In this episode of the Portable Hole podcast, the hosts discuss the Batman: The Caped Crusader trailer and the Penguin series trailer. They also review episodes 1-4 of The Acolyte and share their thoughts on the intense fight scene in episode 5. The hosts express their excitement for the Batman animated series reboot and the potential for a dark and gritty crime drama in the Penguin series. They also discuss the new set photos from the upcoming Superman movie and the challenges of balancing humor and seriousness in superhero films. Ryan, Ig, and Cinik discuss the latest episodes of ‘The Boys’ and ‘House of the Dragon.’
00:00 Introduction and Reunion
03:00 Discussion of Batman: The Caped Crusader Trailer
08:49 Discussion of Penguin Series Trailer
14:16 New Set Photos from the Superman Movie
17:39 IG’s Thoughts on The Acolyte
22:44 The Acolyte Episode 5 Review
40:41 The Boys Season 4 Episode 4 review
01:06:12 House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 2 Review
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Ryan (00:31)
Welcome to the Portable Hole podcast. I’m Ryan George and it is a Cynic Radio podcast reunion as I’m here with my good friends Cynic and Ig. How are you guys doing?
Cinik (00:39)
Fantastic, Ryan. It’s been a great time and happy to have Ig back with us.
Ryan (00:45)
Yeah. Yeah. How you doing? It’s been a while.
Ig (00:48)
Yeah, I’m doing all right. Been having fun watching the portable hole, seeing you guys talk about things that I watch anyway. So it’s kind of fun, you know, watching you guys like all of a sudden, like, since you guys are doing it on this side, some of the things get beat up a little harder than we used to beat them up.
Ryan (01:03)
Yeah, we need the balance. But you’re welcome to come on any time. Like if you’re around, it’s awesome. It’s great to have you. And yeah, we definitely might need, for certain properties, might need some, I need some backup here.
Ig (01:16)
And I’ve seen you bend to their will. You’re like, yeah, I think that new Star Wars thing is only like a five now. And I’m like, come on, man. It’s not that bad.
Cinik (01:16)
Yeah, I –
Ryan (01:24)
No, no, no, no,
Cinik (01:24)
Ha ha.
Ryan (01:54)
that everyone else can’t seem to. But yeah.
Cinik (01:56)
I am a little guilty of being a little some knives out since I’ve been over here, haven’t I? I don’t have to be the nice host leading the discussion. I’m just like, fuck this property. I hate it.
Ryan (02:01)
Exactly, yeah. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, it’s so true. I guess that’s the case, right? Like when you have to sit and spend the extra time writing the questions as you did so much of, at some point you start to find something interesting. You have to, otherwise you’re gonna be miserable. But yeah, when you can just say, yeah, this sucked, and I’m gonna tell you why it sucked.
Ig (02:08)
All of them! I hate everything!
Cinik (02:10)
You
Ig (02:20)
I’m gonna go.
Ryan (02:31)
quite a little bit easier. But, so we got a lot to talk about today. So we’re gonna do, I wanna do a couple trailers, both relating to Batman actually, and then we’ll get right to our reviews. So the first of the two trailers is we’re gonna take a look at, let me see if I’m getting it right, the Caped Crusader. So that is the, I don’t know if it’s a reboot or a follow -up to the original Batman the Animated series, but let’s take a look at that.
What’s going on here?
All right, so you guys thoughts?
Cinik (05:05)
Yeah, it’s the Batman, see? 2020 skadoo.
Ryan (05:07)
hahahahah
Ig (05:08)
I mean, it looks like more origin Batman like police don’t know who he is looks earlier than the other animated stuff. I don’t know if it’s going to be pure origin where they show him putting on the stuff for the first time or doing all the other stuff. But, you know, we’re going to it looks like they’ve got a good mix of the villains and everything in there. So, I mean, it could be could be interesting. I mean,
Ryan (05:15)
Yeah.
Yeah.
Ig (05:34)
I don’t know what their fascination with every Batman has to sound like Kevin Conroy’s Batman. Like they could find a different voice and that way Kevin Conroy’s stuff would stand out on its own would be my opinion on that. But they always want to make it sound the same. And I’m like, he doesn’t have to sound like that. I mean, I go back to the SNL skit where they had Batman standing in the lineup and he’s like, I’m Batman. I mean, it doesn’t have to be that crazy, but it could sound a little different.
Ryan (05:38)
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah. Well, you know, I…
Cinik (06:00)
Well, it’ll get a 10 from me, Ryan, if they’re like, it’s Batman. Put an egg in your shoe and beat it. That would absolutely get a 10.
Ryan (06:07)
I’m sorry.
Ig (06:08)
you
Ryan (06:10)
So I got probably a little bit high. I really like that trailer. It’s the first time I’ve seen it. I do like that we’re getting kind of vigilante Batman that’s not working with the police. You know, I always love that kind of aspect of the character where he’s got, you know, kind of fighting on two fronts, right? He’s trying to do good, but he also, he is doing things that are actively illegals. He’s also got to deal with the cops.
I think the trailer is good. It’s more of a cinematic trailer almost. It feels like less of an animated almost trailer than it does something you’d see again on TV or film. But I thought it looked really good. And yeah, it seems like it does have a good mix of characters. And yeah, it’s got the old 40s, 50s aesthetic, which is cool. I like it. And also I think it seems like it’s leaning into him being a detective, which is cool.
Cinik (06:58)
Yeah, it –
Yeah, I definitely there for it. I mean, it looks like the X -Men’s kind of rejuvenated the old animated properties, which I’m happy about because there were a lot of good ones like the some of the old Spider -Man stuff is good as well. So hopefully that’ll reappear at some point.
Ryan (07:06)
Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah, I wonder if that’s.
Ig (07:16)
in a better format because they’ve done some things on Disney Plus with some animated Spider -Man things that are more meant for like five -year -olds. So we need some things that are more like teen adult type things because even as an adult, I can sit and watch things that are oriented a little bit older. The five -year -old stuff, I’m like, even my grandchild who’s 10 now is like, nope.
Ryan (07:23)
Yeah.
Yeah, it looks good. So I’m excited. I mean, I’m in for almost anything Batman, so I’ll take it. I’ll take an animated series. It should be good.
Ig (07:48)
He just wants, I think Ryan just wants to see if they’re getting his action right.
Ryan (07:54)
Yeah, I don’t know. I sparred for the first time a couple weeks ago and my body can’t take it. I think I’m gonna retire. I can’t be a hero anymore.
Ig (07:55)
Yeah, Ryan is the caped crusader. I’m surprised there aren’t more news stories out there in New York about him roaming the streets at night. You ever seen Batman and Ryan together? I don’t think so, so.
Cinik (07:58)
Yes.
No, I’ve never seen them in the same place.
Ig (08:17)
So what he’s saying is he’s getting the new like tech suit and everything that gives him the muscles and stuff.
Ryan (08:20)
Yeah, exactly. Yeah, yeah, I need the tech suit that’s got like the mechanical gears to move for me, electronics, pretty much become I need to become like Iron Man now.
Cinik (08:21)
Yeah.
That is one of my favorite Seinfeld scenes is where Kramer’s talking about how he stopped the bus mugging and he’s like, and you kept making the stops and it’s like, well, they kept ringing the bell and he’s like, you’re Batman and Kramer’s like, you’re right. I am Batman.
Ryan (08:42)
You
Well, now we’ll get to the next thing. So we’ve got another Batman related property trailer coming out for Penguin, which looks good. Penguin was one of the standouts of the Batman, the Matt Reeves version of the movie. And so, you know, oddly they decided they’d come up with a Penguin show. It looks pretty interesting, but let’s check out the trailer for that.
Alright so Higa, what are your thoughts? Are you excited about the penguin?
Ig (11:23)
Well, I don’t know, because I think it might just kind of be a crime family drama, which is OK. And they’re trying to tie it in and pull people in that are Batman fans, right? Because that’s what he is, right? He’s a Batman villain, pure and simple. But I’m curious, how are they going to tie some of the other stuff in? Are we going to see other Batman villains? Are we going to at least get a view of like a Batmobile driving down the street? Something? Is Batman going to show up in an episode and stop something happening?
Or are they even going to just give news that he did it? They don’t even have to put them on screen. They can just say, hey, we had guys down at the docks unloading the latest shipment and the bat showed up. They can do all kinds of things with it, but if they’re not going to spend any time tying in the larger world, then they just, they’re just trying to milk a cow that I don’t know is going to last very long. It could be really well done, but people that want to see superhero properties want to see superheroes.
Ryan (12:15)
Yeah.
Ig (12:22)
in the superhero properties or at least references to them. So I’m a little concerned about it that way. I mean, it looks really well done. It looks like the production is there. It looks like they’re doing all kinds of really interesting things, but it looks also just like we got a bunch of people that don’t have any power, quote unquote. They’re just mob guys, you know? So it’s like the Zopranos set in Batman’s universe instead of doing a Batman type thing.
Ryan (12:41)
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah, well, I feel like that was kind of like Gotham initially was, right? Like, you know, you had like, like that first season of Gotham was was kind of like, you know, gang wars in set in Gotham City, but you really didn’t have any any superheroes, you know, until it, you know, until it went on and it got a little more fantastical. But I think how about you? You excited about about Penguin?
Cinik (13:14)
Colin Farrell playing the penguin playing Al Capone from the Untouchables. I mean I mean it feels like it’s a lot of world -building for Gotham that we don’t know is gonna go any further past the second Batman movie because I mean this isn’t a James Gunn thing and James Gunn’s coming in to change everything up. So will we keep two separate Batmans in two separate universes? I don’t know. I just don’t know how necessary this is.
Ryan (13:17)
you
Yeah.
Yeah.
Cinik (13:41)
I mean, I’ll watch anything superhero. I watched Gotham for quite a bit of time. I’ll watch, I’ll give anything a shot because yeah, I want to see those little nuggets of little popcorn kernels of Batman around. So, you know, anything we can get there, I’d be happy. But just looking over the cast list, because I love Clancy Brown. Give me some Clancy Brown 10 days a week. But, you know, you got Mark Strong and Theo Rossi and Michael Kelly. I mean, there are some decent character actors in that.
