Is Lucky A Great Escape?

Clip 00:02 Listen to me. Do you hear my voice? I am right there with you. I am in your head, okay? Dave 00:18 This is the Extra Extra Hot Great Podcast. Episode 420 for the July 18th, 2026 weekend. I am Shower and Stranger Shack Enjoyer David T. Cole, and I'm here with fourth dish Sarah D. Bunting. And Hoodie Discard Artara Ariano. Tara 00:40 I'm a different person now. Dave 00:53 Welcome everybody to another episode of Extra X or Hawk Rate. I just want to reiterate the non-announcement announcement we had last week We did hit some club milestones, but I'm just trying to figure out how to make it all work. So before we announce anything, I thought I would just get all my ducks in a row. And so far I have 13 of the 21 ducks I have in a row. So news coming soon. Sarah 01:12 I also have an announcement, which is more of a reminder. We do have a mutual aid vault. If you are listening to this, you have either benefited from it or don't need it, but your fellow listeners might. Need a gift membership to stay in the club. If you're interested in donating, please contact me. I'm at bunting at tomato nation. com. Or you can reach me on the Discord via DM. And if you need some mutual aid yourself, you can contact me via the same means. We'll work something out. We want you to keep hanging out. Dave 01:44 Duck update. Two have traveled over to Sarah's side of the room, so I don't know what's going on now. Sarah 01:49 Where? Dave 01:49 We'll figure it out and get back to you. Sarah 01:51 Mm-hmm. Ducks, man. Tara 01:53 Thank you for those announcements. Thank you, listeners, for being here. However, it happened. We're delighted to have you. And we're here to talk about Lucky. When we first see Luciana Lucky Armstrong, Anya Taylor-Joy, she's on the run from the FBI.traveling just a little further backward in her life, we find out why She has acquired a lot of money that belongs to several other disputed someones, and that's kind of all we can say without spoiling the plot for the pilot. It is very plotty. Dave 02:24 Aliens. It's another one of those Apple TV shows. Tara 02:25 Dave The show was adapted from Marissa C Dave 02:28 Halfway through. Oh yeah, well it kinda makes sense, I guess. Sarah 02:29 Pop Tara 02:34 Stapley's novel of the same name by Jonathan Trapper, who previously brought us The Very Good Warrior and The Very Okay Your Friends and Neighbors. The first two episodes dropped on Apple TV July 15th. We got access to all seven in the season, but we will be careful about spoilers should we arrive at any. Let's do the Chen check-in. Sarah, should our listeners watch Lucky? Sarah 02:55 Yes, I think so. Tara 02:57 Dave. Dave 02:57 No, a stack cast in service of something very dull. Tara 03:01 No. Dave 03:02 Yeah. Tara 03:02 I was interested, so let's get into it. Dave 03:03 Okay. Tara 03:05 This show combines two elements I thought we all enjoyed con artistry and professional process. With each new scene, I found something new for Sarah D. Bunting in particular to love, and it sounds like you did, but how did you feel about those elements? Sarah 03:19 I liked them a lot. I thought it was sometimes a little stately In its pacing, sometimes sort of reinforcing anxiety about something that we thought was probably gonna happen. There was kind of a lot of running and chasing in the first episode that was like, while it was processy, it could have lost like five minutes of her running without a Brah, which like, you know, I know she's hung over and shit, but like get your budge before you leave the hotel room. Tara 03:43 Mm-hmm. Sarah 03:49 But overall, I thought it was good. I think the cast is having the time of their lives. Fifty, never gonna be mad at that. Tara 03:57 Mm-hmm. That's William Fichtner to those who don't know him by his nickname. Sarah 04:02 Yes, sorry. Big bad bill. I think it does have some apply aspects that it wants you to know how much was spent and how much time was taken and the like difficulty rating. And that's not gonna be for everyone. It's clearly not for Dave, but as these things go, it's good enough for me to keep going. I was definitely compelled and I think that our protagonist is like not likable but compelling enough to to go along on this literal ride with. Dave 04:36 You know, there's that joke of peop people with a phone face. Tara 04:39 Yeah. Dave 04:40 I feel like she has something like that. about this role. I do not believe that she is inhabiting this rough and tumble lifestyle character. She looks like she looks like she sh should be in some movie about aristocracy. Tara 04:49 Oh, I see. She has refined face. Dave 04:55 She has refined face, yes. Tara 04:56 Mm-hmm. Dave 04:56 I'm not saying she has phone face, but I'm saying this is a similar sort of sensation for me. Tara 04:58 I get it. Mm-hmm. Dave 05:01 And I just I don't know. I don't think everybody was having their time with their lives in this one. It just seemed very Flat considering we got Timothy off with his pants, we've got Annette Benning, we've got uh Anya Taylor-Joy, as he pauses for a second to remember her name. Tara 05:14 Mm-hmm. Dave 05:17 Exactly as you're supposed to say it, not and you joy Taylor or whatever I did last time. Tara 05:21 Yeah, I think you also called her Anna. Dave 05:24 Yeah, that's what I just said. Tara 05:24 Go on. Sarah 05:24 mm Tara 05:25 Mm-hmm. Dave 05:25 Fichtner is doing Fichtner-y things here. I'll give him credit. Tara 05:29 Yes. Dave 05:29 But otherwise, I thought this felt like it should have been dialed up higher than I was experiencing. Tara 05:35 Hmm. Dave 05:36 So I was disappointed Tara 05:37 Was there a particular moment where you sort of mentally checked out? Dave 05:41 It might have been the fourteenth time she ducked under a truck in the first five minutes. Tara 05:45 Ajá, ajá Dave 05:47 Not really, but Again, I just didn't really buy that this person was actually having a bad day because it just seemed like she could just turn around and she's got a magic mirror and she reapflies her makeup and she looks dazzling again. Like that just there was something about this I just didn't buy Tara 05:59 Mm-hmm. Dave 06:02 Maybe with her recast I could have got into this more, but just reading up on it, the edits they made to the source material really feels like they compress the highs and lows of what originally was happening in the story. And I kind of felt that. Like it just didn't feel like they were pushing on anything. Tara 06:19 Well, do tell, 'cause I haven't read the book. Dave 06:21 Well, I haven't read the book either, but they're just saying that she Tara 06:22 Mm-hmm. Dave 06:24 just seems to be a more dynamic character in more dynamic situations. Tara 06:30 I see Dave 06:30 Sort of like as we were talking about with Little House on the Prairie and Jack the Dog going missing and coming back as maybe a wolf, but they didn't do that in the book. Tara 06:38 ajá Dave 06:38 I getting the sense that that sort of thing happened. The set pieces, the turns, the prestiges and all that sort of stuff were just heightened in the book and for whatever reason they sort of compress the highs and lows into what we see here, which is weird because like this guy was really good at what he did when he was doing Warrior. And yet this has opportunities for similar energies, similar twists, similar rivalries within characters and sort of groups in the story. You know, there's an FBI contingent, there's the cons, there's the mob. Tara 07:09 Mm-hmm. Dave 07:11 And I just felt like they weren't really two Rams hitting each other enough in this one. Tara 07:16 Right. The pilot also does the thing that we all dislike, I think, where it's like dropping you in the middle of the action and then being like, and d six hours earlier or whatever it is. Dave 07:27 We are Tara 07:27 And in this case, it's especially not necessary to do that because the scene that we flash back to immediately after that, six hours earlier, is them in a hotel room. She's worried. Her boyfriend who's played by Drew Starkey's name is Carrie. Like, no, everything's fine. Don't worry about it. This is your just your dad. in your head, and then we see the suitcase of money and it's like, that would have been a perfectly fine place to start. Like that establishes everything as well or better than the truck stop chase scene does that we actually get first. Dave 07:54 Yeah Yeah, for a show like this, I thought they would be better served if they had a starter pistol out of the gate and just kind of went there and just like drove forward. Tara 08:04 Mm-hmm. Yeah. Dave 08:08 'Cause there's something about this is not a heist movie, but there's something about dealing with sleights of hand and con artists and having a plan. Tara 08:16 