October 2022 – The Toy Department

The Toy Department – Episode 319

In Episode 319, Madden and Kolsky have a few not-so-spooky Halloween thoughts before they circle back to pop culture and get into:

The new Apple TV+ film Raymond and Ray (7:50) and how enjoyable it is to watch a fun, quirky movie for adults (particularly when it features such enjoyable performances)…
The limited Netflix series From Scratch (17:45) and how it’s a perfectly good romance novel on screen if that’s the sort of thing that you’re into…
Netflix’s The Watcher (23:00), complete with explosive acting and very creepy vibes…
Kolsky’s experience with Top Gun: Maverick (27:45), whether it’s a “good movie” and whether that even matters in this case…
The week’s episode of The Challenge: Ride or Dies (38:55), featuring some rookie upstarts, Messy Fessy (whether he likes it or not) and an epic elimination…
Homework for next Friday (1:14:30), including: the movie The Stranger on Netflix, the return of The White Lotus on HBO, the BBC series Inside Man (now on Netflix) and the film The Good Nurse (alo on Netflix!!), plus OF COURSE the next episode of The Challenge: Ride or Dies… and maybe a quick check-back on House of the Dragon for Kolsky to be upset about it again 🙂

In Episode 318, Madden and Kolsky discuss Derek’s work trip to the casino before locking in on:

The latest episode of The Challenge: Ride or Dies (1:55), Turbo’s heel turn and the ace strategy from the game’s newest veterans, the notorious Johnny Bananas and his incomparable partner Nany Gonzalez…
Netflix’s Redeem Team documentary (35:15) and how it was an enjoyable and entertaining watch despite its somewhat hegeographic tendencies…
Apple TV+’s new show Shantaram (46:00) and how Charlie Hunnam makes for an incredibly engaging and watchable center for a show that transports you to 1980’s Bombay (for some not entirely known reason)…
The return of Documentary Now! on IFC (50:10) and how the first mockumentary of this season is entertaining and pretty spot-on, but not necessarily enough to suck one of our hosts in…
A season wrap-up on FX’s Welcome to Wrexham (59:30) and how the show works on so many levels, ultimately becoming one of the year’s best…
A few thoughts on the not-so-inspiring House of the Dragon (1:11:30) and how it so far fails to live up to its predecessor…
Homework for next Friday (1:14:40), including: the new Netflix show The Watcher, the new film Raymond and Ray on Apple TV+, the limited series From Scratch on Netflix, and OF COURSE the next episode of The Challenge: Ride or Dies… plus Kolsky will watch Top Gun: Maverick so the guys can finally discuss it!

In Episode 317, Madden and Kolsky have a new season of The Challenge to get to, so no time to waste before diving right in to:

The premiere of The Challenge: Ride or Dies (1:00), including thoughts on the Episode 1 surprises, the rookies, the quantity of absentee teams and all the intricacies of the complicated new game design…
The new Paramount+ film Significant Other (50:25), and whether its strange blend of thriller, comedy, sci-fi and horror hit home for our hosts…
Homework for next Friday (1:05:00), including: the new Apple TV+ show Shantaram, the start of a new season of Documentary Now!, a check-in on Welcome to Wrexham, the Netflix documentary The Redeem Team and OF COURSE the next episode of The Challenge: Ride or Dies…

In Episode 316, Madden and Kolsky briefly discuss the soon-to-be-ridiculously-busy sports schedule before moving on to:

Netflix’s new Ryan Murphy show Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story (2:30) and just what exactly is the goal of so close an examination of an admitted monster…
The new Interview with the Vampire series on AMC (13:30) and whether this version of the telling stands up to its historical counterparts…
The Sanaa Lathan-directed Paramount+ film On The Come Up (19:15) and whether it is interesting enough to stand out in a crowded streaming landscape…
The Greatest Beer Run Ever on Apple TV+ (23:50) and the merits of an entertaining and engaging lead actor…
The last two episodes of MTV’s The Challenge: Untold History (31:05) and final thoughts on the documentary series, plus some prep for the upcoming start of The Challenge: Ride or Dies…
Homework for next Friday (1:02:20), including: the first episode of The Challenge: Ride or Dies and the movie Significant Other on Paramount+…