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Though the television series Breaking Bad has been discussed numerous times on this platform, a conversation that has yet to be broached is the amount of symbolism, allusions, and "clues," the creator, Vince Gilligan provides throughout the series. For example…In season 3 episode 7, "One Minute," the time on the dashboard is 3:07. At the same time, Hank gets a call that he has one minute, as two men are on the way to kill him. 3 7=10, or let's look at it as one minute. Also, the episode is from season 3, episode 7–same time displayed on the dashboard. Lastly, the room number of Skylar's room when giving birth to Holly is 307. All of these connections are intricately woven by the creator.

Other examples for discussion: the constant mentions of Icarus, The Godfather and Scarface references, the similarities between Hank (ASAC) and Ahab from Moby Dick, The meaning behind the title of the series finale, "Felina," (hint, think periodic table of elements and cooking meth; also a few other possibilities), etc. There are numerous connections and allusions, from episode titles that allude to popular movies, to songs, providing the missing puzzle pieces.

What does it all mean? It must be important or else why would the creator take great time to intricately weave every single element of the series together. Questions to consider: Why does Walt begin cutting off the crust on his sandwiches?, Look at the wardrobe evolution of characters, consider the episode title, "Grey Matter," etc. The possibilities are endless….let the explorations begin!!!

We have grown quite used to seeing numerous lists ranking books, movies, and television: "The best television shows of all time," "The worst series finale of all time," "The best books ever written," "The top movies of all time." They are fun to read, and at times infuriating when you disagree. As for Middlemarch (1871), written by George Eliot, there has yet to be a list in which this novel is not included, or even at the top of the list. Yet, so many people are quick to say, "I've never read Middlemarch." What makes this novel immensely appealing to a wide range of individuals, critics, avid readers, and literary theorists? Why are there so many readers who have yet to tackle this novel consistently noted as one of–if not the–best novels ever written? Is it the size of this novel? Could it be the fact that people are so tired of Victorian Literature, which has constantly been viewed as "a one size fits all," style of writing? Is Middlemarch really the greatest, or just another example of an over-hyped medium of art?

The crowd-funding platform, Patreon (founded in 2013), has become widely used among a variety of different kinds of web-based artists, but perhaps most prominently among YouTubers. Those who subscribe to numerous channels have likely noticed recent plugs to become a patron by pledging money to support new content – many of you may have surely already become patrons to some. Being a medium that is only now truly beginning to carve out its cultural importance, the significance that Patreon has had in this YouTube paradigm shift cannot be understated. More and more artists are now being enabled to support themselves financially off of their web videos, which has allowed them the time and freedom to devote themselves fully to this work without needing day-jobs, and therefore the quality of their work has been able to increase. This has proven to be of particular importance since the recent changing of the rules for traditional YouTube Partnerships, to which the vast majority of creators have agreed that they are no longer being benefited, thus leading them to sign up for Patreon accounts.

Discuss the brief history of the company so far, the intricacies of its business model, and the influence it has had in developing and cultivating YouTube as a new artistic frontier. How is this method of fundraising reminiscent of past models of artistic patronage (from the Medici family of Renaissance Florence to the Nielsen rating system that has dictated the success and failure of television programming since the late 1940s), and how is it unique to the new online ecosystem that it is inhabiting? What might its rising success and bold legitimising of YouTube artistry mean for the future of conventional media channels, such as film, television, and print? Might there be long-term consequences to this format if it continues to expand at its current rate?

Given how new all of this is, and how rapidly the changes are occurring, it is especially interesting to analyse the implications of what has already happened in these early stages to attempt predictions at where it might lead.

