Intro

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Uh, this week I guess we'll be talking about two movies having to do with runways.

SPEAKER_05 0:05

Oh, that's true.

SPEAKER_04 0:07

We'll be discussing the twenty twenty-six movie Deep Water and also the 2026 movie The Devil Wears Prada 2.

SPEAKER_01 0:17

And for TV, we'll be discussing the uh season two finales of both Monarch Legacy of Monsters and Daredevil Born Again. Get ready for takeoff, friends, because this is We should watch that episode six.

SPEAKER_02 0:40

We should watch that with Ashley and two should feel the vibes. It's a night zone.

Movie Review: Deep Water (2026)

SPEAKER_05 0:51

All right, guys. Deep Water is a new survival thriller directed by Rennie Harlan, who you may know from directing Die Hard 2, Cliffhanger, and Deep Blue Sea.

SPEAKER_04 1:04

And it stars Aaron Eckhart and Ben Kingsley as pilots of a flight from LA to Shanghai that goes down in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

SPEAKER_05 1:13

And if that sounds stressful, just wait, because the passengers who survived the crash have to deal with a swarm of very hungry, very aggressive sharks circling the wreckage. So I advise you do not watch this movie before a long flight. Okay, but before we even get into the movie, the making of Deep Water is almost crazier than the movie itself. It starts as the sequel to Bait 3D, a 2012 Australian movie where sharks end up in a flooded supermarket. That's right. Now I only know about this movie because I gave it to Sushi for Christmas, based purely on the cover, which tells you everything you need to know about the movie. But that movie was a huge hit in China, even though it didn't succeed pretty much anywhere else. But that was enough. They got green lit for a sequel. They renamed it Deep Water, turned it into a plane crash in the ocean, all good. And then in 2014, production gets shut down because, and this is unfortunate, guys, the script had uncomfortable similarities to the Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 that went missing. So the whole thing just sits there for a decade and then cut to 2023, and this is real. Gene Simmons from PISS decides to start a production company, and the very first thing they do is revive this Shel Shark movie. They bring in Rennie Harlan, they cast Aaron Eckhart and Ben Kingsley, and they're suddenly filming this thing for real. And they didn't have acid either. They filmed full plane sets, flooded them, spun them around with actors inside, like actual chaos. So yeah, this movie's been through a lot. And sushi, I gotta ask, what'd you think?

SPEAKER_01 3:08

Well, in all honesty, I just don't think I was really giving any thought to what we'd see early in May. Because later in the month we have stuff like Mortal Kombat 2, hell yeah. Obsession.

SPEAKER_04 3:19

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:20

The Mandalorian and Grogu.

SPEAKER_04 3:22

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:23

I Love Boosters. The Breadwinner with Nate Bargazi.

SPEAKER_04 3:28

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_01 3:29

Backrooms.

unknown 3:30

What?

SPEAKER_01 3:31

And Power Ballad coming out all like near to the end of the month. So admittedly, I kind of forgot about this movie.

SPEAKER_05 3:40

That is a stacked month.

SPEAKER_01 3:42

Yeah, because it definitely wasn't because I didn't know who Rennie Harlan was. I don't dare forget the man who also directed one of the wildest shark movies of all time, Deep Blue Sea. Ah, deepest bluest.

SPEAKER_05 3:53

My head is like a shark fin.

SPEAKER_01 3:54

Yeah, well, Cool J said it best in his song, Deepest Bluest. Parentheses Shark's fin. Deepest bluest. My head is like a shark's fin. Uh, poetry. Anyway, getting back on track. I definitely have seen some movies he's directed before, is all I'm trying to say. But as far as the cast goes, I've obviously seen Ben Kingsley in several other movies and TV shows recently, mostly for Marvel Studios stuff. And obviously, my guy, Aaron Eckhart, Mr. I. Frankenstein himself, was very cool to see him on the cast. I have a feeling. Another reason why I likely kind of forget about this movie was that it I only recall seeing the trailer a couple times in the theater at most. I know we were pretty excited at the premise of it. So I think it ultimately was the lack of exposure to the trailer and really any other marketing for the movie that made me kind of forget about it. I mean, I guess like could be associating moments. I remember after actually seeing the movie, but when I rewatched the trailer putting my notes together, I honestly couldn't think of any other reason why I'd forget about a movie like this. So weirdly for me, I think this movie was another great example where the absence of heavy marketing might have contributed towards my enjoyment. Oh, right. I was also distracted dealing with like new computer stuff, but yeah. Seeing such a crazy movie after dealing with such mundane tasks over the last two days of the week was definitely a good time. Also, I think the audience for a screening probably also helped. I don't know if it's because the economy sucks right now, and seeing a movie at the theater is probably one of the few things that hasn't skyrocketed in price over the past year or what, but I wasn't expecting the theater to be as full as it was. Even if it was a Friday night, I mean the Devil Wars Prada 2 also came out this weekend. So I just assume most of the people were there for that. But yeah, we had a lot of people in our uh screening. Yeah. Kind of surprised. Uh anyway, there's actually some interesting production details about this movie that Ashley kind of mentioned already. This is connected to the movie Bait. And actually, uh one of the writers on this movie, Shane Armstrong, was also one of the writers on Bait. So that's uh I guess the crew connection to it. Yeah. Uh, bring this up not only because that not only makes logical sense as far as involvement, but also because obviously I own the 3D Blu-ray of this movie. It's still sealed. So I guess now that I've seen something else this guy's written, it's probably as good a time as any to check that movie out. Hell yeah. Especially given that we've been considering a special segment where we review our experience with 3D Blu-ray movie. Yeah. But uh while the story isn't high drama or anything, this is a fun disaster movie. It's got a fun premise. Being a movie that's not only about a plane crash in the middle of the ocean, but also a magnet for sharks in the area. I expected kind of a mid-ocean plane crash turned shark bait scenario. And I honestly would question anyone who intentionally went and saw this movie and expected anything but that. It just works, you know. You don't need to question it, all kind of like fits together. As far as the cast goes, Aaron Uckhart playing the first officer Ben did a great job as he usually does as a flawed yet heroic lead. Obviously, this isn't the first time he's been in a role like this, but I'm not going to sit here all day to run that list of roles that he has played that fall into this. Moving on, Ben Kingsley playing the captain, Rich was a nice touch and definitely added some gravitas to what I felt was a great popcorn movie. I mean, I've loved him and think he's been hilarious lately, and the MCU is Trevor Slattery, so I guess seeing him in a somewhat serious role again has a different feel to it. Other than that, I recognized Angus Samson, but I didn't realize until I looked him up that it was probably from his role that spans both of the recent Mad Max movies that I remember him from.

SPEAKER_03 8:18

Oh.

SPEAKER_01 8:19

He's that disgusting guy. Yeah. And then even though I didn't really recognize the rest of the cast, I do still want to give them all props for being pretty believable with their reactions to what I assume are mostly green screen disaster elements and sharks. But yeah, really well acted outside of the main cast. So that was uh uh especially good. That leads me to the design elements of this movie. Obviously, the strongest being the set and practical effects, especially makeup and pyro. And while the VFX for the disaster elements and sharks didn't always look realistic, stylistically, I think they really worked as far as keeping us on the edge of our seat for pretty much the entire movie. So yeah, ultimately, while I definitely feel like I got the type of movie I was expecting to see based on the trailer, I think as a whole, the movie actually ended up being considerably better than what I expected. Going into my ratings, I gave it a four for enjoyment and a four for quality.

SPEAKER_05 9:24

What?

SPEAKER_01 9:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 9:27

Wait, what's the rationale?

SPEAKER_01 9:30

Look, I'm not someone who necessarily seeks out shark movies, uh-huh. But I'm definitely someone who will often be open to seeing shark movies that happen to have crazy or wacky premises, I guess. Or probably just most crazy or wacky movies, I guess. Well, it's no surprise how ridiculous the premise is. I mean, we're literally going from one major disaster, a plane crash, into another trying to survive a sh in shark-infested waters. I was honestly kind of impressed at how serious the tone was. Yeah, for a lot of this movie, since I can recall at least a few times in it where I kind of forgot that this is also the same movie where we got sharks in some serious airtime leaping out of the water at plane crash survivors.

SPEAKER_02 10:16

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_01 10:17

I think that has a lot to do with it. Uh, I think the combination of crazy snowballing disasters, computer-generated sharks, but solid, believable acting from the cast all kind of contributed to the high enjoyment rating. Uh, as far as the quality goes, I mentioned before, aside from the silly VFX shark attack and plane crash stuff, this movie looks fucking good. Like I'm not necessarily a shark aficionado, but I did watch Discovery Channel Shark Week programming consistently through most of my 30s. And uh, I've seen some really absurd direct-to-streaming shark-based disaster movies. So, you know, I think I'd know if it really felt like the latter, but it really wasn't. Sure, for the few seconds that you see the shark acting unnaturally, it's not real, obviously. But otherwise, the VFX weren't so obvious that I'd have no choice but to focus on that aspect. So I could look past it because there were so many other aspects that were really well done in this movie. Because while the premise is crazy, the pacing of the story and the acting are all solid, so it kind of keeps you from spending too much time dwelling on the less believable and potentially lower quality aspects of the film. So I think while my rating is high, it is a rating based on the experience as well. So I think if it was a movie where something else suffered a bit, it could have easily brought down that rating and snowballed a bit, kind of like how the disasters did. But it didn't. I think it stayed consistent. Obviously, there's moments that get kind of nuts that aren't believable, but it kind of always manages to like pull itself back. But yeah, I'm gonna stop talking soon because I feel like I could go on talking about a movie as fun as this, and I don't really want to spoil anyone potentially experiencing any of the crazy moments on their own without any prior knowledge or context. So I'll move on to my fairly obvious recommendation of Deep Blue Sea. Oh, yeah. Definitely more bonkers than this movie, which is just one of the most ridiculous premises as far as shark movies go. Uh, but I would say equally as enjoyable. So yeah, what do you think?