Ryan (13:41)
Yeah.
Cinik (14:10)
that trailer. So it could make for a dark and gritty crime property short.
Ryan (14:16)
And actually, I guess before we get to our reviews, speaking of DC and James Gunn, did you guys see the new set photos from the upcoming Superman movie?
Cinik (14:27)
I did. Why is Black Noir arresting Superman?
Ig (14:27)
Yeah, I did.
Ryan (14:32)
Yeah. Yeah. Well, it looks like it looks like this movie is going to have a million, a million characters. Now, what are your thoughts on the scene?
Ig (14:32)
Yeah.
Has he not grown into it yet?
Ryan (14:44)
That’s a little, so, right, like that’s the interesting part. I love that they’re going kind of back to the old school, at least from the movies, I forget if you, you know, well, you know, I’m saying some of the comics, but like kind of old school. Yeah, he’s got the trunks. Yeah, but you’re right, no, no, absolutely. Yeah, like I like that they went, they went with like the yellow on the cape, the yellow suit S sign on the cape and then they went with the red trunks. But like, it doesn’t look like it fits him. You know, we’ve had all these, I mean, from, you know, from Christopher Yvonne, like all of the Superman, you know,
Ig (14:53)
It looks a little George Reeve, but even baggier than that. But I’m saying it looks baggy. It looks like he’s not in it.
Ryan (15:13)
costumes are very much for him fitting. Like, and this one is not so much and this guy looks like he put in the work. So it looks like he’s in shape. So there’s no reason, it’s not like, you know, what’s his name? Robert Pattinson, who was struggling to bulk up for that role. Like he seems like he’s big enough for it. So it’s a little weird that they that that the suit looks so baggy and like, you know, like doesn’t fit because it got to be putting a lot of money into it.
Cinik (15:38)
You guys will still see camel toe, leave it alone. It’ll be fine. I mean, yeah, it does seem a little loose. I don’t know anymore. It’s hard to judge anything because we’re not seeing any of the post effects or you know, what CGI they have planned. But I mean, I’m excited for it. Anything superhero bring me to the box office at least once.
Ryan (15:41)
Ha ha.
Ig (15:41)
Hehehe
Ryan (15:55)
Yeah. And look, it’s James Gunn. You know, I think it’s an interesting, you know, he’s a, you know, with everything else, he’s a great writer. I’ll be interested to see how he manages the comedy in this, because obviously Superman, you know, we don’t want it to be as dour necessarily as like Man of Steel, that version of Superman, but we also, I also don’t want like Guardians of the Galaxy, you know, level humor in it as well. So it’ll be interesting to see his…
Ig (16:19)
Well, it can be that level, it just can’t be Superman doing it. So like Lex could do it, you know, Lois could do it, any number of other people could do it. It just can’t be Superman doing it. No, he can be the butt of the joke, but he can’t be making the joke.
Ryan (16:23)
Yeah fair enough.
Yeah. And I think it’s done. Yeah.
Cinik (16:36)
It’d be interesting to see if James Gunn can get away from that and sometimes do serious without the comic relief.
Ryan (16:44)
Yeah, yeah, because I mean, you look like peacemaker. It’s amazing. But it’s like a joke a minute. And so and so like, can he tone it down enough? You know, obviously, we want humor in it, you know, and there are plenty of serious, you know, superhero movies that work with humor, but you know, to make it work where there’s the humor, but also like, it’s got the right tone for like Superman. So it’ll be interesting. You know, I trust him. He’s, you know, he rarely has let you know, let me down with with with what he’s done. So hopefully, you know, he doesn’t. And I do hope that
he keeps the Matt Reeves version of Batman and that that can be its own thing. And thankfully it seems like, you know, with the release of the Joker and some of the other properties that they’re not going to be beholden to like everything’s got to be part of one shared universe. Which is good because that’s what you know, we want to get these other stories out there and not have everything be held to like, well, it’s got to be part of this, you know, shared universe. So yeah, I’m excited. It should be good.
Alright, so let’s start with Star Wars. So, Ig, again, you’re the resident Star Wars expert here. We’ve talked to Sinig and I had nauseam about the first few episodes. So give me your thoughts on episodes one to four. What were you thinking leading into episode five of The Acolyte?
Ig (17:48)
you
Well, I was kind of looking at, you know, everybody’s question is like, all right, who’s the dude in the mask? Where did he come from? What’s his story? And I think, you know, we got some answers, but not all of the answers in episode five, but that was the big question, right? Because obviously somebody came and killed the big Wookiee who happens to be a Jedi, which, you know, that makes things a little difficult. I mean, I know Sinek didn’t like the top knot, but listen, you know, he doesn’t like anybody’s haircut anyway. He teases me for mine.
Ryan (18:25)
Yeah
Ig (18:26)
all the time, so it’s fine. But he’s obviously capable because he’s done some things. He’s trained a person, you know, so like, who is he? You know, I was watching all the backlash through the first four episodes and everything, and all the backlash to me didn’t seem like it was centered on the show as much as it was the show runner running their mouth during press interviews, because watching the show, the things that people are upset about,
You know, like, you know, the whole go woke thing. I’m not feeling it. I’m not seeing it. You know, I’m not saying that the first four episodes were the best Star Wars ever written. There was some holes in it and there were some problems in it. You know, like the witches living in their coven, like we could have done a lit just a line of where they came from or something, because one of them looks like a night sister. Right. So.
is that where it comes from? And they just kind of branched off into their own thing. One line would have fixed all that. And sometimes I think that they don’t think that way. They’re like, we can just put it and let people guess, except Star Wars people don’t like to guess. We like to have facts and news and things like that. But they weren’t as bad as like the review bombing that was coming through, given everything two and less stars. It wasn’t anywhere near that bad. I would probably averaged about six and a half, seven on the first.
First four, probably an eight on episode four, but five, episode five, I’m like a nine, nine, five.
Ryan (20:00)
Yeah, no, I tend to agree with you on that. I was probably a little bit harder on the writing. I think the writing was weak through the first few episodes, but I totally agree. I think the issues, the big outroar or outcry, it was more about what the show runner kind of said and then people projecting that onto the show than what was actually on the show. Because the show itself, it’s like, okay, it’s like there are diverse characters and there’s a coven.
And like those are the woke parts of it, right? Like that’s not a significant part of the show at that point. But if you’re already annoyed with what the showrunner is saying, then it’s easy to kind of identify those things and then it’s enhanced.
Cinik (20:43)
Yeah, I saw a great line where it was like, Jen Exer gives up on mass murder because why it’s too hard. That was that kind of made me laugh a little bit. Yeah, I mean, if you you take everything that we’ve argued about and know as you’ve added this, it’s still the weakest Star Wars property up until this last episode. Like it’s it’s not the writing wasn’t great. Like they gave us a little bit, but they, you know, like I said, they could have done a little bit of fan service and just let us know where the
Ryan (20:49)
Yeah.
Cinik (21:12)
coming was from and people probably would have been a little more happy and a little more accepting of that. I’ll still never forgive them for the song, the sing -along, but yeah, I would have been happier like tied into the Nightsisters or the Singing Mountain Clan or you know, any of the people that we know, groups that we know within the Star Wars universe and we probably would have been a little more okay than we were with everything that happened.
Ig (21:37)
That Star Wars Resistance show, by the way, would like to have a talk with you about Worst Property. So. Right. There’s probably a reason behind that because I tried watching it. If it was good, I’d have been like, dude, have you watched this? You know, because like I’ve watched, I’ve watched Bad Batch. Love it. Watch Clone Wars. Love it. Resistance. my God. It’s terrible. I can’t watch it.
Ryan (21:42)
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Cinik (21:44)
You know, I don’t think I’ve seen that.
Okay.
Ryan (21:51)
Yeah, I gave up on it.
Yeah. Yeah.
Cinik (21:59)
Isn’t that super kid oriented?
Ig (22:03)
Yeah, it is, but again, so is a lot of other things. Yeah, yeah. But if it was good, if it was well done, because they’ve done Tales of the Jedi and Tales of the Empire and stuff like that, those are really well done. They’re interesting. They’re fun. So they can do animated things that draw in the standard Star Wars fan. But then, like I heard Ryan say, the writing was poor. Well, I’d like to refer you to George Lucas, whose writing is atrocious. So.
Cinik (22:05)
It looked like something out of Nintendo Wii. Yeah, that’s why I didn’t watch it.
Ryan (22:07)
Yeah.
Yeah.
Thank you.
Cinik (22:30)
I see Lucas’s writing isn’t atrocious his dialogue is atrocious
Ig (22:34)
my god.
Ryan (22:35)
His dialogue yeah, but but I mean that but a lot of so
Ig (22:38)
Well, you go from having Star Wars to having some kind of political battle about a trade trade route, you know, I mean.
Ryan (22:43)
Yeah. So what I would actually say about this is when I say the writing, I actually, you know, maybe I need more specific. I think a lot of it is the dialogue. Cause I actually think some of the story itself is okay. It’s not a terrible story. I think, you know, they lay the groundwork for something interesting. It’s just a lot of the execution’s not good. And then the dialogue kind of enhances it. It makes it a lot worse. You know, like there’s a seed of something interesting there, right? Like you were pitching me a…
Like if you pitch me on the show based on what it is, it actually sounds pretty interesting. It’s just that kind of the execution has been hit and miss throughout. But I think quite possibly they were able to right the ship a little bit on this episode. So there’s not a lot of story that goes on in this episode. The episode four ends with them meeting the Sith where we’re still kind of wondering who he or she is.
clearly they’re powerful as they’re able to kind of easily force push the entire group away. And then episode five starts right away. It is a batshit insane fight scene. So, Cynic, what were your thoughts on just kind of the intensity and how it seemed to go the entire episode?
Cinik (23:56)
you know, first, fuck killing the Wookie Jedi off screen, because that annoyed the shit out of me, because I was super excited about that. If that was the one thing that they did on here, I would have been, to see a Wookie wield a lightsaber, I thought would have been really awesome, like in a combat situation. I really thought that was some of the best fight choreography we’ve seen in a long time. I enjoyed it, especially when he was stalling out their lightsabers with whatever his helmet was. That was fucking awesome. Like, I was all about it.
