This season of Mad Men has, week to week, been a question of “what will this episode bring?”  After last week’s infuriating offering, there wasn’t a lot of excitement for the fallout this time around.  Yet, the show surprised us with one of the best episodes this season.  It was tight, it was surprising, it was self-reflexive and was deeply referential to past seasons of the show and past relationships.  Mad Men has been exceptionally uneven this year from week to week, but “The Quality of Mercy” was a reminder of how good it can be.  Hit the jump to find out if there’s a hooker who will accept travelers checks.

Viewers who did not properly acquaint themselves with True Blood‘s fifth season finale will pay the price to kick off the sixth, which starts with a fury of blood, chaos and death.  By the end of the hour though, “Who Are You, Really?” settled down and created some decent possibilities moving forward for its main characters, and ones that — hopefully — stay closer to home and life in Bon Temps than the realm of the Vampire Authority.  Late in the episode, Eric says to Sookie that she will always be “the girl in the white dress who walked into my bar.”  Sookie expresses that she does genuinely want to go back to being that girl, which would be a refreshing change of pace for viewers, too.  Hit the jump for why “I hate the beach. Fish piss and sand in your cooch.”

Was there really a chance of writing about something other than Man of Steel in this week’s opening paragraph? Well, maybe. I did really enjoy This Is the End. But, alas, this week is about Supes’ return to the big screen. I watched the film (in 2D) for the first time last night and, as far as superhero movies go, it elicited an emotional response from me that few in the genre have. Sure, there were times where the grand scale of destruction left me cold and the product placement took me out of the moment (if only to admire some beautiful appliances meeting their untimely demise). Nevertheless, the themes of love, sacrifice, acceptance, and trust were beautifully woven into the film’s text in such a way that it made me do something I’ve only done one other time (while reading Grant Morrison‘s excellent All-Star Superman run): become emotionally invested in the Man of Steel.

While this is undoubtedly Kal-El’s weekend, in addition to Man of Steel interviews and more, this week’s Top 5 also includes the first teaser trailer and poster for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, This Is the End interviews with Seth Rogen and more, the new Elysium trailer, and a recap of E3 2013 from the convention floor. Learn more about all of the above via a link and brief recap after the jump.

Hannibal may be the smartest, most reflective series on TV right now.  And I say this as a Mad Men fan (that show has it’s own problems).  Hannibal is not without its flaws — it suffered from a few episodes early on that relied too much on Cases of the Week or plots that didn’t seem to connect much beyond a cursory fact being revealed (like with Jack Crawford’s wife, we learned Hannibal can sniff out cancer).  But even then, nothing was ever totally extraneous.  It all fed into the main drama between Will and Hannibal, which all lead up to and was explored with incredible intelligence in “Releves.”  This penultimate episode also included a shocking ending that still made perfect sense.  Hit the jump for why “you look pretty,” oh so prettyyyy …

There have been a few historical milestones that viewers have been anticipating Mad Men dealing with since the show’s inception.  While some things are alluded to cryptically (as is Mad Men‘s wont), that hasn’t always been good enough for fans who wanted to see more of an impact or reaction or anything from the characters regarding issues of race, political assassinations, and of course the Vietnam War.  Vietnam has been brought up in whispers and side-comments for two seasons now, but it wasn’t until “Favors” that things became overt.  They did so, naturally, because it affected Don selfishly.  That’s the only way things are dealt with or considered, because that’s what Mad Men has always been about.  “Favors” did also hint though at the possibility of change, though.  Or at the very least, the idea that Don is starting to realize there are consequences to his actions.  Hit the jump for more.

After a very tight and narratively cohesive (and soul crushing) penultimate episode, Game of Thrones returned this week in its finale doing what it has done for most of the season: that is, people walking and talking.  There was a lot of both, and some of it was interesting, but perhaps what it told us more than anything was what we least wanted to be confirmed: what happened last week didn’t matter.  Of course it does matter on a number of levels within the show and for viewers, but outside of the Stark family’s misfortunes, it was just another piece of Tywin’s game to control and kingdoms, or alternatively, another score for the Red God.  Either way, most everyone’s reactions to it, minus Joffrey’s, were subdued.  The Young Wolf is no longer a threat?  Great, where as my lemon cakes.  Hit the jump for why it’s really not easy being drunk all of the time.

