Tag Archives: Better Call Saul

The Toy Department – Episode 99, Part 2: Electric Boogaloo

  By toyAdmin | December 26, 2017 - 10:00 am | Uncategorized
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In Part 2 of the Two-Part Holidaytastic Spectacular Episode 99, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky are back with the second half of their year-end discussions, covering:

  • The BEST OF 2017 in television (2:05), wherein Madden and Kolsky both struggle mightily to reduce their Top Ten lists to less than twenty shows…
  • The BEST OF 2017 in music (41:55), which turns out to have the most differentiation between the two hosts’ lists…
  • Homework for next week: HAVE A GREAT NEW YEAR’S EVE!!! And get ready for Episode 100, which might be somehow special (and will definitely include the announcement of the Toy Department’s 2017 Spotify Playlists) and even if it’s not is a nice, big, round number…

By the way, if you like this podcast, TELL A FRIEND!! And if you want to subscribe via iTunes/Stitcher/Google Play/etc. you can just click on the link below the player (and don’t forget to leave us a review!!)… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com… or tweet us: @MaddenOnAir & @thekolsky.

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The Toy Department – Episode 74

  By toyAdmin | June 22, 2017 - 11:06 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 74, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky break down Madden’s sports injury before some deep dives into:

  • The season finale of AMC’s Better Call Saul and the mastery of the show’s third season…
  • The season finale of FX’s Fargo and its choose-your-own-adventure style ending…
  • NEW MUSIC!!!
    • Young Thug’s Beautiful Thugger Girls
    • Portugal. The Man’s Woodstock
    • Lorde’s Melodrama
    • Phoenix’s Ti Amo
    • Alt-J’s Relaxer
  • Homework for next week: the new season of Orange is the New Black (to prepare for next week’s special guest Julie Lake, aka OITNB’s Angie Rice)… the new Netflix show GLOW… the new Showtime show I’m Dying Up Here… and the return of the pod favorite Orphan Black…

By the way, if you like this podcast, TELL A FRIEND!! And if you want to subscribe via iTunes you can just click on the link below the player (and don’t forget to leave us a review!!)… Some other links down there as well… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com… or tweet us: @MaddenOnAir & @thekolsky.

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The Toy Department – Episode 73

  By toyAdmin | June 8, 2017 - 10:20 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 73, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky overcome a late night for Kolsky and a bit of a hangover for Derek to give you insightful breakdowns of:

  • Kolsky’s experience at the Roger Waters concert (1:15)…
  • The NBA Finals so far (11:00) and what it means for the future of the NBA…
  • The series finale of The Leftovers (26:20) and where it ranks in the pantheon of Peak TV shows…
  • The newest DC Comics Universe film Wonder Woman (40:10) and whether Derek was enable to enjoy it despite his superhero fatigue…
  • Madden’s enjoyment of the Tom Petty concert (52:25) and the joy of classic bands playing their hits, plus the wildly underrated Joe Walsh…
  • This week’s episode of AMC’s Better Call Saul (1:01:00) with a special focus on the stellar acting performances of Bob Odenkirk and Michael McKean…
  • Homework for next week, or possibly two weeks from now (1:09:25): including FX’s Fargo, a last-chance effort to get Derek to enjoy a superhero movie with Logan, and the upcoming new season of Orange is the New Black (to prepare for future special guest Julie Lake, aka OITNB’s Angie Rice)…

By the way, if you like this podcast, TELL A FRIEND!! And if you want to subscribe via iTunes you can just click on the link below the player (and don’t forget to leave us a review!!)… Some other links down there as well… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com… or tweet us: @MaddenOnAir & @thekolsky.

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The Toy Department – Episode 71

  By toyAdmin | May 25, 2017 - 8:11 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 71, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky break down their morning text spat before diving into a series of more interesting topics, including:

  • The NBA Playoffs (3:00), whether Brad Stevens deserves an apology from Madden and what the future looks like in both the short and long term…
  • The Hulu show The Handmaid’s Tale (19:45) and how the current state of the world changes how we might appreciate it… Plus the greatness of Elisabeth Moss and some thoughts on Top of the Lake…
  • An alleged spoiler alert for FX’s show Fargo (33:50) somehow leads to a long discussion of the Fargo haters and who Madden and Kolsky trust in the world of TV creators… and then an actual conversation about Fargo (44:00) which DOES DEFINITELY INCLUDE MAJOR SPOILERS!!!!!
  • Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 (56:00) and how it fails to learn from the good lessons of the first film but still manages to be an enjoyable watch…
  • Homework for next week (1:04:30): Kolsky rejects the Netflix show The Keepers in favor of the Amazon show I Love Dick…

By the way, if you like this podcast, TELL A FRIEND!! And if you want to subscribe via iTunes you can just click on the link below the player (and don’t forget to leave us a review!!)… Some other links down there as well… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com… or tweet us: @MaddenOnAir & @thekolsky.

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The Toy Department – Episode 70

  By toyAdmin | May 18, 2017 - 8:31 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 70, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky ride some emotional twists and turns through:

  • A brief discussion of the passing of legendary rock singer Chris Cornell… RIP.
  • A brief digression into The Pretty Reckless, also known as the rock outfit fronted by former actress Taylor Momsen…
  • Netflix’s Master of None, and Aziz Ansari’s creative excellence in making the show…
  • AMC’s Better Call Saul, the increased intensity and excitement, and the changing moral dynamic…
  • The new Hulu drama The Handmaid’s Tale, whether the guys will watch it and how Kolsky is a relative stranger to the work of Elisabeth Moss…
  • The NBA Playoffs, the general lack of excitement throughout the postseason so far and the controversy over Zaza Pachulia’s foul on Kawhi Leonard…
  • Next week’s homework – a couple of films in Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol 2 and Colossal… also the Sundance show Top of the Lake and potentially the Amazon show I Love Dick…

By the way, if you like this podcast, TELL A FRIEND!! And if you want to subscribe via iTunes you can just click on the link below the player (and don’t forget to leave us a review!!)… Some other links down there as well… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com… or tweet us: @MaddenOnAir & @thekolsky.

