Transcript
Ryan : Welcome to Real Hot Nerd Shit, a pop culture podcast where real hot nerds talk about real nerd shit. I'm your host, Ryan.
Shauna (she/her): And I'm your host, Shauna.
Ryan : And on this episode of Real Hot Nerd Shit, we are talking about the new Disney Plus Marvel show, Ironheart.
Shauna (she/her): And to do that, we have our special guest, a what probably our most frequent guest contributor and you know arguably favorite as well, Ooxie. Welcome to back to the show.
Uxy (He/Him) : Hi everyone, i didn't bring a wig this time, i hope that's okay.
Ryan : Isis. It's not. It's actually super not.
Uxy (He/Him) : Yeah, I brought my butch self forward.
Shauna (she/her): but Just wait.
Ryan : You brought your bush?
Shauna (she/her): so I've been watching Drag Race, right?
Ryan : What?
Uxy (He/Him) : My butch self forward.
Shauna (she/her): So...
Ryan : Oh, the boy Uxie is here.
Shauna (she/her): I think there's a wig under there.
Ryan : Yeah.
Shauna (she/her): I'm not convinced. I think you pull that hat off and it's just going to be a flowing mane. I... I'm just not willing to write it off, okay?
Uxy (He/Him) : actually it's actually roses, just like.
Ryan : What is...
Ryan : 40 inches, 40 inches. um You haven't gotten there. So Shauna is, as we talked about, um getting caught up with Drag Race. um And so she's finally stumbling on these incredible moments.
Ryan : And you so you just finished season nine, yes? Well, give us a status report.
Shauna (she/her): Yeah, i finished season 9.
Ryan : Where are you at?
Uxy (He/Him) : Okay.
Shauna (she/her): And ah yeah, so I just finished season 9 starting season 10. Because season 8 was Bob. Season 9 was... um Who just won?
Ryan : not Shea Coulee.
Shauna (she/her): Not Shea... Yes, that's right. The answer was...
Ryan : Sasha
Shauna (she/her): it was Sasha Velour, but it absolutely should have been Shea Coulee. Without a doubt. And a great segment.
Ryan : So as as a um that was your first time seeing that clip, yes?
Shauna (she/her): Yeah.
Ryan : You had no idea what was gonna happen?
Shauna (she/her): Yeah.
Ryan : So you think Shea should have won. What was your response to that?
Shauna (she/her): i was so I knew some sort of shenanigans happened, because you would just you had kind of alluded, and I was like, okay, how are they going to go and not have Shea Coulee, who had consistently won,
Shauna (she/her): and consistently been at the top of all season long was just the the the real standout in excelled in fashion, excelled in comedy and just everything.
Ryan : comedy yeah
Shauna (she/her): And I was like, all right, so clearly you are the winner here. and you know, and then like, and then Peppermint was even the, like, like they called her like the lip sync assassin, I think, or some such something.
Ryan : oh yeah that's that is a new thing that is ah a for the thing that becomes formal like you are considered a lip sync assassin
Shauna (she/her): Right.
Shauna (she/her): No, and I can see that. And I love seeing those kind of archetypes like be created in real time. I think that's really cool. And so we watched that, and we're you know i was like, okay, so surely... And I was like, all right.
Shauna (she/her): I was worried when Rue announced after three very, very messy like go... Valentina stuff was fascinating. like Seeing all of how like the secret villain of the season...
Ryan : Verical, you having, like, strong opinions about it, like, five years later.
Shauna (she/her): Yeah. ah
Ryan : Like, literally six years later.
Shauna (she/her): Right, like...
Ryan : She's like, the Valentina of it all is wild. It really is.
Shauna (she/her): It is. Like, i was like, oh my God. Like, and then of course, you know, you're beautiful.
Ryan : You're perfect. You look like Linda Evangelista.
Shauna (she/her): You're a model. You look like Linda Evangelista.
Ryan : Yeah. Yeah.
Shauna (she/her): Like, and I'm like, okay. Like things that I'd heard, but I didn't really know, like until that moment.
Ryan : Yeah.
Shauna (she/her): I was like, okay. But yeah, hearing all about Valentina and her shady ass fans going through and like, you know, starting like, and that's such a real like thing about how certain toxic fandoms can really go on the attack.
Ryan : Yeah. Right, right.
Shauna (she/her): you know, in the very speaking, like bringing all back to kind of like nerdiness and how she was like Ironheart get review bombed and such. But like Valentina, even, you know, the for good that it's, you know, like, oh my gosh, we want to protect her, but also at the expense of,
Shauna (she/her): everybody else and even like i was so taken back by her like well of course i don't want my fans to attack like and like that was like her like body language even as she was doing it it wasn't a hey don't attack on my behalf that's not cool cut that shit out it wasn't even that it was such a passive
Ryan : yeah
Ryan : right right
Ryan : Yeah. Like, who are you even addressing it to? Yeah.
Shauna (she/her): Yeah, it was such a passive way of doing that, even which really just kind of showed how there is how certain fandoms get this kind of tacit permission to go on attack. And like you see it a lot, and Twitter was so bad for that, and such a toxic place before an asshole bought it.
Ryan : Right.
Ryan : So just to bring it a little more current, ah Drag Race is, All Stars is also coming to an end.
Shauna (she/her): Yeah.
Shauna (she/her): Yeah.
Ryan : um Who are we feeling for bracket three?
Uxy (He/Him) : Well, it's going to be Ginger. I mean, it's already, that's been like the talk of all of the internet about the, like the favoritism of it all, how it's like overly produced to like, I mean, granted, Ginger is really good at what she does too.
Ryan : Yeah, of course.
Shauna (she/her): Yeah, she's been...
Uxy (He/Him) : Like it's not that she's a bad drag queen, but she is a, i mean, this is her fourth time around.
Ryan : Sure.
Uxy (He/Him) : So there's no way that Ginger's not going to make it. s Especially at what, like she's at six points now, seven, seven, something around there.
Ryan : Yeah, she's a clear lead.
Shauna (she/her): oh yeah no, she's... ah
Uxy (He/Him) : She's, she's
Shauna (she/her): Like, she won both lip syncs.
Uxy (He/Him) : 100% in the top. and Yes.
Ryan : Yep.
Uxy (He/Him) : So she's 100% going into the next round.
Shauna (she/her): Yeah, like... Well, and I think the points are so interesting, too, then, because you've got a real muddled undercard there.
Uxy (He/Him) : Yeah.
Uxy (He/Him) : yeah
Ryan : Yeah. um Also, Shauna, I realized you didn't finish what you were saying about the end of season nine um and the final, I think.
Shauna (she/her): Oh, yeah. like, but at the end of Season 9, with, like, ah just... Look, Shea Coulee and Peppermint are the two names that I know as, like, someone who wasn't into Drag Race before this year. So say what you will.
Shauna (she/her): like But, like, they won. I'm very excited. Like, i the world was not ready to have a trans winner of Drag Race. And it's a shame that that didn't happen because I think the world arguably would have been in such a different place if that had happened in, like,
Ryan : Yeah. Sure.
Shauna (she/her): really could just rally around and like, you know, bringing it back to our modern moment of where drag and transness are so interchangeable in the eyes of those who do things like write legislation. And, you know, like really like there is no difference, but there is a difference. And Peppermint was really the first queen that made us see that and see the difference between being stealth and being someone who's like,
Shauna (she/her): Well, you know, like to take her wig off is such a different thing for her in a different way and that she was literally presenting as someone else like or as like someone else that her ID says like.
Ryan : sure
Ryan : Yeah.
Shauna (she/her): And so that's such a fascinating. I think that was a really interesting moment in time that really like we're, but you know, we're back to like now with all this issue with passports and oh.
Ryan : Oh my gosh, it's we're recording on June 26th. It is the 10th anniversary of Marriage Equality. um and all three of us have been or are currently legally married um and uh how wild of a place are we in that we're like celebrating that but also like pretty much the rest of our community is under attack in almost like every single way especially trans folks um
Ryan : And, you know, I think it goes without saying for the folks on this podcast, but like, please get involved in your queer community. Like actual people's lives are depending on it.
Shauna (she/her): you
Ryan : And um yeah, we are queer people of a certain age and we benefit from certain parts of progress. But at the end of the day, like you have to care about all the people in the community. Like it can't just be We got marriage equality, work divas, and then you just clock out. Like, you're in for a penny, you're in for a pound.
Ryan : So to the queer folks explicitly listening, all 4.5 of you probably, um please, please, please call your legislators. Show up for trans people.
Ryan : Fight bigots, honestly. Do that. Let's start. Go do that.
Uxy (He/Him) : Like, like physically hit them, go up to them and just hit.
Ryan : Yeah, correct. Correct.
Uxy (He/Him) : I'm sorry, don't do that.
Ryan : Correct.
Uxy (He/Him) : We don't go to violence.
Ryan : We do. we No, we don't have we don't have to be politically whatever on this podcast.
Shauna (she/her): Well,
Ryan : I'm saying what the fuck I want.
Shauna (she/her): politically whatever is actually our tagline.
Ryan : ah
Shauna (she/her): The... Well, but you know, you could really, again, you can trace this current moment back to today and the Oberchapel decision because that was where they were like, well, okay, we lost marriage equality.
Shauna (she/her): How do we still get people to give us money to fight against this group of people? And that's where then they galvanized around fighting against trans people is is because they once they lost to this front, they had to move on.
Ryan : Yeah.
Ryan : Yep.
Shauna (she/her): And in turn also like thinking about like what, you know, ways to like step up, be vocal and all of those kinds of things and how important they are. Just making sure that, cause they're going come, you know, and if you need something to be like, oh my gosh, yeah, but it doesn't affect me.
Ryan : Yeah.
Ryan : Wait,
Shauna (she/her): i have unfortunate news to tell you cause they're coming for you too. Cause if you think they're going to be like, well, Obergefell you know, the law of the land, it's settled case law.
Ryan : I'll just turn.
Shauna (she/her): I have, real bad news because it is not gonna they're going to keep going and they are not content to just take my rights away they're gonna come for yours too and then another groups after that because that is what they do to anybody who doesn't live the way they want you to so sorry
Ryan : Yeah.
Ryan : Yeah.
Ryan : Yeah, I guess, I guess that was on our spirits. We needed to to say those things out loud. um But let's continue with the happy because um there's so much to be excited about.
Shauna (she/her): yeah
Ryan : And we've been sitting here talking about Shea Guilherme, we haven't even like been like, who we will be talking about in just a little bit because ah she's on Ironheart.
Shauna (she/her): That's true.
Ryan : um But the other, yes.
Shauna (she/her): And I was so excited about that too. Like getting, like, like to watch her season right before this was very coincidentally wonderful.
Ryan : Yes.
Shauna (she/her): i was really glad for that.
Ryan : Yeah. Who really won Sasha Velour?
Uxy (He/Him) : the fact that The fact that some people prepare for Marvel films by watching previous films or shows, but Shauna watched Drag Race for
Ryan : Right. Yeah. And that's on intersectionally.
Uxy (He/Him) : that. Oh.
Ryan : um Speaking of big words, we have to give a big shout out to our darling friend, Uxmal, who, since the last time he was on this podcast, has completed his bachelor's degree in health science.
Ryan : Yes. Yes.
Uxy (He/Him) : Yes.
Ryan : Congratulations. i
Uxy (He/Him) : Thank you.
Ryan : That's right. Okay, good. How does she feel?
Uxy (He/Him) : Mm-hmm.
Ryan : you are the, um like, getting your degree in your 20s is like, there's so much social pressure around it. I absolutely don't know what I would have done.
Ryan : I probably would have still done the traditional
Shauna (she/her): Thank you.
Ryan : route that I went, but like having gone to school as an adult and managed it like full time, like I had a different level of commitment to it and like actually learned the things I was studying.
Ryan : So like, what's it like to, what was your experience like as an adult learner?
Uxy (He/Him) : ah I mean, I'm still your average himbo.
Ryan : Correct.
Uxy (He/Him) : I can be book smart.
Ryan : Thank you.
Shauna (she/her): You're above average, don't sell yourself short.
Uxy (He/Him) : Still kind of stupid. Just slightly. But I will say I'm a much better learner as a 30-year-old than I would have been probably in my 20s.
Ryan : Yeah.
Uxy (He/Him) : Growing up in a very on-the-leash household where like the walls could not get busted open any quicker, the minute I did that, it was like, I don't care about anything other than just like experiencing life.
Uxy (He/Him) : Like, I just want to go out and do things like I don't want to be tied to anything like I'll get there.
Ryan : Yeah. Me right now.
Uxy (He/Him) : Then 10 years later, I got there. ah
Ryan : Yeah.
Uxy (He/Him) : but like, i I'm.
Ryan : But you know what? You didn't waste a bunch of fucking money or time like,
Uxy (He/Him) : Right.
Shauna (she/her): Thank you.
Ryan : like Again, I remember the weirdest things about my undergrad experience and it like when it comes to the education of it.
Uxy (He/Him) : Yeah.
Ryan : So congratulations.
Uxy (He/Him) : And if I would have gone to actual school, it would have been, the a adult ah again, another experience because they I would have gotten, the ADHD in me would have been like, oh, what's that? And like forgotten about homework and not focused as much.
Ryan : Yeah.
Uxy (He/Him) : Like this way, I'm much more disciplined. I'm a very different person. it was a lot easier to just like zone in cut things out, even like sign off social media for a little bit when I needed to. Like I would have never been able to do that in my 20s.
Ryan : Yeah. You really did. Yeah.
Uxy (He/Him) : So it was, I'm glad I did it.
Ryan : Well,
Uxy (He/Him) : Thank you.
Ryan : We are very proud of you. um Congratulations again. We've obviously celebrated you and we'll celebrate you for as long as we want to, but you know everyone should know and we should always love our friends.
