The WRaP: Agents, Hacks and Noire

This WRaP includes ‘The Walking Dead,’ ‘Review’ and ‘Minecraft.’

Hey all! I hope this weekly post will prove interesting to all of you readers. This is to help you get an insight into what we are watching, reading and playing, with the goal of you joining us in our entertainment or just discovering your next favorite thing. We are are all fans of pop culture, and since you’re on a site called YouNerded, I’m guessing you’re more inclined to check out what’s below if you haven’t already. Like Ekans, let’s wrap.

Watching:

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 1

I’ve always heard bad things about Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which has delayed my viewing for a while. But as what seems to be the trend with these superhero shows, they get better in their second season. In the case of S.H.I.E.L.D., it’s in the final stretch of episodes of its first. Watching the season prior to the big change and reveal, I didn’t hate what I saw. I am watching on Netflix, however, so I’m not sure if I could tolerate the plot and pace on a weekly basis, with random points of hiatus and commercials. I do enjoy the ties to the MCU, and it makes me giddy with excitement whenever a character from the big screen makes an appearance. I just finished Season 1, and I’ll probably start Season 2 after posting this.

Review Season 2

What can I say about Review that hasn’t been said in this review, that review and this new one here. (Happy plugging, everyone.) This show simply brightens my night. I saw the show on Hulu one day and decided to binge it. With only nine episodes, my time was respected and awarded with some excellent, off-putting humor. The show stars Andrew Daly who plays Forrest MacNeil, a host of a show called Review where he reviews life itself. These experiences, which Forrest is hilariously dedicated to, includes: racism, gloryholes, divorce, brawls, going to space and so much more. I would just jump right on it and have yourself a good laugh or 20.

Hannibal Season 3

Poor Hannibal. The show is incredible and no one is watching. The fact that it airs on Saturday nights just sets its grave deeper. The show is moving at a great pace, so if the slow burn of the season’s opening episodes put some of you off, I implore you to get your bloody hands back in the game. I recently talked about what I love about the show in the latest episode of YouNerded’s Geek Speak podcast. Anything and anyone’s life seems fair game at this point, and I’m sure I won’t be satisfied with the way things end given Season 4 is a distant possibility at this point.

The Walking Dead Season 5B

I have a habit of watching The Walking Dead faithfully when its first half premieres, but as soon as the brief hiatus is in effect and it returns, my interest is as dead as the subject matter. But alas, I am back and my feelings hurt. I won’t spoil anything hear, but I’m only two episode in and things are as grim as always. I hope to catch up before Fear the Walking Dead premieres on Aug. 23, which I may review for the site. The quality of the show has always been there for me. A lot of people take issue with this series, but I find it artistic and bold. The show loves to take risks, and I’m hoping this spin-off series can take inspiration from its roots…or maybe the roots of its roots.

Reading:

The Verge’s Hack Week

The Verge is one of my favorite sites to read (outside of yours truly), and this week is their second annual Hack Week. The site is putting up all sorts of crazy, non-traditional content. So far, some of my favorites have been the future of Disney through the year 2040 and, since I work at Best Buy and have to explain this multiple times a day, a piece explaining “How to Buy an iPhone in America.”

How We Got to Now

I don’t read many books currently, but I have no doubt acquired a backlog from some of my favorite people including Lena Dunham, Chris Hardwick and Aisha Tyler. One book that I’ve been meaning to get to though is one I heard about on The Daily Show a while back by the name of How We Got to Now. Written by Steven Johnson, the novel follows six innovations and sort of illustrates their origin stories, stemmed from hobbyists, amateurs and overall curious minds alike. I would suggest it, but I have yet to read a word. More on this in the future, I hope.

Playing:

L.A. Noire (PS3)

I’m really bad a beating games. I buy them. I play them. I let them sit for years. But, I’m trying to change that. I would love to get an Xbox One or PS4, but I’ve held off because I haven’t beaten, let alone played an embarrassing amount of games I’ve purchased for last generation consoles. L.A. Noire is the game I hope changes this trend. I watch a lot of TV these days and that takes up most of my time. Couple that with hopping back and forth in between titles can prove to be a slow progress. So, L.A. Noire continues to capture my interest. The game received some mixed reviews upon its initial release, but I harbor an immense amount of respect for this game and what is has achieved. I’m onto the Arson cases now, and I have four more to go. Following this, I hope to finish Mirror’s Edge.

Minecraft (Vita)

Whoa, Montel! You just said you’re a single game guy. What gives? Well, reader, I simply play Minecraft on my Vita. So when I’m in a position where I can’t play L.A. Noire, Minecraft is my go to. I’m a creative mode kind of guy, and this is the perfect pastime whether I’m on my hour commute to work or trying to get through painfully slow shows like Arrow or Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Don’t worry, I put the Vita down after the quality of episodes improved.) I’m not the type to build castles and such, but instead I enjoy throwing that city skin on and erecting tall skyscrapers and detailing the interior. All of my Lego building needs are satisfied. If you want to join me and help build, just tweet at me.

What are you WRaPing this week? What games do you have yet to play/beat? Tweet me @NerdDotMe. And be sure to follow us @YouNerded.