Will Rose, Jill Elizabeth, and Kevin Schaefer dive into a whirlwind of pop culture delights in this all lightning round episode of Systematic Geekology. They share what’s new and exciting in the geek world, from the thrilling highs of the Winter Olympics to the emotionally charged narrative of the medical drama "The Pit." The trio engages in light-hearted banter, discussing the ins and outs of their latest obsessions while exploring how these topics resonate with their varied faith traditions. With topics ranging from the nostalgia of "The Muppet Show" to the highly anticipated "Toy Story 5," listeners are treated to a delightful mix of humor and insightful commentary. Buckle up as they speed through a smorgasbord of geeky goodness—it's a ride you won't want to miss!

A vibrant discussion unfolds as Will, Jill, and Kevin dive into the latest happenings in the geek universe. The trio kicks off with a lightning round, sharing their most recent obsessions in television and movies. Jill expresses her enthusiasm for the Winter Olympics, capturing the rollercoaster of emotions that come with the games. From heart-stopping performances to nail-biting moments in hockey, she embodies the spirit of patriotism that ignites during such events. Kevin, on the other hand, brings the spotlight to a medical drama that has captivated his attention: 'The Pit.' He raves about its unique real-time format, where each episode covers an hour in the lives of emergency room staff, blending heartfelt storytelling with moments of levity. Will chimes in with his own nostalgia-fueled excitement about the return of the Muppet Show, highlighting how it bridges generations and evokes fond memories for viewers. As they jump from topic to topic, the camaraderie among the hosts shines through, with witty banter and clever insights that keep listeners engaged. The episode is a delightful mix of shared passions and geeky discussions, reminding everyone of the joy found in fandoms and the community built around them.

Takeaways:

1. In this lightning round episode, the crew dives into their current obsessions in pop culture, showcasing a blend of excitement and nostalgia.
2. Jill shares her patriotic enthusiasm for the Winter Olympics, highlighting the emotional rollercoaster that the games bring to viewers.
3. Kevin reveals his newfound love for the medical drama 'The Pit', emphasizing its unique storytelling format that unfolds in real-time.
4. Will reminisces about the nostalgic return of 'The Muppet Show', expressing hopes for more episodes to capture the hearts of both old and new fans.
5. The discussion touches on the upcoming 'Toy Story 5', sparking debate about the relevance of beloved characters in a digital age filled with tech competition.
6. The crew wraps up with recommendations, championing shows like 'Shrinking' and 'The Muppet Show' as must-watch gems that blend humor with heartfelt storytelling.

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what's news? Well, I'll tell you what's news. Systematicology right here with an all lightning round with my friends Jill and Kevin.

It's a little different what's news episode of Systematic Geekology. We have a couple of geek, couple of geekologists hanging out.

We have some time and it's been a while since I've been on one of these episodes and Kevin's been on some, don't know last time Jill's been on here, but it's the last time I've kind of hung out with them and talks about what we're geeking out on, which is really the heart and soul of Systemic ecology is getting together with friends and saying, have you seen this? What do you think about this? What are your thoughts?

So we're going to talk about some TV shows and some movies and some recent trailers that are out there in the world that blew my mind. And I'm really excited about and I wanted to geek out with some of my friends Jill and Kevin. And here we are, an all lightning round.

Before we jump into that later, thank you for the supporters and all those who support the show. Listen to the show. We couldn't do it without you. And so I'm going to thank one of our supporters, Will Rose. Will, you got this, man.

You're in the season of Lent.

I just want to tell you right now, as you're listening to this later on in your earbuds, that you're doing great and I'm proud of you and thank you for supporting Systematic Ecology. We couldn't do it without you. Yeah, wait and review. Do all those things.

Go down and check out our website in the show notes and you will not be disappointed of how many episodes we have and all the merch you can get with that. So let's, let's hop in. Let's do it. What are we kicking out on lightning round Here we are. Jill, let's go. You're first up. What are you geeking out on?

First thing I'm geeking out on it is end of February and I've been geeking out on the TV over the US Olympics. Winter Olympics in Milan Cortano. Yeah, I think it's been so fun to watch the quad. God just had me mesmerized and that was so amazing.

And then he had the falls and that was so emotional. I just feel like it's been a whole roller coaster. And then the gold medal hockey game against Canada was amazing.

A couple days later the boys did it and that was really cool too. But this is like when I am my most patriotic is during the Olympics and I just have loved it. It's kept me captivated.

Yeah, I love the Summer Olympics because I grew up a year round swimmer and I just love all the sports I don't normally see week in and week out kind of show up in the Olympics and same way with, you know, the winter, winter sports. There's some sports I really love to watch in the Olympics. I don't see all, all year round. Like I may check out a snowboard event or skiing event.

I like to snowboard and ski and do all that stuff. But when it come Olympic time, yeah, I'm the most patriotic. I'm with you. During the Olympics I like to pull for the team.

I had to text a friend of mine who lives in Canada and say, y, we won. And then in church this morning, I got the text from my wife that said the men won the gold, the gold medal right before announcements.

So I get up and I'm like, hey y', all, I don't know if you know this or not. You're in church, but hey, we won gold.

And I was like, oh, I'm sorry, there might be some people here who didn't want to know that because they're recording the house. I'm really sorry. Spoiler alert. But, but yeah, I love the Olympics. I geek out on it too. Kevin, are you, you like the Olympics?