Ryan (24:00)
Yeah.
Yeah.
Cinik (24:26)
I mean, of course they let me down in the reveal, but you know, everything about what had took place in the frequency in which he was dispatching Jedi’s was fucking fantastic.
Ryan (24:37)
Yeah, well so what were your thoughts on the fight and the choreography and how does it stack up to other properties in Star Wars history?
Ig (24:44)
Well, first of all, it’s the first multiple Jedi fight that didn’t end like extremely quickly. When it’s more than like two on one and it’s yeah, it is on one, but he’s taken on like eight people at the same time. Now, obviously some of them are Padawans, you know, they’re learners, they’re young, but he is really just kind of a badass. And I just like, I liked the motion. I liked the movement. I liked how
things were happening. I mean, that move where he like, lanced the one, lightsaber went through him and then he force pulled the next one onto it. We hadn’t ever seen that before. That was cool. That was really something to see. And when they start to innovate things that we can see them do with lightsabers, because quite honestly, a lightsaber is pretty impractical in a world where they have the things they have with blasters and everything else, but
They make it seem practical with somebody who’s trained well enough to use it, but you have to get close to people, except for those that can throw it really well, which apparently it looked like he could do pretty sizeably there too. I was really impressed. And as far as a single lightsaber battle that isn’t in one of the original trilogy, because just the way those first started, the first ones we saw.
Ryan (25:49)
Yeah.
Ig (26:11)
because of coming out of we’d never seen anything like that before, that was more awe -inspiring. So like the prequels had some really good ones, the sequels had some really good ones, but the awe wasn’t there because there was nothing new really in how those lightsaber battles went other than maybe some flipping and things like that. This one had new things in it that gave me a renewed sense of awe watching it. So I was really impressed.
Ryan (26:38)
I would say maybe there was some awe with the Phantom Menace battle only because it was really good story. Ironically, we all kind of, including me, shit on the Phantom Menace. That battle, that fight in itself was such great storytelling that I don’t know if they brought the same kind of awe that this had, but it was brilliantly done in totality. It was telling a whole story that was really well done.
Ig (27:06)
But it did the standard thing where like, all right, I struck one down and then you got to stop and just like, ha ha, you know? And this one just kept moving. Like, hey, I got this one, I’m onto the next one. And it got more, I guess John Wickersh, it’d be a good way to talk about it.
Ryan (27:10)
Yeah. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No. Yeah.
Yeah, well, you know, the best, the great analogy I’ve heard was Fury Road. I was reading an article that referenced Fury Road as this being like the Star Wars equivalent. And I really felt that because it was very, it had that tension and that like that chaos and that forward momentum, right? Like it didn’t, it started and it did not let up the entire time. Like it was constant. Like the whole episode is like, wait, is this, is this just going to be a full on like, we’re just fighting the whole time? And it was.
exciting and I mean it was as good as anything I think you’re you know if you bring up a good point about it about the originals kind of being more awe -inspiring just because we hadn’t seen it but it’s kind of like you know like pistol Pete compared to Kyrie Irving maybe right like if you if you saw pistol Pete you’re probably like my god I’ve never seen anything like that you know but in a vacuum it’s like amazing but then you have like the this is one of the you know this is almost you know it’s like the ultimate like
a battle. It was so well done. And then, you know, and then the other crazy thing is like, you know, obviously we had these, you know, when they went on their mission, there were these Jedi that like, okay, these are clearly red shirts, right? And, and sure enough, they die early, but then like, everybody dies. I mean, like, you know, every, I mean, he, he, like, he murders everyone. I’ve never seen that, you know, where these characters that, you know, again, I think a part of the writing in the issue is that I don’t think we really cared.
all that much for the characters, you know, the other characters outside of Saul, but we certainly didn’t expect all of them to die. Even though we should have gotten that hint in episode one, that like, no, anyone, everyone’s fair game in this. But, but, Sidney, what were your thoughts on that? Just that like, like, were you as shocked as I was that everybody, like, everyone’s taken out?
Cinik (29:01)
Well, it was a bunch of characters I didn’t like anyway, but at least they lasted longer than the bunch of hoopleheads that Mace Windu took with him over to capture the Empire. I mean, they did put up a fight. The one thing I did love about that sequence was when they started yelling, civilian, back to the ship, you got the sense that Yord was truly scared. Like he wasn’t just taking her back to the ship. He was getting the hell out of dodge.
Ryan (29:09)
Yeah
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Cinik (29:29)
And I really did love that about the scene because watching your friends die in that manner, no matter how trained of a swordsman you are, no matter how great of a general you are, has to be just unnerving. And you saw that in him. And even though he wasn’t my favorite character, that was a really cool aspect of that fight. But I was sitting there the whole time, like, this is all we need. This is all we wanted. You could have done anything else.
But just give us some of this. Like don’t make us wait five episodes in before you give it. We could have had some like real interesting and fun combat that didn’t involve ninja like tactics. And, you know, people would have been pacified. If you could do this, why not do it?
Ig (30:12)
Well, it’s like Ryan brought up before the Phantom Menace, right? Darth Maul coming speeding on the speeder and having just a short little battle with Qui -Gon on Tatooine gave us just that taste, kept us interested in what’s going on, right? So it’s that kind of thing. And all we’d had so far was May doing her little stuff with her knives and trying to grab a lightsaber, but not really getting one. And come on, now the first one was really well done.
Ryan (30:12)
One, two, three, yeah.
Cinik (30:21)
Yes.
Ryan (30:25)
Yeah.
Cinik (30:25)
Yes.
Ryan (30:34)
Yeah.
Ig (30:42)
I will give it that, the one against Trinity from The Matrix.
Ryan (30:45)
I was gonna ask you that, I was gonna say that, because I think that was pretty well done.
Ig (30:48)
It was really well done. But then when they kept doing that kind of thing and I’m like, okay, let’s move a little bit past that and try something else. Because why are we continuing the same thing? Especially when she was trying to do that guy that was force meditating with some force field around him. I’m like, you know, how many times are you going to punch a wall anywhere in the world and then realize that you can’t get through that wall and just keep trying to punch it?
Ryan (31:11)
Yeah.
Cinik (31:16)
We did like 160 some odd episodes.
Ig (31:19)
So I mean, I think that, you know, seeing what she did here in episode five shows that like, Hey, maybe there’s something else going to happen and there’s some real interesting terms that could still happen. But you know, that’s where you talk about some of the lazy writing. Yeah. I’m like, can we give some more intrigue and other things? Like if she’d have gone straight to, I’m going to poison him. I’d have bought that a hundred percent better.
Ryan (31:20)
You
Ig (31:48)
But it’s just one of those things where we’ve seen that she has training, make and do things. She can get things done. But when she just keeps doing the same thing, it’s like, is it a routine that you’ve practiced and you can only do this one thing? So that was a little annoying.
Ryan (32:04)
Yeah, no. Yeah, and that’s the fair point. I think if we’d gotten this maybe episode two or even episode three, I think that would have placated a lot of people. Because now it’s like we’re halfway through the show and it’s finally getting interesting. And so it’s like now we gotta start to stick the landing. So it’s like a little bit late to have the excitement come into this. And I think if they had done this earlier, it might have…
solved a lot of the issues that people have with the
So, let me…
So it is revealed that the Sith, you know, Darth teeth, whatever the Sith’s name is, is Kameer or Manny Jacinto from the good place. Who, you know, to be fair, like when we first saw him, I couldn’t stop thinking, my God, this guy, you know, it’s Jason in the good place. However, like this, by the end of this, I was not thinking he’s, you know, from the good place. It was like, my God, this guy’s a bad ass. But so I will give my opinion, you guys answer. I was hoping actually that it was the one of the mothers, you know,
Ig (32:55)
No.
Cinik (33:03)
The Zabrik, yeah.
Ryan (33:04)
Yeah, okay. Initially I was like I was me I was I remember texting cynic to I was like I’m gonna be pissed if it’s her but then as I thought about like it made sense right like she would want revenge for what the Jedi did and would send You know would send me on this mission because we still don’t understand why me is on this mission unless like the Jedi did do something really wrong So instead it’s him and I don’t know what his connection is So I was a little bit disappointed in that however his his Performances I thought was great. So, you know, and I love the look
So curious your guys thoughts. So what were your thoughts on the reveal?
Ig (33:38)
My big thought is it’s very Emperor -like, right? It’s Palpatine -like because like Palpatine was skirting along, doing his thing. Everybody thought, hey, he’s just a senator. Is he doing his thing and everything? And apparently behind the scenes, he’s training people to use the force, turning them into Sith, making them to do other things, which, you know, that’s where I draw my parallel. You know, they say Star Wars rhymes, right? You know, it’s like poetry. So that’s the poetry, right? It’s going back to Palpatine.
But I also think that, you know, it’s one of those things where I think it’s again, like Palpatine where he’s manipulating somebody who has a hole, right? And so May’s hole is she got left behind when Osha got taken and saved by the Jedi. So he’s like, those four Jedi chose to leave you and take your sister. So she not, they not only left you there to die, but they took your sister away from you. That, you know, you’re, you’re the dyad.
And so I think maybe that’s where the thing can be like, and maybe something else will come out. But that’s what I think currently is that he’s just manipulating because he finds somebody who has a weakness that he can exploit. So, and that would be the weakness, right? The Jedi left you there, took your sister, didn’t care if you died because you wanted to be a witch and they were fine with you just dying then.
Ryan (35:02)
Yeah. So, Sinic, how about you? What were your thoughts on the reveal?
Cinik (35:06)
I like you thought it was the mom they even planted that seed saying my mom could get into Jedi’s heads like that So I still think that she’s responsible. I think that there’s going to be a person behind the person behind the curtain So I don’t think we’re done with their lineage at all I think it’s still gonna pop back up, but I mean he’s a strong character I’ll give him that like even after the reveal and despite being disappointed. I was impressed with the skill set that they gave him
Ryan (35:36)
Yeah. So, okay, so basically episode ends, May and Osha have a confrontation. Eventually they separate again and it is revealed in the end that May is disguised herself as Osha and is with Saul and that Darth Teeth finds a downed Osha and seems to, you know, places a blanket over her or whatever over her and seems to have in mind maybe that he can take her in.