Ryan : um Before we jump into the iron heart of it all, the only things that we...
Shauna (she/her): a show about loving your friends, you know?
Ryan : Sure,
Uxy (He/Him) : Honestly.
Shauna (she/her): just...
Ryan : sure, sure
Ryan : Yeah, in the same exact way, too, where um one of you is going to become my brain-mapped AI. it'll Actually, my brain-mapped AI is just going to be in um like an amalgamation of of like the nerds that I'd be thinking of. Like, Sean would think this is so cool.
Shauna (she/her): Oh yeah, like Steven Universe.
Ryan : And then... Yeah! Aw, yeah, we're fusing! Let's definitely do an episode about Steven Universe. Not in a gay way, Sean. I saw that fucking slutty little smirk when I said we're fusing.
Shauna (she/her): you and picked them by thank
Ryan : Jesus Christ. um The only other things on here, I don't think we talked about it ah when we reassembled, but the Buffy reboot is coming. um And unsurprisingly, Allison Hannigan, these whack ass fronts for them to try to like reintroduce them into the, um it's like a ah television show. I feel like we're on the like,
Uxy (He/Him) : you
Ryan : so I don't know, like the studio or something where it's like, hey, we need to start getting them um back in the public eye. And especially as like the twosomes, we want to we want them to be associated together. Let's you know what really will you know, will really make people think about it.
Ryan : Sponsors for a meningitis vaccine. That's really what I'm like, Alison Hannigan and Sarah Michelle Gellar. Let's get them on the Today Show to talk about the meningitis vaccine?
Shauna (she/her): Yeah, you know, fighting evil, of course, obviously.
Uxy (He/Him) : Yeah.
Ryan : ah Right, of course, of course.
Shauna (she/her): Meningitis?
Ryan : i High school is hell because you can get meningitis from the water fountains. It's wild. And then now Charisma Carpenter has... um
Shauna (she/her): Meningitis?
Ryan : No, Charisma Carpenter. As far as we know, ah we should we should go on record.
Shauna (she/her): o Okay, okay.
Ryan : We are not up to date on Charisma Carpenter's...
Ryan : Okay. um Charisma Carpenter has a podcast coming out called The Bitch is Back.
Uxy (He/Him) : The bitch is back.
Ryan : like
Uxy (He/Him) : Yeah.
Ryan : so again, trying to read...
Shauna (she/her): The bitches vaxxed from meningitis?
Ryan : Shut up. Put it down. put it down okay
Shauna (she/her): anything
Ryan : so yes we we do think no we do believe that uh this is a great way to get them in front of us again she'll she'll run this podcast until she doesn't anymore and then you know they'll finish off this vaccine campaign oh and look at that they're announcing alice and hannigan rejoining the fucking cast of buffy the vampire slayer like give it, I don't think Cordy will be back in the first season of the reboot.
Shauna (she/her): Thank you.
Ryan : I think she'll be back. Well, maybe if, but not right away, they can't make it too desperate, but, um and we got more Fantastic Four trailers, um which we will be seeing next month.
Shauna (she/her): Oh, wait, before we move on so I want to talk about something that Sarah Michelle Gellar said, floating the idea that even characters who died are still able to come back, speaking of Chris McCarpenter.
Ryan : Yes, please.
Shauna (she/her): And so I wanted to discuss what you all think about this, like, kind of just, like, having the canon, but kind of, you know, having it little bit soft, being malleable, not being so tied to decisions from a different era.
Ryan : Mm-hmm.
Uxy (He/Him) : Yes.
Ryan : Yeah.
Shauna (she/her): And I think they're, like, because, you know, some of my favorite characters are dead. Hey, actually, what a great other segue to Ironheart.
Ryan : Correct.
Ryan : Yeah. Shut up. No, that's not a great segue to Ironheart. Finish out your question.
Shauna (she/her): Ouch. Well, I was just saying that anyways.
Ryan : Yeah, correct.
Shauna (she/her): But so my question then is, like, how do you feel about, like, the canon, like, being willing to just kind of be like, you know what, that's fine.
Ryan : Dead friends.
Shauna (she/her): We could just erase this. This is a either ah a um a related but different universe or like how do you think they actually go about doing that if that's the case like I don't know
Ryan : Uxmo, your thoughts?
Uxy (He/Him) : I mean, I guess it depends. Like, I feel like if they go completely off, because I mean, they had the comic book series that picked up after the end of the last season.
Ryan : Right.
Uxy (He/Him) : And if they just disregard that completely, I mean, there was some pretty cool shit in that as far as like magic is related.
Ryan : We're super bullshit.
Uxy (He/Him) : so like, that's possible like if they want to i mean how many people have come back from the dead on the show in general so and even an angel too so like nothing is impossible but i think it also just depends on what route they take as far as like is the comic book canon or is it a completely different as much as i fucking hate it multiverse of the buffy verse okay
Shauna (she/her): True.
Ryan : Hello.
Shauna (she/her): true
Ryan : Right. Well, so they did give us the multiverse with Slayers, um the audio book.
Shauna (she/her): well
Ryan : And that, I was not wild about it. It was cool. It was really good to have new Buffy content to consume. And I would be lying if I didn't say, you know, it didn't it didn't scratch an itch.
Ryan : But like, you can't, part of what we love so much about Buffy is the dynamic between the characters and like, you don't get that in the same way when you're watching them. Like the story was cool.
Ryan : um You know, I liked that Tara was in Slayers. If anything, I think it would be cool for them to follow that um season eight, nine.
Ryan : Cause I think season eight in the comics,
Shauna (she/her): Oh, I don't think that Xander should date...
Shauna (she/her): oh well, Dawn. That's...
Ryan : Oh, yeah. Well, in all the ways. One, because Xander is definitely not coming back. That motherfucker is...
Shauna (she/her): Yeah.
Ryan : He's gone. Gone, gone, gone. And also RIP Michelle Trachtenberg.
Uxy (He/Him) : Yeah.
Shauna (she/her): Hmm.
Ryan : I did think about that. Someone...
Shauna (she/her): Oh, yeah, that is a character... You're right, Nikki Rudden is not getting brought back. They have a better chance of bringing the the twin.
Ryan : Correct.
Shauna (she/her): Yeah. Like, and just be like, Xander!
Ryan : Correct. Correct.
Shauna (she/her): It's like when Spike trying to do an American accent. Xander!
Ryan : Yes, my pal Xander here.
Shauna (she/her): Xander!
Ryan : Um... Yeah, I mean, we don't need we don't need Xander back. the The only thing, like, that... As long as they do it right, Anya dying was, like, unjustifiable.
Ryan : But we had, like, a really good time with Anya where, like, I would not be mad at seeing her again. But I don't know that I need on i need Anya back.
Ryan : I feel like I need Cordy back. Like, she was... What was, I just rewatched Angel season four and it's other than like the bad stuff. It's so good. The whole lead up until we find out that Cordelia is pregnant is so fucking good. Like I was just sitting there like, this is such good, fun, like kind of dark twisted television. And yeah,
Ryan : and Like how it, it just, and the season five episode, You're Welcome does not do it justice because she still ends up dying. Like it, we need, we need justice for Cordy.
Ryan : I kind of feel like justice for Tara because again, like as a queer woman, but like my only, my only thought is it would have been really cool to see Tara's relationship to magic continue evolving.
Ryan : Like what was her magic style? Who was she going to become as a witch? Like, I think that would have been, there's there's something to build on there.
Shauna (she/her): Well, you know, and a term that we've talked about before, and I think is actually, you know, the kind of almost speaks to the faux progressiveness of Joss Whedon is Tara got fridged to further the story of her partner.
Ryan : Right, right.
Shauna (she/her): Which is yeah thing that, yeah, and like it's it's more progressive because it's a woman, but it's still getting rid of this amazing woman just to further the plot, because just throwing her away.
Ryan : Who's a woman?
Ryan : Right, right.
Shauna (she/her): Like really, like the main the major plots, like at least Anya I feel had storylines, like going through like her plot with the Vengeance Demon.
Ryan : Yeah, she died fighting.
Shauna (she/her): Yeah, she died fighting. She also lived fighting and had a lot of different arcs, be it with Xander, be it with her relationship with Halfric and the demon, the vengeance demon.
Ryan : Yeah.
Ryan : yeah Hoffren
Shauna (she/her): But to Hoffren, yeah. To Hoffren Law. And so...
Ryan : yeah so I think if anyone yep really and truly that's like the chunk of season five that I'm like they're in the sweet spot fucking checkpoint and family uh two of my favorite episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer period um
Shauna (she/her): But Terra got the family, that one episode with her family, called it a day. And that was a great episode, don't get me wrong. I love that episode. But...
Shauna (she/her): Yeah.
Ryan : Okay, so now let's get into Ironheart because, ah you know, we do have to talk about three episodes and this doesn't need to be you know, feature length film.
Shauna (she/her): yeah
Ryan : So, Uxmal, what do you know about Ironheart? What was your exposure to her before the the show
Uxy (He/Him) : So I did read her series when it first came out, when it was introduced. Like they called it like Ironheart, Iron hard um and Man, like 2.0 or something. It was like her first real introduction um where she's like 15.
Shauna (she/her): and
Uxy (He/Him) : so the same age as she is. in No, in the show. How is she in the show?
Ryan : She's like a college graduate.
Shauna (she/her): She's an adult.
Uxy (He/Him) : No, she's.
Ryan : Yeah.
Shauna (she/her): yeah but But she's like an adult.
Uxy (He/Him) : No, she's underage.
Shauna (she/her): Because she was at, she went to school at 15 in college.
Ryan : Yeah.
Shauna (she/her): she went That's when she started college, if I'm not mistaken.
Uxy (He/Him) : Oh, you're right, you're right, you're right, you're you're right.
Shauna (she/her): And then she was still at school for, they because they made a comment for like five years.
Uxy (He/Him) : you right
Ryan : Yeah.
Shauna (she/her): So she's she is a adult, but a very distinctively young adult.
Ryan : Yes.
Uxy (He/Him) : You're right, you're right, you're right. Context. um But yes, they introduced her in the comics at 15. So it's like when she starts college. um But I read that run, didn't really pick up anything up after that, really, um other than tie-ins to certain stories. But her like first initial introduction was pretty cool. um They give her her own ah nemesis ah with like some villainess that like was against S.H.I.E.L.D. She was like working with S.H.I.E.L.D. at the end of it.
Uxy (He/Him) : She teams up with like Pepper in it. It's a really cool, fun story and a really good... intro to this like new dynamic character um post tony stark's death that's supposed to like take this mantle um and the way like her story in there matches almost like to a t minor a few changes here and there but like to the storyline they built for her in the show it almost matches like that very first run that they introduced riri in to like the marvel comics
Ryan : Yeah. Shauna, what about you?
Shauna (she/her): Well, to be honest, I didn't know a lot. And so, of course, thankfully we had Disney and Marvel to... Still actually not tell me a lot because they hardly promoted the damn show.
Ryan : Yeah.
Shauna (she/her): And I have to talk about that because I'm just so frustrated that this show got so little play beforehand.
Ryan : Correct.
Shauna (she/her): We got so little sneak peeks and previews.
Ryan : Yeah.
Shauna (she/her): And I know it's just a little short six episode burst, but I still feel like they really could have done better.
Uxy (He/Him) : Thank you.
Shauna (she/her): But honestly, I just knew i knew of her like because I knew like I knew her name, but I didn't know
Ryan : Yeah.
Shauna (she/her): really anything about her because that was just not a period where I really read comics like firsthand so I just read of them and so I just I've only learned things and so I've been really interested to kind of get to know this character her personality and all that sort of such
Ryan : yeah
Ryan : So you also, you there was also a time period where you weren't seeing the Marvel movies in theaters. Did you, so I can't remember, did you see Wakanda Forever?
Shauna (she/her): No, I still have not seen Wakanda Forever, actually.
Ryan : Shauna.
Shauna (she/her): I know.
Uxy (He/Him) : That was her intro to like the MCU.
Shauna (she/her): i know, and it's one of those movies, like...
Ryan : Yeah.
Shauna (she/her): Yeah.
Ryan : She, um its ah it's a tough one. um not because it's bad, but because there's a lot of grief. It is a grief filled movie.
Shauna (she/her): e
Ryan : Like really just when you're like, yeah, yeah.
Shauna (she/her): And that's why haven't seen it.
Ryan : That's. And as I was saying it, I was like, Ooh, and actually, I, I mean, I, you should, it's important because they introduce a lot of things, obviously. um
Shauna (she/her): If I had seen it, I would have been like, but I think once, now that I'm in this like past period of having watched, I'm like, well, when do I want to sit down and deal with the weight of it?
Ryan : Namely.
Ryan : Yeah.
Shauna (she/her): Because it is so heavy and feeling all that.
Ryan : Yeah.
Shauna (she/her): And I know it'll get to me. so
Ryan : Yeah. Well, um it does introduce Namor and ah he's definitely going to be.
Shauna (she/her): Say no more.
Ryan : it Yeah, exactly.
Shauna (she/her): Money more.
Ryan : Namor? No, baby. um Con Namor.
Uxy (He/Him) : Mas,
Ryan : I'm trying to. Yeah. um and he got Okay. So anyways, so um I, the only exposure I really had was she's um she's in a run of the champions that's led by Kamala Khan, before they retconned her to be a mutant, ah there was a, ah it was when the time displaced X-Men stuck around for a minute. So there was like young Cyclops.
Ryan : um Actually, I might be combining teams, but I'm pretty sure it was like young Cyclops. um I want to say Miles Morales is on the team. um Viv Vision, the Vision's daughter.