Do you get to rah rah the USA at this point?

I like, I, my parents watch them all the time. So like I'll see clips here and there. But like I, I mean I, I should have more interest, but I'm just not sports at all.

I've tried like in anything, but there's like really no sport I follow at all. So like even Olympics.

So, but, but it is a, it's a fascinating cultural like I, it's a cool thing that, you know, so many people get really excited about. But yeah, I've seen some clips there and there.

And then I did watch Don the other day and he talked about like, I don't remember their names, but he talked about how one of them gave like a public apology about cheating on his girlfriend before he was going to this drama about.

And he's like, and John offers just like, I would love to do an entire episode where all I do is talk about all the gossip surrounding Olympic athletes. But no, we have to get into real world stuff now.

Right?

But that was. I, I got little snippets of that and it was entertaining.

Hey, there's your documentary for Netflix or whatever. You just behind the scenes gossip of what's going on with the athletes. I'm sure there's privacy there, but come on.

Olympic tea.

Olympic tea. That's what we'll do it. So good. So good. So good. Kevin, what's up, man? What do you. What are you geeking out or another thing in pop culture?

What's new with you?

So Thursday nights for me belong to Dr. Robbie and company. I. I am a big fan of the Pit and it's really fun watching it week to week right now because I binged the first season because it was.

It's really funny because I had never really watched any medical dramas before. That's just one genre of TV I never really had much interest in and partly because I've spent a lot of time in hospitals.

So I was like, I don't really need any of this. But I heard so much hype about the. Yeah, I heard so much hype about the Pit.

I really like Noah Wiley as an actor because I, I knew him more from the sci fi series Fallen Dies about a decade ago. I enjoyed that one. It was. And so I was like, I'll give this time. And then I was immediately hooked with season one.

And so I binged it last summer and that was like 15 episodes. And I finished it, I think, within a week or so. So I was excited to.

Now that I'm like fully into the fandom, they're getting to watch season two as it comes out. So. So, yeah, I watch it every. Unless I'm at a movie, I watch it every Thursday night.

And yeah, I mean, I would say so far, like, season one is still pretty gold standard in terms of storytelling, in terms of just everything about it. And they, they set the stakes so high for, you know, for what was going on. I mean, this kind of spoiler.

But the last half of season one deals with a mass shooting and so the tv, our department has to respond to that. But. And so it's hard to like, go raise the stakes above that. But they still have done a really great job with this season. It's set on 4th of why?

Because for those who don't know what the Pit it's each season is taking place over a single shift of. With an ER department. So like, every episode is just titled like, you know, 7:00am to 8:00am and then the next week is right.

So it plays out in real time.

And I really like that dynamic because you get to see this in depth look at an ER department in one day and all the chaos that can ensue within a 15 hour shift. And so, yeah, I mean, it's just, it's wonderfully acted.

There's obviously a lot of serious, you know, really hard hitting drama going on, but there are moments of levity as well that they sprinkle in there and it's just such an enjoyable cast to watch.

I, I also saw, I, I saw a post recently talking about, because I was thinking about it, I'm like, because I work for a digital health publisher and so I'm surrounded by medical content, like in a different sense. But I, but I mean, I'm, I'm like, why am I watching this, like in my free time?

And like, you know, it can be very stressful and it's, you know, and you know, there are patients dying and there's all this stuff going on. What is it about it that's actually like comforting?

And I saw a post that said it's because the core cast, it's a group of competent people doing their jobs well. And so it's like, that's actually very refreshing.

And I'm like, yeah, I can, I mean, I think anyone, like, that's kind of an escape, especially when you see, you know, the leadership in the world today and a number of other things and, and just dealing with everyday chaos and, you know, whatever job you're in.

So it's very refreshing to watch this group of people work together and of course they have their conflicts and there's a big conflict between two of the main characters. This season started the last one and that's still ongoing.

So it's not perfect by any means, but they have this dynamic with each other and they respond to their patients with empathy and understanding and it's just, you know, it's so captivating once you get started, it's hard to look away. So, yeah, it's just, it's a great show all around. Yeah. Yeah.

That's not something, I've never been into medical dramas. I don't think I've watched one medical drama all the way through just because I don't want to be stressed out, watch it.

And I was tempted to do watch the Pit because I've heard so great, so many great things about as racked up on the Emmys.

And Kevin, you said you're not into sports, but like, in terms of like Oscar season, Emmy season, that's kind of like the super bowl of who wins and the competition of all things. It's like a sport in itself. And but my. My daughter and wife started watching an episode and I was doing something else in the other room.

And then I overheard Cindy go, yep, that's why I don't watch these kinds of shows, because she was just, like, stressed out. Her dad was an ER doctor. She heard all kinds of stories. But.

But we were like, not too long ago in an ER because she fractured her ankle and she's like, oh, see that over there? That's the pit. That's what they call the pit where they're over there talking and doing those things. I'm like, okay, I get it.

I can see why this is so captivating for those kind of things. But, yeah, I might go back and watch it. Watch it if there's time at some point. But I've heard nothing but great things.

Jill, is this the show you've been watching or engaged with?

I have not been watching. I usually like Kevin's recommendation, so I'm going to give it a try.