What were your thoughts on that twist? And then the final thoughts on the episode.
Cinik (36:10)
I hated it. I mean, I didn’t I thought it was terrible that they had the same haircut to begin with but she just went ahead and flow beat her hair with a lightsaber and It’s exactly the same as May’s like I don’t know man. I don’t know where this series is going They gave us one good thing to talk about which you know I’ll probably go back and actually rewatch that episode because the action was so good. I don’t know where it’s headed, you know
Ryan (36:19)
Yeah.
Cinik (36:38)
I hope that we get a little bit more than what we got. Maybe Saul comes back and kind of, you know, he died, didn’t he? No, yeah, that’s right. Yeah, Saul comes back and kind of redeems himself against dark teeth. And, you know, we get a little bit more of what made this episode fun. And I don’t know. I mean, we’ll stay away from the video for now, but I think at some point we do need to unpack that.
Ig (36:48)
No. No.
Ryan (36:48)
No, no salt’s good.
Yeah, I would have… yeah, yeah, yeah!
Ig (37:06)
The video.
Cinik (37:08)
Yeah, the song that she did. Maybe we should watch that one of these days.
Ryan (37:15)
Yeah.
Ig (37:18)
Now, I’m like, I didn’t think it was as bad. Like, I mean, yeah, all right. But it’s one of those things where, you know, that’s the hairstyle they knew and they wanted to keep a part of them, their own selves. And one just grew theirs longer and then cut it short. You know, but the part I didn’t get and I’m and they showed a hint of it with the tracker, knowing that that’s not the right person. How does a Jedi that can sense people’s things not know the difference immediately?
Cinik (37:30)
Ugh.
Ryan (37:39)
Yeah. Yeah.
Cinik (37:42)
Yeah.
he would have picked it up immediately.
Ig (37:48)
So.
I’m waiting for them to like, the way they turn that around is like, they get somewhere and then they’re like, okay, hey, just let’s go in here. And then they just locked the door behind her and like, aha, we knew it was you. We got you. Maybe something like that. And then get information about Darth teeth and work it out that way. And maybe they didn’t call them Darth teeth yet because maybe the Darth thing comes along later. Maybe, you know, I don’t know. Maybe there’s it’s an offset sift or something where they aren’t
Ryan (38:14)
Yeah.
Ig (38:20)
you know, the the the two thing and they’re just trying to do whatever. But I didn’t think it was as bad as as all that because they showed at least someone on that ship knows that’s not the right person. I have a hard time believing it wouldn’t be one of the Jedi, although maybe it’s because they just went through watching all their buddies die. Their mind is somewhere else. You know, I mean, anybody’s been through anything traumatic, even even a car accident like you’ve you’ve got to understand that cynic, right? You when you had your big car accident, like how clear was your mind for the next day or two? Honestly.
Ryan (38:31)
Yeah.
Yeah.
Cinik (38:49)
Yeah, no, I agree that there’s probably some post -traumatic stress going on there and we’ll work through it, but I definitely think he would have knew. So hopefully it’s revealed that he does know.
Ryan (38:59)
He’s got a wha –
Yeah, I would say he if he does not find out that would be problematic, right? Like if at some point he doesn’t realize it for himself, you know, then that’s an issue. you know, it’s like if he takes her to get to, you know, they get to Coruscant and he takes her to Jedi temple and let’s roam around by herself. That’s, you know, like he should know at that point. So we can give him, you know, give, give it a little bit for like the initially just being a little bit stressed and chaotic and PTSD, but like he’s also a Jedi master. So if he can’t figure that out pretty quickly, then there’s a bigger.
Cinik (39:32)
Where are we at with ratings? I’ll definitely give this a nine.
Ryan (39:35)
Yeah, I would give it about an eight and a half. I think it doesn’t quite stick the landing just because of the, you know, the ending was a little bit like, you know, okay, all right, so we pulled the swap. But otherwise, I mean, I gotta give it a nine. The action was so good. It’s as good as like almost anything. yeah, yeah.
Ig (39:53)
Well, and I’d give it a nine or a nine five because, you know, understanding this is episodic and it’s not this is it. We got to wait for the next movie in three years. You know, we get the next episode next week. So it’s one of those things where as a self -contained episode is everything perfect. There’s very few things on any episodic thing that every moment in it is perfect. That’s why it’s not a 10, though. So I’d give it like a nine five.
Ryan (40:06)
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah, that’s fair.
Cinik (40:19)
Well, it’s kind of like it’s kind of like we were talking about Ryan how the bear has set the bar so high. This is set the bar so low that this is definitely a night.
Ryan (40:24)
Yeah. All right. Let’s get to something. Well, let’s see. We’ll get to talk about the boys. So we had the boys episode four. So five just came out today. But we’re going to talk about that next week. But episode four, and my dog is going a little crazy, was chaotic. So we’ll take it bit by bit.
Ig (40:28)
you
Ryan (40:56)
We’ll take it bit by bit. So let’s start with like, or storyline by storyline. So Homelander, I mean, Homelander has the best storyline and like, does Anthony Star deserve an Emmy now? Like, should we just give it to him?
Cinik (41:10)
You know, he’ll never get it. I honestly don’t think he will because of the role that he’s portraying but yes, he 100 % does. I mean he’s Yeah, yeah, absolutely a nomination he’ll get the nomination I just don’t think they’ll give him the award and they he deserves it like he’s he’s Over the last couple seasons absolutely killed this
Ryan (41:17)
Wait, at least it’s not – at least it’s a nomination, right?
Ig (41:29)
Well, they might just wait for season five and give him a last season award kind of thing. I mean, they’ve done that in a lot of other properties that are that are similar where they, you know, if they do it every year, give it to something that’s not a serious show, then they get looked at like, we’re giving it to superhero stuff now. But if you give it to them when what’s known to be their last season, then it’s like, hey, they did a good job for five years. We’re giving it to them once. So.
Cinik (41:53)
and by the way, real quick, can we stop with the half a season bullshit? Like they’re coming back for either do a season or do one season or do two. Stop with the half of, you’re on cable. So it’s not like we’re doing this for ratings purposes or advertising purposes. Yeah, that’s what I mean. You’re not even on cable. You’re streaming for fuck’s sake. Stop with the half a season. I hate that.
Ryan (41:58)
Yeah.
Yeah.
Ig (42:09)
You’re not on cable, on streaming.
Ryan (42:18)
Yeah. Well, so the so the Homelander, so he ends up visiting the Vaught lab where he was he was experimented on as a child. And it was one of the most brutal like scenes. I think one of the things with Homelander is every time he’s in a scene, they do such a great job of of building tension. You know, like, were you on the edge of your seat, afraid of what he was going to do and how he was going to exact his revenge?
Ig (42:44)
from the moment he walked into the room. He’s like, I brought a fudgy the whale.
Ryan (42:45)
Yeah.
Ig (42:53)
I brought a treat, let’s everybody have some, while I plot my demise for each and every one of you. You know, it’s…
Cinik (42:59)
But let me ask you real quick, egg, was it that his intent when he walked through that door?
Ig (43:05)
I think some of it might’ve been. I think if some of the people that were there that did things to him, maybe. Like he’s like, but I don’t know.
Cinik (43:15)
How about you, Ryan? Was it his intent?
Ryan (43:21)
But you know, it’s weird because I feel like I don’t know if the show is trying to humanize him or not. It’s hard to say what the goal is of the show and how we’re supposed to perceive like his actions. I think that
He craves adoration, right? And he needs he needs approval. And I think I think he went in there with it in mind that he was going to do something. But I feel like there was something they could have done to change his mind. They just didn’t know. They didn’t know what to say or what to do. What do you think?
Cinik (43:52)
I thought it was an on the fly decision. I thought he went there with the best intentions, like you gotta go home. And I think as he saw the people and as he saw the place, I think it reminded him of everything that terrible that happened to him. And I think he made his mind up then and there. I honestly don’t think he went there to kind of blow the place up.
Ryan (43:54)
Yeah.
Ig (44:11)
I would believe that if he hadn’t shut off all the cameras and did everything else he did going in to mask his entrance and stuff like that. Like that’s why I think he had some plan to do something when he was there, because he shut some stuff down on his way in.
Ryan (44:15)
Yeah. Yeah. What? Yeah.
Cinik (44:23)
Well, I think that he kind of came in low profile because he was probably afraid they weren’t going to let him in. You know what I mean? Like he, everybody knows that he’s bat shit crazy, but.
Ryan (44:28)
Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah, no, I feel like he, I think he knew he wanted to do something, but I think that he, he was almost like hoping that they would say the right thing, you know, the thing that would make him feel okay. And nobody could say that because there was nothing to say. And so, you know, then he, and he’s, he’s psychotic. So, you know, I mean, like again, the tension in that scene was, was incredible.
And for a character that we’ve gotten a lot of that, I mean, it was up there with everything that we’ve seen from him. But of the three punishments, I’m gonna ask you, which is the worst? So one person got burned alive. The other person had to try to jerk off in front of a group. And because he failed, he got lasered through the dick. And then the third person got to witness all of her coworkers basically be torn apart and ripped to pieces. And she’s locked in a room with just dead body parts all around her.
Which is the worst punishment to you?
Ig (45:33)
You know, each one has its own merits to stand on, I guess. The Burning Alive one would be real painful, but it happened relatively fast. So that would suck, but it would suck for a short amount of time. The Masturbating in Front of Everybody one has that level of shame added to it. So, and spending all that time in front of all these people that…
Ryan (45:56)
Yeah.
Ig (46:02)
you know, who wants to go to work and pull their stuff out? If you do, you know, we need to get you to a doc.
Cinik (46:08)
Louis CK did it and he’s recovering from it now.
Ryan (46:09)
Yeah.
Ig (46:12)
Yeah, but he didn’t do it in front of a room full of people. It was usually one at a time.
Ryan (46:17)
Ha ha ha!
