Intro

SPEAKER_03 0:00

What up, party people?

SPEAKER_05 0:01

This week we're launching into Statham Tember, our month-long celebration of Jason Statham, with a discussion of the transporter. Then getting back to our regularly scheduled programming with the new movie Coyote versus Acme.

SPEAKER_03 0:17

And for TV, we'll be discussing Silo, Season 3, Episode 9, Farewell, and Lanterns, episode 3, Outcast.

SPEAKER_05 0:28

Anyway, let's do like Statham and Kick It. This is We Should Watch. Watch that episode 233. Is that the number that Jim Carrie was possessed with in that movie?

SPEAKER_01 0:48

I don't know.

STATHAMTEMBER Intro

SPEAKER_05 0:56

Oi! Gather around! Okay, I'm gonna drop that. But gather around because we're about to dive into Stacem Timber, our month-long celebration of the one, the only, the gritty, the Britty, Jason Statham. Join us every week this month as we deep dive into the man, the miss, the legend. So let's fucking go.

STATHAMTEMBER Featured Movie Review & Discussion: The Transporter (w/ spoilers)

SPEAKER_05 2:13

But what you may not know is that the transporter wasn't just his first starring vehicle. It was basically designed to make him a movie star. The transporter was written by Luke Bassan and Robert Mark Common, who had previously written the fifth element together. And according to Common, Bassan had such a miserable time working with Bruce Willis on that movie that afterward he told him, we just have to create our own movie stars. In Common's words, that's what we did with the transporter. We created Jason. End quote. We just love that. We created Jason, which is insane because Jason Statham was not, quote, Jason Statham yet. Before acting, Statham had been a competitive diver. He'd model, been in music videos famously. He was a street merchant as well. And then Guy Richie cast him in Lockstock and Two Smoking Barrels, followed by Snatch. And you start to get the Statham persona, the fast talking, intimidating, incredibly charismatic badass. But he still wasn't an action guy at that point. Then came the transporter, his first leading role. They basically go, Okay, we're gonna build a whole action movie around this dude. He's a movie star now.

SPEAKER_03 3:37

Yeah, that's probably what I remember most about seeing this movie for the first time. But I mainly knew dude from guy Richie movies. I mean, I also remember him being in the one with Jet Lee. Yeah, and I swore he had fight scenes in it, but checking the interwebs, that wasn't the case, actually.

SPEAKER_04 3:56

Oh, no kidding. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 3:57

Like you were saying, this was basically the movie that turned him from that into a kickboxing action star. And it was crazy to think back and even do a little research to realize how unexpected that was. Not just to me, but even people in the movie business. I came across a variety article mentioning this movie like a year before it came out. They were expecting some kind of drama with Jason Statham as a Bruce Willis type role, which I kind of, but seeing the movie, that's definitely not what we ended up getting.

SPEAKER_05 4:33

I know. Well, it's funny. I think when he speaks about his inspirations, it's less Bruce Willis, more Bruce Lee. Actually, speaking of Hong Kong film, I think another piece of what makes Jason who he became is his collaboration in um this movie with Corey Un. Yoon had directed the transporter, well, co-directed, and choreographed the action. This also is not just your regular stunt action guy. He grew up training in the Peking opera with Jackie Chan and Sam Ohang. So this guy was a lifer in the industry. Turns out Statham already knew him because they'd worked together actually on the one, and later said that working with Yoon on that movie was instrumental in getting him the transporter. This movie he puts in serious time with the action team, basically building the physical language of Jason Statham as an action star. You can feel Yoon's influence over all these things. These aren't just fights where Statham punches a bunch of guys. Okay. They are constantly using the environment and whatever happens to be lying around. At one point, this man is fighting people with bicycle pedals. We'll get to that. But back to the movie, uh, the character he plays is Frank Martin, an elite driver for hire in the south of France who operates by three rules never change the deal, no names, and never look in the package. Frank really does feel like this prototype for Jason Statham. We're probably gonna see a lot more of this persona this month. He's very precise. He's incredibly competent. You know, nice house, nice car, classic music, driving gloves, everything has a place. There's a lot of those things that come up over and over. But underneath is a man, okay, he could beat someone to death no matter what happens with whatever is in his vicinity. So no matter how put together and uh proper he can be, or no matter how badass he is, you just know that something's gonna go down. Obviously, he takes a job where he has to break all his three rules, where the package turns out to be a person lie played by Shu Chi. And that's basically what you need to know about the plot because for Statham Timber, the biggest question is did they actually do it here? Did the transporter create Jason Statham as he is? And how does it fit amongst his? Oh my god, I always pronounce this wrong. Ooh. I don't know if I'm saying the French word for work of art throughout a career or eggs there, but it's one or the other. So, Sush, what'd you think of the transporter?

SPEAKER_03 7:20

Well, I didn't see the transporter during its initial theatrical release because it was what I remember pretty small. But I remember finding out about the movies somehow, renting it on DVD, and immediately wondered why we weren't getting more movies like this in the U.S. Yeah. I was pretty heavily into martial arts films around that time, too, since my friend Phil tried to do a monthly agent film night at his place where we'd watch everything from martial arts movies to East Asian films like Battle Royale that became cult classics. Uh I didn't really start going to see movies premiere weekend at theaters until maybe 2005. Uh up until then, I probably watched less of the popular movie that made it into theaters. Since if you remember back then it took a lot longer for those releases to reach Blockbuster or the local video rental market, which is what I pretty much depended on for movies at the time. And they'd always be out of whatever the hot release was. So yeah, you know, I'd have to compromise and see something that I wasn't as eager to see in order to keep up with everyone else. A clerk I was friends with at my local blockbuster, who just a side right here, uh I called him Edward Norton because dude was the spitting image of Edward Norton.

SPEAKER_05 8:49

Oh wow. Maybe it was method undercover research.

SPEAKER_03 8:54

Other than that, he was really knowledgeable about movies in general. I think it was a little bit overkill for a Blockbuster employee, but as a customer, I was really happy that he was there. So I'm glad that this movie came out when it did because coincided with the time where I wasn't as hell bent on seeing every new movie that came out in the theater like I am now. Uh also led me to checking out some other French action films, just being more open to or at least keeping an ear out for international films from regions other than East Asia.

SPEAKER_04 9:28

That's cool.

SPEAKER_03 9:29

But I really need to start talking about the actual movie. I just remember, even the first time seeing this movie, it seemed to be jam-packed with action. Yeah. And totally not expecting any of the martial arts or kickboxing stuff from Mason going into this, I think was really what made this movie stand out. I was trying to think of how often we had action movies around that time that were driven by leads that utilize both combat sports and firearms in their arsenal, forgetting how huge the trend of that was around the late 90s, for this to not get lost in the mix with everything else at that time. Beyond that, I remember how much I loved the consistent, almost unrelenting taste and some of the more Ictane actions with Statham's trademark fighting style that incorporates Wing Chung strikes, which provide opportunities for these quick pauses that I associate with this style a lot. I think they help both to add a little splash of style, definitely drama, and also kind of keep it from becoming too overwhelming when there's so much stuff going on. Yeah. It's almost like balancing out the pace of things.

SPEAKER_05 10:49

It gives you a moment to cheer in the through the crowd. There's like a nice moment where he did a crazy move and he's like, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 10:56

Oh yeah. But as much as I really do love this movie because of how much I think it influenced my at-home viewing from then on, it's also important that I mention this isn't by any means a perfect movie.

SPEAKER_07 11:11

Oh god, no.

SPEAKER_03 11:12

Even a perfect action movie. I mean, the music wasn't great. Oh boy. There's some French rap. Some of the score sounds silly or wonky. I'm not really sure if it was intentionally produced that way, but it almost reminded me of how bad some of the music in the original Fast and Furious movie that came out a year before this was. Except the music in this movie was French too.

SPEAKER_05 11:36

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_03 11:37

So not only do I have to deal with bad music, I have to deal with bad music I can't understand.

SPEAKER_05 11:44

Devil's Advocate, there are now many wonderful French artists that I love. But in 2002, woof.

SPEAKER_03 11:50

Yeah. And the story isn't great either, apart from maybe his character, Frank Martin, having this occupation as a driver for hire. I mean, it's already ahead of a lot of action movies, given that this character actually has a set of rules, rounds that he works within, especially at the time this first came out. I feel like having that element could reasonably keep a movie from going off the rails.

SPEAKER_04 12:15

Yeah, true.

SPEAKER_03 12:16

Oh, it does for this movie. It's almost like the start of what I felt can only be described as commitment to the most serious lead characters doing the most absurd stunts and trills in action movies. Yeah. Am I wrong?

SPEAKER_05 12:31

No. No, you are on the money.

SPEAKER_03 12:34

Tell me, Transporter 2 wasn't balls crazy compared to this movie. I'm probably willing to physically fight someone to back up this belief. Like, who knows? That's how sure I am. It's a very extreme comparison.

SPEAKER_05 12:48

Yeah, it's funny to look back because I've probably seen two more than one, and you really feel wow, the the change in scope is insane.

SPEAKER_03 13:00

Right. Getting back to this specific movie though, Francois Berland, who plays Inspector Tarconi. Love him both in this and future Transporter films, given that his character also gets sillier progressively. But man, Shuki is like Juan in this movie. All I can say is she did the best with what they gave her for a character.

SPEAKER_05 13:25

Yeah, I agree. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 13:27

I literally do not remember any character names in this movie outside of Frank Martin, Tarconi in Wall Street. So yeah, very much a vehicle for Statha. Also, while I'm talking about the character Wall Street, uh that ties back to the Fast and Fury. Also played Vince in that movie franchise. Uh he's kind of weird in this movie. I'm not sure if it's down to dubbing for this movie andor just horrible lines. But man, the guy is weird and creepy in this movie.

SPEAKER_05 14:02

Do not like it.

SPEAKER_03 14:03

Yeah. So different from the gruff, tough guy he plays in The Fast and Furious. I often forget that it's the same actor.

