The Walking Dead deviated from its usual M.O. in the season 4 penultimate episode. Taking a different approach, it didn’t knock off a major player for the first time in its relatively young history.

And that can only mean one thing: Viewers will be saying “Sayonara!” to someone during the season finale instead.

Because let’s face it — it’s The Walking Dead. Shocking as the deaths of Mika and Lizzie were in “The Grove,” that can’t be all the show’s producers have in store for us death-wise. Surely, someone else dies. And a big someone at that.

My TWD partner in crime Bob Degon and I believe someone else is targeted … and here’s what we’ve been bandying about:

How about Rick kicking the can?

Michael: I doubt Rick is on the chopping block. There’s still more output from him … and I’m willing to stake that output comes in the form of a major event, not the likes of additional “Farmer Rick” tales, etc. as seen at the start of this season. Granted: Offing him would stir things up and tug at the hearts of viewers, something not out of the realm of possibility. But I just don’t see it at this juncture.

Bob: I agree from a story standpoint, but this isn’t the comic book where story is the only factor in the matter. I think the only real reason that Rick would be killed off the show is if Andrew Lincoln wants out. With the announcement that he’s going to be on the couch on The Talking Dead for the first time ever after the finale on Sunday, I think there’s a chance (maybe not a big one) that we may see the end of Rick. I doubt it though.

Are Glenn and/or Maggie riding off into the sunset metaphorically speaking?

Michael: Has Glenn become tedious? How about Maggie? I mean … they just reunited. Wouldn’t it play into the writers’ interests to have one or the other 86’d for that added bit of tragedy, as the surprise Lizzie and Carol left us with in “The Grove?” One of them exiting would certainly make that happen in grand fashion.

Bob: After seeing Maggie and Glenn finally reunite, I don’t think the writers have the balls to kill one of them off before the end of the season. Yes, even these writers. I think Glenn and Maggie are one of the few rays of hope on this show (along with baby Judith). They’re going to be sticking around for a bit longer, I think.

Where’s Beth? Dead already?

Michael: Beth’s ouster right now, not knowing what really became of her after she was (supposedly) kidnapped by that funeral car, would be a let down. And an outrage. Not discovering who took her or why she was taken, showing up dead somehow would simply be dumb.

However …

Bob: Robert Kirkman has promised us in recent interviews that we have not seen the last of Beth, but he didn’t promise that we would see her again this season. I’m hoping we’ll see her again, though I’m not sure in what capacity. Her disappearance and the true nature of Terminus remain the biggest mysteries left this season.

(*Spoiler alert for non-comic readers*) I’ve seen a lot of chatter and theorizing on the boards across the web and folks have some very interesting ideas about Beth and Terminus. I wonder if the writers are toying with the comic readers. At first it seemed like Terminus was going to end up taking the place of Alexandria in the comics, but now I’m not so sure. Many believe that Terminus, instead, is going to be chock full of cannibals. Could it be possible that brunette Tasha Yar could be fixing Maggie a big plate of her sister? Egads, I hope not.

What about everyone’s favorite, Daryl?

Michael: Talk about a shocker … and something to cause an uproar even more than what happened with Mika and Lizzie and Carol! Everyone would be Up! In! Arms! if Daryl was to take a powder. Might as well prepare the angry mobs, torches and pitchforks. Then! Having Carol discover his demise. Better yet, Daryl dying in her arms! Tragedy! Angst! Yikes!

Bob: The more I’ve considered a Daryl death, the more I’m ok with it. I’m not sure if it’s going to happen, but his character arc feels a bit complete. We’ve learned just about everything there is to learn about the guy: his past, his family, his skills with a crossbow. He’s come a long way from the angry “Merle’s brother” we saw in season one. If given a heroic (or tragic) exit, it might be the right time to say goodbye to Daryl. How tragic would it be if he got caught in the crossfire of a battle between Rick’s group and Joe’s group, with Rick not even realizing he was there?

What say us about “Cough Syrup Quaffin'” Bob Stookey?

Michael: One of my bets involves struggling alcoholic Bob Stookey drawing the short stick. We got a pretty good bead on Bob a few episodes ago, finally drawing us closer to him with the revelation of some of his back story. So now might be the perfect time to take him out of the picture. The ‘ole “bring’em-in-then-take-him-out-quick” bait and switch to elicit a reaction. I can see that working just fine — enough drama to make us feel for the dude, but not so much as it would be for some other major character.