Ig (46:18)
So it’s just one of those things where like the shame aspect added to that, especially when you’re somebody that’s kind of pseudo normal. I think that that adds a layer to it. Now, the stress of having to be around everybody that you’ve been working with for even if it was only a month or two, but you’ve been coming to work with these people and now like parts of their bodies are skewed around you while you just have to stay here and wait for maybe someone to come find you at some point in the future because you’re locked in this place.
I would think that one might be the worst. Quite honestly, the guy that got lasered through the dick, he might die from that. So, okay, yeah, your pain and shame lasted longer. So just based on ongoing trauma, I guess the lady being locked in with the stuff, that’s probably the worst of it.
Ryan (47:08)
I’ve got it. What were you saying? Which is the worst?
Cinik (47:13)
Probably the oven it just looked so painful, you know, like I Mean I can deal with the self humiliation. It feels like I get lasered through the dick pretty much daily So I mean I could deal with that I think the burning thing because just everything going on with your nerve endings in body You know, that’s terrible. I
Ryan (47:15)
Yeah. Yeah.
Hahaha!
Ig (47:36)
They got that oven to heat up real fast though, didn’t they? Like, my God.
Ryan (47:38)
Yeah. Yeah.
Cinik (47:40)
Call me a sociopath, but me being in the room with a bunch of my dead co -workers wouldn’t be as terrible as most. Yeah, yeah, that’s true. I do work with some terrible people.
Ig (47:46)
Well, that’s your coworkers though.
Ryan (47:47)
Yeah, yeah, the one thing with the lasers in the dick Such it was a great shot because like there’s the hole and then you see Homelander standing from behind the hole I mean, it’s just like who thinks of this stuff It was so great. I mean just ridiculous But but I mean that’s what I do feel like like has Homelander gone like has he has he completely gone? I mean, he’s always been off the deep end but like
Cinik (47:57)
Yeah.
Ryan (48:14)
Is there a lower low for Homelander? Is he at the bottom? Is he just as vile and evil as it could be?
Cinik (48:21)
We still have a couple more episodes left. I think he can get there. I don’t think he’s there yet, but I think he can get there for sure.
Ryan (48:23)
Yeah.
Ig (48:29)
You know, turning gray will do that to some people.
Ryan (48:29)
And now do you, no, with his son, do you think he wants his son, I wonder about this, does he want Ryan to be like him, like just a sociopath who can just, I mean, he even says people are roaches, or do you want him to try to, does he want him to try to be good? Do you feel like there’s any bit of him that actually, no. Do you think he just wants, yeah.
Cinik (48:49)
now. There’s no there’s no humanity in him. I want Ryan to be more like me when it comes to not liking the last Jedi. But no, he doesn’t know what he wants. Homelander is a barrel with a hole in the bottom and he can he’ll never be full as far as good feelings or as far as he wants to be human even though he doesn’t respect them. But now he
Ryan (48:56)
hahahaha
Cinik (49:17)
He doesn’t want to send to be normal at all.
Ryan (49:20)
Yeah. So now, the majority of the rest of the show is really focused on Firecracker has like a big event outside of, you know, Starlight or Annie January’s, kind of their, I don’t know, their office or whatever it is. It’s hilarious. Like, how true to life is it that Firecracker, you gotta say, how true to life is it that Firecracker gets caught for sleeping with a minor?
And then basically just announces that it’s okay. You know, I found Jesus and it’s all right. Like you think that that’s a similar thing would happen to somebody on that side.
Ig (49:58)
Are we grabbing people by certain parts of their anatomy and that’s okay too? I mean, you become president of the United States after doing something like that? I mean, how many people have had some of those things happen if they’re in a certain side of the political spectrum and still get forgiven? I mean, isn’t there a current person serving in Congress right now who has a ton of accusations about touching little boys in Florida? I mean,
Ryan (50:00)
Hahaha!
Cinik (50:02)
it.
Ryan (50:20)
Yeah, exactly. Yeah.
See ya.
Ig (50:26)
Why hasn’t anybody said, you know, he needs to be out of here. This is not who we’re supposed to be. Let’s quietly exit him stage left. Matt Gaetz, have a nice day. But.
Ryan (50:36)
D -D –
Cinik (50:38)
What happened with that? I thought his goose was cooked. I know he his giant head pops up every once in a while He must have pictures of somebody naked or
Ig (50:39)
He’s still there!
Ryan (50:42)
I don’t know. Yeah. Yeah, exactly.
Ig (50:48)
I’m just saying so how accurate is it? More accurate than I would like it to be. If I cross the street in the wrong place, I’m afraid they’re going to lock me up and throw away the key. But somehow if you are so aligned with one side, you can just do some heinous shit and still be allowed to walk around free and do whatever and talk. I mean, he said it early, right? Trump said early, I could stand out on Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and they would still
Ryan (50:53)
Yeah.
Ig (51:18)
boat for me and everything. And then Homelander did it last season, like right out blasted somebody through the head in front of everybody and they cheered for him. So it’s a real good allegory and I know they’re doing it on purpose to show that like, look, you can be a horrible human being. And as long as you say something like Jesus and church and the communists are trying to and the standard talking points.
Ryan (51:20)
Yeah, exactly.
Cinik (51:44)
You’re forgetting the best thing. You’re forgetting the biggest out. he was a pedophile. You just call somebody a pedophile and anything you’ve done to him is completely washed away.
Ig (51:50)
Yeah, yeah, the pedophile. But, and even when you’re fine, someone on your side is found to be a pedophile, I found Jesus, life is good, ma -ha. So the pedophile only works against the other side for some reason. And when they say, you know, silent majority, the silent majority has to be the other side now because they’re allowed to walk around us without someone just lashing out and beating the tar out of people that do those things in front of God and everybody.
Ryan (51:50)
Yeah, exactly.
Yeah.
Ig (52:20)
because that’s the world we need to be in, but the rest of us don’t want to go to prison. The reason I haven’t done some of those things, I don’t want to go to prison. I like sitting in my house and drinking my cherry cokes and smoking my cigarettes. So I don’t go do those things because I don’t want to go to prison. Now, if I could do those things and do it like Trump and stand out on Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and they would cheer for me, yeah, I might take advantage of some of that stuff.
Ryan (52:28)
Yeah.
You
Ig (52:48)
I would take advantage of it in a completely different way. I wouldn’t turn into a pedophile or start doing terrible things or run some crazy right wing podcast that like I’ve got everybody watching and I’m setting it up outside of a place that’s just trying to help kids recover from bad situations.
Ryan (52:52)
you
Cinik (52:54)
turn.
Ryan (52:55)
Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. No, exactly. That’s crazy. So, so this, so that, that story kind of where it ends up in chaos, there’s a massive fight starlight beats the hell out of, out of her. And, and strangely then, butcher ends up in a confrontation with, what’s the, what’s the mr. Fantastic guy’s name? Ezekiel. Yeah, that’s right. Ezekiel. And it seems like so
Cinik (53:27)
is equal.
Ig (53:27)
The church guy. Yeah.
Ryan (53:32)
So where do you guys think this is going? So it seems like Butcher has a parasite that clearly is able to escape and destroy people. So like, Cynic, you think this parasite is now his actual superpower? Like, does he have a power and he’s not going to die? Or do you think he’s still dying? He just happens to have, you know, some powers while he’s kicking the bucket.
Cinik (53:52)
Yeah, I think the V that he took probably did give him some powers, but didn’t heal what he has going on. So yeah, we’re going to be dealing with a permanently superpowered butcher for the rest of the time that he’s around.
Ryan (54:03)
Yeah, which is interesting. And now I’m wondering now is that is Becca, is that the parasite? Like what he’s seeing is that you think that’s the parasite or do you think that’s he’s just having his hallucination separate from the parasite?
Cinik (54:17)
Well, I think it’s symptomatic of the brain cancer that he has, the lesion or whatever.
Ig (54:21)
Yeah. Yeah.
Ryan (54:23)
Yeah, so now my you know the other there’s a couple of the storylines going on here and so I guess what your thoughts on so we’ve got the storyline with Huey and his dad who seems to be dying and he’s kind of got a side mission to get some compound V for him. There’s a story, you know story with Kimiko and dealing with her past and then we’ve got Frenchie who also is dealing with his relationship and and having murdered murdered his boyfriend’s family and
You know, I’m finding that like as much as I initially was kind of glad that like everybody’s kind of getting their stories, I just don’t seem to care as much because I like the story of this thing is, is Homelander and, and, and the boy is trying to stop him. And so I found that like, I’m just not as interested. Do you have that same feeling? Like are those storylines kind of just feeling kind of boring?
Ig (55:06)
100 % I have that same feeling, because it’s like some of the stuff I’m OK with them putting in, but they’re doing like half of an episode on some of the stuff. And I’m like, can’t it just be snap, snap, bam, and then move on to the next thing? And it gives them a reason to be upset or happy or angry or something. I’m OK with that.
But when you start, when you spend multiple parts of multiple episodes, like dealing with some of this stuff, it’s like you’re getting away from the meat. Like it, and I find myself sometimes looking at my phone or something when they start doing some of those things, cause it’s dragging. And like a lot of the previous episode, episodes and seasons, very few, very little dragging in any of it. And I think maybe are they scrounging to try and fill in hours worth of time each week? And so they’re putting in some filler stuff. I don’t know, but like,
they have to? No, because they’re not… like Frenchie’s important to the story, Kumiko is important to the story, but she’s been mute the whole time. So how much do we need to have all the rest of it? You know, Frenchie’s been obviously been shown to like do some vile things, you know, he built the bomb to stick up right in the very first season so that he could blow them up from the inside.
He’s a bad guy, but he’s a bad guy fighting for the right team. So it’s one of those things like, do we need to have him have more trauma? And this is one of those things where I think this show more than the acolyte is trying to appease to crowds of like, look, we’re bringing everybody into the fold. Look, he’s clearly part of the LGBTQIA plus community, which is great, but that’s not what the show is about. So why do we care?
Right. And I’m okay with whoever’s gay, whoever’s straight, whoever’s trans, whoever, who cares? Right. If it’s part of the show and it’s integral to the show, great. Right. Because what was that show with, Louie Anderson was a, was a acting as a female person, like somebody’s mother through the whole show. Like that, you did really well in that show and being trans was part of some of the stuff. Right. Jeffrey guy from,
Ryan (56:58)
Yeah.