SPEAKER_06 14:11

Oh man.

SPEAKER_03 14:12

Sometimes I almost try to convince myself this is his French counterpart, but it's the same dude. Overall, it's great to go back and revisit this movie. Mostly because I often don't reach for this one. Like you were saying. When I think of watching a transporter movie, you know I love crazy shit, so it's gotta be the second one for me. What I didn't realize was how much this movie both kind of influenced my viewing habits of both international action and combination of those two genres of movies from then on. I knew I could always trust East Asian cinema for Green Martial Arts and Stuntson movies, but this opened me up to other French action films and later action films from other countries. Also to see how consistent Statham has been, essentially applying the same mannerisms and characteristics to roles and movies, even some he had a hand in making, and seeing how, as a result, he's basically ensured at least moderate success every time he puts something out, just adhering to this formula is pretty amazing. I know there's other people who do that, but he's definitely one of the actors that I don't think seem bothered by it. No really benefits from that attitude of like playing the same roles over and over. There's just the comfort in it from just that or to where we take it, where we just find the absurdity in it because it is kind of ridiculous.

SPEAKER_05 15:43

Yeah. It's interesting when you look at his career. He's someone who you wouldn't expect to have such a stable career throughout. Because a lot of the guys who are big action stars in his early career, even his middle career, are now doing direct to video. And that's partly the industry, but I think it's also that he was so committed to low and mid-budget movies. Studios don't fear that they have to put a ton of money into Jason's Statham movie, and he's still okay with him.

SPEAKER_03 16:11

Cool. Moving on to my rating for the movie. So I just wanted to introduce the fun rating system. Oh, yeah. This is a month-long celebration. On a scale of different Statham characters.

SPEAKER_07 16:25

Oh.

SPEAKER_03 16:25

So we got one being the most grounded character, which I would say would be Turkish from the movie Snatch.

SPEAKER_04 16:33

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_03 16:34

And five, we would call uh the maximum Statham level, which would be Chef Cellios. Oh, it's gotta be. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 16:42

Hell yeah, Chef.

SPEAKER_03 16:43

In between for two, Frank Martin and the Transporter. Classic character, a little less grounded, but you can always depend on it. Uh, right in the middle, we got Rick Ford from the movie Spy. Good cross-section between him being serious, but also absurd. Not quite to the level where it's crank silly. He is not aware of how ridiculous he is, but others obviously are.

SPEAKER_04 17:12

Oh, certainly.

SPEAKER_03 17:13

Yeah, and then for four, Jonas Taylor from the Meg.

SPEAKER_04 17:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 17:18

Which we think was good middle ground between his character and spy and his character in Cranks. Yeah. That's how we're gonna do it. Um for my rating, I gave this a four, which would be Jonas Taylor from the Meg. Mostly because it felt so different from a lot of what was being made at the time. But it had the energy and appeal of big budget action film. It just didn't concern itself with needing to do too much, I guess. Yeah. Sometimes it's like how simplistic things are that make them good, especially taking into account Statham's entire filmography now. This is definitely one of the more simple movies that he's been in. Yeah. Very straightforward, easy to follow. Nothing really carries on other than the character to the next movie. But returning viewers are going to be rewarded knowing who some of these people are. Not my favorite state of the movie. I'm hoping that we'll have one picked in the randomizer that will hit that five for me personally. But yeah, Phil 4 is huge, and like I said, very significant movie as far as my movie watching uh from that point on.

SPEAKER_05 18:39

That's awesome.

SPEAKER_03 18:40

And as far as my favorite moment, uh what I would call my state them standout moment, I'd say it was when Frank shows up at Wall Street's place after Dude tries to kill him with a briefcase bomb.

SPEAKER_08 18:53

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_03 18:55

I mean, look. The bat guy walks up to the front door, looks through the peephole just in time to see Frank kicking the fucking door down. Basically, our first taste of how lethal Frank is with both firearms or his bare hands. Yes, literally happens out of nowhere because you have to remember all that happened up until this point. Yeah, you saw some cool driving. So you probably had it in your head. Okay, this is gonna be a movie where the guy's a good driver and shit like that. Nah, man, you got so much more on top of that.

SPEAKER_08 19:28

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 19:28

Um, they got this wonky ass score plan while it's going down. I assume from some French composer or producer, but none of it takes away from how fresh the whole experience is. It's hard to explain, especially if you didn't live through the progression. But I feel like so many of the more popular action movies around that time had gotten into this habit of leaning into superheroes or some other characters that seem so inexplicably overpowered that you can connect them to anything relatable or grounded in realism. Even though I'm not at all claiming that Staplen's characters are completely relatable or grounded, you could see though how an ex-special forces soldier could become a driver for hire, right? Like how you can also explain how an ex-special forces soldier could become a construction manager or beekeeper, and so on. You can connect the dots, and you don't need to come up with a whole new set of rules to make that happen. I'm just gonna end it off there with rules, since this is transporter and all that. And oh my god. But with that Ashley, what kind of impact did transporter have on you?

SPEAKER_05 20:46

Oh my god. Well, I also didn't see it in the theaters. I think I saw it maybe five years after it came out or so. So I already knew about Statham as an action guy. And I think I may have actually seen Transporter 2 first. This is one that I really enjoyed, but one of those things where I did it backwards. I came across this movie after I'd already been inundated with a lot of the things it influenced. It was so cool rewatching this because I remembered the movie being good, but I didn't remember it being this good. Before the rewatch, if you asked me where I'd rank it in the Statham canon, I probably would have said top 20.

SPEAKER_08 21:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 21:29

Now I'm thinking maybe top 10 or maybe even top five.

SPEAKER_03 21:34

We got so fucking spoiled with this type of stuff. Between him and fucking Gerard Butler, we were set like the everyman type stuff that didn't feel too crazy. So we thought this was normal. Then we had to go back and watch Transporter One to find out how crazy it really Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_05 21:54

It's funny because this isn't my preferred statum. I love an unhinged statham. Like give me crank, give me spy, give me lock stock and two smoking barrels, where he's really got a bit of humor going on. This movie reminded me he's very good in precision mode. Yeah, yeah. It's so cool thinking that this was his leading role, because you can already really see what he's gonna become. I mean, he's stoic, but he's still got some warmth. There's wit, the physicality. Oh my god. His kicks, I forgot he could kick that high. Wow.

SPEAKER_08 22:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 22:31

Just so good. And I can really see even just one movie in, even if I didn't know who he'd become, I can see why someone would see him and be like, oh, we can build an action movie franchise around him.

SPEAKER_02 22:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 22:44

It's just really incredible. Although I do think it was funny. The part where he frees Lai's hands, puts a rope around her neck, and is like, okay, you can pee. Just leave this rope around your neck and go in the wheel.

SPEAKER_03 22:58

It's like he's trying to make a leash, but he doesn't realize also she has her hands free, my dude.

SPEAKER_05 23:05

What are you thinking? Then he acts surprised when he gets there and she's gone. Like, damn. But nonetheless, this is a man who can fight. He can outdrive a whole police force. And yeah, he's defeated by hands at one point, but hey, there's a woman involved. But the car chase isn't this. Like the opening one where he lands his BMW on a car transporter, asks for a gun. You think, oh, he's gonna shoot one of the people chasing him. But no, he shoots this mechanism holding the cars into place. So the car in front of him rams into the cops. Then he just gently rolls down and drives away. Like, oh my God, that's so clever. I was thinking about it because you know I'm passionate about action and the stunt arts, but I almost wish there was another word other than choreography, because it feels almost like they're writing, because they're writing jokes, visual jokes, and character moments, and they're setting up problems and giving him clever ways to solve them. And it's just incredible. And I think a good example of that is oh my God, the bus depot fight. Wow. Okay, so it is incredible. Such a good setup. You got Frank fighting between these buses, then he's inside a bus. And of course, he eventually loses his shirt because we need a plausible narrative reason. So he sort of takes it off and ties someone up. Then he fights this big guy, then more guys show up, and then oil. I would not anticipate oil to be the next thing that happens. But oh my god, he kicks over these giant containers and nobody can fucking stand. They're just flopping around and everyone's sliding. At first, Frank can't stand either. So he sort of solved one problem, created another, but then he sees a bicycle, rips the pedals off, straps them onto his feet. Now he's got traction and nobody else does. When you look at it in a narrative way, that's a problem, an escalation, a solution, a joke, a new problem, new solution.

SPEAKER_03 25:20

You want to know what that makes me think of? What? It's almost like Robert Downey Jr. did Sherlock Holmes analyzing, anticipating all the moves, and he's narrating basically what a process is going to be to take out this guy or fight somebody. I feel like uh it's basically just reverse engineering Jason Statham shit.

SPEAKER_05 25:46

Hey, and he's buddies with the director, so it makes sense.

SPEAKER_03 25:50

Like you can already see it in this first movie with him that there are so many connections that led to this happening because he worked with Jet Lee. So, of course, a dude who works heavily with Jet Lee is probably in some talks uh about doing movies, of course. Even though we poke fun at a lot of this stuff, it kind of makes sense that people borrow from each other so much, but not just that, they borrow from movies where the talent is being passed around in the same circles or for the same purpose. It's really interesting.

SPEAKER_05 26:22

Uh yeah, it's so incredible. And just, oh my god, that fight scene. What's wild is after all of that, it's still not over. There's still several more components to what happens. My favorite of which being this motherfucker. A bunch of goons show up and he has to get out of the way. So he just drops to his belly and starts sliding across the road-covered floor like a seal. Woo! Then he grabs the dude as a human shield, crashes through a window into the water. The water's set on fire. He's stuck under the fire. So what's he gotta do? Breathe air out of the dead guy he just killed. It's incredible.

SPEAKER_02 27:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 27:05

I don't care if any of this has any realism. It does compare to two, but it's just so beautifully executed and so cool.