When I first saw in the Emmys that he was nominated, I'm like, wait, didn't we already see Noah Wiley in a medical hospital drama? Like, am I in a time loop?

And a lot of people call it like a sequel to ER because not only does it have him, but the producers and creators of ER are also like, they teamed up again for this. So it has a lot of the same DNA, but it's, again, the formatting is unique with the playing out in real time.

And then I do like real time dramas.

Yeah, yeah, it's fascinating. It's like 24 hour in a medical drama. And then. And then also with hbo, Max, like, they don't have cable restrictions. So that's the other.

It's like, yeah, if you cannot stomach some things, I would not recommend it because it does not really hold anything back because they don't have the filter there. They have to worry about. They can be as graphic as they want.

This kind of age of prestige television with the streaming services, that people can do a lot more stuff. You can see where they bring back some of this. We can do this in a whole different level.

And I do like it that, like, they debut these on a certain night and kind of roll them out with seasons because we're back to kind of appointment television. Like, same way I'm going to talk about another show, like every Sunday night. I'm like, yep, I am going to be there.

And the same way with the Pit and others, this kind of way you can do these kind of TVs, even with streaming services is is pretty, pretty neat how they, how can they do that?

And that's what's been really fun because I'll talk, Jill and I will talk about another show in a bit with that. But like, like I said with I, I binged the pit season one but now watching it week to week, I really enjoy that because like my sister watches it.

I have friends from church too. So I love each week getting to talk about it with them and be like, oh my gosh, what do you think of this? And like what do you think?

You know, it's going like it, it's, it's refreshing because I, I think there's a disadvantage to dropping a season at once and you know, you just consume it all and you don't get that like week to week excite and it's like, yes, you want it all. I want to consume it all at once.

But also it's really cool to be engaged in this community where you're sharing fan theories and talking about individual moments.

Yeah, yeah, I like, I like that too.

Kind of the old school water coolers talk where in the office we gather around and talk about you watching what happened last week, what's going to happen next. I'm, I'm glad that's making resurgence back into our, our pop culture. I'm, I'm going to lift up one. So what I'm geeking out on.

What I love is that they, we had. The Muppet show came back. Can you believe it folks? The Muppet show. The old school variety show.

Muppet show came back for a one and done episode with Sabrina Carpenter.

Kermit was trying to wrangle in all the crazy Muppets and what's going to happen on this show and his, you know, the tension with Miss Piggy and whether she, her, her, her spot is going to last or be on the show or not. I mean all the, all that stuff, it was so, so refreshing. And I grew up on the show.

My, my wife and I did and I know they tried to re do the Muppets in different ways. Whether it's like a Office version mockumentary or whether it's other, you know, a Disney plus kind of series.

You know, it has this hard thing that it's trying to do to like be nostalgic for the adults but also bring in new viewers and fans which, some of these long term fandoms, whether it's Star Wars, Star Trek, Muppets, whatever, how do you bring, how do you make it multi, generational, intergenerational and, and yeah, so I really loved it.

We.

It was appointment television for us. We watched it. I hope it did a good job in the ratings, so they'll make more. But, you know, it was just a. Just a refreshing show.

The. You're all. The old gang was back doing what they do best, being the Muppets there on. On the. On the variety show TV show. So it was good.

Any of y' all catch that one?

I did not see it. I'm kind of disappointed. I didn't know about it, but I can go back and watch. That'll be a fun one to watch with my youngest.

I love the Muppet Movie with Jason Siegel. Like, I. I'm. I could revisit that.

So.

Great suggestion.

Yeah. So some of these fans of the. The movies, like Siegel did the movie and then Seth Rogen did. Produced this, okay.

Kind of TV variety show one and done episode of. Of the Muppets. And so I love it that they're fans of this and they're gonna throw it out there for folks.

Yeah, I love all the movie renditions of such as. Or that wacky band of. Of Muppets. A lot of fun. Kevin, did you see that one?

I know about it. I haven't seen this one yet, though. I heard they changed the voice for Kermit and this, and it was a little jarring. I don't know.

Oh, because he died.

Yeah. Yeah. But I was gonna, like. But I. But it was like a very different take. Like. Yeah, I saw some commentary of, like. Because you can get. I mean, you get.

Like, anyone can do a Kermit voice. And this one felt, like, very different, but. Yeah, that was just something I heard.

Yeah, I noticed it. But then I was just kind of all in. I'm like, yeah, you know, you had some changes. Let's. That's what I'm doing. But yeah, yeah, yeah.

Cool.

All right, let's go back around the horn. What else? Let's see who. Who's next? Jill, Kevin, who's.

Oh, yeah. Shrinking, which I think we all are geeking out on the show.

And it's been just releases on Wednesday, so it Is my, like, Wednesday night come home and who's gonna watch Shrinking with me? Oh, it's just such a heartwarming story. I loved the first two seasons.

Obviously, I love Harrison Ford and him playing in this role where he has Parkinson's and he's so vulnerable. I haven't seen him play a role that vulnerable before. It's really endearing. The whole cast, I just love.

Yeah. Oh, it's. It's actually brilliant. Yeah. Yeah.

I have not seen this show. This is something.

And I'm.

It's on our. Is at the top of our to watch list as like, a family. Whenever it comes, things get in the way and life and happens and other shows pop up.