Yeah. Dave 08:16 Where if you give yourself the freedom to move back and forth in the story, I feel like that's a construct that usually means the writing doesn't present as well on screen. Tara 08:24 Mm-hmm. Dave 08:25 Like because you're it's sort of a cheat. Tara 08:27 Yeah Dave 08:27 You know, whereas if you can do it in real time, it presents more authoritative, you know, as far as like your schemes and the Tara 08:34 Yeah Dave 08:35 Uh, not that this is the prestige, but I'm just saying I think that was a mistake, although I just sort of I've given up on it. Like if it's a streaming show, there's a 50-50 chance you're gonna get X hours earlier, no? Tara 08:45 Right. Mm-hmm. Sarah 08:47 Mm-hmm. Tara 08:48 But we do get to see her pretty quickly ply her con artist trade where she sort of she meets someone that she needs to get something from and she kind of instantly sizes them up and tells them what she thinks. is gonna work. And that's sort of interesting from a performance perspective because of how it doubles what she's doing. Like this is ATJ acting as the character, but also acting as the character the character needs to be in the moment. Dave 09:13 Right. Yeah. Tara 09:15 Anyway, Sarah, what did you think of uh her her ability to portray that sort of double intent? Sarah 09:21 I think she's good. I think that Dave is maybe onto something with the casting just in terms of Like this is a person who is extremely noticeable. Like this is an almost sort of alien model looking person. Tara 09:36 Mm-hmm. Sarah 09:37 Who is wearing expensive earrings and has long red hair and was like out and about. Like I know it's Vegas and no one's like paying attention to anyone else at the club in Vegas, but it seemed like someone literally to the manner born would be a little more low-key in some aspects of their presentation. Tara 09:59 Mm-hmm. Sarah 10:00 and a little more attuned to the idea that you have to change your appearance immediately. Like maybe I've just read a lot of nonfiction about prison breakouts, but this is where they always go wrong So during the pilot I was, as Taras Monica referred to up top, being like, Get rid of the hoodie, find a you know, f steal someone's hat. Ugh Finally. But I also thought she did a good job. It's like that um actors being bad actors on screen thing. Like I thought she was good at that. I would have preferred that she didn't immediately go to the I am a victim of intimate partner violence both times that that's the story. Like I guess that's what works in the situation. I don't know what the story was in the book, but it did just feel kind of like are are we supposed to take that on board as significant that this is the most effective story in like any situation? for her to get what she needs from people or was it just lazy writing somewhere? Tara 11:03 Yeah, I don't know. Sarah 11:04 I didn't love that. Again, this is like an a minus for me. There were things that they could have done better, but I thought that she, despite being cast poorly for being so noticeable was also like she's a good actor, so it it wasn't as noticeable. Tara 11:19 Did he Sarah 11:20 And they cast her younger self very well too to to match up with Tara 11:23 Yes, I agree. When Anya Taylor Joy was in the Queen's Gambit, someone I do not remember had a viral tweet about how a female character mentally unraveling amid a ruinous bender will, if she's written and directed by man, do so with like artfully disheveled hair and in a silk slip, but still looking fantastic and Lucky goes through much harder shit here, but when she dyes her hair platinum blonde and then also puts her eyeliner on in the like shitty bathroom at a gas station or whatever, I was like, this is being a little that Dave 11:55 Yes. The long the long kiss good night scene verbatim. Sarah 11:57 Uh-huh. Tara 11:58 Yeah. Dave 11:59 Yeah. Tara 11:59 I mean, me I especially the hair. Dave 11:59 Mm-hmm. Tara 12:01 I just feel like, and I'm saying this as someone with mousy Brown hair, if you want to blend in, mousy Brown hair, not platinum blonde, you know. Dave 12:06 Yeah Tara 12:09 I think Anya Taylor Joy is fine, but as soon as Alanna Ubach showed up in the second episode as Sylvia, the abulita, raising her dead daughter's children in the middle of nowhere, Arizona, I was so much more interested in everything she was doing. She was my MVP in terms of performance across these two episodes, other than on Janu Ellis Taylor, who's playing uh Bird, I think her name is, the FBI agent. She was especially good too. But who else did you think was turning in a spectacular performance here? Even if it wasn't in material, you think was their best? Dave. Dave 12:44 As far as what I wanted out of the show, I think Fichtner is doing the work here. I mean it's it's a loud character, you know, it's hard to Fuck that up if you're willing Fichtner because I think you've got a lot of practice playing a character like this, which is Tara 12:57 Mm-hmm. Dave 12:59 arrogant, sexy dangerous, all these things that we love about him. So yeah, I would go for him. And by the seventh episode, uh he He is doing it all and things happened and he deals with it in the ficerous way that you would want. Tara 13:13 I see. Dave 13:14 Yeah. Tara 13:14 Sorry to correct myself, it's Rand, not Bird, the FBI agent Sarah, obviously you and I are being particularly pandered too with this, but other outside of Fichtner, who else impressed you? Sarah 13:25 I found it notable that Timothy off with his pants is weird, like hands on his hips, blocking indoors, no matter what character he's playing. Deadwood, justified, he's in prison, tan, scrubs, he's still doing it. His performance was fine. I will say I was happy to see Clifton Collins Jr. I think that guy should be better known. I think he's kind of a hey, it's that southwestern thriller guy, more in film. He plays Dutchy, popping up on like Quaid and Full projects where he used to. Tara 14:01 Mm-hmm. Sarah 14:02 And I always thought he should have been more famous. He does bring a certain something. Dave 14:08 Probably if he was four inches taller, he would have had more things going on in his TV. Tara 14:11 It's true Sarah 14:13 Yeah, but he's not, and Leguizamo is always two places ahead of him in line and with good reason, so Tara 14:17 It's true too. Dave 14:19 Right. Tara 14:19 Yep. Dave 14:19 Yeah. Good point. Tara 14:20 Yeah. On Timothy Off with His Pants, uh, who plays Lucky's father, the the con artist that she learned from. I had to look up we see him in his cell before Annette Betting's character, Priscilla, comes his ex and also ex-like crime partner shows up to talk to him in prison about this money that's gone missing because he stole it from her and she stole it from Fichtner and blah blah blah Anyway, we see him in a cell. He's reading a book by Michael Lewis, and I had to look up which it is, and I think it's Going Infinite, which is about Sam Bankman Freed the crypto scammer, which I thought was a Sarah 14:54 Oh, I thought it was Moneyball. Tara 14:56 Oh, maybe. Either way, a funny choice to have this guy reading Michael Lewis. Sarah 15:00 Yeah. Mm-hmm. Tara 15:03 Even restrained, he's still he's still good. I have a prediction for the end. So we'll see. Sounds like Dave already watched the end, so it seemed like when you're watching a s a show about a con artist Nearly always there's like one more twist that you're not supposed to see coming. And the fact that Lucky, a girl raised by a con artist, didn't anticipate that Carrie might rip her off, tells me we're gonna find out there's gonna be some kind of other side deal that he had with John, because otherwise she just looks like a chump and that kind of undercuts her Sarah 15:30 Yeah. Tara 15:38 as a character to me. And especially when we see Carrie in his very first scene, like talking her out of her instincts that like something is wrong here. She can feel it coming and he's like, No, it's fine. It's like I I feel like there's another There's gotta be another twist on that. Sarah 15:54 Agree Tara 15:54 Dave. Dave 15:55 I have to abstain. I've seen it. Tara 15:56 Okay. Dave 15:58 Do you want me to do you want me to tell you what I guess having seen it? Tara 15:58 Fair enough. Dave 16:00 Because it'll be really accurate. Tara 16:02 No, I guess we'll see. Sarah 16:03 No Tara 16:03 Uh the day Sarah and I will see when we get there and you can just rest secure in the knowledge that you have that we don't. Dave 16:15 That's it. It was aliens. Tara 16:17 Oh man Dave 16:18 Alright, everybody, it's time for everybody's favorite segment with everybody's favorite theme. Is ask EHG scams Alright, it's been a while since we've been Taping in real time, so we have a lot of judgments to go through. I pity