This week the word is Murder. The nerds discuss various aspect of murder, including real-life crime, popular stories, and even games. This includes discussion of a couple of new games of their own. Moving on to spoilery media, they discuss chapter 6 of S. and episode 6 & 7 of WandaVision.
SPOILER WARNING: contains spoilers.
This week the word is Recasting. After discussing a few notable recasting situations, Keith tells the story of Bossy the Cow, and explains the meaning of his twitter handle, HellCowKeith. After further discussions of recasting, they each talk about work stuff a bit, including various references to the word Threshold. They also discuss the sting of negative reviews. Moving on to spoilery media, they discuss chapter 5 of S. and episode 5 of WandaVision.
SPOILER WARNING: contains spoilers.
This week the word is Popeyes (aka Pope Yes). The nerds discuss Popeye-adjacent subjects, including misreading the logo, the magical jeep, a coffeeshop in Amsterdam, chicken sandwiches, Wimpy’s, Roy Rogers, and the mysterious CFAB. Then they talk about some Tolkien-adjacent stuff before moving on to media. First they talk about a recent film called Dealt (and a vintage film called the Flim-Flam Man), then they discuss with the second half of chapter 4 of S., and finally, after touching on Queen’s Gambit, they discuss episode 4 of WandaVision.
SPOILER WARNING: contains spoilers.
This week the word is MacGuffin. The nerds talk about classic MacGuffins and other literary devices including red herrings and crabgrass. Andy then discusses the design of Get the MacGuffin, and Keith talks about widget hunts in early LARP games. They share a few war stories from those days, in particular about a game called Cafe Casablanca. Andy has more to say about fan edits of The Hobbit, then they discuss chapter 3 of S. Lastly, they lower the spoiler curtain to discuss the first two episodes of WandaVision.
SPOILER WARNING: contains spoilers.
This week the word is Unknown. The nerds talk about various unknowns, like hidden information in game design, stories in which characters are thrust into unknown settings, situations in which you don’t know who you are, things that are unknowable, and questions that meant to never be answered. Keith talks about unknowns in Eberron, and also mentions Bridgerton, Dexter, and the D&D campaign he’s run 60 times. This leads to a discussion of unusual adaptations of Shakespeare. Keith reports on finding the answer the “Blah Rhubarb Blah” question he asked last week, and the each talk about issues they’ve been having with mice. Next, Andy gives his final report on The Last Airbender, and Keith talks about obscure candy bars. Moving on to media, they discuss Chapter 2 of S. They also talk about Tolkien stories from the point of view of the eagles. Lastly, they drop the spoiler curtain to discuss the season 3 finale of Star Trek: Discovery.
SPOILER WARNING: contains spoilers.
This week the word is Christmas. The nerds talk at length about various holiday memories, favorite Xmas movies, new traditions, etc. Then they discuss chapter one of S, having talked about future candidates for their new book club segment earlier in the show. Keith mentions a radio bit he remembers that went “Blah Rhubarb Blah” which Andy replies to with Arrested Development references. Keith talks about Ted Lasso, then Andy shares a few thoughts about Fargo season 4. Lastly, they drop the spoiler curtain to discuss the newest episodes of Star Trek and Star Wars.
SPOILER WARNING: contains spoilers.
This week the word is spin-off. The nerds start by discussing the many new Star Wars spin-offs that have been announced, then they discuss other spin-offs through TV history. Next they share some big-picture, non-spoilery thoughts about Star Trek Discovery Season 3, and what they would do to create a truly different distant future if it were up to them. Andy reports on his mouse problem, and Keith tells a story from his youth about a bad day for his gerbils. Next they begin their next “book club” segment, discussing the Introduction of S. Lastly, then drop the spoiler curtain to discuss the Star Trek: Discovery episode, “Terra Firma, part 1.”
SPOILER WARNING: contains spoilers.
This week the word is dinosaurs. The nerds discuss their favorite dinosaurs (and why the triceratops is the best), depictions of dinosaurs in popular media, other meanings and definitions for the word dinosaur, the inclusion of dinosaurs in D&D, and the Loch Ness Monster. Then they move on to other topics, including Halloween, the extended versions of the LOTR movies, Rick & Morty, and Schitt’s Creek. After dropping the spoiler curtain, they discuss the Mandalorian and Star Trek Discovery.
SPOILER WARNING: contains spoilers.
This week the word is Heebie-Jeebies. The nerds discuss scary stories, what makes for a creepy tale, and why we enjoy getting the heebie-jeebies. Other topics include Keith’s “killer lightning bugs” campfire story, a recent dream Andy had, obscure characters and secondary plotlines in Star Trek, and the Ray Bradbury Theater. Then they drop the spoiler curtain to talk about Star Trek Lower Decks and Discovery.
SPOILER WARNING: contains spoilers.
This week the word is doppelgänger. The nerds discuss their favorite evil duplicate shapeshifter tropes at length. How would you prove you are really you and not just a copy? Then they check in on each other’s work progress before moving on to media. After the spoiler curtain drops they spend a lot of time talking about Star Trek Lower Decks.
SPOILER WARNING: contains spoilers.