The Toy Department – Episode 167

In Episode 167, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky get into Kolsky’s new full time job as father to a tiny human before getting silly with:

  • The series finale of Game of Thrones (5:25), how both guys are relatively pleased, some thoughts on the haters and critics, and what comes next in big-time pop culture…
  • HBO’s new Monday night entry Chernobyl (28:15) and whether the dramatic circumstances and excellent performance from Jared Harris and others overcome the deeply disturbing events…
  • The final season of Easy on Netflix (34:45), and the particular success of Joe Swanberg in creating movies and shows that feel very authentic…
  • Amazon’s Sneaky Pete (38:30) and whether it is holding the guys’ interest in its third season…
  • An attempt to start with homework before a digression into the in-progress finale of The Challenge: War of the Worlds (45:00) and how intense the final competition of the season appears to be…
  • Homework for next week (48:35), including: the aforementioned Challenge final, the return of Spike Lee’s She’s Gotta Have It on Netflix, Season 2 of Fleabag on Amazon, the new Netflix thriller Perfection, the now-in-theaters action blockbuster John Wick 3: Parabellum and MORE NBA playoff action…

The Toy Department – Episode 81

In Episode 81, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky banter about their sleeping habits before having more substantive discussions about:

  • A short and only half-informed discourse on the finalĂ© of The Bachelorette (3:45)…
  • Season 7, Episode 4 of Game of Thrones (5:45): whether its greatness vindicates those who complained about the first three episodes of this season, the creepiness of Bran and the futures of our favorite characters…
  • HBO’s new Duplass-created show Room 104 (30:00) and what exactly it is, including a brief detour into the great career of James Van Der Beek…
  • The new installment of Wet Hot American Summer on Netflix (43:00) and how they recapture the tone and excellence of the movie that may have been lost in the first tv series…
  • Live music! Both Madden and Kolsky went to see live shows this week (50:55) and they discuss their experiences seeing Bruno Mars and Robert Randolph, respectively…
  • Recorded music! Madden finally listened to the new Vic Mensa record, The Autobiography (1:01:40) and agrees that it’s a damn good hip hop album…
  • Homework for next week (1:03:50): Madden has a big weekend planned, but that means he’s riding a plane so we’re going to learn about what movies are offered on a flight from Minneapolis to San Francisco…

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.

The Toy Department – Episode 78

In Episode 78, Matt Kolsky’s smoothie leads to a brief diet digression from Derek Madden before they dive into more interesting and relevant discussions of:

  • The self-inflicted death of Linkin Park lead singer Chester Bennington (5:00)…
  • The Season 7 premiere of Game of Thrones (12:35) and the general absurdity of the whiny complaints about it…
  • The new Netflix show Friends from College (29:10) and the strangely negative reaction from critics to what seems to be a very lovable show…
  • Hot dogs (39:40) — what goes on them, what they’re for, etc…
  • Kolsky’s inability to not become a weepy mess (45:00) during heartstring-tugging entertainment…
  • Homework for next week (49:25): including next week’s Game of Thrones episode and the rapper cupcakKe… plus whatever the guys tweet about during the week 🙂

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.

The Toy Department – Episode 28

In Episode 28, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky open the podcast with a brief discussion about podcast listenership, then branch out to cover the very latest in:

  • Game of Thrones (2:20) where they break down the season finale (including small but heroic women doing WORK) and do a bit of looking forward to what’s next for our friends in Westeros…
  • International soccer (29:00) including Lionel Messi’s assertion that he intends to retire and a quick look at Euro 2016…
  • Madden’s Drake quandary – his girlfriend wants Drake tickets for her birthday, but Madden is disgusted with him… What does a man do in this situation??? (49:55)
  • A quick couple of TV-show-watching homework assignments for the future (57:40)…

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.

The Toy Department – Episode 26

In Episode 26, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky open with a brief digression (is that a thing? Can you open with a digression?) about a new HOT TAKE SPORTS TELEVISION SHOW before diving deep into:

  • Game of Thrones, wherein Kolsky and Madden come to virtual blows over the direction of the series (2:05 – SPOILER ALERT by 2:30 or so)… The guys discuss Derek’s distaste for a lack of realism in certain parts of the story, and project towards the next couple episodes…
  • The NBA Finals (34:00), including the suspension of Draymond Green, the baiting behavior of LeBron James, and where the series goes from here…
  • A short look ahead with some potential homework for next week (48:50)…

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.