Bob: Yeah, the dude just screams “zombie fodder,” but this finale is shaping up to be fairly walker-free. I say that now, though who knows what really lies in store. It may end up being a quieter finale than we have grown used to … at least for those that have already walked through the eerily unguarded gates of Terminus. Bob seems expendable, though.

Surely Tara and Sasha could be in the mix … right?

Michael: We don’t have much on these two. We delved into Sasha somewhat, but Tara not that much. Either are throw away characters in my book with little investment in either of them. I’d be good with one or the other hitting the road. Of course there would be more heartache on Tyreese’s part with Sasha being his sister … and Tara’s fall would make it easy on Glenn feeling guilty about revealing who she really is with relation to “Brian” (The Governor).

Bob: Yeah, two more expendable characters, but I’m not sure I would read too much into that, unless the episode is going to end up a blood bath. I think there are stories left for both of these characters, especially if Sasha and Tyreese are reunited and her relationship with Bob continues to flourish.

Tyreese?

Michael: Having Tyreese killed at this point after the events of “The Grove” seems rather wasteful. There’s no punch there. He barely has any skin in the game … so I think he’s clear.

Bob: Tyreese is safe. There’s too much potential with the character. He’s a huge fan favorite from the comics who was introduced late. It’s going to be fun seeing him in some of the storylines that he wasn’t a part of in the books.

Could it be Michonne?

Michael: Given her back story, her tragedies, her pain and suffering all around and recent joys with Rick and Carl, Michonne is a good bet to make the grade … or grave, rather. She would be a big enough kick in the gut to viewers and characters alike. Not as big as a Daryl or Glenn or Maggie, but there would be impact there …

Bob: I feel like Michonne is completely off-limits at this point. She’s a huge fan favorite from the comics and we have barely scratched the surface of the character on the show. Her death would annoy me greatly. Probably just as much as Dale and Andrea (who I thought left before their time).

Could Carl be considered in the mix?

Michael: There’s a large enough contingent of fans who would like to see Carl given the heave-ho just the same as there were for his mother Lori last season. There’s a good chance that could happen.

Bob: Doubt it. I would be shocked if we ever saw Carl die. The smart money is never going to be on Carl, regardless of how annoying he is.

And then there are newbies Abraham, Rosita, Eugene …

Michael: I don’t see any of them exiting stage right. No emotional impact, simply no good reason they should go. There’s nothing invested with any of them. So … what would be the point right now?

Bob: They’ve got to get Eugene to Washington! They’re going to save the world!

Okay, readers … your turn. Think anyone is getting the shaft on the finale Sunday? Chime in and let us know.

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It has been a long wait, boys and girls, but Game of Thrones is just about back. Have you recovered yet from the Red Wedding? Weddings are bad luck, and we’ve got at least one on the schedule for this season. As the show returns, so does Beyond the Wall, CliqueClack’s weekly column about one of our favorite shows. Clackers Ivey West and Bob Degon are back to discuss all things Westorsi — and across the Narrow Sea as well.

At the beginning of every season, we take a look at the new actors joining the cast. As the seasons wear on, there are understandably fewer additions, but you can always count on Game of Thrones to need fresh meat going into a new season. There are a couple of folks we’re going to focus on, including the recasting of a role that will become more and more important as the story evolves.

It’s been a long time, so it is time for our regular Spoiler Warning. Beyond the Wall is a column intended for those who have read George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series that Game of Thrones is based on. So if you don’t understand just how badass the Red Viper is supposed to be, this post isn’t for you.

Ivey: So Bob, when looking at all of the new members of the cast, I think you’ve got to point to Pedro Pascal as Oberyn Martell — or The Red Viper as his closest “friends” know him — as the most important new character, no? Oberyn is a major part of the King’s Landing story this season, and is our first real introduction to anyone from Dorne. Sure, unless the story sees significant changes — and we all know that can happen — this will be his only season on the show, but it’s such an important one.

I’d assume that unless you watched USA’s Graceland last season, you won’t have heard of Pascal. I liked him on Graceland well enough, but when they announced his casting, I was scratching my head quite a bit. It doesn’t help that this role was the one I’d always hoped James Purefoy would be available — and willing — to take, but he’s not exactly what I pictured for the Red Viper. Seeing him in character in the trailers has helped quite a bit, but I’m still not so sure.

Bob: I don’t have any issue with the casting. I suppose Pascal was not what I imagined in my head exactly, but he’s a lot closer than James Purefoy. I think Purefoy would be a much better fit as a Greyjoy, but with that story veering further and further away from the books, who knows if any of those characters will actually show up. Anyway, Pascal looks good in the previews and I think the character is going to be a welcome addition to the never ending party that is King’s Landing.

