Entertainment:
Spoilers for White Lotus Start
Let’s not beat around the bush. Episode five of White Lotus season three might have been one of the best episodes of television I have ever seen. So many plot points advanced in so many different directions. The main plot point that has caught my attention is the now no longer one-sided sexual tension between Saxon and his younger brother Lachlan. The scene where the two of them made out under the influence of, who knows what drug, was both hilarious and sickening. If the history of White Lotus has told us anything it’s that this is going to end terribly for both siblings.
There has been foreshadowing of possible incest between Saxon and his siblings all season. Whether it be Saxon openly calling his sister Piper hot or constantly obsessing over his eighteen-year-old brother’s body, something weird is going on with Saxon.
The topic of incest is not necessarily the most pleasant thing to talk about. I truly don’t know if HBO will have the balls to show two younger men who are supposed to be brothers hooking up. But then again this is the same network that showed twin siblings, Jaime and Cersei Lannister, going at it in the first episode of Game of Thrones. It’s safe to say that HBO is a veteran of incestual tv programming.
ENOUGH INCEST TALK. Other White Lotus observations. Poor Belinda. I am scared for her as her useless manager Fabian couldn’t care less that there is a possible murderer asking about her. At least she hooked up with that hot guy who she is working with in her study abroad program. Get it gurl.
The suicidal themes with Tim are almost too dark for me to talk about. This is not going to end well. White Lotus is almost too accurately depicting the deterioration of an individual’s mental health. It is quite believable that Tim will get to the point where he is capable of causing himself or others serious bodily harm. I don’t think Tim will be the one responsible for the shooting that is foreshadowed in the first episode, but it is very possible.
The three middle-aged women continued their midlife crises by partying with hot Russians all episode. Jackie actually hooked up with the hottest one despite pushing him on Lorie all season. It really seems like White Lotus is trying to say that she likes to flaunt her perceived superiority over her two friends. I can’t wait for these three to go at each other. If there is one thing White Lotus likes to do it is testing the strength of people’s friendships.
In the preview for next week there were some Scarface references. Those of you who haven’t seen Scarface, it ends with one of the most famous mass shootings in cinematic history. That is a scary premonition for the shooting that was teased at the beginning of the first episode. Creator Mike White really is not holding back in his quest to make this the darkest season so far.
End White Lotus Spoilers
Severance Spoilers ahead.
As much as I like White Lotus there is no denying that the number one show in the zeitgeist right now is Severance. I do also really enjoy this show. It is a phenomenal psychological thriller. The sophomore season of this Emmy quality program will have concluded by the time a lot of you are reading this. Hopefully the show will answer the question that most people have been having all season. What the hell is “Cold Harbor”?
I am a big subscriber to the theory that the data refiners are somehow helping Lumon remove all negative emotions to those who choose to embrace the severed lifestyle. The episode where Gemma experiences different unpleasant activities such as going to the dentist and crashing in an airplane, leads me to believe that the Cold Harbor room is where she will experience drowning.
Sadly, I just don’t see any possible happy ending for Mark and Gemma Scout.
End Severance Spoilers.
I am one of the largest Marvel fans you will ever meet. Both in my affinity for their products and because of my forementioned giant stature. That being said, Marvel’s venture onto the small screen on Disney Plus has been pretty hit or miss. Let’s just agree some of the TV programs they have put out there have not been the greatest. That can all change with Daredevil Born Again.
Daredevil Born Again Spoilers ahead.
This weeks episode was not the most eventful. It did however seem to explore the character of Donald Blake more than the previous episodes. His apology and subsequent pledge of loyalty to Fisk was the most riveting part of the episode. I am very curious to see where they go with this character. Fisk has not had a henchman that he has seemed too emotionally attached to before.
Personally, I don’t see Donald Blake surviving the season. I think they are building the character up just a little too much. My radar is going off telling me that something tragic is going to happen here. Fisk is trying to do too much good. Killing his loyal assistant is the perfect way to demonstrate that this dude is still pure evil.
The other great part of the episode was of course the return of Jon Berenthal’s Punisher. The conversation between him and Matt about Foggy was possibly the most emotional scene in Marvel Television history. Only people who have lost people extremely close to them can understand the type of pain these two men are experiencing. There is an unspoken bond and understanding between people who have lost close family members unexpectedly. Frank and Matt are both sadly a part of this tragic club.
I am very hopeful that Frank will continue to be a factor this season. Seeing him hunt down his want to be incel fan club would be extremely satisfying. Let’s get revenge for White Tiger please! He was taken from us way too soon!
Athletics:
Let’s start with the big kahuna of this time of year. March Madness.
The early pre-tournament storylines are that the selection committee seems to have valued strength of schedule over everything else this season. North Carolina getting into the tournament over the likes of Indiana and West Virginia is embarrassing. North Carolina went 1-12 against first quadrant opponents this season. For those of you not too familiar with this ranking system college basketball teams are ranked into four quadrants based on a variety of statistics. The best teams are ranked in the first quadrant and the worst in the fourth. This means with the exception of one occasion every time North Carolina played one of the best teams in college basketball they lost.
