Unsolved Game of Thrones Mysteries - Part 2

To continue my series of Unsolved Game of Thrones Mysteries, according to IGN, I'm bringing you theories 4-6 today!

Check Part 1 out

SPOILERS BELOW!
If you haven't caught up on Season 5 of Game of Thrones and/or you haven't finished reading the available book series, don't read this post!!
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4. What Happened to Syrio Forel?

Just a refresher, since we haven't seen him since Season 1, Syrio was the swordsmaster that was teaching Arya how to fight way back in 2011. The last time we saw him, he was taking on a room full of Kingsguard (led by the creepy Meryn Trant, who unfortunately for him ran into Arya in the last episode of season 5) with a wooden training sword. We are led to believe that he has died...but we have come to expect a death scene for every "official death" now and we didn't get one with Syrio.

So? Is he dead or not? As a book reader, I have always thought that Syrio was in fact Jaqen H'ghar, the faceless man who is now training Arya in the show. It seemed that Jaqen had a strange connection with Arya and that could be because he met her as Syrio earlier in the story. We also get a small clue to Jaqen's whereabouts in the books (he is not training Arya in the House of the Black and White in the books) with Pate in Feast for Crows...but for the most part both Syrio and Jaqen have gone missing from the pages.

In the show however, I'm not sure if they will even bring up the fact that we didn't get a death scene for Syrio. I think that his scenes were so long ago coupled with the fact that Arya brought justice for Syrio's supposed death, it may be stretching it by bringing him back into the story. We are starting the back stretch of this wonderful story...and I just don't see how bringing Syrio back to life would help much with the show.

Now, the behemoth sized books are a different stor, you could fit a few Lord of the Rings stories into the size of the books and it would still leave you with 400 pages of content. I don't think Syrio is dead in the books, honestly. Bring Syrio back if needed, have him help Arya out. But it isn't worth the screen time on the show, in my opinion.

5. What Happened to Benjen Stark?

Ok, I'm going to start this answer off with a quick WTF to HBO for making book readers pretty much crap their pants with the "Previously On..." segment for the last episode. When they referenced Benjen in the recap my heart skipped a beat! How could you HBO! You and your teasing ways!

Ok, enough of that. Does anyone remember Benjen? Well, again, the last time we saw him was in Season 1. He had come down to Winterfell, spent some time with his brother, Ned, and recruited Jon to join the Night's Watch. Once back up on the Wall, Benjen went missing on a ranging mission and we haven't seen him since.

Jon has been searching for him through most of the following seasons, as he circled around different plot lines beyond the Wall. But, nothing. No trace. So, what happened to him?

Well, I've had a theory for a long time that a character in the books, Coldhands, is actually Benjen...however I've read several articles debunking this, and Martin has actually pretty much dismissed the idea. I don't want to get too far into Coldhands, but let's just say he is an asterisk on the White Walkers story line. He is a "good guy" White Walker, that helps Bran get to the Three-Eyed Raven. Makes sense: if Coldhands was Benjen, he would help his nephew, right?

So, if he isn't Coldhands...where the heck is he?! Good question. I have no idea. Again, Martin tends to definitively write when someone is dead or not and we haven't seen that with Benjen. I have a VERY strong feeling that he will come back before the series is over, in some capacity and play a pretty large role for the Stark family. We will just have to wait and see what Martin cooks up.

6. What happened to Balon Greyjoy?

Argh. I hate this guy. Poor Theon, he just wants his Dad's approval. Well, you know what, never mind poor Theon, he freakin' turned his back on Robb...but Balon is a douche.

If you don't remember, the last time we saw Balon, he was hanging out with Theon's sister, Asha/Yara (name is different in the book/show) when he receives a package (no pun intended) from Ramsay Bolton that had some pieces of his son, Theon. Balon shows no interest in helping his son, but Yara is like...screw this, I'm saving my brother! Her rescue attempt was pretty poor, but it is the thought that counts.

*spoiler warning for TV watchers in this paragraph!*
Balon hasn't been seen since...nor has any Greyjoy other than Theon. In the books, the Greyjoys start playing a bigger role because of a...um...completely random fatal stumble off of a sky bridge by Balon. That's right, the ruler of the Iron Islands, Balon, falls off a sky bridge and dies. Theon's uncles (who haven't appeared in the show yet) and Yara, try to make their claim for the Iron Islands through most of book four, while Theon is being tortured and turned into Reek by Ramsay. So, that's the answer to this mystery...he randomly dies...in the books.

The show will take a little bit different approach to this, I'm assuming. Since no other Greyjoy has played a significant role in the story, I think Balon will be sticking around a bit longer...if only to introduce some of the rest of the Greyjoy family or progress Yara's story. I think the ending for his tale will be the same, he will most likely die in Season 6 to start the wheels turning on the other Greyjoys.

Episode 12 - Fantasy Football: Live Mock Draft and Breaking News!

Listen in to hear Ian and Mike build a fantasy team in a PPR league picking from the 7-hole. Lots of interesting questions popped up as they had to try to make their decisions. Marshawn Lynch or Matt Forte? Calvin Johnson or Jordy Nelson? Arian Foster was still around really late...do you take him? What round did Peyton Manning become too good to pass up? Will Mike's love for Ameer Abdullah for him to draft him way too early?

All these questions are asked on our most recent episode, go check it out!





News Covered in this episode:

Feedback/Questions from Listeners:

• Question from Jason: Is Rice Rice Worth Drafting if he is reinstated? - Being discussed in Cleveland

• Question from Matt: "Who do you plan on targeting in the 1st round?"