Shauna (she/her): Thank
Ryan : um and Miles might not be on it. I might just be combining, like, teen superheroes. But distinctly remember Viv Vision because Viv Vision has a crush on Ironheart and she kisses her.
Ryan : And Riri's like, no thank you, in, like, the most, I'm not, like, polite way. um and So it was, that was really cool to see her in it. I didn't have a lot of exposure to her other than um that and Wakanda forever. So um to the point you were making, i will always have, like, I will always just be super loud and annoying about the Disney shows or the Marvel shows that spotlight like black folks and especially like characters that aren't well-known or like really well
Ryan : regarded even like it's like the toxic fandom uses a legitimate um uh what's the word gripe which is like grievance thank you um that like you know you can't it is really hard to top uh
Shauna (she/her): Grievance.
Ryan : Tony Stark. Like, Tony Stark as Iron Man has a place in people's hearts, both in the greater Marvel Universe, but then also in the MCU specifically, because that those movies were, like, the formal start of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Ryan : but you also can't uncouple the fact that it's a black girl. Like just like the same thing with, we were talking about with Captain America, like, yeah, Chris Evans as Cap was great. um But this is a real character that exists with like a really interesting and compelling backstory that is different than theirs.
Ryan : So like, would you rather have an interesting transition from Iron Man to Iron Heart
Shauna (she/her): Yes.
Ryan : Or would you rather have just like, oh, it's another goofy tech guy. Like, whoop, doop, doop, doop. Like, that it's not nearly as interesting. if they They could have done all this stuff with a um a young white man, like all the same life circumstances, and it still would not hit the what it in the same way because it doesn't have that additional weight that we all have to recognize, which is like, it's a million times harder for black girls to do these things And so when we don't get these, um when we don't get the appropriate promo, it's like, it's really hard to say, like, is this not, is this, is that what it is? Like, what is the difference between this and Agatha all along?
Ryan : Why did Agatha all along get like daily in-depth, emotionally compelling promos across multiple forms of media? Like, there were posters in the wild again.
Ryan : Like they were treating this like it was a ah movie to be seen. And it was obviously, but then like Ironheart gets nothing at like, the but but like collectively that we, they just dropped that behind the scenes thing.
Uxy (He/Him) : 15 minutes.
Uxy (He/Him) : Yeah.
Ryan : What like a week ago, we haven't gotten any behind the scenes footage. And also,
Shauna (she/her): Yeah.
Ryan : Marvel idiots. Ryan Coogler is the most well regarded, you know, person in movie making right now because of sinners. And you didn't you all didn't think to ride that high.
Uxy (He/Him) : So I think that's actually why but i have a theory.
Ryan : too. Actually, i was thinking that.
Uxy (He/Him) : So like when but when Bob Iger came on and was like, we need to flip this shit. Y'all are doing like too much. You're not doing, you you're doing, you're wasting a lot of money and projects were getting cut left and right or whatever.
Uxy (He/Him) : I think Ironheart was on the chopping block because I mean, they shot this a while ago. So like, I mean, we're still, I think we're,
Ryan : Right. Right.
Uxy (He/Him) : almost at the tail end of like the covid delays of it all and like like what we still have wonder man that has to come out at some point which was also like happening and casting during covid so like i think we're finally at that tail end of the catch-up of covid but i think there was a time where there were projects wonder man included i'm surprised like they were even like still green lighting that but ironheart may have been on the chopping block and i think
Shauna (she/her): Thank you.
Ryan : right
Ryan : right
Uxy (He/Him) : because Black Panther 2 did so well with Ryan Coogler and then Sinners came out, I think they were like, no, we can't cut this. like he's Like, this has to be good because his name is attached to it. And I think that's what really may have saved it.
Ryan : Right.
Uxy (He/Him) : And I think that's why there's so little marketing because the marketing team maybe just did not have enough time to you know, accumulate everything. And then, i mean, they really should have just done it over like ah maybe three weeks.
Uxy (He/Him) : Like if you're really going to drop these episodes, like do it in twos and like give her at least three weeks or at least get it into to where it's like the week before the Fantastic Four.
Ryan : Yeah.
Uxy (He/Him) : You are like we got we just got another final trailer. What yesterday for a Fantastic Four.
Ryan : Right.
Uxy (He/Him) : So like you definitely will are still getting your money for it.
Ryan : Right.
Uxy (He/Him) : It doesn't hurt to extend it and give them an extra week and and don't know, give it the at the time it deserves.
Shauna (she/her): Yeah, that it's releasing a online. It's not like they've got to like fit in a TV schedule. You're like, nope, beep, press the button. Cool.
Uxy (He/Him) : Yeah.
Ryan : Yeah.
Shauna (she/her): Now it's like, come on.
Ryan : I mean, there's also, I would actually love to be a part of that decision-making team because there's also this like, I don't know, do we want it in like, not that anything should, the racist, misogynistic, loser, fucking toxic fandom, do they shouldn't, say they should not be considered in any decision-making
Shauna (she/her): Thank you.
Ryan : And also, we can't pretend that they don't exist. So, like, having Black Captain America at the start of this year and then Riri Williams, like, I just, it would have been insufferable. They would have been insufferable.
Ryan : And it just, it's a shame because the other side of that coin is, like, hey, you want to know why Sinners has like, it continues to break records because um Black folks make it a point to show out for stuff. So even the nerds that, even even the nerds of color, and I won't even just say Black folks because I definitely think it is, but specifically Black but folks for other Black creatives, like That stuff, you're pandering the wrong way, baby. Pander to us. Pander to the other, the people that are pushed away from the fandom, because there's so many more of us than there are of them.
Ryan : And it just...
Shauna (she/her): And this show feels so pandered in this, like, and I think that's one thing that I really enjoy.
Ryan : Yes.
Shauna (she/her): Like, it's very clearly written.
Ryan : It's so black. Oh my God, it's so black.
Shauna (she/her): It's very much so, like...
Ryan : Let's please...
Shauna (she/her): Oh, wait, here.
Ryan : Let's get into it because...
Shauna (she/her): right One thing real quick before we do, because I want to make sure i think it's really interesting, like bringing up Riri Williams, bringing up Shuri, know, or at least alluding to her.
Ryan : Yo, sorry, people.
Shauna (she/her): I think it's very fascinating, you know, like I have a child and like seeing that there's now an archetype of black girl scientist. And that is actually like a very like it to the point that is like it is a its own trope now, which I think is really fascinating and which isn't a bad thing.
Ryan : Yes.
Ryan : Sure.
Shauna (she/her): Because frankly, we need more science right now.
Ryan : sure
Shauna (she/her): We need more people to be like, what if, and hear me out, we read a book and actually learn things and did things.
Ryan : but
Shauna (she/her): And great. Yes, please.
Ryan : What if we used our powers for good?
Shauna (she/her): Love that. We're good.
Ryan : Yeah.
Shauna (she/her): Yeah, no, but absolutely.
Ryan : Yes.
Shauna (she/her): and And so I just think that's really like, I love that as a part of this is I just want to make sure I made call out before we jumped in.
Ryan : Yes.
Ryan : Yes, which will come up later because um there are other, ah there's lots of smart black girls in this and we were hoping, kind of guessing that one of them that we saw would be Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, but we have learned that it is not her.
Ryan : If you are listening to this and have not watched moon girl and devil dinosaur on Disney plus, it is remarkable programming. That is perfect for your kid. If you have kids and perfect for you as an adult, like it's just a great cartoon.
Ryan : It feels so good. but Um, but in perfect now segueing into the actual show,
Shauna (she/her): Yeah.
Ryan : um Lunella, who we were just talking about as Moon Girl, and Riri Williams are two of the smartest people in the Marvel Universe. Like, there's no real way to... Wait, what?
Uxy (He/Him) : They're not.
Ryan : Did you it?
Uxy (He/Him) : ah Moon Girl, I'm pretty sure Lunella is smarter than Riri. um And Riri is probably at the same intellect that Tony Stark is, maybe smarter than Tony Stark, but she's not smarter than Reed Richards or Victor Von Doom, who are two of the most... or No, I'm sorry.
Uxy (He/Him) : Victor Von Doom, Franklin... um Not Franklin. Reed Richards and his daughter Valeria Richards are three of the smartest people on the planet.
Ryan : Yes, but I think in the larger canon, when they're talking about, like, the geniuses of Marvel, like, they, I think they are now included in it. It used to be, like, it's just these, you know, the the people who are in, like, the fucking Illuminati and the car in the comics, but, like, amongst the greatest minds, they have superhuman intellect. They are considered was one of the greatest, some of the greatest minds in the Marvel universe. Like,
Uxy (He/Him) : Mm-hmm.
Ryan : um And anyways, none of that matters. ah Well, it does matter. It does matter a lot. um But we are going to jump into our Ironheart conversations.
Ryan : um We are going to be talking about episode episodes one through three. So if um you have not watched them, this is obviously a time to stop listening. um But we will do our
Shauna (she/her): Or just nod along if you're my spouse.
Ryan : right Exactly. Please. Okay, I do just have to say really quickly, on the last episode, um we were talking about Thunderbolts, and I made a comment.
Shauna (she/her): is
Ryan : I was like, you know, we we we like we should avoid spoilers or like give a spoiler warning, but like you know this movie came out in April. like If you haven't seen it, just like I don't know what to tell you.
Ryan : And then... Dara affirmed. Dara said, yeah. If you listen, Dara affirms that like it would be silly to not give spoilers.
Ryan : Only for ah me to find out after recording stopped that Dara had not in fact seen Thunderbolts and I spoiled the entire ending of the movie for them in real time.
Ryan : They never objected or raised... Neither did Shauna. I watched it back.
Shauna (she/her): i I knew, i oh yeah, but I was like, full well that they were, because they are very, ah like, their your spoilers are not a deal to them.
Ryan : Sure, sure.
Shauna (she/her): And so I knew that, and also I knew that it would be much more awkward for them to point out that they didn't know about it, and then to then so stifle our conversation, like, that would be, like, the worst case scenario for them.
Ryan : Sure.
Shauna (she/her): So I was like, that's sort of like, I'm just going to, like, yeah, of course, honey, just all of us who have seen Thunderbolts.
Ryan : Just let it rock. Yeah, it was just too funny.
Ryan : Yes. Oh, yes. Everyone here is a person who has seen Thunderbolts. um So everyone here is a person who has watched all three episodes of Iron man of iron Heart,
Shauna (she/her): Barely, but yes.
Ryan : Yes, you just finished in time, I'm guessing.
Shauna (she/her): Literally finished 10 minutes before, 10 minutes before filming.
Ryan : Great.
Shauna (she/her): so, you know, you've got genius Riri Williams, who is, for some reason, being taught by the community, principal ah the principal of the college at Community.
Shauna (she/her): so
Ryan : Sure.
Shauna (she/her): Jim Rash. And so he's that, that guy anyways.
Ryan : ah Yeah, I know who he is.
Shauna (she/her): so
Ryan : I just, yeah.
Shauna (she/her): And she plagiarizing and getting, you know, she's because basically she's making money for a suit. So she is selling her papers because it's funny that this, a world with an is not also a world with ai that you can then just use to write your papers instead of having to pay Riri Williams write them for you.
Ryan : Right.
Shauna (she/her): So just, you know,
Ryan : Right.
Shauna (she/her): Fascinating.
Ryan : Right. right The other part that is important, as we mentioned earlier, is um this kind of like immediately follows Black Panther 2 Wakanda Forever.
Ryan : um She, for people that didn't see it, she is recruited by Shuri and Okoye. um I'm not going to spoil it. And for, because she is recruited by Shuri and Okoye and taken to Wakanda under the guise that it is an internship.
Ryan : um that she's been scouted for in Wakanda.
Shauna (she/her): Thank you.
Ryan : So um we see her create the suit for the first time. She uses the suit for the first time. and then the show picks back up um with her back at MIT in a disciplinary hearing because she has been selling homework lately.
Ryan : um One of the things, like a couple of the the notes that I had, um i did notice that when she's doing her whole spiel about her fundraising technique, she like is looking at a um i ah spiral notebook.
Ryan : And at one point she flips it over and um the word power is written written really, really big with um red around it, which we will get to later about ah the...
Shauna (she/her): Thank you.
Ryan : the red highlight and how um that is probably one of the ways that Marvel likes to drop breadcrumbs. But Riri gets ah booted from MIT and returns home after yoinking her suit from MIT because she built it with her grant money.
Ryan : She flies home and crashes and we are introduced to her family, including Yes, please go ahead, Sean.
Shauna (she/her): Oh, just, well, but also, how shitty of MIT to remove the ai knowing that she is mid-flight, literally endangering her life.
Ryan : Yeah.
Shauna (she/her): That is so grossly negligent.
Ryan : Mm-hmm.
Uxy (He/Him) : From New York to Chicago,
Ryan : Yeah.
Shauna (she/her): Right.
Ryan : Yep.
Shauna (she/her): How awful. Like, of the many, like, kicking her out was bad, of course, like even though, like, I get it.
Ryan : Right.
Shauna (she/her): by the but But that was unnecessary, and so I needed to point that out.
Ryan : Yeah. Yeah.
Shauna (she/her): Also, i love the i love a show that does a uses the scenery to spell out the name of the show every episode.
Ryan : i
Ryan : me two Me too, me too.
Shauna (she/her): i am such a fan of that, and I really liked the ones in the show, so I just wanted to, while we're at the title sequence, i want to make sure I pointed that out.
Ryan : Same. Yes.
Ryan : Yes.
Shauna (she/her): right.
Ryan : um And um one thing that I did also appreciate is that they have this moment that is a real moment that happens between Black folks where the dean of the college, some a woman in position of power who is a Black woman, um has she kind of calls her out because Riri is giving her spiel about how like she's been under resourced and all she really needs is money and blah, blah, blah.
