I was in the supermarket check-out line last week, and I absent-mindedly glanced at the impulse-buy items as I’ve done hundreds of times. Yet, on this occasion, for some unknown reason, I actually paid attention to what I was seeing. And what I saw—or, at least what I noticed—were the items you see to the right.
Jughead’s Double Digest and the Betty & Veronica Double Digest were both displayed prominently among the limited periodicals that were mostly commemorative editions of some sort or another, or recipe or craft books.
What I’m trying to piece together is who is supposed to purchase these Archie digests. And I can’t come up with a good answer.
Archie comics probably peaked in popularity sometime around, I don’t know, 1960? 1964? 1952? Certainly not anytime in the last 25 years.
The point is that this is a specialty item. But, unlike something like “Best Halloween Treats” that might appeal to a random passerby, Jughead’s Double Digest will only even make sense to someone who is familiar with the series. Is that person still reading comic books? Unlikely. And is the child or grandchild of that person going to be reading Archie comics? Perhaps even less likely. A person who has interest in these books would probably have a subscription or would purchase them online or from a specialty shop.
It just seems like the circumstances that would have to align for a random person to buy those comics is so improbable as to border on the impossible.
Yet, there they are. Every time. A stack of these comics.
It made me a little sad in an odd sort of way. I remember my late grandmother had some old Archie comics that I would read when I would go to visit her as a child. But the comics seemed dated even then, and this was when I was about eight years old in the mid-1980s.
I guess I was sad because the notion of selling these things to the general public seems misguided, as the folks who might have been interested in making such a spontaneous purchase are largely . . . well . . . dead.
I’ll just hope that I’m wrong. And I’ll try not to make the mistake of paying attention to my surroundings when I next find myself in the check-out line.
If you excised the flashback scene, I have to wonder whether a newbie watching the pilot and “Ozymandias” back-to-back would even realize it was the same series.
I recall that a continuing legal education (CLE) course I took a few years ago included a discussion of accommodations necessary at baseball games to avoid tort liability. The attorneys teaching the course were in agreement that a disclaimer on a ticket stub probably wouldn’t be enough in and of itself to protect the organization or stadium from being sued and held liable, even for foreseeable problems.
fun than I had previously anticipated. Without question, a reality show about WWE Divas is 
Everyone Remain Calm
Most people who know me in “real life” are aware that I’ve covered high school sports for 
Daniel Bryan’s view is that he is a real wrestler, while Cena is merely a “parody” of a wrestler. He’s also fighting as an underdog, knowing he doesn’t have Cena’s respect. Cena, by contrast, points out that Bryan is another in a long list of challengers who have taken issue with Cena’s in-ring performance or persona, only to find themselves ultimately defeated.
How’s It Going to End?
I’ve discussed Breaking Bad extensively over the last few years, from podcasts to recaps to theories and general speculation. Yet, with the series finale looming, I’m totally confident about only one thing: Vince Gilligan and company will find ways to surprise even the most dedicated fans.
With that in mind, here’s a final round-up of my thoughts on the finale. These are a few possible directions the show could go. Note that not all of them are mutually exclusive. First, here’s what we already know: Walt returns to Albuquerque. He acquires an M60. He drives to his house to retrieve the ricin. This is where we move into “theory” territory . . .
1. The Most Likely Scenario: To the extent there’s any way to predict this, I think Walt is fairly obviously seeking to go out in a blaze of glory after the Schwartz interview rekindled the ol’ Heisenberg fire. The M60 is to get his money back from the Neo-Nazi crew, and the ricin is for someone who must be killed in a subtler way (more on this in a second). Incidentally, the scene that opened Season 5 probably doesn’t come at the beginning of this episode. I think it happens maybe halfway through. Once Walt goes and gets the ricin, he knows his time is very short, as law enforcement will be all over the place very shortly now that he’s out in the open. So, I think Walt has already killed Todd (the jacket thing again) and set things in motion by the time the breakfast diner “52” scene occurs. There will only be a handful of scenes after Walt gets the ricin and Carol sees him.
Armed with the M60, I think Walt carries out his plan—whatever it may be—in miraculous, meticulous fashion to the delight of the pro-Heisenberg portion of the audience, only for Jesse to appear and kill him at the end, blaming Walt for everything from Jane’s death to his own slave existence. It’s important to note that Walt almost certainly thinks Jesse is dead at this point, while Jesse likely thinks Walt is dead as well.
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