Breaking News and Body Parts

• Niles Paul AND Logan Paulsen out for the year for Redskins.
• • Leaves Jordan Reed as literally the only option...can he finally stay healthy?
• Jameis Winston had a spotty day
• • Looked lost a few times, but hit a few long passes and ran in for TD.
• Bills QB Competition is a Mess
• • EJ looks to be on the outs, even though he hit a beautiful 50 yard TD
  • Tyrod Taylor looked like a dual-threat
  • Matt Cassel looked solid, but he is Matt Cassel
• Nelson Agholor is taking 1st team reps in practice and makes TERRIFIC TD grab
• Hoyer and Mallet had solid games
• • Hoyer scored a TD in only drive
  • Mallet only had 1 incompletion in 11 attempts
• Alfred Blue also had solid game - 59 yards on 9 carries
• Andre Ellington looks good
• • 59 yard reception and short TD
• CJ Spiller has knee scope surgery - Clean up
• • Should be ready by week 1
• Kevin White - Rookie WR for Bears - to have surgery on Shin
• • Will miss at least the first 6 weeks of regular season
• Julius Thomas fractures hand
• • Out at least for the rest of Preseason, maybe longer
• Marcus Mariotta had a very rough start
• • INT, Fumble
  • BUT his INT was his only incompletion
• Tannehill looks great on one drive - 5/6 with TD
• Ameer Abdullah...omg...I'm in love
• • 7 carries for 67 yards - 9.1 YPC
  • Eye ball test: passing
• Jimmy Garoppolo isn't Tom Brady
• • Got mauled by GB
  • 7 sacks and 1 INT
• Martavius Bryant - All he does is score touchdowns
• 5 targets, 3 receptions for 55 yards - 44 yard TD

And here is the maybe TOO realistic RG3 McFarlane figure I got at the end of the 2012 season:

Unsolved Game of Thrones Mysteries - Part 1

SPOILERS BELOW!
If you haven't caught up on Season 5 of Game of Thrones and/or you haven't finished reading the available book series, don't read this post!!
-----------------------

Recently, IGN posted an article on their website with 9 unsolved Game of Thrones mysteries left in the series. I would assume that author, George R.R. Martin has all the answers and I am hoping that we will soon have some of these answers as he finishes up the 6th book of the series over the next year. However, until then, we are only able to speculate...and that's what I'm hear doing.

I read through this article on IGN and thought that I would try to answer my theories on the answers and why. I don't really want to give it all away right here in this post, I only want to try and lead you in the right direction while coming up with your own conclusions. So, let's get this started!

1. Where is Rickon Stark?

WHO? I don't know of another Stark?! Oh, wait, you mean Bran's little brother that we have barely seen but has been more involved in the show than the books? Yeah, that kid.

Well, the last time we saw him, he left Bran's side on their journey to the three-eyed raven, accompanied by Osha, the once wild-ling now turned body-guard to the Stark boys. Osha states that there are many Stark supporters in the North and that she would bring Rickon to one of them.

Poof. That's the last time we have seen either of them. So, my theory is that the next time we see Rickon in the show, he and Osha will have completed their mission and be kept protected by one of these allies.

Who could it be? Well, I know that Howland Reed (the father of the two kids that have been helping Bran [R.I.P. Jojen]) has recently been announced as a member of season 6. He also plays a big part in Jon Snow's backstory...but we will get to that later. My money is that production will tie up a few loose ends with Howland and one of them will be Rickon.

2. Who is the Night's King?

He is one bad dude, that's for sure. For those who aren't sure who we are talking about - this is the leader of the White Walkers and the one who did the "come at me, bro" arm lift toward Jon Snow...while raising dead Wildlings and Night's Watch to join the King's army.

Yep, you know who I'm referring to now. There is a lot of backstory to this character. Supposedly he used to be stationed on the Wall as the 13th Night's Watch Lord Commander...like hundreds of years ago, where people actually thought it was honorable to serve on the Wall. He fell in love with a woman of the woods, who was super pale (almost glowing white) with super cold skin. HMM. Sounds like some people we may know?

Anywho, they fall in love, he breaks his vows and they have...urhm...adult wrestle time. When this happens, she steals his soul, Sheng Tseng style. They end up taking one of the Keeps on the Wall and he declares himself King and this crazy ice lady his Queen. Nasty things happened on the Wall after this for a while, until there was an awesome alliance of powerful warriors to take the Night's King out.

His name was erased from the records as ever being a Lord Commander...and he disappeared along with his name. The question is - what was his name while he was alive? Theories inside the book state that he was a Bolton, an Umber or even...a STARK! Dun-dun-dun!!!!

Supposedly, the "come at me, bro!" dude is this said Night's King...back to kick some tail with a super big army.

You can read more about the Night's King here.

3. Who is Azor Ahai?

Oh man, for real, if you don't want spoilers you need to stop reading here, because all signs are pointing to what I'm about to type below...and this could be a major game changer to the story.

...ok...?

Alright, here we go. First, let's remind you who Azor Ahai (AA) is in the Game of Thrones TV Show. This name isn't spoken much in the show, but it is referenced plenty in the books for readers to remember. AA is pretty much the savior of the universe in the eyes of Lord of Light's followers. Think of AA as Jesus...or Neo in the Matrix...or Frodo in LOTRs. A more specific backstory can be found here, but just think of AA as the Savior.

So, through most of the story we have seen so far, Melisandre has been insistent that Stannis is the chosen one, the AA. He has a sword similar to Lightbringer and a lot of prophetic signs have pointed at Stannis in some way. Mel believes AA has got to be her main-man, Stannis.

But, as we saw in the last episode of Season 5, she has a change of heart. She sees something in her fires, or just sees some crazy stuff happening with Stannis in general that makes her abandon her savior. She is visibly distraught when she returns to the Wall later in this episode and now seems lost.

However, I don't think she will be lost for much longer. I think she happened to appear at the right place at the right time. The Wall is home to one of our favorite characters right now, one of our focal characters, Jon Snow. All hints, especially in the books, are dropping heavily towards Jon being the Chosen One. Let me list a few of these hints out for you:

• As we saw in the last episode, Jon looks to be dead. Like, dead-dead. However, in prophecies state that the AA will be REBORN...which if we have any faith in the story - Jon will have to be resurrected by Mel's red magic. Boom - reborn, right there! Not to mention, that would relieve Jon from his oath on the Wall, you know, since he died.
• In the books, often when Mel looks into her fires for answers and hints towards AA, she only sees Jon or a ton of snow. 
• Jon has dreams in the books where he is fighting the White Walkers with a flaming sword made of ice...this would be Lightbringer in the tales of AA.
• In some ways, Jon sacrifices Ygritte similarly to how the tales of AA state he sacrifices his love, Nissa Nissa.
• Theories of Jon's parents (which we will talk about later) is leading some fans to believe that he is the focal point of this entire show, not Dany. The book series is the "Song of Ice and Fire," which could be a direct hint at it's main character's bloodline: Stark (Lyanna) - Ice, Targaryen (Rhaeger) - Fire. See, I told you there may be huge spoilers here. 

