Arsenal FC – The Toy Department

The Toy Department – Episode 406

In Episode 406, Madden and Kolsky spend a few minutes discussing mixtapes with an air of nostalgia before they lock into:

Another drama-filled episode of The Challenge: Battle of the Eras (5:10), a lot of main character energy from Johnny Bananas and the exploits of the surprisingly persistent EliMichele…
The exceedingly weird and bizarrely sparse film Janet Planet (26:15) from Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Annie Baker…
The much-ballyhooed Netflix film His Three Daughters (31:00) and the powerhouse performances from the three women at its center…
Peacock’s new action-thriller The Day of the Jackal (37:20) and whether it might be trying to do too much at once…
A few thoughts on the world of soccer (44:05) from the Chelsea-Arsenal draw to the USMNT’s uninspiring victory in Jamaica…
Homework for next time, three weeks from now (56:00), including: WHO THE HELL KNOWS, but surely a lot of Challenge talk…

In Episode 405, Madden and Kolsky are on the clock and in their feelings, so it’s a sprint through:

The latest from The Challenge: Battle of the Eras (1:15) where everything continues to come up Bananas and Tori is making a run at the proverbial Championship Belt…
The return of Lioness on Paramount+ (31:55) and the remarkable productivity of Taylor Sheridan…
The distinctly dad-focused stand-up of Seth Myers (42:25) in his new special Dad Man Walking…
The politically-tinged stand-up of Hasan Minhaj (45:35) in his new special Off With His Head…
A clash of the titans upcoming this weekend (50:45) as Derek’s Arsenal and Kolsky’s Chelsea do battle at Stamford Bridge on Sunday…
Homework for next week (54:40), including: another episode of The Challenge: Battle of the Eras, the new show The Day of the Jackal on Peacock, the Netflix film His Three Daughters and the Annie Baker-directed Janet Planet on Max…

In Episode 403, Madden and Kolsky briefly address their respective levels of exhaustion before jumping right into:

A big-time Bananas episode of The Challenge: Battle of the Eras (1:10) and what the “activation” of the ‘Nanaman means for the game moving forward…
Ali Wong’s new stand-up special Single Lady (31:30) and the talent to turn a divorce into an hour of comedy…
The return of Apple TV+ pod favorite Shrinking (37:40) and where season two seems to be taking our beloved cast of characters…
A smorgasbord of sports as the WNBA season ends (46:10), the NBA season begins (54:05) and the inevitable clash of Madden & Kolsky’s Premier League teams draws closer (57:50)…
Homework for next week (59:30), including: another episode of The Challenge: Battle of the Eras, Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut Woman of the Hour, Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara on Hulu and the new Billy Crystal drama Before on Apple TV+…

In Episode 401, Madden and Kolsky discuss Derek’s work-cation and his exclusive property on Haven’t-Seen-Harry-Potter Island before locking in on:

The latest from The Challenge: Battle of the Eras (7:00) including the rapid demise of Era 1 and whether or not strategy dictates finishing them off or shifting focus…
Netflix’s enthralling WWE docu-series Mr. McMahon (29:15) and how to reckon with the broader cultural impact of professional wrestling…
The ripped-from-Kolsky’s-heart rom-com Nobody Wants This (43:10) and how Netflix has constructed a show that’s hard to imagine not loving…
The film Killer Heat on Amazon Prime Video (48:00) and the comfort of Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s face and propensity for voice-over…
A few random sports thoughts (52:25) as Kolsky eulogizes his baseball fandom…
Homework for next week (57:45), including: another episode of The Challenge: Battle of the Eras, the Pitt/Clooney movie Wolfs on Apple TV+, the Mark Duplass show Penelope on Netflix, the documentary Will & Harper (also on Netflix) and the new HBO comedy The Franchise…