'Lanterns' Was More Than Action, 'Ted Lasso' Disagreements, and 'Chad Powers' is King

[00:00:01] Hey everybody, it's Taking It Down. We are nearing the 300th episode, and this is episode 297, which means you still have time to get in a question or comment that you'd like for us to share or read on the air for episode 300. If you have questions or comments for us, send them over. Use that link in the show notes to get us whatever you have on your mind.

[00:00:26] And this week, what's on our mind is Lanterns on HBO, Ted Lasso on Apple TV, and Chad Powers from Hulu. We'll cover those three shows, as always. Non-spoilers to begin. Spoilers after a break. Look at the timestamps and you can avoid anything that you don't want to hear yet. But after you do watch them, come back and give us a listen again. Let's get the show going. I'm going to get Adam and Donovan in here to help me dissect some of these shows. I'll ever take projection.

[00:01:02] Welcome to Adam and Donovan, who join me as usual this week. As per use. Debated saying that. That's a legal term. That's what a lawyer would say. Let's get into it. Let's not pause. Do we have to? Don't the viewers love it when we just kind of goof around and say silly things? Probably not. You know, I noticed a lot of our listenership is now on YouTube. Yeah.

[00:01:31] And it's my understanding that they like if you get right into it. Can they see us? No. Okay. Thank God. Yeah. God. I'd have to put pants on. Every now and again I have done. I've captured the video feed, but I haven't done it in a long time. It just takes a little bit more time. Yeah, they're definitely skipping this. You know, when podcasts first became big, I remember listening to some purpose. I won't name any names. This is like over 10 years ago.

[00:02:01] Proliferate and people are like, oh, you should check out this whatever podcast. You're like listening. You're listening. You're listening. You're like, surely they're going to talk about the thing at some point. Yes. We'll talk about the thing. Yeah. Well, this week. Time to hop in. One of the things is Lanterns on HBO. Oh, by the way, if you are just tuning in for the first time, we do non-spoilers to begin and then spoilers later. So check the timestamps.

[00:02:27] We've got Lanterns on HBO based on the DC Comics title Green Lantern about space cops. In this case, it's Kyle Chandler plays Hal Jordan, one of the space cops. An aging one at that. And he's assigned to train Jon Stewart, played by Aaron Pierre, a new space cop. Perhaps. Would be. If he can lance through the training, we're expected to think. I'm not disparaging the previous installments, but this was the first time that I was shocked that the episode was over.

[00:02:57] Yeah. It ended and I was thinking, wait, that was 54 minutes or so? I also went to check where this was in the running order of the season. Yeah. Out of like a, not only did I, was I surprised the episode was over, but I thought, surely, what, where am I? When am I? Exactly. It's a very well-paced episode. Still able to provide some information with action and forward momentum.

[00:03:26] And I was like, Adam, I had to check the episode count. I did the same thing. It's funny that, Adam, you said you did that. Because I was like, okay, obviously we're, you know, there have been three distinct times we've seen. Was it 2006, 2016, and modern time? I think that's in episode reviews. So I was like, we know, like, okay, some more time maybe needs to be spent in some of these. But I was also like, wow, okay. That's kind of all I have to say that wouldn't be spoilers. It was really enjoyable. It was fast-paced.

[00:03:56] The only thing I have to say that I don't think is a spoiler, because the movie came out first, at the end of this episode, I was like, oh, that's why Guy Gardner is the Green Lantern and Superman. And we don't see Kyle Chandler or John Stewart. I mean Kyle Chandler. Hal Jordan or John Stewart. We got a different Green Lantern and Superman. Yeah. Interesting. That's a thought to come back to in spoilers that I have a few questions about.

[00:04:23] Let's get some brief non-spoiler ideas this week for Ted Lasso. It's the show's seventh of this fourth season. Guys, I think I was in a bad mood when I watched this episode. Really? Did it help? I did not. I didn't like it. I was annoyed by it. Interesting. I found myself actively disliking a major plot line. I bet I know what it is. I might have just been in a bad place. I don't know. That happens to me. Yeah.

[00:04:52] It's like if somebody else enjoys this, I have nothing against you enjoying it. Beth and I watched it together. And she had a great time. But I'm feeling irritated watching this. Could just be I'm in a bad mood. But I don't know. This one just wasn't, was not clicking for me, guys. That's kind of how I felt about some of the episodes early on. Adam, what did you think? I was kind of indifferent on this one. Yeah. Oh, wow. That's probably if I had been in a different mood where I would have been.

[00:05:19] Because I don't think, I think objectively like it wasn't a great episode. But it also wasn't completely terrible. Although I think it was trying to be a little too cute at times. Hmm. See, I've had my notes here. I thought it was well balanced, well done. Oh, interesting. It managed to be good, but not perfect or stellar. And I wrote, still, if this is the show it will be, it's a satisfying victory for the fourth season. Okay. Wow. Hmm.

[00:05:49] This, there were bits, and I do mean like in the comedic sense. Yeah. In this one that worked for me. Agree. That they were both like entertaining and did some character development. But it just seemed like, could this have been condensed into another episode? I don't know. Or condensed and absorbed into another one? Mm-hmm. Yeah. I don't know. I don't know either. It was fine. It's still, you're hanging out in Richmond. Like, you know, it's fine. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:06:18] I'll say, I think we're definitely far, I've said this before, but we're definitely far characters, I like the setting, soccer is fun, they call it football in England. They do. It was one of the shorter episodes of the season. It was.

[00:06:49] By about five minutes, I think. About 37 minutes? Or was it, was it only 30? I was thinking it was, yeah, like five, 10 minutes shorter. Yeah, I think so. Yeah. Well, maybe 41, maybe I'm off a little, but yeah, you're right. Still one of the shortest of the season. Maybe that influenced me where I thought, okay, the balance is here. We'll get into these things. You were just like, thank God it's over. Great episode. Five minute shorts. What did you do with your five minutes? Wrote notes, apparently.