SPEAKER_08 27:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 27:15

Ah, there's such creativity in the physical action. I think that's really what makes it stand out 20 years later. It still just is built on the backs of real skill and artistry. And I think most of the characters hold up as well. I love Inspector Tarconi. He knows Frank is doing shady shit. Frank knows he knows he's doing shady shit, but Tarconi basically seems to have decided eh, this guy generally isn't hurting anyone, and I don't need a help.

SPEAKER_03 27:47

He literally helps him more than he should in the movies following this.

SPEAKER_05 27:51

In this one, he kidnaps himself essentially to get out, you know.

SPEAKER_03 27:55

Frank is in a whole goddamn other country in the next one, right? How is Tarconi doing cop shit in another country to keep other people distracted or something?

SPEAKER_05 28:05

I can't What if it's unrequited love?

SPEAKER_03 28:08

It is like a homie thing. Here, just as an example, this goes beyond the two actors working on this. But dude who plays Tarconi is so committed that he even played Tarconi in the TV show. Damn, man, this guy really loves that role because even when Jason Statham isn't playing it, he's down to do it.

SPEAKER_05 28:27

Oh my god, I love it. I love Shu Chia's Live too. You really spoke to how she's maybe not written the best, no, but as a performer, she's funny, she's spirited, she's got a real little scamp energy.

SPEAKER_03 28:42

But they really just throw that shit out the window once you meet her dad.

SPEAKER_05 28:45

Oh yeah. Her dad's wig is out of control. Yeah. So crispy, but that's a whole other thing. Yeah, I like her character and the way she helps him out. There's some fun little bits. Uh, Wall Street, he's on my shit list. I do not like the character Wall Street. He is so creepy that I genuinely didn't like looking at him. I found his hairdo offensive.

SPEAKER_04 29:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 29:14

And his whole vibe is horrible. Literally, the first time we see him, he's sitting poolside yanking the hair of a woman in a bikini sitting in a pool float. That is who this guy is. But if they wanted to gross me out, if they wanted me to hate this guy, they succeeded. So good, good job, guys. But he ties me to something which is man, this movie has some very 2002 aspects. The music and the gender dynamics. The music, okay, here's what it sounds like first fight scene. It's like this weird, janky, crazy French.

SPEAKER_03 29:55

It's like a synth horns.

SPEAKER_05 30:03

Yeah, it's not a fight scene song.

SPEAKER_03 30:05

Oh my god, it works because you're introduced to so many new things in that scene that you're not even paying attention to how wonky the music is. You're seeing Jason stay at them and violate these dudes. And beyond that, I always point out this is the first movie where I really feel thinking, yeah, man, we really want to show where the trajectory of a bullet is going. So there's a visual line put into the VFF that shows you because one of the things that I will say does annoy me about movies sometimes when you're seeing dudes just unload clips towards a hero type character, and they just completely miss them. It's like how at least this movie draws the lines for you know, fine. He was not in the line. I do love that. Yeah, so just a small, small touch that meant a lot to me.

SPEAKER_05 31:01

Yeah, I will say the soundtrack Save and Grace is uh there is a Nate Dog song, so don't worry. Oh, right, but it totally doesn't work with the moment that it's in no, he is about to hit the woman with a car, but he's teasing her or something, and the music starts playing, or he drives away without her. Something that you're like, that is not romantic. Why does this movie think that's romantic? And that gets me to okay, Frank and Lai. I don't like the uh okay.

SPEAKER_03 31:34

You did like the full trip around the sun and bat.

SPEAKER_05 31:39

Well, no, I don't like some aspects of their dynamic here. Okay, okay. They're a cute couple in the end. At the beginning, like the whole thing about him cutting a hole in her tape so she can suck through a straw. I'm like, bitch, isn't there really that much of a difference between how much noise she would make with a hole in it or the tape not being on, you know? I don't think it's that big a difference.

SPEAKER_03 32:03

Maybe just want to tear the tape off so she doesn't tear her skin off.

SPEAKER_05 32:09

I don't like it. I don't like him using a knife around her mouth. I don't approve of it. Then she's sort of looking up at him and it's just uh weird. He's tossing her around a lot. He starts a fight by literally throwing her at a man. So that's pretty wild. Then you get her suddenly falling in love with him. She spends one night at his house. She looks at some childhood photos and apparently thinks he was a child once. I love him. Then she's making coffee and baking madelids, arranging flowers. Oh my god. And then pretty soon they're consummating this whole weird intense. We almost died together a few times. I guess we're in love now relationship. Like, okay.

SPEAKER_03 32:49

They ruined two beautiful houses in the process, too.

SPEAKER_05 32:53

Oh my god, the houses so beautiful. And it has an elevator that's tasteful. The homes are beautiful, beautiful. Yeah, they are. Yeah, there's just some dynamics there that are not so hot. Um, but I do think they are a cute couple by the end. I mean, who doesn't love a serious partner with a more wacky partner? I know I do, sushi. Um, but getting back to the movie, other than that, the plot is fine. There's that whole human trafficking thing, but I found it a little confusing. I was just more invested in the action, man. Definitely. It's just really cool. I expected this to be more nostalgic, but not as good. That was what I anticipated. But now I appreciate it more than I did when I first saw it. I feel like I can see the craft a lot more. And again, I do love Unhinged Statham, but yeah, I like a serious Statham with a wink, you know? So for my enjoyment score, aka my Statham scale score, I'm gonna give this also a four, Jonas Taylor from the Meg. I think this is a really, really fun movie. I mean, there is not a dull moment. Some of the stuff will make you roll your eyes, but then you're like, eh, it was 20 years ago.

SPEAKER_03 34:16

And then doesn't jump the shark, just fights the shark.

SPEAKER_05 34:20

Yes. Oh, I like that. And my Statham standout of the week has to be the Bus Depot fight, man. Bicycle pedals, oil, human seal, breathing air out of a dead man's lungs. And he did that after I thought the fight was about to end like four times already. It just kept going. Incredible. Um but hey, this is why we're doing Statham Temper, man. Looking back at those classics and finding out, hell yes, Jason Statham, hell yeah. What more can you say?

SPEAKER_03 34:56

Right. I need something crazier though. This one is still too tame. I really hope the randomizer gives us something good next.

SPEAKER_05 35:05

So yeah, I definitely am hoping for a crank. I really love cranks.

SPEAKER_03 35:11

Um not crank, then at least beekeeper.

SPEAKER_05 35:15

Oh, gotta protect the hive. Do you want to close us out with the statum impression, Souche?

SPEAKER_02 35:25

Oh, I got a good Statham quote. It's from Spy.

SPEAKER_01 35:30

Uh oh. I make a habit of doing things that people say I can't do. Walk through fire, waterski blindfolded, take a piano at a late age.

SPEAKER_05 35:42

Oh, okay, and I'm gonna close out on one from the MAG 2. See ya later, chum. So stupid.

NEW Movie Review: Coyote vs. Acme

SPEAKER_05 35:55

Our next movie is Coyote versus Acme, directed by Dave Green, who did Earth to Echo and the second Ninja Turtles reboot movie, Out of the Shadows. This movie is based on an old New Yorker piece where this guy basically wrote up Wiley Coyote's product liability case against Acme like an actual legal complaint.

SPEAKER_02 36:16

Right, right.

SPEAKER_05 36:17

Yeah. And you know the story about this one, right? Because Warner Brothers actually finished the movie back in 2023. It tested great. Then they wrote it off for a tax break. Yep. Yeah, it tested amazing, and they still wrote it off as a tax break instead of releasing it.

SPEAKER_02 36:38

Wonderful.

SPEAKER_05 36:38

Yep. Same thing they did to Batgirl. But in this case, people were really pissed. Cass and crew went public and eventually Ketchup Entertainment bought it off Warner Bros. and finally released it. So after all of that, we finally get to watch this thing. The movie features Will Forte as Wiley's lawyer, John Cena plays Acme's defense attorney, and the famous actor Wiley Coyote, starring himself, is finally taking Acme to court for every defective product that's ever blown up in his face. So what you think, Sush?

SPEAKER_03 37:15

Well, before I even start talking about the movie at all, I just wanted to point out we were just talking about rentals, like DVD rentals from back in the day. I realized that we were still in the days of rentals in the rack. Because shit will be hiding behind Coyote Ugly. What let that sick it a little bit? How many people will stop at Coyote Ugly before they make it to Coyote vs. Acme?

SPEAKER_05 37:45

Oh man, they're gonna have to sell out at Coyote Ugly.

SPEAKER_03 37:48

But I had some awareness surrounding all the drama with Warner Brothers wanting to shelve this movie. Other than that, I didn't really follow the story any further. I honestly never really have been a Looney Tunes fan. At best, I haven't been a fan of the original Space Jam movie. Otherwise, I actually kind of found Looney Tunes to be boring, you know, tiny tunes. That was fun. Oh yeah. I just wasn't a fan of the original Looney Tunes because I associated them as being one of the cartoons that they always had on the most boring of the Antenna TV channels back in the day. Yes.

SPEAKER_05 38:30

I feel like it's what I watched in my grandparents' house or something.

SPEAKER_03 38:33

It's always Looney Tunes or Tom and Jerry. But because of that, I didn't really hear about this movie again until we actually saw the trailer.

SPEAKER_04 38:43

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_03 38:44

My initial impression of the first trailer was that the movie had an interesting premise, of course, and I like that it was the animated live-action crossover movie, since that definitely helps, at least with IPs I don't have personal interest in. Also, I like Will Forte as a comedian and actor. I mean Saw McGruber, which is what we call a maximum Forte movie.

SPEAKER_08 39:09

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 39:11

So that should give you an idea the degree of crazy I'm willing to put up when it comes to his comedy. I mean, even Ashley won't put up with him on a plane in a Tim Robinson sketch.

SPEAKER_05 39:22

Oh my god. It's not even that one, it's the hair stuck under the hair under the van one is is Oh my god.

