Daredevil, Sinners, Star Wars, and The Last of Us: A Geeky Roundup

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:01:11

Foreign. This is systematic geekology. We are the priest of the geeks. I am one of your hosts, Kevin Schaefer joined here with Evan Garcia.

Evan, how are you tonight?

Evan Garcia: 00:01:27

I'm doing well. Doing well. How are you doing, Kevin?

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:01:30

Man, I'm great. I am really excited for this one. This is another what's news episode and we have so much to cover tonight. A lot happening in the geek sphere.

We can't even cover everything really right now, but we've got some great topics to hit on. So very excited for this. But, Evan, before we get started with our main topics, what have you else have you been geeking out on lately?

Evan Garcia: 00:01:54

Yes, a few things we've been doing. Well, I've been watching more now, but I wrote it down. I have Eliz Kachow in the theme park world epic universe open.

So that's been a big part of a lot of my content right now, seeing that cool stuff, the righteous gemstones. But that show has been great. It's been firing on all cylinders. The plot, the dialogue. It's been great.

I wanted to put andor here, but I fell asleep last night so I couldn't finish the episodes. And that a Fantastic Four trailer. I've been watching that a few times.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:02:42

So it looks like they finally got it right. I mean, July, oh my gosh, what am I. What are we gonna do with Superman and Fantastic Four back to back? Just the utter joy that those will bring.

I cannot wait.

And yeah, I will say, just for viewers, listeners out there, we're not gonna go in depth on Andor tonight because I'm actually doing a rewatch of season one first. So I've not watched the premiere yet. We are gonna talk Star wars stuff tonight, but we will definitely be delving on systematic ecology in depth.

But just as a teaser, we're not going to cover the premiere tonight. So if you haven't watched it, you're in good headache because, yeah, I have not gotten to it yet because that is one show.

The first season is so phenomenal that I really, I didn't want to just do a recap. I really wanted to do a full rewatch and really absorb it before I went into season two. And I'm glad I'm doing that.

So I'm about halfway through a rewatch of season one, but yeah, awesome.

Well, those are great items I will add to it because aside from the stuff we're talking about tonight, one show I am thoroughly enjoying is the studio on Apple tv. Evan, have you heard about this one?

The new Seth Rogen and Edvin Goldberg series that they also co created with several other writers and they direct every episode and Seth Rogen stars in it. But it's a great show where Seth Rogen plays this stressed out movie executive who becomes the head of a fictional studio called Continental Studios.

And it's a fascinating concept because he's playing the guy who genuinely loves filmmakers and loves movies and he wants to be the cool executive that supports them, but he's caught in a system that forces him to only prioritize making money for the studio. And so he's caught in this endless dynamic between, you know, his own desires and wanting to be.

Have artistic integrity and then ultimately being a corporate mongol. So it's a really fast. And it's so funny. It is. It's such a show that is made for movie buffs.

I mean, they have Martin Scorsese playing himself in the pilot episode and they have a bunch of other actors and filmmakers playing themselves in the rest of the season. So, like Anthony Mac, he's in one. Like Zac Efron showed her, like, it's. It's a brilliant show. Katherine Hahn is great in it. Catherine O'Hara. So it's.

Yeah, great show all around. So I've really been enjoying that. And then there's a lot more, but a lot of the what is what we're gonna be talking about tonight.

So, yeah, very cool.

Evan Garcia: 00:05:22

Right on, right on.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:05:23

Awesome. Well, before we get into the main topics, just want to thank all of our listeners and viewers for tuning in tonight.

If you are a Patreon subscriber, a huge shout out to you and we if you're here, whether your first time, welcome and if you are returning. So welcome so much and thank you so much for supporting the show. Please, you know, like share, subscribe, rate and review. It helps out a ton.

Wherever you hear podcasts, whether you're watching on YouTube right now or if you're listening to this at a later time, we super appreciate the support. So now, yeah, Evan, we have a lot to get into for the like tonight, so.

Evan Garcia: 00:06:07

Yeah, so let's get into it.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:06:10

So first off, what do we have?

Evan Garcia: 00:06:12

We have the film Sinners, which is a surprise film that. Well, it was a surprise for me because I try to stay spoiler free from it and. And I pretty much did. And I really loved it.

It's a probably perfect film for what it was. For what it was, man. I really liked it.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:06:35

This is an absolutely phenomenal. I remember when I first saw the trailer, I was immediately hyped because I mean, it's Ryan Coogler. It's a horror movie.

And it's also Ryan Coogler's first original property. That's not an IP or even, I guess even Fruit File Station, which was like indie debut, was still based on a true story, but excellent movie like.

And I mean he's made great movies with Creed and both Black Panthers, but this was his first just Frost straight from the imagination. So I've actually seen this movie twice. Did I love it? And yes, I love it. Is this. If you didn't already love Michael B.

Jordan, you get double the dose of Michael B. Jordan in this movie, which is phenomenal. So yeah, let's. I mean, let's get into this.

So you want to give just kind of an overview of what this movie is about and then we can get on a little more about the themes and just the.

Evan Garcia: 00:07:33

Do we want to spoil it?

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:07:35

Let's avoid spoilers. Because I do want to like, I want more people. I mean, I know it did well on opening weekend, but I really want more people to see this.

So I think we can talk about it in more general terms. So if you want to just give the initial premise and then we can still talk about some, you know, favorite elements of it.