[00:07:18] Because I've got them. Another one I have notes on. We're moving into another sports show. This one's over on Hulu. Stars Glenn Powell. It's Chad Powers. He's a great college quarterback who's disgraced out of being drafted by the NFL and realizes that he can try out in disguise and as a made-up person for the fictional SEC team, the South Georgia Catfish.

[00:07:43] Where do we stand now that Chad Powers has put all six of the season's episodes on Hulu? So I think this show still gets my better than it needs to be award, grand prize for the year. I had previously awarded it to Widow's Bay, but Widow's Bay was awarded every Emmy they hand out the other night. So I'm stripping Widow's Bay of my award because it doesn't need it. It doesn't need it. I'm giving it to Chad Powers.

[00:08:12] I think that this season, honestly, for anyone who's watched the first season, I think a really valid question is, what are you going to do in season two that's not just repeating the gimmick? The show, if you have heard the premise of it and you're not, it is a gimmick. And I think this is part of why it gets my better than it needs to be award because I personally feel like I did not see a retread,

[00:08:38] just a retread of season one, including in the humor, but also the themes tackled and what was going on. I do think that it justified it. The second season kind of is, you know, one of the questions was like, why? Why? Why does it exist? I was satisfied. I was, the early episodes do a lot of other things that it does excellently.

[00:09:04] Anyway, they put Russ as Chad in these really awkward situations, force him to react, and then humor is created because of that. I was going to say, they really did a great job with that, those first episodes. Wow, kind of slacking off on that as the season went on, which I think is a strength, not a weakness. Yeah. I said this last season, they have a genuine tension. Yeah. And it's like the stakes are raised each episode.

[00:09:31] Last year they came out weekly, this year they dropped them all at once. And I do think, this is not like, you know, The Sopranos or Mad Men, but I think that like, kind of at its core, it's asking like a big, good, and interesting question about love. I agree with that. Yes. Like, I think that's actually, like there's actually some meat on these bones. Mm-hmm. And identity. And identity, yeah.

[00:09:56] The back half of this particular season actually trended a little towards serious, and I thought it stalled a little. It did, yeah. Yeah. It's a natural progression when you have Russ and Chad's identity is always in danger of being exposed. There are only so many jokes you can get from that by, without eventually forcing it to hinge on the likelihood he's discovered and fallout of that. And last season they handled each small fallout really well, and I thought it stayed hilarious.

[00:10:25] But here it got introspective almost. Yeah. I felt like it kept up the funny, and I think they made a good choice to do that. But yeah, I think I'd agree with your assessment, Blaine. I thought for a little bit they were going for purely deranged in this season. Yeah. And that makes sense in context. Although they lacked some pure ridiculous comedic beats that the first season had, I thought it was a pretty good season.

[00:10:55] Pretty good. It's an excellent show of faux SEC TV. That's the thing, too. If you like college football even a little bit, you'll probably enjoy at least some parts of this. I think a lot, yeah. Yeah. Tell you what, let's take a break, and we will dissect these more in depth. Check the timestamps. Go to the show you want to hear about, if not all of them. We'll keep you out of spoilers that you don't want to hear. So we'll be back in 45 seconds.

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[00:11:54] And fun. There must be a catch, though, right? Like we probably blather on for four-hour episodes. That's the best part. We don't blather. Not a lot, at least. Blather is such a good word. A truly underutilized word. Yeah. What were we doing? I don't remember. Movie Friends. Fun conversations from across film history. Visit our website, moviefriendspodcast.com, and listen to our show everywhere you get your podcasts. And we did it with plenty of time to spend.

[00:12:25] Okay, let's pick back up with some details of Lanterns with the episode titled Lights Out, where Hal and John finally come to blows over John's being left in a crashed car, basically for dead, with a lot more to fight about in between when they meet up again. And it's hard to imagine, after this one, that there are three full episodes left. Yes. We talked about this. I'm very, very curious what's going to happen.

[00:12:51] And I am counting the one that's going to air in a couple hours after people listen to us when we release now on Sunday afternoon. And it's obvious now that they had two distinct stories they wanted to tell and then weave into one another. And I'm curious if they came to the table and each had a story or, you know, there are three creators, showrunners, or not each had a story.

[00:13:16] But if they came into the table with a story in mind and there were two and they pieced them together or if this is what they had in mind all along. I think it's working super well. I mean, obviously we have to see what they do over the last three episode arc, but there is a version of this show, which there's already a problem, as Donovan pointed out, because we do not have these names in future adventures in this universe, right?

[00:13:44] So it's not like you like, Donovan, was it safe to say you've known he's not going to get the ring and have a long, fruitful career? I mean, I don't know what's going to happen because I think the Superman movie takes place in the year it came out, which would be 2025. So it's possible that Stewart has the ring in 2026, but it's not looking likely.

[00:14:06] I knew that there was something they were going to have to explain because Guy Gardner is the Green Lantern in Superman and this is part of that universe. And I know Guy Gardner is slated to appear in this show, like as a cameo. Even very good superhero movies can basically stay on the tracks of reckoning with the responsibility and what am I supposed to be? What is my destiny? All of these things. Yeah, we've seen Spider-Man.

[00:14:37] Right. And Batman finding his courage or whatever in the Nolan movie, his purpose, all of that. Yeah. Yeah. But to have the whole, the system has been under constant scrutiny in this universe in a way that it makes sense that like a very climactic, almost hour-long battle sequence is only the fifth episode here. I mean, this should have been the penult, you know what I mean?

[00:15:02] This should have been the penultimate episode or the final one in most seasons. Mm-hmm. But it was great. Yeah, I thought so too. I thought it was well-paced as I mentioned. I do have a few critiques, which might be on me as much as it is the series. I thought some of the aliens and guardian lingo and explanations were confusing at times.