Now there is also a HUGE push that Dany still may be the AA. But, with Jon's recent run-ins with the Night's King and all signs pointing GO on his ressurrection...I feel like it HAS to be Jon at this point.

Martin has been one to surprise me though, so who knows!

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Please look for part 2 and 3 coming soon! 

Episode 11 - GamesCom Special: Xbox One News, Quantum Break, Scalebound, WoW!

Mike goes solo this episode to bring the breaking news that happened at GamesCom in 2015. If you own an Xbox, you definitely want to listen to this!

Here are the show notes:

What exactly is GamesCom? It is a trade fair for video games held annually in Germany and it is gaining popularity every year. Attendance for the event went up from 335,000 to 345,000 from 2014 to 2015.

Star Wars Battlefront
Star Wars Battlefront took home the title of "Best-in-Show" by revealing this gameplay trailer at the event, which introduced the Fighter Squadron mode:



Pretty slick huh? Look, you can even play as the Millennium falcon!

Microsoft Announcements
DVR compatibility with Xbox One

• Free and coming in 2016
• The features will be limited to TV users who get their shows via free over-the-air antennas
• Microsoft released an adapter in 2015 that allows for hook-up of antennas
• New DVR section showing all recorded shows
• Stream recordings from the Xbox One to Windows 10 devices
• Downloaded to devices
• Schedule recordings, even remotely

Future 360 Games with Gold Titles Available on Xbox One

• All Games with Gold titles are FREE on Xbox One because of Backwards Compatibility
• This means 4 FREE games for Xbox Gold users
• Launches in November with over 100 titles available!

2TB External HD from Seagate

• Compatible with Xbox One
• $109

Chatpad

• A "texting" accessory that attaches to the controller
• 360 had something similar to this
• Headsets/headphones will be functional when plugged in
• November 3 - $35

Windows 10 Coming to Xbox One

• Faster, simple Interface
• Cortana
• Increased voice command recognition
• "Hey Cortana, record the last minute and share it to my activity feed
• "Hey Cortana, start a party and invite Amanda"

Quantum Break

• Plot: A time travel experiment has gone wrong. This event not only causes time to start breaking down, but also grants the three main characters—Jack Joyce, Beth Wilder, and Paul Serene—the ability to manipulate time. Jack Joyce, the main character is a survivor of a failed science experiment that killed his brother.
• This is a TV Show/Video Game Exclusive to Xbox One
• Four episodes - 20 minutes each
• Game will tell story of Heroes - TV show will give you the villians
• Well known actors
• Shawn Ashmore (X-men)
• Aiden Gillen (Game of Thrones)
• Dominic Monaghan (Lost)
• Lance Reddick (The Wire/Fringe/Lost)
• Episodes based off your decisions in the game?
• "Afterward, the game will unlock an episode about Serene's evil company, Monarch. These will reflect your decisions and have ramifications in the game, further personalizing the experience. Each junction also has alternate episodes, so players have a reason to replay what would otherwise be a linear, story-driven experience."
• "The TV show ships with the game and, based on what we've seen so far, it appears the two are heavily dependent on each other. You can't watch the show like a season of True Detective and likewise, your experience of the game will probably suffer if you're not paying attention to the live-action episodes."

This Gameplay trailer shown at GamesCom, and it looks amazing! Has a ton of great bullet-time effects. Just hoping it isn't too repetitious:



Release Date was revealed (After 2 years of promoting): April 5, 2016

Scalebound

• Control a character who is bound to a Dragon companion
• Action sequences look incredible
• During action sequences you command your dragon pet to attack while dishing out damage yourself
• Very fast paced, action RPG feel
• 4 Player Co-Op

This gameplay trailer was shown at GamesCom, and really has me intrigued:


Release Date is Holiday 2016

Halo Wars 2 Announced


Coming Fall 2016

Blizzard Announcements
World of Warcraft: Legion Expansion Announced

• Plot:  In this dire new chapter of the World of Warcraft saga, the great enemy of the Horde and the Alliance—the demonic Burning Legion—has returned. Illidan looks to be the main antagonist
• Level cap goes to 110 (expansion comes with boost to lvl 100)
• New Continent to Explore: The Broken Isles
• New Class to play: Demon Hunter
• Only available to Elves
• Artifact Weapons: Grow character power and are fully customizable
• Several new dungeons
• New PvP Honor System that allows for leveling in PvP
• Beta coming later this year (BlizzCon?)

This announcement trailer was shown at GamesCom:


Hearthstone adding Jousting abilities to cards

• This is an ability that forces players to randomly reveal one minion from their decks - whoever has the highest mana cost wins the "joust" and thus gives the card with the ability special attributes (taunt/divine shield/etc.)
• This isn't a new gamemode - just an ability on 11 new cards
• Coming in the next expansion "The Grand Tournament" releasing this month

Example of a joust in action:



Other News
* Bungie Replacing Peter Dinklage in Destiny with Nolan North
* John Wick is coming to Virtual Reality - Spring 2016
* Winners announced in Valve's $18 Million International DOTA championship

Episode 10 - Fantasy Football: Top 5 QBs, Players on New Teams, Harvard Study and Eagles Talk!

What up nerds?! Episode 10 has the guys going over their top 5 Quarterbacks and see if they can come up with some sort of agreement. Who's better, Aaron Rodgers or Andrew Luck? Is Russell Wilson in the top 5? Matt Ryan sneaking his way up there? They also discuss some potential sleepers at QB if you happen to miss on some of the higher end players.

What about some of the players who have joined new teams? What will their impact be to their new clubs in 2015? The guys talk about that as well!