But I definitely, desperately want to watch this, to spend time with it, because I think you're right, from what I've heard in terms of, like, mental health and that therapists and counseling is. Is needed now more than ever. And then what does it mean to be human in. In this day and age and what we're all wrestling with? I think it's easy.

So I've heard nothing but good things about it and that it handles that topic very, very, very well.

And.

Well, if you need no other reason to watch that, like, there are a million reasons, but I'll spoil just one little, like, moment from this season that is perfect. So. And I don't know how much money they had to pay to get the rights here, but Harrison Ford. So you, like, Joe was saying he got.

His character has Parkinson's. So in this season, he takes a brief hiatus from work. He's like the head therapist at the office, and he takes a brief hiatus to focus on his health.

And so then when he comes back, he enters the office humming the Indiana Jones theme and says, the goat is back.

And I don't know how much money they had to, like, pay to get the rights so that he could do that, but it was worth every penny because I was on the floor. It was just one of the best moments of the entire series. And there are a lot of them.

Well, pop culture reference, you know, you're saying that this is season three. You know how popular it is by this time. They're like, yep, this has legit. It has cred.

Yeah, let's go ahead and let them do this, because it's only going to

throw it in us in the long run.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Well, in the end the three of us. Oh, go ahead, Dill. Yeah, go ahead.

I was just going to say, like, to like time loop season three, we have a guest appearance with by Michael J. Fox because he also has Parkinson's and so he is sort of like mentoring. It's a really cool relationship.

I don't want to give it away, but we get to see Michael J. Fox there too. Also being very vulnerable and very real.

Michael J. Fox and Harrison Ford staring a scene together. And then Jeff Daniels plays Jason Siegel's dad in this season as well.

It's just like, I mean, there are so many. But. But no, it's.

It's just such a great show from start to finish of like Joe was saying, it captures the realities of what it's like trying to navigate, like we're all today. But it does it in such a heartwarming way. And like, yeah, it's not afraid to confront both the drama, the comedy, the absurdity.

And it's one of the best ensembles on any show I've ever seen. I mean, they're all like, yeah, if you ask for a favorite character, I'm like, I have to pick one. Like, come on. Like, they're all just so lov.

And they are. They all have like their own flaws, their own strengths there. I mean, you have like this. Well, they're do.

Two of the characters are the next door neighbors to Jason Siegel, who essentially help raise his daughter after this is. This is the starting of the show. But like, he's a widower at the start of the show. His wife died in a car accident a year before the show starts.

And so, yeah, he's a single dad. So they help raise her and they like. And the mom is just one of the funniest, like, mom, the dad is one of the funniest dads there.

They have such great chemistry. There's. One of the main characters is a patient of Jimmy, Jason Siegel's character in the pilot episode, who then becomes a core member of the cast.

Like, there's, you know, they have Jimmy's best friend. There's all these. And what I love to. This is it, you know.

But what I love about this season so far is that like, Jimmy and his daughter are in a better place now. Like a lot of the. Especially season one was them in this dark place and they had the fraught relationship. They had to navigate through that.

They're in a much better place. But now they're trying to, you know, a lot of this season is about, okay, what is moving forward.

Look like now you know, it's like, we've been through this trauma together, and now, like, okay, we can't keep staying in this, like, loop. Right. Even though we're comfortable, we also have to.

And this is just for their characters, but for everyone, it's about embracing change and taking the next steps to, you know, do what people are meant to. So I love that as the central theme of this season, and it looks different for each character.

I like the question of what if your therapist needs therapy?

Yes, exactly.

You know, if. When you're a therapist and helping counselors or pastors or mentors or coaches become cynical and need extra help, where do you go? What do you do?

Do you deconstruct that, too? Like, what happens with that? So, like, that seems like a cool premise to deconstruct, reconstruct, even therapy and counseling and what. Yeah.

Looking for from the helpers.

Yeah, absolutely.

Yeah. But this is a show. Don't sleep on it. Like, I've been trying to get my parents to watch it, too, because I think they would really enjoy as well.

But, like, it's all right. It's pretty brilliant, Soldier.

I'm sold.

Yeah.

Kevin, other than shrinking, what else? Yeah, what else you got going on there? You want to lift up?

Let's see, as far as newer stuff, those are the main, like, current things. And watching. I did a lot of the last what's News episode. So go watch that if you haven't. And then I'm going to tonight to see.

Good luck, have fun, don't Die, which I don't know if you saw. Like, I'm really excited for. I'm so excited for this one. This is the. The new Gore Verbinski, and it's like an indie like that.

Commentating, commenting on AI and. But it's like doing it in, like, in a mix of horror comedy. Very excited for that. So I'm seeing that in about a couple hours now.

Other than that, like, not current at all. But I'm watching the West Wing for the first time. So that, like. Yeah, that's been a.

Something I've never watched, too. I've heard great things. I've never watched the West Wing. I've never watched the West Wing. It's.

I mean, I was watching cartoons as a kid. Yeah, right, exactly. So I was not watching the Wire and the Sopranos and All that. But like, But.

And also my mom had started West Wing last year too, because she had seen some of it back when it aired, but not all the way through or anything, but it. Yeah. Great show, though. I mean, it's just like, it's Aaron Starkin dialogue, wonderful cast. And it's also kind of refreshing because, like.