[00:15:27] Particularly who's against whom and what powers they have and what I'm supposed to think about those things. Well, the aliens have guns and they can blow up because they've got an explosive device implanted in their bodies. This was the bald guy who kidnapped John we're talking about? That's the bald guy. Yep. It's always been, the aliens have always been those guys. And they want the Manhunter for what reason? Wiped out their civilization. Oh, okay.

[00:15:57] They may have said that. Killed a bunch of people. They say it to John. So I do think that it's like, I think that's kind of legitimate, Blaine, in that it's like, we don't have a huge thing for the Manhunter except like, well, it's bad, of course. But it kind of all happened off camera. I do think that we got some good, through some good writing. It's not perfect and didn't make up for it, but like the leader being like, what was the name of our children? It's like, well, we couldn't conceive.

[00:16:26] It's like, okay, like she really wormed her way through. I thought that was great. You know, like, it was good. It was really good. And then too, of course, the, I mean, if you know the comics, you know it, but of course the kind of reveal, right? That the Manhunters precede the Green Lantern Corps as the Guardians cop peacekeeping force. Yeah, I found that interesting and wondering where they'll go with it. Yeah, should be good.

[00:16:50] These Guardians are a little bit in the more, they're a little bit more suspicious in this iteration than Benevolent. Which I like. Yeah, me, yeah, same. So the Zoe character is my other critique. I thought as a Manhunter, she was a little flimsy. I don't think I understood her very much. Like, what can she do? What am I supposed to believe she can do other than seduce others and heal others? And what does she want other than to survive?

[00:17:19] She's probably the last of her kind, seems like. We're supposed to know that. I think part of the point was she didn't have a drive other than to survive. Okay. That was kind of the tragedy, you know, because she's like, it's my programming. I'm sorry. I found it a little odd we don't see her seducing or healing with the exception of John in the seduction category. The rest we only hear about. But there's only so much. Yeah, maybe that might be a weakness too, but yeah, there's only so much you can put in if this is not going to be the finale.

[00:17:48] You know, if we're still going to have three episodes after this. I think I agree with you, Blaine, that these are, I think you put your finger on some weaknesses. I think they're, some of them are weaknesses that the writers were at least a little bit aware of to kind of nod or acknowledge to them. But yeah, I mean, it's not perfect. But it does make you wonder, like you can kind of convince yourself to be on any one side here. Yeah, everyone's kind of sympathetic. Yeah.

[00:18:16] The ambiguity of the morality, I guess you would call it, is well done and well set up. Whether it's the aliens coming back for retribution or her just trying to survive or, you know, I mean, the Guardians kind of, are they good? It's complex, right? Yeah. Even with like, probably the least justifiable character, this show was Hal. And I still don't feel like I can write him off completely.

[00:18:44] I don't know if this was an intentional parallel, but it felt like he was just trying to survive as well. And there's like kind of, there's kind of a sadness in that, that he's gotten to the point. You know, it's like that, I mean, you know, John says it at the end, right? Like, that thing made him crazy. Well, he became more sympathetic, I think. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah. I mean, he lost sight of anything but having the ring, which was being Green Lantern, which was good.

[00:19:13] It was hard not to think of like a Gollum kind of Lord of the Rings thing with this. Especially when he puts it at the end when it's just sitting there on the table and it's like, this is like temptation encapsulated in a way. But under the veneer of like, like when Hal's like, I can't, he's telling the sheriff, I can't leave. Like, she's like, just fly away and nobody has to die. Kind of. I mean, the classic like pre-Western showdown, like we all just walk away, nobody has to die today.

[00:19:43] But I mean. Yeah. The things that he says he's going to, or not even the things that he says out loud, but like you think he's there out of some sense of law and order and right and wrong. But like, what is he doing? Obviously, they're up to something on that base and now we know all about it. But like, like the hospital is empty, you know, and this town is kind of just leaving peacefully. Like what, what's the harm here? Right. Right.

[00:20:10] And then through the course of the episode, he's obviously comfortable with provoking an extreme amount of collateral damage. Unconcerned. No. Yeah. Right. At no point is anyone here like, let's figure this out so so many people don't have to die. Right. Like, you know, he's comfortable with with that, basically, because he knows what the man is going to do.

[00:20:35] It is funny to see the two lanterns or would be lantern that treat each other in show as if they have plot armor. You know, like just like a it's almost like a wink at the camera. Like, I'm going to run this car into a telephone pole to take you off the board. Obviously, that ends pretty horrifically. But, you know, problem gets solved or whatever. I think Jon Stewart was justifiably angry.

[00:21:05] Yeah. I'm not trusting how to drive any car. Not at this point. No. If I'm Jon, I mean, his insurance must be outrageous at this point. And in this economy, I'm hesitant to think that Hal's really dead at the end. And I don't know if that's a fair bait and switch, but it's pretty common in comic books, shows, and films where you can't really kill off somebody. They're bringing back Captain America for the Avengers, right?

[00:21:34] Like, it's the horrible old joke. Nobody stays dead. We'll see. Now, Hal, like, I think it could – and like you said, nobody stays dead. But maybe in the movie universe, maybe they would maybe have him die for real just because there are multiple human beings who are Green Lanterns. And Hal is one of the older ones who has been supplanted by different folks at different points in their career. But, yeah, nobody dies.

[00:22:04] It really undercuts the stakes. There's something about the scene between Zoe and her grandson, that future Keelan Russell there. I don't know what we're supposed to make of it in-universe, but just as a – I mean, I know we're supposed to infer that, like, this child has been raised in some sort of way that is going to lead them to have these probably messed up beliefs that could create extreme convictions for action in the future. You know?

[00:22:33] And, like, that's all you're really supposed to believe in-universe. But it did make me think about real-world stuff about, like, assuming that it is an actual human child if it has been psychologically influenced by the Manhunter. Like, what does that mean as it gets older? Mm-hmm. Especially since, you know, all he really is going to know potentially is Grandma was shot in the head. Yeah. And they make a point to bring him up in the first episode.