An interesting Harvard Study puts the Miami Dolphins in the Super Bowl this year against the Seahawks. That is kinda weird huh? We chat about this study that obviously has some sort of significance with Harvard attached to it.

Also, the guys are joined by Jason Oliver, who we have deemed our resident Eagles expert. He gives us some great info an opinion on his favorite team.

Lastly, the guys play a very entertaining round of "Who Am I?" where Mike reads off a stat line and the other guys have to try and figure out which player from 2014 that stat line belongs to. See if you can figure it out faster than the crew!

Episode 9 - Summertime TV: Wayward Pines, Mr. Robot, Zoo and More!

The entire crew is back again to suggest some amazing TV shows to check out in the summer of 2015. Usually, summers are pretty dry when it comes to good television, but for whatever reason, this summer is different!

In a pretty entertaining twist, Ian and Mike get Ronnie and John to try and guess the premise of this summer's hottest TV shows with only one clue: the title of the show. You don't wanna miss the things that they come up with. We had a ton of shout outs as well!

Episode 8 - Comic-Con Reactions Part 2

Join the AH Crew as they discuss their thoughts on some of Comic-Cons biggest reveals in 2015! In this episode they discuss: X-men: Apocalypse, Suicide Squad and Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Some lively debate sparks up between the team in regards to comic book movies...and Will Smith.
 

Episode 7: Comic-Con Reactions Part 1

In this episode, the AfterHours team discuss the trailers revealed at Comic-Con including: Walking Dead Season 6, Fear the Walking Dead, Heroes: Reborn, Colony, Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2, Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Deadpool. Listen in! Do you agree with our thoughts? Visit the Contact Us page to send in your feedback!

Heroes: Reborn Comic-Con Trailer

Ok, so do you remember several years ago, a show called Heroes premiered on NBC? Yeah, me too. Do you remember how excited you were after watching a few of the episodes? Yeah, me too! Do you remember how awesome that show did after the first season?! Yeah, me........wait. No, that didn't happen.

That's right, it BOMBED big time. The potential that it had was great, but the direction they took it was horrible. Well, time to hit he reset button and try again. With only a handful of returning cast members from the first show (including Masi Oka, Jack Coleman and Greg Grunberg), it looks like this show's plot is taking place several years after the events that we've seen.

I wouldn't be surprised to see a surprise cameo from one of the original Heroes if this show takes off. But, I'm going to temper expectations. NBC has a lot to make-up for.

Trailer is below:

Episode 6 - NBA Madness!

Join the AfterHours crew as they try to make sense out of what has been a very interesting start to the NBA free agency period. Ian takes the reigns of the podcast, as the resident NBA-expert with McQ offering insight. Mike, however, makes references to retired NWO wrestlers who he thought played Basketball and Ronnie compares DeAndre Jordan to an Aziz Ansari segment. You can really tell who knows basketball and who doesn't, based off of this description.

Ian also hosts the second edition of his game show - where he compares the questions to a rap song...and either tries to rap or sing that said song.

How are you guys not entertained by just reading this? Check out the episode below:

Cowabunga, Batman! - TMNT and Batman Crossover

Dudes and Dudettes, DC Entertainment and IDW are crossing universes again! This time, those four Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles that everyone loves and the Dark Knight himself will be colliding in Gotham City. This comic book miniseries is scheduled to come out in November and will total six-parts, with a new release every month.

The story will be brought to life by James Tynion IV (BATMAN: ETERNAL, CONSTANTINE) and star artist Freddie E. Williams II (ROBIN, CAPTAIN ATOM) handling interior and cover art.  In addition, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles co-creator Kevin Eastman and other to-be-announced artists will illustrate variant covers.

 “Taking the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on a Gotham adventure is a fanboy dream come true,” explained writer James Tynion IV.

Uh, you can say that again! No joke, my two favorite comic book characters are coming together, finally! Honestly, I'm a little surprised this hasn't happened before - but regardless, I had a nerd-overload when I saw this announced.

Here's the synopsis:

"In the ongoing power struggle between the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, General Krang, and the Foot Clan, allegiances have shifted and the battle lines have been drawn. Krang concocts a plan to rid himself of both the Turtles and Shredder by transporting them to another dimension, where they land in the dark and dangerous streets of Gotham City. It isn't long before they encounter Gotham's most famous resident, Batman.  The Caped Crusader may be their only hope of overcoming their enemies and getting back home. But not before they encounter a whole cast of Gotham's most infamous rogues."

Deadpool Leaked Comic-Con Trailer - NSFW

I can't tell you how excited I am to have a Deadpool movie...let alone a Deadpool movie with Ryan Reynolds playing the crazy merc! He isn't as well known as the other Marvel superheroes, but he has a HUGE cult following with comic book readers. He is hilarious, a complete BA and he often breaks the fourth wall in the comics (meaning he talks to the reader of the comic book...think Wayne in Wayne's World throughout the movie). Because of these things, I think his popularity will explode with the release of this movie and will hopefully be added into the Avengers movies in some way.

This footage was leaked from Comic-Con, they haven't released the trailer to the public and you will see why while you are watching...Let's just say the movie is Rated R, they are taking advantage of that with this movie (they need to with Deadpool), and they haven't approved the trailer for all audiences yet. :) Check it out:

(AWWW - They have pulled the leaked footage...I'll try to find it again for you guys)

 

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 Teaser Trailer

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 teaser trailer debuted at Comic-Con this year. It is a quick, one minute clip of some of District 13's military members getting ready for war against the capital. At the end, we get a very brief view of Katniss Everdeen - the Mockingjay. It is a teaser, so I'm leaving my expectations behind until the first full trailer is released...but each of these movies has progressively gotten better since the first installment of the series. My wife and I were those snobby book readers who complained about the emotion-less version of The Hunger Games, but they have done well in representing Catching Fire and the first part of Mockingjay.

Check the teaser here:

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Comic-Con Reel

They didn't give us any new film footage from Episode VII - The Force Awakens at Comic-Con, but they did show us a behind the scenes reel of production for it. I must say, I almost enjoyed this more than the traditional trailer! What do you think?