Evan Garcia: 00:07:53

There we go. Yeah, yeah, for sure, for sure. So this is like you said, this is Ryan Coogler's film. It's an original and it focuses on two.

. And this takes place in the: 1930

And they are coming back to their small town because they spent some time in Chicago and they're coming back to their small town to start a. To start a jive club. And they're trying to bring around the. Trying to build up the club. They run into their old.

They're all to friends and family and they really develop relationships with these people again. They. They bring up some old flames and stuff and then they start the jive club and things go bad and they got to overcome it.

There's a lot of blood, there's a lot of fighting. And the ending has three post credit sequences. So don't forget to. To see those.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:09:13

I love that this was like Ryan Coog non Marvel movie, but he did a little Marvel thing there by having all the post credits there. And yeah, I love. And it's not one to skip.

Definitely stay in the theater because actually when I saw it the second time I saw some people leaving, I was like, no, no, no, stay. It's not done yet once the credits start rolling. But yeah. So I really love this movie. Like I said, I already saw it twice.

I saw it first at the Alamo Drafthouse and then again at the AMC theater because for that one, I wanted to experience it with a Dolby sound system. And that made it so much more immersive.

It was because this is a movie that demands to not only be seen on the big screen, but just on the biggest screen possible and with a great sound system to make it all the more visceral and all the more immersive.

But there's so many things I love about this movie, I think, you know, inevitably, I mean, not as a bad thing, but like a big source of inspiration and a big comparison to this movie is from Dusk Till dawn, which was directed by Robert Rodriguez, written and starring Quentin. Quentin Tarantino.

And because you definitely see parallels there in terms of, okay, that's also a movie that starts out as a crime saga and then shifts into a horror movie. The difference, though is that with that one, it is an abrupt transition.

Like you go immediately from a crime to all of a sudden you're in a vampire movie. And there's like no gradual transition.

This one is certainly a genre mashup, but the build up to the vampire horror elements is there really from the beginning. So, I mean, right from the open. Natural, right? Very natural.

Very, like, it's a very organic progression because even in the opening scene, there's a horror tease there. Like, there's a lot of horror movies.

And then we shift to, you know, the brothers and also their cousin who is this, you know, aspiring musician, but he's also a preacher son. And his dad really doesn't want him to go pursue this, like, you know, secular lifestyle and becoming a musician.

He wants him to follow in his footsteps. And so. But he goes off with his, you know, former gangster brother cousins.

And a lot of the first hour is exploring these relationships and building that up and, you know, setting really the tone for what's going to transpire in the second half of the movie. And yeah, it does it so well. There's this. But I mean, like, you know, there's not just horror and crime elements.

There is also a lot of romance that's really well developed. There is a really a musical element to, like. I mean, this.

Evan Garcia: 00:12:02

I mean, I was going to say, like, yeah, both the music, like the soundtrack and the music within the plot, like, the good guys have their music and the bad guys clearly have their music, too. And I hated when the bad Guys, quote, unquote, were they were doing their music. I thought, oh, my God, this music is so good.

This shouldn't be that good. I was like, I like this track. But yes, yes, man. And the payoff is so good with all those.

With all those characters when they finally bring in the genre part of it, all that set up and all the character development pays off so well.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:12:44

So well, it's brilliant. I mean, because, like.

And it's really hard to not just do a genre mashup, but to have an ensemble of this size and to have everything connect so seamlessly and organically like that is just like. I think if you.

You know, a lot of people have been talking about this as you know, I mean, this is a 90 million original non IP blockbuster movie that was. I mean, even with a respected director, it's still a gamble for studios. And I'm really glad they took the risk on it.

And, you know, I think if someone else had come with a script like this or. Or a pitch even and was like, yeah, I wanted all this, I think studios might have been like, yeah, no, we're not. Yes, ex. Exactly. Exactly.

And whereas, like, Ryan Coogler is such a brilliant storyteller and he knows how to connect all these elements and deliver a satisfying beginning, middle and end and just keep viewers so entranced throughout.

Evan Garcia: 00:13:43

And he's the director as well, so he's pulling out of these actors and actresses these performances that. That I've never seen before. There's the girl that plays the TVA agent. She is. I didn't realize who she was.

So, like, halfway through the film, I'm like, oh, my gosh, that's her. That's amazing.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:14:05

I mean, it is a brilliant cast. Hallie Stanfeld, Delroy Window.

Evan Garcia: 00:14:12

He's not no little kid anymore.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:14:13

No, she's like. I mean, like. I mean, she's brilliant. And yeah, I was looking. I wanted to look up some of the other actors. Yeah.

Because one me, Masako, I hope I'm not butchering. And. But yeah, she's also. Yeah, she was in Loki. She was in Lovecraft country.

And then I also knew her from We Own this City, which is a great HBO series with her and John Bernthal, a miniseries about the Boston police force. It's an excellent dinner. So she is phenomenal. And that was the thing. There was such a great play. And then Miles Canton, who.

This was his debut acting role, but he plays the cousin. They sing and he's a. He's an R B singer. So that's. I Think why they. They look for that. Because they needed someone who could absolutely deliver.

Evan Garcia: 00:15:03

I had to look him up. Yeah.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:15:05

But it's like, I mean, obviously he can sing and perform, but for this to be his first movie, he killed it as an actor. Like, I mean, that was the thing. There was just not a bad performance at all. I mean, not. Not only not bad, there were just like. There were a few.

