RFP.

That makes much more sense. But if Rivers seriously refuses to go to Los Angeles, they're kind of between a rock and a hard place. You have to try to get something for a franchise quarterback.

It essentially comes down to that fact and I guess only Rivers, Telesco and Spanos know a) how likely LA is and b) whether Rivers would seriously refuse to play in LA. If those are both likely then yeah, I think we'd have to trade him now.

Not sure how I'd feel if the Chargers traded away Rivers. There were rumours that Telesco offered him a new contract at 5 million a year which suggests he's not exactly desperate to keep him. Makes more sense to keep Rivers, draft a pass rusher in the 1st round and take Hundley at some point.

1. Mad Men

2. Fargo

3. Veep

4. Nathan for You

5. True Detective

6. Orange is the New Black

7. The Leftovers

8. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

9. Comedy Bang Bang

10. Game of Thrones

11. Silicon Valley

12. The Missing

I've watched The Newsroom as well but that really isn't worthy of a spot

Phillip Rivers absolutely dragging the Chargers, maybe to the playoffs. Guy is so good

Going to have to drop out unfortunately, as my internet might be out for the foreseeable future. Was fun playing with you guys!

Probably best to go ahead and skip me this week, just moved into a new flat and the wifi's not hooked up yet. Hopefully I still beat the Jets...

Had a bit of a meltdown against the Bills, I am enjoying the fact that Kendall Reyes is inexplicably leading the league in sacks though.

Got blown out by the Seahawks, 2 Ryan Matthews fumbles for touchdowns! Thankfully my next 3 are the Bills, Jags and Raiders...

Eddie Royal shredding Richard Sherman, because obviously.

Beat the Cardinals 31-7. Was actually a pretty close game before Carson Palmer started doing Carson Palmer-y things, threw 4 picks. Worried about my pass rush against teams not starting Bobby Massie at tackle.

Yeah I'm good on free agents. Cole is up...

Would I be able to join as the Chargers? PSN ID is slater987

Hey I'm an A's fan! Looking forward to another year of beating shutout by Verlander in the playoffs!

If the Chargers win this...

Honestly not sure we would have beaten any other team in the playoffs with that performance. So thanks Andy, I guess. Only chance of beating Denver is if Matthews is back and we run the ball like Week 15.

What the hell happens to Dalton now though?

I think Andy Dalton just gave us the game...

So...Alex Smith became Joe Montana tonight

Hmmm

Poor Neckbeard.

Anyway, predictions:

Colts def. Chiefs
Chargers def. Bengals
49ers def. Packers
Eagles def. Saints

Broncos def. Chargers

Colts def. Pats
Seahawks def. Niners
Panthers def. Eagles

Colts def. Broncos
Seahawks def. Panthers

Seahawks

Holy crap, we (Chargers) came so close to blowing that one, we really don't deserve to be in the playoffs. But this team is so inconsistent, I could actually see us beating the Bengals.

Anyone else watched both seasons of Girls? Finished 'em both in just over a week. While I absolutely loved the first season, the 2nd really started to grate on me as some of the characters, especially Hannah, just got really unlikeable and annoying. I still really enjoyed it, but I found it strange that, for a TV show about girls, Adam was by far the best character.

The last episode is ridiculous. When it's focused on Hannah it can get really self-indulgent (which I guess isn't surprising considering her control over the show.) The side characters are generally way more interesting than the leads the episode with Ray and Adam just wandering around Staten Island is amazing.

1. Argo

2. The Master

3. Lincoln

4. No

5. The Avengers

6. Moonrise Kingdom

7. Searching for Sugarman

8. Skyfall

9. Magic Mike

10. Django Unchained

Hon Mentions: Cabin in the Woods, The Imposter, Beasts of the Southern Wild + Life of Pi

Finished Season 1 of House of Cards.

In a word, it's Shakespearean. And not just in the generalized, watered-down, "high praise for performed art" sense, but in a very literal way. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that the series is based on actual Shakespearean text in some manner originally. It's intricate, but epic. A very good series so far.

Here's some random, but more specific, spoilered thoughts for anyone else who has seen the entire first season and cares to read/discuss:

- As said before, the first couple of episodes don't quite hold up to the rest, as they spend so much energy on establishing form. It does feel very "Fincher Lite", so to speak. The use of graphics when people are texting and Frank's occasional direct address are the major symptoms here. However, to the show's credit, it handles the initial base of exposition rather well. It rarely felt like "okay, so we gotta get this out of the way if this whole thing's gonna make sense."