Ivey: Never ending party, eh? I doubt Tyrion would consider this season a party in the capital.

Now, someone I am really looking forward to is Indira Varma as Ellaria Sand. The pipeline of Rome actors is alive and well, and while we probably won’t see Purefoy or Kevin McKidd (The perfect Jon Connington in my view), Varma is a great addition to the cast. I’m hoping that her casting here indicates a shift in how the collective Sand Snakes are portrayed in the show. I doubt all of them will make the transition from the page to the screen; the collective group will probably be compressed into one or two characters. I think Varma would be great as the catch-all Sand Snake.

Bob: My lack of Rome-watching puts me at a disadvantage for a lot of these casting discussions. I’m not sure why, but I’ll trust you on this one. One HBO show I have watched, however, is Treme, and I really enjoyed Michiel Huisman’s performance on the show, and I look forward to him stepping into the role of Daario Naharis. I didn’t think that Ed Skrein did a poor job in the role last season, but there wasn’t a lot asked of him. As Naharis takes on a bigger role moving forward, I’m glad to have an actor I trust in the role. I’m curious to see how noticeably different, if at all, the characterization of Daario is this year.

Ivey: Skrein didn’t do a bad job, but he wasn’t particularly impressive either. Not only is Daario’s role going to increase this year as a natural part of the story, the trailers indicate that he will be picking up a bit of Strong Belwas’ story. I’m not as familiar with Huisman as you are, but I welcome the change.

I don’t expect the role to be large in season four, but I think that the casting of Mark Gatiss is an inspired choice for the Braavosi banker Tycho Nestoris. He isn’t necessarily a name that everyone will recognize, but I can promise you that he’ll be recognized in the Comic-Con-esque circles. Sherlock fans will recognize him as Mycroft, the brother of the titular Holmes (and one of that show’s creators). Tycho might have completely changed the entire game in A Dance with Dragons without most of us even noticing it.

Bob: I agree, it is very good casting, and I like that we’re going to be seeing more of the character in the series. I think one of the best things about the television show is that we are able to see a bunch of scenes that happen “off page” in the books because a Point of View character isn’t present. Sure, sometimes that means we have to watch an entire season of Theon being cruelly and horribly tortured, but it’s usually a lot of fun.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go weep softly in the corner over the loss of Belwas.

I’d say my reaction to the embedded Samsung 840 EVO video — if it hasn’t been taken down by now — is more of disbelief than anything else. I don’t really get “offended” by something like a video, commercial, TV show, or other medium. I guess for ME to be offended, I’d have to take something pretty damned personally. So a video of someone stating the top ten reasons CliqueClack and Keith McDuffee suck … that I might label offensive.

I was shown the commercial through Carla on Twitter, where some were saying it felt more like a Funny or Die sketch than an authentic commercial. The video should Die, because it’s not Funny. It’s cringe-tastic, that’s for sure. Everything from the awful stereotypes, the 1950s-like techno-wow dialogue, and the acting is … just wow.

Apparently this is not meant to be a parody video. In fact, reports are that Samsung has begun removing the video from as many places as they can, as it has been removed from official channels on YouTube and from Samsung’s official sites. Nothing says “ohshitohshitohshit!” more than rapid removal of content from the Interwebs.

A man who claims to be the “businessman” in the video has come out on reddit (user Damienf1) with the following:

“Hi. So I’m an actor/model living in Seoul, and im playing the ‘businessman’ in this promo. now, admittedly its not my best work lol, but most people arent aware of just how many factors go into making it this bad. Allow me to elaborate. They force us to speak slowly since this will be dubbed over in Korean, and even when it isnt, most people viewing it will be Korean. They ask us to exaggerate since many Korean people feel thats how we ‘naturally’ act (most people here are not very expressive). Ive worked many jobs where I tried to act naturally only to be told by the director to act more ‘bright’ (ie exaggerate). its how the director and client (in this case, Samsung), WANT us to act. the script is brutal. written by non-native english speakers, and sometimes the PD or director wont even take our suggestions to change some parts so they sound like something a normal native english speaker would say. its a promotional video, not a tv commercial, meaning it will be shown at conventions and expos and in-house. most of the people watching it are korean and thats why they make us do all of the above. edit: almost forgot, shooting took place from 730am – 3am the next day, and by the time they shot the scenes with the girl, she was literally falling asleep in her chair, hence the stoned expression and tone :)”

If that’s legit, then it sure looks like a lot is lost in Korean translation as to what flies in the U.S.. As Bob Degon said, “It does have a certain ‘the script was not originally written in English’ vibe to it.” Time to “evolve” out of those stereotypes, Samsung.