I almost got teary-eyed when Han Solo and Leia sit down in the cock-pit of the Millennium Falcon. Like, no joke. Also, hearing Mark Hamill talk about keeping one foot in the past but mixing some current technology was incredible news. I love that they are using physical locations, set pieces and animatronics as much as they can, over CGI. Kudos to J.J. Abrams for trying to carry over the feeling from the original trilogy, let's hope he succeeds! I have faith!

Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice Comic-Con Trailer

The more footage I see of this movie the more I'm getting OK with Ben Affleck as Batman. I will miss Christian Bale terribly, but I feel like this is an older Bruce Wayne, maybe even a post-Batman Bruce Wayne? Hoping this taps into the greatness of the The Dark Knight Returns comics from Frank Miller. Watch and find some clues on why Batman is so mad at Superman in this movie:




I'm excited that the DC Universe is getting shown on the big screen. I think comic book nerds are going to be spoiled for several years as Marvel and DC duke it out to make the best comic book movies of our generation. I, for one, am super excited about that!

BTW - Batman > Superman ;)

Suicide Squad Comic-Con Trailer Released

That's right! You no longer have to try and watch the leaked footage from Comic-Con, they have released the trailer for all of our viewing pleasure! This definitely is looking better than I was expecting, and it makes it even more important now that we know it is in the same universe as the other DC movies. Check it:




I REALLY hope that Jared Leto pulls of a solid Joker. I think this will make or break not only this movie, but the entire DC Universe franchise going forward. He is THE single most compelling super-villian in comic books and if DC is wanting to go toe-to-toe with Marvel at the box office, Jared has got to nail this part. Ben Affleck has pressure too, but he is an established actor...a lot is riding on Leto.

Fear the Walking Dead Comic-Con Trailer

The spin-off to the highly successful Walking Dead show now has a release date and a new trailer! You and your friends can see how the whole zombie outbreak began in California on August 23, 2015. Until then, you can see this trailer:




What do you think? I'm actually more pumped about this trailer than I was for S6 of Walking Dead. I think this is fresh and you get a sneak peak on the early stages of the entire storyline. There is no chance for these two separate shows to cross paths anytime soon - BUT they do live in the same universe...and that, itself, is interesting!

Walking Dead Season 6 Comic-Con Trailer

The much anticipated Season 6 trailer for Walking Dead was premiered at Comic-Con over the weekend. If you haven't seen it yet, check it out here:

I'm not sure if I'm a huge fan of the whole Rick vs. Morgan push. I'm also getting a little tired of Rick being insane...like, I know he is pretty BA in the comics, but I feel like he isn't logical at times in the show. I'm hoping that he reaches a crossroads (similar to how he does in the comics around this story line) and starts down the heroic road again. Let us know what you guys think below, or shoot us an email at mnmafterhours@gmail.com

Episode 5: Best Video Games of All Time

Mike and McQ debate the greatest ten games of all time! Well, Mike has a list of ten, McQ was a little more "in no particular order" with his list. See which games made the cut and which game they enjoyed playing the most! Some of the games mentioned may surprise you.




Show Notes:
Currently Playing:
Mike -
- Witcher 3
- Smite
- Black Flag
- Ocarina of Time

McQ -
- Battlefield 4
- NBA 2k15
- Pokemon X

Big News:
- GameStop Opens doors to retro games/systems
- Batman: Arkham Knight released - PC issues

Notes from the Top 10 list:
Resident Evil 2 "on the rails" shooter that Mike references is Darkside Chronicles
Top 100 Games of All Time list on Empire.com
McQ's 4th of July celebration in GTA:

5 Sneaky Sleepers to Target in Fantasy Football Drafts

Just about every fantasy expert can tell you when to draft players in the early rounds, but fantasy success often comes from gambling on the players in the later rounds and hitting the jackpot. This list will hopefully help highlight some of the later round players that you could "ninja" away from other teams and break bank on them.

Teddy could be a very solid QB1

QB - Teddy Bridgewater - Minnesota Vikings
Yeah, yeah, I know, I know. Fantasy Gurus are screaming at their computer screens right now, "This isn't a sneaky pick!" But people who are just now starting to prep for this year's draft season may not know about the potential that Teddy has.

Mike Wallace has come to town, Adrian Peterson is back and Charles Johnson started to become a reliable option toward the end of last year. Throw in the fact that he led the league in third-down completions (68.5%) AND in red-zone completions (72%). That's pretty solid! His rushing stats always gives a nice little bonus as well.

Currently, Teddy Water-Under-the-Bridge is being drafted around the 12th round according to FantasyPros.com. However, I could see his ceiling returning numbers similar to Cam Newton. I feel like getting him in any rounds past round 10 is legit, and anything after 12 is a potential steal.

Martin could be a sneaky low-end RB2 or Flex option in '15

RB - Doug Martin - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Not sure if you listened to Episode 3 of our podcast or not, but I brought up Doug Martin for a reason. Ian and McQ don't seem to agree with me, but I feel like Dougie is another sneaky pickup late in drafts. It was only 2012 when he took the fantasy world by storm as a rookie and the following year was considered a sure-fire, top-5 pick in drafts. Oh, how the tides turn.

I'm not saying he is going to produce his rookie totals again. I don't think he will come close to it, honestly. But, if you waited on taking a flex position or even your 2nd RB, I would feel alright about taking the starting RB in an offense with a new QB and two HUGE WR threats. Defenses will surely be focusing on stopping the pass.

Dougie came into camp it wonderful shape, according to Tampa Bay and there isn't much competition behind him (Sims averaged 2.8 yards per carry). His ADP is about round 9 and that is a fabulous deal for a RB that has RB2 potential.

Tre finished last season strong, and Gurley may not surface at the beginning of '14

RB - Tre Mason - St. Louis Rams
He's not even the starter! I know, I know...hear me out though, Todd Gurley was drafted in the first round, but he may not even start Week 1. Honestly, he may not play much at all through the first half of 2015. Why would the Rams rush back their 1st round pick this year? The won't, which means that Tre will have plenty of opportunity to get some solid points for your fantasy team, especially early in the year.