SPEAKER_03 39:29

I know you have a big problem dealing with it's difficult. But I'm also a John Cena fan. And I think he's one of the funniest when it comes to playing the straight man comedies. So it was a bonus to see that he was a part of this movie too. Still, I don't think I was completely sold on this movie after the first trailer, and I actually had in my head that, you know, given that we'd be the tail end of the summer before schools reopen for the fall and everything, and because I don't really pay attention much to release dates these days, because we see so many movies.

SPEAKER_07 40:08

Right.

SPEAKER_03 40:09

So I usually don't know until maybe the week of. I just assumed that I might have other options that I either ended up wanting to see or already wanted to see and just didn't realize we're on the same weekend. But the second trailer I will say was a bit more appealing to me.

SPEAKER_08 40:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 40:25

A little more John Cena, seemingly less frantic vibe overall than the previous trailer. At that point, still not committed though to seeing it, but penciling it in, I guess I could say. Ultimately, I'm really glad that you seemed to want to see it, since I ended up really enjoying it. No I wasn't really aware of Dave Green or Sammy Birch. Looking into the development of the story, it wasn't surprising to see James Gunn as one of the names involved. This movie seemed to carry his trademark humor that seems to be able to circumvent any difficulty working with established characters, no matter what kind of medium they're from. We obviously know him for doing this with comic book characters, but here he's basically providing the same treatment for classic cartoon characters from Looney Tunes. I was unaware of his involvement before I actually saw the movie, but regardless, that huge obstacle of ensuring that Looney Tunes' heavy moments didn't trigger my boredom I think really went a long way to allowing me to truly enjoy what this movie ended up being. If that didn't happen, I honestly don't know if I would have acknowledged how simultaneously smart and absurd the humor is in this movie. I wouldn't call it a family film per se. Maybe if your family's mostly teens or older, but the movie definitely has heart for a movie that really doesn't need to. Obviously, a lot of the heavy lifting in a movie like this is down to the live action cast. Uh Will Forte is Kevin Avery, the attorney that takes on Wiley Coyote's case. Even though this is definitely one of his more grounded characters, which might seem crazy, taking into account that this movie is part animated. I actually feel like the animated aspect, him and these other live action characters existing in this shared universe is what kind of allows for that. Weirdly. Yeah. John Cena is Buddy Crane, the attorney for Acme. Man, I love Cena in this. I mean, it's not like I don't enjoy him in Peacemaker or anything like that, but I honestly think he's at his best when he's playing a serious character that's played that way for laugh because he's a huge, arguably disproportionate man. So that really begs for people to cast them in movies where they gotta squeeze them into suits or tuxedos. I think it really does work. Lana Condor and Tone Bell were also great as Paige and Sal. I'm not sure if there was anything behind Kevin having a niece who works with him, but I think Lana did a good job. And I do think her character was effective, at least in making him seem more relatable in that movie where he's an attorney for small-time cartoon clients. And Tone Bell, he isn't someone I've seen in a lot of movies or shows personally, but I did enjoy him on the TV show Disjointed on Netflix. So yeah, great to see him in a supporting role in a movie like this. I thought it was really great fit for him. Uh last but not least, nice to also see PJ Byrne as the other Acme attorney and Louise Guzman as the judge who oversees the trial.

SPEAKER_05 43:56

Love him.

SPEAKER_03 43:56

Even though those are really my only cast highlights. While I'm talking about the cast, I just want to say that it was crazy to find out that basically just three people have the voice acting responsibility for all the cartoon characters covered.

SPEAKER_04 44:11

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_03 44:13

Yeah, I think Space Jam had different voice actors for each, if not most of the characters. So that's kind of what I was expecting for this movie, but yeah, mainly just three guys knocking out all that stuff. So amazing work. Last bit, and arguably the most important aspect of a movie like this, the design. I really enjoyed how animation and live action in this movie seemed to be blended so seamlessly. This movie was a lot more active with the animated characters than a lot of movies similar to it that I've seen in the past. They're interacting pretty heavily given the shared universe that they lived in. But even though I feel like I recognized a moment or two where the actors didn't seem as aligned, I guess, with the animated characters they were interacting with, just a lot of smart ways the story integrated with the animated characters and environments that allowed you to forget about any of the imperfections.

SPEAKER_06 45:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 45:11

Sorry if my explanation lacks real detail, but I can't really give any examples because, you know, spoilers. But hey, with as much of a pleasant surprise as this movie ended up being for me, I honestly think anyone interested in seeing this movie for the design is not going to be let down.

SPEAKER_06 45:28

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_03 45:29

Even though you can argue that the cinematography for a movie like this can sometimes be a bit lazy given that a lot of it could just be done in post. I honestly think that this movie has some scenes that at least seem like they'd be challenging either to shoot or to make look convincing, even in post. Again, uh going back to how I'm not at all a fan of Looney Tunes in most cases, beyond the writing and direction, I really feel like the way this movie was shot, or at least framed, I guess, through the different action scenes really helped to up the wow factor. I'm not usually one for watching behind the scenes type stuff, but I'm at least mildly interested in it for this movie, just because of how complex some of those action scenes were. And though I was never a fan, I will say that my favorite aspect of the show uh typically was the score. Yeah, I was raised on classical music, so even if it drove me crazy when I was younger, hearing it or music that uh utilizes like a full band or orchestra, hearing them end up in cartoons was kind of an upside of seeing older cartoons. So I'm glad the score preserved the same kind of feel. But even with that said, I do like that DJ Shadow and Run the Jewel song that they have in the movie.

SPEAKER_04 46:48

Yeah, me too.

SPEAKER_03 46:50

Yeah, I think it pairs well with the movie because it has a vibe that can either go serious or silly, which I think is kind of how this movie goes. That's wild. So going into my ratings, I gave this a four for enjoyment.

SPEAKER_05 47:03

Ooh.

SPEAKER_03 47:04

And a four and a half for quality.

SPEAKER_05 47:06

Dang!

SPEAKER_03 47:07

Yeah, I never thought I'd actually enjoy, let alone feel like a Looney Tunes movie was really a great experience ever.

SPEAKER_04 47:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 47:17

Again, I really just appreciated this movie wasn't made in a way that catered only to Looney Tunes fans, even if it'd be hard to assume so with a title like Coyote versus Acme. The way the live-action actors and even the premise with it following a legal case involving Wiley Coyote suing Acme, who literally makes everything in the Looney Tunes universe, but somehow they're able to make it relatable to humans because of the story about being fed up at failure over the years after finding out it was likely due to someone else's negligence. Uh like totally relatable, especially these days. So, yeah, four for enjoyment, quality four and a half, because regardless of how I feel as someone with bias against Looney Tunes, I really do think this movie at least seemed like an impressive feat of filmmaking. Given the journey this movie's taken from nearly being shelved to being released to what seems like the hit with both critics' audiences. Beyond that, with the sheer quantity of movies and TV I see, I want to point out again how rare it is that I feel like I want to take some time to learn more about the making of a movie. Yeah. This movie managed to get me to feel that way, so I don't think it's a surprise that I gave it a higher quality score enjoyment. As for related recommendations, first, uh I really need to start keeping track of these because I feel like I might have mentioned this one at some point, but my recommendation is another live-action animated crossover movie that I really enjoyed. Slightly more than this, though. 2022's Chippendale Rescue Rangers.

SPEAKER_06 49:08

Ah yeah.

SPEAKER_03 49:11

I think that movie came out near the end of the pandemic restrictions. So it was probably easy to miss if you were eager to get outside and back into theaters. But man, I loved the movie. I definitely think it's a bit more wild and has more adult humor than Coyote vs. Acme. But if you love pop culture references and you haven't seen it yet, you definitely have to. I mean, you got Tim Robinson as the voice of Ugly Sonic appearing at a convention.

SPEAKER_08 49:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 49:45

If you're a fan of his, you should see it just for that. It's well worth it. But yeah, what'd you think of uh Coyote versus Acme?

SPEAKER_05 49:54

Oh my gosh. I had so much fun with this one. It's funny, it looks great, it's packed with visual jokes. And it reminded me, you know what? I also didn't really think of Looney Tunes very often. Something I watch, but I don't have a strong connection to. But you do see how those premises and some of these characters really are pretty clever. Because yeah, I watch Wiley Coyote and Roadrunner, but I just found them frustrating. Coyote was supposed to be funny, I guess, but it just drove me nuts that he never caught that fucking bird. Like, how many times do I have to watch this? But Coyote versus Acme takes this thing that we've been watching happen for 75 years and asks, what if Wiley Coyote had actually been failed by the system? Okay, that's a new angle. What if the rocket's defective? What if the dynamite doesn't work? What if, hmm, the problem is that one company apparently makes everything? Okay. Yo, because yeah.

SPEAKER_03 50:57

Why does it have to be that a movie like this only comes out when we're actually right in the middle of experiencing this type of stuff in the real world?

SPEAKER_04 51:07

Yeah, exactly. Damn it.

SPEAKER_03 51:11

It's shockingly uh just if you would have given me this in like the 90s, I would have given it a five for enjoyment because I wouldn't have in any way felt connected to how I feel in the real world.

SPEAKER_05 51:24

You wouldn't have just been dwelling desperately in the fact that there's systemic issues that are harbing everyone in our country.

SPEAKER_03 51:32

Oh my god. Let's not even get into how I actually was a Warner Brothers stockholder during that time, and I really wanted to punch somebody.

SPEAKER_05 51:46

But hey, here's one thing that everyone can agree on. Wally Coyote deserves justice. Yeah. Although, to be clear, he mostly wants justice so he can get back to trying to murder and eat that fucking bird. Which, by the way, that bird, like, I don't eat meat, but that looks like a pretty skinny bird. I don't know that you would get that much meat off of it.

SPEAKER_03 52:08

The meat would be gross. When it's an animal that's that active, there's not a lot of fat on the meat, so it tastes rubbery and tough.

SPEAKER_04 52:17

Ugh, God.

SPEAKER_03 52:19

That's how that dude in that Emile Hirsch movie died. He like ate too many rabbits.

