"I don't know if I want to live, or if I have to, or if it's just a habit." – Andrea

It's inevitable that in the world of "The Walking Dead", everyone will have to confront the issue not such of whether they want to live, but how they want to live. How many of the rules, ethics, and morals of the old pre-zombie world do you carry over and cling to in the current one? How many of them are even feasible? And most important, which ones are the ones that make us humans worth surviving in the first place?

Bing: More about 'The Walking Dead'

On Sunday night, Lori grapples with the basic question of why they are fighting to keep their son alive in this environment, as she begs Rick to tell her why it isn't better to let Carl die and be spared whatever fresh horrors are in store for all of them. Meanwhile, Andrea is still struggling to find a reason to keep going after Dale's paternal instincts fail to move her to embrace life. And in the most gut-wrenching decision of the series so far this season, Shane doesn't hesitate to sacrifice Otis in order to escape back to his friends with the medical supplies.

Although it was clear from the first in media res scene with Shane in the bathroom that something unspeakable had taken place back at the high school, it was still pretty shocking to see actual deed, and the subsequent scuffle between the two men as the zombie horde closed in. Of course, the circumstances were heightened by the fact that Shane wasn't just saving himself; he was saving Carl by proxy. But this is obviously going to traumatize him for a while, and probably make him further estranged from all of the others in the group.

Most of those others are slowing making their way back to one cohesive group, with the arrival of Glenn and T-Dog at the farmhouse. The search for Sophia continued out by the traffic jam, with a deepening connection between Andrea and the now strangely charming Darryl. The interplay between these characters is a lot more enjoyable, maybe because they are all just discovering each other and don't have the shared history that Shane, Lori and Rick do. They are in the here and now, not replaying old roles and re-opening old wounds. It's enough for them to just live to see another day, and keep the best parts of themselves alive for an uncertain future.

• Why didn't Shane kill Otis outright instead of wounding him in the leg? It would have been kinder, and I'm pretty sure we've seen zombies gnawing on freshly dead people.
• I'm sure this story doesn't have time for conventional romances, but Glenn and Maggie have some sparks. So do Darryl and Andrea, if they can get past the puking.
• Carl's seizure was pretty disturbing – good job, littlest actor.
• Thanks for reading, y'all.

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"The Walking Dead" airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on AMC.

"How Catholic are you?" – Nucky Thompson

Nucky's question to Margaret was meant quite literally, as they both fretted about her first confession in many years, and what various sins she could possibly admit. But taken in the more abstract sense, as the small-c adjective "catholic" which means having a comprehensive and all-encompassing view of things, it was a question that could be put to almost all of the main characters in this very introspective episode. Not surprisingly, those people with the most open-minded views ended up in better shape than the rest.

Number one on that list is Jimmy Darmody, who took to heart the advice given to him in the first few minutes, by one of the Atlantic City power brokers (better know by me as Mutton Chop Uncle Junior).  The older gentleman expresses sincere respect of Nucky's ability to play the long game, to see the bigger picture and set things up to go his way for a long and stable future. Jimmy is a different man than Nucky – more troubled and sullen, and much more comfortable with using physical violence as a solution to problems - but he is trying to learn the subtleties of wielding power. When faced with a long-term plan that entails a small loss now for a big win later, he decides to make it happen. By explicitly teaming up with his generational equals (Lansky and Luciano) to eventually topple the established powers (Rothstein and Thompson), he is thinking about the future, and making the necessary compromises to get there.

Of course, it is still probable that Nucky has some more tricks up his sleeve, but at least for this hour, he was experiencing numerous setbacks to his carefully laid plans. Daughtery, caught up in some plans of his own, is pressured by Nucky's old enemy Senator Edge into appointing a prosecutor for Nucky's case who might actually, you know, prosecute him.  He is continuing to get the cold shoulder from the powerful George Remus, and (unbeknownst to Nucky) his bootlegging muscle men are all either dead or actively working against him. It is more evident all the time that Nucky's enemies are legion and even his allies are not truly friends, only gamblers deciding what horse is the best bet. He could stand to take a broader view of the world in order to see the best course for pulling himself out of his troubles.

But the dubious honor of most solipsistic behavior goes to Van Alden, who breaks down like a guilty child at the first hint that the badly burned Agent Clarkson knows his true nature. Interestingly, it is not clear what he thinks the dying man knows; is it the money skimming, the pay-offs to the bootleggers, the murder of his fellow agent from last year? Whatever it is, he verges on full confession in a telephone call to his long-suffering wife, and spends the entire day glued to Clarkson's hospital bed, while Lucy goes into labor back at their flat. Once it is clear that the dying man is simply delirious, Van Alden snaps back to his rigid self. But it's too late; Mrs. Van Alden has found out everything about the new baby girl, and she is, shall we say, the opposite of understanding about it. Please let this be the beginning of the end for Van Alden; even though Michael Shannon is an imposing and compelling presence, this storyline has become a dead end and a drag on the rest of this complex and mesmerizing show.