My only concern with the Rams is the lack of weapons, Kenny Britt and Tavon Austin are the starting WRs. Nick Foles is the new QB. Nothing I just said scared me, so defenses should man-handle the Rams offense. However, that didn't stop Tre from rushing for 4.3 yards per carry in '14.

Snag Tre in the very late rounds and you may have a very solid Flex option on your team until Gurley is productive. Mason's ADP is currently super late in drafts...making his value spectacular. Positive news from Gurley will only help Mason's ADP.

Rueben Randle is being overlooked in OBJ's shadow

WR - Rueben Randle - New York Giants
Odell Beckham Jr. is the new hotness in the NFL. He exploded onto the scene in 2014 and made our jaws drop. On the other side of the field, Victor Cruz  stayed a consistent threat, until he suffered a horrible knee injury. Cruz is talking like he will be playing and playing at a high level in 2015...However, I doubt he will be playing at full capacity.

Because of this, I'll be makin' me a big ole Rueben sandwich! Randle will have the opportunity to shine this year, with defenses focusing on OBJ and Cruz not being 100%. I like Rueben super late, and I could see him producing like a WR3.

Robinson could put up WR2 numbers, especially in PPR leagues

WR - Allen Robinson - Jacksonville Jaguars
That's right, a Jaguar! This Jaguar isn't going to be a super sleeper this year though. You will need to take him a little earlier than the others on this list. But I have no doubts that Allen can produce as a WR2 on your team, especially in PPR formats.

Before having a season ending injury in '14, especially from Week 2 to 10, he caught 47 passes for 550 yards and was producing at that potential WR2 level. With the addition of Julius Thomas and TJ Yeldon, Mr. Robinson should find some wiggle room to produce like this on a consistent level.

His ADP is about Round 8 - but getting him there would be a dream in my opinion. That means he is at least your WR3...and that my friends will win you your WR match up every week.

New Photo of Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool

Ryan Reynolds' dream to play Deadpool is coming true.

Deadpool is a character that casual Marvel fans may not know much about. Ryan Reynolds definitely knows about him though, as he has been pulling to play the foul-mouth mercenary for the past decade.

Not much else is known about this movie, other than it is going to be (hopefully) coming out in 2016. Will he play into the Marvel universe at all? Gosh, I hope so. Adding him into the Avengers movies or future Spider-man movies would be killer!

Regardless, this will be on many people's radars and hopefully with Ryan Reynolds heading up the movie, it will draw more than the comic book nerds who know who the anti-hero is. His costume is definitely legit!

New Batman vs. Superman Images!

Brand new images of characters in the new Batman vs. Superman movie have been released. It isn't just Ben Affleck as Batman or Henry Cavill's Superman, this includes the first look as Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luther...and he's got a lot of hair.

This seems to really be the start of the DC Universe taking off, and honestly, it is looking pretty solid! Well, except the Suicide Squad movie...I'm still not sure what to think about that. But, the concept of Batman vs. Superman seems to be making sense, to me anyway, especially if they end it with the origin of the Justice League.

Robo-Batman says GRRRRR.

Who ya gonna call? Oh...wait...

Potential love interest? Maybe, that's Gal Gadot as Diana Prince (Wonder Woman).

Lex Luthor, young and with hair!

Very strange group of people wanting to touch Superman.

Zack Snyder with Mr. Affleck.

Gal Gadot looking nice as WW, Affleck looking a bit...large?

Episode 4 - Jurassic World

One of the most amazing scenes in the movie.

Jurassic Park was such a precious movie to me when I was a kid. I remember being terrified but full of wonder the first time I sat through it. Instantly, I knew it was going to be something special and it was, it really was. The sequels never hit the level that the original did...but now, I can say, 12 years after the first iconic T-Rex scene, they came pretty close with Jurassic World. At least for parts of the movie.

I found myself in awe during a handful of scenes. I also found myself shaking my head a bit on others. But all in all, this movie was wondrous - just as the first. What did the rest of the AfterHours crew think of the movie? Join me, Ian and McQ as we talk about several aspects of the film, and compare it to some interesting things. We'd definitely recommend going to see this movie during the long 4th of July weekend!

Assassin's Creed: Black Flag Leads Free Games with Gold for Month of July

Solid deal, Microsoft! Kudos.

For the month of July, Xbox Live Gold members will receive four new free games – two on Xbox One and two on Xbox 360 – as part of the Games with Gold program.

This July represents two full years since we began giving Gold members access to amazing games, completely free. As a special thank you to our Xbox fans, we’re announcing that starting in July, Games with Gold will offer two new games on Xbox One every month.

On Xbox One, Xbox Live Gold members can download Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag ($29.99 ERP) for free during the month of July. So Many Me ($14.99 ERP) will be available as a free download from July 16th to August 15th.

On Xbox 360, starting Wednesday, July 1st, Plants vs. Zombies ($14.99 ERP) will be free for Xbox Live Gold members through July 15th. Then on July 16th, Xbox Live Gold Members can download Gears of War 3 ($19.99 ERP) for free through July 31st.

*Titles are available as free downloads for qualifying Xbox Live Gold members in all markets where Xbox Live is available. Some regions may offer different titles depending on market availability.

Episode 3: Fantasy Football - Top Running Backs, Bounce Backs and More!

We know it's June, but DURNIT, August will be here before you know it and you will have no idea what to do in your draft! Well, get a head start, prep early by listening to Episode 3 of AfterHours! In this episode we talk about potential 1st round RBs that will be taken in drafts and if you can really trust them as 1st rounders. We also go over the surprise players from 2014 and if we think they will play at a similar level in 2015. What about the players that didn't play up to expectations? We talk about them too and if they will bounce back this season!

However, the best part of this episode is an awesome game that Ian put together that included some rapping and 12 year old NFL trivia for one of the most forgotten about players this season. Listen in and get in the game!




Show Notes:
- Introductions
- News and Injuries
- Top RBs in 2015 - Trust or Bust in 1st round?