SPEAKER_05 52:24

Whoa. I don't know that movie, but I feel bad for him.

SPEAKER_03 52:27

It's the one uh uh uh the one where he lives in the van in the middle of the forest.

SPEAKER_05 52:32

Something wild, but that's intriguing. I like it. So getting back to their search for justice and the never-ending world of obstacles, he needs a lawyer for his specific form of justice. So we got Will Forte's Kevin, who's basically a less shady, better call solve for cartoons who've been fucked over by Acme products. Okay, he's got the shitty TV ads. I loved when he walked in at 3 p.m. and says good morning to everyone at the office.

SPEAKER_08 53:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 53:03

And I love that the way that these two characters meet is he's told, we have a new client in the conference room. He seems unhinged. So perfect, but I really cared about the Kevin character. Okay, so I did jury duty in college, and oh man, the defendant's lawyer was really struggling. He was awkward, would raise his hand to object and then shake his head and sit back down. I got major vibes like that with Kevin. He's basically decided he's a failure and to stop trying, but it's such a fun contrast because then he's working with Wiley Coyote, who fails constantly, but has never been checked out from his mission. He wakes up every morning ready to strap another rocket on his back.

SPEAKER_03 53:53

Undeterred.

SPEAKER_05 53:54

I know. So there's lots of fun character work there. I love the way they keep Wiley silent because he's just so expressive. The animation is gorgeous and really funny. He doesn't need to talk, he says it all. And it kind of leads into what you were saying. The movie looks just so good. The cartoons blend into the real world in such a beautiful way. Everything, even the live action stuff, is framed and colored in a cartoony way, sort of larger than life. I love too that the Looney Tunes characters aren't cameos really, they just are people who live here. Right. It's not like what they do in Space Jam, where they really throw it in your face every time a character comes in.

SPEAKER_03 54:42

Well, definitely in the second Space Jam, they just throw everything under the Warner Brothers umbrella at you.

SPEAKER_05 54:48

An atrocity of a movie, yes. But in this one, it's just like, hey, they live here. Yosemite Sam has a Mexican restaurant that's light. I think it's so funny. And there's so much visually happening. At one point, there's this fast and furious style bit with magnets. And I immediately thought, Yeah, oh man, they're doing a fast and furious. And then I realized, hold Fast and Furious is probably more inspired by Roadrunner than Roadrunner is by it. For sure. You know, impossible contraptions, escalating spectacle, people surviving shit that should turn you into paste. That is fast and furious.

SPEAKER_03 55:25

You know, there's probably some fan theory out there that John Cena's character in this movie is the same character as in fast oh my god. And somehow led to him being able to do stuff like drive some crazy rocket car.

SPEAKER_05 55:42

You know what? I think we should just go into fan fiction business because we got some real ideas for these characters.

SPEAKER_03 55:47

A lot of the people know that we aren't already involved in it.

SPEAKER_05 55:50

That's true. Wink wink. But you know what else I loved about this movie? I was like, oh, this is Aaron Brakovich for cartoons, but without boobs. Because he's taking Acme to court.

SPEAKER_03 56:03

Well, you could have Bugs Bunny dress up as a lady, like they want up Aaron Brakovich with boobs.

SPEAKER_05 56:10

Yes. Oh my God. And I love that once they get to court, you've got another contrast between Kevin's character and Acme's lawyer played by John Cena, because he is incredibly confident, enormously large, and just everything different than him. And I thought he was so funny. Okay, here's something I never thought of before, but I was like, wait a minute. Isn't the acting that you do in professional wrestling basically like cartoon acting?

SPEAKER_03 56:41

It is.

SPEAKER_05 56:42

So of course he would be good in a cartoon movie. He feels just as animated as they do. It's why also, oh my God, he's got a fantastic line. The law is completely on our side because we wrote the law. Yeah, that lands right now. Because this case turns into this bigger story about corporate neglect and what happens when one massive company has its hand in everything. Corporate greed interjects itself into basically every aspect of our daily lives. And that, of course, brings us to one giant elephant in the room. I love that this is a movie that a shitty corporation tried to stop from coming out. And it's actually about shitty corporations. That's so perfect. Warner Brothers looked at this movie, these amazing ratings, and they're like, Yeah, we want this as a write-off instead of something people can watch. Meanwhile, it's literally about oh my god, I could spiral on this for days. But yeah, the irony is so good that you could put it in a screenplay and people would think it was two on the nose. It's just perfect. I think my only criticism of the movie is just that well, it's hard to even say is it criticism, but it's it's almost like a joke machine more than a plot at a certain point. Yeah, that's true. Um, the jokes are so good. That's the thing that's a shame about not doing spoilers, is that you want to spoil all the jokes, they're so good, but no. But when I think of who framed Roger Rabbit, I remember the mystery and the conspiracy as much as the jokes here. I'm gonna mostly remember Wally Coyote's expressions, the products. You know, I'm gonna remember the jokes here. So that's the only thing I would ding it on. For enjoyment, hey, I'm giving it a four. I was super entertained, never bored. The audience loved it. It was so funny. They were super into it. I thought it was incredible. And for quality, I went also with the four. I would have gone a little bit higher, except it would be cool if there's a little more intrigue and interest to the plot. But hey, yeah, I can't believe they made a really good Looney Tunes movie, and I'm 45 and loving it.

SPEAKER_03 58:52

Yeah, and this Quality Entertainment Award, too. So definitely go see this one. We both had a great time. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 59:02

This is a classic. Bring your whole family. There was kids, there were grandpas in our screening. So watch with the fam.

SPEAKER_08 59:10

For sure.

SPEAKER_05 59:10

And fuck corporations. Except for the ones who give us money.

SPEAKER_03 59:16

Of course I wouldn't be talking about Amazon, but they're fantastic two-day shipping.

SPEAKER_05 59:22

Bye bye bye. So many products.

SPEAKER_03 59:26

Use our code in the description.

TV Episode Recap: Silo - Season 3, Episode 9 - "Farewell"

SPEAKER_05 59:32

Hey, uh Sushi, you remember that show Heroes?

SPEAKER_08 59:36

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 59:38

Remember that guy who used his mind to like cut off the top of people's heads and steal their powers?

SPEAKER_03 59:45

Oh, Siler.

SPEAKER_05 59:48

Yeah. Um, wouldn't it be cool if he was in the silo?

SPEAKER_03 59:52

I mean, if it wasn't the deep south, then he might be because it would be Siler.

SPEAKER_05 59:57

Oh, I like that. All right. Well, that was my transition attempt for this week.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:03

Oh, well, thank you for the lead-in. We are on episode nine, uh, as you would call it, the penalty.

SPEAKER_06 1:00:09

Penalty.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:11

The penultimate episode of season three, titled Farewell. We begin in silo 18 immediately after Juliet's capture, realizing the situation is spiraling out of control. Bernard voluntarily surrenders himself and requests an audience with Camille and the algo. He argues that the silo is heading towards disaster and asks for Juliet's release, but the algo rejects his pleas, and he is instead sentenced to go outside to clean, effectively condemning him to death. However, during this confrontation, the algo gets noticeably frustrated, leading Bernard to raise a disturbing possibility. The supposedly infallible algorithm may not be a true artificial intelligence at all, but rather a human being or group operating from silo one. The suggestion seems to sow seeds of doubt in Camille as she mentions an encounter of her own with the algo, where it also seemed to exhibit human qualities. We see Sheriff Bellings and Hank meeting with Martha and the rest of the resistance, where she informs them that Bernard offered himself up to clean as a distraction for them to enact their plan. However, in order for it to be a success, they need his help, asking to use the recent secret transport he uncovered to sneak into water filtration to keep the vitamin D plus from being added to the water supply. Meanwhile, Camille attempts to secure control over the future of silo 18. She is Juliet brought to her from her cell and pressures her to cooperate, believing the population will eventually need leadership after the effects of vitamin D plus take hold. Juliet outwardly complies just enough to prevent a violent uprising, but tension between the two women continues to grow. Camille eventually revealing she's aware that Juliet stole a paperclip from her office, presumably to escape after she's returned to her cell, determined to eliminate her as a threat. As resistance efforts continue below, Bernard prepares for his final act before being sent outside. He shares his suspicions about the algorithm with Juliet and urges her to keep up the fight. He walks out of the silo without a protective suit, the entire population watching as Bernard crosses the wasteland and ultimately collapses, sacrificing himself while giving the resistance time to carry out its mission. As the residents of Silo 18 watch, a loud bang sounds and the ground shakes momentarily, and we see Knox and the others blasting through the mines to get into water filtration. Billings tries to calm everyone in the cafeteria as Camille accuses Juliet of involvement in whatever's going on. But before she can get into an argument with her over it, her keychain lights up, leading her to rush off to meet with the Alco. Next, we cut to the before-time storyline where we catch up with Helen, now pregnant, with Daniel still by her side, as they return to Atlanta for a major public event celebrating the completion of the silo project. They visit Charlotte, who, to no one's surprise, ended up in a relationship with Anna, Senator Thurman's daughter. After they have a chance to have dinner and catch up, on their way out, Daniel and Helen mention meeting for breakfast ahead of the silo presentation, which seems to make Anna visibly uncomfortable. The next day, Daniel and Helen are driven to the presentation. Upon arrival, Daniel and Helen check their tour assignments, with Daniel being assigned to Silo 1, while Helen is assigned to 18. Henry arrives at 18 to greet the two of them, inviting Helen to head over to one after a tour of 18, with Daniel eventually leaving with Henry to both head towards Silo 1. Along the way, Daniel runs into Victor, Dr. Crinkovich, as Henry is being called away, so they walk to Silo 1 together and strike up a conversation where Victor reveals a startling truth. The pact, uh, the rule book that governs silo society was not actually written by its presumed author or authority.

SPEAKER_06 1:04:41

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:42

The truth, it was generated by AI. Fundamentally changing the audience's understanding of how silo society was designed and controlled. They arrive at Silo 1, where Peter Gabriel happens to be rehearsing.