SPEAKER_05 12:29

Sharks are supposed to cure Alzheimer's in that movie and make it real smart.

SPEAKER_01 12:34

In order to do it though, or in order to, I guess, uh increase the effectiveness or something like that, they make the sharks smarter. But the side effect, obviously, of having uh smart sharks is that they're just gonna murder everybody because that's what they do, apparently. Wow.

SPEAKER_05 12:51

Well, yeah, this movie can't compete with that, you know. But uh first of all, okay, when you're why going to watch this movie, keep in mind this is not the 2022 Deep Water with Ben Affleck, okay? That is a sad movie about affairs, and it also is not Dead Water, starring Judd Nelson and Casper Van Dien, about a reasonable.

SPEAKER_01 13:15

You mistakenly told somebody to go see.

SPEAKER_05 13:17

I did. And I want to issue a formal apology to my good friend Jen, who loves shark movies. I told her on her birthday, no less.

SPEAKER_03 13:27

Oh, geez.

SPEAKER_05 13:28

I know, that she needed to see Dead War because it's so funny and so wild, and there's great shark action. And the next day she said, you know, I watched an hour of the movie and was like, why did Ashley like this? And then I realized that it was the wrong movie. So I'm so sorry, Jen. I I owe you one.

SPEAKER_01 13:52

Oh my goodness.

SPEAKER_05 13:53

Oh man. But yeah, okay. Deep water 2026. I had so much fun with this. I mean, I know it's not good in a traditional sense, but it's incredibly satisfying. It feels like a throwback to those 90s disaster movies like Dante's Peak, where everything's dialed all the way up and the movies here. Oh my god, yes, by the same dude, man. You know, it nothing subtle. Okay. That is Randy Harland's area of expertise. I love that it's like the music is screaming, feel sad or happy. Like it's so on the nose. Every moment is underlined and emphasized. And honestly, I feel like the older I get, the more I want that. I just roll my eyes at these kinds of movies, but now I really crave it. It's just like hell, life is boring or chaotic or stressful. So go see something totally out of control where you know what to expect. And part of what really helps sell that tone is the cast. Aaron Eckhart is exactly what you want here. He's very much the steady, serious leader holding everything together. I would trust him if I was stuck on a play. I mean, I wouldn't have a choice, but I would trust him if I was in that scenario.

SPEAKER_01 15:14

Yeah, he just has behavioral issues. That's all.

SPEAKER_05 15:17

Yeah, you know, and uh backstory that's created solely so we'll feel something for him.

SPEAKER_01 15:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 15:23

But yeah, he plays it straight while everything's falling apart around him. Then you have Ben Kingsley, he's basically the opposite energy. He's like fully a karaoke guy. He's chatting with the light attendants. Oh, I forgot that aspect of the Oh yeah, he's a chill party guy, and he's uh But he takes his job seriously though. Well, he does and he doesn't.

SPEAKER_01 15:44

Well, he's good enough at his job that he I guess doesn't really have.

SPEAKER_05 15:47

He is, but like he tells Eric Eckhart at the beginning why he's such a rule follower. And it's like because he's a commercial pilot. That's why he's a rule follower.

SPEAKER_01 15:55

Well, no, I think it's because that he Eric Eckhart has some behavioral uh issues that he was reprimanded for.

SPEAKER_05 16:02

True, true, but you know, just the mix of his seriousness, Ben Kingsley being sort of light and meeting all the characters at the beginning. It just tells you this is not going to be a grounded survival story. And the movie also, oh my god, it has a very clear villain right away. So he's played by Angus Sampson, who I know from The Lincoln Lawyer, which side note, Lincoln Lawyer is one of the best laundry folding TV shows out there. It's great, holds your attention just enough. Acting's good. But anyway, he has this energy where everything he does makes you want to report him to HR immediately. Like every single decision he makes, it's a problem. And I love that because you instantly have someone to root against and you spend the whole movie just waiting for this motherfucker to die, you know. You you want comeuppance, and I'll tell you, uh, comeuppance is had. So once all that is set up, the movie just kind of drops you straight into it. I mean, I usually get stressed out by disaster movies, like something that seems silly, but even San Andreas with The Rock. Oh, geez. It stressed me out, man. But this one is just so absurd that it cancels all that out. It's impossible to take it seriously like that. So it just becomes fun. And the crazy thing, too, is I'm saying how fun it is, but it's also pretty brutal. Like the it really, I was surprised because it's very, it's a very bright, glossy type of movie.

SPEAKER_00 17:35

So yeah, they ain't trying to hide that fucking they ain't trying to hide those fucking VFX in the dark.

SPEAKER_05 17:41

No, right, true, true. But so the plane crash does not ease you in at all. There is so much impact, so much destruction, and honestly, uh an alarming amount of head trauma, to say the least. They tell you like early on that I think they said somewhere between 200 and 250 people on the flight, and you just watch that number drop fast and not in a clean way. It's brutal. And it honestly feels like the movie's trying to hit every possible way a person could die in this scenario. Like, I almost wish I took notes on all the different deaths because there's such variety and creativity.

SPEAKER_01 18:23

Yeah, it's rad because it's not the very typical plane destruction stuff. I mean, there's obviously some aspects to it that are common across other movies where there's a plane crash or some disaster with the plane, but it's done in a way where it's like really going for the maximum effects.

SPEAKER_05 18:45

It's crazy. And I am gonna share a very mild spoiler, very mild, which is so skip forward like a minute if you don't want to hear it. But uh early in the movie, when the plane crashes, it's split up, so there's different chunks of the plane in the ocean. I thought that was very clever because that way you have different groupings of people dealing with different scenarios and different relationship dynamics.

SPEAKER_01 19:11

That definitely helped with the pacing too, because you're jumping around so long. It did.

SPEAKER_05 19:15

You're not with the same people the whole time. Um and once you get past the initial shock of the crash, you start noticing how questionable some of the human decisions are. I'm gonna say there's people who decide they don't want to swim to get out of like a scenario where things are sinking, and it's like, hey, that's not optional.

SPEAKER_01 19:35

You got to literally you have one choice, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 19:37

Yeah, and there's absolutely an Aaron Eckhart threshold in this movie. Anyone over a certain age, basically anyone older than Aaron Eckhart, if they get in a bind, they just immediately decide they're done for. Check the fuck out. I had a good life. I'm just gonna sit here and die in an incredibly painful and slow burning way instead of just giving it a shot and trying to explain.

SPEAKER_01 20:04

It's almost like the 30-year-old version of me wrote this movie. Because I think I'd mentioned this to you before. I used to have this. I mean, I wasn't completely serious about it or anything, but like I had this idea in my head that once I hit the age of 60 something, I would be a burden to society. So like if something had happened to me, like I would be okay about it.

SPEAKER_05 20:25

Oh my god, sushi no. It's taking a step out of the review. Sushi, no. But yeah, the movie definitely does uh do that, which is pretty wild. And uh, you know, once the people stop being the main problem, this is when the movie unleashes the sharks. And they look terrible, they do, and it does not matter. They actually look better being that extreme because it matches the tone. There's a shark on a raft moment that looks completely insane, and I loved it. I loved it.

SPEAKER_01 21:02

It's in the trailer too. I mean, the the best part is that they did not try to hide the shit from people before they saw the movie. Yeah, it was very forthcoming with what it was going to deliver as far as the things you could expect. You didn't get a sense of how good or how well done it was, but yeah, you definitely get the idea.

SPEAKER_05 21:25

Yeah, it was great. And one of the biggest jump scares in the movie, I'm not gonna say what it is, but I'm gonna tell you it's not a shark and it's silly, and we all laughed and had a good time after we figured it out. Love it.

SPEAKER_00 21:38

Yeah, it was great.

SPEAKER_05 21:39

There are also moments that get a little bit darker the more you think about them. There are children in this movie, and the kids the kids scenario really stuck with me more than I expected. At the end of the movie, I just kept being like, What is going to happen to these children? Their lives are permanently changed in a way that a movie never stops to process. And I found myself getting distracted thinking, what type of therapies are they going to need? Oh no, are they going to have issues with drugs because of this? They're going to need electroshock therapy. You know, I just was like these poor children.

SPEAKER_01 22:18

No, no, criminal organizations also need employees.

SPEAKER_05 22:21

Oh, that's true. And spies. But yeah, it's a lot for a kid to go through. It's wild. But the theater experience just pulls you right out of any reality of the scenario you'd think of. It was so fun. I mean, seeing the crowd made it so much better. People were reacting, screaming, and laughing. But there was one guy who wasn't. I was sitting next to a man. He was there with a friend. I would say he's probably in his 70s or maybe 80s. And he did not respond once. He didn't look shocked. I I hope he didn't notice, but I started peeking over at him after crazy things would happen to see if he reacted, and nothing. I started to come up with theories like maybe he forgot his hearing aids at home. Maybe he's uh I don't I don't know what this guy was, but it's inhuman not to react to this movie. Yeah, it just really is an experience. So I would say if you have any interest in shark movies, see this in the theater. It's messy, it's intense, it's ridiculous, and it's completely committed to what it is. And uh yeah, if you think too hard about it, it all falls apart. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 23:32

Oh, yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_05 23:33

But if you go in with uh fun in mind, it's a great turn off your brain, embrace the madness kind of movie. And and that really worked for me. So going into my rating, I also gave it a four for enjoyment. I think this may have won the award of Ashley turning to sushi in the theater and saying, I love this. Um so I had a very, very good time for quality. I gave it a three. I can't give it a four. I can't do it.

SPEAKER_01 24:02

You can't but no, not even if it's caters to the type of movie it is.

SPEAKER_05 24:07

Uh I'm gonna say no.

SPEAKER_00 24:12

It's okay.

