Decoding TV

In this bonus episode, Patrick Klepek and David Chen discuss the Five Nights at Freddy’s movie currently streaming on Peacock.What is the appeal of this videogame property? Is it possible to take any of these characters seriously? How did the videogame’s lore interact with the story they were trying to tell? And why is this movie so good for society even if we ultimately don’t like it very much? Listen to hear us discuss all these questions and more!Links:Email us and let us know what you think at decodingtv(AT)gmail(DOT)comListen to Patrick’s videogame podcast, Remap RadioSubscribe to Patrick’s newsletter, CrossplayFollow this podcast on InstagramFollow this podcast on TiktokSubscribe to David’s free newsletter, Decoding EverythingFollow David on InstagramFollow David on Tiktok Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Patrick Klepek and David Chen dive into Loki season 2 episode 4, “Heart of the TVA.”This episode delivers on the best of what this show has to offer. But is that enough? What are the moments that shocked Patrick and David? How close did that scene come to being rated R? Do we think that the backstories of Renslayer, General Dox, and Victor Timely got quite enough time in the oven? What could possibly happen after that ending? Listen to hear us discuss all this and more!We’ll be covering Loki weekly right here on Decoding TV, so stay tuned to hear our reaction to each episode this season!Links:Email us and let us know what you think at decodingtv(AT)gmail(DOT)comListen to Patrick’s videogame podcast, Remap RadioSubscribe to Patrick’s newsletter, CrossplayFollow this podcast on InstagramFollow this podcast on TiktokSubscribe to David’s free newsletter, Decoding EverythingFollow David on InstagramFollow David on Tiktok Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Patrick Klepek and David Chen dive into Loki season 2 episode 3, “1893.”This episode sees the return of Ravonna Renslayer and Miss Minutes. But, like, what is Miss Minutes’ deal exactly? Does she have physical properties? Do we care about her quest for a human body? What did we think of Jonathan Major’s performance as Victor Timely? How delightful is it to see Mobius and Loki in 19th century Chicago? And can this show stick to one plotline for longer than a single episode? Listen to hear us discuss all these questions and more!We’ll be covering Loki weekly right here on Decoding TV, so stay tuned to hear our reaction to each episode this season!Links:Email us and let us know what you think at decodingtv(AT)gmail(DOT)comListen to Patrick’s videogame podcast, Remap RadioSubscribe to Patrick’s newsletter, CrossplayFollow this podcast on InstagramFollow this podcast on TiktokSubscribe to David’s free newsletter, Decoding EverythingFollow David on InstagramFollow David on Tiktok Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This Week In Streaming is a show on the Decoding TV podcast feed that covers the most interesting shows available on streaming each week. On this episode, David Chen and Sarah Marrs discuss all eight episodes of Mike Flanagan’s The Fall of the House of Usher:Episode 1 - A Midnight DrearyEpisode 2 - The Masque of the Red DeathEpisode 3 - Murder in the Rue MorgueEpisode 4 - The Black CatEpisode 5 - The Tell-Tale HeartEpisode 6 - GoldbugEpisode 7 - The Pit and the PendulumEpisode 8 - The RavenWe begin by discussing our overall thoughts on the show. Then, starting at ~29:00, we discuss and spoil every single episode.How did Poe’s work fare in the transition to the small screen? And how well did we think the actors did in bringing these characters to life? Is this show supposed to be as campy as it feels sometimes? What were our favorite kills? And does this show add up to anything by the end? Listen to hear us discuss all these questions and more!When possible, we will broadcast the episode live on YouTube, so be sure to follow us there. Thanks for being a paid subscriber!Links:Email us and let us know what you think at decodingtv(AT)gmail(DOT)comRead more of Sarah’s work at Lainey GossipFollow Sarah on TwitterFollow David Chen on ThreadsSubscribe to this podcast on YouTubeFollow this podcast on InstagramFollow this podcast on TiktokSubscribe to David’s free newsletter, Decoding Everything Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Patrick Klepek and David Chen dive into Loki season 2 episode 2, “Breaking Brad.” But first: a conversation about how Marvel has been handling TV, and how that might change moving forward.This episode sees Loki finally reuniting with Sylvie after some adventures apart. But why does it feel like this show is actually two separate shows fighting against each other? What was it like to see Loki use some more of that old trickster magic again? And does this show actually need superhero action scenes to be exciting? Listen to hear us discuss all these questions and more!We’ll be covering Loki weekly right here on Decoding TV, so stay tuned to hear our reaction to each episode this season!Links:Email us and let us know what you think at decodingtv(AT)gmail(DOT)comListen to Patrick’s videogame podcast, Remap RadioSubscribe to Patrick’s newsletter, CrossplayFollow this podcast on InstagramFollow this podcast on TiktokSubscribe to David’s free newsletter, Decoding EverythingFollow David on InstagramFollow David on Tiktok Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This Week In Streaming is a show on the Decoding TV podcast feed that covers the most interesting shows available on streaming each week. On this episode, David Chen and Patrick Klepek