Ryan : And then the lady's like, no, no, don't do that. Don't do that. You're don't you're not going to swindle me, girl. um And it is just this beautiful moment of how Black folks do often look out for each other in those spaces. But sometimes, like, I got you did the thing. I can't I can only do so much for you.
Ryan : um So we are introduced to Riri's family after an adorable little boy hustles her to take her broken suit in his little red wagon because we love to see it.
Ryan : um And we meet Riri's mom and her group of friends who include Cree Summer, one of the greatest voice actors of our entire generation.
Ryan : ah i i can't think of all the things that she's been I'm pretty sure she's the original voice for Susie ah from The Rugrats.
Shauna (she/her): i was that Susie Carmichael, absolutely.
Ryan : And there's so many others. And she's also been on Abbott Elementary the last couple of seasons. And she's so funny. um but In the introduction to them, um we learn that Riri is experiencing grief and um because her stepfather and best friend were killed.
Ryan : We don't get all of the information right away, um but that is how we are we that information is brought to us, this like kind of pivotal moment. And we learn that Riri has not dealt with her grief. like They tell us kind of explicitly about it.
Ryan : um So yeah, ah she had also texted her friend Xavier on the way, and I was like weirdly just like, Xavier, to say like, hey, meet me up, ah because like she was coming back into town, and he pops his head in when Riri gets there and he says, Hey black people, which is one of my favorite ways that black people greet each other. Uh, and so again, this show is super black. Like it is super black.
Ryan : Um, so yeah, we meet her, we meet her parents and we learn about this grief. Um, first thoughts, any notes there feels like good point to pause and, and see, um, what, what our thoughts are so far.
Uxy (He/Him) : Well, it's pretty comic accurate. um When Ruby is introduced in like her first series, um her best friend does die and her best friend's is also named Allie. So it's like a really good, clean copy paste information wise.
Ryan : Mm-hmm.
Shauna (she/her): okay
Uxy (He/Him) : um Die is the same way also in a drive by. um But when she's introduced, she's not in that grief. So they, the way that they adjust it from like the comics to the series, like in the comics, I think it happens when she's like,
Uxy (He/Him) : 10 and then you they introduce her in the comics at 15 when she's like kind of dealt with it this one it seems like they're meshing those two where it's like we're meeting her as she's at this age it happened recently I think it happened when she was like what 16 18 mm-hmm eighteen
Ryan : Yeah, so I think it was before she went away to school. So I feel like maybe she, it was like couple years, because they definitely aged her down. They made her look younger.
Ryan : still Riri Williams in the flashback, but like the way they styled her with her clothes and her hair, they were making her look like, I would guess, like an early teenager, maybe 13, 14. So yeah, conclusion.
Uxy (He/Him) : me Yeah, and like they in like ah in the comics she has like this like behavior problem because she is so smart that she like lashes up because she's bored and she like needs things to do and then like her best friend dies and she becomes like very anti-social so it is a very good characteristics of the character build of who Riri is and like they're bringing it in this like modern
Shauna (she/her): Thank
Uxy (He/Him) : ah ah present form where they're still kind of like giving her a you know, the core of who she is and how she's going to become like, you know, Ironheart at the very end.
Ryan : Yeah.
Uxy (He/Him) : So I do like that they took those details and included them and it wasn't just like a brand new story because it's such a good story for her.
Ryan : Right. Yeah. And she does point, she does say, um in the disciplinary hearing, she's like, I'm teaching my professors how to do these things. Like they are establishing really like that. This girl doesn't belong in an institution because the institutions weren't made with people like her in mind,
Ryan : in terms of like who she is as a person, but then how smart she is and how much she can create. um So we definitely get the vibe that um RiRi's mom and her group of friends are very woo-woo. Like they're they're styled like, you know, um very cool, contemporary.
Ryan : Again, I will continue to use the word woo-woo, black girls. And Cree Summer is, while they're talking about like what sort of happened and her getting kicked out at MIT, um Cree Summer is like walking behind them and smudging the place with a ah sage.
Shauna (she/her): Mm-hmm.
Ryan : And yeah, she kind of talks shit. she She says like, I'm just trying to clear out all this stank ass aura you brought in. and ah I'm pretty sure there's something about, she really asks a question like,
Ryan : what what stone is good for ah something and that there's a joke and they mentioned black up city black obsidian which i did look up um and black i was thinking it might be some type of nod i think it's probably just because it's black if we're being honest like there's a lot of crystals that protect you but black obsidian is a powerful grounding and protective stone with deep spiritual meaning it's known for its ability to absorb negative energy cleanse the aura and promote
Shauna (she/her): Thank you.
Ryan : emotional healing and self-reflection. So that's like a lot of crystals that can help with that. But I think the intention with um Black Obsidian was like just to do more Black stuff. But that's just me. I love Black stuff.
Ryan : So...
Uxy (He/Him) : Bye.
Ryan : so We now get into a robbery scene, or I think we we jumped over the robbery scene when we were introduced to Parker Robbins as the hood and ah his gang of friends, including Eric Andre, which I did not know.
Ryan : And he just, I can't look at him and not laugh. Like, I just think he's a funny Not funny looking, but like you look at him and you're like, Eric Andre, you know? um And then ah who is the mech and tech kind of ah ah member of the team?
Ryan : Shea Coulee, who plays Slug, who is the hacker, who we learn is from Madripoor, which I think...
Shauna (she/her): i have That's one of the notes I had.
Ryan : i think They can still make her Dark Vale, which is ah the first drag queen mutant in the MCU. um But yeah, Shauna, what's your note?
Shauna (she/her): oh well, it was a Madripoor very much linking up with the X-Men. Because when I think of Madripoor, I think of the X-Men corner of the MCU.
Ryan : Yes.
Ryan : Or at least mutants.
Shauna (she/her): Yeah,
Ryan : Yeah. Yeah.
Shauna (she/her): But also, something that... but also something that is interesting that I'm actually not sure of. Is Kulé's character, they're they're not the first, they're one of only a small handful of people who use they, them pronouns?
Ryan : I feel like I can remember someone in a recent property, but no, they are top, like first, second, if not first.
Shauna (she/her): and
Shauna (she/her): Yeah, I was going to say, if not the first, distinctively so, and that's
Ryan : Right.
Shauna (she/her): Yeah, but I just thought that was just an interesting note of someone who very much, you know, again, with having, you know, in real life, you know, this amazing and probably should have won drag queen, and then have them actually then be this very, and wonderfully, like, genderqueer, fluid, just femme, like, really embodying such a swagger and just such a great, like,
Ryan : Yes.
Ryan : yeah truly yeah
Shauna (she/her): Oh, so good.
Ryan : um so we also meet the blood twins who are the fighters and i think one of them is actual is non-binary in real life so we don't we don't get all that backstory that backstory is in in episode two which i just realized but um We do get introduced to them by way of an attempted robbery that Eric Andre's character Rampage screws up.
Ryan : And so they need to replace him. And in order to ah replace him, they need to recruit.
Shauna (she/her): John.
Ryan : um They need to recruit a a new tech person. So they're going to fire him and Riri happens to like fly by as they're talking about it and crash in front of them.
Ryan : And so, uh, Parker sends his cousin, John, jo John, John, um, who is like his co-lead in the gang.
Uxy (He/Him) : Mm-hmm.
Shauna (she/her): john
Ryan : Um, he's the muscle, it seems like. And, uh, that he sends him to recruit her, gives her a little card because Riri is at the scrapyard collecting ah stuff to fix her suit that she destroyed while crashing.
Ryan : And he pays for it in cash and says like, I got your back here, come to this place. She goes to this place and it is immediately trap. to test her ability to break out.
Ryan : So um what are we feeling up to this point in ah in the show where we're about to see Riri really show off her geniusness?
Shauna (she/her): Hmm.
Uxy (He/Him) : on brand because like she's one of those characters like yes she's super smart but like even in the comics like she has a very hard time coming up with a concept for AI for her suit so a lot of the things that she does is very much like quick thinking like using her intellect to like work things around like in one training like there was this one panel um when she's using
Ryan : Yeah.
Ryan : Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Uxy (He/Him) : an AI that was provided by Tony Stark where she's like training whatever instead of like attacking all the bots that were surrounding her she like distracts them all and in the point like in the process is like uploading this virus to kind of take them all down at once so she's like thinking outside of the box because she can't she doesn't have those things so that's a very briri thing to do and that was a cool subtle way to be like yeah she's a genius
Shauna (she/her): You
Uxy (He/Him) : We actually she just got kicked out of MIT. But like the girl is super smart.
Ryan : Right.
Uxy (He/Him) : She can think on her feet. She doesn't have to be super high tech if she needs to.
Ryan : Right.
Uxy (He/Him) : like She also can like use her environment to get out of sticky situations and you know protect herself.
Shauna (she/her): you know
Ryan : Yes.
Ryan : Yes.
Shauna (she/her): Not to, like, the overused, but, like, yeah for lack of a better term, street smarts.
Ryan : Street smarts.
Shauna (she/her): It's the, like, the real, but it's the actual, but really, it's the practical application of her intellect and of her sciences of knowing all the different ways to do it, in is which I thought was such an interesting way of, like, kind of showing us who this character is.
Uxy (He/Him) : yes
Ryan : Yeah, totally.
Shauna (she/her): That she could have solved it with
Ryan : Yes.
Shauna (she/her): do do do do do like sciencey and was like no no I'm going to do the physical like the tough work that needs to be done to get it done yeah I thought that was a really cool moment
Ryan : Yeah.
Ryan : Yes. It was, um I think you both hit the nail on the head. like we need to know who she is and we need to know who she is fast because it's a a short show. Like they could have, you know, run this out over the course of however long, but like they needed to show us the type of smart she was really, really quickly.
Ryan : And she does it and, ah you know, breaks out of the elevator and is greeted by ah this this gang led by Parker Robbins in a hood, which I just have to say,
Ryan : um I know his name, but it's escaping me at the moment. The actor that plays him, oh, farts.
Shauna (she/her): Oh...
Ryan : I know his name.
Uxy (He/Him) : Oh, Anthony Ramos.
Ryan : Ramos, Anthony Ramos. Yes.
Uxy (He/Him) : Yes.
Ryan : um
Ryan : The little pin curls that he has and then the hood, he looks so stupid. He looks so silly. When he ties his hair back, it looks better.
Uxy (He/Him) : Yes.
Ryan : Like when the hood is up and you can't really see it, but when he's wearing that fucking hood with would like those little pin curls, I'm sorry, it's so silly. You look so silly.
Ryan : You look like a little kid who's about to do his first magic show ah for his parents that like he made up.
Shauna (she/her): No,
Ryan : Everyone come sit here. I'm going to do it here. You have to come over here and watch me. That's what he's giving in his little.
Shauna (she/her): no, no, you didn't see that. Yeah.
Ryan : No, no. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. You didn't see that. um So, yeah, ah he makes her a deal to he knows who she is. I don't know. I can't. Do either of you remember how he knows who she is?
Uxy (He/Him) : um Well, they scout her. I think he knows her because, I mean, she's been in the news because of her intellect. She's a kid genius. She got a time I see early.
Ryan : Right, right, or right,
Uxy (He/Him) : So like they know of her. And then they also, um because like from they're from the same city, like you hear about this like young black girl who gets an internship in Wakanda.
Shauna (she/her): you
Uxy (He/Him) : So like they know of her name. And when they see her suit flying by, they just put to it like, oh, Riri's back in town.
Ryan : Right.
Uxy (He/Him) : And so I think that's how they, it's just through happenstance or just through the, like guess, media that they know her.
Ryan : Right.
Ryan : Yeah. So um they he presents the truth to her and, and you know, they have a ah pretty frank conversation and he's like, yeah, we we we Robin Hood this shit. We rob from the rich and give to the poor and the poor is us.
Ryan : And we do learn at some point in another episode that um Parker has ah a secondary grudge. There's something else that was, um, uh, making him angry towards, you know, the, the super, super wealthy.
Ryan : Um, But she takes the cash advance and ah he tells her that they have a heist planned and she's going to need the suit.
Ryan : So she takes the cash advance and starts working on it. um And they give us a cute little montage that ends with her sticking her little um ah leads onto her head to start the brain mapping process.
Ryan : And in this brain mapping process, we get the real details of her best friend and her stepfather in a scene that is um really, really sweet and beautiful and sad.
Shauna (she/her): It was a lot.
Ryan : and um yeah, um what are your thoughts on that that whole, the the drive by scene?
Uxy (He/Him) : I mean, it was heavy.
Shauna (she/her): was a lot
Uxy (He/Him) : Yeah, it's it's sad to like think about like a parent and your best friend all in one night and you witnessing it and then being helpless and not being like it makes sense why she's so shut off from everything else.
Ryan : yeah
Ryan : Yeah.
Shauna (she/her): Thank you.
Uxy (He/Him) : And like so like a good thing is she's like the type she's just such a um let me get this thought up. She's a smart person who has like really given up on the world because of the trauma and tragedy that she has like seen and witnessed to the point now that she's like she wants to take control of it and do something to better the world and also like prevent death and prevent such tragedy.
Ryan : sure
Uxy (He/Him) : like She is so driven by this but like You can tell that she like kind of hates people in a way because of everything that she's been through.
Ryan : Yes. She's got a chip on her shoulder.
Uxy (He/Him) : Yeah, she's 100% like just shut off like no, I can't like focus on anything else until I get this one thing done because of this one bad thing that happened to me and I need to make it right because I couldn't do anything then.
Ryan : Yeah.
Ryan : Yeah.
Ryan : Yeah. So um what happens after the mapping process, um we get, ah we meet her new AI, which she accidentally modeled after her dead best friend, Natalie, um which is again, both so sad and so cool. Like imagine waking up from, from your sleep and seeing like your dead best friend in front of them, front of you. And they are fully,
Ryan : your best friend like it is wild i can't imagine just like waking up and being like what the fuck did i die am i like so she she sets up her her ai as natalie and uh they have a really funny interaction um and i think that's almost that's almost the end because
Shauna (she/her): Right.
Uxy (He/Him) : No, that is it. She passes out and then it's in the episode.
Shauna (she/her): ah that's That's the last moment.
Uxy (He/Him) : Yeah.
Ryan : Yes, that's how she wakes up. um What's the part with... um Maybe it's happening at the same time ah where we're seeing some stuff with what Parker's doing with the hood because they also use Sinner Man, the song by Nina Simone, which is one of my favorite Nina Simone songs, to... like show that he is slowly losing himself to the the the devil and it ends on the lyric um him saying like of her singing go to the devil and we see him like taking the hood off and it is very clear that this hood is not a good thing like it is evil and somehow connected to some very dark shit but we don't know what yet but we do have
Ryan : theories as individuals.
Shauna (she/her): Mephisto.
Ryan : It's Mephisto. God damn it, it's Mephisto.
Shauna (she/her): It's all I- Oh my god, that's Mephisto's music!
Ryan : it's It has to finally be Mephisto. I'm...
Shauna (she/her): Like, it's gonna be...
Ryan : This... Like... I'm really tired of getting fucked with for a character that I have such little interest in. Like, I don't give a fuck about Mephisto.
Ryan : Why am headcanoning shit about Mephisto? You know, how five years after we all thought it was gonna happen in WandaVision, we're still like... We're still the Leonardo DiCaprio meme of him pointing at the t at the TV.
Ryan : Like, it's still happening. It's working. You all are are dragging us along. um But yeah, overall thoughts on episode one. How do we rate it? How do we... um for For a season premiere, look treat it like a season premiere.
Ryan : how How do we feel?
Uxy (He/Him) : I would give it like at least an eight out of 10 for sure.
Ryan : Yeah.
Uxy (He/Him) : Like they did a really good job, like I said, of like altering the story, but not altering it too much to like her very first series. um She had an AI issue back then. She has an AI issue now.
Uxy (He/Him) : And it's a cool switch because in the comic she's given an ai persona of like before tony stark in the comics like actually dies he like imprints his entire like brain onto like an artificial intelligence thing and he actually gifts that to riri williams because he's like aware of her um knows the things that she's like going to be doing and so like that one piece she was missing he like gifts her and like that's her ai programming in the comic book so it's like a cool switch that like her ai programming again brain mapping but it's mapping something different
Ryan : Right.
Uxy (He/Him) : And it's her best friend now that's in there, which I think at at some point in her series, she does end up figuring out the AI tech and making her own. And i think she actually does come up with a Natalie after her best friend, but like years after, I think it's like Secret Wars that she does that.
Uxy (He/Him) : um So it's a cool, just little switch that they did and like how they're like Tony Stark's dead in the in this world also, but like he does nothing to her because he doesn't know her in that aspect.
Ryan : Right, right.
Uxy (He/Him) : Maybe, I don't know.
Ryan : Right. Yeah. Shauna, what are your thoughts this season premiere?
Shauna (she/her): Honestly, I feel like it was a little bit slow because they had to pack so much into it that there was a lot of exposition.
Uxy (He/Him) : Mm-hmm.
Ryan : sure
Shauna (she/her): I hurt... The people who are... like the people who are genuinely trying and on the fence, I think it might have hurt their buy-in if they weren't like I Like did me and Dara were both like, oh my gosh, I want to know more i cannot wait for the next one, but I can see where some people might have not had that reaction in or had felt it like because I think there were some parts in the middle that were a little more dragged along and were just a little bit slower, but also they had to introduce so many set pieces
Ryan : Sure. Sure.
Ryan : sure
Shauna (she/her): you know So i'm not like I'm not knocking it.
Ryan : sure
Shauna (she/her): And again, and I'm not trying to say like I didn't enjoy it because I absolutely did. But I think that trying to just think of it from that perspective. Right.
Ryan : yeah If it were a standalone, I think that would be totally true.
Shauna (she/her): yeah
Ryan : Like, if you had to wait another week for to see what happens, I could see how that would affect viewership.
Shauna (she/her): right
Ryan : But I also am like, okay, so yeah, they gave us all three. the first one, for me, and, you know, I know, obviously, I asked that, it like, as a season premiere, I think they did a good job with the hook at the at the end. Like, it sets you up to be curious about... um ah the hood and it sets you up with, yeah, exactly.
Shauna (she/her): Yeah. Yeah.
Ryan : It gives, it gives you the juxtaposition of like, here's what the hero's doing. Here's what the villain is doing. um But yeah, I, I, I totally agree. And, and um it, it, it was, it didn't drag per se, but ah a lot happened and nothing happened in, in the same breath, you know?
Shauna (she/her): yeah yeah Yeah, I think that is that's a good way of describing it. like because I said, I don't like... i was like i it wasn't slow, but also... like I feel like, again, it would have been better served as half an hour episodes where one ending you know the first one ah the first episode ends with the hood reveal.
Ryan : Sure.
Shauna (she/her): The second episode is the AI reveal or something like that. you know like
Ryan : Sure.
Shauna (she/her): I think they could have played with it in a way that maybe might have helped. But c'est la vie. I still liked it.
Ryan : Yeah. Okay,
Shauna (she/her): And I'm still like very excited to go into the next one.
Shauna (she/her): So first, this episode two starts with a wonderful reference to the show Sister Sister with a classic go home, Roger.
Shauna (she/her): it just was so good.
Ryan : And
Shauna (she/her): And again, like i I loved I love Sister Sister. It was one of my favorites.
Ryan : and
Shauna (she/her): And so I was so excited whenever like I see a reference to that. And so it starts with that, but then officially Riri does decide to join Parker's crew for this high-tech heist, and she gets some upgrades from her nerdy weapons collector named Joe, who she had to go through and find this, like, you know, black market dealer, and goes through, and they go on a little adventure together, and it was a very...
Shauna (she/her): I was like, okay, this guy clearly has a deal, and sure, and like like, I was like, okay, what is... like I was like, something is off with this guy. Like, it is...
Ryan : Yeah.
Shauna (she/her): Very odd, and I think at the end of the episode I want to make sure we talk about that because it's fucking bizarre.
Ryan : Yeah.
Shauna (she/her): But we do find out that the guy's deal is that he Obadiah Stain's child, Ezekiel. Ezekiel Stain.
Ryan : And we met Obadiah's, oh my God, what ah what a fucking name.
Shauna (she/her): Zeke Stain.
Ryan : um Zeke Stain, what up Zeke Stain?
Shauna (she/her): but
Ryan : Obadiah, we meet him in which Iron Man too?
Shauna (she/her): ah That he was the villain of the first one.
Uxy (He/Him) : He's the first one.
Shauna (she/her): Yeah.
Uxy (He/Him) : He was the villain that tried to kill him.
Ryan : Okay, got it.
Shauna (she/her): Because it was him and the Hammer Industries, like, he was, like, his, like, number two who then ultimately was, like...
Ryan : Yeah.
Shauna (she/her): Because, yeah, because the second one was Mickey Rourke.
Ryan : Sure.
Uxy (He/Him) : Boo.
Ryan : ah Just the way you said it, it's Mickey Rourke.
Shauna (she/her): And... Yes. As himself. and
Shauna (she/her): And the third one was definitely not the Mandarin.
Uxy (He/Him) : I want void.
Ryan : Right, exactly. um Okay, so keep keep it going and then we'll circle back.
Shauna (she/her): Yeah, yeah, yeah. All right, so you know, mid-mission, Natalie's trying to break free because reri is, like, not having it. She is very much upset with this whole, like, but dead best friend now is her ai that she needs.
Ryan : Yeah.
Shauna (she/her): Because that shit's, like, you need someone to be, like, controlling everything in some kind of way.
Ryan : Yep.
Shauna (she/her): And so she's really grappling with that. And so she leaves her, except then Natalie is, you know, after like they get the part from Joe, because Joe does help because he has a seek secret bunker that he goes to. So...
Shauna (she/her): so You know, as as you do. You know.
Ryan : Yes.
Shauna (she/her): And so he has this little secret bunker and goes and gets the part that she needs for her suit. And goes... They're on the heist. And so, of course, Natalie breaks free, has conversation with the family member.
Shauna (she/her): And... Because, you know...
Ryan : With mom.
Shauna (she/her): well it was really cute. Like...
Ryan : Yeah, it was beautiful.
Shauna (she/her): And I'm like... And she's like, oh my gosh, this is... What a wonderful thing. and like, really shows, like, maybe you're being a little short-sighted.
Ryan : Yeah.
Shauna (she/her): Except then...
Ryan : Yeah.
Shauna (she/her): Natalie shows up and makes Riri a little short-sighted and she ends up crashing because she's very distracted.
Ryan : Yes. Yes.
Shauna (she/her): So unfortunate.
Ryan : In the middle of this heist.
Shauna (she/her): and Yeah, as you do. Because, you know, not not great timing for the not bestie bestie.
Ryan : Yes.
Shauna (she/her): And so he goes she has to then do, you know, Iron Man, you know, suit sheanani power suit shenanigans, you know, and ends up saving the day because, well, of course she does.
Ryan : Right.
Uxy (He/Him) : She thinks in the moment,
Shauna (she/her): And so, yeah.
Ryan : Yeah, so she, exactly.
Shauna (she/her): But of course, then they get confronted.
Ryan : She,
Shauna (she/her): wait, what were you going to
Ryan : um when she drops the, so the like base, the basics of the heist are just that um Robin Hood, which, oh my God, I just,
Ryan : put together. So his last name is he's part of the hood character is Parker Robbins, right? Am I remembering his name correctly?
Shauna (she/her): I think so, yeah.
Uxy (He/Him) : Yes.
Ryan : And he wears a hood and they steal from the rich to give to the poor.
Shauna (she/her): Themselves.
Ryan : So he's literally raised themselves. um Robbins, the hood
Ryan : steals from the rich and gives to himself. Um, so they are like, they have three big heists that they have planned and, um, they, ah decide they're going go for this weird street one, which it seems like a lot of the trends with the heists are that they are trying to, um, say like, these people also don't care about the things that they're doing. So like the, uh,
Ryan : first heist is some company that's trying to build basically like an underground tunnel it's called tunnel um and it'll drive through congested city areas um but it'll do a lot of damage to the surface and also of course it's kind of like the opportunity corridor in cleveland where it just so happens to conveniently miss all the scary parts of cleveland quote with air quotes around it
Shauna (she/her): you
Ryan : And so they're like, no, we're going to fuck this thing up. And that's their first target. um And the whole thing is that the hood is going to hold this woman hostage while um re like they shut down the whole elevator system.
Shauna (she/her): Thank you.
Ryan : It's a whole thing, but it all is predicated on Riri holding onto a flash drive, which I got to be honest.
Ryan : Feels like a flaw. Feels like something that they could have had a more... Like, babe, put a little piece of Velcro on it. Why are you holding it in your hand? Like, tie it to your wrist.
Shauna (she/her): She has a super suit. Can't she like have like the GoGoGadget USB thumb drive and have it literally come out of her like finger?
Ryan : ah Hello?
Shauna (she/her): Oopsie
Ryan : There was something about her dropping the flash drive that ah made me be like, come on, we need a better we need a better plot device than this.
Shauna (she/her): it' oops see daisy. Call me Mr.
Ryan : who Like, she didn't even think to magnetize it.
Shauna (she/her): Butterfingers. Come on
Ryan : So she drops the flash drive and has to
Shauna (she/her): on. We're still moving.
Ryan : ah yeah
Ryan : She's settled now. um ah She drops the flash drive and has to think on her feet and um proves to everyone that she's...
Uxy (He/Him) : Thank you.
Shauna (she/her): Actually, she's in the air.
Ryan : Correct. And actually she's magnetized. But actually um actually she's magnetized under a car. um And they have to do this really cool quick changeover where Shea Coulee Slug has like manual control. Something about computers. They're doing computer virus things.
Ryan : And Shea Coulee has less than like... three seconds or something to put in the little code that she has to do, which by the way, be, be so fucking for real with those nails, girl, anybody who has ever had nails longer than your fingertips, you, you, you can type fast, but it's going be wrong.
Uxy (He/Him) : Yes.
Ryan : Like that's not, you can type fast and wrong or slow and correct and very loud.
Shauna (she/her): Wrong and loud.
Ryan : And I swear, like she literally is like, but
Uxy (He/Him) : yes
Shauna (she/her): Like, my fingernails are, like, not even that long, and I'm just like...
Ryan : That's her mutant power. Yeah. That is her superpower.
Uxy (He/Him) : like Her hand is like on the ax.
Shauna (she/her): and
Uxy (He/Him) : It's not even like her hands are resting at the edge of the laptop. Like it's it's on the entire keyboard when she's like typing.
Ryan : Yes.
Uxy (He/Him) : So it's just like. but but bla but
Ryan : yeah And like, you can type like that. I mean, whatever. We don't, we don't know anything about the backstory. And I'm, I'm certain that there are people that keep their nails that long that can type super fast, but I was watching her was like, okay. And she didn't mess up once.
Ryan : Okay. Work diva work slug. Maybe that again, maybe that's her mutant abilities.
Shauna (she/her): Vee-Wee couldn't even not drop a thumb drive and she's like over her these long ass nails. like um vview of the episode.
Ryan : You should have put a fucking thumb drive on your nail girl. Like that would have been helpful. Okay, so they successfully pull off this mission, and and sorry, Shauna, go ahead and wrap us up on the episode.
Shauna (she/her): Oh, yeah, and so, like, they pull up yeah so they pull off the mission, get the big score, but everything's, like... So, you know, the hood comes in and is like, well, hey, no, you know, we're the captain, we're in charge, and i was like, and clearly, like, this attempt at takeover seems very relevant to the whole demonic something or other thing that he's got going on of, like, there's, like, this greater planet play that we don't know about, but, like, now that you mention it, having a tunnel underground and leading into then our, so what you know, going looking into our second heist, which is
Ryan : Yes.
Ryan : Yeah. Yes.
Shauna (she/her): this hermetically sealed like seed technology thing something that there's something interesting about underneath there but I really conversation like one of the notes that I had written was the like wait a second are we Oceans 11 or are we the Sopranos and I was like I thought that was a really and Parker's like well why can't we be both and I was like well we kind of are both because like they're like but really
Ryan : floating
Ryan : yeah
Ryan : yeah
Ryan : yeah
Shauna (she/her): like thinking about like, that is such an, like, I get where she thinks she's Ocean's 11 criminal where I'm like, no, but I'm not really. We're, but like, no, no, especially that's where you end ended ended up having the security guard get shot because Natalie had a panic attack, you know, as AIs do.
Ryan : Yes.
Shauna (she/her): And, you know, at the, you know, facing a situation that reminded her of, you know, her influence's death.
Ryan : Right.
Shauna (she/her): froze and she literally froze and started going away at a very inopportune time.
Ryan : Yes, while Riri needed her, she needed manual control of the suit because this cop is holding, her security guard is holding a gun on her saying like, you know, on the ground, on the ground. And she's just like trying to verbally deescalate. But Natalie has frozen. and so she can't respond to the commands. And she's also frozen. She can't give control back to Riri. So we have this moment where we're like, what the fuck is going happen?
Ryan : And then out of nowhere, a bullet kind of flies by and clips the shoulder of um the security guard. And we see the hood using his what I believe are um signature handguns that he uses in the comics.
Ryan : um And he used magic to control the direction of the bullet. Yeah. Yeah, so Uxmal as our most knowledgeable comic expert, I would say for contemporary Marvel comics, what do you think about this first introduction of the hood using his powers? We see him go invisible.
Uxy (He/Him) : Yeah, so it's pretty on brand. It seems like in this version, they're really emphasizing that the hood does everything like without the hood.
Uxy (He/Him) : he wouldn't be able to do anything at all. So like in the comics, the guns are special. The hood is special. And I believe he also gets like a pair of boots that allow him to like levitate. And like, I think the hood, you have to like hold your breath in it for you to go invisible. So different take different thing. And then it's also maybe different demon because I think in the comic books, he gets it from one specific demon that has nothing to do with Mephisto.
Uxy (He/Him) : So if it is him, I mean, it'd be a nice cool little switch. Like, what deal did you make with the devil himself to get this hood? It has to be something dealing with family. um i mean, we don't know yet.
Ryan : Well, a quick note that I did put, um after in the little alleyway scene after the heist where Natalie, I think Natalie is freezing, where she freezes and then like the hood comes up, her he and Riri are talking and over the shoulder of one of them, there's just a bunch of posters and all of the posters are for...
Shauna (she/her): Oh.
Ryan : ah It's like a person and then it says Faust. And ah Faust is in reference to a Faustian deal. I don't know what the... what it is from but um that is the one of the original characters that sold their soul to the devil to get what they wanted so that like selling your soul thing is referred to as a faustian deal and so the fact that they literally are telling us right over the shoulder like he made a deal with the devil she's probably gonna have to make a deal with the devil but we don't know we won't know um but it's very clear like
Shauna (she/her): Thank you.
Ryan : This hood is, as we've said, like not from somewhere good. It came from Bab. It's Bab.
Uxy (He/Him) : Yeah. Yeah.
Ryan : One of the other notes that I had, they're playing Shaka Khan Ain't Nobody over the entirety of the heist scene. And I was like, I don't know what the fuck this has to do with anything, but I am absolutely here for it. It's one, it's like one of my favorite songs.
Ryan : How can you not feel just like a bad bitch listening to Shaka Khan's Ain't Nobody? Please.
Uxy (He/Him) : yeah
Ryan : Obsessed.
Uxy (He/Him) : I think that was one thing i by the time I got to episode two, I was like, am I crazy? Or is like the music in both episodes of this, like really great. Like from scene to scene to scene, it's really good.
Ryan : Banger. Bangers. Yeah.
Shauna (she/her): Oh, I mean, we didn't even make comments on the Alanis Morissette sing-along in the car.
Ryan : Ryan Coogler's EP.
Ryan : Yes.
Uxy (He/Him) : Yes.
Shauna (she/her): like
Uxy (He/Him) : Even that.
Ryan : Yes.
Shauna (she/her): that was such a great moment.
Ryan : Yes.
Shauna (she/her): Like...
Ryan : Absolutely. ah And one of the other things from that Joe McGillicuddy scene, that's his name in the, his fake name.
Shauna (she/her): Oh, McGillicuddy.
Ryan : um Joe McGillicuddy, but it is truly better than Zeke Stain. um
Shauna (she/her): so yeah
Ryan : But they both are like, as they're as they were driving to go get the parts or whatever, they they both lie to each other. Like, he's like, yeah, you know, I'm just a regular guy. i like to collect, you know, weapons grade technology. And she's like, yeah, and I definitely am just doing this for like a science project or something. Like, they're both lying to each other um until they stop lying to each other.
Ryan : But in... ah In one of their first interactions, he says like, you know, i I typically wouldn't do this because I'm not supposed to, but I don't mind doing it for an underprivileged youth, which is just, really it really took me down. It was very funny. It's something a self-important, like, you know, wealthy white person would say like, I just love helping underprivileged youth.
Ryan : Give her your shit and let her and take the fall for her when things happen in the next episode, which um any other main things that we want to touch on?
Shauna (she/her): Well, can I even want to talk about the menacing...
Ryan : for Yeah, please.
Shauna (she/her): cutting of the flowers like that, like, like, so he steps in dog shit on this yard.
Ryan : Oh, my God.
Shauna (she/her): And all of a sudden, like the music gets very ominous. And I was like, oh my gosh, what is going on here? This is like very heavy.
Ryan : Yeah. Yeah.
Shauna (she/her): And he goes over, you know, like with like his scissors and he leans down to the flowers and he's like, just cuts the flower heads.
Uxy (He/Him) : Thank you.
Shauna (she/her): And I was like, why is this having such medising music? Like where he's like, but like they they played like a villain track over it, like where I was like, shit.
Ryan : Yeah.
Ryan : Yeah.
Shauna (she/her): And I'm like, oh, he cut the flowers and grabbed one.
Ryan : Yeah.
Shauna (she/her): What? Like, i was like, what is he going to, is he going to kill this woman?
Ryan : I took...
Shauna (she/her): Like, or like, I was like, because that's where they kind of like, where the musical cues were going were like, oh, he's the secret big bad and not just like, he's
Ryan : Yeah.
Shauna (she/her): Cutting her flowers. Like, ha, see? You are a jerk, so so am I. Like, that that doesn't mean menacing music.
Ryan : Well, that's... with Without the music, it's very much so, like, I took it as Riri had been saying to him, like, stop letting people fucking walk all over you.
Ryan : And there is actually a funny callback where... um ah he gets blackmailed for something by a coworker and then Riri immediately blackmails him. And he says like, did i really just get blackmailed twice?
Ryan : Um, and then that happens again in the next episode. And Riri's like, did I just get blackmailed twice? Um, so, um, Joe has this, that interaction with his neighbor and she's an asshole.
Ryan : And he just like, lets it happen instead of being like, I'm go to shove this shit down your throat if you don't pick it up. um And so Riri is telling him like, you can't let walk people, people walk all over you. And so him going over and cutting the flowers makes sense as like a, you know what?
Ryan : Riri was right.
Shauna (she/her): Yeah. Absolutely.
Ryan : I'm going to go fuck up these ladies, this lady's flowers. But yeah, with the scissors, like, why don't you use your bare hands, weirdo? Why did it have to be so methodical?
Shauna (she/her): or And just, like, the like just the real, like, haunting, like, some like something is afoot here, like...
Ryan : Yeah. Something bad's happening in Oz. Yes.
Shauna (she/her): Yeah, and I was like, oh he's kind of, okay, like, yeah like,
Uxy (He/Him) : yeah
Ryan : And they didn't show the cut flowers. They just show him cutting and then he like pops up and has one in his mouth.
Shauna (she/her): snip.
Uxy (He/Him) : Yeah, I was 100% convinced he was going to go over and like stab the dog and I was like, please just stab that white woman. Like, don't stab the dog.
Ryan : Same.
Uxy (He/Him) : Like, it's...
Ryan : Not don't stab anything.
Shauna (she/her): Yeah, like, I thought, like, okay, because I did think, like, the white woman was getting stabbed was my thought.
Ryan : Just take the white woman.
Uxy (He/Him) : look was
Shauna (she/her): Like, I was like, okay, like, he's gonna kill her. Like, oh, great. Like, yeah, it was weird.
Uxy (He/Him) : It's like yeah, she sucks, but like leave the dog out of this.
Ryan : Yeah, exactly.
Uxy (He/Him) : He does not know any better.
Shauna (she/her): but like I just thought that was a weird... That was a weird choice, I will say.
Ryan : Agreed. Agreed.
Shauna (she/her): have but So then, going and then... So that's how our episode two ends off, and that's where you then ultimately do find out what's more is that maybe maybe it's that he does have these kind of you know like darker impulses that he has to control, which is why he just lets everybody walk all over him, perhaps.
Ryan : Yes.
Ryan : Yes.
Shauna (she/her): Maybe that's kind of what they were doing, because he is the son of you know a
Ryan : very bad person yes yes which obviously is kind of like you know an interesting full circle like you know connection but you assume that people remember who the fuck obadiah stain is
Shauna (she/her): forgotten villain from literally the first Marvel movie and MCU movie.
Shauna (she/her): Yeah. Oh yeah, totally neat. like
Shauna (she/her): I will never forget Zeke Zane.
Ryan : and sure never forget because it still smells um any other thoughts from episode two
Shauna (she/her): Never.
Ryan : My only one is that the actress that plays Natalie, you know that one um black content creator who does like the black ah the black teacher at Hogwarts and like ah the she does she plays like the...
Uxy (He/Him) : Yes.
Uxy (He/Him) : yes
Ryan : for the unspoke she has like a black mutant uh character and her her mutant a ability is just that her ass is fat like she's a very funny uh content creator natalie reminds me so much of her i need i'll like find a ah clip and and send it but she reminds me so much of that content creator like in how she talks ah not necessarily in her face but a little bit in her face
Shauna (she/her): Okay.
Ryan : But she kind of reminds me of of that content creator. So every time... Natalie is definitely good comic relief. um Like at the very beginning of ah see episode two, she also says, how sway which is like a a breakfast club, not the movie, um the problematic podcast that's run by Charlemagne. um And iconic references. How, Sway? It's...
Ryan : of but Anyway, Kanye West. So that and the Go Home Roger ah ah moment. Like, again, Ryan Coogler EP'd this. The music, definitely his, either his influence or the people that he hired with good taste.
Ryan : Yeah? All right.
Uxy (He/Him) : Yeah. So
Shauna (she/her): ah
Ryan : Okay, Uxie, take us into episode three. Okay.
Shauna (she/her): For definitely the first time.
Uxy (He/Him) : We...
Uxy (He/Him) : So we can find our little group of misfits celebrating their glorious first heist together, even at Riri's very quick thinking expense, and then finding out that you know something might be suspicious with Parker.
Shauna (she/her): Mm-hmm.
Uxy (He/Him) : So their crew set their sights on their next heist thing, which is Heirloom, I think is what it's called, which is like a high-tech agribusiness with like a shady, floating greenhouse sort of vibe where everything's like super, it's like the Pentagon of greenhouses.
Ryan : Yeah.
Uxy (He/Him) : um But they sneak under excuse me they's sinking to her with not being detected because it's like a very um has metal detectors like out the hoo-ha, where anything metal that's on it, it will detect and immediately lock everything down to like protect the biosphere of it all. So like nothing metal is allowed in there. So they're trying to figure out ways that they can break into this establishment.
Uxy (He/Him) : And...
Ryan : ah Sorry, I can't stop.
Shauna (she/her): Did you think it probably started?
Ryan : I was immediately thinking of the movie Biodome um and was like, you said no medals, but Brendan Fraser is allowed.
Uxy (He/Him) : What?
Ryan : Uh-huh.
Uxy (He/Him) : Yes, 100%. Biodome.
Ryan : Brendan Fraser and Pauly Shore.
Uxy (He/Him) : Wow, what a throwback.
Ryan : I know. i really like i actually kind of forgot Pauly Shore was the other one.
Uxy (He/Him) : Yes.
Ryan : So you said Pauly Shore, but I was thinking Brendan Fraser. i was like, whoa, I just remembered the entire movie all at once, including Pauly Shore definitely making me feel... Pauly Shore making me feel gayer than Brendan Fraser did, if we're being honest.
Ryan : Because Pauly Shore was just so horny all the time.
Uxy (He/Him) : yes
Ryan : i was like, yeah, me too.
Uxy (He/Him) : and Anytime I hear that one song that we can dance, I just think of that movie.
Ryan : Okay, sorry.
Ryan : Oh my god.
Uxy (He/Him) : That's the first movie I think of.
Shauna (she/her): Oh my god
Uxy (He/Him) : But anyways, after they develop their own plan to investigate um how to get under there without getting detected, Riri and Natalie develop their own plan on how to investigate Parker after their suspicions continue to arise.
Uxy (He/Him) : So she decides to ask her new friend Zeke for this bio mesh thing that can cover metals essentially so she tries to sneak in this laser ah slicer of sorts to try and cut off a piece of parker's cape to learn its secrets and see what kind of energy because you know natalie has mentioned that there's like this weird energy force coming off of it but it's not anything tech that she can pinpoint or not anything of this plane that she can detect so she's definitely saying so it's the cloak for sure that we have to analyze and figure out what gives parker his you know church to get from one place to the other without being seen while
Shauna (she/her): Thank you.
Shauna (she/her): And also, like, what a great throwback to that aura bit, like, where, you know, you had the smudging happening at the beginning because someone's aura was off, and now they're she's like, actually, scientifically, this guy's aura's off.
Uxy (He/Him) : but
Ryan : yeah
Ryan : someone's yeah someone the vibes are bad is what i'm saying scientifically the vibes are bad
Shauna (she/her): And so, I love that......................
Uxy (He/Him) : Yes. I love that it's like a it's like an excuse to not go somewhere.
Ryan : An official designation.
Uxy (He/Him) : Scientifically, I cannot go because the vibes are bad.
Ryan : Yeah.
Ryan : Sorry, i got some evidence-based research that the vibes are bad. So anyways.
Uxy (He/Him) : You're welcome, listeners, for an excuse.
Shauna (she/her): So is it shown?
Ryan : Right, right, but
Uxy (He/Him) : and so reefy reefy riri goes off suit using her biomass to slip inside grabs the cape fragment but then her laser cutter trips the sensors and the facility facility immediately locks down and floods the greenhouses with co2 so they're having issues and getting out of this there's like half the crew's locked inside then riri suit and john are outside of the facility while parker is like
Ryan : ah
Uxy (He/Him) : weirdly talking to like the CEO of it all, trying to like, the CEO is like trying to talk his way out of it, saying, I can give you more than just money. Like, just take this and be on your way. And Parker, that's when we start learning that there's definitely more behind his intentions of attacking this one specific facility.
Uxy (He/Him) : So we research,
Shauna (she/her): Thank you.
Uxy (He/Him) : because she's locked in the facility with them, she tries to find her way out, and while she's on her way out, she runs into John, who breaks in, and this, like, intense fight, where we kind of start seeing some of, like, Riri's other, again, street smart skills, or maybe she took some, like, defense classes after the shooting or something, but, like, you start seeing that there's, like,
Ryan : Yeah.
Uxy (He/Him) : there's a method to like how she's trying to defend herself granted he like overpowers her because he's like 10 feet tall and she's so small she's so small compared to him but this intense fight breaks out and john who believes that she has like turned on them and tries to like kill her and then she evidently gets saved by natalie leaving john behind to suffocate not intentionally but like her like primary objective is like get riri out of here because they're both suffocating under the co2 pressure
Ryan : Yeah, really.
Ryan : Right.
Uxy (He/Him) : and gets her out but while they get out the door closes behind them without them realizing it and then john is left to suffocate and die so she later like panics when she realizes that the bayadash also like was that was given to her by zeke was left on the scene during the fight with uh john and so then things start building.
Uxy (He/Him) : You start seeing Parker mourn for his cousin because he learns that he got he got killed in this heist.
Shauna (she/her): Mm-hmm.
Uxy (He/Him) : But then this like mystical whisper and a vision of like a giant iron suit pointed towards Riri as the killer becomes a division. Whatever this entity or this being that ah Parker made a deal with starts like you know stirring the pot, basically, and saying, like this is actually who killed your cousin. This is who you should be mad at.
Uxy (He/Him) : Don't get pissed at me because I've given you everything. And like starts really, like,
Ryan : Right.
Uxy (He/Him) : feeding that rage that Parker has to like start giving Riri her first nemesis.
Ryan : Yes. so one of the things i thought was really cool that they did in episode so like you know natalie says the vibes are off and after she saw parker shoot the security guard she was like okay so maybe the vibes are off and that's when they like come up with this plan but we see how um
Shauna (she/her): Mm-hmm.
Ryan : ri ri uses like uh her iron suit in century mode basically like she has natalie run the suit independently while she's like going underground underwater and stuff and so he thinks so john who's like patrolling with who he thinks is ri when he sees her going in after the sirens and stuff go off ah after everything starts to lock down. He was like, what the fuck are you doing here?
Ryan : um i it was this moment where it's like, oh, come on. Just like, tell the truth. Tell the truth. I don't know. Maybe don't lie Tell them the truth. Look, I was scared. I'm freaking out. I'm not going to do anything bad. i I don't want to get anyone in trouble. But like that hood is is is bad news.
Ryan : The vibes are bad.
Shauna (she/her): Thank you.
Ryan : I got to know about it. And I think John would have... Because we also saw that John was skeptical of the cape. Like, John, i think in the previous episode, that was when they were playing Sinner Man, um was he has to tattoo... We haven't learned what it's about yet, but he has to tattoo um Parker.
Ryan : And, like, with the tattoos, we also were seeing this, like, spreading of, like, these, like, evil kind of veins throughout his body. And so there's some connection to like the hood and what it like something physically happening to parker's body and so john is like yo you you have to stop using this this is not good like it's hurting you and if riri would have said the same thing like i don't think this is like i don't i don't like this hood thing maybe neither of them would have had to die but she had natalie go and save everyone else
Ryan : and then come save her next. And that's like how we end up getting John dying. And then Parker gets mad and it's like, come on, communicate.
Uxy (He/Him) : it's all just a mishap of miscommunication where someone dies unfortunately but it's kind of cool too like we're now starting to see like another item enter the mcu that like causes an affliction on the wearer or user or reader even so like
Ryan : Unfortunately, right. um What?
Ryan : Sure.
Uxy (He/Him) : and Book of the Damned. Like, same thing happened to Agatha, same thing happened to Wanda for using some demonic book from who knows where that starts, like, corrupting them.
Shauna (she/her): Yeah.
Uxy (He/Him) : Now we have this hood that came from, you know, who knows where, but probably the same place. And now it's, like, affecting them in a different way.
Ryan : Right.
Shauna (she/her): and Well, in okay, so I had a question. Again, i finished this episode 10 minutes before, so I hadn't really, like, looked at it or thought. But did she get a gash on her arm, and then did part of the hood, did that hood part go into her arm?
Uxy (He/Him) : you
Shauna (she/her): Like, because she was, like, real worried. Like, there was something, like, I there i couldn't quite tell what happened with that.
Ryan : Oh, so used they They couldn't bring any metal in, and so she needed to figure out a way to get a sample of the hood in order to be able to study it.
Shauna (she/her): Mm-hmm.
Ryan : So she uses the biomesh technology from Zeekstain to cover the laser cutter. So she... successfully cuts the um the piece of the hood off but then in the fight with john the mesh falls off and so like because it had already started to fall off and that's why the sensors um went off because she was like ah laser for too long so i think the the whole big deal about it falling off was that
Ryan : she had talked to Joe and he was like, just please keep me out of it. Like, i don't want to be connected to it. Like this could be not even just because it's like a crime, but like, this is the kind of stuff that could be used for really bad things. And like, I don't want people to have things to make bad stuff.
Ryan : um And so he was very explicit in being like, please make sure I'm not in any way, shape or form tied to this. And sure enough, it,
Ryan : And, oh my God, i I totally forgot.
Shauna (she/her): Okay. Hmm.
Ryan : They had the whole moment where she was like, just fucking use your hands, touch it. And he's like, no, I don't want my fingerprints to be on it. Well, if, you know, your fingerprints are already on it, you're telling me you didn't touch it, blah, blah, blah.
Uxy (He/Him) : hmm.
Ryan : Like, they really made it a point to say, like, um Zeke might have some some ground to stand on for being arguably really pissed at Riri for whatever's going to happen next.
Shauna (she/her): a
Ryan : Because she did really goad him into kind of
Uxy (He/Him) : and
Ryan : you know, stepping through his boundaries that he had set and like promised him that he would be safe. And then, Oh.
Shauna (she/her): Okay, that makes more sense where I was trying to be like where she was like what she was like because it looked like it had like a gash arm and I was like well maybe that's what she was using like because I knew that there was the show had this combination of magic and science.
Shauna (she/her): and I was like well maybe now she has this like magical item in her as part of her that I wasn't sure if that was what they were going to get at.
Ryan : oh
Uxy (He/Him) : Yeah. no
Ryan : Got it.
Shauna (she/her): Like I said it was a little unclear and I like Didn't have a chance to go in like watch it with that eye of like, wait, what were they trying to say?
Ryan : Yeah.
Uxy (He/Him) : You know, I'm pretty sure she put the pizza, the Coke, like, in her bra. Like, because, like, while he's, like, while he's, ah like, threatening her to kill her, ah she instinctively just, like, shoves it down there and is like, well, let's go.
Shauna (she/her): great
Uxy (He/Him) : Like, or what?
Ryan : Yeah.
Uxy (He/Him) : You know, if she, like, tries to, like, or what?
Ryan : Or what?
Uxy (He/Him) : What are you gonna do? And that's in the fight. And says so she, like, immediately puts that somewhere else. But she was more focused on the fact that, like, not only are zeke's fingerprints are on there but like her biometrics are on the completely and like and so she's completely screened and there's a dead body there now
Ryan : <unk> yeah
Ryan : Right, right. um
Shauna (she/her): It's really
Ryan : So not only does it tie them to the um to the heist, but it also ties her directly to the death of that guy
Uxy (He/Him) : like what a cliffhanger
Ryan : um
Uxy (He/Him) : yeah
Ryan : A couple of things that I did note. i I've said before I really like the actress that plays Natalie. Their chemistry um between Natalie and Riri is...
Shauna (she/her): it
Ryan : really good. They give best friends.
Uxy (He/Him) : Yeah.
Ryan : Like, they give best friends the same way that Sarah Michelle Gellar and Allison Hannigan used to in Buffy. Like, you can't help but be like, do these girls know each other in real life? Because they are giving, like, sister friends.
Ryan : um And the other note that I put was like, she has way better chemistry with Natalie than Shuri. Not that we have to compare them. But like, one of the things that I was not wild about um with Riri in Wakanda Forever was like the dynamic between her and Shuri doesn't ever really feel like settled.
Shauna (she/her): o
Ryan : Like it's two black girl geniuses. you You see it and it works, but it's not in this way where it's like, you know, i don't know, whatever. um
Shauna (she/her): No, I'm curious. Well, because I know that was my first thought is would love if they bring Moon Girl in and seeing, i would love to see how these two black girl geniuses interact with each other.
Ryan : Yes.
Shauna (she/her): It was like literally my first thought is like, do they, are they rivals? Are they like immediate besties?
Ryan : Right.
Shauna (she/her): Like, where is it like,
Ryan : Right. Totally. I mean.
Uxy (He/Him) : it's also like i think they were that might have been like intentional too with her and shuri because like sure he's older than her so there's like a level it's a different level of respect compared like when you put
Shauna (she/her): how
Ryan : True.
Shauna (she/her): a
Uxy (He/Him) : um like bruce banner and tony stark in the same room there isn't ah like an unevenness like they're equals and they're coming together to like make the infinity gauntlet essentially like the the new age one so there's like different dynamics and i think they were intentional about like yeah they're two girl genie says but shuri definitely has like a step up on riri because riri's still young she's still learning she's smart maybe not as smart as shuri at that point
Ryan : Right.
Ryan : Sure.
Shauna (she/her): Great.
Ryan : And also Shuri has access to all these things in Wakanda that like, you know, she would have to catch up just on a tech alone. um One of the other things I really liked the fight scene between John and Riri because it seemed it wasn't overly choreographed. It was kind of like gritty. And I love when they do fights like that very much. So like the.
Ryan : um, Rio Agatha fight scene in the beginning of Agatha all along where it's like, that is how people fight.
Shauna (she/her): right
Ryan : There's no choreography. And again, like showing how sort of like street smarts she is.
Uxy (He/Him) : Yeah.
Ryan : She takes like a beaker and smashes it against his arm. And like, that's how she, you know, maybe she's not going to break his arm.
Shauna (she/her): Right.
Ryan : Like, uh, uh, what's her name? Black widow would, but she's going to use the things that are around her to incapacitate her attacker.
Uxy (He/Him) : yeah
Ryan : Um,
Shauna (she/her): right
Ryan : So i did I did really like that. And then the last note on episode three is, damn, she let that man die. Like, she she let John die.
Uxy (He/Him) : Not intentionally.
Ryan : I mean, yeah. Yeah.
Uxy (He/Him) : i mean, Natalie let that man die. But also, I don't think Natalie realized the door was closing behind her when she was trying to get Riri out.
Ryan : Sure.
Uxy (He/Him) : That's what saying. It was definitely unintentional.
Ryan : Sure.
Uxy (He/Him) : I think she just was like, oh shit, Riri's about to die. Like, that's my main priority. This man can fuck off and just zoomed out now knowing the door was closing.
Ryan : Right.
Uxy (He/Him) : So, like, it's not it's.
Shauna (she/her): But also, no, yeah.
Uxy (He/Him) : I mean, yeah.
Shauna (she/her): no was yeah
Ryan : It's very, yeah, yeah, sorry.
Uxy (He/Him) : No, it's just it's an unintentional death that she now feels responsible for when she had like literally nothing to do with it.
Ryan : Totally.
Shauna (she/her): But also he was trying to kill her. So like at the end of the day, it's not, he admitted to killing Rampage because we don't leave loose ends.
Uxy (He/Him) : i was just about to say, I was like, but also.
Ryan : Yes.
Ryan : Sure.
Shauna (she/her): And so he's known murderer and is now trying to kill her. Like, I'm not saying that she should have killed him, but also like self-defense.