Oh, not that the characters are by any means perfect, but you're like, can we please have this staff in the White House? Yeah. Again, it's not. It's not afraid to confront their flaws as well. But good gosh. Is it like, you know, this idealistic of like.

Oh, could you ask for. Yeah, like more idealistic president and. Yeah, that. So that's kind of comforting. Why?

I'm like, I kind of just pretend I'm in that reality for a little bit when I'm watching.

I'm like, yeah, yeah, yeah, I love it.

And that touches on kind of what we were talking about earlier. That, like this theme of nostalgia, like.

Yes.

Yeah. We are nostalgic for what happened 30 years ago. And we look at a little bit through rose colored glasses.

Yeah.

For better or for worse. Right. Perhaps if we had been.

If we knew the things about that administration that we know about this current administration, we would be in a different position. Right, right. Or if you knew how bad things could get, we would have questioned systems that were causing harm far earlier than we did.

100%

cool, y'.

All.

So before we hop into some. Some movie trailers out there, Jill, is there another show or TV that we're missing before we get in the trailer?

Well, Bridgerton just released their first four episodes of this current season, and for those of y' all that are Bridgerton fans, it's really good. There's a lot of questions that get. Are getting answered. Each season focuses on a different sibling of the Bridgerton family.

So we get a new sibling this time. Gosh, what's his name? Anthony. He's a bit of a rake. He's sort of a man whore of the family.

And so we're getting to watch him as he acquiesces to his mother's request to find a bride because he's just giving the family a bad name by.

I love that.

Yes. They use that phrase over and over. And I'm like, we should bring back rake.

I love it.

I know, I tell you. Yeah, this is another show that I overheard my wife and daughter watching I haven't gotten into.

But I definitely understand the drama and the popularity of it. Is. Is good, good, good stuff. There's a reason why it's popular.

It's fun. And they do, they don't drop one every week, but they drop four at a time. So we got, you know, you could go and binge through.

I do like that too. So like, all right, that's a happy medium of. A lot of shows have been doing that, I think, andor did that.

Some, there's, there's others that will, you know, you drop it all at once. People can binge it, talk about it or Stranger Things did that drop a handful of episodes. Then we'll linger it on.

I, I don't mind that I like the once a week thing, but I also like just a, a couple episodes at a time and if you have time, you can watch them all or, or spread it out. But that's, that's good stuff. Good, good things. Yeah. I have to. Before we hop into our, our trailer, news the I I love A Night of the Seven Kingdoms.

And I did watch all of Game of Thrones. There are times I really loved it and times I love to hate it.

And there's all kinds of thoughts and ideas of, you know, his books and translating to screen and hopelessness and nihilism.

And am I just watching this to be like blood and sex gore, you know, all the things, or is there like a drama there among these families to see, you know, this Game of Thrones, who's going to sit on the throne? I was intrigued. But when this came out, this spin off, I didn't know much about it.

I just heard there was kind of a spin off novella and I was like, I'll watch the first episode and see what like, I love this show so much. These characters are so lovable and likable. It has a different tone. It's not the heavy weight of all of Westeros.

You just get a glimpse of what it's like in Westeros. And Sir Duncan is just, I love, I love him. I love this, I love this guy. I love this character. And then egg his little, you know, helper is great.

And so I went out so much that I love the show. I went out and bought the book so I can read it for myself.

And, and it will dupe you because there's like four episodes of like, oh, this isn't as bloody or gory or as intense as Game of Thrones. And then the penultimate, penultimate episode last week was absolutely brutal and I was like, sucked.

I was like, oh my gosh, this is some of those brutal things I've seen. But we'll see what Happens when I watch the final episode.

But I. I'm hoping that they'll do another season because I think there's more book in the book to tell. But I. I really love this show, and you've probably seen all the memes you've probably seen on. On social media, people lifting this up.

But I highly recommend it, even if you don't, you know, a big Game of Thrones fan or fantasy fan. Just the story of this one dude and what's he having to navigate and where he. You can see the world through his kind of innocent, you know, eyes is.

Is worth it.

Okay.

Nice. Cool. All right, let's talk about some trailers.

So some trailers dropped, and let's Talk Toy Story 5 first, and then we'll jump in to Mandalorian and Grogu, because thoughts all around those things. So Toy Story 5 dropped as kind of a surprise trailer for me this past week. I immediately was like, oh, I love all Toy Story movies.

I've kind of grown up with these things. I've grown up showing my kids these things. And then we've all asked as a family, maybe some on the show, do we really need another Toy Story?

Didn't they end it perfectly on the last one? But when I saw this. But when I saw this trailer, I was like, of course. Of course. This is what we have to talk about.

And if this is what we have to talk about with parents and kids these days and toys, then. Then, yeah, so we have, you know, here we go. We have toys. Not just first, other toys. The competition. But it's toys versus electronic tablets, y'.

All. Yes.

That is what we're gonna deal with. Every parent is wrestling with screen time these days. Well, guess What?

Toy Story 5 is gonna solve the problem from here on out for the rest of history.

Boom.

What do you guys think?

Yeah, I mean, like, it's. I. I still remember the visceral reaction I had when they announced Toy Story 4. I'm like, right. They ended it perfectly. Like, it's just like you.

You told a perfect story. Leave it as it is. And then. And I was bitter about it for a long time, and then I saw Toy Story 4.