[00:22:59] Or, when Johnny comes back to town, how's the quarterback doing? Mm-hmm. You know, he's a point we're supposed to remember. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Aren't we supposed to notice that the streetlight's awfully yellow when Hale crashes that car at the beginning of the episode? You know, if we are, that would be a really good nod because I didn't pick up on that.

[00:23:25] If it is, that would be very subtle and very good because we've already had Sinestro introduced. Yes. That's right. I'm not—the idea that it is yellow or the color stuff is—I'm not new to that, and I couldn't remember where I'd heard about it. But you're right. Yeah, yeah. Sinestro. Yellow is the weakness, and then the Sinestro.

[00:23:48] Sinestro, in some points, has his own core that have yellow rings based on fear instead of, like, the green ones based on courage and willpower. So we're bound to see those, maybe. It's possible. Maybe. It depends on what they want to do, right? They've got 80 years of comics to play with, right? What would you make with a green liner and ring? I'm not allowed to say that on the air. Oh, okay. Well—

[00:24:15] You know, I would be like—I have such bad, like, visual imagination that, like, they would—I would probably kill myself trying to make, like, a football or something, you know? Just, like, end up blowing up somehow. It would be horrible. I'm, like, the opposite of Jon Stewart. You know, he can just sketch a willy anytime he feels like it. I loved when Hal had to show the picture and his—himself, whatever. What's the thing?

[00:24:43] His, like, saved consciousness or whatever that he uses for— Yeah. —reconnaissance. Did we draw that? No. Yeah. Yeah, it was a funny episode. Hal being unable to—having to lie about being seduced by—you know, like, finding out. You know, he's talking— The hottest one. Yeah. He's like, well, of course we slept together. Right.

[00:25:11] He's like, you know, you've been in space as much as we have. It's not about what so much as, you know— Opportunity. —you could just see him. Like, he's completely unable to—like, he's got to follow this lie where it leans him. So, that was great. I did think that Hal—you know, I think I've noted before, like, the brief glimpses you get of, like, oh, he's actually pretty good at this. You know? Yeah. Like, it's still there.

[00:25:38] Like, his—he's so quick with the ring to, say, protect himself from gunfire or even just, like, physically fight his way out of the cloud and then take a helicopter. And there was something comical, too, about him landing the helicopter at the motel. He was. I don't know why it was funny, but it was. You get the feeling—well, at least I did. I think they did a good job of—especially for, like, the first two episodes, like, Hal is kind of playing the fool.

[00:26:08] Sure. Like, there's full—there's elements of him that are real in those first couple episodes, but you can see that it's, like, it's also—and it kind of lines up with him, right? Like, keeping people at an arm's length. He's suspicious of John. He doesn't really want to share anything with him. So, you know, I think they did a good job of kind of letting that character evolve a little bit.

[00:26:31] But there is the danger, as someone has withdrawn or whatever, that if they're playing the fool, can they really turn it off when they need to? You know? Right. Like, are they so deep in character that they're actually just aloof and not capable anymore? Well, and that kind of seemed like part of what was going around with Hal—what was actually going on with Hal, right?

[00:26:54] Where it's like, okay, like, he's at the point where he's going to, like, get drunk and fly in and snatch, you know, a Russian ass, right? Like, it's like—like you said, right. Like, what's it if you're—are you playing the fool anymore or are you just a fool? Right. With my critique said, I did find it entertaining. Still, like I mentioned earlier, a quality episode. And I didn't think of these critiques until later.

[00:27:19] It took, like, two days where I realized I have some questions and I don't know if I'm supposed to have them or not. Are you two on board with John making the decision not to be a cynical old man who has the ring versus maybe like a has-been who never got it? It makes sense to me because it was John proving that he's a hero by making his own choice, basically, in a world where he's had every choice made for him.

[00:27:47] And he's actually had this moment of clarity where he's like, this thing that my parents told me they wanted, it could actually be—you know, for me, it could actually be really destructive. I think that he has—I don't know if you would view it as compromises basically since this season started, but it seems like he has done things that surprised himself. Yes.

[00:28:11] He's made promises that he pretty much immediately broke, maybe in the name of the mission, but, you know, what else is this going to require of him? And I still think he's not—he's never telling anyone the whole truth. So I'm not sure that him leaving that on the bar and walking out is—I mean, obviously it's not. We got three more episodes, right? That doesn't seem like the final word on that. Yeah, obviously, I agree that's not the final word.

[00:28:37] But I'm willing to believe that the show at least did enough for me to kind of have this idea that if you create someone who's fearless, obviously there's a lot of things, you know, like he's physically courageous and stuff. But if you create someone who, like, really doesn't fear anything, he might not be afraid of leaving that ring behind. Hmm. That's a good point. Almost like a zen detachment kind of thing. Mm-hmm.

[00:29:06] Like your one wish is to wish for nothing kind of thing. I mean, right? Like so much of what we do as people just, you know, from evolution is driven by fear and anxiety. It's like there's a reason we have fear. It keeps us alive. Mm-hmm. But on the other hand, right, if you're not driven by fear, anxiety, and attachment, like Adam said, you might be pretty good at disconnecting from desire. But I do think he is connected to his family, right?

[00:29:36] Like, obviously it comes up again and again. The parents and the fear that he obviously feels around their safety is one thing. But even he's joking while all his skin is burned off about either direction she goes with giving him new skin, his brothers are going to roast him. Right? Yeah. So like they're clearly always on his mind and possibly even, I mean, is he choosing or attempting to choose to be able to actually authentically connect with people?

[00:30:06] Yeah. As I was watching it, I thought I need to bring up how good a job it did at building the tension. Not in every TV show are they just like, this is, from the get-go, this is going to be one of those episodes. You know, like put the intention point on it and be like, buckle up. That's a good point. The way that the characters talk to each other. I mean, the scene that we talked about where Zoe's talking to her grandson and she's just like, yeah, this is it. This is the big day.