.
Yeah.
Ig (57:22)
He was in the comedy series Arrested Development, Jeffrey Tambor did the trans show where he was a trans person transparent, right? And that’s centered to the show, then great, that belongs there. But we had four seasons of them not talking about it at all. And all of a sudden we’re gonna be like, okay, now we’re gonna shoehorn this in here in a way that’s not building anything for the show to get better on. So not that I care who…
Ryan (57:27)
Okay, yeah. Yeah, transparent, right? Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah.
Ig (57:48)
is sleeping with who or anything, but like we haven’t seen anything other than like maybe a couple of main character sex things or the orgies haven’t happened over here.
Ryan (57:55)
Yeah, well, I think that’s part of it is I think that it would have been better like Kimiko and Frenchie have an interesting relationship and exploring that dynamic would have been more interesting than them having their side missions, which then takes away from like the larger story. So it’s like, it’s weird because I get it and it’s fine, but I’d rather almost like give it, make it a side plot for like one episode or, you know, part of an episode, but to have it kind of being part of a subplot throughout the season.
Ig (58:07)
Yeah, 100%.
Ryan (58:24)
just seems like it’s like I just don’t care because I want to see what else all the other stuff and and the stuff with Homelander is so much more interesting and and the things with the you know the boys trying to you know figure out how to kill him and you know that the big the larger picture or bigger picture stuff is more interesting the side plots like even with Huey like and his dad like I don’t really care like it you know it’s like it seems like it’s taking us away from like the interesting stuff. Do you agree with Sinek?
Cinik (58:49)
Yeah, how about Simon Pegg getting paid for five episodes to land bed pretending that he’s a coma.
Ryan (58:53)
I will say I I did see You know what? Yeah, I mean, yeah Yeah, like I saw yeah, he was actually like in credit like like I didn’t realize he had these acting chops actually So so he does he he gets his money’s worth in this next episode definitely
Ig (58:56)
When you watch the next episode, it’s going to resolve a little bit.
Cinik (59:15)
Yeah, what I think they’re doing is they used to do this on The Walking Dead 2. When a show gets towards the end or when a character is about to get killed, they give them an episode that spotlights the fact that they can act. And I feel like that’s what they’re kind of doing here. It’s a little bit filler, but it’s a little bit getting ready for these actors to move on and try to get other jobs. And I think that they’re giving them subject matters and scenes and storylines with more meat on the bone.
so they can kind of act a little bit where we weren’t able to really see that with them before, not in the forefront because they’ve always been kind of acting as a group. So I really think that’s what they’re kind of doing. I do have a bit of a bone to pick with the show and the fact that they’ve kind of turned into more recent or nowadays Howard Stern where we used to get full -fledged nudity and it was great.
But now it seems to have scaled only to male nudity. And, you know, we’re just seeing dongs and guy buttholes for shock factor. Like if we’re going to do that, let’s just not do it at all. Like I don’t need to see, you know, 20 multiple man dongs on the screen at the same time or him eating his own ass. Like it just, it gives me Richard and Sal vibes from Howard Stern because that’s what he did. He built his empire on, you know,
Ryan (1:00:12)
Yeah, you get a lot of tears.
Ig (1:00:13)
You
Ryan (1:00:21)
Hahaha
Yeah. Yeah.
Cinik (1:00:37)
women being naked and pushing the boundaries to now it’s just completely just dude on dude action all the time.
Ryan (1:00:45)
Yeah. Well, and the episode ends with with the president basically saying, yeah, we can’t work with you anymore. And it seems like just everything’s in chaos. Starlight’s kind of ruined all that she’s built. Huey’s, you know, and Huey’s dad may or may not have been injected with compound V. So what are your thoughts so far? We’re four episodes in, you know, at this point. Cynic, your final thoughts on the episode, your rating.
Cinik (1:01:11)
I mean, the only thing that is really pushing the story forward is Homelander’s storyline. The rest of it seems very much uninteresting to me. Like it just, it doesn’t move the needle. I don’t get excited when we see more Kamiko. I definitely don’t understand what they’re doing with Reggie. And it’s not even the weird, I’m in love with a guy turn that they did that came out of nowhere. It’s just, it’s not good writing in the sense that you’ve killed this guy’s family.
There’s nothing you can ever say or do to make that better. You can’t love him enough to change the fact that you’ve done this. This is the one person you can’t date, yet this is what we’re doing. So yeah, I mean, overall, I feel like it’s time for the show to kind of come to a close. I think that if this is their way of telling us we’ve done everything we can with these characters. So I mean, the first four episodes have been okay.
They’ve been decent. It’s really turned into the Homelander and Butcher show, which I guess it’s slightly always been.
Ryan (1:02:14)
Yeah. And what’s your rating?
Cinik (1:02:17)
for the first four episodes, I’ll give it a solid seven and a half.
Ryan (1:02:21)
Yep, how are you, Hank?
Ig (1:02:23)
Yeah, I’m right there. Probably seven and a half, maybe an eight if we’re just talking about the last episode, because there was enough in it that was interesting. Butcher going, not Butcher, Homelander going back to where he was, discovered how strong he actually is back in Vought’s lab was crazy enough that I think it bumped me up probably to an eight for that episode. But most of them have been about a seven and a half, but with a strong outlook on the future. I think there’s still…
plenty of things for them to happen and the introduction of firecracker this season and everything she’s doing and what are they calling her like you know sister sister sage yeah i think you know her being smart and just saying things to homelander like you know you don’t want me around because i’m smarter than you and i’m gonna tell you and you can’t deal with that he’s like yeah i can and he smiles and every time she does it he’s you can see him like because i twitch a little bit he’s like my god she’s right but i i can’t i can’t do anything
Ryan (1:03:03)
Yep.
Ig (1:03:20)
because I already said that I could deal with it. I think there’s some interesting things that are going to happen. I’m not sure Sister Sage is going to end on the side she’s on, because I think that she’s smart enough that she’s going to notice that this is probably the wrong side. And she’s doing it right now because that’s where the power is. But she’s going to realize the power corrupts thing and probably try and move sides or give hints. I think she’s going to be the key in the end of things on how the boys end up winning.
However, that’s why I think she was introduced now. But yeah, I mean, I’m still enjoying it. The Boys is a fun series. I like watching it. And you know, the last episode probably an eight first four, seven and a half right with setting.
Ryan (1:04:04)
Yeah, I forgot, the one person who’s got their own side plots, who I actually like is Sister Sage. I think she’s great, she’s a good character. I like the stuff with her and the deep. I like that gross lobotomy scene, which I didn’t even bring up. It was pretty ridiculous. But no, she’s been really interesting and I think she’s also interesting because she is, she’s the smartest person in the world and she’s clearly playing a long game that we don’t even know. She’s making these moves that we just don’t know because she’s playing 40 chess.
And we don’t know what side she’s on and we don’t know what the end game is for her, you know. So I hope that they stick the landing with that character. Again, like in this episode, there’s a couple of great lines. But yeah, I won’t spoil that yet. But there’s some really good stuff in episode five. But yeah, I really liked the episode. I think this was very much like, yeah, it’s like it is the Homelander in Butcher show. But this episode gets like a nine for me just based on the Homelander stuff.
You know, just, you know, you could have just cut everything else out and just give me that scene in the Vought offices. It was so much tension. He’s so crazy and borderline psychotic, but you still, there’s this little bit of empathy you feel for him. And crazily enough. So I think he’s doing such a great job that, you know, I love that part of the episode. So I’m the strength of that.
you know, I would give it a nine. Maybe it’s really more of like an eight and a half with all the other stuff, but solid episode. You know, yeah, I feel like it is a show that’s on its last legs, but it’s bowing out, which is good. Like it’s not bad. It hasn’t gotten over the hill yet. But I feel like if we were like, yeah, this is gonna be running indefinitely, that’d be a problem. But the fact that we know like it’s ending in season five, you know, they can start focusing on the ending and that works for me. And I think it’s the perfect timing for us to get that ending.
Homelander’s not gotten tired yet, but he’s going to if we keep going this way. So I think that we can get the end of the story next season works. But yeah, great episode and hoping that we start to see where this story is gonna go on the next few episodes. All right, one second. I’m gonna just pop out and in, because for whatever reason it keeps cutting my mic off.
Ig (1:06:19)
You sounded clear, full through. Yep. Yep. The video stuttered a little bit, but like the audio was clear all the way through.
Cinik (1:06:20)
Yeah, you had no stutter whatsoever.
Ryan (1:06:20)
it’s, yeah, okay. No, okay, cool. Okay, good, good. I’ll keep it, because that makes sense.
Okay, good. Okay weird because it switched from my mic to my air pods, but if it’s coming in clear then cool. Okay, okay. Okay. Good that way
Ig (1:06:44)
Now you’re muted. It even shows on the screen that you’re muted. There you go.
Ryan (1:06:48)
Yeah, my dog is scratching herself and growling for some reason. Okay. All right. So, yeah. Yeah. All right. So on to, so it’s season two, episode two of House of the Dragon, Renera the Cruel. Yeah, I mean, episode one, we all loved, well, how were you on episode one? Were you, were you on, it’s kind of in line with where we were.
Cinik (1:06:53)
I generally don’t mute when I do that. I just pretend that I’m doing something else.
Ig (1:07:16)
Blood and cheese, baby, it was amazing.
Ryan (1:07:17)
Yeah, that was great. So episode one, I mean episode two begins, we get this really kind of beautiful funeral procession to start the episode out. And then right away we kind of have Otto kind of scheming to take advantage of his grandson’s death. You know, Cynic was a little cruel of Otto to right away be like, all right, how are we gonna use this kid’s death against?
against Reneira.
Cinik (1:07:48)
Well, first off, I thought Randall was going to come by and lean on the carriage because I thought for sure that fucking body was going to fall out. Yeah, I mean, this is what the hand of the king does, right? You’ve got to spin every they’re getting ready for war. They’re trying to win the hearts and minds of all the houses that have yet to declare again, for which side they’re going to be on. So you got to make the currency with the dead child because it’ll spend it’ll spend.
Ryan (1:07:53)
That’s right.