SPEAKER_05 24:14

Mostly that's why there's two of us.

SPEAKER_01 24:17

We had agree on everything.

SPEAKER_05 24:18

We only mostly because of some of the scripting stuff. The the sharks are looking realistic, doesn't bother me.

SPEAKER_01 24:24

Well, you know more about movie stuff than I do anyway, so it's cool.

SPEAKER_05 24:28

Yeah, you know, like sharks don't do the shit they do in this movie, so I feel like how would you make them realistically like jump onto a raft, you know?

SPEAKER_01 24:40

Yes, sharks don't do exactly the type of shit that they do in this movie, but you would be surprised at the type of shit sharks do also. So, like I think it really zeros in on the unpredictability aspect of dealing with sharks.

SPEAKER_05 25:00

That being said, those sharks are always everywhere, always in this movie.

SPEAKER_01 25:04

Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah, and that ending was pretty hilarious, too.

SPEAKER_05 25:08

Oh, god, yeah, definitely check it out. If you want to see another shark movie, well, 83D, the original uh uh that this was inspired to come after. Yes. The other one is I really like dangerous animals last year with Jai Courtney. We reviewed that very different vibe, it but it's a great movie, and I think it's streaming a bunch of places at the moment, like Disney Like. So yeah, sharks.

Movie Review: The Devil Wears Prada 2

SPEAKER_05 25:42

Our next movie also has a runway, as Sush pointed out earlier. The Devil Rose Prada 2 is one of those sequels that honestly shouldn't work, but they got the band back together. Same director, David Frankel, same writer, Aileen Bosch McKenna. And somehow they convince Meryl Streep, Ann Hathaway, and Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci, all to come back, plus people like Kenneth Barana and Justin Thoreau jumping in as well. This time Andy's not the assistant anymore. She's actually doing great. That is, until her entire newsroom gets laid off by text, and she gets pulled back into Miranda's world right away as runway struggling to survive. Print is dying, everything's about clicks and relevance now, and suddenly it's not just fashion drama. It's like, who actually controls media and power in this space? So yeah, it's a messy workplace chaos kind of drama, but now it's layered a bit with this whole industry isn't working anymore, type of thing that we have going around right now, which honestly makes it a little more interesting. So, what do you think of the movie, Sush?

SPEAKER_01 26:52

Well, I'm definitely aware of the Devil Wears Prada and its popularity, uh, the first movie, I mean. And uh while I had seen the first movie at some point, I barely remembered anything. It admittedly did a poor job watching it in preparation for the sequel.

SPEAKER_05 27:09

You laughed at a couple lines, but yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:11

Well, the extent of my familiarity with the movie are pretty much limited to the main cast, specifically Meryl Streep, and Athaway, Stanley Tucci, and Emily Blunt playing returning characters. Also Lucy Lou, Justin Thoreau, oh yeah, and Kenneth Granna who play new characters, and also fashion. Fashion. Full point transparency, though, as someone who was raised by a single mother and my aunt, and having mostly girls and women as close friends throughout most of my life. A part of me is entertained by caddy women, so I think that was like a big part of my enjoyment factor for this movie. I thought the trailers and the timing of their release did a really good job of building anticipation for the movie, even for someone like me who didn't have any attachment to the first movie. You got a great teaser where it just starts off with the intro to Vogue and the camera just follows Meryl Streep's feet, wearing what looks like an expensive pair of heels and arrives in an elevator just as Anne Hathaway runs to catch it. The follow-up trailer and the final trailer each build a bit more on some of the scenes that we'll witness in the movie, but I think otherwise does a great job not really revealing much of the plot at all. Sometimes I don't feel that way about surprises, but I think for this movie it worked. And I don't think it was as a problem like it can be in some movies, but where they keep it on the trailer. So seeing the movie, while I had some awareness we were dealing with the same director-writer team as the first movie, I definitely enjoyed this movie significantly more than the first. I don't know what exactly it was. Possibly the fact that we don't really have to spend any time on character development, aside from maybe catching us up with what our major characters have been up to since the previous movie. Maybe because I felt like we spent more time featuring and including the actual fashion and personalities from and that often cross over into the industry as a greater part of the story this time around. Or maybe it's just because we aren't wasting Andy's time in this movie with a shitty boyfriend and friends who might be just as shitty as he is. I don't know.

SPEAKER_05 29:24

The men are horrible in that first one.

SPEAKER_01 29:28

Aside from some story elements, this movie is literally just these characters having a good time doing fashion stuff. At surface value, it almost seems like a bit of a cash grab to put out a movie like this. But I honestly don't really feel like that's what we got. I can name several lazy, cash grabby sequels to it claimed in beloved movies, and I definitely would not include this movie as one of them. I guess it makes sense though, since I came across something about Merrill Streep and Ann Hathaway being hesitant regarding a sequel. Uh, but that eventually they, as well as Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci, signed on to return. I mean, all four of these characters have enough work to keep them busy.

SPEAKER_03 30:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 30:14

So I think it was less needing this movie and probably just enjoying a reunion with the rest of the original cast. Yeah. Because that really describes what this felt like a reunion movie, like the ones people used to do for like popular TV shows and shit. So I love the returning cast with that said. And even though I didn't feel as much of a connection with these characters in the first movie, I think the themes at least being more relatable for me this time around, primarily like about moments of change we encounter in life, where we're so caught up with reacting to doors closing that we sometimes don't notice new ones that are opening. I think stuff like that really helped me to care more about the characters in this movie, where I probably was just focused on Miranda and Andy in the first movie. Justin Thoreau is Benji Barnes, who was basically a tech broke that was overweight and slovenly before and had a glow up and is dating Emily Blunt's character, also named Emily, provided a lot of the comic relief. I forgot how funny Thoreau can be since I mostly remember remember him from serious roles. But I'd say the rest of the comedy outside of the core four, Returning Chaos and Thoreau was spread pretty evenly across the supporting characters, with the exception of maybe Kenneth Brana, who's more like the heart, I guess, of the movie. Also, I have to mention that Asian Queen, Lucy Liu, is in this movie.

SPEAKER_03 31:38

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 31:38

And I loved her character arc in this movie. Shout out to the only Asian Charlie's Angel, arguably the best there ever was.

SPEAKER_05 31:46

Oh, guaranteed. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 31:48

Moving on to the other major stars of this movie beside the cast, which would be all the design elements. They were all top-notch given how uh fashion-focused this movie was. Obviously, heavy on costume design, but also some very beautiful, luxurious sets from the residences and the rides of the main characters, the iconic cities that they traveled to and from. There's no denying that this is a good-looking movie and the cinematography really caters to the fashion, which, as I mentioned, is like another main character in itself. I think that all these amazing visual elements ensured that the vibe stayed very high fashion and about presentation, while the crew and cast managed to also deliver a story with some real emotion attached to it. Pretty much in line with what I expected from the trailers, but maybe a little more nuanced and polished as far as writing and acting. Going into my ratings, I gave this a three and a half for enjoyment and a three and a half for quality. Overall, I think this was a much more fun movie than the first, though probably more superficial. Though, as I mentioned, I do think that the actors did a good job with their roles. Uh, for a movie that's set within the fashion industry, the movie manages to get you to care more than just about how beautiful or cool everything you see is on screen. As I mentioned, I enjoyed this movie much more than the first one. And even though I don't think we spend nearly as much time in this movie dealing with drama, I still think it's more enjoyable than in the first movie. Uh maybe it's because the first movie was an adaptation of a book, so the crew felt more of an obligation to adhere to source material or something. I don't know. All I do know is that I enjoyed this movie, and out of everything, I probably enjoyed the fashion, seeing different celebrities that are connected to the industry and the hearing the high energy music that usually accompanies uh fashion shows and movies dealing with fashion. Definitely a full vibe uh as far as quality goes. I feel like this movie was a lot more polished, but I guess that could also be due to how much more developed these characters are at the start of this movie compared to the first movie. Also, I really think this movie did a great job at pacing. The plot moved uh along steadily, but not in a way that ever made it feel rushed or dragging. Very little in this movie felt wasted, and if anything, I wouldn't be surprised to find out that certain moments where uh I had hope for maybe a little bit more from certain characters were cut for time because they didn't necessarily take away from the storytelling, like uh the lack of those moments, nor did I feel like providing them would have significantly improved what we saw in the theater. So, with that said, as far as recommendations go, uh I mean I like fashion, but I haven't seen them many movies that have it as the core subject matter. But yeah, if anything, I'd say the Zoolander movies.

SPEAKER_05 34:59

Oh, you know what we we saw recently, Mother Mary.

SPEAKER_01 35:03

Oh, yeah. I didn't know if I would recommend it. No, I wouldn't recommend that. So that's why but it's it is a fashion movie, but yeah, they're obviously about fashion, but they're silly and absurd, so definitely different tone than this movie, though related as far as subject matter, I guess.

SPEAKER_05 35:21

Yeah, well, I what did you think? Well, okay, first of all, the vibe in the theater was crazy. I did not know that everyone was getting dressed up. Like there were groups of women fully dressed up, red lipstick, leather pants at 2 p.m.

SPEAKER_01 35:39

Leather pants, yes.

SPEAKER_05 35:41

We were like posing in front of the movie standee for the and I was like, what's happening? I mean, right, we go to the movies constantly, and I was like, this is my weird little movie spot where I'm all usually wearing something super comfy, and then suddenly it's fashion week. But I loved it, honestly. I haven't seen that in a theater since probably Barbenheimer.

SPEAKER_03 36:06

Uh true.

SPEAKER_05 36:07

And so I love it. And as far as the movie, it was fun. I mean, it's glossy, it's big, it's very we brought everyone back and gave them better lighting. You can feel they got a lot of the original team back, and it really shows everything looks super expensive and kind of perfect. And uh, I gotta talk about Ann Hathaway's hair in this movie. It was so beautiful. It looks like such a natural curl, but you know that it took time to do that.