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The Toy Department – Episode 67

  By toyAdmin | April 27, 2017 - 9:18 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 67, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky waste no time in getting into:

  • Kolsky’s experience at the Chance the Rapper show the previous night (0:40), what Madden is looking for in a live show and how they handle a performer’s differing religious views…
  • A preliminary discussion of the Netflix show 13 Reasons Why (9:40), particularly regarding the premise and some of the problems therein…
  • Some discussion of the ongoing NBA Playoffs (25:45), including Russell Westbrook’s divisive play and the wide open nature of the Eastern Conference…
  • ESPN’s wide-ranging layoffs (41:40) and what it says about their business model and the changing landscape of sports media…
  • Netflix’s new film Win It All (56:00), a Joe Swanberg/Jake Johnson collaboration…
  • A live-action version of the new Facebook phenomenon “10 concerts, 1 lie” (1:07:50) only they stick with just 5 concerts…
  • Somewhere in there is homework: watch the rest of 13 Reasons Why and catch up on Silicon Valley and Better Call Saul!

By the way, if you like this podcast, TELL A FRIEND!! And if you want to subscribe via iTunes you can just click on the link below the player (and don’t forget to leave us a review!!)… Some other links down there as well… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com… or tweet us: @MaddenOnAir & @thekolsky.

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The Toy Department – Episode 65

  By toyAdmin | April 13, 2017 - 1:16 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 65, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky waste no time in jumping into:

  • A quick status check on Better Call Saul (1:10) before putting a deeper discussion off until next week (so Madden can actually watch the season premiere)…
  • Hip hop artist Kweku Collins (7:40) and how Kolsky and Madden have fundamental differences in their musical taste…
  • Father John Misty (16:05) and his new album Pure Comedy…
  • The new IFC show Brockmire (25:25) and its potential for greatness…
  • Louis CK’s new comedy special 2017 (30:25) and his habit of boundary-pushing…
  • An Esquire article about Dave Chappelle (38:00) and how we view what comedians say…
  • A deep dive into the NBA MVP debate (45:20) and how the guys would vote if they had ballots…
  • A couple quick homework assignments for next week (1:12:55): watching the new seasons of Better Call Saul and Fargo…

By the way, if you like this podcast, TELL A FRIEND!! And if you want to subscribe via iTunes you can just click on the link below the player… Some other links down there as well… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com… or tweet us: @MaddenOnAir & @thekolsky.

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The Toy Department – Episode 64

  By toyAdmin | April 6, 2017 - 10:47 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 64, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky discuss Madden’s delightful social life before jumping into:

  • Last week’s homework: the remainder of the Amazon pilots (4:45), Jane the Virgin (14:30) and Mistaken for Strangers (24:05), the movie featuring The National…
  • The season finale of The Walking Dead (38:20) and where the guys stand with the show moving forward…
  • Baseball is back! (49:00) That may or may not be exciting…
  • Tony Romo’s retirement (1:02:20) and jump to the broadcasting booth…
  • Homework for next week (1:12:00): the new Louis CK special on Netflix, the new IFC show Brockmire (starring Hank Azaria as a baseball announcer), and the season premiere of Better Call Saul… plus hopefully Madden finally listens to Kweku Collins…
  • Some final thoughts on Legion (1:15:50) on the way out the door…

By the way, if you like this podcast, TELL A FRIEND!! And if you want to subscribe via iTunes you can just click on the link below the player… Some other links down there as well… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com… or tweet us: @MaddenOnAir & @thekolsky.

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The Toy Department – Episode 17

  By toyAdmin | April 13, 2016 - 7:44 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 17, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky begin with a discussion of the Golden State Warriors’ record-breaking season, and do some of the 2016 W’s v. ’95-96 Bulls debate, followed by a brief discussion of LeBron’s Instagram SNAFU (24:30) and some chatter about Kobe Bryant’s retirement tour (30:10). Then it’s TV talk, from The People v. OJ Simpson (37:00) to podcast-favorite Better Call Saul (43:40). They wrap with rock and roll (52:15) as they address Bruce Springsteen’s decision to skip his concert in North Carolina and the idea of protest music in general. And of course there’s some homework to be assigned (1:04:10) before the final bell…

Oh, and if you want to subscribe via iTunes you can just click on the link below the player… Some other links down there as well… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com.

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The Toy Department – Episode 15

  By toyAdmin | March 23, 2016 - 10:09 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 15, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky follow up on the music they talked about at the end of last week’s pod (Thao & the Get Down Stay Down and Kaleo) which leads to a discussion of how we listen to and find new music in the modern age (5:00). Then TV takes over for an in-depth discussion of Better Call Saul (9:20) which features only a couple of small spoilers, before the boys jump back to music (22:20) with a chat about big stadium concerts in light of the upcoming Metallica show at the new Vikings’ stadium. Today’s sports segment (32:00) focuses on the ongoing NCAA Tournament and the fact that neither of our alleged sports fans can really stomach college basketball (so it inevitably turns back to the NBA, around 42:40, with some Wolves/W’s talk and some thoughts on Steph Curry). Things wrap up with some recommendations for your spare time (53:00) as Madden assigns homework.

Oh, and if you want to subscribe via iTunes you can just click on the link below the player… Some other links down there as well… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com.

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