I liked it way more than, you know, I thought I would. I still. I mean, I do. Was it completely necessary? No. But I also think Toy Story 4 could basically just be called Woody.

It's not really about the other. It's like a Woody solo movie, and it finishes the story with him and Bo Peep. And so, like, it works in that respect.

Then when they announced this one. I was like, here we go again. Like. And I.

To your point, I do think it's a very relevant idea to talk about of like, okay, the emergence of the digital age and how kids are upset. I mean, I see it's on with my niece and nephews. They have, you know, they're, they, I mean, they can access streaming services, do all this stuff.

Like, I mean, they, you know, I can easily be addicted to screens. And so I, I worry about that too. So it's a relevant topic to tackle.

My hot take is that I think, like, they could still make this movie, but they really should have retired the original cast. Like, bring in new toys. Like, I don't really. I think they've run out of ideas for what to do with Woody and Buzz and all them.

And Pixar is creative enough where they can.

If they're trying to introduce like the world of Toy Story to a new generation, you can come up with new characters and make and still tackle the same concept. Because that's. I really do.

As much as I love Woody and Buzz and all of them, they've told their stories like, do a next generation type thing and make. So that's. My hot take is I don't need to see topic Tom X and Tim Allen doing this till they're 90 as they. Yeah, the Deadpool.

Look at those.

All right.

That is a hot take.

I know.

Send your angry emails to Kevin. Yahoo.

Go ahead.

And he will answer every single email you shout his way. By the. It's not a bad hot take.

I just, you know, I'm like, a lot of, I've kind of grown out of some of the Disney Pixar stuff just because my, my kids aren't in that area. And I'm not, not forced, but, like, I'm not drawn to that with them. There's a nostalgic knock. We might check some things up.

There's other things to watch. But I, I think this summer I, I will see Toy Story.

Yeah, I mean, of course I'll see it, but I just like, but watching the trailer, it didn't really increase my enthusiasm for it at all. Like, I mean, I, you know, I mean, I, like, I, I do want to. I'm, I'm looking forward to Hoppers. That's what annoys me too.

I'm like, why is Pixar not marketing any of the original ones? They're doing like, like a Leo that just passed that went through. You know, no one saw it because no one heard about it.

Like, why Are you putting all of your effort into just reinvigorating the old franchises? Like, you can still do that, but highlight the. The new stuff you're coming up with as well. And that's what makes me sad.

That's legit. I just. When the trailer, when the tablet says, I'm always watching, you had me. I'm there. I'm Jill. What's your hot take?

Well, it's. I think it's a perfect continuation. And I love how they're spaced apart.

Right.

Like the first Toy Stories, I was young and got that. And then later, like, By Toy Story 2 and 3, I was having my own children then, like, teaching young kids. With four, now I have, like, my. My niece.

My great niece that I'll get to go take to five. She's, like a kind gardener, and she'll love this. I. I love the progression. I love the toys versus tech, this battle.

You get to see how they play it out. And then I especially love that Woody's balding, like, as an aging self.

Yeah. Yes.

I get it. I just. I think it's gonna be delightful.

I love it.

Maybe this would be why I'm like, yeah, I'm all in. Woody. Yeah. Yeah. I had a dog named Woody for a long time, too, so there you go.

Oh, cute.

Yeah.

I'm excited for it. Loved the trailer.

Yeah. Yeah, we will, too. And we'll have a re with it here on this show. All right, last but not least, let's talk about Mandalorian Grogu we had.

I was so ready for this trailer to come out during the super bowl, and when that first Tauntaun showed up on the super bowl, and I was like, I'm ready. And then it was like a parody of the Clydesdale Budweiser.

The Budweiser. Yeah.

Yes. It was great. I was like.

I was so disappointed, and I could kind of understood why they did it, but, you know, like, with other Star wars fans, it was like, oh, I just had. Yeah. Once again, the Star wars fan experience. Mild disappointment.

There are bigger problems in the world to worry about other than a man only go trailer or it not showing up on a Super Bowl. But anyway, so.

But also, they spent, like, millions of dollars on that. Like, that. Like, no one asked for, and they. We all wanted.

No one asked for.

So.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So. But the fact that they are bringing it out pretty soon after that, and marketing said, hey, it's coming soon.

If you were disappointed by the super commercial, not in a trailer. Here you go. And then it dropped this past week.

And, yeah, I guess my hot take is I still don't know the plot of this, other than maybe it's kind of a James Bond flick where he has to go out and solve a crime and come back and there's a big baddie out there somewhere. Or if it's just season four of Mando on the big screen. Still not sure.

I don't know who the big baddie is, but the clips that I saw, it feels like Star Wars. It feels like the Mando show that I adore and love on Disney plus. And I will be there opening night, ready to go. So it. I was gonna be there anyway.

I like this trailer. It showed some more things. I listened to other podcasts, I listen to their commentaries. I got some thoughts of what I really hope is going to happen.

I'll share about that in a minute, but I. I really liked it. Chill. What. What. What do you think of this, you know, in terms of your Star wars fandom along with. What's this movie?

Yeah, I. I am excited for the movie. Mando is probably my favorite Star wars content of the newer stuff. I'm very excited. There's like, this.

I just can't really figure out timeline where it's at in the timeline. And this trailer didn't help me at all because I felt like it was way, way before the original.

