On my second, or maybe third, viewing of Avengers: Endgame, I sat next to a guy who’d never seen a single Marvel Cinematic Universe movie before. We chatted for a few minutes after the last of the credits rolled because I was curious on his take, and frankly, surprised that such a mythical creature as he even existed. He liked Endgame, and said it made him curious to see some of the other movies in the franchise. I answered a few questions for him regarding plot points he didn’t quite understand, and then we went our separate ways. Who would go see a movie that far along into an established universe without knowing any backstory? How could they possibly enjoy it? Why?
And… cue me this past Friday sitting down to watch Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, without ever having seen more than five minutes of any Fast & Furious movie. Ever. But, the trailers looked fun, there didn’t appear to be the overly fetishized focus on cars, and nothing else out intrigued me. So why not? It shouldn’t be necessary to say expectations were low. I figured there’d be death defying-physics boggling stunts, and overly sexualized women, and buff dudes saving the day, and a few car tricks. I was not disappointed.
July Binge Edition
It’s not just a question of how much I can watch between personal hygiene breaks; it’s a question of what’s good to binge out there right now! With a little more time than usual in July, I managed to knock out a few seasons of a few shows and break in the cushions on my couch far past the factory warranty levels…
Sometimes just reading Geek Stranger isn’t enough. Sometimes you just have to listen… and where can you listen to me geek out with fellow nerds about the complete and over use of a bad hair band cover slooooow origins of New Orlean’s own angst ridden young heroes into the MCU? Stay to see just how long three guys can talk about one so-so show with so so much potential, then check the Show Notes for what-could-have-been! You guys, it’s been 50 episodes! I’m getting a cake…:
Come celebrate 50 episodes of The 42cast. Unlike other podcasts we’re not doing anything special. We’re just bringing you the same great reviews that you’ve come to expect from The 42cast. This time we discuss season one of Marvel’s Cloak and Dagger. The series is a bit of a looser adaptation than many other Marvel properties and skews far younger in the demographics. This week we discuss the series, how it works as an adaptation, and how well it works in its own right. We’ll also discuss stylistic choices, how it stacks against the CW and Marvel’s Runaways, and make much ado about their musical choices. This week’s Five Minute Controversy asks if we should listen to aggregate review sites such as Rotten Tomatoes.
Sometimes just reading Geek Stranger isn’t enough. Sometimes you just have to listen… and where can you listen to me geek out with fellow nerds about the latest and most controversial version of Star Trek until Tarentino’s comes out? Sure, Discovery may be on a subscription service, but my opinions are free of charge!:
Star Trek: Discovery relaunched the Star Trek franchise on TV after a hiatus of over a decade. Set before the original Star Trek series, Discovery’s slick look and darker tones evoked polarization in fandom as some gravitated towards the update and others rejected what they saw as an affront to Gene Roddenberry’s vision of the future. In this episode we talk about those issues as well as the decision to market this on streaming service, CBS All Access instead of on network or cable television. We’ll also discuss the casting, storylines, and themes. We’ll also ask that ephemeral question, “Is this Star Trek”?, before we finally finish up with speculation on the future. This week’s Five Minute Controversy asks if it’s a good idea for Quentin Tarantino to direct a Star Trek film.
Sometimes just reading Geek Stranger isn’t enough. Sometimes you just have to listen… and where can you listen to me geek out with fellow nerds about the not so morally ambiguous actions of Frank Castle AKA the Punisher? And you thought Daredevil’s real super power was getting the crap kicked out of him!:
The Punisher was the last of the Marvel Netflix series. The Punisher hadn’t been part of the original deal for the “Defenders” series between Marvel and the streaming service, but the popularity of the character in season 2 of Daredevil lead to quick negotiations and a series announcement. Dealing with the aftermath of Frank’s hunt of all those that he thought were responsible for the death of his family, the series delved into darker areas than the other Netflix series, while presenting a version of Frank Castle that was both familiar to comics readers but different than how he’d been depicted in any media before. In this episode we discuss how Jon Bernthal’s Punisher was different from those before. We also talk about the supporting cast, plot, and how it fits into the larger MCU. We also do a deep dive into the character of Billy Russo to determine his motivations and whether or not he was badly written. In the end we ask, “would we want Frank to meet the other characters in Marvel’s Defenders line and if so, who?” This week’s Five Minute Controversy asks if it’s a good idea for Marvel to stop making series with Netflix.
