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Firewall & Iceberg Podcast, episode 173: 'Bates Motel,' 'Top of the Lake,' 'Veronica Mars' movie & more

Dan and Alan also review HBO's 'Phil Spector' and talk about the 'Girls' season finale

By Alan Sepinwall Monday, Mar 18, 2013 7:20 PM

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Back to roughly standard length for this week's Firewall & Iceberg Podcast, including reviews of a series, a miniseries and a movie all with murder as the backdrop, plus lots of talk about the "Veronica Mars" Kickstarter initiative and the "Girls" season finale. The lineup:

"Top of the Lake" (00:00:50 - 00:13:40)
"Bates Motel" (00:13:40 - 00:27:20)
"Phil Spector" (00:27:20 - 00:39:50)
"Veronica Mars" Kickstarter (00:39:50 - 01:04:20)
"Girls" finale (01:04:55 - 01:24:00)
 
As always, you can subscribe to The Firewall & Iceberg Podcast over at the iTunes Store, where you can also rate us and comment on us. Or you can always follow our RSS Feed, download the MP3 file or stream it on Dan's blog.

And as always, feel free to e-mail us questions for the podcast.

Alan-sepinwall-sm
Alan Sepinwall
Sr. Editor, What's Alan Watching
Alan Sepinwall has been reviewing television since the mid-'90s, first for Tony Soprano's hometown paper, The Star-Ledger, and now for HitFix. His new book, "The Revolution Was Televised," about the last 15 years of TV drama, is for sale at Amazon. He can be reached at sepinwall@hitfix.com
Related Searches: Firewall & Iceberg, Bates Motel, Top of the Lake, Veronica Mars, Girls, Phil Spector, Al Pacino

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  • Default-avatar

    Changnesia

    Girls finale was excellent. Here's hoping Game of Thrones season 3 has that heartwarming of a finale.

    March 18, 2013 at 8:07PM EST Reply to Comment
  • Default-avatar

    soulstice

    Do you think Deception is hopeful at all? I personally don't like it and think that a few of the more well-known actors should have stayed far away from the project but the fans seem to think this show will survive with the dismal ratings it brings in every week. What's the real deal, insiders?

    March 18, 2013 at 8:40PM EST Reply to Comment
    • Gizmo_bigger_talkback_profile

      dan Soulstice - I don't want to say there's zero chance for a "Deception" renewal. It's NBC. ANYTHING could happen. So I'll put chances of renewal at 2%.

      -Daniel

      March 19, 2013 at 1:13AM EST
  • Default-avatar

    Greg

    Holly Hunter looks like Jane Campion herself in Top of the Lake. I wonder if that could have been intentional...

    March 18, 2013 at 9:21PM EST Reply to Comment

    • I wondered the same thing.

      March 19, 2013 at 2:02PM EST
  • Default-avatar

    Ed

    Ugh… I hate how long it takes for the iTunes version update.

    March 19, 2013 at 12:16AM EST Reply to Comment
    • Default-avatar

      Ed I should note that, as I'm writing this, it's 12:17a on Tuesday morning and it still isn't posted to my feed.

      March 19, 2013 at 12:18AM EST
    • Default-avatar

      Ed And now, as of 12:22a, it's been posted.

      Crisis: AVERTED.

      March 19, 2013 at 12:22AM EST
  • Default-avatar

    Anonemiss

    "Pretty much everyone got a digital download of the movie"

    25.3% of backers will not get any version of the film, which is very high for Kickstarter. For video games its usually less than 5%.

    March 19, 2013 at 3:56AM EST Reply to Comment
  • Panther_talkback_profile

    kro_lin

    Dan really nails the problems with this kickstarter campaign. He's right...it is "icky." And I have a hard time that people put money toward a project they love, and somehow that makes them "proven fans"...except all along we've been buying dvds and going to veronica mars parties, etc.
    I agree completely with this. Warner Bros. should have made this movie on the demand alone...they don't need more of our (my) money to do this, especially when I'm just going to pay for a movie ticket to see the movie anyway.
    I like the fact that we might be heading in a direction that shows can now have a shot at being made or having a true ending, but I really think there is a chance that these distribution companies can manipulate people into giving them money in order to make their "dream shows" into movies.
    I think shows like Firefly, Deadwood, Terriers, etc...they had their turn, they don't need to come back. Let sleeping dogs lie.

    March 19, 2013 at 2:01PM EST Reply to Comment

    • Just an afterthought to my comment: I don't quite understand the demand for these long dead shows to come back and either have a movie made (Veronica Mars) and start up the series again (Arrested Development). These shows had their time...they were products of the era they were made. I think it cheapens them to bring them back just because of fan demand.
      I am a huge Buffy fan (my wife and I had a Buffy themed wedding)...and having said that, I don't want it to come back. That show had its chance. It was a late 90s/early 00s show. It doesn't make much sense anymore. It fits into my sense of nostalgia for a specific time period...and I think it's ok for it to stay there.
      Jerico was a great show, which they tried to tie up in a shortened season 2 (and failed)...but I wouldn't want it to come back now. It's been too long. That show was great for what it was. Same with so many other shows.
      I guess I feel like the idea of perpetuating these shows long after they are off the air just cheapens them, and generally just plays to our sense of nostalgia and sentimentalism.

      Last point: The X Files movie that came out a few years ago...it was good. Pretty much a long x files episode...but I don't have a new found appreciation for the show because they made a second movie. It was just kind of cool at best.

      March 19, 2013 at 2:10PM EST
  • Default-avatar

    davement

    i agree with dan. you completely misread adam's state of mind. he was certainly conflicted about where his relationship with shiri appleby's character was headed once they opened each other's worlds up to the other, but any effort to wreck the relationship through sexual assault (and im not sure it was even that. as far as i could tell it was consensual.) was subconscious if at all. the mask of his normality was lifted and she wasnt prepared for the darkness that lurked underneath. and he was completely aware of this which is why he asked if it was over, which it wasnt as they got together another time if i remember correctly.

    March 20, 2013 at 1:08AM EST Reply to Comment
  • Default-avatar

    Phineas Q. Perriwinkle

    Although Alan's analogy to political reporters and voting is interesting, I'm not certain I agree.

    Political reporters do, of course, vote, but by its very nature, the voting booth is sacrosanct. We know not - and can never know - for whom a political reporter voted or whether they voted in a particular race on the ballot. It's generally difficult, though not impossible, to confirm whether someone voted in a particular election.

    A critic's endorsement of a Kickstarter campaign, however, is public. One can view the list of supporters or investigate what projects a user has supported. To say that it is akin to simply buying a DVD isn't quite right, either. Traditionally, DVD's, like most products, already exist. Here, the contributor is playing a role into whether the product actually ever comes into being. Although the Veronica Mars Kickstarter campaign likely would have succeeded without any one contributor's contribution, that would not always be true.

    Accordingly, I think Dan's suggestion of a disclaimer is a good idea.

    March 21, 2013 at 12:19PM EST Reply to Comment

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