SPEAKER_01 36:38

Effortless.

SPEAKER_05 36:39

Uh I'm definitely gonna be looking up tutorials. I loved it. And I think the biggest takeaway of this movie is that it's just like pleasant, like aggressively pleasant. I felt like it just kind of washed over me in the best way. I was laughing, the audience was laughing, I was having a great time the whole way through. And I left and was like, wow, that was fantastic. But also, what happened? I had some sort of devil boost prada amnesia after I saw it. I just think kind of hard. But you know, it's not a movie you chew on. It's not like there's a lot of subtext. It's a movie you you just sort of hang on to and are along for the ride, which it honestly is exactly what people want from something like this. The cast is doing a lot of heavy lifting and they're awesome. Emily Blunt, incredible. And her character's still kind of a nightmare, but she has just enough warmth that you're okay with her and would maybe go out for a drink with her, you know? And she has one of my favorite lines in the movie. She says, May the bridges I burn light my way.

SPEAKER_00 37:49

Oh, yeah, that was a good one.

SPEAKER_05 37:51

So perfect. Meryl Streep is doing her own thing. Lots of really funny lines that got a big reaction from the crowd. I will say, however, I think they soften Miranda just a little too much for me at some times. There's just moments where she shows emotion or shares personal things in a way that doesn't feel in line with how I picture the character and also I picture the real person she's based on. Like I get the 20 years have passed, but she feels like someone who would evolve to be more strategic, not last. Um, you know, still loved everything she did. And she'll do stuff that is so funny. There's a lot of physical comedy in this. One of my favorite moments is when Miranda is struggling to hang up her own coat. So in the first movie, he just tosses her things on the desk of her assistant. But in this movie, I guess HR had uh talked to her about it. So she has to deal with her own coat. And the way she does it, she acts like it weighs a hundred pounds. And after she closes it in the closet in her office, she likes oh, leans against the door and sighs as if she's just run up three flights of stairs.

SPEAKER_01 39:10

I thought that was in her defense, that did look like a heavy wool coat.

SPEAKER_05 39:14

It did look like a heavy coat. It's true. And Aunt Hathlony is Andy's one of my favorite parts of the movie, as it should be. She's coming back a lot more confident than we saw her in the last movie, a little chaotic, kind of funny in a way that she wasn't before. There's a scene I really loved where she bursts into Miranda's office all excited about her new job, and then slowly realizes that Miranda has no idea she was hired, and she just spirals mid-sentence. And it's like, I'm sorry, I came in and I just did this. She makes some noise. So really funny. And speaking of the first movie, okay, I think this movie quietly fixes one of my biggest issues with the original, which is the original movie really tried to convince us that Andy was wrong for caring about her career. Like damaging her relationships, which always pissed me off. She took a strategic job for one year so that she could set up her future. That's smart. You wouldn't tell someone who's uh studying to become a doctor that they shouldn't do residency because it's toxic, you know, and you shouldn't hear. That's not losing yourself. Yeah. And this movie sidesteps the whole thing by instead showing her someone who did succeed and has supportive people in her life now. And she still isn't immune to getting laid off because the industry's collapsing. Which, hey, as someone who writes for a living, like, cool, love that for me. The movie almost explores how journalism is now turning into content. Yes. Yeah, everything's becoming digital. And then they also talk about the influence of billionaires on media, touches on all of it very lightly. But it's like, hey, we're aware of the reality of the job market, we're aware of how industries are changing, but it doesn't get bogged down. It's more like setting the scene.

SPEAKER_00 41:19

Right.

SPEAKER_05 41:20

And another course correction I appreciated was for Andy's love life. Her love interests in the original were like absolute dog water. Like they were horrible. And do I wish they'd skipped her having a love interest altogether? Yeah. But if we're gonna do it, you can't go wrong with a down-to-earth Australian contractor, right? That's a massive upgrade. Also, just kind of funny to see uh an actor that's really unknown compared to the others here. But I you know what?

SPEAKER_01 41:54

Actually, I was thinking about that a little bit. You really only have so many options when you're going to pick an Australian guy as a co-star these days, and you probably end up with a hemsworth of some kind, and that's a little bit too much.

SPEAKER_05 42:07

Yeah. Jill Edgerton's too old. Yeah, yeah. But I th I thought there were also a lot of little callbacks that really worked. Um Miranda pretending not to know Andy's name again, and in fact, being like, Who is this? I don't know this person. Nigel has a great moment where Andy's like, I can't believe you got over that betrayal that Miranda had in the first movie. And he goes, Betrayal? Oh, right. He's like, No, she's done that to me hundreds of times since then. Don't worry about it. I thought that was great because it feels true to the characters without being too nostalgic. Also, shout out to the absolutely insane cameo from a certain pop star who I uh yeah.

SPEAKER_01 42:55

Well, I mean, it's probably pretty easy to guess.

SPEAKER_05 42:58

It probably is nowadays. Imagine the biggest pop star.

SPEAKER_01 43:02

And it has to do with the subject matter.

SPEAKER_05 43:04

Yeah, and it was truly terrible. She was so horrible in this role, but in a way that's so campy and fun that I kind of loved it, and it's exactly what you would want from a movie like this. And at the end of the day, the plot doesn't matter. The stakes aren't that high, the conflicts resolve in a way that feels satisfying, if not perfect. And it does get a little touchy-feely, but in a way that feels earned. So I think it's just overall a crowd pleaser, like pretty people, sharp jokes, familiar characters, and an audience that's so ready to be there. So yeah, I I really love it, and I'm excited to see it blowing up being so popular. So getting into my ratings, I gave it a four for enjoyment.

SPEAKER_03 43:56

Cool.

SPEAKER_05 43:57

I was having a fantastic time. I Yeah. I probably told you I was having a fantastic time.

SPEAKER_01 44:05

I was having a fantastic time too, given that I didn't have any connection to it really, other than I I did like the fashion. I thought it was cool, especially when we got closer to the end, where there was clearly section of the movie where they're like, okay, just run as many outfits as we can within like this window of time. I love it. Everything looked great. It wasn't too couture. So there was a lot of stuff that was very accessible. And yeah, you could see normal people wearing. So I think that also made it work beyond just being about fashion. It was also relatable in some kind of way.

SPEAKER_05 44:40

Totally, totally. And for quality, I gave it a 3.5, just because it's not super deep. But really enjoyable. I would say, yeah, check it out and then see the original. And I think you're gonna like this one better. I don't know. That might be crazy.

SPEAKER_01 44:55

Yeah, and then see Zoolander one and two.

SPEAKER_05 44:58

Yes, Zoolander 1 and 2. You got it.

TV Episode Recap: Monarch: Legacy of Monsters - S2E10 (Season Finale) - "Where We Belong"

SPEAKER_04 45:06

Sushi! What do we have going on with our season finales this week?

SPEAKER_01 45:12

Well, uh, let's start with Monarch, Legacy of Monsters, the season finale, which is episode 10, where we belong. The finale brings this season to a climax amid escalating chaos on Skull Island. Lee and Keiko confirm that Axis Mundy is in fact anchored by a central rift, and that Titan X must be guided back to it before catastrophic damage occurs. Their efforts are immediately complicated by rampaging lesser creatures and the growing realization that Kong is being deliberately lured to Titan X through Isabelle's meddling. As Kong closes in, the situation becomes increasingly volatile, with the island itself threatening to collapse under the convergence of Titans, human interference, and temporal instability. At the same time, the emotional and philosophical divide between the Randa siblings reaches a breaking point. Kentaro, aligned with Isabel, remains determined to exploit Axis money to retrieve his father, Hiroshi, believing that the end justifies the means. Kate vehemently opposes this plan, insisting that the costs, both moral and existential, are too high. When she refuses to cooperate, she's locked away, but she eventually escapes using handy scientific knowledge, presumably from her time as a teacher, emerging into open danger just as Titan X, driven by Isabel's neural control, enters a fully enraged state. The episode repeatedly compares Kentaro's desperation with Kate's growing connection to Titan X and the understanding that it's just a creature trying to complete a natural cycle. As Kong and Titan X finally clash in a massive confrontation, Monarch's remaining team members, Tim, Cora, Lee, and Keiko, race to infiltrate the abandoned Monarch facility and shut down Isabel's operation. During the effort, longstanding emotional wounds resurface. Keiko confronts Lee over his past decision to preserve the timeline over saving her, having believed his act in action cost her years with Hiroshi and potentially altered their family's fate. Lee, however, maintains that changing the past could have potentially resulted in even more serious consequences. The episode doesn't resolve this conflict, instead, it allows the tension to linger, revisiting one of the show's central themes, whether restraint can be as consequential and painful as action. The battle turns when Kate's unique ability to interpret Titan X's communications enables her and Keiko to reunite the creature with its stolen egg. The moment Titan X recovers it, the Titan's rage abruptly subsides, revealing that its destructive behavior was driven by grief and maternal instinct rather than inherent hostility. With the neural controls rendered ineffective and Titan X no longer a threat, Tong recognizes the shift and withdraws, preventing further devastation. Isabel's plan collapses. Titan X begins its return towards Axis Mundy on its own terms, and for the first time all season, it seems like the most immediate crisis, at least, has been solved. In the aftermath, the episode reflects on emotional consequences of all the events that have transpired this season. Kantaro and Isabel disappear, continuing their pursuit of Access Mundy outside of Monarch's oversight. Now rogue actors whose fixation on time travel poses an even greater existential threat. Keiko and Lee reach a fragile, incomplete reconciliation rooted not in forgiveness, but in acceptance that the past cannot be reclaimed without a devastating price. The idea of belonging, echoed in the episode's title, evolves from reclaiming lost time to accepting responsibility for the present. Monarch is quietly revived from a secretive organization defined by a containment and control into one that must learn humility in the face of forces that operate beyond human timelines. A time jump reveals Lee in Thailand, following rumors of dangerous Titan phenomena near a volcano. In the episode's final moments, a massive silhouette emerges from the smoke. Rodan appears, a legendary Firebird Titan, and reveals a new connection to the Monsterverse movies.