Sometimes just reading Geek Stranger isn’t enough. Sometimes you just have to listen… and where can you listen to me geek out with fellow nerds about what the MCU would look like filtered through Beverly Hills 90210? Maybe it’s in the MCU, maybe it’s not, but it definitely has a Stan Lee cameo!:
Marvel’s Runaways brought the MCU to Hulu. As a continuity light series it allowed the focus to reside on the teen stars and their parents, as the youngsters realize that their parents are involved in horrific and evil goings on. In this episode, we take a look at how well the series succeeded in introducing the characters, what we thought of the pacing, the macro-plot, favorite characters, and what we want to see from the show in the future. We also discuss the show’s crossover potential. To start things off, however, we talk about our thoughts on “Star Wars: The Last Jedi”.
Sometimes just reading Geek Stranger isn’t enough. Sometimes you just have to listen… and where can you listen to me geek out with fellow nerds about another nerd geeking out about Star Trek a surprisingly well done adaption and a reminder of why we love space ships? You’ll come for the social commentary but stay for the dirty jokes… or maybe it’s the other way around. :
The Orville surprised everyone when it debuted. Advertised as a crass parody of Star Trek, the Orville turned out to be a far more sophisticated show than anyone including the network gave it credit for. In this episode we do a deep dive into the first season of The Orville, discussing the the characters and plots, but also talking about how it fits into the legacy of Trek and whether it and Star Trek: Discovery can coexist. This week’s Five Minute Controversy asks if Quentin Tarantino should direct Star Trek.
Sometimes just reading Geek Stranger isn’t enough. Sometimes you just have to listen… and where can you listen to me geek out with fellow nerds about whether or not you can be your own grandfather the perils of jumping around in a continuous timeline without access to Wikipedia? You’ll like Wyatt, but really it’s Hashtag TeamFlynn! :
Timeless gained a second year because the fans demanded it. In a season with reduced runtime and a lower budget Timeless fought for its very survival and told another interesting story through time. In this episode we delve into the changes between Timeless season 1 and season 2, talk about the growth in the characters, and what we think of the evolving Timeless storyline. Sadly, this episode was recorded before we knew that there would be a finale film, so our speculations on a season 3 will always remain just speculations. This week’s Five Minute Controversy asks if it’s a good thing for Disney to acquire Fox.
Sometimes just reading Geek Stranger isn’t enough. Sometimes you just have to listen… and where can you listen to me geek out with fellow nerds about the unbeatable and ancient Kryptonian martial art of Cape Twirling National City’s absolutely best time management expert? Bonus points if you can tell me if it’s Kara or Alex!:
In its 3rd year, Supergirl was fraught with problems. The showrunner was fired, and the show suffered from production delays. In this episode we look back at the season and talk about what worked and what didn’t. We’ll talk about how the show has changed and how we think that it should stay the same. We also discuss the character relationships and how they’ve developed from the beginning of the series before making our predictions for season 4. We’ll also talk about how the Worldkillers stack up against Kara’s foes from seasons past.
Sometimes just reading Geek Stranger isn’t enough. Sometimes you just have to listen… and where can you listen to me geek out with fellow nerds about capitalism being the true savior of the universe the rag tag band of Berlanti misfits still making a mess of time and, lets be honest, our feelings? It’s the guilty pleasure you aren’t in the least bit guilty about!:
DC’s Legends of Tomorrow became the underdog of the Berlanti universe. Coming out of a season 1 panned by critics and fans, Legends gained more solid footing in its second season. Now, we assemble a cast to discuss season 3 of the series. We talk about the major shakeups to the cast, how permanent we think they are, and what it means for the series overall. We talk about a new team up of villains and whether they were able to hold interest better than the Legion of Doom. We also discuss how a plush toy may change the entire face of Berlanti television and eat a hole in our wallets before discovering that no one on the cast knows who Captain Planet is. It’s only on this year-ending episode of The 42cast.
