Tag Archives: Devin Walker

The Toy Department – Episode 416

  By toyAdmin | March 14, 2025 - 10:40 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 416, Madden and Kolsky get into the transition from winter to spring and the many traps this season presents before shifting over to:

  • The season premiere of Top Chef (3:30) where it’s Destination Canada and they have the tuxedos to prove it…
  • The latest on The Challenge All-Stars: Rivals (24:25) where another team of heavy hitters heads home and the ladies of Era 1 seem to be in full control of the house…
  • The new documentary series Celtics City (38:40) and whether there’s a trick to watching great content about incredibly annoying stuff…
  • Hulu’s new comedy Deli Boys (46:35) and the abounding silliness therein…
  • A few thoughts on the upcoming (and uninspiring) Toy Department Derby (51:30) and our hosts’ respective Premier League teams…
  • Homework for two weeks from now (56:30), including: another two episodes of The Challenge All-Stars: Rivals, more Top Chef: Destination Canada, the new Netflix series Adolescence, the new Apple TV+ drama Dope Thief, the new Seth Rogen show The Studio and the new Netflix/Russo Brothers film The Electric State…

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The Toy Department – Episode 415

  By toyAdmin | March 7, 2025 - 10:29 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 415, Madden and Kolsky briefly recount Derek’s London experience before diving into:

  • The last two weeks of The Challenge All-Stars: Rivals (5:50) featuring plenty of drama and the elimination of a major favorite…
  • A trio of Netflix content:
    • The new basketball comedy Running Point (20:45), the Mindy-ness of it all and whether it passes muster with its basketball knowledge…
    • Olympic basketball docu-series Court of Gold (25:40) and the wonderful world of basketball’s many stars…
    • The new limited series Zero Day (30:30) and whether the content stands up to the massively talented cast…
  • Homework for next week (38:50), including: another episode of The Challenge All-Stars: Rivals, the return of Top Chef (this time in Canada), Bill Simmons’ documentary series Celtics City on Max and the new Hulu comedy series Deli Boys…

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The Toy Department – Episode 414

  By toyAdmin | February 21, 2025 - 11:19 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 414, Madden and Kolsky are pressed for time after missing last week, so it’s some quick pleasantries and right into:

  • Two weeks of action from The Challenge All-Stars: Rivals (1:15), the early leaders in the clubhouse and the unfortunate (for entertainment purposes) elimination of Ashley and Aneesa…
  • Our hosts’ thoughts on all of the SNL 50 content (22:25) from the past weekend…
  • A couple minutes on the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (33:30) with Phish nominated for the first time…
  • The Oscar-nominated film The Substance (40:05) and the excellent performances at its core…
  • More spy-show fodder with Netflix’s The Recruit (50:00) and Apple TV+’s Prime Target (54:25) and how one of our hosts found a deeper enjoyment in one of them…
  • The return of White Lotus (57:25) and the excitement we all feel to have it back…
  • A reasonably unproductive discussion about the NBA All-Star fiasco (1:04:30) and the NBA MVP Award, which Derek is already furious about…
  • Homework for two weeks from now (1:18:40), including: two more episodes of The Challenge All-Stars: Rivals and a bunch of Netflix content — the new Olympic basketball doc Court of Gold, new limited series Zero Day and new comedy series Running Point…

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The Toy Department – Episode 413

  By toyAdmin | February 7, 2025 - 12:31 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 413, Madden and Kolsky give you everything they’ve got about the Super Bowl (which amounts to approximately 47 seconds of content) before locking in on:

  • The first two episodes of The Challenge All-Stars: Rivals (1:30) which featured a fortuitous elimination and very little personal growth from people we’ve known for a decade…
  • The Jesse Eisenberg feature A Real Pain (20:35) and how it doesn’t feel like a Best Picture nominee but DOES manage to entertain and intrigue for its 90 minutes…
  • The definitely-feels-like-a-best-picture-contender movie Anora (24:10) and the remarkable performance of Mikey Madison in the leading role…
  • The Netflix hit The Night Agent (32:35) and whether they put enough work in on the fast-arriving second season…
  • The new Hulu show Paradise (37:55) and why we seem to be in the post-apocalyptic-underground-city era of television…
  • A few thoughts on a WILD NBA trade deadline (46:05) and what some of the participants are looking at for the remainder of the season…
  • Homework for next week (1:03:50), including: the next episode of The Challenge All-Stars: Rivals, Oscar contender The Substance, the new Apple TV+ show Prime Target and the return of Netflix’s The Recruit…

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The Toy Department – Episode 412

  By toyAdmin | January 24, 2025 - 10:18 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 412, Madden and Kolsky have a quick chat about vacations and the city of New Orleans before focusing in on:

  • The conclusion of a lackluster reunion for The Challenge: Battle of the Eras (4:20) and a look ahead to the hopefully much more entertaining All-Stars 5…
  • The Oscar-nominated Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown (16:30), some big-time acting performances and the impact of Dylan going electric…
  • The Amazon Prime film Unstoppable (27:50) and what a classic high-quality true-story drama looks like…
  • The return of Apple TV+ sensation Severance (35:05) and what Ben Stiller & Co. are driving at with this bizarre and stylized show…
  • Peacock’s goofy new comedy Laid (44:25), the irrepressible charm of Stephanie Hsu and the absolute wheelhouse of Zosia Mamet…
  • A touch of sports talk (49:30) as we careen towards the end of both the NFL season and the soccer transfer window…
  • Homework for TWO weeks from now (1:04:05), including: the first two episodes of The Challenge All-Stars: Rivals, the new Hulu show Paradise, the return of Netflix’s The Night Agent and Oscar contenders Anora and A Real Pain…