• Adrian Peterson
• LeVeon Bell
• Jamaal Charles
• Arian Foster
• Eddie Lacy
• Marshawn Lynch
• Matt Forte
• DeMarco Murray

- Pleasant Surprises in 2015
- Bounce Back Candidates for 2015
- Ian's Game Show

- Matthew Berry's 100 Facts for 2015 - We reference this several times throughout the podcast. A very insightful listing of stats compiled by Mr. Roto himself.
- AfterHours' Fantasy Football Rankings - Mike references his rankings, view them here.
- All music heard on this podcast is credited to either Bensound.com or Incompetech - Kevin MacLeod

Fantasy Football: Mike's 2015 TE Rankings

Look for Travis Kelce to jump into Elite TE categories

Last, but certainly not least, are the Tight Ends. This group has an elite 4, then really drops off into a huge abyss of question marks. Is it worth paying the price to not have a question mark? Probably not. But if they fall, you better get 'em!

Check it out:
rankings last updated June 26, 2015

Rank	Tier	Player	Steal Status	$$$
1	1	Rob Gronkowski	Round 2	-
2	1	Jimmy Graham	Round 4	-
3	2	Greg Olsen	Round 5	-
4	2	Travis Kelce	Round 7	-
5	3	Zach Ertz	Round 9	-
6	3	Delanie Walker	Round 9	-
7	3	Dwayne Allen	Round 9	-
8	3	Martellus Bennett	Round 10	-
9	3	Julius Thomas	Round 10	-
10	3	Jason Witten	Round 10	-
11	4	Josh Hill	Round 10	-
12	4	Tyler Eifert	Round 13	-
13	4	Owen Daniels	Round 14	-
14	4	Austin Seferian-Jenkins	Round 14	-
15	4	Antonio Gates	Round 14	-
16	5	Vernon Davis	Round 14	-
17	5	Jordan Cameron	Round 12	-
18	5	Kyle Rudolf	Round 12	-
19	5	Larry Donnell	Round 14	-
20	5	Jordan Reed	Round 13	-
21	5	Cody Fleener	Round 11	-
22	5	Mychal Rivera	Round 14	-
23	5	Niles Paul	Round 15	-
24	5	Eric Ebron	Round 15	-
25	5	Ladarius Green	Round 15	-

Fantasy Football: Mike's 2015 WR Rankings

I find it hard to believe that Brown will repeat 2014, but he will still be a beast!

Easy to find a fill-in but hard to snag a stud, Wide Receivers can help in bringing the championship gold home. These rankings are based off of PPR (seems to be the popular choice now-a-days) and hopefully will help you decide when to take that dream wide-out. I've included "Steal Status" as the round that you just can't pass that player up and the $$$ will be filled in soon for Auction league players!


rankings last updated July 15, 2015

Rank	Tier	Player	Steal Status	$$$
1	1	Julio Jones	Round 1	-
2	1	Dez Bryant	Round 1	-
3	1	Calvin Johnson	Round 1	-
4	1	Antonio Brown	Round 2	-
5	1	AJ Green	Round 2	-
6	1	Demaryius Thomas	Round 2	-
7	1	Jordy Nelson	Round 2	-
8	2	TY Hilton	Round 3	-
9	2	Randall Cobb	Round 2	-
10	2	Odell Beckham Jr.	Round 2	-
11	2	Alshon Jeffery	Round 3	-
12	2	Emmanuel Sanders	Round 4	-
13	3	Mike Evans	Round 4	-
14	3	Andre Johnson	Round 4	-
15	3	Kelvin Benjamin	Round 4	-
16	3	Jordan Matthews	Round 5	-
17	3	Brandon Cooks	Round 5	-
18	3	Brandon Marshall	Round 5	-
19	3	DeAndre Hopkins	Round 5	-
20	3	Julian Edelman	Round 5	-
21	3	Vincent Jackson	Round 6	-
22	4	Sammy Watkins	Round 6	-
23	4	Keenan Allen	Round 6	-
24	4	DeSean Jackson	Round 6	-
25	4	Golden Tate	Round 6	-
26	4	Michael Floyd	Round 7	-
27	4	Jeremy Maclin	Round 7	-
28	4	Roddy White	Round 7	-
29	4	Jarvis Landry	Round 7	-
30	4	Kevin White	Round 8	-
31	4	Amari Cooper	Round 8	-
32	4	Allen Robinson	Round 8	-
33	4	Pierre Garcon	Round 11	-
34	4	Breshad Perriman	Round 11	-
35	5	Mike Wallace	Round 9	-
36	5	Nelson Agholor	Round 10	-
37	5	Brandon LaFell	Round 10	-
38	5	Larry Fitzgerald	Round 10	-
39	5	Rueben Randle	Round 14	-
40	5	Percy Harvin	Round 12	-
41	5	Kendall Wright	Round 13	-
42	5	Charles Johnson	Round 12	-
43	5	Martavis Bryant	Round 12	-
44	5	Torrey Smith	Round 13	-
45	5	Marques Colston	Round 13	-
46	5	Steve Smith	Round 13	-
47	5	Anquan Bolden	Round 13	-
48	5	Kenny Stills	Round 13	-
49	5	Victor Cruz	Round 14	-
50	5	Michael Crabtree	Round 14	-

Fantasy Football: Mike's 2015 RB Rankings

Eddie is holding strong at the top of my rankings...but AP is slowly sneaking up...

The bell cows of your fantasy squad. Drafting the right tandem of RBs is probably the MOST important part of your draft day. With this position being so hit-and-miss, I hope these rankings help make your decision easier! I've included "Steal Status" as the round that you just can't pass that player up and the $$$ will be filled in soon for Auction league players!

Check it out!