the person who has to do all three judgments. Let's spin the wheel of judgment. Boop. Ah shit, it's me. Alright, I will be your ask ask EA's judge this week. We have a few to go through, so we're gonna do them fast. First question came from Damon. Damon asks, pick an iconic show, what was it? What was it about? And what should had have been about based on its name? Wrong answers only. Cekent said that Caroline in the City is a reality endurance show a la Man vs. Wild or Love Island where Mademoiselle Caroline has to live in Paris for three months. It's very good. Known Paris hater, Mademoiselle the Caroline. Sarah 17:29 Mm-hmm. Dave 17:30 Monty says terriers exactly the same, but acted out with dogs. Yep. Two winners this week for this question, Jovial Gent with Scrotal Recall, Speaking to His Judge, three-part Netflix documentary about the story of Mr. Belvedere sitting on his balls. Tara 17:45 Yes Dave 17:45 Scrotal Recall, absolutely And our second prize for this one goes to Wrightwood, Runny Point. Runny Point is now about the starting official, whatever you call them, person that fires the gun. at track and field events. But they are actually a secret agent there to protect the runners after a mad scientist has threatened to kill the world's fastest people. Thus running point is now correctly pronounced with the stress on the first syllable, like everyone already says it Very good. Jovial Gent, Rightwood, you know what to do. Second question comes from Jovial Gent. What is the show that you feel portrayed love the most realistically? Again, I'm gonna give two winners here. First one, Mr. Dan Cassino. Gomez and Morticia Addams were complete weirdos who were deeply in love with each other. They had shared interests, being horny weirdos, shared goals, continuing to be horny weirdos, and a shared vision that involved ignoring their kids to constantly do it off camera. We should all have such a functional partnership. Second winner for this one comes from Big Time Tomato. They're putting up somebody somewhere as the answer. Romantic love, sibling love, platonic love, grief for a loved one. It hit it all. Two great answers, very different answers. Moving on to our third Drydendon asked, create the best classic 24-hour TV telephone. What's the cause? Who's hosting? Which celebrities are manning the phones? And what is the final total of money raise all options that you can answer? Our winner, our winningest winner of 2026, I think, Seth, comes in with Agent. Oh, I thought that was garbage collection, it's thunder. Tara 19:20 No thunder Dave 19:22 Okay. Just gonna let that pass. Oh wow. It's starting to come down. Okay. Tara 19:26 Oh no tee. I worry. Dave 19:29 Oh, alright, storm's coming in, so apologies if you hear thunderclaps in her audio. Seth says Agent Skullity of the X-File is fed up. with monster of the week murder cases committed by guys who kill and eat parts of their victim for survival. So she's established the inaugural Summerfest Telethon Actually, it's the Summer Fact sent us medical refuse for ethical assumption, comma, thanks. Medical waves from all around the country, which will give to these characters to eliminate needless murders and to help sustain the guy who eats cancer, the guy who eats human fat, the guy who eats pituitary glands, and that guy who eats entire brains, etc. etc. So really making your adversaries work for the common good. Thank you, Seth. Thank you, X Files. Everybody who's a winner today, please DM me on Discord. I need your mailing address, and I will send you out a sticker pack in the next batch of mailings. Tara 20:20 We Oh no No Dave 20:22 Oh Fuck. If you looked outside, you should look outside. Rain is water's just pouring off our roof. Sarah 20:29 Jesus. Dave 20:32 Uh just give me one sec, I want to check the backyard to see if it's filling up or okay. Tara 20:35 Yeah, good call. Sarah 20:37 Ooh Tara 20:37 Maybe open the open the gate. He's gone. It's okay. Oh buddy. It's under my desk. Sarah 20:44 Oh no. Tara 20:45 Buddy. It's okay. You're very brave. I hate this. Sarah 20:51 Yeah Dave 20:53 Yeah, backyard's starting to flood. I'm I'll just check on that after each segment, I guess, if the rain keeps up, if it dies down on the Tara 20:55 Eep. Okay. Dave 21:00 Fine. Tara 21:00 Oh, well that might be the problem, because our w our our lights just blinked. Dave 21:00 Oh okay. Yeah, okay. Well, if we suddenly go away, that's why, sir. Tara 21:07 Yes. Dave 21:07 We'll figure it out. Sarah 21:08 Okay, don't die. Dave 21:09 Okay. All right, well let's see if we can get through the rest of this episode. Just give you an update. The backyard is flooding, the front yard is flooding, there's just water cascading off our house, and the power just flickered. So we're having fun here in Austin, Texas Sarah 21:22 Oh Dave 21:23 Let's see how many questions we can get through. First one comes from Jovial Gent. Who would most likely get away with murder? A murder committed by Columbo investigated by J. B. Fletcher? Or A murder committed by JB Fletcher, investigated by Columbo. Hmm, interesting term. Tara 21:40 I have not watched much murder, she wrote. I do know Lieutenant Colombo has a 100% closure rate, at least according to the documentary series made about his life. Dave 21:50 Uh I remember watching one or two where he didn't get a conviction. Tara 21:54 All right, well, it's pretty high if it's not a hundred. Dave 21:56 Okay. It is pretty high, but I don't think it's one hundred. Tara 21:59 Whether any of those cases lead to a conviction when they're based on circumstantial evidence most of the time is another story, but I feel like his being a cop at least makes his cases slightly harder to discredit than those that have been solved by a random novelist. So that's my pick. Dave 22:14 It's the 70s. We're not gonna worry about that kind of stuff like circumstantial evidence Tara 22:17 Fair enough, Sarah Sarah 22:20 My feeling is they both have sufficiently impressive solve rates that it's not a matter of getting away with it in the sense of not getting caught or caught out. It's a matter of which one could convince the other one not to prosecute or that their actions were justified. And I think Jay Fletch has the best shot at convincing Colombo that his knowing she did it is as good as her face and consequences Because she's batted her eyelashes in that way before. I know there's a Mrs. Columbo, but we never see her, and what she doesn't know about flirting to get away with shit won't hurt her. Tara 22:53 Mm-hmm. Well, we only we see her, but only in her own show. Go on. Sarah 22:56 Oh, that's right. I think Jessica Fletcher is also more likely to commit such a justifiable adjacent homicide. Tara 23:05 True Sarah 23:05 So there's also that. So that is my answer. Dave 23:07 Hmm. Sarah 23:08 Dave. Dave 23:08 I'm gonna change my answer on the fly because those were much better answers than what I had. My scenario is that we find them both dead and we're wondering who killed them both and Magnum's on the case, but Magnum figures out that they shot that they killed each other at the same time. Tara 23:22 Wow Dave 23:22 Yeah. See Kent, what 70s show has a better theme than the Rockford Files? Golden Age of Themes, that is the decade. So what's better than the Rockford Files? Tara 23:31 Mm-hmm. Dave 23:33 Sarah. Sarah 23:33 Chips. I mean I have backups, but I'm just gonna go with first one best one. Dave. Dave 23:38 There's lots Rock for Fouls is a really great show. We're enjoying it a lot and its theme is good, but it's not like one of the all-time greats. Tara 23:44 It's the problem with with Rockford is that it's like two themes in one. That's my problem Dave 23:49 I don't know if like uh sitcom is a good comparison here, but Jefferson's seventies theme, all timer. Sarah 23:55 Mm-hmm. Dave 23:56 Hawaii 5-0 as a drama, police drama, I'm gonna say, is probably a better theme than the Rockford Files. Sarah 23:56 Yep. Yep Dave 24:01 Not a better show, but a better theme. Tar. Tara 24:03 Alice. Dave 24:03 Oh yeah, Alice. Tara 24:05 But I also had different strokes. Dave 24:05 Yeah. Sarah 24:06 Oh yeah. Dave 24:07 Different strokes. Tara 24:07 Excuse me, different strokes. Dave 24:08 Oh different strokes is great, yeah. Sarah 24:09 Different strokes. Dave 24:10 Should we do a 70s theme bracket? Tara 24:13 Yes, yeah. Dave 24:13 That would be brutal. Sarah 24:15 Yeah. Dave 24:15 Okay, put it on the books. Tara 24:16 Okay Dave 24:17 Dixon chance From is a hit and by from we mean the TV show called From. Sarah 24:17 Yeah. Dave 24:22 Look it up on Google. Executives learning the wrong lesson come to you to create a show whose title must be a preposition What is your show about? My show is called by. It's the show about the