ricky is not ready for marriage on any level.  Throwing the ring in the fountain, Bella has made her stance known to her ex-boyfriend and Ricky will have to do something much more to win her affections back.

After visiting the doctor and receiving a clean bill of health from his CT scan, Spencer is flying high.  Putting his pain pills away for the time, he knows that life is good and there is nothing that could change that.  But when he is ordered to meet with Angie, his attitude changes and he may need something more to block the pain that he has caused.  After sitting with Angie at the bar and coming clean about how he was not the best boyfriend, much less person when they were together, she accepts the payoff for Vernon’s pictures.  Just wanting to hear an apology from Spencer for what he did in the past, it opened his eyes to what he did and why she wanted to see him face to face to receive her money.

I can’t believe there are only two episodes left in this season as it is starting to get really good.  Joe is looking to leave his job and trying to secure a couple of clients before doing so.  Knowing that he may not have a job in the morning, this seems like the best move, but he does not know if Spencer is going to be coming with him.  Spencer has his clean bill of health with is a relief for him, but the bad thoughts and nightmares are far from a thing of the past.  He has closed the door on his past relationship with Angie, but there is still more that he will need to do to make his head feel right again.  Somehow Charles is going to have to convince his wife that he can get back on the field and become his former self without upsetting her.  And poor Ricky still has to fight to get Bella back and even though it looked like he was so close to closing the deal, he ended up hurting himself than doing good by spending money to try to make the problem go away.  I cannot wait to see what happens next and how the season is going to wrap up.

When it came to growing up, I think we can all say there were stars that did such a great job of entertaining us that we did everything we could to watch their respective performances. We would stay up late if they were going to be on a particular talk show, or we would flock to the movie theaters to see their latest work. 

They simply brought us joy in some form or fashion and one that I can remember growing up with the was the always hilarious Chris Farley. He was a big reason that I tuned into Saturday Night Live week in and week out because his antics left my sides hurting and tears streaming down my face and I remember the sheer surprise, in a good way, that I felt when he popped up in Billy Madison.  The man was simply a comedy legend, and last night on Spike I had the chance to catch their amazing documentary on his life and career...I Am Chris Farley. 

This was a special treat to say the least because really, I think a vast majority of us only knew the basics about Chris and his life. We knew he was damn funny. We knew he had struggles with substance abuse and we know that's what ended his brilliant career and his life prematurely. So what made the man who he was? Well that's what this lovely documentary covered for all of us. Last night I got the chance to see the man behind the comedy, learn more about his life growing up and his early days at Second City before he hit it big. 

To say the least, this was a beautiful documentary, so my thanks to Spike for putting this together. Some of the biggest names in comedy and in SNL history show up to talk about this man and it is simply wonderful to watch their eyes light up as they discuss the magic that he was on set, the good vibes he provided and quite frankly...the struggles in his life. I never knew how much this man battled the darker side of his psyche and how drugs and alcohol healed his pain as often as possible and well...learning so much about this gentle comedian and revisiting all those good memories, is a bittersweet experience.

I say that because it paints such a wonderful picture of Chris Farley the man, because all we see him as is a legend. He struggled with insecurity like the rest of us. He battled demons like the rest of us, and somewhere along the way he simply lost the fight, which is a shame because after hearing so many people speak of Chris...it's clear he was a wonderful and good human being who loved what he did and brightened the room with his presence. I'm glad I caught this, and I hope you get a chance to watch it as well. It's a beautiful piece of work despite the tears it left me in by the end when you realize what a shame it is his career was cut short by pain but at the same time this documentary serves as a wonderful memorial to a man whose pain will always be in the shadows thanks to the joy he brought to so many. 

I'm fairly certain that I am one of the few people who managed to miss out on season one of True Detective and while I know I made a terrible mistake in doing so, I think it gave me an advantage watching the show when it came to season two. I was unbiased walking into it, and it allowed me to completely enjoy a season that judging from twitter, disappointed some fans due to its stark contrast from the first year of the show.  

Obviously I plan to revisit season one because I would be a fool not to, but to me this second year of True Detective was engrossing and it impressed the hell out of me. There was a lot to like, and like any show it had its flaws as well so let's take a moment and look back at the good and the bad of the story of Vinci and the mystery of who killed Ben Caspere. 

The Good: Let's start with the absolute best part of the show this year...the cast, specifically Vince Vaughn and Colin Farrell. These two men were absolutely spectacular as Frank Semyon and Ray Velcoro, playing a pair of characters haunted by their past and lost completely in lives that they thought would turn out better and if you ask me, both men deserve at the least an Emmy Nomination for their work on the show this year. Their powerhouse performances were central to a complex plot that drew me in as we dealt with something I had never seen when it came to a show like this...a grand conspiracy of corruption.

It gave the show a classic noir style in a modern and sanitized Los Angeles all while adding a paranoid feel to the show. You didn't feel safe for the characters because well...they weren't. They were always pawns in the affairs of these rich and disgusting men and I loved that. Plus it was amazing to see characters that we thought were anti heroes turn out to be good folks after all when they discovered that the establishment they were working for was filled to the brim with killers and criminals. 

The Bad: I really had only one complaint about this season of the show, the fact that at times it went super over the top when it came to dialogue. For the most part the writing was outstanding, with the characters having some choice lines and observations about the messed up world of Vinci and the messed up world they were living in. But here and there, often times after a big moment in the show, things got super hammy or super cheesy. The only actor that could pull off some of the show's more out of place lines was Vince Vaughn, whose wordsmith of a character made it work. Otherwise, dialogue like Paul's "these documents are full of signatures" line left you cringing and took you out of the moment. Hopefully next year there's a little more care put into this.  

The Verdict: All in all, I was a huge fan of this year's tale. It was dark, brooding, and oddly enough dystopian. This was our world, yet at the same time it was a grand nightmare with evil surrounding our characters at every turn and you so rarely see that in police serials these days. It made for wonderful television that often left me on the edge of my seat and it left me hungry for more. While I fully understand each year will feature a different cast and a different story, that won't stop my excitement to see what the show has in store for us next. Until next time.