We’re headed toward the holidays on the Hollywood Prospectus podcast, putting us in a reflective mood. After reminiscing about the good times we haven’t shared over the past few days, seeing sneak screenings of amazing movies, running into Skyler White by a parking machine, and taking in Brad Pitt’s (doomed) latest with a bunch of tweakers, Chris and I jumped into the great Homeland (12:45) debate of early December like an innocent pedestrian leaping into the path of Finn Walden’s car. This week’s episode was unquestionably problematic, but does that mean the show is no longer worth watching? And what to make of some of the crackpot theories floating around the Internet that might explain some of Carrie and Brody’s recent, catastrophic decisions? At least we’ll always have The Walking Dead (37:45) to ground us with the reliable stability of a sword through the back of the head. (What’s that you say? It’s gone till February? I guess we’ll just have to stare at our collection of floating zombie skulls for the next three months.)

Finally, we tackled The Twelve (44:45), the most recent addition to the Double Down Book Club. Volume 2 of Justin Cronin’s postapocalyptic vampire trilogy finds the traumatized and personality-free survivors trekking from Texas to the Midwest, hunting virals and falling in love with horses. Is it possible that we steered you all wrong? If so, we promise to settle this like gentlemen, or at least like estranged fathers and sons: with an interrupted game of hearts. Your move!

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