Yeah. So how does Otto compare to Tywin Lannister as Hand of the King?
Ig (1:08:21)
I think he’s much more devious, quite honestly. Like I think Tywin’s goal in the whole thing was to yes, make his family strong, but to just have the kingdom ruled the way it should be ruled. I think that’s why he was so much more curt with Joffrey than he was. And I can’t remember the younger kid’s name, the second king, Joffrey’s younger brother. That’s it.
Ryan (1:08:44)
Is it common? Yeah.
Ig (1:08:46)
He wasn’t near as curt or as short or anything with Tommen as he was with Joffrey because Joffrey needed someone to tell him like, go to bed, take a nap. We’ll take care of this. Get out of here. And Tommen was a kinder person. So I think, you know, he wasn’t trying to keep from anything other than he was trying to make sure that the kingdom stayed a kingdom instead of destroying itself in other ways. So I think one of the biggest reasons that they failed eventually is because
Tyrion killed his dad. And then like he was like the almost the only sane voice in that whole chamber at that point, because Cersei was losing her mind and everything. But like Otto is really trying to to just pull everything apart. Right. And he’s like he’s more concerned about his family gaining strength than the realm maintaining some level of sanity and and prosper.
Ryan (1:09:19)
Yeah.
Ig (1:09:46)
prosperity and things like that. Cause they’re, they’re worried about, do we have enough goats to feed the dragons so that they can go fight? Do we have enough steel to go and build swords and things to do these other things versus you’d like, let’s tamper down. Let’s try and ease things out because people are suffering. And I don’t think that Taiwan was as bad that way as Ottawa is.
Cinik (1:10:08)
Well, Tywin always dealt from a position of power where Otto does not. Otto’s, you know, kind of still trying to grasp at the realm where Tywin felt like he had everything on lock.
Ryan (1:10:11)
Yeah. Yeah.
Well, speaking of his grasp of power, so he freaks out at Aegon as he does several times throughout. And eventually Aegon just says, right, well, you’re no longer Hand of the King. And what do you think, do you think he, like, was it just hubris that allowed him to treat him like that? Like, do you think he was prepared to lose that? Or do you think that he never thought Aegon would have the kind of balls to do that type of thing?
Ig (1:10:46)
Well, I don’t think he even knew that like, Agon knew that that was an option until someone put it in his ear last episode, right? Somebody’s like, that was, that was your, your dad’s king, your dad’s hand of the king. Do you need him to be yours? You get to pick, you’re the king, you know? So when, when, when you put an idea like that, and I think Laris was trying to get him to pick him to be hand of the king and, you know, not so much, I guess, but it’s one of those things where.
Ryan (1:10:52)
Yeah.
Cinik (1:10:53)
Yeah.
Ryan (1:11:09)
Yeah.
Ig (1:11:15)
I think in his first part of ruling there, I don’t think that Aegon knew that he could change anything. He’s like, well, it’s my grandpa, you know? I mean, he’s been Hand of the King. He knows how to be Hand of the King. Why don’t I just let him be Hand of the King? And then after getting that bug put in his ear, he’s like, yeah, well, you’re no longer hanging to the king. So man, that’s got to be rough, you know? And the thing is, is because his daughter is still mother of the king, the queen mother.
Ryan (1:11:34)
Yeah.
Ig (1:11:45)
I think there’s still opportunity for him to like marionette some things around, pull some strings and get some things done.
Cinik (1:11:52)
I think Otto didn’t grasp the depths of Egon’s stupidity. Like he didn’t think he would get that stupid. You know, like, we’re just gonna give it to Christian Kohl, who’s the most reactionary person in the world next to Damon.
Ig (1:11:56)
That’s true.
Ryan (1:11:59)
Hehehe
Yeah. So, speaking of Chris and Cole, so he, you know, he obviously has his own issues, right? He was sleeping with, you know, he’s with Alicent when all the, you know, when the prince is killed. And he seems to be taking his own kind of guilt out on everyone else. So what were your thoughts on that, on his scheme to have, and I don’t know which one is Arik and which one is Arik, but one of the twins, you know, is that even a smart plan?
Ig (1:12:29)
you
Eric.
Ryan (1:12:34)
to have a twin sneak where he doesn’t know what the, you know, he doesn’t know what the king’s guard, if they’re gonna be dressed the same, if his facial hair is the same, if he looks, you know, what he’s changed about him, to just send him to try to kill the queen. Like, was that a realistic plot?
Cinik (1:12:50)
Well, according to the acolyte, nobody ever changes their hair or anything else. I mean, with the proper intelligence, it’s a genius plan. With no intelligent, with no pre -planning or forth, it’s a terrible plan. But it almost worked, right?
Ryan (1:12:53)
You have your twins, right?
Yeah, yeah. Well, we are not what. Yeah. No, do you think do you think it was just his own like was it just guilt or hubris or did he think what maybe this is my way to end it and like make a name for myself that I I hatched this plan.
Ig (1:13:08)
It got real close to working. Real close.
I think it’s just the hubris more than anything else. Like, you know, whatever happens, it’s going to work, you know, because I am he and I can make anything happen. And why not? It’s like there’s a twin that went that way and one that stayed this way. Send them over there. Go killer. You know, why not? Why wouldn’t it work? You know, I mean, I don’t I have yet to see the barber pull lots out of one thing down in King’s Landing. So maybe people don’t shave or get haircuts or anything else.
Ryan (1:13:51)
Yeah.
Ig (1:13:52)
And maybe they didn’t think to hire a royal tailor to outfit the king’s guard in Dragonstone. So why not? He’s going to be dressed the same. He’s like, who can afford to buy new clothes, right? We’re buying everything else to feed the dragons.
Cinik (1:14:04)
There’s just so many ways that could have went wrong. You know, so many way like all they had to do was change one thing about the Kings garden and dragon stone. It was some.
Ryan (1:14:11)
Yeah, exactly. Right. Like they were. Yeah. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. So now the, so now moving over to, to Dragonstone, you know, we have, we have this kind of council meeting where they’re trying to figure out who, who did this and it’s pretty clear Damon pretty clear was Damon. And then we get this, like in a series in, you know, I’m including game of Thrones in, in with this, where we have some of these acting clinics, you know, at times.
Ig (1:14:13)
Yeah, put a red pauldron on. Just drain a red, just because they’re anything.
Ryan (1:14:41)
was this among the best acted scenes in the series ever?
Ig (1:14:47)
Yeah, even including Game of Thrones, it was really well done. And that’s the thing is, I mean, the one thing Game of Thrones has done, I mean, they had poor writing in season eight of Game of Thrones, but the acting even in the last season was still really well done. And the actors that they put up for these roles, I mean, yeah, Matt Smith did the queen and everything for a lot of years and everything, but, you know, I don’t remember him in a lot of other things. He’s got a very particular look about him. I think the blonde wig sometimes looks a little weird on him.
But I think the blonde wig looked weird on Amelia Clarke after having seen her in her natural hair. So while all that may be true, the man can act. He’s definitely an amazing actor. So when they do those things and they’re well written like that, man, all you can do is just sit and watch in awe of how well it’s done.
Cinik (1:15:40)
Well, that was the thing, right? There was a point in that where Renera kind of gives Damon a look, like, can you believe this, hun? And then she realizes, because the guilt is written all over him. And it’s such a great scene. And then the argument to follow. Yeah, the argument between them afterwards. Like, you know, he wasn’t jealous of you. He couldn’t trust you. Perfect. They couldn’t have done it any better than they did.
Ryan (1:15:51)
Yeah. Yeah. It was brilliant. Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well, yeah, you’re right. Like he was his body language is brilliant in that scene because he could just couldn’t hide it. And then in that and it was great because I think they both they both have been holding it a lot. Right. Because like Renera, you know, clearly Damon wanted the throne and the fact that he was passed over, there’s got to be some tension there. And it seems like they both just exploded and let out all the things that they wanted to say that they probably held back from saying.
Cinik (1:16:11)
Mm -hmm.
Ryan (1:16:29)
Now, what do you make of Damon’s actions? Because he disappears by the end of this episode. Do you think that he’s just gone? Is he going to try to win her trust back? Is he going to try to usurp her? What do you think is going on in his head as he leaves this argument?
Cinik (1:16:45)
Well, I think it would be a fool’s errand to use Serper in the middle of this. I think you do it afterwards. You know, just take her out hunting and throw her off the horse like we did to the chick at the veil. I think he’s going to make it right to prove that, you know, that he’s still team Targaryen and he’ll show up in a huge way, probably taking the area around Harrenhal.
Ryan (1:16:53)
Yeah.
Yeah, that would make sense. I feel like he’s not, he can’t be, if he wanted to do something, he’d do it right then and there. But he’s got to try to, it’s like you’re at this point where it’s like he’s betrayed the person he loves and now he’s got to try to find a way to win back. Not unlike what he did with his brother, right? He betrays his brother, disappears and then comes back having defeated the crab feeder. So, of course he ends up getting kicked out again pretty quickly, but I guess that’s what it is.
Cinik (1:17:14)
Mm -hmm.
Ryan (1:17:35)
What are your thoughts on it?
Ig (1:17:38)
I think you’re right there. I mean, he’s not gonna, he’s not gonna go out and fly off on his dragon and go join the other side. I think he’s got complete disdain for the other side. He doesn’t have, he can’t generate enough strength on his own to just usurp and like have a third leg out there trying to take the throne. He just, you can’t, not when dragons and things like that are involved. And there’s already two very distinct sects happening.
So he’s got to be going out to do something and Harrenhal has been talked about a lot in the last couple episodes. So I’m pretty sure he’s taking his dragon and heading there post haste to see if he can do something. And his dragon is very formidable. Like it’s not the biggest dragon, but I think it’s the one that’s had the most action in the more recent years.
Ryan (1:18:20)
Yeah. So, so we get to basically like the, you know, the big thing in this episode is that, that Eric or Eric ends up sneaking on and shockingly he’s able to make it all the way to Reneira’s bedchambers intent on killing her. And at the last minute, his brother shows up and they, they have this insane battle to the death. Cynic, what were your thoughts on that, on that fight? And did you ever at any point ever think that Reneira was in peril?