[00:30:36] And one of the ways that they did that was the sound design of having the siren go off for pretty much the whole time. And it just was so like- Nerve-wracking. Level, yeah. It just, it gets, when it's going the whole time, you're like, this is intense and people are dying and buildings are blowing up. And it just, it's a cool motif of like the, basically like the barbarians are at the gates kind of feeling. Like circle the wagons, let's repel the invaders.

[00:31:06] And I mean, those are pretty high body count that they walk past by the end. Yeah. Yeah. You're right about that. So I think, I didn't want to totally miss all of the action stuff, which usually the action stuff is not the most interesting. But something about it here was so well done and so like kind of haunting in a way. Yeah. Yeah. It was really well done. Sometimes when the action is done poorly, it's so boring. You're like, get onto the stuff that matters.

[00:31:34] And this, you know, but this, this wasn't, I didn't have that feeling. Yeah. Not so here. Okay. Well, Ted Lasso, seventh episode this season was titled Yes and Baby, which makes perfect sense. Now when I saw the episode title before I hit play, thought it was kind of odd. I thought that, uh, kind of a balanced episode, a sense of starting over. It's kind of an odd choice for seven, seven episodes deep.

[00:32:04] We got Roy and his doctor girlfriend calling quits. Ted begins his online dating profile, but then decides against that to start dating. And Alice tries to be more positive by saying yes all the time. Even Beard's trying something new with a freakishly uncanny look. The husky look. Very much, wasn't it? It was.

[00:32:31] Embedded in the idea of being worth starting anew with all those I've mentioned is also Keely. She's trying to navigate if she, uh, you know, if that's something she wants to do with Roy. Uh, she thinks he's off the table. I hated the whole saying yes to everything. I just hated it. Really? I don't know why. I was in a bad mood, I guess. But it just seemed so annoying. I'm like, don't watch one video and then say yes to everything like a maniac. Hmm.

[00:33:00] Like, it just felt, it felt so contrived to bring, and it's like, it's cute, but it's like, it just, it deeply annoyed me. See, and that's funny because I thought that the Alice plot was the only one that I enjoyed, really. Mm-hmm. I liked it. Yeah, giving her something else to do besides grumble. I thought it was good. It worked for me.

[00:33:25] I saw somebody on Reddit say that people are, like, comparing her to Nate in some ways, and that's wrong because she had, she was a somebody, you know? Mm-hmm. She had all this potential. These injuries steal it away from her. She wants to, it's not that she just wants to be viewed as, like, validated as a coach, but, like, she's still kind of their peer in age, speaking of the team.

[00:33:51] And so she wants to be viewed as, like, still valid in the world of soccer and this world that she loves. Mm-hmm. It's also a bit of a Roy mirror there of, like, is she incapable of doing anything else in life except this one thing? And so what I liked about it, Donovan, is that she's clearly recognizing that she is so bad at all of this, and she makes an attempt at the New Year's party. It doesn't go well.

[00:34:19] So she's like, I have to go to the study, and I'm going to do whatever this study, whatever it turns up, I'm committing to it because I desperately want to be better at this. I thought that was great character development in the Ted Lasso world. I have nothing, I have nothing to say. Oh, I thought you were about to say something. These are all good and valid points. No. These are all good and valid points. Yes. Like, I agree with everything you said. It just, it just, it just, I don't know.

[00:34:47] Maybe, you know, maybe I really truly was in a bad mood because I just felt like, like, it just feels so contrived for someone to say. Like, if you say yes, maybe I just didn't like that Jim Carrey movie. Yes, man. Maybe that's what it is. If it reminded you of that, then I can see your point. So, here are the things that I thought made it pretty good. The players, we get snippets of them having dilemmas that Ted's believe sign won't inspire enough to fix.

[00:35:16] I thought that was a good choice to make to play off previous seasons. I thought that was great. The, by way of doing that implication of, like, yeah, this worked for, like, everybody in that room had enormous privilege in some way. You know, when it worked for the dudes, for the guys. Yeah. It's like, well, they're all rich. Yeah. They're just, like, trying to get their attitude. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:35:41] And in spite of the inspirational music and tone, I don't know that I was convinced that the addition of and when would shift that kind of tone in the locker room. So, it was going well until and when, and then they were suddenly more chipper about the idea. I did like it as a change from, like, some of them immediately said, we don't even get an original sign. It's just the same one that's in the dudes' locker room. That was good.

[00:36:08] And that Alice is the one who unlocked the potential of the sign. That's nice. Yeah. Shows a bit of psychological understanding. Yeah. She came, she went a long way in literally one day. Mm. Yeah. Yes, and. It's amazing the impact improv can have on you.

[00:36:31] What was plausible to me, though, just moving ahead in the episode, was Ted's statement of I am lovable as this true melancholy moment for him that would propel him to delete the app entirely. That's a ring of truth to it that fit the parts of him we viewers know, but maybe not. Everyone knows in his circle. We've seen previous seasons and we've seen him have to deal with some sadder parts of him's life. I really liked that moment. Yeah.

[00:36:59] I thought the acting was pretty good here. It's not that it's ever bad, but Jason Sudeikis plays Ted's enthusiasm just no perfect. Because if you'll watch that, there's a sheen in his eyes that's missing with Beard's contacts in. And, but seriously, he has this, this lasso excitement about talking to the stage manager again.

[00:37:25] Sudeikis is able to just have this wonder in his eyes that he has often in this show. But here, I don't know, you could see a glimmer as if someone was about to get a date with someone else. But it wasn't to be. Uh-huh. And it wasn't to be. And I thought that was, I was appreciative that he didn't get the date. And at episode seven, that would have been really easy. And then Beard having a tough time getting back out there. Yeah. They very much are. Beard really took it on the chin, didn't he? I did. Yeah.

[00:37:54] He's not old. Old buddy. I did think that Jason Sudeikis was, was really good in this episode. Just like saying, like the word that pops into my head is, is, is shtick. But like, that's the wrong word and a rude word. But it's like, but I just mean that like, it just almost seems like effortless for him to be this character at this point. Like you kind of forget. I don't know.

[00:38:23] I just, I thought, I thought he did a good job. I think I'd like to see the character of Keely progress beyond the fuzzy pink pins and completely. She's pretty boring at this point. She kind of is. You hate to say like, Roy, go for the doctor, but Roy. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:38:46] I did think that having it start and end with characters facing those issues I talked about big and small with shit was great and even handed. And done with finesse. I don't know that the show does all the time. And then having it end, of course, with Ted saying it because earlier he says, shoot, but then he gets his dick shitting. He says, shoot, twice, as a matter of fact. Was it twice? I missed that.

[00:39:15] He says it right at the beginning and he says, shoot, at another point in the episode. Which I forget. Maybe it might have been doing the dating profile or something, but. Okay. And I thought that Leslie had two really funny lines. Everyone kind of landed their jokes in this episode. His didn't feel forced with his two jokes, his two big jokes. His big ones. His face with his meow to his friend on the phone.

[00:39:45] I don't know. Something like that just made me laugh. The phone sequence was pretty funny. The phone sequence was good. I'm curious to see what the show is doing with Tracy Ullman. Because I'm not 100% sold on her character yet. And I do. And I think, I hope it's not a waste of Tracy Ullman, you know? Would you be okay with her just becoming a member of the staff like she is for jokes and good times? Or does she need to do more? I think she needs to do more.

[00:40:14] But, you know, maybe if I see that, I'll like it. Maybe, you know. A good way to ruin a show, right, is to ask like a, you know, like, is to like give the fans everything they're asking for, right? Because oftentimes I do think we'll ask for something or be annoyed with something. And it's like, we're almost like children, right? It's like, we're not making this show. It's like, okay, but if I did that, you would hate it.

[00:40:38] But so I hope I'm open-minded enough to be like, well, I don't have to get everything I want, you know? Donovan, did I convince you it was a more balanced episode than you thought? Not that I was trying to. That's not the point of our discussion is to convince one another of anything. I think I feel more charitably towards it after hearing y'all's thoughts about it. I still, I was still really annoyed by the say yes to everything joke. I just, it just annoyed me.

[00:41:08] I don't know. But. Well, knowing you, I think that's real fair. Because he's so cynical? Because he hates pithy self-help stuff. Maybe that isn't it. I do hate that. Because, but it's like, you can't say yes to everything. Like, like, that's, that's an insane thing to do. It's funny because I thought that it was pithy and self-helpy, but also something I could even stand to try with the and, with the and involved.

[00:41:37] You know, she was immediately pretty good at it, too. Mm-hmm. Yeah, she's smart lady. Suspiciously. Yeah. We're going to wrap our episode with a timely series, that being Chad Powers. Dominion and I finished the whole season. How'd you feel about the whole thing overall? I know you mentioned this briefly in Non's Woolers, but you can get into the details. This is a show that dares to ask. Why would you beat Auburn by 21 when you could beat them by 28? Hey.

[00:42:05] How funny was that for you? Honestly, pretty good about the whole season. I feel, and I think, like, not that it's like this amazing masterpiece, but I think it did a good job of, you know, something that is very relevant to us as human beings. And that basically is, Russ does not feel that he is worthy of being loved. He feels that Chad is only being of love. And so to be loved, he has to be Chad. He can't be himself.

[00:42:35] And I think it also kind of asks the question, too, like, is love earned or is love given? And I think we actually had some examples of how love is given and the effect that that seems to have on Russ, who is maybe not as selfish as he was at this point last season. Oh, not at all. So I think that— Yeah, he's definitely grown. I think the—I think the—but I think, like, those are, like, good and interesting questions.

[00:43:02] And I think that they, you know, like, there is kind of a darker undertone to this season that I think intersects with those questions as well. Because those are big questions. Like, there are a bunch of people out there who think that they are beyond being loved by others because of their actions. As well as the idea of imposter syndrome. You know, as Russ, he's gotten to the point where he feels like he doesn't deserve to be on the football field. But as Chad, he is confident and leads the team.

[00:43:32] Russ can't do anything right. Chad is loved and is friends, as his dad points out. I thought that was actually really good. The episode with Howard Powers. We not only get to hear about the bunker. And, like, that was almost kind of a meta joke of, like, his dad's brain freezes and breaks in the exact same way his does when he has to be Chad. I thought it was actually really funny. Yeah.

[00:44:01] But I think that that was kind of a pivotal, like, his dad, like, laying out, like, you're getting love. Like, that's what you need. And I do think that that, too, is kind of like, like, do you have to be perfect to earn love? Or can you be loved despite being imperfect? Yeah. For who you are. Good and bad. We'll run down some of the episodes. Yeah. As close to in order as possible.

[00:44:29] That first one, I thought, where he's mid-game, loses his prosthetics for his face, and he's trying to keep his cover, was very propulsive. Very engaging. Hysterical, too. Hysterical. And managed to have some character beats worthy of the series, but at the same time having action. Yeah. It was, uh... I thought it was a great introduction. It reminded you of the stakes. Like, some really funny stuff. Like, there's bits... Especially, like, when, uh...

[00:44:58] Like, Ricky and Danny are, like... Like... Saying, like, Chad's dumb. He's like, Chad's supposed to be dumb. That's the point of the character. Those were informed character choices. Like, he's... That made me laugh. Plus, that episode signals to us it's gonna be a more intense season. There's so many close-ups of the actors. It's in their face as if a drama. Yeah, yeah. Yeah.

[00:45:23] And I think that you kind of alluded to this, but I do think there was still some very funny stuff. But I think that it did lean a little bit more into the dramatic than the fully comedic. Mm-hmm. I do think the Jerry plotline was... I don't want to say too forced, but too obvious. In the end, where he wants Chad to throw the game and as well as throw his career so that he can have satisfaction and some money.