But then there's Jabba the Hut, and he doesn't look that young, so I can't.

So it's not. It's a diff. It's a different hut. This is it. So it's a different still. This is still in the Mandalorian era.

So post Return of the Jedi, like, it's been like, really a few years since the first bandage, but the Hutt character in it is actually. The first time it was featured was in the Clone wars animated movie that was Stoker's first mission was to rescue that hut as a baby.

And now we get to see that

hut grow up and that, like, yeah, all, like, hulked out, man. Come on. He's growing up.

Cool. Okay.

Thank you for that. Yeah, yeah, I'll be there with popcorn as well.

Oh, man. I. Yeah, I'm going on sabbatical this summer, so there won't be. I'll take a. Just at church in life and everything. Taking.

Taking a break on some things and come back ready, rejuvenated. But even though, you know, I may not be on as many CISNAC ecology episodes this summer, I'm definitely gonna be back to talk about this movie.

No matter what, I'll be there for that.

And yeah, I think that's part of the problem with Star wars is if they've, they've kind of like blasted so many things out there to see what sticks on the wall. A lot of the fans or even myself who's been there a long time are like where's this fit? What's the timeline? Was this character from.

There's a lot to pull from and, and so some of that confusion is there. So I'm curious who's going to go see this movie? Who's going to be there? He'd love to show. Of course we love Baby Yoda.

People are going to just be there. But I wonder, I'm hoping there's going to be an opening crawl or something to help. Let this is where it fits.

Is this after season one, season two, season three, just picking up where Mando left off.

Hopefully they will coach us maybe one more trailer, maybe a couple press releases that will share with us to get like hey, here's you don't have to do, you don't have to watch three seasons of Mando before you go see this movie, but here's some things to remember before you go. And Kevin, what'd you think about this trailer?

I enjoyed the trailer a lot.

I mean I, you know the is the one they dropped months ago basically looked like an action figure ad I was just like, I mean I know it was a teaser but it was just like, I mean I, like I, I because I, I we could do a whole episode on just, you know, the last six, seven years of Star wars and all the ups and downs there and you know, and when I think about ones that like should have been a movie, Obi Wan definitely should have been a movie and I think would have been way better. This one could easily have been just another season of Mando.

And I'm, I'm always a little skeptical when they do a movie that's a continuation of TV show because like that hasn't really worked out in the past in any franchise really. But, but like you said, I mean this feels very classic Star Wars. I mean I trust favor and baloney.

I wasn't crazy about season three of Mandalorian, but I love the first two and I'm, you know, and this one does look like a pretty self contained adventure like whether he's going after a hut or you know, and I hope it does kind of separate Din and Grogu for at least a little bit of the movie because I Want to see them kind of doing their own thing a little more.

Because the only time we've really seen dinner and like Solo was in that one episode of Book of Boba Fett where he was when Grogu was still training under Luke. And so I kind of want to see a little more of that.

But I also love the Easter eggs in this trailer, like I mentioned, you know, with the Hut character who's actually voiced by Jeremy Allen White, which I think is pretty great. And then. But I think my favorite part of this trailer is that.

And I, I know this one episode is not on YouTube, but I have as my byline here, Martin Scorsese is now in Star wars because Scorsese voices a character in like a bartender there. And above the sign you see it's titled Hugo, which Hugo is my favorite Scorsese film. So I thought that was a great Easter egg there.

Yeah.

But, yeah, so I mean, this looks like a delightful fun time.

I mean, my, my main thing with, you know, with now Filoni and I don't know, I forget his co president's name off the top of my head, but they're now the presidents of Lucasfilm. And then there's also a new CEO at Disney coming in. I hope with all of them taking the reins now that.

And I don't know that they will, but I hope that we will get to see more risky, ambitious Star wars projects in the future like Andor. And a lot that Kathleen Kennedy tried to get made and Disney executives didn't let her. And I hope that.

Yeah, because this one looks like a very fun, safe, you know, perfect summer blockbuster. I'm there for it, but I also want to see things like the Hunt for Ben Solo or the James Mangold Jedi origin movie get made and stuff like that.

That is more left field and feels more like Rogue One and Andor. So I.

That's my main hope for Lucas Solomon, Star wars going forward is that they could have a mix of family friendly, more, you know, you know, familiar territory like this and also stuff we haven't seen in this universe, at least on the movie and TV side of things before.

I like that. And, and yeah, I think, I think that Star wars needs a win. It's been a long time since they've had a movie in the theater.

They've experimented with a lot of different things. There's been some changeover writing strikes, fandom that's up and down and all around. And. And so I do think they need a win.

Listening to Rebel Force Radio and A couple other podcasts and people talking about this. I think, you know, I want to keep my expectations in check. I want to let them tell the story they want to tell, whether it's Filoni and Favreau.

But, you know, I know there's this build up. They're going to do these.

All these different seasons of, you know, Ahsoka and Mando, and then they're going to have a kind of a culminating movie where they all come together like an Avengers in In Game kind of thing. And I wonder if they're kind of skipping all the TV shows and jumping right to this.

I'm curious what will be, like, the extra characters, whether we see Boba, whether we see Ahsoka, whether we get the team back together again. It's a bunch of, like, somebody's kidnapped this Grogu once again.