Cinik (1:18:49)
yeah, well no, I didn’t think she was in peril, but I thought the fight was amazing. I thought they upped the ante to the point where you could believe that she might have been in peril. They’re obviously not going to kill her because she’s, that would be like killing Daenerys in season four. It’s just, you know she’s gonna be there till the very end. But the plot itself, it worked despite everything that could have went wrong. The fight between them was great and I’m gonna admit it, up until this point I thought,
there was one person playing both roles. So upon further reading, I found out that it actually is a set of twin brothers and yeah, it was a great fight and a tragic end.
Ryan (1:19:22)
Okay, yeah.
Yeah, so it was it was it was it as epic as it was made out to be you know kind of when we heard about this in the books
Ig (1:19:32)
Yeah.
Not only was it epic, but when it was over and the last twin impaled himself on the sword, I’m not sure which one that was. And I’m still almost confused because it might have been like through that fight, the one that was already there with Raniera died on the ground and the other one stood up and realized that like.
Ryan (1:19:48)
Ha ha ha.
Ig (1:20:05)
maybe I made the wrong choice and killed himself then. It could have gone either way. So at this point, I’m still not 100 % sure which one is which, because I mean, well, first of all, they’re twins. So knowing which one is which is difficult to begin with. And if, and when like one of the other guards was like, which, which one is which, I just said, if I was Renear, I’d have been like, kill them both because we don’t know. Cause like, what if, what if one wins and he’s like, I’m here, you’re queen. And then just waits and kills her later.
Ryan (1:20:14)
Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah.
Ig (1:20:33)
right? No, they both have to die because you can’t guarantee which one is which. So it’s difficult. But like even after the one died and the other one killed himself on the sword, I wasn’t sure because there’s Game of Thrones has had a way of doing something where like all of a sudden somebody like like sees the light and something is like, I’ll bend a knee now or do something. He could have switched sides right at that moment. But that was an amazing way to like.
put some real tension in the show. So it was really well done.
Cinik (1:21:06)
heartbreaking was that too that they buried them together. It was just like all this is for nothing if they could just get on the same page you know it really really well he done.
Ryan (1:21:11)
Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah, it was really well done. I read the book that this is all based on and this lived up to everything. The choreography was great. I loved that it was kind of a which one is which type of thing, but they never made it about the other knights having to figure it out and kill them. And even that act of committing seppuku or whatever, it was like, yeah, it could have been the one brother because he…
killed is because it could be this noble gesture by the by one basically in that like, look, I know that you can’t trust either of us, whoever survives this. So let me just take my life so that you don’t have to worry about that. Or it could be the other brother, you know, seeing the light. And, you know, that’s what makes it really kind of heartbreaking, brutal, but just really well done and really well written.
Cinik (1:22:05)
I think it was just the heartbreak of, it was the Eric that was there, that lived through it, and I think it was the heartbreak of killing his own brother that caused him to do it.
Ryan (1:22:09)
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No, it was really well done. And like, you know, couldn’t ask for more with that. On the one day I skipped, it was like, of course in a show where children are killed and twin brothers go to battle, what was the biggest gut punch for me was the dog looking up at his owner hanging, the rat catcher’s dog who got kicked last episode, just staring like sadly as his owner’s hanging. That was the saddest.
moment in the show for me.
Cinik (1:22:40)
He was he was kicked physically last episode and kicked emotionally this episode
Ryan (1:22:43)
Yeah Yeah, so yeah, so I mean look great episode so what were your final thoughts on episode and your your rating?
Ig (1:22:46)
That dog can’t catch a break.
Cinik (1:22:55)
you know, we usually save 10 for like Battle of the Bastards and stuff like that, but I think just the acting alone was a 10 for me.
Ryan (1:23:08)
Yeah, how are you, egg?
Ig (1:23:10)
You know, seeing that they sewed that kid’s head back on and running them through the streets and everything, I’m like, they’re really just every detail that they put into the show is better than the last. They spend so much time. And like, I think back to the original Game of Thrones and like the things that they would put into the dresses and the wardrobe and stuff that you can’t see, right? It’s too far out. You can’t see it, but they put it there anyway. And that’s the, they’re doing it again.
So they, you know, it took a while to get this show off the ground and up and running and everything, but I’m glad it did because they put the right people, the best actors, good writing and everything together to make it happen. Are they absolutely 100 % true to the book? No. But were they true to the other ones? No. So it’s okay because some things just aren’t going to translate to the show as well. I’m right there. I don’t think I’m quite a 10. I’m a nine five. The acting was a 10. There’s a couple of things that, you know,
It just, you know, sometimes when something is too heartbreaking, it’s hard to give it a 10, you know? And so it’s one of those things like we’re just going to kill all the rat catchers. OK, well, now the people in the in here are pissed off. That was smart.
Cinik (1:24:17)
and by the way, if we’re going to do nudity, or if we’re going to do sex scenes and not show nudity, don’t do the sex scenes. Nobody has sex. Nobody has sex with their clothes on. I mean, at least use a body double and show a butt or it’s just unrealistic. I love that in movies too, they have sex and the woman has their bra on. Nobody’s having sex with their bra on. It just, it doesn’t happen. It’s not based in reality. I believe the dragon’s more than that.
Ryan (1:24:25)
Yeah
Ig (1:24:25)
Yeah, there was no there was no benefit to it.
Ryan (1:24:27)
Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah.
What is she? Apparently she said there was like some kind of animalistic or carnal sex scene that got like cut or something. But then I wonder like what was included in that. But yeah, no, fair point. But yeah, I’m right with you guys. I think, you know, it’s tough because you do get those episodes like Battle of the Bastards or Hard to Call.
Cinik (1:24:47)
Sure it is.
Ig (1:24:48)
Of course.
Ryan (1:25:01)
which was the Blackwater, those that are just Red Wedding, those clear 10s. So I don’t think it’s quite there, so I can’t quite give it a 10, but a solid nine, five. I mean, yeah, between the funeral procession, even the kid’s head stitched to the body and moving in one direction. There’s one point where the cart’s moving and the head’s moving one way and the body, it’s like, that attention to detail is crazy. But you have this.
Ig (1:25:05)
Red wedding. Yeah.
Ryan (1:25:28)
you know, just a couple of them, because even the scene with Otto and Aegon is an amazingly acted scene. And you have that, the scene with Rhaenyra and Daemon is incredible. You have this insane fight that’s just brutal and heartbreaking. And like I said, even that little moment with the dog, like, it all works. So, you know, maybe not quite a 10, but that’s only because like Game of Thrones did give us some of those 10 episodes. And I’m assuming we’re gonna get something like that.
as this show goes on. But again, House of the Dragon is knocking out the park. It’s crazy that, I think there was this point where Game of Thrones is the biggest thing in the world. And then season eight left such a bad taste in people’s mouths that it kind of dropped off of the cultural landscape. But this show has been so good between season one and what we got so far that this has completely restored my faith in this property and what they can do. And now I’m like, when I’m hearing…
they’re working on this new show. I’m excited about it because you know, they’re really, they’re taking care and making sure this is like as good as it could possibly be. So yeah, easily 9 .5 and like super excited. So yeah, wow. So we went a little long today. We definitely covered a lot. Ig, thanks for joining us and I’ll throw this one to you, Ig, until next time.
Cinik (1:26:27)
Yeah.
Ig (1:26:45)
Don’t get captured in the hole.
Ryan (1:26:47)
Guys!
Summary
In this episode of the Portable Hole podcast, the hosts discuss the Batman: The Caped Crusader trailer and the Penguin series trailer. They also review episodes 1-4 of The Acolyte and share their thoughts on the intense fight scene in episode 5. The hosts express their excitement for the Batman animated series reboot and the potential for a dark and gritty crime drama in the Penguin series. They also discuss the new set photos from the upcoming Superman movie and the challenges of balancing humor and seriousness in superhero films. Overall, they find the fight choreography in The Acolyte impressive and discuss the importance of well-executed action sequences in Star Wars. In this part of the conversation, the hosts discuss the reveal of the Sith character in ‘Star Wars: The Bad Batch’ and their thoughts on the twist. They also talk about the punishment scenes in ‘The Boys’ and the accuracy of the show’s portrayal of certain real-life situations. The conversation ends with speculation about Butcher’s powers and the hallucinations he experiences. In this conversation, Ryan, Ig, and Cinik discuss the latest episodes of ‘The Boys’ and ‘House of the Dragon.’ They express their disappointment with the side storylines in ‘The Boys’ and their lack of interest in characters like Huey and Frenchie. They also discuss the excessive male nudity in the show and its lack of relevance to the main plot. Moving on to ‘House of the Dragon,’ they praise the acting and the intense scenes, particularly the fight between the twin brothers. They speculate on Damon’s future actions and rate the episode highly for its acting and attention to detail.
Keywords
Portable Hole podcast, Batman: The Caped Crusader, Penguin series, The Acolyte, fight scene, Batman animated series, dark and gritty crime drama, Superman movie, humor in superhero films, fight choreography, Star Wars, Star Wars, The Bad Batch, Sith, twist, The Boys, punishment scenes, accuracy, Butcher, powers, hallucinations, The Boys, House of the Dragon, side storylines, character development, male nudity, main plot, acting, intense scenes, twin brothers, Damon
Chapters
00:00
Introduction and Reunion
02:02
Discussion of Batman: The Caped Crusader Trailer
11:06
Discussion of Penguin Series Trailer
14:04
New Set Photos from the Superman Movie
23:26
Impressive Fight Scene in The Acolyte Episode 5
28:48
Discussion of Character Deaths in The Acolyte
31:03
Importance of Intrigue and Writing in The Acolyte
31:36
The Reveal of the Sith in ‘Star Wars: The Bad Batch’
43:27
The Accuracy of ‘The Boys’ in Portraying Real-Life Situations
54:35
Speculation about Butcher’s Powers and Hallucinations
55:06
Boring Side Storylines in ‘The Boys’
59:32
Lack of Interest in ‘The Boys’
01:05:46
Exceptional Acting in ‘House of the Dragon’
01:19:32
Epic Fight Between Twin Brothers
01:23:38
Tragic End and Attention to Detail in ‘House of the Dragon’