It was like great performances all around. I mean, it was brilliant. So. Oh, I just love this movie so much. I mean, the cinematography, the execution and.

And another thing too, about it being an original movie.

And you know, one of the things that is scaring the mess out of studios right now is that Ryan Coogler will actually retain full ownership of this movie in 25 years.

He secured a deal with Warner Brothers to make that happen because he said he's not going to do this on every movie, but he did it specifically for this one because it's about black ownership. And Once Upon a Time in Hollywood has a similar thing to like, Tarantino will be in a few decades. So.

But that also scares the mess out of studios because. And I wasn't a gamble too.

I actually, I have respect for Warner Brothers for doing that because it blank gives a lot of creative control over filmmakers, but it sets a precedent which, like, I'm all for, because I'm just like, I want more filmmakers have power, but it would cause a major shift in how movies are made if that becomes something going forward. So we'll see what happens. But.

Evan Garcia: 00:16:24

But I love that they gave him that power because he deserves it. 100%.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:16:29

100%. I mean, it's just like, this is just so much his DNA, his craft, and, and oh, and the music all around. Ludwig Gordon score is phenomenal.

And yeah, absolutely see it on the biggest screen possible. And.

And also, you know, I mean, we can, like, I think we can do a larger discussion on it at a later time because there are a lot of religious themes to take a part here too. Like, I mentioned that there were some.

Evan Garcia: 00:16:55

Lines that were like, oh, yeah, that's a jab.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:16:58

Yeah, like, and it was. I mean, I, like, I didn't view it as like an anti Christianity, you know, even with the title. Like, I mean, I actually saw it with one.

Evan Garcia: 00:17:07

No.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:17:07

Yeah, yeah. No, and I saw with one of my pastors actually, like, who's not even a, like, war fan, but he was like, he's a big rock family. He wanted to see it.

And like, I mean, he enjoyed it. But, like, you know, there is that element I mentioned of Sammy, who Miles Canton plays, is, you know, a preacher sign. And. And, you know, the.

His dad thinks that because he goes off to this Duke joint and plays music, he brought about these demons. And when in reality, there's a lot more going on than there to that.

But the religious elements are very prevalent in this movie, and there's a lot to dissect there. So.

Evan Garcia: 00:17:43

Yeah, yeah. And the. Like, I said, you need to stay for the credits.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:17:49

Even.

Evan Garcia: 00:17:50

Even the last one. Because I was thinking, I'm like, huh? But what about this and that and then that final one, at least for me, answering my question, I'm like, this.

That's okay.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:18:02

Perfect, man. And also, I. You know, other things I came out of this.

I saw actually my friend Danny Quick, who was on an episode of our show earlier the year, this year, he had posted something along the lines, like, why is it so. I think he said this could movie, could work as a Blade prequel.

And I was like, coming out of this movie, I was like, why is it so hard for Marvel to make a Blade movie right now? Because look at this. It's just a. You got a perfect vampire movie right here and a great cast, great director. So if Coogler wanted to.

If they ever get Blade going again, and Coogler has time, which, I mean, granted, I. I know he's moving straight from this to an X Files reboot, so, I mean, he's gonna be busy.

But if he gets time between, I mean, or If Black Panther 3 comes later or something, man, I would love him to do Blade.

Evan Garcia: 00:18:53

That would be awesome.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:18:54

Yeah. Yeah.

Evan Garcia: 00:18:54

For seconds, I thought you said Blade Runner. I was like, wait a minute. Blade Runner.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:18:57

Blade Runner. Blade Runner and vampires. Let's do it. Let's do it.

Evan Garcia: 00:19:01

Yeah. Do Electric Vampire's Dream.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:19:07

Yes.

Evan Garcia: 00:19:09

Whatever that line is.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:19:11

I think it would. Now that's a pitch. I think if we brought to a robot vampire. Yeah, See, now I love it.

I think if we brought that to a studio, they might throw us out the building, but. But who knows? I like that. I like that pitch a lot. Let's write it. So. Yeah. So, all right. Center is a great movie. Definitely seen in theaters.

I think we were definitely do a future episode dissecting it in further detail, but absolutely, go see it. I cannot recommend it enough. Don't take the kids, but for adults, fantastic movie theater experience. Awesome.

Evan Garcia: 00:19:44

All right, well, we got next three. All right.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:19:46

Yeah.

Evan Garcia: 00:19:47

Let's get into the finale of Daredevil.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:19:48

Let's do it. So for our viewers and Listeners out there, we have talked about Daredevil Born Again pretty extensively on other what's News episodes.

And we may even do a full episode dedicated to just Daredevil. I would be more than happy to, but we're going to focus on the finale for this one.

So if you've not watched it, do skip this part or come back to it once you go watch it, because we were going to. We're going to spoil a little bit here. But, Evan, what were your overall thoughts of the finale and just the season in general?

Evan Garcia: 00:20:17

Overall thoughts of the finale? I loved it. 10 out of 10. The thoughts of the season in general. I wish there was a little bit. I wish there were two more episodes.

One or two more just, just to finish out what they set up in this last part, because it's kind of a cliffhanger, but it's not really. So. So. But yeah. But overall, I really love the series. It was great.

