Tag Archives: Devin

The Toy Department – Episode 285

  By toyAdmin | December 10, 2021 - 1:55 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 285, Madden and Kolsky have far too much to talk about to be “jerking off” in the studios (you’ll get that joke later) so it’s straight on into:

  • A few quick thoughts on musician Jacob Collier (2:10) and how Madden failed to follow the instructions for his homework assignment…
  • An extended debate about the Beatles docu-series Get Back (5:15), exactly what it is and whether it is worth the time for viewers…
  • A very short review of the new Amazon Prime show Harlem (34:00) and how it just isn’t too appealing to either of our hosts…
  • A few thoughts on the debut episode of Landscapers (36:30) and how David Thewliss and Olivia Coleman are enthralling enough to keep an audience watching while the show settles in…
  • A big talk about a BIG episode of The Challenge: Spies, Lies and Allies (41:40) and where things stand after the beginning of the final…
  • Some thoughts on the lackluster second season of The Challenge All-Stars (1:03:50) and how the show hasn’t really found its footing in terms of the competition aspect…
  • Homework for next Thursday (1:15:10), including: more of The Challenge: Spies, Lies and Allies, AND more Challenge All-Stars, plus a year-in-review chat to put a cap on 2021…

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The Toy Department – Episode 284

  By toyAdmin | December 3, 2021 - 12:49 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 284, Madden and Kolsky spend a few minutes talking about a musician Kolsky just discovered before getting to:

  • Kevin Hart’s new Netflix series True Story (4:55) and how a lot of good acting is not really enough to save a mediocre plot…
  • The absolutely insane conclusion to Season 2 of Apple TV+’s The Morning Show (20:05) and how this sort of soapy silliness happens on the watch of so many great actors…
  • The new film King Richard (30:45) and how good Will Smith is in Venus and Serena Williams’ tribute to their incredibly unique father…
  • The Challenge: Spies, Lies and Allies (43:55) and just what the major elimination twist will be, plus the unbelievable career of CT and some informal player power rankings as we head into the final…
  • The latest from The Challenge All-Stars 2 (1:02:00), from the lovable insanity of Ayanna to the strange decision-making of Steve after an entertaining trivia challenge…
  • Homework for next Thursday (1:17:55), including: more of The Challenge: Spies, Lies and Allies, AND more Challenge All-Stars, the new Beatles docu-series Get Back, the new Amazon Prime show Harlem, the new HBO show Landscapers and the musician Jacob Collier…

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The Toy Department – Episode 283

  By toyAdmin | November 26, 2021 - 7:17 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 283, Madden and Kolsky talk a little turkey in honor of the recent Thanksgiving holiday before turning their focus to…

  • The new Netflix film Red Notice (6:45) and how it’s a pretty good time despite lacking any sensible plot line…
  • The new Mindy Kaling-produced HBO Max show The Sex Lives of College Girls (11:50) and how both guys like the early returns as it tries to find its footing…
  • The latest HBO Music Box documentary Jagged (18:40) and how convincingly it makes the argument for Alanis Morissette’s great influence on the world of popular rock music…
  • The Challenge: Spies, Lies and Allies (30:20) after a strangely straightforward episode, and where things stand with the finalé lurking just past the next turn…
  • The latest from The Challenge All-Stars (43:55) and the impossibly poor tic-tac-toe strategy displayed by a bunch of 40-somethings…
  • Homework for next Thursday (1:06:00), including: more of The Challenge: Spies, Lies and Allies, AND more Challenge All-Stars, the new film King Richard on HBO Max, Kevin Hart’s new Netflix series True Story and a postseason wrap-up of Apple TV+’s The Morning Show…

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The Toy Department – Episode 282

  By toyAdmin | November 19, 2021 - 12:23 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 282, Madden and Kolsky pushed through the technical difficulties common to olds of their age in order to bring you their thoughts on…

  • The newly Disney+-watchable Marvel film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2:35) and how it hits all its marks and ends up a highly enjoyable experience…
  • A brief NFL detour (7:55) to discuss some rookie quarterback play…
  • Paramount+’s big prestige TV swing Mayor of Kingstown (11:50) and whether it delivers on the promise of its cast…
  • The thrilling new HBO Max show Yellowjackets (20:55) and the incredible cast of women executing it…
  • Deep analysis of a top-shelf episode of The Challenge: Spies, Lies and Allies (27:20) and who controls the game as it speeds towards the surely imminent final…
  • Episode 2 of this season of The Challenge All-Stars (57:05), the gamut of emotions it runs and how the game is shaping up for the old fogies…
  • Homework for next Thursday (1:15:55), including: more of The Challenge: Spies, Lies and Allies, AND more Challenge All-Stars, HBO’s Music Box documentary Jagged (about Alanis Morrisette), the new Netflix film Red Notice, the new season of The Great on Hulu and The Sex Lives of College Girls on HBO Max…

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The Toy Department – Episode 281

  By toyAdmin | November 12, 2021 - 12:44 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 281, Madden and Kolsky discuss Derek’s morning drinks and Kolsky’s morning show appearance before remembering to talk about…