• Time is getting shorter for Margaret and Owen to knock boots, although now that she has admitted her attraction to both herself and her priest, she may be better equipped to fight it.
• "Why the f**k would anyone ever go to Cincinnati?"
• At least Nucky's federal prosecutor woes resulted in the abrupt and deserved dismissal of that loathsome defense attorney Chip, green shoes and all.
• I continue to covet every single one of Margaret's hats and dresses, particularly that pink and lavender number she wore in the scene with the priest.
• "Youse are broads now? We gotta walk you home?"
• Somehow, I think Manny's definition of what constitutes "treyf" may be overly broad.

"The Voice" doesn't return to NBC until February, but the competition has already begun. With an extended round of blind auditions completed, Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton are gearing up for the battle round. MSN TV was hoping to find out how the coaches were stepping up their games this second time around, but it turns out it's the contestants who are changing things up this season.

Bing: Watch full episodes and clips of "The Voice"

"They've been pretty hard on us, now that they know the game." Christine Aguilera previewed. "They come back at us, when there's multiple button pushes. They're looking at you like, 'What can you do for me?' This undiscovered talent is in front of a panel of experienced, accomplished artists and they know how it works: the ball's in their court."

Some of the season 2 performers are even thinking a few moves ahead. "I had this one guy, I was giving him every reason why I should be his coach and he said, 'I already know you all like me. I want to know which one of you are going to keep me,'" Blake Shelton marveled. "He's already thinking about the battle round. He wants a commitment."

"They know our game, so we have to change it," Adam Levine added. "As soon as someone else pushes that button, we have to be in the position to sell ourselves. All the sudden, we're auditioning for them. It's bizarre."

Aguilera had to admit it's also a bit "nerve wracking," but all the coaches seem to enjoy the power shift, while Green even contends that in this case, knowledge equals more than just power.

"Their attitudes are a lot more open, optimistic and advantageous," Green said of the contestants. "The talent has been tripled and equaled out amongst us all. We all have very strong teams."

Which is turn means the coaches will have to step up their own games as they move forward, as well.

"We mess around, we have fun up here, but at the end of the day, it's about developing talent," Levine said of the show. "Because it has become something that can be a potential launch pad, that's an exciting prospect -- especially being in a business that's kind of like the Wild West, right now. We're passionate about it and can't wait to make it as good as possible."

In that vein, "The Voice" has answered the call of the fans and added "many more weeks" of blind auditions.

"This year, the bar's been raised," Christina Aguilera previewed, "We have to choose 12 people on our team, as opposed to last year, which was 8. That's an amazing part of the show. It keeps all of us on our toes, coaches, viewers and vocalists. It does get pretty intense. We're all fighting for that number one artist, and it's an interesting year."

"You're just sitting there wondering, 'Why don't these people have record deals yet?'" Aguilera shared. "We were all pretty much blown away, [and] the talent is very diverse. I have everybody from an incredible opera singer that makes you want to cry to a dynamic, incredible, powerhouse MC. You have your amazing soul singers and your power house vocals."

Speaking of power houses vocals, season two of "The Voice" will also see the coaches take the stage together again, with a "truly kickass opening performance" scheduled for after the Super Bowl.

Of course, most of us will get to see any of this until after the holiday season… In the meantime, the coaches are all still involved with their heavy hitters from last season and recommend "The Voice" fans keep their eyes out for new music from Javier Colon, Beverly McClellan, Dia Frampton, Sia Furler, Xenia and other players from season one.

"The Voice" returns to NBC on Feb. 5, immediately following Super Bowl XLVI

It's part of a week-long celebration of O'Brien's one-year anniversary at TBS, which will see his shows tape at New York's Beacon Theatre.

Bing: More about Conan O'Brien

According to this report from New York Magazine, O'Brien will marry a longtime staffer to his longtime partner. The specific night hasn't been announced. 

New York legalized gay marriage in June.

The last wedding aired in its entirety on late-night TV was that of Tiny Tim to Miss Vicki Budinger on "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson" in 1969, an event watched by a record-shattering 21.4 million viewers.

In related news, the year 2000 has apparently arrived. (Conan fans, please enjoy that joke because no one else knows what it meant.)

What do you think of Conan's plans? Connect with fans and sound off on Facebook

"Conan" airs weeknights at 11 p.m. ET/PT on TBS.

Whether you prefer gross-out "Re-Animator"- type humor about body parts being cut off and sewn back on in the wrong places, or a giddy send-up of the Christians who rise up in the rapture versus vile heathens (complete with Dean Pelton in a sexy Satan costume, threatening everyone with "Gay marriage!"), your sense of humor was probably represented pretty well. For my money, the most amusing sequence was Annie's florid "Twilight"/Grimm's fairy tale hybrid, which ended in a glorious insane monologue detailing all the disgusting things that the Annie-wolf did to the faithless Jeff-vampire. It seemed both perfectly (and terrifyingly) plausible that this was the place where she would channel all of her frustrated feelings for Jeff, and Alison Brie sold the heck out of the twisted tale. Maybe there were more pure laughs in the other vignettes ("Foot hands!"), but only a truly crazy person wouldn't feel just a little bit awed by the powerful emotions underneath that little cardigan.