[00:45:52] That was just about the only twist I found better than what it... than what got us to that moment. Uh-huh. The Jerry thing I found more irksome than interesting. I was okay with Jerry because... I actually thought it was funny. Because it's like he was that kind of guy who, like, seems so nice, right? And then you're like... Like, this guy's internet search history has to be wild. Like, even when... It's stupid, but when he was... I don't...

[00:46:21] There's probably a name for it that's not loincloth. But when he was basically just in that loincloth that, like, sumo wrestlers wear... Oh, the jog strap. Yeah, yeah, yeah. The jog strap. Thank you. I was like, there's a word for it, and I can't think of it. Like, that made me laugh. When they go to his apartment and he's got, like, drawings of, like, an anime woman carrying him out. Like, he gets yelled at in the cafeteria for being, like... He's just horrible on every level, and I was okay with that.

[00:46:51] But, like, horrible in a way that it's, like, the real world parallels are kind of repulsive, but also, like, it's a little funny to see that get made fun of. The cast of characters, I can kind of run through some of these folks and also kind of maintain a sense of chronology.

[00:47:13] So, Chad and Russ, for me, I think they improve so much when it's also about the game or practice or being on the field in some way. Because, especially when it comes to a game, the stakes are exponentially higher. Like, not only is he going to get found out as being Chad, but he also has to win and perform well on the field as well as perform as a character. Yeah. That was really good. Sometimes it dips.

[00:47:40] It did so in the middle when he's not weakly being challenged at a game level. So, maybe they didn't have him on the field enough, especially in the middle. You know, instead, he got a bye week. He got stuck in the airport after the Arkansas game. That airport one I thought was pretty, actually pretty good. I thought it was pretty good. Yeah, I did. It was funny to me having him chase Trisha's plane. Oh, that was hilarious.

[00:48:10] I will say, you know, Blaine, I think you might be right. Or I guess I'm not, I'm definitely not saying you're wrong about the football and on the field. But whether or not it completely worked, I actually appreciated that the show for season two was like, you know, hey, we are going to try some new things. Yeah. Like, we are going to have the episode where we're just at the airport, you know, things like that. And I'm like, even if it doesn't work, I mean, obviously, I'd prefer, I'd prefer that it works.

[00:48:39] But I do, like, personally prefer, like, if you're making a mistake, make it because you're trying to do something new. Not because you're playing so safe that it's a Chuck Lorre comedy. Yeah, exactly. You mentioned his dad, Howard Powers. Howard Powers. Funny enough, which is the name, but it was especially funny to have him come up with his own stupid responses.

[00:49:06] That became worse than what Chad would say. I think it was done actually kind of subtly because it was like the season of one of what's happening with Chad is happening in real time, accelerated motion with Howard Powers. And now Chad has to deal with that. Yes. The show lives and breathes on reactions. It really does. And I love it.

[00:49:34] And seeing Chad react to his father in a way that others have reacted to him and his father being even dumber than he is. It's just, that was good. It does, it certainly does not hurt that Glenn Powell is actually a pretty good actor. He's an excellent. And, you know, we've seen him pull off a lot of different types of roles. So if anyone can do this, it's him.

[00:50:01] And he gets a lot, I don't know, somebody, the people who do the prosthetics, somebody's doing, maybe I'm projecting, but I feel like there's a constant, like, you almost see, like, him beneath the prosthetics. Very true. You know, and that was very well done. I found Coach Hudson's story deepening. His story of needing to retire but refusing with so much success in front of him.

[00:50:31] I thought that was good, a compelling bit for him. Plus, I thought it gave Steve Zahn a lot more to do with even probably a little less screen time than last season. Yeah, I liked the plot being basic, for him being basically like, he's a nice guy, but he's never quite made it. And, like, if you're at the end of your career and you know, you know, like, and that, like, ah, I'm almost there. Like, that, that's, I think everyone in some ways can kind of relate to that.

[00:51:00] Obviously, most of us are not college football coaches, but just the, like, there, I think, well, probably all of us have something that might make us feel a little bit that way. So that was, that was very understandable, you know, like, you could, really, like, a good temptation, right? Because he's, he's, he's endangering his health and he's lying to his daughter, right? And it gives him that through line as well of, am I an imposter if I have to retire right now? Yeah.

[00:51:31] Or it's, right, it is another great question about identity. If I retire right now, am I a loser before getting this national championship? Mm-hmm. Steve Zahn, I just appreciate him as an actor. He's normally hired to do quirky or downright goofy, if you recall him in Daddy Daycare. Yeah, that's right. He is in that, isn't he? Very briefly, he is. He's a side man there. That's right. But he's also in a lot more. I just thought it would be funny to mention that.

[00:52:00] I just, I hadn't even thought of that in probably years, Blaine. Well, my daughter made me watch it about two weeks ago. But here he's offering up some real pathos. He's very. Both for his job and his daughter. He's very grounded. Yeah. He should really, I don't think there's an actor that's doing a bad job here.

[00:52:20] But I would also say the emotion between Chad and Coach and Ricky works. The actors are working it for me. I do. I did love where, like, there's a bit where they almost kind of joke on Ricky's character's performance, right? Where the Danny says, like, well, I'm not the one with, like, doe eyes and the pout that launched a thousand ships. Some self-awareness there.

[00:52:49] But I do think that they're doing a good job. Yeah, there was another bit I can't add on there, but it made me laugh. Well, that brings us to Ricky. Her plot revolved around possibly getting a quarterback coaching job at Syracuse and being tempted by the new booster, taking a little interest away from Chad. But, you know, it really boiled down to the quarterback coaching job. And once again, it's that idea of am I worth that? Should I go for it?

[00:53:18] Will I do well there? Yeah. But I also have a job here of practically taking care of Chad. And, I mean, it's the same question, right, for her as, like, maybe a little bit more in the background. How much of what happened here is Russ Holliday being a generational talent or Chad? How much of it is me? Yeah.