The episodes that the two brothers wrote and directed, like, like, like what I thought. I did like them a lot and they were great. It was cool to see some characters come back and they was pretty satisfied.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:21:04

I would agree with that a lot. I love the finale and it makes me really excited for season two, I think, with the show overall.

I mean, I think I mentioned on the last episode, Daredevil is my favorite Marvel character. So it's not that hard to please me, which I kind of like. If I see Charlie Cox's Daredevil on screen, I'm in heaven.

So it's, you know, it doesn't say much, but I will say, I mean, I can still look at the show objectively.

I will say, you know, based on the history of the series, you know, we know that it was a, you know, culmination of two different creative visions because originally it was going to be a full reboot where they. While they were always bringing Charlie cox and Vincent D'Onfield back, originally Karen and Foggy were not there.

And originally the Netflix series was going to be an old canon and this was going to be new. And so and then they. About when the writer strikes happened and they were had some time to rethink everything.

They decided, no, let's do a re all and get in a new writer.

They brought in Darius Garda Pain from Punisher to rewrite, and Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson as directors and executive producers and they did a complete overhaul. And so that's how the premiere episode and then the last two were completely original from this new iteration of it.

So there is definitely Even if you didn't know all that, I think you can just, as a viewer, notice some of the glaring issues in the pacing and some of the storytelling in terms of how this kind of feels like a mishmash of things. I thought even with those circumstances, it was a success overall.

Like, they were able to balance the lawyer procedural aspects with the gritty continuation of Daredevil stories from the Netflix series and make it as seamless as possible. Again, I do think there were still bumps along the road, but it was overall satisfying, I think. Yeah.

I mean, if they were to add a couple episodes, I do think, like, the Muse storyline was too rushed. I would have liked to see that expanded on. So, I mean, there were things like that. They got it.

Mainly a lot of the new supporting characters that were introduced, like, Cherry, I love the actor. That was great. But it also was like. I didn't think we got enough of, like, okay, what is his relationship? We had the basic.

But, like, how did this relationship happen? It felt like it would have made more sense to have, like, Mahoney from the original series be that character or something.

And, like, you know, so there was still those, like, bumps in the road. But as far as an overall enjoyment experience, I. Which I thoroughly enjoyed myself week to week. And I absolutely love the finale and why I'm really.

Despite the bumps on the road in this season and some of the critiques that many people have pointed out, I think I am very excited for season two because I think, like, now we're past all that kind of baggage of the history, and now it has a very good setup for what season two can be, because now we have, okay, Mayor Fist. Kingpin is stronger than ever. He has the city at his, you know, under his control.

And Matt is forced to bring together an army and fight to reclaim New York and all in Hell's Kitchen from Fisk's reign of terror. So that alone, I think, is a great setup.

And, you know, now we don't have to go forward with wrestling over, like, oh, should I be continue being Daredevil or not? We're past that. Yes, Matt, you're Daredevil.

Yeah, like, this might happen, you know, like, no, this is your destiny, and you gotta fight and you gotta protect the city so we don't have to deal with any of that internal struggle as much anymore. We've got a good storyline to move forward. And I'll just say, I mean, the Daredevil Punisher stuff in the season finale was absolutely stellar.

I love John Grundle. He got Some of his best moments in that scene.

And it was just, you know, and like you said too, the directing from Morehead and Benson just added a whole nother layer to it and made the last two episodes so enticing.

Evan Garcia: 00:25:19

Yeah, yeah, I'm. I'm looking forward to the next season. And from what I heard, I didn't. I didn't confirm this, but I heard it's going to be just one year now.

They are still filming it now and they're.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:25:34

ght now. The plan is March of: 2026

Because originally it was announced it's like an 18 episode series way back when. And then they just, I think, decided to split up into two seasons. So it was still gonna be filming back to back.

So they weren't really taking a break there. They're still in production right now. And I would say my only, my one hope for.

And I'm not saying this just because this is a Christian nerd podcast, but you know, the.

One of the things that they are, they didn't focus on as much they mentioned, but not nearly as much in the original series is Matt's Catholic faith and how that influences character that was missing from the season.

And I hope that they do come back to that because again, this isn't just because it's like, you know, from my viewpoint, that is a very quintessential element of Matt Murdock and Daredevil's character. They made some movies, so I really want to see them bring back like his mother and maybe like flashbacks with the priest and stuff like that.

And like just a more look at like, you know how that is a very, you know, like, because they had that one scene between him and Heather in the season where she talks and she just says like, oh, yeah. I mean, I knew you were a Catholic, but I thought you were more like. It was just kind of a like.

Evan Garcia: 00:26:55

Cultural thing that he was emotional just looking at the church, like for some reason he couldn't go in or something.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:27:04

I was like, okay, yeah, yeah, right. So I do want them to zero in on that more in a natural way.

But, like, that's just an element that is all in the, you know, it for him, it is a internal spiritual calling for, like, why he becomes Daredevil. It's not too much.

Evan Garcia: 00:27:25

It could have been too much if you had the whole Catholic, the guilt and that whole tension there.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:27:31

Sure.

Evan Garcia: 00:27:31

On top of putting on the suit, I could have Seen that kind of get kind of redundant. So.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:27:40

That's fair. That's fair. I did. Yeah.