The movie Inception, released in 2010, is a wonderful amalgamation of a smart, powerful plot, excellent acting, and the high action scenes current film goers crave. The premise resided on the use of dreams to manufacture thoughts into the minds of powerful CEO's, as well as a means of stealing money and important documents from these said named individuals. The influence of dreams has always been a point of interest in film and literature.
As for Inception, it truly took these questions to a whole new level by adamantly stating, or answering the question whether dreams can affect reality. There are numerous psychological explanations regarding dreams including Freud's discussion on latent versus manifest content, as well as wish fulfillment. Threat-stimulation theory discusses dreams as a defense mechanism revolving around the individual to revisit events and learn to successfully conquer them–this can be connected to Leonardo Dicaprio's character in dealing with his deceased wife–in preparation for future, similar events. Expectation- fulfillment is a release of emotional arousal encountered during the day in order to actively complete or fulfill these emotions to make room for the following day. On a neurobiological note, Activation-synthesis is the theory that dreams are devoid of meaning but just a state of electrical impulses occurring in the brain that conjure images from memory ( a very controversy theory that has been consistently disputed by evolutionary psychologists). Lastly, Continual-Activation theory regards dreams as a process of memory storage in which information is encoded for long-term storage, and the process of accommodation occurs allowing for the building of new connection between synapses to successfully transfer these short term memories to long term information easily recalled.
Yet, how does Inception fit in with all of these differing theories? Does Inception fit any one of these theories, a couple, or none? Inception also utilities high-tech instruments to not only induce sleep, but to also connect individuals to one another's dreams. How does this affect these possible theories? Is the movie attempting to investigate the power of dreams, the complexities of the human psyche, or the connection between both of these intriguing, difficult to answer concepts?

Explore the relationship between physical/mental/emotional disabilities and powers in superhero history. How and when does a disability create the parameters for the hero's powers. To further this argument, delve into the role of personifying disabilities as strengths and what effect does that have on those who read comics but live with those disabilities?
Simple examples – Daredevil's skill set is dependent on his blindness. Whereas Hawkeye's deafness does not necessarily create the parameters for his abilities. What are the differences to these approaches?

With The Killing Joke sneak peak at ComicCon 2016, there has been an uproar about the sex scene with Batman and Batgirl. Why would DC Animation do such an off continuity stunt like this? The source material and the animated films will obviously have differences, but why go this extreme. I take no side on the argument about the scene. I do understand that directors can choose to change and alter parts of the story and allow the end product to be slightly different. Is that what the public wants? Have they gone too far? Is it disrespectful to the writers?

Talk about the different ways that high school has been portrayed in TV, in particular the two subsets of Idealistic (ie. Saved By the Bell, That's So Raven) and Realistic (Daria, Freaks and Geeks). Compare these two portrayals to each other as well as the real life experience of high school.

Game of Thrones, Outlander, Netflix's Jessica Jones, and Netflix's Daredevil: these are some examples of books and comic books that are now being put into a television series rather than a film. It seems to be a new trend. What are the merits of having a book series represented through television rather than a single film (such as Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings)? Is one better? Is this a natural progression of the new trend of splitting a book into two or three movies (think Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows or The Hobbit)? Is the age of one-book-to-one-film over? If so, is that a good thing?

There has been much analysis over what makes certain films "so bad they're good." This article would take this idea a bit further by discussing what makes a good B-Movie (a movie made to be laughably bad intentionally). The key to the article would be to explore how these films portray "do bad they're good" material in a way that is entertaining and without seeming overly manufactured. The article would also likely juxtapose what makes B-Movies like Sharknado or Eight-Legged-Freaks entertaining and other B-Movies very forgettable.

A central issue that seems to plague even the most respected media critics (including the likes of the late Roger Ebert) is the potentially unfair expectations placed on the materials they review. For instance, if a film critic went into every movie expecting it to be Citizen Kane, it puts an immediate handicap on all films that do not intend to be critically acclaimed dramas like straight forward action movies, horror, etc. In turn, this can cause critics to give lower scores to pieces of media that are good but simply don't fit their mold of success. On the other hand, one could also argue that judging a piece of media on what it intends to be lowers cultural standards and gives an unfair advantage to lesser works. This article would weigh both sides of this argument and attempt to find reasonable conclusions.

Many writing help sites suggest that starting a blog can launch your writing career. Others suggest that spending too much time tending a blog can stunt your literary growth in terms of productivity. So where do you draw the line? Is there a way to manage both or should a fledgling writer focus solely on writing the stories they want to write?

Analyse the similarities and differences between the Mortal Instruments (City of Bones) series by Cassandra Clare, the movie directed by Harald Zwart, and the new FreeForm TV series Shadowhunters. Discuss the casting roles compared to the character's descriptions in the novels and how true the plot lines have stayed to the book.

OOOs, a brand of Speculative Realism supposes that objects have agency, an experience, a unique existence. This seems to have been an understanding long held by Indigenous Cultures in Canada and abroad. Though OOOs seem to have taken hold in contemporary Western philosophy and art practice (many examples can be seen in modern art galleries today) these knowledge systems have been around for much much longer in a different content. Who are some historical and contemporary Indigenous artists that practice under this system, what are they making and how can it be compared, or contrasted to Western practice?