[00:53:41] And I also, honestly, I thought she did a good job of, like, she clearly likes Russ and doesn't want to. And I'm like, that actually worked for me. It's probably good that he slept with her stepmom and not her real mom. Yes. And when it comes to boosters, the primary one, Tricia, she had a lot more to do this season. I thought she delivered.

[00:54:11] There was a bit where it was all part, you know, she's talking about she's trying to get Lane Kiffin to replace the coach in the airport episode. It's so funny. And, you know, they stop the play and he just shouts up, he's a good man. And she goes, who? Lane Kiffin? Yes. They really milk reality for great laughs. Oh, yeah. There was some funny. She was funny.

[00:54:38] There's another line she delivered where she was talking about a childhood remembrance of singing a song in church. She's just like, I cried. I thought it meant we'd have to let poor people into heaven. Yes. Yes. She is this right wing nincompoop. What did she say? There was, and I've completely lost it, but there's a bit where she was like, that was less like, was it like Obama's second term, like coming back speech? And more like Biden, I'm coming back speech.

[00:55:09] It made me laugh. By the end, she's basically taking control of Chad. Yeah. In the last few scenes of the season. Things don't look good. That could be a promising relationship, too, to have for laughs. I think, especially since she is, yes, she is cynical, she is calculating, and she wants to win above all else.

[00:55:34] Which is supposedly what Russ Holiday would have said of himself in the first season. That's such a good point, man. And then there's Danny, played by Frankie Rodriguez, who did great work again. I thought maybe the writers gave him plenty to do. Yeah. In both seasons. But they did so here to kind of demonstrate his importance to both Chad and the plot.

[00:55:58] That he gets ousted from being the catfish was a nice, if not easy, move to make for his character. Yeah. He really likes being the catfish. He inhabits the catfish. He just had some good moments. The bit where he 3D printed a gun, that really made me laugh. Just the way he's acting about having done this actually really made me laugh. You're right. But he, the 3D prints the gun, and he has plenty more to do.

[00:56:28] But the catfish thing, you know, how much of that is his scholarship? And how much does he deep down kind of just love it? You can tell he deep down kind of just loves it. He loves being the catfish. I thought it was a really good season. I don't know. It definitely wasn't as good as the first. But that one was, that one might be hard to top in hindsight because you have to go forward with the story. Exactly. You have to have new situations.

[00:56:56] And a lot more drama this time. It looks as though they are planning on a third season. I don't know that they got the green light yet unless I missed that news. Yeah, I haven't heard anything. No, I agree. I think I agree with you exactly, Blaine. Like first season, there's kind of the thrill of discovery. You know, it happens to every show with a great premise, right? And then you have to figure out if you exist beyond the premise. And it does so for. Oh, I thought so.

[00:57:26] I think it probably didn't make me laugh as hard as the first season, which is not to say it wasn't funny because there were a lot of very, very funny bits. But I appreciated that it was not repeating season one because it really wasn't. And there were some very, very funny bits. It didn't make me laugh as much, but I think that I might have been even more interested.

[00:57:50] I found myself wanting to watch it back to back, even when I didn't have time. Because like I said, they dropped the whole season this time rather than going week to week. Yeah. No, it was compelling. I think they did a good job making it compelling. You know, the stakes are established. And honestly, like the psychological stakes are established. Yeah. For these characters. The only slide I have, I think, is could this catfish team really beat Texas?

[00:58:19] Well, with Chad Powers leading them. You got to think that some of these other players were also pretty great. They just didn't have one more component. I was laughing watching this game because I was like, if you watch this show, you wouldn't know there's a defensive play, a part of football. Like, catfish must have a pretty okay defense too, you know? Uh-huh. Uh, it's all part of the fun, right?

[00:58:49] You know, that's the getting, but they do have a good, they do have a good read on like, like how embarrassing it is to be beaten by Arkansas. Like, that's pretty good. Like, they, yeah. Like, all our Arkansas fans. They usually know, they usually know their joke. So, somebody there, somebody writing clearly actually likes college football because they, and likes the SEC because they're pretty good with that. I really like that they write to all characters.

[00:59:18] Even the offensive coordinator who insists on having a big old chew in his mouth. And he won't get out of the car. Even he is hilarious. Until he finishes his parm. Right. Probably the only time he doesn't have some sort of tobacco in his mouth. That made me laugh. He's consistently funny. So, it's a great, we thought it was a great season.

[00:59:47] I'm pretty excited and I hope it's back at the same time next season. It's one of those shows that you feel like they're going to probably wrap it up with a third. I would be, yeah, I'd be extreme. It is, I mean, it is kind of like the, the question of the, the show, that the show itself is asking of its characters. How long can this go on? I think we can kind of fairly ask that of this show. Like, how long can this go on?

[01:00:13] Because it is so much about, as soon as anything's solved, you know, the show is over. Or you just have to have increasingly zany situations. Which can lose the human element. That's a good, yeah. That's well said. I found myself thinking at the very end, oh, okay, next season is going to be about the playoffs. And then that will end Chad's career in some way or form. As well as Coach Hudson's career.

[01:00:42] And maybe Ricky's career at South Georgia. Yeah. Yeah, we'll see what happens. I almost said Georgia. That would make sense. I kept, I almost called it Georgia State a couple times. Same color scheme, I think. Yeah, they are the same color scheme, aren't they? Yeah. I mean, it's a slightly different blue, but yeah, that's who I, it's so funny you said that. Because that's who I, that's the school I picture in my head for US, this made up USG.

[01:01:12] Georgia State. That's like, that's my. Well, I think that's it for us this week. Remember, if you have to pretend to be someone else, just make sure your face doesn't fall off. That's basically all there is to pretending to be someone else. Gotta be. Right? It's pretty easy. Well, have a great week, everyone. Bye.