SPEAKER_05 49:49

So, okay, let's start with the biggest win, the monsters, man. The monsters were so cool. The centipede critters, oh my god, these things roll up in a wheel and they're just running down. They're just stampeding, basically. And genuinely, it was some of the coolest designs I've seen the show do for monsters. The way they roll, the volume of them, the little details, like their eyes and their little pincers. I was locked in immediately. And then Kong shows up. And you know, I love Kong. I just love him. I think they nail him. In this episode, I really noticed how good the fur looks. The scale was good, the presence. He just feels like Kong in a way that's hard to explain, but you're just like, yeah, that's him. That's the dude. And then the finale tease with Rodan perched on a volcano. That's cool as hell. That's the kind of image that makes me go, yeah, I'm back next season. Let's see some more monsters. And I think the action overall is strong. You know, Kong versus Titan X really delivered. It was messy. It was uh, I mean, literally messy. They are stomping up dust storms practically. It feels really big. Now, does it look a little weird when you've got humans running around in the middle of it? Yeah, it does. But honestly, I don't think that has anything to do with skill. I think it's just the result of seeing something impossible.

SPEAKER_01 51:20

Like, yeah, we're not used to seeing something like that.

SPEAKER_05 51:23

Right. Like we don't have no context for it for what these creatures would realistically fight like. Our eyes and brains aren't trained to see that as real. And there's a moment in here that's just straight up wild. Heiko drives straight into the Titan fight to get to Kate. I was like, what is this? Fast and Furious? That's crazy. And then Kate at the end trying to lure the Titan, standing way at the end of that door on the chopper. That was cool. I really loved that and her emotion. Okay. Now that said, the writing was a little rough for me in some places. I just feel like this is an episode that doesn't trust you to know what's going on at all. And honestly, I don't blame the writers. It feels like a symptom of a bigger trend that's been getting written about a lot recently.

SPEAKER_01 52:19

I feel like there's probably more of an emphasis on it too, being the finale, because they definitely want you to remember this for the long break they'll have until the next season.

SPEAKER_05 52:28

Yeah, exactly. And there have been all these articles because basically producers are telling writers that the shows need to be shaped for distracted second screen viewing.

SPEAKER_02 52:40

Right.

SPEAKER_05 52:40

Or casual viewing, I've heard it called. So you see it in the way the characters in this episode are constantly announcing what they're doing as they're doing it. And also how often key points are repeated. The rift, especially, gets explained over and over again to the point where it starts to feel like the show is just recapping itself.

SPEAKER_01 53:02

Just a bunch of riffs, man.

SPEAKER_05 53:03

Yeah, seriously.

SPEAKER_01 53:05

A bunch of riff talk.

SPEAKER_05 53:06

I got riffs on repeat, man. It doesn't ruin the episode, though. But it's one of those things where once you notice it, and I really notice it.

SPEAKER_01 53:14

Yeah, you gotta laugh at it a little bit.

SPEAKER_05 53:16

Yeah, it's just it just stands out. And then the oh god, Kentaro. Kentaro. He is exhausting.

SPEAKER_01 53:28

Actually, what's funny is him and Kate, like my opinions of them, switched over the season. It was very opposite.

SPEAKER_05 53:36

I know.

SPEAKER_01 53:37

Yeah, it's crazy.

SPEAKER_05 53:38

Well, you do always need conflict. Without conflict, what's the point of telling any story? But it is funny how it feels like they just swapped one rather than it being generated by multiple people. It's like, all right, you get the conflict this week, you get it next week.

SPEAKER_01 53:52

It's yeah, like somebody in the Randa family always has to be involved in some bullshit that's happening. Like some negative aspect of what's happening.

SPEAKER_05 54:00

From the little I know about uh therapy relating to family dynamics, it is true that there's this ever-shifting series of dynamics where different people serve different roles. So there is usually one person in a group who's going to be the naysayer, but nonetheless, he still drives me nuts. Everything comes back to like this is what I want, with zero thought about consequences. And he's impulsive, he's selfish, he's constantly doubling down when he knows things are wrong. And that's what's frustrating to me is that the the show kind of knows that, but it still expects you to emotionally crack with him. But that said, the storyline does set up something interesting. The idea that their dad could exist in Axis Moundy. I mean, that's compelling. It creates a real hook going into the next season, even if getting there is driven by a character who makes you want to yell at the screen. Isabel, on the other hand, she is not my favorite.

SPEAKER_03 55:02

Eh, funny.

SPEAKER_05 55:03

I I am awed by the size of the actress's uh big, beautiful eyes, but they are always bugging out of her head. She's like so intense. I don't know. She's just and please I don't mean to talk about her appearance negatively. I just mean the intensity of her eyes, yeah. Which is something I haven't seen in other roles from her, is crazy. I do think it's exactly what's called for in the script. I just think maybe I would prefer if that was not the main villain. Uh she this is already a show about giant monsters and interdimensional rifts. So realism isn't the goal. I get it. But this season it felt more grounded. So I kind of miss some of that emotional family grounding as I think too many. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 55:55

Mostly because I think in the Monsterverse movies and the show so far, most of the people who are leading these types of efforts are people who actually are pretty involved in the scientific process or have knowledge of it or care about it to some degree. Right. She is the first person who absolutely has zero knowledge and is just like crowdsourcing this from the people she's allying with and just hoping that it works out or whatever.

SPEAKER_05 56:24

With the Elon Musk of monster entrepreneurs. Yeah. Actually, that really tracks. She's got a tech startup vibe. She does drive me nuts, but I'm sure that that's literally what she's there for. On the flip side, there's some character stuff that's really great here. I think the Shaw storyline gets a surprisingly clean and emotional rap for past Shaw, the moment where his younger self uh is seen by Keiko and they face each other. It could have been messy or confusing, but instead I thought it was really meaningful and beautiful and sort of elegant. I I also loved the look of it with the sort of I don't think we had different well, okay.

SPEAKER_00 57:11

I have mixed feelings. Yeah, how we felt about it's different.

SPEAKER_05 57:14

I like the idea of him saying goodbye to the past one. I like that Keiko got to say goodbye. It did remind me a little bit of Tupac's hologram.

SPEAKER_00 57:24

Tupac's hologram.

SPEAKER_05 57:25

Yeah, it was a little hologrammy, but I do think it was nice that they kind of put a bow on that story so that I know going into the next season, hey, we're not gonna have young Shaw all the time. But uh yeah, that was cool. And then Kate, I mean, I think she's got some of the most interesting stuff coming forward into next season. Her connection to Titan X is one of the coolest ideas in the show. And it still feels unexplained, but in a way that works, it's still mysterious. I don't think that they are dragging it too much, but I think it makes sense to set it up to go into next season. The moment where they make contact, like they cut, I was weirdly emotional about it.

SPEAKER_01 58:11

Yeah, I mean, it was shy really well, and I think that they definitely know how to make a CG creature emote on the show.

SPEAKER_05 58:22

They do like that, do we go? But it's only getting better. Yeah, it's very cool. I I haven't looked into this. Maybe I will for next season. I am curious about how they do it.

SPEAKER_01 58:33

If they do feel that they have people in mocap, because you know how they say humans read into expressions of animals and we interpret them is expressions we're familiar with, but it's not necessarily in line. I think it's one of those things, except it's obviously people making the show creating the emotion on these titans or creatures in a way that we would think that they would emote.

SPEAKER_05 58:57

Yeah, and you really see a lot of interesting ways they do that in this episode. The first thing is again the way they treat eyes, like on Titan X, Titan X has very small eyes compared to its large, confusing body. And they were red, which is when the which is a little over the top, but they were they were red when it was activated with the anger zip or whatever the fact. But you notice that as he's calming down, the monster, the eyes change in color.

SPEAKER_01 59:29

They're also a cool blue.

SPEAKER_05 59:32

Yeah, they're blue. They're doing more shots of it. And then when she sees the baby, there's just a real physical softening. I don't know if that would happen to an animal because you would think they'd become more protective. But again, it's a way of showing us the audience that she's more emotional. And I like the way a Kong recognizes that and just immediately backs off and just watches what's happening.

SPEAKER_03 59:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 59:57

So that was cool. But yeah, I think that overall, finale does what a finale should do. You know, it wraps things up pretty well, leaves enough uh open space to keep you hooked, goes with the big spectacle. Yes, it overexplains itself. Like, yeah, some characters drive me nuts. Yeah, but the monster works great, set pieces are memorable, strong setup. And honestly, if you've got Kong, weird bug monsters, a volcano bird, and uh a girl psychically bonding with a Titan, I'm in, you know? What more can you ask for? So, yeah, Sush, what do you think?

SPEAKER_01 1:00:37

Well, first thing, if you've been listening to our monarch recaps over the past few episodes, you know, I've had this theory, or maybe more of a belief, I guess, that monarch tends to end seasons on a cliffhanger or disaster of some kind. Yes. Uh sometimes even a cliffhanging disaster, for lack of a better term. And honestly, I don't know if I was on the mark for this season or not. So yeah, Ashley, I wanted to ask you how you felt about it as far as my prediction.

SPEAKER_05 1:01:09

Ooh. I think it's pretty on the money because there's a lot of stuff. There's a big spectacle, and I feel like they're really setting up Isabel and um Kentaro going off. Yeah, I guess that's true. So I think that that's the thread that'll go into the next scene. I do think some of the emotional stuff and some of the smaller things they put to rest in a nice way.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:36

Yeah, I think it was a little more positive than I expected.

