week in vulture

10 Pop-Culture Questions Answered by Vulture This Week

Every week, Vulture faces the big, important questions in entertainment and comes to some creative conclusions. This week, we were shocked by the latest episode of Game of Thrones, watched the premiere of Mad Men, and shook our heads as James Franco continued to be, well, James Franco. Naturally, spoilers follow. You may have read some of these stories below, but you certainly didn’t read them all. We forgive you.

Q: What did you think of the latest episode of Game of Thrones?
A: Our recapper Nina Shen Rastogi thought King Joffrey’s death, more than any other, felt “right, proper, and satisfying.” Joffrey’s death inspired a great deal of Schadenfreude in other recaps, and in your comments. We also talked to 15 GoT actors about how they would have killed the boy-king. You can relive the entire scene in these GIFs, you sick weirdo. Shooting the episode, the producers really went all out for the wedding.

Q: What happens next?
A: Joffrey’s death raises important questions, specifically, who succeeds him? But you might really be asking yourself: WHO AM I SUPPOSED TO HATE NOW?

Q: Aw, but I’m going to miss the little snot. What’s going to become of the actor?
A: We’re going to miss him, too. In honor of the Joff, we put together a little tribute of his greatest (worst) moments, as well as a supercut of poisoning scenes. As for the actor Jack Gleeson, it turns out he’s a pretty nice guy. He’s said that he wants to get out of acting, but in the meantime, he is photo-bombing scenes of his character’s death.

Q: How was the premiere of Mad Men?
A: Matt Zoller Seitz wrote that the episode was at its “core … about disappointment.” We talked to Neve Campbell about her surprise role on the premiere, Gay Talese about the sexual revolution, a serial killer expert on the Sharon Tate rumors, Jon Hamm on said rumors, and Joel Murray on Freddy Rumsen’s deal with Don.

Q: I can’t believe I have to wait until fall for the new season of Scandal! Isn’t this torture?
A: The third season of Shonda Rhimes’s Scandal ended with some major drama. To tide you over, though, we have four actors picking their favorite monologues from the show. Better yet: You can make your own monologue with our generator.

Q: What’s going on with James Franco?
A: Good question. Well, he most recently called the Times theater critic, Ben Brantley, a “little bitch” on Instagram for Brantley’s review of his turn in Of Mice and Men. Our own critic Jesse Green noted that there was “a disconnection between the requirements of the text and what we can see of his interior life” in Franco’s George. Watch your Instagram, Jesse.

Q: What should I see at the Tribeca Film Festival?
A: Bilge Ebiri has a rundown of the 16 best films playing at the downtown festival. We talked to Michael Rapaport about his Knicks film as well as Jon Favreau about his new indie, Chef.

Q: The new Scarlett Johansson film, Under the Skin, looks super creepy. Should I watch it?
A: Bilge Ebiri writes that the film, along with Jim Jarmusch’s Only Lovers Left Alive, are good examples of “art-horror,” in that they represent “a fascinating byproduct of the collision of art and commerce, of genre convention and personal vision.”

Q: Anything else coming up?
A: There are trailers for Gone Girl, the latest installment of X-Men, the second season of Orange Is the New Black, and a teaser for the fourth season of Louie. Get excited.

Q: I’m just a middle-aged nobody from Middle America, and I want to get a job as a comedy writer. Is there still hope?
A: Start tweeting!

Week in Vulture: April 14–April 18