SPEAKER_06 1:04:59

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:00

Apparently, due to his family being silo clientele, I guess. Daniel is created by Senator Thurman, Pierre Stenson, and Anna briefly before Thurman rehearses her speech. As the event progresses, Daniel grows increasingly suspicious, something is wrong. He begins to wonder where Charlotte is, realizing her unusual response to their inside joke, and becomes convinced that larger forces are manipulating events behind the scenes. Daniel and Helen each seem to have trouble reaching each other by phone, but eventually they're able to hear each other. And as they wave to each other from their respective silos, the situation suddenly turns catastrophic. An explosion erupts on the horizon, producing a massive mushroom cloud, signaling the beginning of the apocalypse, forcing them to head underground.

SPEAKER_05 1:05:53

Yes. I mean, not yes to the nuclear bob, but yes, we're seeing what happened.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:58

Tell me what you thought about the Episode.

SPEAKER_05 1:06:00

Oh my God. I thought it was so good. There were so many revelations and Buck Per Stenson.

SPEAKER_08 1:06:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:06:09

Yikes. The fact that he is so calm while all this horrifying shit is happening makes him even scarier to me. I absolutely think they knew the bomb was going to go off. I mean, Daniel was literally being followed by security as he walked away. They're like, oh, we got to get him. And then they separate him from Helen, which, oh my God, that can't be an accident. Yeah. Because I started thinking about it. When you're close to someone, you reality check them. You know how a person thinks, you know their behaviors. You can tell when something's off.

SPEAKER_08 1:06:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:06:43

And we literally see that with Charlotte. She responds incorrectly to that inside joke and he immediately knows something's wrong. So I still don't know if she's been brainwashed or was deliberately trying to warn him, but my guess is that she was trying to keep him there. And I think that's something that's at the heart of the silo system. It strips away everything that connects you to yourself and each other. So they take away people's history. They control who has children. And now we have Victor, this creepy ass mental health professional whose entire role seems to be helping people become less aware of their thoughts. Okay, I go to therapy. That is the opposite of therapy that you're doing, dude. And speaking of Victor, oh my God, that is such a funny and horrifying thing that they wrote the pact with AI. Victor says it so casually. These are rules for keeping generations of human beings alive underground, and you got Chat GPT to write it. Yikes. So I don't know. Either they really did write it and they're super duper evil, or they were just horrifyingly casual by creating this document with very little care. I don't know, it's worse, honestly. I just thought, man, there were so many other things that really struck me here. Like when Bernard basically tells Camille, I don't think the algorithm's running the numbers.

SPEAKER_08 1:08:24

We're talking to people.

SPEAKER_05 1:08:26

I'm like, oh, it's the Wizard of Oz. And I am just so on board with this theory.

SPEAKER_03 1:08:32

Yeah, man. Somebody ain't good with the math.

SPEAKER_05 1:08:35

Yeah. Like really the maths are off. Yeah. Think about how differently the algorithm behaved. When it comforted Camille that one time, I thought it was some sort of next level manipulation. But then this episode, he was so sassy with Bernard.

SPEAKER_03 1:08:51

You're like, okay, that's kind of goes back to that first interaction that the algorithm had with Camille when she got really pissed off about a remaining. It was like, I'm sorry you feel that way.

SPEAKER_08 1:09:06

Didn't it feel like that?

SPEAKER_03 1:09:07

I kind of had a feeling because I'm like, machines don't talk to people like that. They wouldn't word it that way. It would be like, I'm sorry. And all of my interactions with uh AI prompts, they seem to be pretty uh apologetic when you call them out on stuff. So I just think it's kind of funny.

SPEAKER_05 1:09:25

I know that was nuts. Uh the whole Bernard of it all, it's so crazy. I really never thought I would fully believe that he was redeemed or changed. But here, I'm like, wow, he really is. I you don't think so?

SPEAKER_03 1:09:44

I thought it was more of a whoopsie and then he kind of ran with it. I really do. Because you thought he was just like, what the hell the math? Here's the thing. Bernard knows if he's already suspicious that the algorithm isn't really AI and it's just people or a person, why is he leaving this up to chance? He would be trying to word it some other way. So they didn't have any reason to do that because it was just immediately not what he planned.

SPEAKER_05 1:10:16

Well, so I think something differently, but I like your point of view better. I optimistically feel like he has spent all these years viewing the silo as one massive thing, and I think his point of view really changes once he meets Juliet.

SPEAKER_03 1:10:36

I'm not saying that he doesn't feel that way or that he wouldn't be willing to sacrifice himself, just saying that that wasn't the plan to start.

SPEAKER_04 1:10:44

Yeah, yeah, I can see that.

SPEAKER_03 1:10:46

I can see that he's fine with it because I feel like he has kind of come to peace with everything shitty that he's done. Uh and he does feel bad about it. You've seen him get angry at himself over it. So I'm not at all surprised that he's willing to follow through with this, but I really do think that he was hoping it's like, yeah, Camille, you could just take credit for rehabilitating me while everything uh gets fixed and nobody has to die.

SPEAKER_05 1:11:16

Nonetheless, it was a fun close out to his character, especially considering that he was just piecing out to die out his own at the end of the last season.

SPEAKER_03 1:11:25

So that was crispy Bernard. Like, how much longer of a life do you really have to live when you're that crispy?

SPEAKER_05 1:11:32

He's very crispy. And man, Tim Robbins, he's so good. He should get an award for doing that voice the whole season. I feel like that would hurt your voice. Also, did I tell you this already? I learned he's six foot five.

SPEAKER_03 1:11:47

I knew he was tall. I just didn't know he was like wrestler tall.

SPEAKER_05 1:11:52

Yeah, he's massive. I noticed in this episode with him standing next to Camille, I was like, whoa, what either she's tiny or he's massive. Probably both, but I just thought that was great. And like the way that closed it out. God damn it. I really, God, I just can't wait for the next episode. What are they gonna do in the before times?

SPEAKER_03 1:12:17

Oh, I got some things to say about that. Okay, yes.

SPEAKER_05 1:12:20

Tell me, tell me.

SPEAKER_03 1:12:21

Well, as you would say, it's a penalty, so it's gotta do the typical penalty stuff, right?

SPEAKER_04 1:12:29

You got it.

SPEAKER_03 1:12:30

I guess the only thing that surprised me this episode was that they got into the doomsday stuff earlier than I expected. The cliffhanger at the end of last season was pretty big, so I guess I was just expecting them to hold off on that stuff. That happened in the before time storyline, or at least delay the actual doomsday event until the finale. But nah, they just went ahead and did the thing.

SPEAKER_05 1:12:52

Yeah, man. Wow.

SPEAKER_03 1:12:55

As far as the other before times stuff from the episode, I was already over the whole Helen and Daniel getting together at the end of the last episode thing. Now she's gotta go further and have his kid.

SPEAKER_05 1:13:08

I know you don't approve.

SPEAKER_03 1:13:10

Really, a lot of it is just from the fact that they set her up to be so much cooler by having those scenes where they show up at her ex's place. Yeah. He clearly is obsessed with her, or at least finds her to be his muse or something like that. So I just don't think that it makes sense to me.

SPEAKER_05 1:13:33

But you know, I mean, he did save what was it, New Orleans, Baltimore?

SPEAKER_03 1:13:38

I guess. I don't know. One of them, but yeah, opposites attract too. So I suppose, I suppose. I'm just hoping that her genes dominate though. Because if the child ends up taking on his traits, I just imagine it being born with like a crew cut, fully outfitted and Brooks Brothers or something.

SPEAKER_06 1:13:57

Yep, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:13:58

But that's whatever, since it's all short-lived anyway. Even though I didn't know firsthand, as I mentioned in the last podcast, I watched some YouTube plot summaries on the books. So even though I'm not aware of all the details, it seems like the TV show is at least moving in a similar direction that the books did. Okay. So anyone who isn't aware and is curious, there's already been significant differences between both mediums, otherwise. So I guess I just bring that up to say that anything could happen. What I'm hoping for is that the show will continue with the before times storyline a bit longer before kind of leaving it be. Mostly I just want to see if there are any connections between the inhabitants we're aware of from silos 17 and 18 and the people from the before times.

SPEAKER_06 1:14:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:14:52

And to see if the one theory I heard that maybe there isn't a 300-year time difference between the two storylines gets cleared up. Regardless, I think they're gonna need to make sure to come to a full stop with that before time stuff at some point because I honestly think trying to keep up with two storylines like they have been beyond that point would be kind of tiring for me as a viewer and somebody who creates content for TV shows. I mean, I've accepted that Monarch Legacy of Monsters utilizes dual timelines, but I don't know if I can deal with another Apple TV show that deals with two storylines and different points in time, especially since we already watched Dark Matter on the side and that deals with the colours.

SPEAKER_06 1:15:35

Oh my god, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:15:37

Oh, and don't even start it with this week's lanterns episode with three different storylines and different points in time going on too. Oh my god. I know uh but in all seriousness, I am curious about how they're gonna handle the next episode. Are they just gonna forego anything else from the before-time storyline? Are they gonna continue with the events immediately following the explosion? Or what I'm kind of hoping, maybe they skip ahead a few months so we can see them a little more settled in, and we can kind of skip what I'm sure is an agonizing traumatic experience initially for most, given that they were only there for the oh my god. As for everything happening with Juliet and everyone in silos 18 and 17, I get that Juliet, Bernard, Martha, and everyone else, they got this resistance, but for fuck's sake, man, they really need to do a better job communicating plans or making sure people stick to them. At least notify some other people that you're not going to follow the original plan. Like I was saying about Bernard, to me, it just felt like he offered himself up to go out to clean. But why would he assume the algo would just do the math and find it more beneficial to keep him alive when he was already suspicious? It wasn't AI. I just thought it was silly. I don't know. Regardless, he seems to accept his fate pretty easily, so I guess that doesn't really matter. I do kind of find it even more silly though that nobody thought to try to give Juliet a heads up about the alternate plan to blast through the mines.