• It's nice that there is continuity about Greendale's financial issues, with Pelton bluffing that he made the lights flicker on purpose in order to be scary for the holiday. ("So the lights will work on November 1st?" "ALL SAINTS DAYmonth.")
• Also extremely funny: Brita's lackadaisical storytelling coming through on the radio guy's voice, talking about "a thingie for his hand" and the killer "on the loose and stuff."
• Pierce is really just terrible.
• The whole Abed story was somehow deeply satisfying, particularly if you are one of those people who go nuts over lapses of logic in horror movies.
• Joel McHale could do Shakespeare. Not "King Lear" probably, but still.
• "I thought I heard something awesome out there."
• Naturally, in Shirley's world, the staff of NPR misses out on the rapture.
• Once again, just the right amount of Chang.

There's a new drama coming out of the land of Shonda Rhimes. And when "Scandal" premieres Thursday, April 5, the high-stakes world of crisis manager Olivia Pope and her dysfunctional team is sure to keep viewers on the edge of their seats. MSN TV has the trailer, but also went on set for a sneak peak and chat with Shonda Rhimes, Kerry Washington and the rest of the "Scandal" crew.

Bing: More about Kerry Washington

Situated in the political hotbed of Washington D.C., the lawyers at Pope & Associates may not have a handle on their own lives, but they can stop a scandal in its tracks before it breaks.

"People deserve a second chance, and people make mistakes," Washington (Pope) sets up. "Justice is more complicated than the law, so Olivia and Pope & Associates are there to make sure that everybody [gets an] even playing ground and to be helpful to people who have nowhere else to go, if they feel that help is deserved and justifiable."

Olivia, the woman at the center of it all, is a former media relations consultant to the U.S. President (Tony Goldwyn), who sets out to make a fresh start, professionally and personally. A wildly efficient D.C. power player, she employs a "take-no-prisoners" attitude to get to the bottom of brewing scandals and crises, with the help of her quirky staff (Henry Ian Cusick, Columbus Short, Guillermo Diaz, Darby Stanchfield and Katie Lowes).

"Olivia is pretty rocking," Washington raved. "I'm constantly saying I feel like the luckiest broad in television -- in showbiz, period. I look at who she is with a great deal of awe. It's fun to play someone who is far more intelligent than I am, and whose life is far more complex and complicated than mine is.

"It's a challenge," she continues. "This is the hardest I've ever worked, without a doubt. It's the most challenging job I've ever had, and it's the most fulfilling, artistically and emotionally. I am madly in love with this cast and crew, and with this role."

Though Olivia is trying to make a break from her past, she can't help getting pulled back into the scandals of the oval office, due to her intriguing relationship with the President and his right hand man (Jeff Perry).

The series also moves at a pace reminiscent of "The West Wing," but Pope & Associates will take on more than just the political world.  

"Crisis managers get to represent associations, corporations, individuals, politicians, celebrities," reveals real-life crisis manager and co-executive producer Judy Smith, on whom the character Olivia is based. "What they've done is take this world -- the things we deal with every day in an environment that's chaotic, hectic, high stakes and the strategy -- and dramatized it for television in an exceptional way."

At its heart, however, "Scandal" is as much about crisis intervention as Rhimes' "Private Practice" and "Grey's Anatomy" are about the medicine. "They're about people," Rhimes says of her series. "The medicine -- [and] the crisis -- is the backdrop."

Bing:What full episodes and clips of 'Grey's Anatomy'

"Scandal" has one other thing in common with Rhime's other shows: This capable, brilliant team of D.C. players may be able to save other people's lives, but they aren't always doing the best job at living their own lives.

"One of the things that's cool about all of the characters on this show [is that] people do things that somebody can judge in a very intense way, but it's [presented] with many different perspectives, not demonizing the character or letting him off the hook," Washington says. "We have battles in the hair and makeup trailer over President Fitz, with people throwing things about how they feel. Nobody's all good, nobody's all bad, which is always a gift when you're an actor, because human beings aren't that way."

Yes, there is something off about this President. But, no, MSN TV can't tell you more than that … yet! Get used to the feeling, if you plan to tune in to "Scandal." Each episode offers jaw-dropping character reveals and twists, and some of those will leave viewers biting their nails.

"We're telling a story where there's a little bit of a cliffhanger at the end of every episode," Rhimes previewed. "I got to do it like a British miniseries: It feels more like 'State of Play' than a regular network show, and that was my goal. The seven episodes work as a whole, and at the end of every episode, you're going to be going, 'Why don't I know what's happening next?'"

Rhimes isn't joking about those cliffhangers. MSN TV is actually steaming over our "Scandal" preview, because now we have to wait for the show's 2012 premiere to find out what happens in Episode 4!

"Scandal" is aiming to hit the air in March, but stay tuned for the final release date and, in the meantime, enjoy the "Scandal" preview clip above.

"Scandal" premieres Thursday, April 5 at 10 p.m. EDT/PDT on ABC.