- On a related note: the Direct Address. I was extremely leery of it at first, as it initially felt like the flipside of the exposition issue, i.e. rather than showing you these things, here's a few sentences that relay the info quickly. I'm often let down when TV shows, films, or plays use narration or its close cousin, direct address, as it often is a crutch for lazy storytellers. However, as the season progressed, I came to realize these weren't strictly narrative breaks - they're asides, and very much in the tradition of Shakespeare's.

Frank is treating the audience as his one true confidant. The things he tells us are his private thoughts that would otherwise go unspoken entirely. He's (mostly) not catching us up, he's working things out. The church scene in Chapter 12 (I think?) toys with this whole idea, bending it, and perhaps ends up a little too on the nose or lost in its own brilliance. Ultimately though, this is possibly the biggest sign of Shakespearian influence. (Sidenote: It's possible that I'm using Shakespeare alone where an entire class of playwrights should be acknowledged, but it's at least a nice shorthand.)

- To further that idea, when watched through binge viewing (preferably even all in one shot), the show doesn't feel that different from a classic 5 Act Elizabethan Tragedy. The length may be longer, but - for all intents and purposes - not by much. And the viewer gains a lot through that method of viewing.

The show finds a way to straddle the line between Episodic and Climactic (there are smaller stories told with each hour that can almost operate independently from the whole, but there is still a constant construction of the grand scheme), so in one episode you'll get a clearly important seed for something that doesn't sprout until at least (and often in) the next episode. The origami runner is a lighter example of this, but there are many.

On the flipside, the show is careful to give you diversions from the main story (that still serve the main story) within each episode, so you never get drained by a monotonous harping on the grand scheme. The library dedication episode exemplifies this well. There are even thematic runners contained within episodes that bolster the mood or story for an just the hour, without getting off topic from the larger themes of the show. To again use the library dedication episode (can't recall which chapter), everyone we're following is confronting their past and must choose to either embrace or release it.

But yeah, it's an epic multi-party story about power with far-reaching consequences, clearly focusing on one deeply flawed protagonist, carefully layered and constructed, lasting hours, dipping in and out of varying themes, and all observably leading to a major milestone for the main character.

- And on the topic of binge viewing, this show may be better built for that than any I've seen. It doesn't necessarily make it a better show overall (Treme CAN be binge viewed, but doesn't necessarily gain as much from it), but it does greatly improve the experience. I think watching each episode a week apart might remove a good deal of cohesion, and you're obviously picking up on themes and runners more carefully when watching straight through. Game of Thrones is the only show I can think of that MIGHT benefit as much from binge viewing - but even it's not as careful to give episodic diversions from the grand scheme that still feel worthwhile.

- The Cast: Overall, I'm hard pressed to find a weak link. Even the secondary recurring characters bring something wonderful to the table. Michael Gill as President Walker I suppose strikes me as passable more than great. Hopefully that impression will change with the next season.

Spacey is fun and handles the style well. I feel like he actively sees and enjoys the commonalities with Shakespeare.

Robin Wright is just plain phenomenal. I really, really love her character, and I honestly cannot imagine anyone playing it better. Give her all the awards.

I honestly don't remember Corey Stoll from anything before this, but I won't forget him now. He and Robin Wright give far and away my favorite performances on this show. Again, all the awards.

- Complaints: Not many. The one sore thumb for me is an obvious background detail (if such a thing exists) - portrayals of media outlets. This isn't always an issue, as the apparent working relationship with CNN has really benefitted the show. It feels as real as the rest of the world. However, pretty much any other depiction of a TV program - local or national - feels half-assed. The bit that was clearly meant as a Glenn Beck/Sean Hannity/etc. rip-off was a glaring example of this.

Then there's the ending of Season 1. I did think we would see more loose ends wrapped up, but we at least now know that Frank achieved the goal of entering the upper level of the current administration. Plus, the alliances have been redrawn satisfactorily. I suppose I'm saying I'll take this ending, but a tad more closure may have felt better.

Otherwise, the show does exhibit some of the male view sensationalism that most shows fall victim to, but less than you usually find.

Again, not many complaints, at least that come to mind.

Obviously, I'm very impressed and can't wait for more. Everyone that likes drama should at least be trying the first four episodes.

I've only watched the first episode so far; but does the dialogue stay pretty consistent? It's pretty hammy in the first episode, which isn't necessarily a bad thing...

Robin Hood - 7/10 - It was good at times, I thought Russell Crowe was pretty decent and I enjoyed Oscar Isaac as King John. I thought it dragged on a bit at times and in general it felt a bit more like a history lesson with the magna carta and whatnot. Still a fun viewing though and enjoyable.

Can anyone advise me on when Party Down picks up, watched the first few episodes which were good enough to keep me interested but now i'm about 6 episodes in and it's still not really clicking. I've heard such high praise, I assumed it would just be an instant hit. I don't find it bad, just wondered if it gets going as little more as the series goes on?