SPEAKER_05 1:01:39

Yeah, it was. It wasn't as like, haha, you're stuck until next time.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:44

Right, exactly.

SPEAKER_05 1:01:45

But I do think they did a nice job. It was pretty balanced, honestly.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:50

Well, yeah, regardless, I will say that at least, yeah, like I was saying, it seems hopeful for our protagonist, at least. Uh, more so than the feel in the previous season finale, since we get one person returning with Keiko, but then kind of canceled it out with Lee being left to Nexus Monday list. So, I mean, we basically have Monarch returning to its roots and some of the people that started it returning to the organization as well. Uh, by that I obviously mean Keiko and Lee, but beyond that, this group seems prepared. Obviously, we got everything with Kate and her connection to Titan X, which I'm hoping is going to extend to other Titans uh through the future of the show, but also with Lee pursuing leads and eventually finding Rodan. So even with Kintaro and Isabel continuing to work together and how much of a problem we can assume that's going to be in the story to come, it at least feels like our protagonists will be ahead at the start of the next season. So it seems like they at least research and you know, test their theories before actually carrying out a full-on operation that could potentially have devastating effect on the space-time continuum or whatever. I love the Tim highlight of this episode.

SPEAKER_05 1:03:08

Aw, Tim.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:09

Yeah. He straight up spears one of Isabel's team. Then when Cora's looking at him like, what the fuck? He's just like, uh, I was a backup hunter in my high school football team.

SPEAKER_05 1:03:19

Oh, that was great.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:21

And then he adjusters glasses like how nerds do. Yeah. I honestly hope we never stop having random reveals about Tim or moments where he just steps up on the show because honestly, they've been some of the most consistently entertaining moments this season, and they've only been getting better.

SPEAKER_05 1:03:36

Oh, next time we should do Tim's moment of the week.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:40

Yeah, yeah. Kate's whole arc this season has obviously been nothing short of amazing. I think the whole reveal that she has some sort of connection to Titan X and presumably can connect with other Titans as well, has been probably my favorite bit of character development. And it's great that by the finale, she seems to at least have some basic control over that ability.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:03

I'm really looking forward to how that progresses through the next season, especially with Isabel taking more of the fully scientific approach to dealing with Titans. Between the two of them, like, what's going to decide which one works better? Or is this just going to be one of those times where we find out maybe they need to take more of a balanced approach at the end? Oh, that's kind of interesting, or I'm looking forward to that. Uh, I think the only thing that I have some slight criticism about is the whole situation with Keiko and how she's reacted to this knowledge that Lee was also an Axis Mundy at the time she was and potentially could have rescued her earlier. Uh, I think if the acting weren't as good as it is on the show, I'd probably feel like these moments were kind of cheesy and maybe slightly uncharacteristic of Keiko. I mean, she's married to Bill, who you have to admit has been kind of objective and a bit emotionally oblivious.

SPEAKER_05 1:05:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:02

So I assume that she'd maybe react a bit less emotionally than she actually did when she realized Lee could have rescued her earlier. I ended up kind of backpedaling on this though later on because I was like, okay, I guess she might expect Lee to act more emotionally than Bill at least.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:21

Oh, that's true.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:22

But I still gotta point out that Bill did at least initially leave the two of them for that gig with his dad before he eventually returned. So, I mean, even if he doesn't follow through with it, I think he at least is initially improved by duty.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:38

Right.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:42

Well, I think I tried to justify Kantaro's p position when we recapped the last episode. I want to say I completely agree with you now that this dude is an idiot. Like, even if he believes that the science somewhat supports the theory that he could retrieve. His dad from the past. Aside from his personal benefit of being able to spend more time with him, I just think it's wild that he believes this won't result in some negative consequences, even if it's a result of maybe some other person eventually leveraging that same Access Mundy portal for their own personal benefit and messing up somehow.

SPEAKER_05 1:06:23

Yeah, if he just like spent, I don't know, half of the season, it feels like, telling Kate in trying to save Shaw, she made a mistake that she never should have not. Yeah. He wants to be the hero, too, I bet.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:06:47

He feels left out, I think, in the gang.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:49

For sure. And then the last thing was I think the time jump ahead at the end with Lee was cool. Like we know he's not really a desk job guy.

unknown 1:06:59

Oh no.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:00

So it's cool that it's it seems like the new monarch has him out in the field, so to speak. And obviously the reveal of Rodan just kicking it on top of an active volcano. Like it's at some hot spring spa was pretty awesome. You know, it was literally just relaxing. So I thought that was pretty hilarious. Yeah, and that's a great way to I think cap off a season finale. Overall, I agree with you. Writing may not have been up there, but I think it served its purpose as a season finale to like recap everything and try to establish and remind to you know keep these things in our mind until we see the next season. So yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:07:43

Cool. All right. Well, that's a wrap for this season of uh Monarch Colon Legacy of Monsters. What do we have going on with our our friend Daredevil?

SPEAKER_01 1:07:54

I don't know, let's find out.

TV Episode Recap: Daredevil: Born Again - S2E8 (Season Finale) - "The Southern Cross"

SPEAKER_01 1:07:58

Moving on to Daredevil, Born Again. We are also on the season finale for this. It's episode eight, titled The Southern Cross. The season two finale opens by deliberately misleading the audience. Karen Page imagines a peaceful future, a life where the violence, fear, and masks are gone. This fantasy abruptly dissolves into reality as she sits on trial in a New York courtroom accused of aiding vigilante activity. Matt Murdoch is notably absent, still being stitched up by Jessica Jones after the events of the previous episode. With Matt delayed, Kristen leads the defense while Heather testifies as a psychological expert for the prosecution. Heather characterizes Karen as obsessive, emotionally unstable, and dangerously dependent on Daredevil, strongly implying that she should be institutionalized. Matt finally arrives, bloodied, limping, but sharp. He immediately steps in before even taking his seat. And he and Kirsten dismantle Heather's credibility by attacking her fixation on masks and identities, arguing that power structures can hide behind legality just as easily as vigilantes hide behind costumes. The implication's clear. Heather's not objective, but rather projecting her fears, which has led her to align herself with Fisk. While the trial unfolds, we cut to Bullseye, setting up a sniper rifle in a building across from the courthouse. However, we soon see an AVTF officer walk right behind him without any reaction and realize this is likely just a setup to frame bullseye for an attempted assassination. Back at the courthouse, Fisk enters, followed by a team of AVTF officers and driven by ego, testifies in his own defense. When we revisit the AVTF agents, we see that they and the Bullseye decoy uh have been eliminated in brutal silence as the real bullseye replaces them and prepares to assassinate Fisk. On the stand, Fisk paints himself as the city's savior, blaming vigilantes for deaths, instability, and the breakdown of order. But Matt counters with devastating precision. Fisk claims Daredevil destroyed the Northern Star while Matt attempts to introduce the recorded testimony with Chris Stofi, the first mate of the ship. As this happens, Fisk privately threatens Matt, whispering so only his augmented hearing can hear him, promising total destruction of the evidence is shown, but Matt proceeds anyway and is eventually allowed to introduce the recording, revealing that Fisk orchestrated the illegal weapon shipment and then ordered the ship scuttled to erase evidence.

SPEAKER_05 1:10:44

I love the word scuttle. Okay, continue.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:50

The trial becomes a chess match. Though there's noticeable uproar in the courtroom over the recording, the DA immediately moves to have the evidence dismissed as it hasn't been corroborated by anyone who was actually on the Northern Star at the time of the incident. Soon after, we see Jessica Jones enter the courtroom along with the governor alive thanks to Bullseye. And things come to a head with Matt on the record stepping forward to corroborate the evidence, revealing to the public that he's Daredevil.

unknown 1:11:22

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:23

Since it's obvious most in the courtroom, including the DA, don't believe this confession from a blind lawyer. Uh, Matt proves it by throwing his cane, revealing it as Daredevil's Billy Club, and catching it flawlessly after it ricochets around the courtroom, removing any doubt. The legal fallout is immediate. Karen's case is dismissed as the court can no longer substantiate her role without prosecuting Daredevil himself. And the governor informs Fisk that the attorney general has filed charges against him for racketeering, smuggling, corruption, and the attempted assassination of a government official. As a result, his accounts have been frozen and Red Hook is now under government control. As Fisk exits the courthouse amid protests, bullseye fires. The shot nearly kills Fisk, but Buck intervenes at the last second, taking the bullet instead. AVTF flood the area and the courthouse is locked down. Fisk takes to the airwaves appearing on camera from the courthouse, addressing the public to continue the fight against vigilantes as panic ripples through the city. In response, we see a new Mayor Kingpin video where BB reveals herself as the one behind the videos, encouraging residents to fight back. Fisk sends AVTF to defend the courthouse, but outside we see the crowd grow and eventually a moment of infighting between AVTF officers Powell and North leads to North allowing them in. Inside the courtroom, Fisk continues to fight, even with Sheila presenting the AG's deal to not prosecute, as long as he renounces his citizenship and goes into exile. Fisk snaps, barging out of the courtroom. Surrounded by protesters, he violently assaults them, unable to control his rage, as Daredevil, Jessica, and Angela donning her uncle White Tiger's amulet, take out the AVTF agents throughout the courthouse in their pursuit of Fisk. Matt confronts Fisk again, this time unmasked, arguing that every step they've taken has only accelerated the city's destruction. For the first time in two seasons, Fisk finally listens, agreeing to accept the DA's off. The season closes with a bittersweet montage of moments following the aftermath. Matt is arrested and imprisoned, having sacrificed his secret identity as Fisk as apparently being held at the same prison as the AVTF officer during their time. Jessica Jones reunites with Luke Cage after a covert overseas mission hinting at a defender's reunion. BB accepts a job as a reporter at the Bulletin, continuing at the newspaper her uncle Ben worked at. We see Dex on a flight with Mr. Charles that he's now working for Valentina. Heather finally puts on Muse's mask, seeing only a reflection of her own face smirking back at her, foreshadowing her turn to the new version of that character.