Evan Garcia: 00:27:42

So maybe I was missing it too, because it was very, very much a part of what Daredevil is, and the previous series didn't shy away from it at all, so.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:27:55

Yeah, exactly. Okay, so we'll see what happens. But. But overall, I mean. Yeah, I mean, I. I don't know. Giving a rating to the, like for the finale. Oh, yeah.

That's like a 995. But for the season as a whole, I probably get a solid eight. I mean, I. There was never a week where I didn't enjoy myself.

I do have, like, you know, qualms or some of the writing, but I think they were still able to overcome a lot of the. Just the. Just the circumstances they had. And again, it makes me so excited for season two. So I am, you know, my man is back.

The Devil of Hell's Kitchen. I am so happy for that and cannot wait for season two.

Evan Garcia: 00:29:33

Star Wars Celebration that took place over Easter, which I love it because they've been doing it for a few celebrations now, if you guys don't know. Star Celebration is the Star wars convention that takes place roughly every couple years. And this year was in Japan.

And there was a lot of fun announcements. I couldn't watch it live because it started at 10 and it went to like, 4 in the morning, something like that.

So I watched as much as I could, and then I watched some recaps and stuff. But there were some big stuff that was announced. There was some big stuff that wasn't announced and that.

And that kind of spoke most as loudly as the stuff that was announced too. So what was your take on the celebration this year, Kevin?

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:30:25

Man, I always look forward to, like, I mean, Evan, have you ever gotten to go in person?

Evan Garcia: 00:30:30

Yeah, twice.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:30:30

Okay. Yeah. Okay. What? What? Where was. Three times.

Evan Garcia: 00:30:35

Three times.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:30:36

Really? Nice. Were they all in Orlando? Because I know it's 18. Yeah, yeah. Nice. That's the one. I mean, I would love to at some point. I like, I, I, I.

So I've never been able to do in person. I have my head in Christensen, though, so that's my, like, credit there. Yeah. So, I mean, that was all the. I got to meet him at awesome Con last year.

But as far as celebration news wise, I think my biggest assignment. I know you are too, based on your name there. I know we, we talked about this a little bit last time when there was. Right.

There was speculation that Sean Levy and Ryan Gosling were gonna make a Star wars movie, even though it wasn't like officially confirmed, but now it is. And not only that, but they said they are going into shooting in the fall.

So this one is actually happening because, because when I, I like, I think we talked about it a little last time, but like, I mean, I'm at the point where I will believe a Star wars movie is happening when I'm sitting in the theater because, just, because in that like they did a lot of shows but like in the last, particularly what, six years, like since Rise Skywalker and like, and even before that they've announced so many movies that either never came to fruition or are still in some level of development hell. And so I, you know, I'm just like a little hesitant.

But this one, they said they came out, did the panel and we're like, no, we're shooting this fall. That means they already have a script, they have a crew, they have a cast.

And what I like about this and what I think should be the future of Star wars movies in particular and shows as well, but I think shows pretty good in the animated world. You can do a little more if you want to tie in stuff and all that. But I think with movies, standalone chapters like this are the way to go.

So this movie, all we know about it, it's called Starfighter, it takes place a few years after the sequel trilogy and it's going to be very standalone. And, and really I was talking about a friend the other day. It sounds to me like it's.

There are remnants of what was going to be the Patty Jenkins Rogue Squadron movies, which I think, you know, she left there. But so which makes sense as far as why they already had a script or even if like it was changed, they were able to just rewrite that.

And you know, I mean, Sean Levy, coming off the success of Deadpool and Wolverine and Stranger Things, I mean, he knows how to get stuff done and is a very passionate Star wars fan.

So, you know, I think it's, that is a perfect opportunity to just make, you know, something, to make something that is self contained that I, and I was also, you know, we, this is all pure speculation.

Obviously we don't know really anything about the plot of the movie, but how cool would it be if it turns out to be Ryan Gosling's character finds out he's force sensitive maybe midway through the movie or after the first act. So like he's, you know, introduced as kind of a Han Solo, you know, just Starfighter character, but then might end up being force sensitive.

That would be really fun because I would love to see kind of like a not even a full Jedi, but a force sensitive character and what that looks like in the post sequel trilogy era and how they explore that dynamic. So that's pure speculation and sort of what I want. But the point is, what I love about it being a standalone movie is if it's great, that's awesome.

And even if it's not that good, okay. It doesn't really have any major ramifications on, you know, a Skywalker Saga or anything.

So I want Star wars to move away from trying to be MCU and to just recognize that we have a galaxy of stories to play with. We do not have to tie everything back to Skywalker Saga or to everything. You know, we can tell a story. I mean, look at it. Look at andor.

Look at and Rogue One and you know, so many arcs from the animated.

Evan Garcia: 00:34:34

Shows where they've been doing it in the video games and the books since the 70s and 80s. So, so, so I think there's a space for the standalone films and I'm looking forward to it. I.

It's going to be weird to see Ryan Gosling, you know, like, because he's.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:34:56

Ridley and John Boyega before: 2015

I mean, John Boyega was, he is in a great movie called Attack the Block. That's a really, really small indie. But like, but yeah, they were not movie stars.

Evan Garcia: 00:35:31

Yeah.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:35:32

Yes, exactly. So it's a, it's a difference when you have a, you know, huge movie star come in and be the face of a new Star wars movie.