people who made from. Sometimes it's called From From. Tara 24:41 Without the prestige TV adaptation of Garfield Without Garfield, Sarah. Sarah 24:47 Astride, yet another Yellowstone first spin-off about the Lady Jim Connor champions of late Victorian Dakota territory facing the brave new world of post-side saddle tack. Dave 25:00 Diatho, would you rather have a pocket-sized dragon that only makes toast? or a miniature unicorn that just gives you terrible advice. Would you rather, Tara? I just want to remind Sarah before we start. It's one or the other. You can't kill them both. Okay, here we go. Tara Tara 25:17 I'm gonna go with dragon, cause at least I'm getting toast out of it. Why would I want a miniature or unicorn that just gives me terrible advice that does nothing for me? Dave 25:24 Hmm. Interesting. I can tell you why. Tara 25:28 Oh Dave 25:28 Because something that always gives you terrible advice means you can extract the good advice by ans asking the right question. So if it's always telling you a lie, then you can figure out what the truth is. So you just have to word your inquiries properly and then just suss out what the actual real good advice is and then uh profit. Tara 25:48 Okay Dave 25:49 Sarah. Sarah 25:49 Pocket sized dragon that doesn't talk and makes toast? Come on. That one Dave 25:55 Diatho back with another would you rather would you rather own your home forever? No mortgage or anything like that, and I guess no taxes I'm gonna just throw in there. Tara 26:04 Sure. Dave 26:04 Sounds like it's like a dream situation. Tara 26:06 Mm-hmm. Dave 26:06 Or own a dragon. Sarah. Sarah 26:11 Not the dragon, Tara Tara 26:13 Yeah, not the dragon. Dave 26:15 Absolutely not the dragon. What's the the like what just feeding it daily? Like how much is a sheep cost? Tara 26:19 Yes Dave 26:20 Times three? Like I s like no thank you. Tara 26:21 Yeah. Even if it's feeding itself, it's still like, right, yes. Sarah 26:24 You can't get insured, it's a nightmare. No Dave 26:27 Actually you can f Fetch does have Dragon Assurance. They only sell it to the live journal people. Tara 26:36 Mm-hmm. Dave 26:38 Keeping in your backyard all the noise is it'd be like that scene from Jurassic Park with a goat tied to the stake and the T-Rex comes up every but you have to live it out every day three times a day? Tara 26:44 Yeah. Or when it falls asleep it's like a dog where it's sort of like woofing, except it's doing like dragons little puffs of puffs of fire and then you have to run outside. Dave 26:52 That's right. Uh yeah Tara 26:55 God damn it, you lit this tree on fire again. Dave 26:56 Uh gotta f Gotta phone the fencers again. Tara 27:01 Yes Dave 27:01 One more from Diatho. Would you rather be able to teleport but only to places you pooped, or fly but only three feet off the ground like a weak dragon? Teleport. And here's why. You just establish routes throughout the world. Like you make the effort to fly somewhere in a plane. You go to Osaka, Japan. You take a big dump, then you go to say, I don't know where else you want to go. You want to go to Shanghai and we're gonna put it down a big steamer there and then, you know Go to Nairobi, so you can go to Safari whenever you want, etc. etc. Just do that for a year. Fly around, and then for the rest of your life, you can probably get within a hundred miles of wherever you want to go. Bang, boom, bam. Sarah. Sarah 27:42 Yeah, just establish the poop net The poop net, and then after some miserable travel and really a lot of pooping, just gonna have to eat a lot of fiber, and uh then you're good to go for the rest of your life. Dave 27:52 Yep Yeah. Sarah 27:57 Tar. Tara 27:58 Yeah, teleport is faster. Dave 28:00 But and here's the other thing, Tara. Tara 28:01 Yeah. Dave 28:02 If you can swing one night in a five star hotel Tara 28:06 Mm-hmm. Dave 28:06 you can teleport into it in the future and when it's empty and nobody will know. Yeah. Alright, next one comes from me. Would you rather have Diatho explain his obvious dragon fetish to you or watch Diatho make out with a Komodo dragon? Tar. Tara 28:20 Uh I guess explain so that I can go somewhere else in my mind while he is doing so. And that way I don't have to watch him make out with a pono dragon Sarah. Dave 28:30 All right. Sarah 28:32 I went Komodo because I don't think any explanation is going to be satisfactory or permit me to sleep. Dave 28:38 Right. Sarah 28:38 Dave. Dave 28:39 I think I already st understand that Diatho has a serious dragon fetish, so I might as well watch him make out with a Komodo dragon. Tara 28:46 Yeah, I I mean I would love to know the be I mean and I'm sure he will tell us as soon as we say, but like, did your wife and children go out of town and you were just like really bored and decided to Okay. Dave 28:55 No. All right, inside baseball These were all done over the space of three weeks, so I don't know if he realizes he had dragon mania, but Tara 29:01 Ah. I think he knows. Sarah 29:05 Oh my God. Dave 29:06 Hang on, but in the third one, being able to teleport only to places you pooped or fly three feet off the ground, I added like a weak dragon. Sarah 29:14 Oh, I see. Dave 29:15 But it still got two out of three dragon questions. Tara 29:16 I see Dave 29:18 Well anyways, you know. Sarah 29:18 Let's kick him up the Discord again just for drill. Dave 29:20 Again, he has been banned once again. Tara 29:24 Tough to hear Dave 29:25 What is your favorite US state to visit and what is your favorite national park to visit? Is Vandy's question. Tara 29:32 Oh, that's not how I read it. Dave 29:32 Or both combined. Well that doesn't matter. Tara 29:34 Okay. Dave 29:35 Let's just go with it. Tara 29:35 All right. Dave 29:36 These are all open to interpretation. Art is life. Life is art. Tara 29:39 Sure. Dave 29:39 Sarah, what are your choices here? Sarah 29:41 I'm gonna say for the state, Massachusetts, and the Cape Cod National Seashore, which isn't technically a national park, but the actual national parks, like coming from New York City, these are days of driving away minimum. All of them, if you insist on a National Park answer, I do have one. I have actually been to a handful of them. And the South Dakota Badlands are really something else I recommend. In fact Dave 30:08 Yeah, cool. Sarah 30:09 Here's what I specifically recommend as part of your telepoop network establishment. Dave 30:14 Uh huh. Tara 30:15 Yes. Sarah 30:15 Fly into Denver. Dave 30:17 Yeah. Sarah 30:17 Drive up through Wyoming and over to Deadwood. Badlands National Park is not too far from Deadwood relative to like those giant. states that are not teeny like the ones that us easterners are used to. And then take I-90 across to Lewis and Clark Lake. The hills of northern Nebraska are the most beautiful place I've ever been. Dave! Dave 30:38 I think my favorite state to visit is still Hawaii, even though we lived there for a while. National Parks. I just gotta be boring to say Yellowstone was the most interesting and varied national park I've ever been to, so famous and popular for a reason. Even though that lousy old faithful geyser now doesn't do what it's supposed to do every hour, it's all like, eh, whatever I feel like it now. Fuck that shit. Although Volcano National Park is a close second. Tara 31:01 I read this as what's your favorite US State Park and your favorite US national park? Dave 31:06 Oh, okay. Tara 31:07 So Dave 31:07 Sure. Tara 31:08 State Park Puhonua Ohononau National Historical Park is on the big island. Dave 31:15 Wait, where is it? Which one is that? Is that the one by the airport? Tara 31:18 It's the one that has the reproduction of an old, like um that one, and has some tikis, and there's a bunch of turtles that live there, and you can get really close to them. Dave 31:22 Oh that place. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. That is a good place. Yeah. There are lots of turtles that live there. Tara 31:29 Don't touch them, but you can see them very close. Dave 31:30 No. Mm-hmm. Tara 31:32 I also want to give a shout out to Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado, which was super cool. Dave 31:38 That was cool. Tara 31:38 you can see where people like carved dwellings into the side of cliffs basically and yeah. Dave 31:43 Yeah. But like homes, not just, you know, hovels. Tara 31:47 Right. Dave 31:47 Yeah. Tara 31:47 But when you get in it, it's like, holy shit, it's like f 20 degrees cooler than it was outside. Dave 31:50 Twenty degrees cooler, yeah. Tara 31:53 And also this is an honorable mention as well, tech it's technically a national monument, but white sands. Dave 31:58 Oh yeah, White Sand was cool. Tara 32:00 In New Mexico, it's like very eerie and very cool. Dave 32:01 Yeah. Sarah 32:01 No, no, no. Dave 32:03 Yep. Tara 32:04 Those sands are white as Fuck. Dave 32:05 And only slightly irradiated. Tara 32:08 Probably. Dave 32:09 Dan Cassino's asking, Kean and Kel meet Frankenstein. Sounds like a perfect cromulent update of the Abbot Costello Meets movies. What comedy teen should be shoved into a modern horror property? I screwed up the modern part, so come back to me and see if I can make a quick substitution. Try. Tara 32:27 Okay. I wanna see Bob Odenkirk and David Cross crossing over into Obsession, the movie from this year. I think that has a lot of potential. to be both scary and really funny, Sarah. Sarah 32:40 Tracy and Katya in a Quiet Place prequel. They will be killed immediately, but uh hopefully not too immediately. Back to you, Dave. Dave 32:49 Uh, how about Tina Faye and Amy Polar in the movie where you're just in empty office buildings? Tara 32:55 Mm, mm-hmm. Dave 32:56 What is it called again? Sarah 32:57 Oh Tara 32:57 Backrooms. Dave 32:58 Backrooms, yeah. And they're just like wondering why there's nobody here. And Tina Fe is getting antsy because you can't use her super gold American Express card. Corey M, what's the best glow-up you've seen from an actor in recent years, Tar? Tara 33:11 I recently finished my first watch through of girls and can report Evan Moss Bachrach is so much hotter now than he was in his girls era, even though he's a lot older. Sarah. Sarah 33:24 Ethan soupley maybe? But I f I don't know, I don't love including weight loss journeys in that. It just feels Weird. So I'm gonna say Miley Cyrus, even though that's more of a go 180 against your teen show character vibe, then settle into a less rebellious, more felt version of yourself. Tara 33:32 Mm Sarah 33:43 But she seems happy and like she worked it out. So let's go with that. Dave 33:47 Rube Goldberg, Canada will compete at Eurovision next year. Why? Who should the CBC send as their representative? Sarah. Famous Canadian. Goat. Honorary Canadian. Also famous. Sarah 33:58 Uh David Ridgeon? I don't he's Dave 34:03 I don't know who that is. Sarah 34:04 Yeah, okay, so I really shouldn't have answered this question. He was the pioneer of CBC True Crime Podcasts. Tara 34:12 Yeah. Sarah 34:12 uh someone knows something. He has a sexy Acadian accent and uh I don't care enough to investigate whether that makes any sense. Dave 34:18 Wow I was gonna say, has those three words ever been put together? Sexy Canadian accent? Sarah 34:28 I I don't know. Give him a listen. He might change some things for ya. Dragon style. Tara 34:36 Ralph Benmergui, even though he he's a spiritual counselor now, I discovered when I went to look and see if he's still alive. Dave 34:38 Oh God. Fucking Hell. Really? Oh, that seems right. Sarah 34:42 Oh Tara 34:45 He is, and that's one of the many things in his portfolio. Dave 34:45 Oh god. Tara 34:48 I will link to his personal website in the show notes Dave 34:52 I worked for him for a while. You remember that obviously. I'm just telling the audience. Tara 34:55 Oh, yes, I forgot that. Dave 34:56 I have personal experience working with Ralph Benmergui, and let me tell you, he's exactly the kind of person you think he is. I'm gonna go with Rod Torfelsen's Armada featuring Herman Menderchuk. Seth, who are your ideal celebrity goggle box participants and what are they viewing? Somebody else, Tara, briefly explain Goggle Box for those who aren't familiar with it. Tara 35:20 They did a version of this during the pandemic in America, because I know Sarah and I watched it for Again With Again With This because one of the participants was Lindsay Price and I want to say her brother Sarah 35:25 Mm-hmm. Dave 35:31 Right. Tara 35:31 Participants get sent a list of things to watch. I don't even think it's full episodes, probably, so that they can comment on it. It's just like peanut gallery, that sort of thing. Dave 35:39 Yeah. Yeah. Tara 35:41 It's like Dave 35:41 And originally it was just British people at home doing it. Tara 35:44 Yes, and then they went to celebrity goggle box. Dave 35:45 Right. Sarah 35:45 Mm-hmm. Dave 35:46 Right. Tara 35:47 I don't know if they do regular people anymore. None of my business. Dave 35:50 Right. Tara 35:50 That's what it is. Dave 35:51 Okay. So my answer for these whenever they come up is Stewart and McKellen and because it's TV, they're watching episodes of the boys. Tara 35:58 Oh, Stewart and McKellen, yes. Dave 35:59 Yeah, Stewart and McKellen. Tara 36:01 Mm-hmm. Dave 36:01 Mm-hmm. Sarah. Sarah 36:02 Carrie Coon and Tracy Letz watching the 70s version of Little Women that starred William Shatner as Professor Bear. Tara. Tara 36:10 It's Paul F. Tompkins and Scott Ackerman, and they're watching the um Josh Radner musical show Rise because they are s Sarah 36:18 Oh no Tara 36:18 still continuing to litigate uh between themselves on subsequent episodes what the plot mechanics of the music man are were. Um so I think let's put them on a different musical, see how it goes. Dave 36:34 Exciting weather update. The deluge has stopped. I think we're safe. Tara 36:37 Thank God. Dave 36:38 Alright, so nut Metra has your Ask Ask EHG question for this week. We want you to answer it either on the Discord or go to the episode page on our website, and you can answer there. Don't even have to be a club member anymore. I just opened it up because it was too much work for people. So I just said, Fuck it. Answer if you want. You'll never hear if you won if you're not a club. Because I misheard Elsbeth question last week as this What piece of media would be most hilariously improved by adding at least one furry? Into the mix, not Furby, furry. Tara 37:13 Mm-hmm. Dave 37:13 Alright, got your answer. Go to AskAss E H G channel on Discord or to the episode page It is time for the extra Extra Hot Great tiny cannon presenting Tara. Tara 37:26 Hello. Unless I am very much mistaken and our resident expert can correct me if so, it is baseball season. Sarah 37:34 A tinter Tara 37:35 Thank you. With that in mind, I wanted to revisit one of my favorite segments from Late Night with Conan O'Brien and make the case for inducting it into the tiny remote canon. Here is why. Number one, it's a perfect marriage of performer and subject matter. Conan is known to have a deep interest in American history, as evidenced by the Eisenhower head mug that lived on his desk through the run of late night. What I didn't know until I read a hor an oral history of this segment uh at Cracked by my former colleague Brian Van Hooker. You can find that linked in the show notes, is that the original idea for a remote at the old Beth Page Village Restoration on Long Island was to shoot something around their Civil War reenactments until it was decided it would be harder to be funny about slavery and stuff. So once producers Found out that historically accurate baseball games are also an old Beth Page attraction. Sending Conan to watch one was a no-brainer. In the intro, Conan anticipates the average viewer's lack of interest in the event he is covering, which is, as stated, a baseball game played according to 1864 rules and standards. Clip one. Clip 38:42 Some say a waste of time, others say an incredible waste of time. Tara 38:49 Then Conan meets his first participant, Clip Two. Clip 38:53 This is Gary Monty. Gary, you are the umpire. Actually referee in 1864 There's some terms that everyone uses here which are appropriate to 1864. Do you mind if we review these right now? Sure. Um first of all, a pitcher is called a hurler. Fans are cranks, rooters, birds, and bugs. That's correct. You have a pencil behind your rear, what's that for? Well I have to keep score. I have to keep score during the game. So this is an authentic eighteen sixties pencil? Yes. What do you write the score on? I have uh a number of things. Wait, what can I see what's in here? Sure, no, you want to see that. Oh my god. Yeah, this is an authentic nature valley granola bar. Tara 39:35 Which when you eat it, by the way, might taste like it's from eighteen sixty four because Sarah 39:39 Yep, sure will Tara 39:40 Them shits is hard as Hell. Uh combining the instincts of a comic improviser and an amateur historian's attention to detail is what gives this segment its special punch straight out of the gate. Number two, Nell. Conan's already been annoyed by the player's lack of imagination in terms of their characters' backstories, with all of the ones he talks to saying their guys are farmers. The female spectators have the same problem, or rather most of them do, clip three. Clip 40:07 What does your father do here in the town in 1864? He's a farmer. Everyone's a farmer. That's all you do. Farmer, farmer, farmer. Is anyone working in advertising or anything? What does your dad do in the