Plus, are SSD’s really that big a deal now? Haven’t we been using them for, like, the past few years now?

This list is far from complete; if I were to yap on and on about everything I liked, this list could last until the pumpkin pie is served on Thursday. So this is just a survey; some of the many, many things that I count myself fortunate to watch or listen to:

Shawn Ryan – His latest show Last Resort might not have been a good – or successful – as I’d hoped, but Ryan continues to be one of my favorite showrunners in television today. While I wasn’t nearly the fan of The Shield that others are, I love The Unit and The Chicago Code immeasurably, and think that his season of work on Lie to Me was incredible. I’m not sure what he’s got up his sleeve once Last Resort ends, but I know I’ll be watching from day one.

Star Wars and Disney – There is a great deal of trepidation in the fanbase as Disney announced their purchase of Lucasfilm and their intentions to produce Episodes 7, 8 and 9. I understand why, considering just how disappointing and uneven the prequel films were. But I’ve got faith. While some of the people I’d been hoping to be involved with the project have indicated they won’t be a part of it (damn yous Brad Bird!), I’ve still got faith. Plus, as a big amusement park guy, I know there’s no way after watching the insane success that Universal Studios had with the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (and it’s planned sister zone in California and as-yet-announced-but-not-secret Orlando expansion), that I’m going to be able to walk through the Millennium Falcon sooner rather than later.

Joss Whedon – I’m just going to leave this name here, and expect you to understand why. If you’re having trouble, I suggest looking up the following projects: Avengers, Dr. Horrible’s Singalong Blog, Dollhouse, Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly/Serenity. Plus, he also gave us Amy Acker, so: bonus points.

Suits – It is simply the best show you’re (probably) not watching. I’m not going to sit here and tell you how much you’ll like it. I’m just going to look down my nose like the Dowager Countess until you give it a chance.

Resurgence of Genre films – Avengers, Hunger Games, Looper … these are my kinda films. I absolutely bask in the fact that we’re getting some really great geek stuff in the theatres these days.

Game of Thrones – Yeah, I still to this day remember an instant message conversation with Carla before GoT premiered where I said that I wasn’t sure if I would get into the show or not. I hadn’t read the books, and had seen similar shows like Pillars of the Earth fail. I couldn’t have been any more wrong (I highlighted that part out as a pull quote because it has been inferred that I never admit to being wrong … it just doesn’t happen often); I am addicted to everything Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire. Since the show premiered I’ve read the full set of books twice, I participate in online discussions about theories regarding future books and love the weekly column Bob Degon and I produce when the show is on the air.

The Voice — Or, more specifically that the next cycle starting next year will be missing Christina Aguilera. I won’t particularly miss Cee-Lo’s inability to make a comment to a female contestant that doesn’t start with how beautiful she is, but I won’t miss anything about Christina.

Delta Rae – The first night of San Diego Comic Con this year, as I sat down with Keith McDuffee, Michael Noble and Tara Shrodes, somehow the topic of my favorite band came up. Keith and Mike were so kind to point out to me that they where incredibly aware of just how much I liked the band. Apparently, I mention them on Facebook and the Twitter quite often. Like, way often. But I don’t care. I’m no music critic, so I can’t break down their work like I can a TV show or flick, but I do know I like the band. So, instead of telling you, I’ll just leave you with their latest video:

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPOM0IUsd_0

Grey’s Anatomy – I get a great deal of flack for being a fan of this show, but I don’t really care. While I admit that there are shows on the air that I think are better, there’s no show I look more forward to each week than Grey’s. Make fun of me all you want, but I’m hooked. The far-reaching repercussions of last season’s plane crash have created several great character arcs … even if it did mark the departure of two of my favorite characters on the show, Mark and Lexi.