This article would work well for someone who is interested in Japanese erotica adapted from a French novel. 'Belladonna of Sadness' (1973) by Mushi Production; the French novel 'La Sorcière' (1862, Jules Michelet) was the source material.

This epic film was created by men, and originally written by a man nearly 100 years prior; how does an 2016 American interpretation of a 1970's Japanese adaptation of a 1860's French idea find a story of women's awakening? Meaning, across the ages and cultures, how does a person now and here see this woman's sexual awakening and how it translates to her strength as a woman? How does this epic play now, and how does the retelling in film expands itself from the classic novel?

Flashback:The Quest for Identity was radically different from the rest of 1992's gaming crop. Pseudo-cinematic cutscenes, a complex plot, remarkably smooth animation, and creative game mechanics made the game unforgettable for anyone who played it. While its sequel and remake failed miserably and poisoned the property, the original game remains brilliant and preceded the modern trend toward games with more serious stories and characters. This article should explore these aspects of the game as well as how echoes of the game are present in today's games.

There are quite a number of board games out there (some entertaining and some a headache). However, we see indie games pop up all of the time. There are even hobby shops dedicated to selling and introducing board games to their general area. Interestingly enough, these games do not seem to have the same media presence that more commercial board games enjoy (anything by Hasbro, for example), yet some games have become incredibly popular. Why is this? What makes them so much fun to pick up and play? Is this all handled by enthusiastic tabletop gamers who make it their only mission to bless the world with the games that they love?

It is worth exploring the indie board game world as a whole and it is worth looking at what makes them popular, despite their powerful competition.

Maybe this topic is just one more enthusiastic tabletop gamer's attempt to bless the world with indie board games.

Some might find the adjective "stereotypical" I chose to use in the subject line interesting since it appears that the whole point of heroines in chic-lit (let's say, Hunger Games, Divergent, etc…) is to avert the traditional female character profiles in literature. However, as far as contemporary chic-lit books go, the heroines actually seem more stereotypical than ever. They go through battle combats, or training processes that used to be considered only for man. They break gender roles usually at the cost of the abandon of their own characteristics as a female: sexuality, physical beauty, obedience (or, rather, the willingness of submitting to others' decisions without perpetual argument), etc…
For me, such characters do not contribute to a solid, independent interpretation of contemporary female identity.

It is exciting to watch Light and L intellectually battle throughout the T.V. show. However, after L dies, does the show lose this excitement? L's presence seemed to serve a crucial function to keep the audience engaged. As one kept wondering, who would win? Light or L? Once L dies, the victor is clear. With the lose of L, what once captivated the audience is also lost.

In order to justify its presence on the so-called "History" Channel, Pawn Stars makes a point of highlighting the historical significance of various antiques that come into the store. This is typically framed by Rick sharing his minimal knowledge of the item and its historical context, at which point he calls in an expert (one of his many "buddies") to tell the full story under the guise of an appraisal. In the recent seasons, they get through fewer and fewer items per episode, interspersed with cringe-worthy family subplots that appear to have been rejected from real sitcoms, including arbitrary wagers, surprise birthday parties, and (my personal favourite) aimlessly searching for Bob Dylan through the crowded streets of Las Vegas (S03E20).

Considering how the History Channel's radical re-branding of circa 2008 no longer requires it to feign being intellectually stimulating in any way, what may be the purpose of the brief historical interludes in an otherwise mind-numbing show? Given the channel's shift from educational documentaries to trashy reality shows, are these segments only there to justify that there is still some attempt at engaging with history, or is there some deeper function to it? What might this say about contemporary historical education? Could the cheese-ball sitcom element perhaps be a sort of lure to trick laymen into engaging with the narratives of the past? Furthermore, how has this kind of television content become a contemporary cultural icon in itself? (For examples, see this scene from Gravity Falls ((link) and this 2011 CollegeHumor sketch ((link) 1:17).

Whatever the verdicts may be, how might it be illustrated in other examples of post-2008 programming, such as American Pickers, Ice Road Truckers, Ancient Aliens, and Vikings?

Discuss the differences and similarities between recluses, for example, Flynn Carsen in "The Librarian"; William Forrester in "Finding Forrester"; and Willy Wonka in "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" (either version).