town? He's a tailor. Oh, no, there you go, he's a tailor. He makes clothes for the farmer. And what about you? He's a farmer. Farmer? And your father? My father's past. That's a terrible reaction. Tara 40:39 So that participant is Nell Del Judice, who I learned from the oral history and from a catch-up Wakonan's podcast team had with her last year, which we'll also link in the show notes was a history and acting intern at the village. She was newly arrived when Conan and his crew came, but it's hard to believe how much more she learned about acting at old Deathpage after this. She's a natural clip four. Clip 41:02 Let me ask you this. It's 1864 and I come walking into the town. Good looking fellow, six foot four, shock of red hair. Don't tell me you ladies wouldn't be kind of interested, right? I might be. And you? Absolutely. And you? You are the tallest man I've seen in a while. And then finally, you. I'm married. You're married? What's what's the guy? What's he do? He's fighting. He's fighting? Oh he's fighting for in the civil war. For the north? Yeah, indeed. Well, I hope he returns Home safely, but if he doesn't killed, would you reach it then? Yes, sir. Okay, let's just hope that guy gets blowed up real soon. Tara 41:50 Conan can obviously tell he has struck gold with her clip five. Clip 41:55 You seem peevish right now. I hope I have not caused you vexation. or any unpleasant cogitations. I wish to what does it say? Get it on. I don't see that. Yeah. So waiting for your husband to come back from the Civil War. You know that guy in coming back. That guy's not coming back. I saw him, actually. He's Yeah. I was down, I was in the civil war and I was fighting and I saw him. He was acting very cowardly. He he said we're all gonna get killed. Let's get out of here. And then he made out with a guy. This is all true stuff, so I didn't wait around from him. Alright guys, swings both ways. I'm sorry. That gentleman likes to ply his seat. in the other melon pants. Tara 42:49 What you can't see is he has a printout of slang terms from the time that he's going nuts with. Number three, it lets Conan be a ham himself. Recently heard a podcast episode in which Robert Smiggle, late night's first head writer and the voice of Triumph the Inside Comic Dog, say that he held off on having them do remotes On Conan's late night because he was so reverent of David Letterman's late night, he didn't want anyone to think Conan and his team were ripping Dave off What it apparently took him a little while to figure out is how different Conan and Dave are as performers and how those differences translate to their takes on remotes. Can we picture Letterman doing a remote from an old Beth Page baseball game? Sure. Would Dave have ever put on an old timey uniform and play or coach? Absolutely not, but Conan will. Clip six. Clip 43:38 Despicable! DEPRORIABLE! Some of the worst Apple hurling and stick mashing I've seen! You hit! Like a bunch of old men that fought in the Spanish-American War, which hasn't even been fought yet. I'd like to take the whole lot of you and thrash you with this hand Then bash you with his hand! Then take both hands and give you a massage just to loosen you up. Now let's get back out there and show that other team Why our life expectancy is only 39 years Tara 44:15 You you can see in the in the oral history that apparently that went on much, much, much, much longer, and that one of the producers that Brian talked to said g was like really against cutting it down even though that was Conan's direction and said at a certain point, according to his own r memory If we lose that Spanish American war line, I'm quitting and had to go outside and like take a walk to calm down. Anyway I think I've been clear on this podcast about how much I love David Letterman, but I'm not sure he would have the mental agility for on-the-fly trash talk like this clip seven. Clip 44:51 You, Irish, back of you. Cornpa, more the left. Palsy, more to the right. Rickets, down close. Get it! Get it, you fool! By orders holy, someone catch that spear! You ass! What's wrong with you? This one's for you now. Tara 45:20 I also love how we can imagine Mr. Burns saying any of these things in the softball episode of The Sims. By the way. Number four, it's Conan's own single favorite segment. He played it on his final episode of his TBS show. Case closed, I feel, but I guess that's up to you. Dave 45:37 Thank you, Tara. Sarah, what do you think? You're the baseball expert here, I think. Sarah 45:41 Some say an incredible waste of time. The Heritage Baseball, like Deadball era reenactors are a special, special breed of flannel wearing heritage dork and I think he only scratched the surface of that. Nell is great. The Chester Arthurian mustache and the fisticuffs made me laugh. The whole I was down in the Civil War and I saw him behaving dishonorably. Dave 46:15 Yeah. Sarah 46:15 Like that was funny. The that's a terrible reaction. He's dead. They'd throw people at other people. Like there was a lot of good material here, but Each bit went on a little bit too long for me. It all felt a little bit self-satisfied. I know that's the brand, but. There were so many other directions that you could have gone with sort of fondly or not fondly making fun of this particular sector of the culture that he didn't take advantage of And then he's basically like harassing this Nell person, which again, like, she's obviously going with it, but it just kind of felt like His eye was not on the right all if you'll forgive the expression, it's good. I laughed. Is it Tiny cannon worthy, I am not sure. I would like to hear what Dave has to say, but it just felt a little shaggy and in love with itself and like these are pretty easy targets. With that said, calling someone palsy, like that I mean, that really is a nickname that a baseball player in that era would have had. Dummy Hoy was said like baseball great of the nineteen tens. Everybody was named Red, actually. I'm surprised he didn't bring that up. Yeah, I wanted this to be a little better I I'm sorry to say. Dave 47:46 Do you think there's a documented event where a Civil War battle spilled into a baseball game? Cause I feel like those two types of reenactors could really do a special show if they got together on one field. Sarah 48:00 Mm-hmm. Both sides were playing baseball in camp daily, so that could have happened. Dave 48:06 Yeah, I take all your points, Sarah. I can't speak to the baseball lossity of it. But for me, there was like some lines that generally made me laugh out loud. My father's pass was definitely chief among them, but the other one I really enjoyed. was when Conan is trying his hand at being the batter, and he gets some really low pitches. And the second one he gets is, Why not build a trench? Then the ball would be as low as you seem to wish it to be Which is a very, very Cardinal Bryan of Simpsons writer sort of line. But I agree with Sarah that this is a segment that is seven minutes long and there's not enough of those to really I would say lift it into Canon territory, even though it's a fun watch. So that's where I'm at. It's a little flabby. It misses the Mark for me, probably in the editing room. Sarah D. Bunting here on the fence. What do you think? What's the official vote going to be? Tara 49:01 I like she's on the fence. Sarah 49:03 As it were. Uh yeah, I mean, I did laugh a few times, but it being Conan and about baseball, I should have laughed more times. It should have been better than it was. I think it could have been, so I'm gonna have to say no. Dave 49:17 All right, me too. Sarah 49:17 Thank you for bringing it though. Dave 49:19 So old timey baseball from late night with Conan O'Brien. You are hereby not inducted into the extra hot, great, tiny remote cannon. Clip 49:32 And Americans love a winner. Yeah. And will not tolerate a loser. Nope. Dave 49:39 It is time to discover who are our not quite winners and losers of the week. I will go first. Our winner not quite is G.I. Joe, sort of the 80s version more than the 60s. Release me from your kung fu grip version Getting a new movie directed by Danny McBride sounds good. They don't come right out and say it, but it feels like this is a live-action movie, not a animated movie directed by him. Tara 50:01 I would assume. Dave 50:02 Yes. Because there's casting like Chris Chris Helmsworth left and now Bradley Cooper is rumored to be in, so feels like these are on camera talents. I am here for a Danny McBride G.I. Joe movie. I get the sense it isn't gonna be as stupid as you might think at first blush that this isn't a Fourier into full righteous gemstone madness, but that's fine, if they can find a middle ground between What they were trying to do at the time of the