West Virginia’s governor came out and stated that UNC’s selection reeked of corruption amongst the selection committee. It does seem rather suspicious that the head of the selection committee is the Athletic Director of the University of North Carolina, Bubba Carrington. It has been reported that Mr. Bubba will receive a substantial financial incentive if Carolina were to make the NCAA Tournament. Hmmmmmmmmm. Smells like corruption to me. But what is College Basketball without a few scandals? The history of the sport is based on scandals. Why would that be any different in 2025.
Full disclosure, I did write the above section Tuesday afternoon. Of course, UNC has since played in their First Four game and won by over thirty points. To be clear I never said UNC didn’t have the talent to win an NCAA tournament game. I just personally don’t think they did well enough in the regular season to be given the opportunity to do so.
Duke should be the number one seed in this tournament. I don’t want to take anything away from Auburn, but Duke is the number one ranked team in the country. They beat the forementioned North Carolina and number 10 ranked Louisville without the best player in the country, Cooper Flagg. Auburn on the other hand has lost three of their last four games. Let’s also not forget that Duke actually played and defeated Auburn back in December.
Both teams are still one seeds, and this complaint may seem minor. I just personally would like to know what the selection committee was smoking when they made these two decisions.
My Mid Major team to watch out for is High Point from the Big South. They are a very high scoring team that I could see being the St Peters of this year’s tournament. I have already picked them to make the Sweet Sixteen.
Other sporting news happening right now. My hometown Chicago Cubs flew all the way to Japan to get their butts kicked by the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. A lot of people are complaining about how the Dodgers get all the good Japanese players such as Shohei Ohtani and Roki Sasaki. I personally do not care. I like when we have a clear villain in Baseball.
Baseball was at its best when we could all unite in our hate for the New York Yankees. Now we can all unite in our hate for the Tokyo, I mean Los Angeles Dodgers. That being said I am a huge fan of Ohtani and Sasaki. I may have selected Sasaki number one overall in my dynasty baseball league. Yes, the fact that I was picking one overall does mean my team is booty. This will be a very pro Sasaki space here on Bennies Blasts.
The main NBA storyline right now is the MVP debate. The winner is either going to be Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets or Shai Gilgeous Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Since both players play in smaller markets they do not get near enough attention nationally as they deserve. I will talk more about this MVP race as the NBA season winds down.
Right now, if I had a vote I would vote for SGA. What his Thunder team is accomplishing as the best team in the Western Conference is nothing short of phenomenal. On the other hand, Denver would be completely lost without Jokic. I’m not sure they even make the playoffs without him. I still think OKC would sneak in without SGA. They just would not be the serious title contenders they are without him. This is one of those seasons where you can’t go wrong with either candidate.
Life
This week in the life section I would like to talk about electric vehicles. Whenever something major doesn’t happen in the world for me to discuss I will research a topic and write about it. One of these days I will do a deep dive on asteroids. I am utterly fascinated by them and think we should all worry about them way more than we do. Too often NASA is just like “Hey we spotted this asteroid that is the size of the Empire State Building that could hit us in five years.” Like excuse me what? Anyway, that discussion is for another day. Today let’s talk about EVs.
I had a brief stint as an auto salesman for a large American Car Company. Because of this my knowledge about EV’s might be a little greater than your average consumer. I am not saying I am an expert by any means. I am just fortunate enough to have been exposed to and drive a lot of different EV options.
I am a pretty big environmentalist, so the EV lifestyle has always appealed to me. Upon starting at the auto dealership, I was more than a little surprised to learn that a lot of consumers did not share my enthusiasm for electric vehicles. I obviously knew that not everyone was as big a fan of them as I am. However, I was not ready for the passionate hatred that some customers showed towards electric vehicles.
If you said the wrong thing to the wrong person, you would be stuck listening to a fifteen-minute rant about how EV’s are ruining our country. Now I know some of you might share this sentiment and are probably thinking I am a stupid hippy at this point, that is not the case. I simply am amazed by the power and efficiency that some of the electric vehicles offer.
It is true that if you want to take your EV on a roadtrip you have to actually map out your route to find charging stations on your way like it is 2005. I personally still have not had any issues. I think they are great options for people who don’t have to drive to an office every day. You can literally plug in your car like you do your cell phone and go about your life. No more multiple trips to the gas station each month. I was taught to calculate the amount of savings each person would have no longer having to purchase gasoline. Yes your electric bill will increase a marginal amount. However, the average amount of savings each person experienced was between $3,000.00 to $6,000.00 annually. It is quite crazy when you think about it.
Now I also still own a second vehicle with an internal combustion engine. This means I am not completely off of that lifestyle. I also can’t blame people who are not ready to make the switch to an EV as of yet. Change is scary. I am just here to say I am thoroughly enjoying the change so far. Please let me know if you have any questions about my experience owning an electric vehicle. There are few things I enjoy in life right now than discussing my new car.
For those of you wondering I purchased a dark blue 2024 Hummer EV SUV. I named him “Namor the Submariner” after the character that appeared in Black Panther Wakanda Forever as well as Marvel Comics.
Ciao Ciao for now.
benetstephen
Bennie's Blasts 
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