*Avg, Rank is determined by FantasyPros.com who combines the rankings of each player from Yahoo, ESPN, CBS and FFC.

rankings last updated July 30, 2015

Rank	Tier	Player	Avg. Rank*	$$$
1	1	Eddie Lacy	2.3	-
2	1	Adrian Peterson	2	-
3	1	Le'Veon Bell	4.8	-
4	1	Jamaal Charles	1.8	-
5	1	Marshawn Lynch	4.3	-
6	1	Arian Foster	7	-
7	1	LeSean McCoy	8.8	-
8	2	Justin Forsett	13	-
9	2	Jeremy Hill	10.5	-
10	2	Alfred Morris	14	-
11	2	CJ Anderson	8.5	-
12	2	DeMarco Murray	8.8	-
13	2	Frank Gore	15.8	-
14	2	Matt Forte	7.5	-
15	2	LeGarrette Blount	28	-
16	2	Lamar Miller	17.5	-
17	2	Mark Ingram	15.5	-
18	2	Jonathan Stewart	21.3	-
19	3	Andre Ellington	22	-
20	3	Latavius Murray	18.5	-
21	3	CJ Spiller	25.8	-
22	3	Melvin Gordon	14.5	-
23	3	Carlos Hyde	16.5	-
24	3	TJ Yeldon	23.3	-
25	3	Ameer Abdullah	32.8	-
26	3	Rashad Jennings	29.5	-
27	3	Joseph Randle	22	-
28	4	Doug Martin	35.3	-
29	4	Todd Gurley	22.3	-
30	4	Giovani Bernard	28.3	-
31	4	Chris Ivory	36.5	-
32	4	Ryan Mathews	39.5	-
33	4	Reggie Bush	45.8	-
34	4	Shane Vereen	35.8	-
35	4	Joique Bell	24.3	-
36	4	Isaiah Crowell	32.5	-
37	4	Tre Mason	37.5	-
38	5	Darren McFadden	31.8	-
39	5	Tevin Coleman	27.5	-
40	5	DaVante Freeman	40	-
41	5	David Cobb	46.7	-
42	5	Jay Ajayi	50.3	-
43	5	David Johnson	47.3	-

Fantasy Football: Mike's 2015 QB Rankings

Peyton is still Peyton and remains in the top 3.

What player do you want leading your team to your championship? Some people wait on QBs, some people want the team captain in the 1st round. Check out my rankings for all 32 starting QBs and where I think their "Steal Status" during drafts is this year! And, for you Auction League players, the $$$ is the average I'd pay for each player.

Check it:

*Avg, Rank is determined by FantasyPros.com who combines the rankings of each player from Yahoo, ESPN, CBS and FFC.

rankings last updated July 30, 2015

Rank	Tier	Player	Avg. Rank*	$$$
1	1	Andrew Luck	1.3	-
2	1	Aaron Rodgers	1.8	-
3	2	Peyton Manning	3.5	-
4	2	Russell Wilson	3.5	-
5	2	Drew Brees	5	-
6	3	Matt Ryan	8.8	-
7	3	Cam Newton	7.8	-
8	3	Tony Romo	8	-
9	3	Philip Rivers	14.5	-
10	3	Ryan Tannehill	12.8	-
11	3	Tom Brady	9.5	-
12	3	Matthew Stafford	11.5	-
13	3	Ben Roethisberger	6.3	-
14	3	Teddy Bridgewater	19.5	-
15	3	Carson Palmer	23.8	-
16	4	Sam Bradford	18.8	-
17	4	Eli Manning	11.5	-
18	4	Jay Cutler	22.5	-
19	4	Andy Dalton	22.8	-
20	4	Robert Griffin III	22.7	-
21	4	Derek Carr	20.3	-
22	5	Colin Kaepernick	20.3	-
23	5	Alex Smith	20.3	-
24	5	Jameis Winston	19.5	-
25	5	Joe Flacco	19	-
26	5	Nick Foles	23.3	-
27	5	Marcus Mariotta	20	-
28	5	Blake Bortles	23	-
29	5	Matt Cassel	16	-
30	5	Geno Smith	--	-
31	5	Brian Hoyer	--	-
32	5	Josh McCown	26	-

Episode 2.2: E3 Reactions Part Two: Nintendo and the Rest

Here's the second part of the SUPER long reactions episode of E3's 2015 conferences.

In this episode, we chat about Nintendo's underwhelming announcements and everything from ALL of the rest of the conferences (Bethesda, EA, Square Enix, Ubisoft, etc.). What did Mike and McQ think of Nintendo's very...odd...Nintendo Direct they decided to show at E3?

And, the big question of the day, where is Fallout 4?! Well, never fear folks! We got you covered, give it a listen!

Games discussed in this episode:

• Fallout 4
• Super Mario Maker
• Star Fox Zero
• Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam
• Doom
• Mass Effect: Andromeda
• Kingdom Hearts 3
• And Much More!

Episode 2: E3 Reactions Part One: Sony and Microsoft

Ok, you try to talk about a week long conference in the span of an hour long Podcast show!

Yeah...it is pretty difficult isn't it? That's why we've split this into two parts...first, which I know is longer than an hour, we talk about the announcements from the Sony and Microsoft presentations. We all know that Sony has been doing well with the current generation of consoles...did Microsoft gain any ground on their arch-rival? Listen to find out!

McQ and Mike discuss several topics from the Sony and Microsoft stage including:

• Final Fantasy 7 Remake (OMG!)
• Shenmue 3
• Halo 5
• Horizon: Zero Dawn
• Xbox's Backwards Compatibility
• ReCore
• Rise of the Tomb Raider
• and Much More!

Give it a listen:

Episode 1 - Game of Thrones Season 5 Finale

Welcome to MnM AfterHours!

In the inaugural episode, Mike, McQ, Ronnie and Ian sit down and discuss the CRAZINESS that was the Game of Thrones Season 5 Finale. But, not before introducing themselves, having some tough ice-breaker questions and discussing which Ninja Turtle each member is of the show. And no, Ian, it isn't JUST because there are four of us.

What happened to some of our favorite characters in the 50th episode of the greatest show on Television? Cersei had an embarrassing walk, Jon gets stabbed in the back...ugh...literally...,Stannis has a no-good-very-bad-day, Brienne MAYBE finally fulfills an oath, Arya plays Ophthalmologist with Meryn, the Boltons are relaxing in Winterfell and Theon and Sansa take a leap of faith.

That's a lot to cover in one episode! But we do it, even though most of the episode we can't hop off the Jon Snow express...choo-choo. What do Mike and Ian really think happened to our beloved Bastard of Winterfell? Find out by listening below:





Bonus Game of Thrones talk (this was recorded before we saw the Finale episode), includes predictions and recaps of Episode 8 and 9, check it out.