SPEAKER_03 1:14:33

That's cool.

SPEAKER_01 1:14:35

And uh most importantly, Fisk has left New York fleeing to an unknown sunny refuge, his reign over the city, truly over. Yeah, so what did you think?

SPEAKER_05 1:14:49

I liked it. Yeah, I thought I thought this was uh an awesome finale. The episode was kind of a wild ride, but I think it did a great job of wrapping up storylines and setting us up for an interesting third season. Yes. Plus, this episode looked so good. I think it might be one of the best looking episodes of the season. The cinematography is incredible. There's this uh low angle that they shoot from when Fisk walks into the courtroom in that white suit and it makes him look gigantic. I noticed there were lens flares all over this episode, and they seemed really intentional. Like I noticed earlier when there's some around Heather, they're orange and blue. But when we see Fisk with them, they're red, obviously crying into blood and violence. Then later, there's an overhead shot of the crowd outside the courthouse where everyone's wearing red masks and it just turns into this sea of red. And I just thought it was gorgeous. And it feels heightened and symbolic in a way that reminds me comic book stories can look cooler than normal action movies when they really commit to the style and do it intentionally. So loved that. I also thought there was some cool sound design in this. There's one moment that really stuck out to me when the task force enters the courtroom while Fisk is testifying, all the sound drops off. Like you can't hear anything. And then suddenly you hear just some very quiet whispers, and it makes the whole room feel really panicked, which I thought was fantastic. And I think the episode does not just showing big crazy stuff, it's making you feel it, feel how destabilizing things are with these cool little touches. I also think this episode finally figured out how to use phones and cameras and live stream in a way that felt yeah, it was a little better. Real, a little more real. Earlier in the season and in last season, BB's videos felt a little gimmicky to me. Like, look, social media exists. But here, I think it actually works because just like happens in real life, when shit goes down, everyone has their camera out. And the whole city feels like it's watching a historic event take place. So, of course, people would have their cameras out. And there's all these shots where you're looking, you're seeing the action through a camera. Like there's one where Fisk gives his televised speech after the shooting and everything goes down. And in focus, you see Fisk through the viewfinder of the camera. But in the background, where the real Fisk is, you see it's it's all blurred out. And they also do a lot of stuff like that through cell phones and what would be TikTok footage if it was real life, when the city sort of erupts and people start taking to the street. So I thought that was really cool. I think that this whole episode is uh really about identity. Um, you've got Fisk sort of revealing his true self, his brutality. You've got Matt revealing himself, his real identity as Daredevil. So they're revealing their secret selves. And then you've got all this stuff with Heather. Her whole speech about how the vigilante mask is actually the person's real self and the normal identity as a disguise is interesting. And I think it really plays out in the way that both Fisk and Daredevil are sort of unmasked as their true selves. And I love also that during that scene, while Heather's talking about it on the stand, Matt turns it back around on her because she's clearly losing it in this episode. Like she's been losing it all season. But in this episode, I was just Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:18:54

She's breaking in public, and I think that's like her and Fisk this episode.

SPEAKER_05 1:18:59

Now, this is maybe a bit of an aside, but I was sort of cracking up how when the city sort of takes to the streets, I was like, whoa, everyone's already got Daredevil masks. Like everyone was ready. And I feel like, you know what the thing is, is people love a costume. I think that's the funny thing about superhero media. It's just that people loved an excuse to wear costumes. And as a costume person, I appreciate it. Like, no wonder their their mask vigilantes are popular. You get to wear a cool outfit, you have a theme. You get to wear it.

SPEAKER_01 1:19:35

Either that or Hollywood definitely likes to tell us that people love to like gather and wear masks.

SPEAKER_05 1:19:41

You know why? Because drama people love it, and they're the way that could be it. Yeah, it's like professional wrestling mixed with morality, basically. Like, well, I don't know, guys. My special interest is birds. I guess I'm gonna be cockatoo man now. Like it's it's wild, but it's just sort of fun in this show because it's such a serious show in a way. But every once in a while I just get little like, look at this silliness. But oh man, okay, Fisk terrifying in this episode, like physically, really cool work. The scenes of him just absolutely destroying people. Some of those people died. There's no way they all live. And they're just normal New Yorkers. And seeing him covered in blood, I liked that also. You know, I watch a lot of action movies, so it became a bit of a blood connoisseur. I feel like the blood on his suit, the way it was really dark, was terrible.

SPEAKER_03 1:20:40

Because it's dried.

SPEAKER_05 1:20:42

Exactly. Too long because you're like, oh, he's been fighting long enough that the blood has dried and he's still keeping going. I thought that was cool. But yeah, he feels almost like a horror movie villain at the end. Yeah. And then I also think it's cool how there's other moments like when he starts talking too long in court, and suddenly I'm like, okay, this is a guy giving a dramatic TED talk about the power of institutions. There are moments where I was genuinely intimidated by him, but then there's moments where I'm like, guy, wrap it up. And I think that contradiction kind of makes it interesting because the show sometimes uses his theatricality as a menace, but sometimes does it to make him look ridiculous.

SPEAKER_01 1:21:28

I feel like uh they were really good with writing the dialogue in a way where it was very nuanced, and how you could tell he was very rehearsed as far as how he presented himself in court, but that was very limited. Like that can only prepare you so much. So at a certain point, once that's exhausted, is when he starts to break, and then Matt seems to be able to get to him a little bit more. I thought that was a really cool detail to add to that.

SPEAKER_05 1:22:04

Well, yeah, and it makes sense because he's someone who felt very vulnerable as a child, and who, as he grew older, I think everything he did is to protect himself and to appear stronger and bigger to intimidate people. So he has people doing his work for him. He has his whole setup, his whole life is about him not having to face confrontation, not be questioned in that way. And so, and when he does, he explodes in violence, and you can't do that in public. So I thought that was really smart of Matt to bring him there and to do the reveal. So that was cool, and I mean the courtroom stuff is great. Oh, but before I get into it, Vincent D'Nofro is such a good actor. I was thinking about him like, why doesn't he have an Oscar?

SPEAKER_01 1:22:56

I don't know. I really think he always does a good job at Pingpin, mostly because he plays the character in a way that he's not invincible. Like you can see the cracks. And I don't think that comes through as much for the comic book examples for most of what's happening. I mean, there are certain stories, obviously, will you still see that, but usually those are longer story arcs. But if we're talking just a one-off story, Kingpin is typically not the type of guy who shows any sort of vulnerability. So I thought that was really interesting how, especially in the show, not just this season, but the character in general, been played in that way. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:23:41

Yeah, I loved it. And the courtroom stuff, uh, it was my favorite in the episode. Like Matt calling Fisk to the stand is great. Daredevil looking confident while he hears Fisk's heart race when he gets on the stand. Fisk knowingly whispering to Matt, who's in the other room in the judge's quarters, and that was so cool. And Matt's whole strategy is basically forcing the court to confront how broken the system is. He keeps hammering on the fact that all the evidence originates from people in Fisk's control, including the court. And the cops work for Fisk, the prosecutors work for Fisk. The whole court is compromised. So when Matt finally reveals he's Daredevil, it really lands because, like a good lawyer, he has set things up. He's really set the stage for his main argument and blows up basically the whole system in public. Also, the cane throw and catch, very good. I loved it. And then the second half, yeah, it's just chaos, man.

SPEAKER_03 1:24:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:24:46

Although some of it hit me emotionally in a way I didn't expect. Because normally movie violence doesn't affect me very much. I could watch Johnson.

SPEAKER_01 1:24:57

And they're getting beaned by this like girly guy who has near superhuman level of strength. I don't think we've established that he has actually any powers or anything in the MCU, but I mean, he's still definitely overpowering most people.

SPEAKER_05 1:25:13

Absolutely. Yeah, that's exactly what I was thinking. It feels different because it's civilians just panicking and running for their lives, like after Bullseye takes the shot at Fisk. And that feels really real. Like in this country, we've seen a lot of scenes of terrified people, innocent people running from gunfire. And it's so alarming for me to see, even when it's encased in a comic book TV show with superheroes. It's still something that feels really raw. And I think the episode keeps riding that uncomfortable line where the visuals are exciting and cinematic, but it actually the situation's really horrifying, especially when the city starts splitting into sides with the crowd outside the courthouse. It starts feeling less superhero uprising and more like a political and volatile. There are some moments where I was like, hmm, okay. People rushing into a government building. That hits a little too close to home here.

SPEAKER_01 1:26:20

I think Disney is having fun poking. Especially with all the bullshit that they had to deal with, with like Florida government. Let's just say that. Oh my god.

SPEAKER_05 1:26:31

Yes. But yeah, it that was really interesting. And I was like, oh damn. Am I siding with the people storming? I don't like that. I really felt that dichotomy. But at the same time, visually was all great. The whole thing with the the crowd in red was awesome. Daredevil and Jessica fighting through the red-lit hallway. Holy shit. Yes. Uh, and I have to insert an obligatory Jessica Jones is my hero comment. I love her. She's the best. Um, and honestly, the Daredevil Jessica hallway fight is my favorite action, probably. Fighting, the movement. Jessica just like casually fighting people while Matt's in front of her, literally bouncing off of walls. That was very cool. And uh the ending itself surprised me because I really thought they were gonna kill someone important. I was super about it.

SPEAKER_01 1:27:25

They were I think they tried to give us a misdirect with Buck for a moment there. Yes, they did. So yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:27:31

And and I just noticed like about halfway through the episode, I was like, uh oh, things are going too well here. And I was bracing for like, is Karen gonna go? Oh no, is Jessica gonna go? I was freaked. But yeah, instead the finale goes smaller in a in a cool way, it sort of winds down at the end rather than sort of exploding it in action at the end.