So I, you know, I'm really excited. But yeah, so I, So that was my big day. I mean, as far as some of the other news, very excited for a Darth Maul animated series.

Yeah, it's gonna be awesome.

Evan Garcia: 00:35:54

Shadow Lord, that's a great name, man.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:35:58

I'm so excited for that.

And then, you know, of course the Mandalorian and Grogu movie that's coming out in a year now, so that, you know, another one that's like definitely happening. I mean, I'll wait till we. I want to see a trailer that. To see exactly what the narrative is.

Just because, like, I mean, I love the first couple seasons of Mandalorian.

I wasn't that stoked about season three, you know, I mean, of course, I'm so excited for the movie, but I just like the thing about season three is if the way it ended was kind of. I'm like, this could really be a nice swan song for Bravo and Mando. And I'm like, where do you go from there?

I mean, I'm sure Favreau has, you know, a good idea in mind and, and I think getting to play with the movie budget versus TV will give them a lot of freedom there, hopefully. So. Still excited for it, but I'm eager to see a trailer.

Evan Garcia: 00:36:50

There's some footage that they played there, and there's some bootleg footage. You should go watch it is there. He gave me vibes of season two vibes, so that's cool. I was looking forward to that.

And the Star Wars Visions Season 3. That's exciting. I like that, like what you were saying before about the, like, anthology ness of Star wars, that that could be your thing.

They did it very well in the, in those short stories, which are animated versions of some Star wars originals and some great stories in there.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:37:32

Yep, absolutely. I, I, the animation is fantastic and the storytelling. And then, of course, Ahsoka Season 2.

That was nice to hear because I wasn't sure when that was gonna come out. That is this fall.

Evan Garcia: 00:37:45

Yeah.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:37:45

Very excited for that. I mean, I, we did a full episode on Ahsoka Season 1 after that came out. And, you know, I mean, she's one of my favorite characters.

I've got actually, I can't turn around right now, but I've got Ahsoka and Mando figures on my desk over here. So, you know, very excited for that.

You know, I'm really curious to see where the story will take place, you know, how Ahsoka and Sevine will get off that planet, what it means for Thrawn to be back in return in the galaxy and, you know, launch his vengeance campaign, you know, so I'm very excited for that. Yeah. And then did you want to say anything about Zero Company as well?

Evan Garcia: 00:38:27

It looked like a really cool extension of the Clone Wars.

It's basically like it's a video game that is kind of like the, the special ops of the Clone wars, like, what was going on underneath all the, all the campaigns with the Jedi and stuff. And that looks like it's gonna be great. The problem, not so much very story based, but it's Gonna have some. It's gonna be a really good play.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:38:59

Hopefully I can bring it back to, like, the Battlefront two days. Like, that was the one I. I played religiously as a kid. That was.

Evan Garcia: 00:39:06

That was it, man. That was it. Those.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:39:08

And speaking of Star Wars. Oh, yes. And speaking of. Those were the days in Star wars era when we were kids. Yeah. Revenge of the Sith is back in theaters this weekend.

We already have our tickets. Cannot wait.

Evan Garcia: 00:39:20

Yep. Yeah, Friday. I'm going Friday. And they're gonna have the cool popcorn bucket at the Disney jmc.

So hopefully it's not sold out when I go, because that would be fun.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:39:29

To have, I hope, at Alamo. I mean, I know they'll have Merc, but I. I hope they have one of the. The pint glasses. That would be awesome. But yeah, yeah, yeah.

Evan Garcia: 00:39:39

We were supposed to get it.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:39:40

Very excited.

Evan Garcia: 00:39:41

Alamo Drafthouse here in Orlando. But I think a Covid. Covid canceled those plans.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:39:47

Yeah, man. Like, and it's all right. Like, I hope it, you know, will bounce back eventually because it is a. I love the theater so much. It's just. Yeah. Awesome.

Well, so, yeah, that's a tower celebration. And, you know, you can go back and watch some of those panels on.

Evan Garcia: 00:40:05

YouTube, but Dave Filoni's panels are always.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:40:10

Yes.

Evan Garcia: 00:40:11

Oh, and the. And the. And the documentary about ilm, there's a. There's season two.

I finished watching it, and I never knew some of some of these stories that they were telling. And. Great, great documentary. It reminded me of the old. The old DVD documentaries from 20, 25 years ago.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:40:34

Yeah, season one was fantastic. I haven't actually watched season two yet, but I will. Yes. Light of Magic. Yeah, it's excellent.

So if you're at all like us and you really want to dive into the. In this case, it's the visual effects that went into Star wars and, like, and. And also other franchises and everything. It's a fascinating story.

Really well done. So that is on Disney as well. Go check that out.

Evan Garcia: 00:40:58

All right, what do we got next here?

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:40:59

Awesome. Let's see.

Evan Garcia: 00:41:52

Here we go.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:41:53

So I gotta talk about this one. Okay, so, Evan, you've not watched, have you? But you've not watched or played lots of us, Correct?

Evan Garcia: 00:42:01

Correct.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:42:04

Okay. So on my end, I never played the game, but I've been watching the show from the beginning.

And as I watch the show, like, after each episode comes out, I go back and, like, read up on the game just to see what the differences are and, like, what was really faithful and what they changed and everything. So it's been an excellent show from the beginning. And, you know, I mean, I'll give the brief, like, you know, overview of what it is.