eighties and what Danny McBride's mind is thinking, that I think would be a a good mix. Loser of the Week is Randy Jackson. He is being replaced as Name That Toon's bandleader by Robin Thick. So I don't like I don't know who the loser is here really. It could be either one of them. Tara 50:40 Well, Dave 50:41 For losing a job as name that Toons band leader or gaining a job as that thick Randy. I think you're both losers. Sure. Sarah 50:49 My not quite winner is ABC so actually, no, that's not true. Young and the Restless is CBS soap. So never mind. Soap operas, network soap operas, shall we say. First General Hospital, which hit 16,000 episodes, which that seems low. To me, I feel like I alone watched sixteen thousand episodes in the nineteen eighties, but okay, congrats to them Tara 51:06 Yeah. Sarah 51:13 And the other not quite winner in this subcat is the Young and the Restless, which led this year's Daytime Emmy Awards nominations. Congrats. I watched them both and uh forgot that uh Y and R was on CBS.speaking of network losers, my not quite loser is MTV. The challenge has decamped probably for good to Paramount Plus for season 42 Also not quite losers, everyone who is still watching it after 42 seasons, present company, sadly included. Tara Tara 51:46 My not quite winner is a forthcoming comedy pilot called Whisper Sisters. Dave 51:51 Whisper sisters, Whisper, Paya Tara 51:52 Whisper. Presumably, as the titular Whisper Sisters are going to be Emily Meade and Mae Whitman Sarah 51:56 Ellie Riley. Dave 51:59 Emily Mead May Women Tara 52:05 Uh, May Whitman, I think everyone knows and loves. Dave 52:06 I may women. Tara 52:08 We only want good things for her. Emily Mead, if you don't remember, shut the Fuck up, Dave, from coming there and punching you. Dave 52:09 Good things. Uh-huh. Continue, please, Tara. Tara 52:17 If Emily Meade's name is not immediately recognizable to you, you probably know her face. She was in the leftovers, but she was also in the deuce, and I, if I recall correctly, was one of the people who um, you know, raised the alarm about P the things happening on that set that were not great and kind of suffered professional consequences from that, so Dave 52:37 Not great and suffered professional consequences from that Tara 52:41 Let's hope those are behind her and that this show is a huge success because I think she's great and she deserves it. My not quite loser of the week is a CBS News journalist named Mac Gutman. He is not on this list for working for CBS News, although I'm sure it's not fun, but He publicly admitted he got completely scammed by a fake bank fraud investigator, and I think enough time has passed that I just want to mention what reminded me What the story reminded me of, which is the story from the cut maybe two years ago when their money columnist Charlotte Coles wrote about her getting scammed by Sarah 53:17 Oh yeah. Tara 53:18 someone she was my intern at Sling I knew I knew her so um you know I hope she's doing better now but also guys Jesus Sarah 53:22 Oh yeah Dave 53:30 Doing better now. Sarah 53:40 You're here now to hear me probably get in trouble for making everyone watch an episode of The Adventures. Here is why that happened to us. My dad, Dave Sr. , is, as you're listening to this, celebrating a birthday today. So I wanted to pick out some vintage TV that featured one of his esteemed birthday mates, namely Donald Sutherland. I thought it might be interesting to watch an older episode of Sutherland TV from an iconic show I'd never seen. I felt like some other birthday mates were either Not something we wanted to treat with Taylor Sheridan or overrepresented in the Extra Hot Great verse, The Hoff. So here we all are together. But the Avengers, which for lack of a better term, I will call an espionage procedural, premiered in 1961. Tara 54:26 Uh-huh. Sarah 54:29 I think it's probably best remembered today for its mod style. Certainly this fifth series episode, which is from the Diana Rigg as Emma Peel era. has some memorable looks, but that's about all I have to say about it. That's an unalloyed positive. Some cult classics are more cults than classic upon revisiting them, and that may be the case for series five episode Episode 12, The Superlative Seven. Before we iris in on this, co-hosts, had you had much or any contact with the Avengers before prepping this, Dave? Dave 55:04 I only have heard of this show and I knew a lot about it, except for how stupid it was. I wasn't expecting it to be quite so one foot in like Lathin or something. Like there it was it was weird. Sarah 55:14 Yeah Dave 55:16 New to me and I did not have it pegged correctly. Sarah 55:20 No, I didn't I didn't either, Tara. Dave 55:22 Yeah. Tara 55:23 I saw the movie with Ray Fines and Uma Thurman, and so did you, Dave. Sarah 55:25 Mm-hmm Anyhoodle. Uh this was written by Brian Clemens, who also wrote various Perry Mason TV movies and worked on The Professionals, and directed by TV Action Vet. Sidney Hayers, one of the most British names possible. He directed many A-Teams, Knights Rider and Acapulco's Heat. Sutherland does seem to be enjoying himself as Jessel, the baroquely yet indeterminately accented mercenary, who is pulling the strings of this episode's plot. I will try to summarize said plot as quickly as possible, a courtesy the episode did not extend to us, stretching four minutes worth of it over fifty-one minutes. After an odd opener at a Choose Your Fighter Dojo, we cut to Steed, Patrick McNee, who's been invited to a costume dress party on a plane with six other guests each of whom is tops in his or her field. There's a Toryador, there's a strong man, there's an Annie Oakley type played by Charlotte Rampling, etc. and so on. Not that any of them has figured that out yet, or much else, even though it's 10 minutes into the episode and they're preparing to get on a plane, invited by a guy they don't know, clip one. Clip 56:41 Just the seven of us. And our host. Where's he got to? Haven't seen him. Not since I came in anyway. He's probably up in front. Mid the driver. Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. This is your captain welcoming you aboard this special fancy dress flight. We are about to take off. Please be seated and fasten your seat belts. And no smoking now until we are airborne. Sarah 57:11 That is the pilot, Donald Sutherland. speaking, but he is not on the plane. He's flying it remotely from his island lair. The stuporlative seven don't figure that out until they've been in the air for a few minutes and are already drunk. Nor do they figure out that each of them had gotten their invitation from a different alias. Or that this episode is a variation on the most dangerous game, except that instead of Jessel and his prospective client hunting the seven for sport. the seven are meant to off each other as proof of concept for Jessel's fighting system and a question Mark. At least that's how it looks when the seven reach an abandoned mansion on the island of Doctor B Borrow and find a discomfiting glimpse of their immediate futures in a side room. I will let Canwitch, Jessel's client slash co-conspirator played by John Hollis, try to explain in clip two. Clip 58:08 Six coffins, and yet there are seven of you. You are all wondering why you've been brought to this island. I can now tell you that you are all part of a fascinating experiment An acid test. A new system for training fighting personnel has been devised. The fine details are unimportant. All you need to know is that it is claimed that this system speeds up the reflexes to a superhuman degree. It creates experts in all forms of combat. Armed and unarmed. It turns the ordinary man or woman into a lethal, unbeatable opponent. It is necessary, however, to submit this claim to further tests. That is why you have been selected Sarah 59:01 That both explains everything and explains to me very little. Here's what to know. Subsequently, the seven split up, search the grounds, and start getting predictably killed off Two of the last seven standing decide that Steed is responsible for all the other deaths. While Steed is incapacitated, Emma Peel parachutes in to tell Charlotte Rampling that Steed knew the invitation was fake and to reveal that the guy in the Festus slash Janice costume was actually identical twins, which is apparently fraud on Jessel's part. Jessel kills Cun Watch or Capstitch or whatever the Fuck that guy's name is, and then he gets in a quick draw off with Charlotte Rampling before taking a candelabra base to the neck. I mean it's both a very simple plot. Clue meets the most dangerous game meets the plot of every horror movie and Traitor Season. And it's needlessly complicated and drawn out, and I don't think even the script