For all of the uneasiness I felt watching The Internship play as a not so subtle promo for Google’s portfolio of services (what in the hell is Google Wallet?), the movie painted a dichotomy that I found interesting. While far from perfect, I thought the film did a nice job of contrasting the eternal optimism of a couple Gen X’ers with the often harsh practicality and cynicism I see embedded in myself and many of my fellow Millennials. Although this is hardly the platform from which to dive into a generational debate, The Internship at least introduced the idea that belonging to a generation that has had the wealth of the world’s knowledge at their fingertips for a good portion of their lives (not to mention video games and the lack of a military draft) faces a whole new set of unique challenges and insecurities. At the same time, it also sent an oft-overlooked truth that we (Millennials) don’t know it all, haven’t seen it all, and the “Culture of Meh” that we often embrace is cynical bullshit that I can only hope life experience will help pull us out of.

In addition to my “meh” soapbox, this week’s Top 5 offers The Internship interviews with Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson, and Rose Byrne, the first trailer and a set visit recap for director James Wan‘s Insidious: Chapter 2, a truckload of set images from X-Men: Days of Future Past, The Purge interviews with Ethan Hawke and more, and a look at the WGA’s list of the “101 Best Written TV Series of All Time”. Check out a brief recap and link to each after the jump.

In Hannibal’s only meal of the episode, he prepped a South Asian dish, an homage to the episode’s title.  He claimed it was made with sheep, “of course,” (so of course not), a note as well to an episode filled with an exceptional amount of offal.  “Roti” continued down a path that has been one of the strongest, narratively, this year.  Will’s descent into madness escalates to a literal fever pitch, culminating in his and Dr. Gideon (Eddie Izzard‘s) parallel tales this week converging violently.  In the shadows though, as always, was Hannibal.  But the scene between Hannibal and his own analyst Dr. Du Maurier suggests that Hannibal’s motivations concerning Will are just as convoluted as Will’s own sense of self.  Hit the jump for more on why some people just aren’t made for relationships.

Another triumphant Mad Men this week wherein the women, just like last week, reigned supreme.  “A Tale of Two Cities” though was just as its title expressed, about Us versus Them (after that trippy episode two weeks ago, the last two episodes have been pretty clear in tone and intention).  It’s a theme that is pervasive not only at SCDPCGC, or SD&P as it is now known, but is woven within the time period as well, something that spills over from the news to business and personal life.  “A Tale of Two Cities” had a nice, clean arc, too — things happened, people triumphed, others were put in their place, and we roll ever more clearly into the height of the Swinging 60s.  Hit the jump for more on why “I’m Vasco de Gama, and you’re some other Mexican. Our main objective is to not get syphilis.”

In an interview awhile back, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, who plays Jamie Lannister, said he was proud to be a Lannister and not a Stark.  He said the Starks were all you ever heard about, because everyone loved them.  From Game of Thrones‘ inception, the Starks were set up as our main protagonists.  There were and are many houses and families in Westeros, and occasionally dragons, but the Starks were bastions of loyalty and honor, and they are a family we spend the most time with.  Even when they were split up, we still followed all of their exploits — Ned, Catelyn, Robb, Jon, Sansa, Arya, Bran and Rickon each had distinct stories and arcs and important roles to play.  That was one reason Ned’s death in the first season hit so hard.  If this show can kill off a main protagonist, is anyone safe?  In the last three seasons the answer has been a resounding no.  Still, Season Three has lulled us into a sense of complacency, which was ripped out from under us in “The Rains of Castamere.”  Hit the jump for more on why George R. R. Martin doesn’t want you to be happy.