For those who don't know, this is a post apocalyptic zombie show that follows the main characters, Joel and Ellie. Joel lost his daughter on the day of the outbreak. And.

And the difference between this and kind of other zombies is the zombie stems from like a virus that creates really interesting monsters that you don't see in other zombie shows and movies and comics. It's very unique where it's like this organized organism that was the cause of everything and stemmed it and brought about the end of the world.

s at the beginning, the early: 2000

She's born during the apocalypse. This is all she's ever known.

But she is immune to the virus because, like, her mother was bitten when she was born and it like, allowed her to be immune. And so because of that, she's obviously like, is this, like, sought after being from the resistance called the Fireflies.

And so in season one, it's about Joel trying to get Ellie to Where were they headed? I'm trying to play on. I'll look at One sec. But.

But anyway, like, they go across country to get to the Fireflies headquarters so that because they're trying to develop a cure and raid the world of these monsters and get back to normal in some capacity. And so season one is a lot about that. And I will go ahead and do.

Because it's hard to not talk about spoilers here, especially with what happened in this episode.

So at the end of season one, they make it there, but the Fireflies tell Joel that the only way to develop the cure is Ellie cannot survive the operation. So they have the operation ready to go.

And before this happened, like, Ellie's on caucus at this point because the Fireflies know that, like, Joel's not going to react. So they go ahead and knock them both out and they have Ellie on the operating table and Joel's knocked out.

And they tell Joel this because they know he, you know, he wouldn't like, let it happen otherwise. And.

But the thing is, before this happens, Ellie tells Joel, whatever happens, like, I'm willing to sacrifice myself is like, she understands her, what makes her unique. And if she can do anything to literally save the world, she will. And. But she's unconscious that she's not given the choice.

But at the end of season one, Joel, when he hears this, he goes full John Wick and not only kills all the fireflies, he kills the doctors there too, and takes Ellie out and rescues her. And later when she wakes up, he just tells her that, oh, you know, it didn't work. And he does not tell her anything that he killed them all.

And like, what happened and there's still. And she makes him swear that he's telling the truth.

But even in that moment in the final scene in season one, she knows something is like he's lying to her, even though.

And so season two then jumps five years later and we learn that one of the former fireflies whose dad was the doctor that Joel killed, is now out for revenge. And so she tracks Joel all the way to Jackson, Wyoming, where they like we. We visited there in season one.

That's where Joel's brother has been with his community and being the leader there. And him and Joel were obvious, you know, together before the apocalypse. And. And Tommy survives too, and is now the leader of this community.

And so they. So Joel and Ellie go back to Jackson. They've been living there. We see this community. You know, there's still, you know, threats, but overall they're.

They've maintained kind of a fortress and haven't had any major attacks. But Abby, this girl, follows them in and so there's a lot of setup in episode one, episode two, which aired this week. And I mean, I.

If you've already can't tell, you know, I'm going to full spoilers here. So if you haven't caught up on this season, zone out now and come back later.

But I think based on my Instagram story that I posted and how many people responded, I think this is a big sensation right now and everyone is tuning in and everyone was really shocked, especially who had not played the game. But in this episode, two major things happen there. One, there is a big battle going on in Jackson because Abby and Joel, while everyone.

While Joel and some of the other patrol series of events happens that a bunch of hoarded zombies make it through and get to the outskirts of the city. So a big battle ensues. There's.

But also Abby finds a way into the community and finds Joel and is able to lure him back to their base to get away from the zombies. And that's when she executes her revenge. And you know, I. So yeah, Joel dies in this episode, really is brutally killed. And. And like, I kind of.

I mean, I Think even though I had not played the game, I knew from fans of it that this was a big controversial storyline. And, like, even then I kind of saw. I figured Joel would die eventually. I was not expected to happen this quick.

And, like, I thought there might be, you know, but. And just to tell you how brutal it is. So she has him, like, tied down.

She shoots him in a leg first, and then she takes a golf club and starts beating his leg where she just shot with the gothclub and then just tortures him and beats him like, within inch of his life. And in the final blow, which at that point Ellie comes in and because she is like.

She tracks Joel down and is, like, trying to rescue him, but Abby's like, cohorts pin her down. And so she has to watch while Abby kills him and she stabs him with the.

The base of the golf club, taking the tip off and stabs him right through the neck. And it is brutal. Yeah, yeah. So it is like. So now, I hope that doesn't.

Did not encourage you from watching at some point, because it is like, even with just that, like, plot description there. There's so much more in the show to take in. And it's. And also this episode specifically, the battle sequence is.

I'm talking, like, Helm's Deep level and the Game of Thrones battle. I mean, it was one of the most epic battle sequences I've ever seen. Not just for. I mean, especially for a TV budget, but this was basically a movie.

I mean, they. They put all their money into making this happen.

But it's especially very reminiscent of Helm's Deep in the sense that you have the zombies as this horde, much like the orcs trying to get through a wall and the humans are defending it. And there is a big, like, ultra zombie monster. There's all this other stuff.

It is such an impressive display of filmmaking that you have got to experience it. And it's so much. Well, it's so well balanced with the obviously, the emotional, you know, overly dramatic aspect of the episode.

Seeing your beloved character.