SPEAKER_04 1:17:14

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:17:15

Especially with Julia being held by Camille, you'd think it'd be extra important to ensure her safety, given that she's being held by Judicial, but you know, just move ahead without her. I guess like, well, Julia would do it for us kind of thing. Also, speaking of Camille, she makes the comment that Juliet's friends are going to get them all killed. I honestly wonder if she just meant that she expected the algo to do something extreme in response to this uprising, or if the algos maybe told her enough about the safeguard for her to assume that the blasting might unintentionally set something off. So, yeah, curious to have that cleared up in the next episode, hopefully. Also, as far as her and Robert go, shit, man, I don't think they're gonna work things out anytime soon. Yeah, she continues to for some reason think that the algo holds some kind of power over them, uh, just ignoring Robert's concerns for them as a family. I know it's just crazy that she just ends the conversation telling him all their kid will end up knowing of him is what she tells.

SPEAKER_05 1:18:25

Oh my god, that was brutal.

SPEAKER_03 1:18:29

Especially because earlier, it's almost like Bernard kind of gets to her with the suggestion that the algorithm is an AI. While I typically seem to enjoy more of what happens in like the present-day timeline, which I think is mostly down to the before times storyline, uh needing to expedite character development earlier, which at times made what took place in those scenes uneventful. I feel like I actually preferred those scenes in this episode. Not like I didn't understand why things were happening, how they happened in Silo 18. Uh-huh. But I just felt like after Bernard kind of realized his plan wasn't going to work out how he initially wanted it to, the rest of the episode was going to follow up with other things not going to play.

SPEAKER_04 1:19:21

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:19:22

This was basically what I expected. Both sides, just to build up that peak tension for the finale.

SPEAKER_07 1:19:29

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_03 1:19:30

Beyond that, I just think that the before-time storyline in this episode did better to also create mystery with the revelation of the pack being written by AI and all the people being involved with the silos kind of acting weirder than usual. Even though anyone aware of what happens in the books doesn't find it surprising, on the TV show, we still haven't confirmed this is the case. Uh, but even so, I think the writing and performances were great. Yeah. Even Thurman and Stenson's attitudes toward the rehearsal made it at least seem like they oddly didn't give a shit. Again, I'm hoping for a short time jump or at least follow-up with the before-time stuff in the finale. But yeah, uh really looking forward to how things end for Silo 18 this season, given everything going wrong in this episode, leading us to kinda having no idea what could happen. Regardless, it doesn't seem all good, so

TV Episode Recap: Lanterns - Season 1, Episode 3 - "OutKast"

SPEAKER_03 1:20:39

all right, moving on to lanterns. We are on the third episode of the first season titled Outcast, spelled like Outcast, the group, the rap duo now not together anymore. Retired.

SPEAKER_05 1:20:57

I think so.

SPEAKER_03 1:20:58

The third episode of Lanterns takes a detour from the ongoing plot, focusing almost entirely on Jon Stewart's past and the events that shaped him into the man he becomes. Framed as a lengthy interview with one of the guardians of the universe, the episode gradually reveals that John's connection to the Green Lantern Corps began long before he ever wore a ring. We flashback to the 1980s when a Green Lantern ring arrives at the Stewart household before ultimately selecting Hal Jordan. It's revealed the ring first tests his father, John Stewart Sr., asking him a simple question whether he is afraid. John Sr. answers honestly that he is, and as a result, fails the test. The rejection devastates him. He becomes consumed by the knowledge that he came close to becoming Earth's Green Lantern and struggles to move on as Hal Jordan gains fame in the role. As the Stuart family deals with the emotional fallout, one of the guardians visits John's mother, Bernadette, and explains that the selection process unintentionally caused emotional turmoil, as she referred to it as.

SPEAKER_04 1:22:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:22:11

Among some who were passed over, she casually gives her family a gigantic diamond as an apology.

SPEAKER_06 1:22:18

It's massive.

SPEAKER_03 1:22:20

Suggests that whatever qualities made John Sr. a candidate may be hereditary. The meeting leaves her obsessed with the idea of her infant son one day succeeding where his father failed. We cut back to the interview with John confirming the guardian he's interviewing with was in fact the same one that visited his mother. The guardian then asked John about the events that led him to following in his father's footsteps into the military, which leads to a flashback near the end of John's military career as he's being briefed on the mission he eventually is dishonorably discharged over. Returning briefly to the 80s, we follow up with Bernada after her encounter with The Guardian, where her and John Sr. make a promise to each other to raise John Jr. with the belief that he has a special destiny, even if it means him hating them because of it. When we check back in with John after his mission briefing, we see him on a plane as he's about to parachute to his final mission as a Marine. We return to flashbacks of John's childhood, which seems like an unusual and often harsh training program designed to eliminate fear from his life. He's told that birds are secretly observing him for the guardians, and instead of receiving ordinary childhood gifts, he's given items tied to the life his parents envisioned for him. The training grows increasingly severe, with tests intended to harden his resolve and force him to confront danger without hesitation. Among the most memorable exercises are the family's dangerous shooting drills. In one early test, John is asked to stand still while his father shoots an apple placed on top of his head. As John grows older, the pressure continues as he's pushed towards a disciplined, military-minded life, while the more artistic and gentle parts of his personality are suppressed. The episode depicts the lasting emotional consequences of being raised according to a mission chosen for him before he could decide his own future. The flashbacks of his childhood and final mission as a Marine continue to interweave with the interview taking place years later. The Guardian questioning John challenges him about his upbringing, his fears, and the sacrifices that help shape him. Through the conversation, it becomes clear that John's journey is not the story of a naturally fearless hero, but of someone molded by extraordinary expectations and trauma. At one point in his childhood, roles are reversed, and John is expected to shoot an apple off his father's head. He unfortunately cannot bring himself to do it. The moment reveals that despite years of conditioning, his compassion and love for his family remain stronger than the fearlessness his parents have tried to create. The interview eventually leads back to the flashback of John's mission, revealing the details surrounding his dishonorable discharge, being due to another unfortunate incident involving Hal Jordan. Ugh, my God. Which we later find out from The Guardian should not have been the case, given they already warned him against using his powers for quote terrestrial disputes. For a moment, it seems like John might not ever become a Green Lantern, his mom enrolling him in an art school following his discharge, though she claims it's just a setback. However, an interview for a special project at his art school in turn leads to his first test with a lantern ring and almost immediately to the interview he's now at. By the end of the episode, the audience understands why the Guardians have taken such a strong interest in Jon Stewart and why his relationship with Hal Jordan is more complicated than it first appeared, especially when we see how poorly Hal responds to being assigned a trainee in private after facetiously being incredibly complimentary towards him when meeting with his parents. Ashley, what did you think of the episode?

SPEAKER_05 1:26:47

Okay. I literally had such a hard time narrowing down my thoughts to discuss today because I just thought this episode was so well written, so dense, and I adored it. I did not expect this show to be making me so emotional and to get so deep, but you know, here we are. I love that this episode really reframes who John is and it changes the lens that I sort of look back on his behavior with. And I love the structure. I'm sure it was very annoying to write down for the synopsis, but I did think that it worked really well going back and forth between the stories, and it centered with that interview with Liliana to become the Green Lantern. Love the way that whole conversation begins, where after she tells him that they want him to possibly be a Green Lantern, she's like, Oh, normally at this point, people say, Why me? John's like, Oh, I know exactly why. It tells you everything about him. He's confident, disciplined, and extremely prepared and yikes. Wow, we really learned why. I could not believe this. Because the first episode, when his dad shot that apple off his head, I was like, oh, damn, he grew up in an abusive household. That's why he is how he is. No, his parents loved him very much, but it was incredibly weird and complicated. I thought it was so poignant that John's father loses the opportunity because he says he's afraid. And then later, when Liliana visits John's mom, Bernadette, she points out this flaw in their test for the Green Lantern. Like, you guys never considered how differently a black man in America would react to being asked if he's afraid.

SPEAKER_01 1:28:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:28:46

Liliana is like, oh, I never thought of that. There's so little, it seems, that they know about humanity and earth. But I thought that interaction was so incredible because also Liliana is so impressed by Bernadette that she basically tells her, hey, if you could raise your kid without fear, and he has the same qualities from his dad combined with you, because you're really powerful lady. She doesn't say powerful lady to get my chest. And that's what they do. This is nuts. I did not expect. I mean, I'm sure it's different for you because you have more comics background than me, but this came out of nowhere for me. And I was just, yeah, it blew me away. There's so many great moments. It's kind of hard to pick out my favorite scenes. Loved seeing how this training impacts John throughout his life. Some of the tests he's had to go through. The scene where Bernadette finally tells him the truth about the birds was so incredible. You know, she's been telling him his whole lifetime that they're watching him for the Guardians. And she's just like, I made it up. And she explains all this to him in such a loving way. It's really impressive because there's a necessary sort of coldness and strictness and all these things they have to consider when raising him this way. But she still manages to express her care and love for him and how she tells him about these things. And he reacts by shooting an apple off her head. When she told him all of this, dumped all this on him. At first I thought he was angry when he said he would shoot it off of her head.

SPEAKER_08 1:30:38

Right.

SPEAKER_05 1:30:38

But then I thought, no, he knows now what he has to do. He knows how important it is. His mom's really beautifully talks to him about how Hal's not better than your dad or better than you. He was privileged enough to grow up not knowing fear. And you don't have that privilege. I thought that was so poignant. And essentially she says the difference is that they don't see us. So sometimes you have to stand up and raise your own hand. And you can see in him shooting an apple off her head, kind of an extreme example, but I think that's him raising his hand. So I thought that was beautiful. And man, fuck Hal. My mind was blown to find out that Hal's the reason John was dishonorably discharged.

SPEAKER_03 1:31:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:31:37

And that involved a strip club.

SPEAKER_03 1:31:39

Like oh my god, yeah, of course.