And so you bring Ahmed Best as that Jedi again, and you bring back Boba and you bring back, you know, a big team where they go out and fight this. And if you were ever.

I know they've kind of lost the opportunity to put the big three, the big four on back on the Millennium Falcon with Han, Luke, Leia and Chewie. If you were ever going to do it in a movie where you kind of de age them and do a cameo and get people talking, then why not put them on the.

It's there. They're. They're still hanging out on the Falcon and beginning this new Republic. Let's put Luke, Leiahan and Chewy on the Falcon. Let's see him.

Let's see them come in and help out in some cameo way where people will be blown away. Kind of like the end of Rogue One where Darth Vader shows up and just kicks ass for like 30 seconds and then we're off to the races to a new hope.

Maybe. Maybe this is the movie that gets the buzz going. If it doesn't happen. Fine. You told your story. I won't be disappointed. Well, a little bit.

But if you're ever gonna do something like that, to swing big to get people talking and the buzz talking about Star wars again, here's your opportunity to do something like that. So, Kevin. Yeah. Will they play it safe and just do another season of. Of Mando, or will they, like, swing for the fences and put.

Put the gang back on that Millennium Falcon again? I don't know.

I mean, that would be amazing. And it's, like, so fun. And I would, Yeah, I would actually rather them just. Just go ahead and Cat.

I mean, they already have Alden Ehrenreck as young Han Solo. But I.

They took the wrong lessons from Solos box office that it's not that people hate, you know, newer actors playing younger versions of the kind of characters. It's just like that movie didn't do well for a number of reasons. But I'm all for, you know, I would love Sebastian Stanis, Luke and.

And like, you know, and. Or whoever you know, get. But like tell those.

Because there's 20 year, over 20 years of story in between Return of the Jedi and Force Awakens and you know, I want to see all that. I want to see adventures of the Court trio there. So. Yeah, and.

And a lot of the future of that of like the mando verse and like, like you were just saying about the end game type movie where they all battle Thrawn. A lot of that hinges on how well this movie does. So I hope it does smash at the box office.

I mean, of course we'll all be there, you know, opening night and we'll do our part. But. Exactly.

How about you?

Exactly.

Yeah.

Right.

Yeah. Good, good, good. All right, final thoughts about this. But we will talk more about it leading up to it.

We're doing a Star wars series kind of like we did with other episodes in terms of working with like One Piece and my Hero academia and other places.

So we're going to work through the decades and the lore before the battle at Yavin and after the battle at Yavin and we have a long series, a lot of Star wars there. Over 50 years. Five decades of star wars and leading up to the. The. The A New Hope. The Original New Hope 19:7 Back in the theaters again.

And I hope fans don't ruin it. I hope that toxic fandoms can. Can kind of chill and we can listen to that. Hopefully we'll do our part.

I know I'm invested because it's one of my favorite things, but. But yeah, we'll do our part in trying to help healthy conversations and see what it is and navigate these geeky waters with you all.

Whether it's a hut that's threatening us or a big snake towering over us or a baby Guido. We have a baby Yoda. We got to get a baby guido of some sort. So much fun. So much fun. All right, final thoughts. Final Thoughts there on.

On this trailer. We can put a bow on that. Could do a lightsaber.

Zeb is in this too. We got the, like, brief cameo from him in the last season, but I'm really excited to see him on the big screen. My favorite Rebels characters.

Cool, cool, cool. Well, let's head into recommendations.

All right, Jill, of all the things we've talked about or not talked about, what are you going to recommend to our fellow geekologists out there?

Watch Shrinking. It's. Everybody's got to watch it. It's fantastic.

Kevin, how about you?

Drinking is amazing. I'll. I'll recommend another. I've talked about different podcasts and stuff before, but I watch Screen Crushed all the time.

And like, particularly with all the Marvel and Star wars stuff coming up and whatnot. Oh, also. Oh, I was recommending this to Jill earlier in between episodes, but the podcast Happy Sack confused.

If you like us want to go deeper into creator interviews. I was telling her about the interview with Ryan Coogler about a month ago, and it was awesome. That's a great podcast.

So you get a lot of really in depth interviews with creators.

I need another podcast. Like, I need another book staring at me, judging me, that I haven't read it yet.

But I tell you what, if you talk about Ron Coogler talking about that, I will write that down and listen. That sounds. That sounds great. I'm going to recommend the Muppet Show.

Go find that one that Seth Rogen did to Bernie Carpenter, watch it and then smash that, like, button and then tell everybody in the world and that we need a whole season of the Muppet show with all kinds of characters. I really want that to happen and need that.

And I heard there the rock and roller coaster at Disney is being changed from Aerosmith to Electric Mayhem, where it's going to be a big Muppet ride with the band. So I'm, you know, as an Aerosmith fan, you know, like rock and roll, you know, there's a little nostalgia there. I'm sad to see that go.

But if you can make a cool roller coaster with the Muppets and an electric. I'm there. I just see it. Folks, thank you for listening. We appreciate you rate and review.

Go to our website in the show notes and check out all the episodes that we have. Go get yourself some merch. Share with a friend. We thank our supporters. Will Rose, thank you for your support on systematic ecology.

And you're doing the best you can, buddy. I'm proud of you. Keep going. You got this, you got it. So thanks, folks. And as always, remember, the geek in me honors the geek N.