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The Toy Department – Episode 402

  By toyAdmin | October 17, 2024 - 7:53 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 402, Madden and Kolsky discuss their great lost episode, and attempt to recreate some of the magic you missed last week as they cover:

  • The last two episodes of The Challenge: Battle of the Eras (2:00), including the gladiatorial greatness of Derrick Kosinski and the age-defying dominance of Rachel Robinson…
  • A sprint through the un-aired conversations from last week about: the Pitt/Clooney film Wolfs (26:05), the new HBO comedy The Franchise (27:10) and Mark Duplass’ quietly impactful Penelope (30:15)…
  • The Netflix documentary Will & Harper (32:25) and how it walks a fine line between laughs and love to produce a tremendous study of America and friendship…
  • The NBA-focused docu-series Starting 5 on Netflix (38:55) and how it delivers watchability and entertainment even if it doesn’t deliver much basketball…
  • Apple TV+’s new big-ticket drama Disclaimer (54:50) and how it’s all twisted around and structured in a way that makes it difficult to process…
  • Homework for next week (1:05:30), including: another episode of The Challenge: Battle of the Eras, the second season of Shrinking on Apple TV+, the new Ali Wong stand-up special Single Lady on Netflix and watching Game 4 of the WNBA Finals so you can try to find Derek Madden in the crowd…

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The Toy Department – Episode 401

  By toyAdmin | October 4, 2024 - 10:30 am | Uncategorized
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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…

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The Toy Department – Episode 400

  By toyAdmin | September 27, 2024 - 10:49 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 400, Madden and Kolsky discuss Derek’s San Francisco escapades and marvel at the longevity of this silly podcast before getting into:

  • The latest from The Challenge: Battle of the Eras (6:10) where Era I continues to burn to the ground, despite Rachel’s best efforts, and Era II continues to weather the storm that is Cara Maria and Laurel…
  • The baffling film Challengers (33:05) and what the people involved thought they were doing…
  • Netflix’s new action movie Rebel Ridge (38:45), the increasingly popular one-man-with-a-grudge format and the leading man ascension of Aaron Pierre…
  • A check-in on FX’s The Old Man (43:10) and whether the story of Jeff Bridges’ chaotic past is enough to carry a second season…
  • The Max/DC series The Penguin (45:50) and whether the gritty, gangster-noir style and transformative performance from Colin Farrell were able to draw in our resident comic skeptic…
  • Homework for next week (49:35), including: another episode of The Challenge: Battle of the Eras, Netflix’s new Adam Brody/Kristen Bell series Nobody Wants This, the WWE documentary series Mr. McMahon (also on Netflix), and the film Killer Heat on Amazon Prime Video…

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The Toy Department – Episode 399

  By toyAdmin | September 19, 2024 - 9:44 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 399, Madden and Kolsky prepare to overcome a late recording time and Derek’s long week before diving into:

  • The latest from The Challenge: Battle of the Eras (1:50), CT falling, Laurel spiraling and whether the 40th season is living up to expectations so far…
  • The Alex Garland film Civil War (25:50) — how it is ultimately just a movie about photo-journalism and whether it leaves things on the table by not wading deeper into more significant themes…
  • Nicole Kidman and Liev Schreiber’s rote Netflix rich-people-and-murder drama (35:35) and whether its insignificance hurts its watchability…
  • Peacock’s Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist (41:50) and our hosts curiously split views on the end product…
  • The spectacular Alex Gibney documentary Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos (46:55), all the wonderful tidbits it delivers on one of the greatest television shows of all time and the price of genius…
  • Homework for next week (57:50), including: another episode of The Challenge: Battle of the Eras, actually watching the film Challengers, Netflix’s new action flick Rebel Ridge, Max’s new DC Comics effort The Penguin and a check-in on the second season of FX’s The Old Man…

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The Toy Department – Episode 398

  By toyAdmin | September 5, 2024 - 10:25 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 398, Madden and Kolsky are doing it after dark again, with LOTS to catch up on, beginning with a recap of their IRL meetup for a Pearl Jam concert, but moving on to:

  • Two episodes of The Challenge: Battle of the Eras (7:50) and dealing with the fact that heavy hitters (or at least major characters) will be headed home on a weekly basis…
  • Jeff Goldblum & Co.’s interpretation of Greek mythology in the Netflix show KAOS (41:15) and whether our hosts could deal with the chaotic nature of the show’s storytelling…
  • FX’s new comedy English Teacher (46:05) and what a high-quality sitcom looks like in 2024…
  • The return of the undeniable Slow Horses (51:35) and the many joys of Jackson Lamb…
  • Homework for next week (57:50), including: another episode of The Challenge: Battle of the Eras, the Peacock show Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist, Nicole Kidman’s new Netflix effort The Perfect Couple and checking out the film Challengers, now available on Amazon Prime…

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