SPEAKER_05 1:31:41

God damn it. He ruins this man's life. Goodbye.

SPEAKER_03 1:31:46

The guy who John is communicating with for the mission, his commander or whoever, he just phrases it as like, goddamn, superheroes throw up in a titty bar or something like that. I was like, okay. We are in a real comic books universe where stuff like that's happening, or it seems norm.

SPEAKER_05 1:32:06

It's so nuts. And oh my god. The way Hal treated his parents made me so mad.

SPEAKER_03 1:32:16

I mean so hard.

SPEAKER_05 1:32:18

But also insulting them first when he's there and he does it so slyly. Like, Junior, do you call him Junior? John Sr. says, we call him John. Then he turns around, he says, Junior. And that's what he calls him for the duration. Meatly incredibly disrespectful. And he says the parents are salt of the earth, that they're the Midwest Huxtables. I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_03 1:32:47

Yeah, really patronizing.

SPEAKER_05 1:32:49

Really patronizing. Literally the only thing that they have in common with the huxtables is that they're a black family. Yeah. When you talk about microaggression, I mean I think it's more than that, but that is what it is. He's trying to pretend he doesn't know what he's saying, but I don't think he's oblivious. I think that he knows that's a weird thing to say and it's crossing a line. And you can see it in how John's parents react. But then you go outside and immediately it's like, yeah, of course, that's what he's doing. He's basically like, I don't want you. I don't want backup. You're only getting this ring over my dead body. Oh, yeah. Which, you know, wink wink. But yeah, it just totally is changing how I feel about these characters throughout the episodes we've seen so far. I think it's such an important episode because that discomfort of not knowing how to feel about how that guilt about seeing how people are treated, all those feelings I think are important. And it's being delivered in the form of a TV show about a dude who wears a green ring and create magical things. Like it's crazy.

SPEAKER_04 1:34:05

Right.

SPEAKER_05 1:34:05

But yeah, I I was really impressed. And you find out, oh, okay, John knows how to use the ring. I love how they illustrate that with him creating the watch. I thought that was beautifully done.

SPEAKER_03 1:34:19

That's kind of interesting. I got something to say about that later on. Oh, cool.

SPEAKER_05 1:34:23

I loved that. Also felt a little bit bad for John because he looked so happy in that art class. And I was like, man, he's gonna look back on this is the happiest time in his life.

SPEAKER_03 1:34:35

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_05 1:34:37

Uh but yeah, what do you think, Sush?

SPEAKER_03 1:34:40

Well, I had some feelings about this episode. A lot of it I think was personal, but before I even get into that, I kind of do want to poke fun at the fact that I swear, man, TV shows nowadays are either just all about multiple storylines from different points in time, even if they aren't about parallel universes or multiverses or whatever. I said before this episode has like three. I was just complaining about this stuff, Silo and Apple TV. I was kind of surprised at the flashbacks of John's childhood, even though we were both pretty convinced that his mom somehow died in the past. That doesn't end up being the case.

SPEAKER_05 1:35:19

Yeah, and I'm glad it wasn't because her performance is incredible. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:35:26

But what's crazy is that what actually does take place in his past is almost even more messed up than I ever expected.

SPEAKER_07 1:35:33

Definitely.

SPEAKER_03 1:35:34

It's like both parents plotting together on how to prepare him for this. Uh I knew his parents were gonna be strict, but I didn't know the driver behind it. But ever seeing the stuff from his childhood, it at least makes sense how his parents felt pressured to follow through with what they did. I definitely connected with a lot of that. Especially with them giving uh John this interest in art.

SPEAKER_04 1:36:04

Right.

SPEAKER_03 1:36:05

So I dealt with a lot of that actually pretty recently, my own wife, because I grew up in a pretty traditional Asian upbringing where I was raised to pursue more, I guess, uh realistic careers, even though I had a lot of interest in art and entertainment and even worked in music in the past. But yeah, it just really struck a nerve in me because I dealt with a lot of this stuff growing up. But the one thing I guess that was the upside is that eventually my parents split, so I didn't have two parents both conspiring to have such a hold over what my path in life was going to be. I think that really made me understand how John felt in the complexity of that feeling because you never really hold your parents accountable for stuff like that. At the same time, you don't want that to be your connection to them, uh especially if you've made progress and become closer. That aspect of the episode meant a lot to me personally, but beyond that, I just think it's interesting how this show is handling the character of Jon Stewart. So for people who haven't read the comics before and don't know Jon Stewart's character in the comics, started out his character was an architect. They they pulled a little bit from that as far as explaining, or at least as reference, when they show him kind of constructing the watch, because in the comics he's known for having really complex constructs. Basically, they're built from the inside out, is how it's been explained before. While other Green Lanterns may create them differently, John thinks of everything in his constructs, all the gears and everything you saw on the watch. That's how he formulates his constructs, that's how his mind creates them. I thought that was a great callback, mostly because that part of his origin story got retcon later when they gave him a military background.

SPEAKER_04 1:38:21

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_03 1:38:22

So I like how the show is kind of adapting both of those a little bit, but also doing something completely different because this was never the story his dad never had a connection to the Green Lanterns in the comics. They created all of that backstory for the purpose of the show, and I just think it's amazing, especially in terms of having the show create a conversation about race and how that could have affected something like this in the past, and even now, how it might inform the way he thinks or reacts to certain things or his relationship with the guardians, the bosses, as they call him. So you could tell he's very much about taking orders, but how much of that is his upbringing, how much of that is race, the social environment in America, or what he's dealt with in the past, too, especially with the lair of his parents uh really having a huge influence on why this ended up happening to him. Yeah, I like that conflict because I definitely think that's going to come up at some point. There's no way that he's gone through all this trauma and hasn't dealt with it. He should deal with it at some point. I don't feel like him at this point in the show has faced that. So I imagine that we're going to cover some of that stuff in the I guess 2026 part of the timeline since we saw that at the end of the pilot. And I assume eventually we're gonna return to that. I'm just guessing that Jen will be more up to speed, I guess, or comfortable as a lantern by then.

SPEAKER_05 1:40:08

So yeah, wow.

SPEAKER_03 1:40:10

Yeah, incredible.

SPEAKER_05 1:40:11

I don't often watch an episode of television and think this will get awards, but that's how I feel about this episode. It was so powerful. It felt important.

SPEAKER_03 1:40:23

Yeah. Oh, I didn't even get to the Sinestro of it all.

SPEAKER_05 1:40:27

Oh my god, Sinestro!

SPEAKER_03 1:40:29

It's wild that all this is making me think a lot about the events that happened leading up to this, too. Because now that we know that the Guardians in this interview basically implied why didn't we keep tabs on Hal and whatever was going on between him and Sinestro? Yes, I just think it's interesting, not only because one, it's messed up, that's not really something that has ever been done, like that's not part of his story. Oh the comics. So that angle is interesting. Also, you know how he was able to maintain the bird construct without having a ring? Yeah. I almost wonder if maybe he does have a ring. Oh, and it's just not out in the open because I'm not aware of, and if it exists in the comics, I'm pretty sure it's a pretty rare case, but you don't really hear about lanterns, green lanterns anyway, that don't need a ring in order to create constructs. Oh, weird. I just wonder if they're going to reveal that he's had a ring all this time. But at the same time, I think that there's something with Green Lanterns being able to detect the presence of another Green Lantern. So I don't think that's entirely possible. It's either that or they're going to make John out to be somebody who's just so skilled at using the power ring that he can be far removed physically from it and still be able to level. Interesting. So crazy.

SPEAKER_05 1:42:05

Crazy indeed.

What We're Watching Next

SPEAKER_02 1:42:09

Ashley.

SPEAKER_05 1:42:10

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 1:42:11

What are we watching next?

SPEAKER_05 1:42:13

Next week, we'll be continuing with our next randomized movie pick for Staytham Tember. I'm personally hoping we get one big one or like one of the teeny weird movies, like one of the ones replacing an alcoholic.

SPEAKER_03 1:42:29

I kind of hope that the randomizer gives us spy. Oh my god. Even though he wasn't the lead per se in that movie, I still think that's one of his best roles.

SPEAKER_05 1:42:41

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:42:42

That people may not even be aware of.

SPEAKER_05 1:42:46

Oh my god, that would be incredible.

SPEAKER_03 1:42:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:42:48

Ah, statham. Well, after that, we'll get back to reality with a usual unrelated new movie. We'll be watching Onslaught.

SPEAKER_03 1:42:59

Cool. For TV, we'll be covering the season three finale of Silo and Lanterns, season one, episode four.

SPEAKER_05 1:43:09

How many different uh flashbacks do you think they're gonna have?

SPEAKER_03 1:43:11

I'm gonna at least deal with probably four. If we don't go more than like five, I should be okay.

SPEAKER_04 1:43:17

Right.

SPEAKER_03 1:43:18

But like that, we'll be back down to one TV show. But I'm definitely not complaining this time around since I know we've been trying to make some production and slight format changes to the podcast. We will reveal more about that as we get closer to implementing them. We're hoping the upside will be faster turnaround for some of the content.

SPEAKER_05 1:43:40

Content.

Outro

SPEAKER_05 1:43:43

Well, thanks for listening, guys. We really appreciate you taking the time and uh hope you're having a lovely commute or walk or what have you.

SPEAKER_03 1:43:53

Yeah, and make sure to subscribe, rate, and review, preferably positively, like how we were positively certain that they were gonna reveal that Jon Stewart's mom died during his childhood on Land.

SPEAKER_05 1:44:08

Damn, you're right.

SPEAKER_03 1:44:09

But that just didn't end up happening at all.

SPEAKER_05 1:44:11

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:44:13

But regardless, follow us on social media TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook.

SPEAKER_04 1:44:18

Yay!

SPEAKER_03 1:44:19

Other than that, we will check you guys next week.

SPEAKER_04 1:44:23

Thanks, guys. See you.

SPEAKER_03 1:44:25

Later.