knows exactly what Jessel and Sandwedge are field testing. Were the twins supposed to be one single fighting machine guy? Had Manwitch wanted to recruit Steed as a fighting machine guy? How did Steel Steed and Peel get off the island and end up skeet shooting teddy bears and champagne coupes at the end? Why did this episode take nearly an hour? I have so many questions. I think we've seen this Wizard of Oz Thunderdome plot much more often by now than perhaps audiences had in the mid-sixties. Certainly we're conditioned to them moving faster and making sense What did you guys think of this story? Tara 01:00:38 I'll admit that my mind wandered a little. Um, it does feel extremely long for what it is. I mean, this is just how how old shows. Sarah 01:00:47 Yeah Tara 01:00:50 can be sometimes. But I still was amused by young Brian Blessed without a beard and mustache and his Sarah 01:00:57 Yeah. Clip 01:00:57 Love Joy! Hey, Love Joy! Tara 01:00:59 There he there he is showing off his weird fish lifts as an executioner. Dave was the one who had to ask, like, where do I know the girl from? And I was like Oh, I don't know. Oh my god, it's Charlotte Ramplain, because I didn't recognize her young either. Sarah 01:01:13 Yeah. Tara 01:01:16 I feel like uh, you know, having seen the movie Money Plane, there was a missed opportunity for someone to Fucking alligator, that's the whole point, in my opinion. Dave 01:01:23 Sure. I mean all flights really. Sarah 01:01:25 Uh-huh. Tara 01:01:26 Of all shows of this era, to have human slash alligator fucking, this feels like the one to do it. You know, I thought Donald Sutherland was fun. Sarah 01:01:34 Uh-huh. Tara 01:01:36 I wish there had been more of him. He was more charismatic than most of the people on the plane. Sarah 01:01:41 Mm-hmm Tara 01:01:42 So that was uh a little disappointing, but I didn't really crack the case because I didn't sort of realize there was a case to crack. And oh, I'll say Diana Regg looked fab. Sarah 01:01:51 Hmm. Tara 01:01:53 All of her outfits were great. Sarah 01:01:54 Yes, she did. There wasn't enough of her either, though. Tara 01:01:57 Agree. Sarah 01:01:58 It wasn't a bad set in terms of it being fun to look at, even though some of the island sets are Gilligan level. Tara 01:02:04 Yeah Sarah 01:02:04 It needed more misses Peel, and even though Donald Sutherland is in full Ronald Bartell and backdraft, twitchy, hard on mode, that was a needed shot of energy in a episode that, because it's old, just was ten minutes too long and felt flabby Dave 01:02:20 This episode was big on concept. I enjoyed the concept a lot. Like I didn't know what's going on at first and having all these characters basically Cosplaying in a plane and then all that. That was fine. I enjoyed that. Took a little while to get there. I don't quite understand what was happening with some of the sets because some of the ideas they have are so bizarre, like The adventures are hunting in their Gilligan's Island country woods, and they are shooting birds, but then the birds come down as stuffed animals with prizes inside sometimes. Sarah 01:02:45 Mm-hmm Dave 01:02:52 I didn't quite understand what was going on. there the first one he shoots some birds and then a rubber duck falls down and the rubber duck has his name on it and that was the invitation on that Tara 01:02:54 Yeah, Sarah 01:02:58 Mm-hmm Dave 01:03:02 And then later on, Diana Rigga shooting something, and then just stuffed animals start falling down and whine and classes and stuff, so I didn't quite understand what magical journey they were on. Sarah 01:03:10 Mm-hmm Dave 01:03:13 What exactly was real and what exactly is supposed to be just crazy spy stuff and what's supposed to be the supernatural? Tara 01:03:19 Right. Dave 01:03:19 It was a weird mix But the on the plane part I was enjoying and then like everybody's got a personality and the matador is talking to the executioner and you know the cowboys talking to the strongman and all that sort of stuff and everybody's playing their part But then it just gets to the most dangerous game of it all on the island and it's just the fights are so bad Like you know how in Star Trek when Kirk karate chops somebody, you can always tell he's pullin' it. Imagine that, but like ten times worse, where they like try to like tackle somebody, but they run really fast and they slow down, they just sort of like elbow them a bit. Sarah 01:03:47 Mm-hmm. Dave 01:03:56 Throwing somebody into a wall, just like shoving them a little bit. There's like all the fight scenes are not really selling the fact that everybody is fighting for their lives, apparently. So there's a lot of old TV in this episode for sure. Sarah 01:04:09 Yeah. Dave 01:04:11 And it just didn't click after setting up an intriguing premise. If it was 20 minutes long and they could have extracted it from that, sure, but it's not. It's an hour long You never got the impression that Steed was ever actually in control while it was happening. I think it would have played better if he was playing a cooler all the time and wasn't getting knocked out every three minutes in the plot. Sarah 01:04:35 Yeah. Dave 01:04:35 They're setting this up at the start like these are super spies. They know everything, you know, they can kill you with an umbrella, you know, whatever they got. And it didn't sell it for the rest of the episode. And at the end, it's like, I knew all along. It's like, uh, okay, great. Sarah 01:04:50 Oh great. Tara 01:04:50 Yeah. Dave 01:04:53 Show it, I guess. Sarah 01:04:53 Then why have why have we been here for an hour? Dave 01:04:55 Yeah. Tara 01:04:56 Yeah, yeah. Sarah 01:04:57 Boo Dave 01:04:57 It was an interesting visual episode, but it really just did not work otherwise. Sarah 01:05:02 Happy birthday, Dad. Dave 01:05:06 Alright guys, that is it for another episode of Extra Extra Hot Great. We were sitting under a four-leaf snoozor with Apple TV's lucky nailed it before getting uh For before getting up to answer your burning ass EH questions, I love myself. Such as, hey, do you like dragons Tara struck out with her Conan O'Brien baseball's tiny cannon. We celebrated those who weren't quite the best and worst of the week and wrapped it all up. with a look at the Avengers Plain Cosplay Ride Adventure, the Superlative 7. Next up, it's the Hawk. Remember Clip 01:05:48 We're listening. Dave 01:05:50 I am David Teagle and on behalf of Tara Ariano, and Sarah D. Tara 01:05:53 I know two guys I hope get blowed up real soon. Dave 01:05:57 Bunting. Sarah 01:06:01 Your filler is in your midst. Dave 01:06:03 Thanks for listening everyone and we'll see you next time right here on Extra Extra Hot Great Clip 01:06:17 You may now unfasten your seat belts and you may smoke This is Extra Hot Great Minis. Today's topic is what channel is your parachute on? For today's mini, I ask, what TV character most needs to change careers and what should he or she be doing instead? Sarah, I am curious to know if we pick the same person, so why don't you begin? I don't think we did. I'm gonna go with Saul Baronson of Homeland. And we did not. Everyone is lying to him lately. He's seeming kind of inept. He's gotten kidnapped like three times in the last two seasons, and he's having to use his West Bank wingnut sister to set up meets with enemy assets. So this isn't a huge career change, but let's move him over to SVU, because if he misses getting kidnapped slash home invaded, that seems to happen to Olivia Benson pretty frequently also, so he'll fit right in. And I do feel like he would take it less personally than old exec producer Cryface McGee over there. So that is my idea. I like it. Tara. I went with Mindy Lahere of the Mindy Project, who should not be a gynecologist, as we've learned A couple of seasons ago, she does not understand contraception, her own self, having gotten accidentally pregnant. And instead, I propose that Given the way the show throws in references to her being a gun owner, she should be a lobbyist for the NRA instead. Not that I think they need the help necessarily, but I think she could probably get whatever she wants in any politician's office by just talking at them until they agreed. and kicked her out. Dave. I have an exciting announcement. Yes? Today marks the beginning of a new continuity, the Glark Cinematic Universe on Minis. I'm going with Mr. Bates, but I'm going with from downtown Abbey again, but I'm continuing from the mini where we removed his other leg, you see. So uh Now newly completely legless, unable to walk, you know, we we he's just a stump of a man. Uh he now has prosthetics on both of his legs. So he has to stop being a butler or valet or even a footman, whatever he can get. And now he's a croquet hoop. He's a croquet hoop. Yeah.