This week the word is Recasting. After discussing a few notable recasting situations, Keith tells the story of Bossy the Cow, and explains the meaning of his twitter handle, HellCowKeith. After further discussions of recasting, they each talk about work stuff a bit, including various references to the word Threshold. They also discuss the sting of negative reviews. Moving on to spoilery media, they discuss chapter 5 of S. and episode 5 of WandaVision.
SPOILER WARNING: contains spoilers.
This week the word is Popeyes (aka Pope Yes). The nerds discuss Popeye-adjacent subjects, including misreading the logo, the magical jeep, a coffeeshop in Amsterdam, chicken sandwiches, Wimpy’s, Roy Rogers, and the mysterious CFAB. Then they talk about some Tolkien-adjacent stuff before moving on to media. First they talk about a recent film called Dealt (and a vintage film called the Flim-Flam Man), then they discuss with the second half of chapter 4 of S., and finally, after touching on Queen’s Gambit, they discuss episode 4 of WandaVision.
SPOILER WARNING: contains spoilers.
This week the word is secret-identity. The nerds spend a lot of time discussing superhero secret identities in particular. Other topics include the technical reasons for Superman’s powers, the definition of the birthday season, Jumanji, August Fool’s Day, and the new Star Wars area at Disneyland. Then they drop the spoiler curtain to discuss Spiderman: Far From Home at length.
SPOILER WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS
This week the word is crud, since Keith still has the dreaded con crud. Keith talks about some of the things he noticed at the American Library Association conference. Andy talks about how much he enjoyed the movie Yesterday, and Keith discusses the new series called The Rook. Andy also talks about Brooklyn Nine Nine, which he’s now all caught up on, and Keith talks about seeing a Lonely Island concert. Other topics include Jerry Seinfeld’s original appearance on SNL, summer movies they haven’t seen yet, their favorite units of US currency, and what animal they would choose to be turned into (other than a lobster). Lastly, Andy talks about all the new games Looney Labs will be releasing in August.
SPOILER WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS
This week the word is five. First the nerds talk a lot about The Tick, starting with the new Amazon series but encompassing all the adaptations. Keith talks about his garden, then explains the Discordian Law of Five. Then they talk a little about Star Trek movies, and Andy mentions that his new game Star Trek Chrono-Trek has gone to the printer. After the spoiler warning, they discuss the new Twilight Zone series, and at great length, Avengers: Endgame.
SPOILER WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS
This week the word is expectations. The nerds talk about how expectations can make or break an experience, and discuss the impact of expectations on everything from Star Wars to Harry Potter, including the Twilight Zone and various role-playing games. After they spoiler warning, they discuss Game of Thrones, the Orville, and Avengers: Endgame.
SPOILER WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS
This week the word is crabgrass. The nerds talk about what they mean by this writers’ term and wonder where it came from and how well known it is. Along they way they discuss the early days of LARPing, issues with The Last Jedi, “Mystery Box” stories, unreliable narrators, and their favorite movies in the Marvel franchise. Andy rants about an issue he had with Ant Man and the Wasp. Keith talks about Gloom of Thrones, and Andy talks about his first colonoscopy. After the Spoiler Warning they water-cooler the most recent episodes of the Orville and Star Trek: Discovery, and also discuss Captain Marvel.
SPOILER WARNING:CONTAINS SPOILERS
This week the word is bird-dog, bird because Looney Labs just announced a new partnership with a company named Cardinal, and dog because Keith just launched a Kickstarter for Action Pups! Andy talks about two new games he’s working on for Cardinal to publish, Marvel Fluxx and Jumanji Fluxx. Keith wonders where the phrase “quitting cold turkey” comes from, and Andy wonders how you say angst in German. Andy talks about finally reading Snow Crash. Moving on to media, Andy recommends a film called Future ’38, and they discuss Bandersnatch. Then they drop the spoiler curtain to discuss the latest episode of Star Trek Discovery at great length.
SPOILER WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS
This week the word is fandom, as in “What are your fandoms?” What does it mean to be a fan? The nerds each talk about their own fandoms, including being fans of their own creations. Near the end they bring down the Spoiler Curtain to discuss the first episode of season 2 of The Orville, followed by Riverdale and Babylon 5.
SPOILER ALERT: CONTAINS SPOILERS
This week the word is new. Topics the nerds discuss include new elements being added into existing games or stories to freshen them up (such as Scrappy Doo, Worf, Seven of Nine, Batgirl, and the Great Gazoo), how their games have evolved as they’ve created new editions and new game mechanics, and shows that have radically re-invented themselves from one season to the next (including the Sarah Connor Chronicles and It’s About Time). Andy talks about where he’s gotten to in watching Babylon 5 and how surprised he was by the appearance of a couple of notable guest stars. Keith tries to talk about Bumblebee without spoiling it. Lastly they bring down the Spoiler Curtain to discuss Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse.
SPOILER WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS