What Did We Miss?

Justified may have been a victim of the golden age of television. Matt and Tony both had it on their radar - how could it not have been - but for whatever reason the critically-acclaimed FX series never grabbed them. This week, they take the opportunity to finally catch up with deputy US marshall Raylan Givens, and the cast of cops and ne'er-do-wells of the show's Harlan County, Kentucky. They also discuss the show's source material, the novella "Fire in the Hole," and the novel "Pronto," both written by Elmore Leonard and featuring the cowboy hat wearin' lawman portrayed by Timothy Olyphant. As always, they'll discuss why they had held off on the show and why now seemed like the time to ctach up. They'll also discuss how a show about a "plays by his own rules" lawman and a white supremacist militias plays differently in the wake of the last few years, the differences between Raylan on the screen and on the page, and whether or not season one has them excited about continuing with the show.

Mike Mignola debuted his most iconic character, Hellboy, in 1993. Since then, Hellboy has punched his way through battles with Nazis, vampires, ghosts, floating heads, Lovecraftian cosmic horrors, and even Santa, all in the name of a days work and keeping the world safe. Matt and Tony have long been fans, but as with following anything that lasts for decades they've been in and out of Hellboy's regular adventures. Now that Hellboy's story has come to a definitive end, Matt and Tony caught up on the stories they had missed in preparation for the big red guy's final adventure: Hellboy in Hell. They discuss the mythology and circumstances that brought a reluctant devil to the underworld, Hellboy's "just a regular guy" attitude about scrapping with monsters and shunning his destiny, and why Mike Mignola's singular aesthetic makes Hellboy such a joy to read and revisit. Big time spoiler alert: This is a discussion about the "final" Hellboy miniseries. Plenty of warning is given before diving into details, but if you've ever been curious about Hellboy, maybe bookmark this one.

It's not all about the podcast, folks, which is why this week Matt and Tony are taking some time to talk about the stuff they watch, read, and what-have-you when they aren't cramming for a new episode. Since their end of 2020 roundup ran a bit long, they open things with a discussion about the comics and novels they've been reading in 2021, then dive into the films and TV that have been streaming for the first half of 2021.

It's easy to take a cursory look at the NBC sitcom Superstore and unfavorably compare it to The Office or Parks and Recreation. That's exactly what Matt and Tony did when the show premiered in late 2015. And altough the ratings for the show remained consistent throughout its six season run it never gained the sort of cult status and internet fame that its predecessor's enjoyed. Now that critics are finally catching up to the show it felt like the right time to give the show a second chance. They discuss the history of NBC's "must-see-TV" thursday lineup, the show's excellent and diverse cast, why it hasn't found the kind of audience that show's of its kind have enjoyed in the past, and its surpringly sharp political acumen.

Second albums are notoriously difficult to make. Expectations from critics and audiences alike can force an artist into a corner: not enough change and you risk repeating yourself; too much change and you risk alienating your fan base. Fiona Apple followed up her multi-platinum selling debut album, Tidal, by directly addressing her critics and confidently refining her songwriting. Released in 1999 and produced by multi-instrumentalist Jon Brion, When the Pawn... stood out from the burgeoning radio landscape of disposable pop, boy bands, and nu metal. Seeing as how Fiona Apple has been mentioned in previous episodes of WDWM, Tony felt it was time to see if her music lived up to its reputation, and Matt, a long time Fiona Apple fan, was only happy to oblige. They discuss the negative reaction to her interview in Spin Magazine and how that inspired When the Pawn..., Fiona's lyrical wit and complex rhyming schemes, her infamous MTV Video Awards acceptance speech, that incredible voice, and what makes this album a classic to this very day.

Welcome to our second annual Oscar episode! In honor of this weekend's Oscar ceremony, Matt and Tony picked a random year to see if any of that year's Best Picture nominees were blindspots. The result? 1949. The nominess: Hamlet, The Red Shoes, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Johnny Belinda, and The Snake Pit. They briefly touch upon Johnny Belinda and The Snake Pit before focusing on the three influential films that are still loved and discussed to this day: Hamlet, The Red Shoes, and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Before getting to the 1949 Oscar nominees, they talk about the 2021 Oscars and how the pandemic affected the nominees releases and viewing expierence. Then they touch on what they did and didn't like about the movies from 1949, trends and themes that tend to pop up every year in the Best Picture nominees, expectations and biases of older movies, and how good it feels to still be able to find art that moves and surprises you.

It's time to play the music, it's time to light the lights, it's time to convince Tony of The Muppet Show's greatness on WDWM tonight! With the news that Disney+ had added The Muppet Show to its catalog, Tony admitted to a deep, dark secret: he doesn't really get the Muppets. Life long Muppet fan, Matt, jumps in to save the day and guide Tony through all of the ins and outs of the weird world of Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, and company. They talk about the pressure and expectations of being a first time viewer of a beloved show, the non-controversy surrounding the disclaimer attached to a handful of episodes, the show's terrific balance of allowing the guests to be themselves while still maintaining a space for plenty of Muppet hijinks, and its influences that range from vaudeville to old Hollywood musicals and yet still rooted in character based humor.

Every week or so another film critic Matt and Tony follows on Twitter mentions how Devil in a Blue Dress - written and directed by Carl Franklin from the novel written by Walter Mosley - is an overlooked gem of mid-90s cinema. Starring the always great Denzel Washington and featuring a stand-out cast including Jennifer Beals, Tom Sizemore, and a scene-stealing Don Cheadle, Devil in a Blue Dress is the story of how WWII vet and recently laid off Ezikiel "Easy" Rollins winds up butting heads against corrupt politicians and a shady private eye, all while exploring the underbelly of postwar LA while on the case to track down a missing woman. Matt and Tony discuss the differences between Mosley's novel and the film, how Easy fits into the tradition of hard boiled detectives, and how Easy's LA stand's in contrast to that tradition's predominantly white point of view. They also touch on the first of the novel's many sequels, how the racial politics of the post-war period still resonate with contemporary issues, and how Don Cheadle's wild performance as Mouse on-screen lives up to the character's frightening intensity on the page.

He's known by many names: Zev Love X, Viktor Vaughn, King Geedorah, and more, but most people know him as MF Doom. Amidst the calamity of 2020, MF Doom, whose real name is Daniel Dumile, passed away in October. The world learned of his passing several months later when his wife informed his fans via a Facebook post. Stunned by the rapper's death and the strange way in which the news was revealed, Matt reacquainted himself with the mysterious MF Doom and his music while also introducing Tony to the apotheosis of Doom's career: the album Madvillainy. Released in 2004 to critical acclaim and instant cult classic status, Madvillainy was a collaborative album with producer Mad Lib. Matt and Tony talk about the slightly morbid prospects of catching up an artist after they have passed away, the complex history and self mythologized backstory to Doom and his many aliases, and the rapper's comedic delivery and endless well of complex rhymes.

Who'd have thought that a comic about a samurai rabbit would have much staying power, but after 35 plus years, over 300 issues, a new show coming to Netflix, and a few appearances alongside the Tennage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Usagi Yojimbo is still going strong. Creator Stan Sakai has been the sole creative force since issue one, not only writing and drawing every issue but also inking and lettering. Sakai masterfully pulls from elements of Japanese folk tales and fedual Japan to create a story that trandsends genre and becomes a sort of alternate history lesson featuring anthropomorphized rabbits, bats, cats, rhinos, and more. Tony and Matt learned about Usagi via a guest spot on the orginal Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon, but due to its long history and scarce accessibility to back issues they never gave it a chance. They discuss that long journey to taking the plunge into the gigantic world of Usagi Yojimbo, the comic's heavily researched connections to Japanease history, Stan Sakai's art style and the impressive scope of his sotrytelling, and the lasting influence samurai stories have had on western culture.

After two years of early-access, Hades - the latest game from critical darling developer Supergiant Games - got its official release last September. Set within the colorful - and drama-filled - world of Greek mythology, Hades is an isometric roguelike where players take the role of Zagreus, son of Hades, as he attempts to free himself from the underworld with the help of some horny Olympians. The buzz was instant and everywhere; Hades was one of the best, if not the best, game of the year. Based off of that instant positive reaction from press and gamers online, Matt and Tony took the endlessly replayable plunge down the river Styx to see what all of the fuss was about. They discuss the game's learning curve, Supergaint's reputation of polish and presentation, the addictive nature of the game, its deep systems and customization, and the charms of Hades' take on the gods and monsters of classic Greek mythology.

Schitt's Creek just finished up its 6th and final season in 2020. Co-created by and starring Eugene and Dan Levy, the show premiered in 2015 to decent reviews but a small viewership. It wasn't until the show made the leap to Netflix in 2017 that the show slowly started to gain an audience. Three years and hundreds of memes later, the show has become a bit of a cultural phenomenon. Along with the Levys, costars Catherine O'Hara and Annie Murphy all received acting awards at the 2020 Emmy ceremony. Tony and Matt, seemingly the last two people to watch the show, discuss comfort viewing, binge watching, the show's "no lessons" perspective on LGBTQ relatioships, and whether or not the series finale sticks the landing.

50 episodes and two years later seems like a good time to look back on the first 49 episodes and to talk about the beginnings of the show, where we've been, and where we hope to go. Join Tony and Matt as they talk about what they learned from the first few episodes of the show, each list their five favorite discoveries from the first two years of episodes, and preview some ideas from the coming year.

Happy New Year WDWM-ers! No need to relitigate the trash that was 2020, it's time to move on and discuss all of the pop culture, both new and old, that brought Matt & Tony comfort this year. They hit on all of the movie, music, TV, books, and video games they consumed over throughout 2020. Drop 'em a line with any glaring omissions or disagreements, and stay tuned for two week's when they return to exploring the stuff they've missed!

Whether it's Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Muppet Family Christmas, or any other number of annual holiday classics, everyone has their favorite Christmas special. Tony and Matt look to see if they can replicate that warm, fuzzy holiday feeling, and add something new to their annual viewing by catching up on some vintage TV holiday specials. First up, Matt introduces Tony to The Judy Garland Christmas Show from 1963. Judy and her children invite friends and family into their studio "home" to sing a mix of broadway numbers and holiday classics. Next up, Tony finally catches up on The Year Without a Santa Claus. Maybe not as fondly rembered as some Rankin-Bass classics, though a favorite of Matt's family during his youth, this 1974 stop-motion special finds Santa Claus coming down with a bad case of the flu and looking to take the year off from his Santa duties. Mostly known for the characters Heat Miser and Snow Miser, will their brief appearances be enough to convert Tony? Last, but certainly not least, Tony and Matt watch the TV special that features the now famous Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth duet sung by Bing Crosby and David Bowie, Bing Crosby's Merry Olde Christmas. They discuss the connections between this special and the Judy Garland one, surreal musical digressions featuring Twiggy, the strangeness of the Thin White Duke's appearance during perhaps his weirdest musical phase, and the lasting appeal of this particular Christmas special format.

Seven years, five acts, and one podcast later, Matt and Tony finally explore the sad, dreamy world of Cardboard Computer's critically acclaimed Kentucky Route Zero. The game, which has rolled out episodically over the better part of the last decade and is now finally complete, is deceptively simple: a contemporary take on the narrative-focused point-and-click adventure game about a delivery man making what very well might be his employer's last shippment. Things get strange right away when his destination doesn't appear on any maps, and the only way to get there is by finding the titular and extra-dimensional(?) Route Zero. What follows is a ten-hour meditation on financial ruin, substance abuse, death, being a wage slave, crippling debt, memory, our relationship to media and technology, and more. Given its fanbase and critical reputation as one of the games of the decade, Kentucky Route Zero is the perfect topic for WDWM? - a game that lots of people have had lots to say about for a lot of years. Do Matt and Tony think it lives up to the hype? Go counter-clockwise until you come to the statue of David Lynch made out of moldy 8-track tapes, then turn around and make three clockwise loops and stop at the Emotional Sewage Treatment Plant to find out!

Welcome to The Stillness, a world where an apocalypse is a generational event. Where individuals with the ability to shape and control the elemental forces of the earth are exploited, oppressed, and reviled. Where, in the beginning of The Fifth Season, book one of N.K. Jemisin's award-winning The Broken Earth trilogy, the world ends for the last time. Matt and Tony weren't familiar with author N.K. Jemisin prior to this episode. While not exactly a household name, her work has earned widespread acclaim and recognition within the sci-fi/fantasy community. With The Fifth Season, Jemisin became the first African-American author to win the Hugo award for best novel. She has also earned the distinction of being the only author to win that award for three straight years for three entries in the same series. Though the characters, setting, and events of The Fifth Season are all larger than life, full of supernatural powers, and a deep well of lore, Jemisin draws from the fears and injustices that have been dominating conversations in America: social and racial inequality, representation, climate change and inaction, systemic racism. As all great sci-fi, The Fifth Season takes the everyday, adds a dose of the fantastic, and becomes a new lens through which to examine our own past, present and possible future. Matt and Tony dive into this, the novel's partial second person perspective, its big twists, and its world building.

Sara Faith Alterman grew up with strict restrictions on what she could and could not watch. She discusses this in her moving new memoir, Let's Never Talk About This Again, which explores the contradiction between her strictly PG-rated upbringing and her late father's secret career as the author of raunchy sex books, and her efforts to help her father revive his writing career after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Sara is also a producer for Mortified, which is a stage show, a podcast, and a Netflix series where adults share the things they wrote as teenagers with a live audience. This is how Tony met Sara in 2009, and based on the first piece Tony "performed" for the Mortified stage, Sara chose to cross Raiders of the Lost Ark off of her list of blindspots. Matt, Tony, and Sara discuss her book and Mortified, as well as growing up with strict rules around TV and movies, what Sara knew about Indiana Jones before her first time with the film, movies under the influence, and aspects of the film that have not aged as well as others. Follow Sara on Twitter (https://twitter.com/SaraFAlterman) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/sfaforeffort/), and grab a copy of Let's Never Talk About This Again (https://www.grandcentralpublishing.com/titles/sara-faith-alterman/lets-never-talk-about-this-again/9781538748671/) at your favorite independent bookstore. To learn more about Mortified, visit GetMortified.com (www.getmortified.com), subscribe to The Mortified Podcast (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mortified-podcast/id964902342), or check out The Mortified Guide on Netflix.

Once again WDWM goes bump in the night for another horror-themed episode, this time diving into 1978's Halloween. Joing Matt and Tony this week is Halloween first-timer Brian Kaminske. Brian isn't just the designer of the show's kickass logo, he's one of Tony's oldest friends, which begs the question: why didn't Tony make him sit down to watch Halloween back in high school when they were discovering such cult classics as Evil Dead, The Thing, and Dead Alive? As WDWM has proven time and again, better late than never. Everyone has a different take this week, as Brian joins Matt and Tony into exploring their relatonships to Halloween, what makes the movie work, and what types of horror keeps us coming back for scares every October.

Horror month is back! Author, archivist, historian, and lifelong horror fan, Janaya Kizzie, introduces Matt to Bill Gunn's lost masterpiece, Ganja & Hess. Funded in part due to the interest in blaxploitation films and released to obscurity in 1973, Ganja & Hess was a movie ahead of its time. With a recent restoration that restored some missing footage the movie is finally starting to gain the audience it so richly deserves. Then Janaya fills in a blind spot of her own with David Lynch's first film, Eraserhead. A personal favorite of Matt's, he guides her through the wonderfully weird world of the Lady in the Radiator, the shocking sounds and and even more shocking apperance of the baby, and the influential sets and sound design that traumatize audiences to this day. Follow Janaya Kizzie on Instagram at: Hidden Here Press (https://www.instagram.com/hiddenherepress/)