Even though I say beloved, but, like, mainly because of Patriot Pascal, but also, you know, I think, like, you kind of as a viewer, you turn on Joel at the end of the season when he does that, because it's like, oh, man, I know you didn't want to have the pain of losing another dot because they become, like, she becomes a surrogate daughter to him. And I get it. You've lost one daughter already, but holy crap.

Like, that was a straight up villain move and not that, like, what Abby does, is it, like, horrible, but you kind of understand why she would do something like that, after all. And so it adds for so much moral complexity and, you know, inside dissection.

And I think that's the best thing about the show, whether you like some of those big moments or not, it demands an emotional reaction to it, and I think that's what Great Art does. So it's a phenomenal show. You know, I mean, I'm not really a gamer, so I haven't played the game, but.

But it's been cool following along and, you know, seeing the reactions from fans following the show from the beginning. So there's so much to take in. But, yeah, this week was a banger. So it is a. It was a. I mean, for me, a great episode.

I know there were some changes that, like, some fans were upset with, but I thought. I listened to interviews with the showrunner after, and I thought they were justified personally, but.

And I just, you know, not having be something to compare it to and just watching it as a show, I thoroughly enjoyed it. But although I say enjoy, it was not a happy lesson. But he means yes, but excellent storytelling.

Evan Garcia: 00:52:15

Well, then, dang, That's. That's. That's cool to have to know that that quality is there and I'll get around to this show, and I am.

I like to be warned about it, so that's good.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:52:29

And it also, like I was saying with Daredevil earlier, how well it sets up for season two, this one, despite the shock of this episode, it sets up a perfect storyline going forward because the parallels between Ellie and Abby are so apparent because they've both been wrong. They're both like. Because now that Abby has killed Joel, Ellie isn't. Is now going to be bent on revenge against her.

And so it adds this really fascinating dynamic there. And also the people like the performances of obviously, but Bella Ramsey is absolutely phenomenal in this show throughout.

So even though Joel is gonna be gone, we're gonna see him in flashbacks, but even though his storyline is done, you know, Bella Ramsey can definitely carry the show because she is fantastic. And, you know, I. I'm really interested in seeing. I mean, it's. It's got to be rough. It's gonna be brutal stuff happening.

I know, but I'm really fascinated to see where Ellie's story goes from here.

Evan Garcia: 00:53:27

I saw some of that. Yeah, I saw some. I saw some posts, and from what people said, I'm like, wow, did they really do it? And I did it.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:53:36

Yeah. Yeah. And again, it was just that, like. Because I texted a friend right after I watched it who had like played the game and everything.

And so I was like, I just said, well, now I know why they. Why the game too is like really controversial and shocking. And he's like. He hadn't watched the episode yet, but he knew what I was referencing.

He's like, whoa, they already did it, like. And he watched the episode the next day and. Yeah, because he wasn't expecting it to be that.

I mean, he obviously knew it was gonna happen, but he thought it was gonna be like maybe a mid season story or something like that. But they did it right in episode two.

Evan Garcia: 00:54:10

All right.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:54:10

Yeah. So Last of Us, that's another one. I think we'll do a full episode on at some point.

And I would love to do it with some people who have played the game as well to get their perspective. But it is a phenomenal show. Just amazing storytelling all around. Yeah. Awesome. Well, is that the end of our main event?

Evan Garcia: 00:54:28

That's all we got. That's all we got.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:54:30

Man. That was impressive. I know when we were texting Josh about this, I was like, oh, this could be like a three hour one.

But I think I'm about out of breath anyway. So I think we're.

Evan Garcia: 00:54:40

I'm satisfied. Like Snickers, that is fees.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:54:45

Well, I mean, this was great. Before we go, do you have any quick recommendations you want to give either any of the stuff here tonight or just something totally different?

Evan Garcia: 00:54:54

I was gonna say I was gonna double down on that Industrial Light and Magic documentary.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:55:01

Great.

Evan Garcia: 00:55:02

Yeah, I'll double down on that one. And that's a great little piece of history there because. And they touch on other films that are just not Star wars and how they've impacted the.

The world of cinema, basically. And. And the ending was very emotional and. And I've never worked there and stuff.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:55:22

So it's like, wow, great choice. Yeah, no, it's a. It's a fascinating documentary. I'm definitely gonna get to season two very soon.

I will recommend, you know, obviously Sinners, but if you want a little. If you're coming out of Sinners and you want a little more of that, a great comic to go to that.

I actually saw a friend and I saw a lot of comparisons to Is American Vampire, which is a hugely successful popular title from. It started well over a decade ago, but from Scott Cider and Stephen King actually, and Raphael Albuquerque, it's a great horror comic.

The art is phenomenal. Great storytelling. That was one of Cider's earlier works before he went on to do Batman and everything.

So there's a bunch of storylines there but if you want to just check out like the first trade and see if you like it, I highly recommend that one.

Evan Garcia: 00:56:13

Well, there we go. Thanks. Thank you for chatting with me and this was fun. This was fun.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:56:23

Oh Evan, this was a blast as always. And and again I want to thank all of our listeners and viewers for tuning in again rate review the show. It helps us out a ton.

And if you're on YouTube and you like that video, if we get up to 50 likes on any video whatsoever, will Rose will it spring now so he can definitely frolic through a field of flowers. So if you don't want to miss that, please like subscribe share. We would really appreciate it.

And remember we are all a chosen people, a kingdom of priests, peace.