  • Tom Hanks’ new Apple TV+ film Finch (3:15) which is not a bad movie but forgettable enough that Derek can’t keep the title in his head for more than seven consecutive minutes…
  • The new Netflix western film The Harder They Fall (10:20) and how it’s a highly entertaining bit of popcorn cinema…
  • The return of Netflix’s treasured Big Mouth (23:00) and spoiler alert: it’s still great!
  • Another momentum-shifting week on The Challenge: Spies, Lies and Allies (27:40) as the Emerald Cell finally loses a daily challenge and faces infiltration via an overdramatic elimination starring Amanda as one of the great heels in show history…
  • The Season 2 premiere of The Challenge All-Stars (46:35) and how the episode was somewhat disappointing, but there’s still a lot of hope for a good season…
  • Homework for next Thursday (59:00), including: more of The Challenge: Spies, Lies and Allies, AND more Challenge All-Stars, plus Yellowjackets on Showtime, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings on Disney+ and Mayor of Kingstown on Paramount+…
  • A few minutes on USA Men’s Soccer (1:00:45) ahead of a critical USA v. Mexico matchup in World Cup Qualifying play…

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The Toy Department – Episode 279

  By toyAdmin | October 28, 2021 - 12:10 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 279, Madden and Kolsky congratulate themselves for managing to record the podcast on schedule before quickly getting down to brass tacks with…

  • The new film Dune on HBO Max (1:20) and how mileage may vary depending on your familiarity with the story…
  • The return of the HBO/Issa Rae series Insecure (14:30) for its final season, and how nice it is to be back in the groove with a show that is founded on being a tremendous vibe…
  • This week’s action on The Challenge: Spies, Lies and Allies (26:45), whether anyone will ever infiltrate the Emerald Cell and whose strategic moves are working the best as the game heads into the home stretch…
  • Homework for next Thursday (1:01:20), including: more of The Challenge: Spies, Lies and Allies, the new Netflix show Colin in Black & White from Ava Duvernay and Colin Kaepernick, the new season of Love Life on HBO Max, AND the World Series (“Go Braves,” says Derek) AND AND the early NBA season…

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The Toy Department – Episode 277

  By toyAdmin | October 14, 2021 - 12:10 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 277, Madden and Kolsky are anxious to get to the Challenge, so get right down to business with…

  • Dave Chappelle’s controversial new Netflix stand-up special The Closer (1:45) and how it’s all mostly just disappointing and a little frustrating…
  • The Netflix sensation that’s sweeping the nation, Squid Game (11:00) and how it’s clearly compelling but perhaps not ESPECIALLY good…
  • A tremendous episode of The Challenge: Spies, Lies and Allies (19:05) and all the ways the game has changed heading into the season’s second half…
  • Homework for next Thursday (56:05), including: more of The Challenge: Spies, Lies and Allies, plus the return of Succession on HBO, a new Velvet Underground documentary from Todd Haynes on Apple TV+, the new film Queenpins on Paramount+ AND the MLB Playoffs AND AND the start of the NBA season…

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The Toy Department – Episode 276

  By toyAdmin | October 7, 2021 - 11:17 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 276, Madden and Kolsky get into a little Austin City Limits story time before diving into:

  • HBO’s The Many Saints of Newark (7:20), how much THIS show enjoyed it and how far it goes beyond fan service…
  • Jon Stewart’s new Apple TV+ show (19:15) and how the format it seems to be going with is somewhat exhausting…
  • A turning point episode on The Challenge: Spies, Lies and Allies (25:35) and how the game will change moving into the second half of the season…
  • Homework for next Thursday (49:20), including: more of The Challenge: Spies, Lies and Allies, plus checking out the Netflix sensation Squid Game and the new Dave Chappelle standup special The Closer (also on Netflix) AND the many exciting sporting events that will happen before we next meet…

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The Toy Department – Episode 275

  By toyAdmin | September 30, 2021 - 11:33 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 275, Madden and Kolsky return from an unplanned absence with very little memory of what they intended to talk about when they left each other last, so today:

  • It’s pretty much all about The Challenge: Spies, Lies and Allies!!! (2:45) There’s three weeks of content to catch up on, lots of drama and a big turning point for game strategy in the most recent episode…
  • There’s just a touch of concert talk (42:25) as Derek heads to Austin City Limits…
  • Homework for next Thursday (47:05), including: more of The Challenge: Spies, Lies and Allies, plus the Sopranos prequel The Many Saints of Newark on HBO and the debut of The Problem with John Stewart on Apple Plus…
  • And a bit of baseball (49:35) to round things off…

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The Toy Department – Episode 274

  By toyAdmin | September 9, 2021 - 12:12 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 274, Madden and Kolsky briefly discuss Kolsky’s plan to head off marital distress at the pass with a football babysitter before moving to more pop-culture-relevant concerns, including:

  • The new season of American Crime Story on FX/Hulu — Impeachment (3:15) and how one episode may not be enough to say a lot more than “there’s some good acting here…”
  • Netflix’s John David Washington film Beckett (11:15) and how it is mediocre enough to make the hosts wonder why Denzel’s very talented son isn’t getting better material to work with…
  • A few quick thoughts on the return of Billions on Showtime (14:40) and how it continues to be the fun-times-with-bad-billionaires favorite that it has been for several seasons…
  • LOTS of stuff from The Challenge: Spies, Lies and Allies (16:20) and how the rookies have now turned on each other as vets continue to cruise along, plus lots of great Devin moments and a heartbreaking injury disqualification…
  • Homework for next Thursday (47:05), including: more of The Challenge: Spies, Lies and Allies, plus HBO’s new show Scenes from a Marriage, Hulu’s new comic-book based show Y: The Last Man, the debut of Top Chef: Family Style and plenty of response to the start of the NFL season…

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