Ryan : Not a priority.
Shauna (she/her): Like it it felt like her, she survived and he died, not she killed him.
Ryan : Yeah.
Ryan : Yeah. Yeah. So she could survive.
Uxy (He/Him) : Mm-hmm.
Shauna (she/her): And survived.
Ryan : Yeah.
Shauna (she/her): Yeah.
Ryan : um Yeah. That's, I think that's one thing we left out in the overall plot summary too, is like um Rampage was killed.
Shauna (she/her): Like.
Ryan : So Eric Andre's character was killed and Rampage was Riri was the last person that had called him and she called him to try to find the parts that she was looking for that she eventually found from Joe McGillicuddy on the black market.
Ryan : And so the last phone call to this man who was dead is Riri. And then now she's left her DNA at a crime scene where another person is killed. Like,
Ryan : Yikes, babe. The bodies are piling up, as Rio did say.
Uxy (He/Him) : Body, yaddy, yaddy.
Ryan : um So she is a body queen.
Shauna (she/her): She's a body queen that's leaving them.
Ryan : Her body is insane, though. to be To, like, full T, her body is wild. um So at the end, also, Uxie was kind of talking about how we get this, um like, these whispers and, like,
Ryan : Once again, they are making it very clear that there's a nefarious influence. So Parker, when Parker finds out that John was dead because Riri heat scans the place, no one knows that Riri was involved. No one knows that Riri and Natalie had separated and and she was operating independently.
Shauna (she/her): Right.
Ryan : so they're like, where's John? we gotta So Riri does a scan and finds out that and tells them that he's dead.
Uxy (He/Him) : Thank you.
Ryan : And then, you know, that's how we get this really vengeful, angry, mad Parker, who is like, I did that. Like I did everything I'm supposed to do. Like this wasn't supposed to happen. How did you let this happen? And he's just yelling at the hood essentially.
Ryan : And that's when the hood is like, ah well, this girl, RiRi killed him. um And to fans, ah people who are are, again, paying attention and looking for it, there was definitely more I thought we were going to get the outline of Mephisto.
Ryan : I didn't think it was going to be the outline of Riri. I thought we were going to get to see Mephisto because they start to show a part of a shadow and then they pull out and we see it.
Shauna (she/her): Never gonna see him.
Ryan : We're never going to see him. We're never going to see him. But yeah,
Uxy (He/Him) : No, we will.
Shauna (she/her): Like...
Uxy (He/Him) : ah but Episode five, episode five.
Ryan : yeah I can't.
Shauna (she/her): Mephisto.
Ryan : i We will. Well, okay. So now let's get.
Shauna (she/her): yeah' beenff So we will have been Mephisted by episode five is what you're big you're going on a limb saying.
Uxy (He/Him) : Get the boy butter.
Ryan : Or.
Uxy (He/Him) : and
Ryan : Uxmal, first and foremost, you know you shouldn't use boy butter for fisting. That is solely, that's not a good fisting lube. um Mostly because it comes in such small containers.
Uxy (He/Him) : I wouldn't know.
Ryan : um So, episode three, um overall, how do we feel about the first three episodes?
Ryan : Good, like great buildup.
Uxy (He/Him) : Great buildup. Like it was a good steady pace.
Shauna (she/her): I want more. like
Uxy (He/Him) : Yeah, I couldn't wait for more. And like, honestly, my mouth was left agape at the end of it because I was like this poor girl has yet to deal with her grief of her best friend and is now like fully having a panic attack because somebody else just died on her watch or like because of her or she was involved in some way, she performed like and then we have to wait a whole nother week to figure out how it gets resolved, where she goes to for help, what's going to happen.
Ryan : Yes.
Ryan : Yep.
Uxy (He/Him) : Like, it's just it's a it was a good cliffhanger. And a great setup to what's to come. Because I think from here, it's about to be like balls to the walls with like action and even more cool shit.
Ryan : Yeah.
Ryan : Shauna, what was your feelings on the the three in general?
Shauna (she/her): I mean, I wouldn't describe myself as gaped over it, but, you know, I really, really enjoyed it just the same.
Ryan : Same.
Ryan : Mm-hmm. yeah same
Shauna (she/her): know but, like, I loved it. It was so good. Like, I like i thought that it had a I want more of the team, and I wish... I'm worried that because of...
Shauna (she/her): the vision of the suit at the end that we're going to see the team break up now, not even get three full episodes in And so I'm a little disappointed at that, but that's really my big thought.
Ryan : yeah
Ryan : Yeah, I'm really curious.
Shauna (she/her): Yeah. Yeah.
Ryan : So maybe let's talk um predictions, thoughts, things we definitely know. So Uxie has already hinted or explicitly said Mephisto's coming in in episode five. What made you what makes you so so certain Uxmal?
Uxy (He/Him) : like in their marketing well first of all it's been like reported that apparently sasha baron cohen has been spotted on the lot while this was filming during covet times we don't know what character he is but he would just very much make a very good mcbesto so i'm excited to see if this is an accurate like report but also karma's a bitch episode five has like an outline of red on the m specifically and
Ryan : Sure.
Shauna (she/her): as I know
Uxy (He/Him) : there are other ems in like the title episodes of the series lineup and none of them are outlined it's just that one episode it's just kind of weird that marketing decided to do on that one episode because like why else would they do that
Ryan : And it's the same, like, red ink that I noticed, at least in the first episode, when we see power written really big.
Uxy (He/Him) : hmm
Ryan : um And, again, it is giving... This is, like, such WandaVision fucking, like, throwbacks of being, like, yeah, and the the way that it it blinked red, you know, and blah, blah, blah. Like, it... That and, like... um ah that is i i can't remember if i'm thinking about majin buu or mephisto i'm pretty sure it's majin boot actually now that i think about it that has the m on their little um insignia on their belt um but i think it's majin boo i don't think it's
Uxy (He/Him) : from Dragon Ball Z.
Ryan : yeah yeah
Uxy (He/Him) : Yeah, I don't think Mephisto has like any emblem. He's a devil. He just wears like a cloth and think it's like a skull.
Shauna (she/her): Thank you.
Ryan : Yeah.
Uxy (He/Him) : um Let me... Yeah, it's just all drape. I mean, he is a pansexual at most, like just this very gay, very deliciously sassy devil that just loves being draped in capes and cloth, loin covering his little area.
Uxy (He/Him) : Like he's not very much like I need an emblem.
Ryan : Oh, yeah, it's Majin Buu, by the way. i did i did I did Google it, and he has a giant M on his belt. So... so Not me pulling from a different weird sub nerd category.
Ryan : um ah Other predictions. So we did get a glimpse into the next couple of episodes. We got a little teaser. We see her using. um She says I have to fight magic with magic.
Ryan : So we know she is now going to embrace ah some magic practices, which, correct me if I'm wrong, Uxie, that's not a thing. There's no crossover like that. Or no, she's like a she's just a tech girl in the comics for the majority of the time, right? Yeah.
Uxy (He/Him) : who re yes there was a a run recently i don't know if it was that and actually no that wasn't magic that was i'm sorry no that was the mutant metal um what was it called again
Ryan : Yeah.
Ryan : Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. It's a, ah not Uru. um It's in Mysterium.
Uxy (He/Him) : says with an m mysterium i think so it is so that there's a crossover with like the mutant metal but i don't think i've ever seen her crossover with magic before
Ryan : Same brand.
Ryan : Yeah. And this it's like not a super common thing within the Marvel Universe. So this is actually very cool that they're bringing these two things together. um So we see her using sigils like a specific type of magic um that we also saw at the end of WandaVision, like the same glowing red color.
Ryan : which we learned is chaos magic, um which is tied to the Book of the Dam. Well, it's not tied to the Book of the Dam, it's all related back to Mephisto and the type of magic that is being wielded. So it is giving us a lot of hints about Mephisto. Yeah.
Ryan : Who do we think are not the hottest characters? um Who are our favorite standout characters thus far? Shauna, who who are you in love with?
Shauna (she/her): I mean, honestly, Slug is the only one of that little group that has any personality aside from the Hood himself.
Ryan : and And Clown.
Shauna (she/her): Like, they're all kind of... Yeah. No, true.
Ryan : Clown is silly, yeah. But continue, I'm sorry.
Shauna (she/her): But, like, really... No, I just... I think that... i hope that this really boosts Shea Coulee's star and that we see them more in this kind of role.
Ryan : Yeah.
Shauna (she/her): And i love seeing this kind of queer character that just, frankly...
Ryan : Yes.
Shauna (she/her): hasn't had a long time to exist be represented on screen.
Ryan : Totally. What's wrong about you?
Uxy (He/Him) : I mean, Natalie is my favorite out of all this.
Ryan : Yeah.
Uxy (He/Him) : Like she's been my, she's been my girl.
Shauna (she/her): That's fair.
Uxy (He/Him) : I love her so much when she's on screen. And the fact that she has like the same kind of, it's this, it's, it's like the level of, sass that Tony had with like Jarvis but like you know it's like amplified more and it's more fun because it has personality it's not just you know Jarvis being Jarvis and Tony be getting annoyed with his own AI it's it's that at a different angle and it's such a beautiful cool the way that she formed and comes to fruition is just really cool I just I'm obsessed with her and i hope nothing happens to her like she better not get like deactivated or anything not again don't take her away again
Ryan : Sure. Yeah.
Ryan : Right? Please don't do that to us. Please don't. Yeah. not a Not again. um oh my god, yeah, deep.
Shauna (she/her): Oh my I can't lose you again is absolutely- Oh my god, that is a prediction.
Ryan : i
Shauna (she/her): That gets said.
Ryan : T, T, totally. Great point. um
Uxy (He/Him) : The AI should never want it and loses and gets out about it.
Ryan : Right?
Shauna (she/her): Mm-hmm.
Uxy (He/Him) : yeah
Ryan : I think Natalie is my favorite too. I also really loved Clown. um I think there are some really strong actors in this show. that any other show, like Patti LuPone,
Ryan : you know any any other show like patti lapone well you know and and audrey plaza and uh um katherine han like it's not like they're pulling boogers to be ah self-referential but um i just really everyone is doing so great to the to the and i think why it makes me so happy is because like Anytime we can combat the idiot, stupid shit that the racist misogynists say, it makes it that much better to be able to be like, you're just wrong.
Ryan : You're just wrong. Like these are good performances. the The characters are well cast.
Shauna (she/her): Thank you.
Ryan : They're interesting. There's funny. there're It's hard. there's darkness to it like there's so much to this show and despite his stupid little pin curls anthony ramos is like fun in the mcu too like he plays a good darker character um so yeah that that does lead us into our final and most important question um who is the hottest character on iron man thus iron man iron heart thus far
Ryan : Luke Small is
Uxy (He/Him) : Um,
Uxy (He/Him) : I mean, Rob, i I can't decide between Anthony and John. There's something about John as much of an asshole he is as he is.
Ryan : our guest.
Uxy (He/Him) : Um, I'm like, okay, you can throw me. That's fine.
Ryan : Yeah, totally.
Uxy (He/Him) : You're right. I was disrespectful.
Ryan : yeah He is hot.
Uxy (He/Him) : I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry.
Ryan : Teach me my lesson, daddy.
Uxy (He/Him) : Slam me down.
Ryan : Sorry, I'll kill you, daddy.
Uxy (He/Him) : I'm sorry.
Ryan : Right. Totally fair. Okay.
Uxy (He/Him) : Sorry you died, daddy.
Ryan : Kisses.
Ryan : Do you have ah do you have ah an answer, Shauna?
Shauna (she/her): Anyone who can type with those nails can probably do other things with them too, going with slug.
Ryan : Well, Night Lion. Yeah. um i'm Her friend, Zay, that she hangs out with Xavier, i think Xavier is actually like a real hottie.
Shauna (she/her): Hmm.
Ryan : think Ramos is is definitely attractive and RiRi's body is insane. But i the person that I want to see more on screen, I think, is her mom.
Ryan : Her mom is like ah beautiful human being. And then also like her character has been, we didn't really talk a lot about her, but like, she's like super open to this idea that like maybe her daughter's queer because she hears her talking to someone when she's talking to Natalie after Natalie forms. And she's like, do you have a boy in there?
Ryan : Do have a girl in there? And like, you know, she's totally cool.
Shauna (she/her): Hmm.
Ryan : It's giving very um Kamala Khan's parents. Like, love that they keep introducing these familial characters that are like,
Shauna (she/her): e
Ryan : yeah, this is what a good family would look like. So maybe, um, she's not the hottest, but she is beautiful. And I want to see more of her. Cause I really, I can't wait to see how that group of the show, like maybe we lose the gang, but I think we get this little coven of, of woo woo crystal ladies, um, in, in the next three. So I guess we'll, we'll find out.
Ryan : Um,
Shauna (she/her): And Zeke Stain.
Ryan : and and And I'm Zeke Stained.
Ryan : Okay, ah coming to you live from Zeke Stain's secret bunker. ah Thanks for for listening. um We will be recording next week with a different bonus hot nerd, ah our our friend Ryan, and not the one that you, ah then not that one, not this one, but a different third one, a secret third thing.
Shauna (she/her): Every other other Ryan.
Ryan : Exactly. Exactly. And you're not allowed to say how we're all the same. um But we'll be talking about episodes four through six in our next recording. So stay tuned and yay, Ironheart.
Uxy (He/Him) : Stream Ironheart, even if you're watching, just stream the hell out of it.
Ryan : Keep streaming it the background. Put it on while you're, let your dog watch it. Shauna, watch it again so you can, ah you know, digest it. Yeah.
Shauna (she/her): I will. oh I will.
Ryan : yeah Okay, gang. See you next time.
Shauna (she/her): right.
