Amanda Garcia – The Toy Department

The Toy Department – Episode 397

In Episode 397, Madden and Kolsky are staying up late again, so it’s right on into:

An absolute banger of an episode in Season 40 of The Challenge (1:05) with wall-to-wall physical eliminations that delivered some classic battles and some intriguing upsets…
Vince Vaughn’s new Bill Lawrence-created show Bad Monkey (43:20) and whether we finally have an official “gourmet cheeseburger”…
A few thoughts on Chelsea and the English Premier League (51:30) after Derek drags Kolsky into the conversation…
Homework for two weeks from now (1:00:05), including: two more episodes of The Challenge Season 40, Netflix’s new Greek mythology dark comedy KAOS, the return of Slow Horses on Apple TV+ and the new FX show English Teacher…

In Episode 396, Madden and Kolsky don’t bother with small talk because somebody is UPSET as they get into:

The opening episode of The Challenge’s 40th season (1:05) and how the opening salvo (or lack thereof) in the Battle of the Eras left one of our hosts quite upset…
The Matt Damon/Casey Affleck film The Instigators (43:15) and whether it qualifies for the much-discussed (on this pod, anyway) “gourmet cheeseburger” designation…
Steph Curry as Steph Curry in Mr. Throwback (48:45) and whether or not Steph Curry should quit his day job 🙂 …
A few thoughts on Steph Curry at his day job (56:35) or whatever you would call what he did at the Olympics…
Some distinctly non-expert opinions on Olympic Breaking (1:09:05) and the apparent controversy around it…
Probably more talk about USMNT soccer and Chelsea Football Club (1:12:10) than anyone asked for…
Homework for a light show next week (1:28:30), including: another episode of The Challenge Season 40 and the new Apple TV+ show Bad Monkey…

In Episode 355, Madden and Kolsky lament some technical issues before jumping right into:

The last two weeks of action from The Challenge: USA Season 2 (1:45); and there is A LOT of action to cover!
Tracy Morgan’s new stand-up special Takin’ It Too Far (38:40) which is pretty quintessential Tracy Morgan content…
The Ringer-produced documentary Destination NBA: A G-League Odyssey (40:20) and how it was interesting and informative but didn’t quite come together as brilliantly as our hosts hoped…
The latest Star Wars series, Ahsoka (47:10) and how Rosario Dawson and a generally good cast is not necessarily enough to save the franchise for our less sci-fi-inclined host…
Homework for next week (51:35), including: another episode of The Challenge: USA Season 2, Special Ops: Lioness on Paramount+, the Netflix film You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah and the boys are gonna head to the theaters to see Barbie(!!)…

In Episode 354, Madden and Kolsky reflect once again on Kolsky’s family couch-surfing, plus the ultimate basement destination, before locking into:

This week’s two episodes of The Challenge: USA Season 2 (2:55) and how the young guns are running the game so far, plus predictions of defection in next week’s episodes…
The Netflix movie They Cloned Tyrone (36:20) and the delightfully over-the-top performances of Jamie Foxx and Teyonnah Paris…
Wes Anderson’s film Asteroid City (39:20) and the diminishing returns of an adult man playing with model houses…
Netflix’s Untold: Johnny Football (44:30) and the insane journey of its subject, Johnny Manziel…
The weekly dose of Chelsea football (54:55) as Kolsky tries to rev himself up for the rebuilding project…
Homework for TWO weeks from now (1:01:35), including: FOUR more episodes of The Challenge: USA Season 2, Tracy Morgan’s Max special Takin’ It Too Far, the new Star Wars series Ahsoka and the Ringer-produced Destination NBA: A G-League Odyssey…

In Episode 353, Madden and Kolsky discuss the Kolsky family’s bizarre living (and recording) arrangements before moving on to:

The return of The Challenge!! It’s the second season of The Challenge: USA (2:35) and it offers a lot of promise, despite a climax-less first episode and a questionable release schedule… The guys discuss some old favorites and some new blood…
Max’s Steven Soderbergh-directed kidnapping drama Full Circle (28:35) and how it asks its viewers to remain engaged with obvious puzzle pieces missing…
The Netflix docu-series Quarterback (34:50) and just how impressive those who play the position are (even Kirk Cousins)…
The return of pod favorite Reservation Dogs (45:40) and how the Hulu series continues to be utterly unique on television and wildly enjoyable…
The premiere of season two of Winning Time on HBO (52:15) and the Magic/Kareem relationship that appears to be at its core…
A few thoughts on the English Premier League (58:15) and Kolsky’s potentially heartbreaking hope surrounding Chelsea’s season…
Homework for next week (1:04:15), including: more of The Challenge: USA Season 2, the Netflix movie They Cloned Tyrone, the Wes Anderson film Asteroid City (now on Peacock) and Netflix’s Untold: Johnny Football doc…