All of the hooplah surrounding Arrested Development Season 4′s debut on Netflix last weekend got me waxing nostalgic for another beloved series that was all too short-lived: Paul Feig‘s Freaks and Geeks. When you consider its impressive shelf life, it’s hard to believe the series only aired on NBC for one season and consists of merely 18 episodes. For the sake of comparison, ABC Family’s The Secret Life of the American Teenager will air its series finale this Monday and will finish with five seasons and 121 episodes in hand. Continuing down that path, Freaks and Geeks averaged just above 6.5 million weekly viewers during its run while Secret Life‘s most watched episode to date (the Season 2 premiere) garnered a little over 4.5 million viewers. In addition to the frustration I feel for having 103 more Secret Life episodes to never watch than Freaks and Geeks episodes to cherish, this also provides an interesting example of the ratings expectations/requirements of a network series in comparison to that of a cable series.

I could go on and on doing my best Brendan Bettinger: Stats Genius impersonation but the real reason I’m here is to present this week’s Top 5. In this installment you have at your disposal our visit to the set of Man of Steel, Allison watching the Indiana Jones movies for the first time, After Earth interviews with Will and Jaden Smith, another set visit for The Wolverine, and Matt’s review of the aforementioned fourth season of Arrested Development. As you’ve grown to expect, a brief recap and link to each of the above makes its home after the jump.

First of all, if you hadn’t heard, Hannibal has been renewed for a second season, so everyone can breathe a sigh of relief.  After that, go ahead and scream, because “Buffett Froid” was properly horrifying.  It was also a great example of how a Case of the Week can be relevant and interesting, even if the stakes about who the killer is ultimately don’t mean much.  But the killer in “Buffett Froid” had many parallels to Will’s illness (which also got a name), and provided some serious frights.  Lock your doors (and windows and attics) and check under your bed with a knife, then hit the jump for why “I am your bedrock.”

After last week’s cryptic offering, Mad Men returned this week with a very straightforward episode and a straightforward title.  “The Better Half” was all about relationships, with a side note about choice, moving on, and recapturing the past.  Not all of the relationships were romantic, though — Pete considers cheating on SCDPCGC (what a garbled mess) at Harry’s suggestion and at Duck’s (Duck!) prompting, while Peggy got caught in the middle of Don and Ted’s power struggle.  Like Megan says to Don to close the episode, something has to change.  But for most of the characters this week, the change has already come.  Hit the jump for more, and why “margarine is indestructible!”

Whether you’re a gamer or not, if you have the slightest interest in pop culture happenings then you probably know that Microsoft announced its next-gen console, the Xbox One, earlier this week. As someone who has already decided to throw all of my console eggs into Microsoft’s basket, I was a little disappointed that my two primary questions: 1) “When can I get it?” and 2) “For how much?” weren’t answered. Nevertheless, the Interwebs are also filled with grumblings from undecided consumers who thought Microsoft’s big reveal focused too much on the other entertainment features of the One as opposed to the gaming experience (see this amusingly edited video of the announcement as an example of their frustration). Don’t get me wrong, I couldn’t care less about using my Xbox to check fantasy football stats and/or being able to power the console on with my voice as opposed to the physically intensive act of pushing a button on my controller. That said, I would offer that those ready to commit to Sony’s PS4 at least give Microsoft a few weeks to roll out more details of the One’s games at E3. If we come out of that still talking about our ability to seamlessly switch between The Price is Right and a Skype call then we may have something to complain about.

If the above paragraph whetted your appetite for more console talk from a novice gamer then you’re in luck. This week’s Top 5 includes more on Microsoft’s Xbox One reveal, the final trailer for Man of Steel, The Hangover Part III interviews with Bradley Cooper and more, the U.S trailer and a couple of new posters for Edgar Wright‘s The World’s End, and Before Midnight interviews with Richard Linklater, Ethan Hawke, and Julie Delpy. A brief recap and link to each of the above awaits after the jump.

After last week’s incredible, incredible presentation, Hannibal turned more towards a procedural this week with a regular Case of the Week.  As I’ve said in the past, the show is at its best when it doesn’t have to shoehorn these stories in (like the one about the man who saw heads on fire), because it distracts from the excellence of the rest of the series and what we are most interested in.  Still, the point of the totem pole of bodies is, as has been the case all season, to send Will further and further down the rabbit hole of his own mind, perpetuating a kind of self abuse by forcing himself into the minds of these killers when his own mind isn’t strong enough to handle it.  Hit the jump for more on on why “this is my legacy.”