SPEAKER_00 1:27:55

Yeah. No, they do a good aftermath kind of they do follow up.

SPEAKER_05 1:27:59

Yeah, because it's It's like Matt wins technically, but he also completely destroys his own life in the process. I think that that's the right ending without the only way for him to save the city, really. It is. And and then it ties into a lot of those scenes we've seen with him and Foggie throughout the season. Where like we've talked about this um previous episodes, Matt seemed like someone who his sense of justice is based on an obligation initially, like he's obligated by God to do things a certain way. Whereas Foggy sort of responded his uh way of doing things by going through his emotions and connecting with people. And I think here we see Matt sort of really do a very selfless thing purely out of his own intellect, his own emotion. It's not fully driven by his sort of structured view of faith. So I I could be uh reading too much into that, but I probably am. But I thought it was interesting. It felt like he had a uh breakthrough moment, you know. Um and then I liked the final scene with Karen a lot, them talking about maybe trying to have a normal life right before the police arrive. It's simple, but it works because both of them know that normal probably wasn't possible.

SPEAKER_03 1:29:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:29:28

Side note, I was happy to see the famous uh Indian restaurant. I think it's Panna 2 Garden, I think that's what it is, that they went to. I actually went to that restaurant 20 years ago with a friend when he was in college, and it was such a magical experience. The whole place is covered in these like twinkle lights, and it's so cool. But yeah, overall, I think the finale succeeds. So it embraces the contradictions at the center of Daredevil, stylish, kind of ridiculous sometimes, emotional. Yeah, even BB's final video made me feel for Daniel, believe it or not. So you know they did a good job of wrapping things up because I never really liked him. But I'm like, oh, Daniel. So yeah, I thought it was great. What'd you think, Sush?

SPEAKER_01 1:30:16

So while I might have been a bit off on my prediction for the monarch season finale, I'm glad that I was fairly on the mark for Daredevil. Uh I honestly couldn't have asked for more than what we got. The only exception being that I really was expecting some kind of setup for the upcoming Punisher special on Disney Plus.

SPEAKER_05 1:30:38

Oh, yeah, that's right.

SPEAKER_01 1:30:40

Yeah, or maybe some Spider-Man brand new day connective material. But both of those are coming up soon, so I guess I'll just try to be patient.

SPEAKER_04 1:30:52

You can do it.

SPEAKER_01 1:30:53

Yeah, gonna happen sooner than I realize. I was kind of on the fence as to whether or not I thought Matt would reveal his identity to the public. But I suppose it just worked with how the case unfolded. So I think I was ultimately okay with that. Uh plus, given how MCU characters live in a universe where it's a bit more rooted in reality than the comics. And there's plenty of examples of characters not really having the level of secret identity or one at all compared to their character in the comics. Uh, I suppose it makes more sense than continuing to try to keep his identity a secret.

SPEAKER_05 1:31:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:31:35

The whole thing with the AVTF framing Bullseye kind of caught me off guard.

SPEAKER_04 1:31:39

Oh, yeah. I wasn't expecting that.

SPEAKER_01 1:31:41

I thought it was like interesting, though. Yeah, I vaguely remember Fisk talking to Buck like right before it happened. I know they met for a moment and Buck was giving him the update on the situation with Daniel, but I don't recall it being discussed at all. This uh framing thing, though it might have been inferred, but I I honestly don't even remember seeing anything that made me think that it was going to happen. Regardless, I thought it was a cool surprise, and if nothing else, it gave a reason to bullseye to like get a few kills in during this episode.

SPEAKER_02 1:32:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:32:17

Which is always exciting to see. I think they always shoot his action really well. The sound is always on point, too. So yeah, it was nice to see that, even if it did seem kind of just tucked in there. Man, Fiskus like attacking random civilians throughout the courthouse near the end of the episode. That was nuts. Uh like this man has clearly lost it. Yeah. If knowing his own freakish strength, he's just going after normal people now.

SPEAKER_05 1:32:47

That was nuts.

SPEAKER_01 1:32:49

Yeah, I really did like the lead up though, to where Matt and him are finally face to face at the end of everything, and the guy just finally gives up. I think that it was great to just show how exhausted this probably is.

SPEAKER_05 1:33:03

Right. Yeah, he's gotta be.

SPEAKER_01 1:33:05

You know, it's like Vanessa died. He tried to mount this serious campaign to soldier on with his plan, but it didn't pan out, you know? And so now he's just finally giving in. So yeah, I thought that was a good thing for him to feel, probably for his own benefit at this point. I'm really looking forward to all that comes uh from the teases that we got, specifically Luke Cage and the defenders probably getting back together. Actually, I'm pretty sure of that because as I was telling Ashley this morning, Finn Jones apparently is returning his iron fist. There's been pictures. I think on his Instagram he's been uploading of him like training and getting ready for the part again. And he looks really cut this time. Not like he wasn't last time, but definitely I feel more confident in him this time around.

SPEAKER_05 1:33:54

I didn't blame him at all. I think he just didn't give enough.

SPEAKER_01 1:33:58

No, I'm not saying that he did anything wrong, but I think that's a good thing.

SPEAKER_05 1:34:00

No, I know, but I I'm saying I I feel like um he got a bad rap for that, but it was disappointing, so it's cool that they're putting in the work this time.

SPEAKER_01 1:34:09

Yeah, actually, I do feel like the few moments where it felt like it was a slight tease with him and Luke Cage for Heroes and Books for Higher stuff, like from the comics. I thought that was really cool. And it works because Luke is lower confident and relaxed, and like Danny Rand, meanwhile, has been living in a temple for years. And you know, Asians are really strict. I think I have firsthand knowledge of that, but but yeah, looking forward to all that stuff uh decks joining whatever Valentina and Mr. Charles are involved in next. I really hope is it's that Dark Avengers rumor or the theory that I posed last week. You should check out last week's episode if you didn't hear. Oh, also Heather is the new Muse. Yeah. And yeah, whatever the hell ends up happening with Fisk, mostly because I've seen some photos of Vincent D'Nafrio, presumably, has like been months after all this happens where he's been seen rocking a long beard.

SPEAKER_05 1:35:16

Oh, interesting.

SPEAKER_01 1:35:17

Yeah, he's like wearing a beanie and has a long beard and looks like he's just walking around New York. So it may be something in the Punisher special, or maybe even Spider-Man coming up. So that would be yeah, or it could just be a complete misdirect because it's Marvel.

SPEAKER_05 1:35:32

So gift an offrio and Oscar. I'm gonna start a campaign.

SPEAKER_01 1:35:36

But yeah, I don't really have much else to say because I was jumping in more than usual, I think, during your thoughts. Uh overall, this was a finale where we could predict most of the events, and given there's at least clues as to what would happen through the upcoming Punisher and Spider-Man stuff based on the trailers for those.

SPEAKER_04 1:35:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:35:56

Uh but it was still really satisfying given that we got a good sampling of the best of what's made this season great.

SPEAKER_05 1:36:03

Totally.

SPEAKER_01 1:36:04

But we we got the emotional character moments, courtroom drama, citizens fighting back against Fisk's reign over the city, and all that great cinematography and stunt work from all the moments of physical action on the show. But yeah, I'm really just interested in seeing where the show goes, given how much more connected this season felt than pretty much any of the other Marvel Studios TV shows before it, uh, including even earlier seasons of the same show, or even the Netflix show before it. So, yeah. With how connected all this stuff is, yeah, it's really exciting. And I hope this isn't a spoiler because it's a bunch of people have been talking about it, but it's clear that they kind of just scrub Daredevil out of parts of the Spider-Man trailer.

SPEAKER_04 1:36:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:36:52

You look at the shots, you can kind of tell where hey, maybe that looks like somebody should have been in that area right there, maybe. Yeah, so you could probably figure it out if you kind of stare at the trailer a few times. So yeah. Awesome. Daredevil.

SPEAKER_05 1:37:08

Farewell, Daredevil. Farewell, see you next time. That's right.

What We're Watching Next

SPEAKER_01 1:37:17

Hey, Ashley.

SPEAKER_05 1:37:18

Yeah?

SPEAKER_01 1:37:19

Yeah, what are we watching next?

SPEAKER_05 1:37:21

Well, we're watching two movies that are so similar, you won't believe it. Mortal Kombat 2.

SPEAKER_03 1:37:31

The Sheep Detective.

SPEAKER_04 1:37:39

And a mystery movie.

SPEAKER_05 1:37:44

I can't wait to hear that song.

SPEAKER_01 1:37:46

TV, we're doing absolutely nothing because we're on a break for TV.

SPEAKER_05 1:37:49

That's right!

SPEAKER_04 1:37:50

We're on a TV vacation.

SPEAKER_01 1:37:53

Yep. So either we're going to be reviewing extra movies or gonna have some special segments to fill in until we return with other TV on May 29th, which will be with Spider Noir.

SPEAKER_05 1:38:07

Yay!

Outro

SPEAKER_05 1:38:10

Thank you guys for listening. We really appreciate it. And we hope you're having a lovely day.

SPEAKER_01 1:38:17

Yeah, and just want to remind everybody to subscribe, rate, and review. Uh especially because I need some encouragement to get me through this lull of not having TV.

SPEAKER_05 1:38:31

Oh, yes. You'll need consolation.

SPEAKER_01 1:38:34

Yeah, you know, follow us on social media. Uh, hit us up on TikTok, Instagram, or Facebook, and you can talk to me and make me feel not as lonely.

SPEAKER_05 1:38:44

He's so lonely without his daredevil and his monsters.

SPEAKER_01 1:38:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:38:49

It'll be okay though. We can make it through together.

SPEAKER_01 1:38:51

But yeah, thank you very much for listening. And we will catch you guys next week.

SPEAKER_04 1:38:57

Yay! Bye.