Nashville’s Clare Bowen’s voice – Nashville is a pretty good show. I — like all Friday Night Lights fans – am a big, big fan of Connie Britton. I also remember “Save the Cheerleader, Save the World.” But the biggest surprise of the show has been Clare Bowen’s performance, and her amazing voice. Her vocals on each of the tracks – but especially “Fade into You” – are just haunting. Bowen, who nails her southern accent despite originally hailing from Australia – is easily my favorite thing about the new television season. It helps that her part of the Nashville story is much more interesting than either Britton or Hayden Panettiere’s thus far, but it all comes down to her voice. I just can’t get enough. (Oh, and the second best vocal performance on the show thus far? Lennon and Maisy Shelly – Britton’s daughters on the show – singing “Telescope”)

My CliqueClack family – I wanted to end with Bowen’s voice (because, damn), but the guilt finishing with anything but Team CliqueClack would eat at me all through Turkey-Day (Except when the Washington Redskins take on the dastardly Dallas Cowboys … nothing gets through after kickoff). I have the great fortune to work with an incredibly talented group of writers … and Michael. We’re a fairly diverse group as far as individual backgrounds, shows & movies we’re fans of … heck, we’re even spread out across this great nation of ours. In the end though, I’m pretty lucky to have these guys as friends.

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Early this morning, at our daily meeting at CliqueClack HQ, I shared that Vulture had compiled a list of the 25 Most Devoted Fan Bases. See, I’m a sucker for lists … I just can’t get enough of them. I enjoy the debate that always erupts as people discuss their disagreements. And considering Vulture had included several different genres and mediums for fandoms in their list, I just knew I was in for some fun.

And I wasn’t disappointed … well, almost. Our fearless leader Keith McDuffee doesn’t like lists. It’s like he’s allergic to them. But considering that otherwise he’s a pretty righteous dude – and, you know my boss – was willing to let it slide … this time at least.

But the disagreement came fast and furious. Bob and Brett were pretty adamant that Game of Thrones did not deserve the top spot. I know well of Brett’s … disappointment … with George R.R. Martin’s long delay in producing his novels, but was a bit surprised at Bob. Apparently, neither have visited the /r/asoiaf area of Reddit (current top entry on the list as of the writing of this post: favorite quotes by Dolorous Edd … and I rest my case) and seen just how crazy the tin-foil speculation and discussion gets.

Brett, as he is wont to do, questioned why iCarly — and its innate knack to get some 17m viewers whenever Nickelodeon airs it — didn’t make the list. Which started the cavalcade of “why isn’t X fandom on the list.” We came up with some pretty good contenders; several of which we were surprised weren’t included in Vulture’s list. Because we can’t stop ourselves, we figured we’d share them with you.

These are in no particular order – unless my personal bias counts as an order … if so, you’ll just have to figure it out:

Carly Simon
Deb threw this name in the hat … and I tried very desperately to make a “you’re so vain, you probably think this list is about you” joke (and was successful until now). But years ago, Deb attended a Simon concert and thought the fans were as crazy as Beatles fans (I’ll keep her husband’s and brother’s comments about the number of concerts Deb has attended live disqualifying her out of this … oh, wait … oops).

The New Kids on the Block
Another fandom that passed me by personally – because I was never a teenage girl. But their reunion tour(s) have proven that teenagers grow up, but apparently Mark, Donnie and those other guys are still swoonworthy.

Harley riders
I hear these guys are pretty fanatical. I’m a Jeep guy myself, and all I know is they stole the “Jeep wave” – or it might have been the other way around.

Madonna
I don’t care what you say, the Material Girl is still getting it done. While she certainly doesn’t have the popularity that she had in the ’80s and ’90s, her fandom is still very strong.

iCarly

If you hadn’t picked up on it, Brett thinks iCarly is the most popular show most of us have never heard of, and he has the numbers to back it up. He’s been so kind to let us know when the show has featured guest stars like Michelle Obama … and Josh Malina (What can I say … I’m personally sucked into Aaron-Sorkin-Fandom). I will say this: there are a lot more people watching iCarly than Game of Thrones.

Jimmy Buffett
There are some days that I think Parrotheads rule the world. Buffett and his fans have been looking for that lost shaker of salt for over 35 years now, and neither show any sign of slowing down any time soon. Margaritaville and Cheeseburger in Paradise restaurants are all over the place, and you can still catch Buffett on tour most of the year.

Apple
It was Keith’s suggestion, and is the one thing I think Vulture is really missing from their lists. Sure, there are some iPhone/iPad/Mac users that just “use” their devices, but let’s be honest: the rest of us “Apple People” are a bit obsessive. It probably isn’t healthy the amount of Cupertino tech I have, and I know Keith is at least as bad as I am … if not worse. While I’ve never lined up outside an Apple Store days in advance for the right to buy the latest iOS thing first, it happens every time a new iPhone is released. There are few fandoms I know that come close to being as fervent as iFans.

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