discuss the entire first season of The Continental: From The World of John Wick, including:Episode 2 - Loyalty to the MasterEpisode 3 - Theatre of PainAs predicted, the season (series?) finale had action scene after action scene. But were any of them any good? What were our favorite and least favorite moments? Did this show bring enough to the (high) table to warrant revisiting the world of John Wick? Do we think it’s worth revisiting this world in a second season? And we ask again: Was it really worth casting Mel Gibson in this show? Listen to us discuss all this and more!Next week, we’ll be continuing our coverage of Loki. When possible, we will broadcast the episode live on YouTube, so be sure to follow us there. Thanks for being a paid subscriber!Links:Email us and let us know what you think at decodingtv(AT)gmail(DOT)comListen to Patrick’s videogame podcast, Remap RadioSubscribe to Patrick’s newsletter, CrossplayFollow this podcast on InstagramFollow this podcast on TiktokSubscribe to David’s free newsletter, Decoding EverythingFollow David on InstagramFollow David on Tiktok Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Patrick Klepek and David Chen dive into Loki’s season 2 premiere, “Ouroboros” We start by talking about our thoughts about what Loki season 1 did well and where we felt it could’ve improved. Then, it’s time for a full-blown review and recap of the first episode of season 2.We’ve missed the world of the Time Variance Authority! Is there any MCU show that has ever looked better than Loki? How painful does Loki’s time-slipping look, exactly? How do we feel about the Jonathan Majors of it all? How perfect is Ke Huy Quan for this show? And what are our hopes and expectations for this season of television? Listen to hear us discuss all this and more!We’ll be covering Loki weekly right here on Decoding TV, so stay tuned to hear our reaction to each episode this season!Links:Email us and let us know what you think at decodingtv(AT)gmail(DOT)comListen to Patrick’s videogame podcast, Remap RadioSubscribe to Patrick’s newsletter, CrossplayFollow this podcast on InstagramFollow this podcast on TiktokSubscribe to David’s free newsletter, Decoding EverythingFollow David on InstagramFollow David on Tiktok Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Patrick and David are experimenting with shorter episodes for shows that we still want to check in with but aren’t doing full blown recaps for. In this podcast episode, David and Patrick discuss the final two episodes of Ahsoka:Episode 7 - Dreams and MadnessEpisode 8 - The Lion, The Witch, and the WarlordWell, that finale certainly subverted our expectations…but not in a good way necessarily? Was it really the best move to make [REDACTED] the big final confrontation? Has this show done a good job of setting up future seasons/films featuring these characters? Should this show have been titled Ahsoka in the first place? Is anyone really happy to reunite with Ezra Bridger? Listen to hear us discuss all these questions and more!Links:Email us and let us know what you think at decodingtv(AT)gmail(DOT)comListen to Patrick’s videogame podcast, Remap RadioSubscribe to Patrick’s newsletter, CrossplayFollow this podcast on InstagramFollow this podcast on TiktokSubscribe to David’s free newsletter, Decoding EverythingFollow David on InstagramFollow David on Tiktok Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This Week In Streaming is a show on the Decoding TV podcast feed that covers the most interesting shows available on streaming each week. On this episode, David Chen is joined by writer, filmmaker, and YouTuber Jessie Earl to discuss the first three episodes of Gen V, a new spin-off series set in the universe of The Boys:Episode 1 - God U.Episode 2 - First DayEpisode 3 - #ThinkBrinkGen V is very close in tone to The Boys. But is it too close? How invested are we in these brand new characters? What do we think about the ways this show intersects with the The Boys? How does the show handle politics and other social issues? And can the show’s central mystery propel us all the way to the end of the season effectively? Listen to hear us discuss all these questions and more!Next week, we’ll be concluding our coverage of Ahsoka and The Continental and kicking off our conversation about Loki: Season 2. When possible, we will broadcast the episode live on YouTube, so be sure to follow us there. Thanks for being a paid subscriber!Links:Email us and let us know what you think at decodingtv(AT)gmail(DOT)comSubscribe to Jessie Gender on YouTubeLearn more about Jessie’s short film, IdentiteazeFollow this podcast on InstagramFollow this podcast on TiktokSubscribe to David’s free newsletter, Decoding EverythingFollow David on InstagramFollow David on Tiktok Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This Week In Streaming is a show on the Decoding TV podcast feed that covers the most interesting shows available on streaming each week. On this episode, David Chen and Patrick Klepek discuss the first episode of The Continental: From The World of John Wick, “Brothers In Arms.”How well did this show use the universe of the John Wick movies? Was it a good decision to center the entire show around [REDACTED]? Was it really worth it to cast Mel Gibson in this show? (Spoiler: No). What is the point of the KD/Mayhew storyline? Most importantly: Does the action in this show deliver? Listen to hear us discuss all these questions and more!Next week, we’ll be covering Gen V. We’ll also be continuing our coverage of The Continental and Ahsoka in the weeks to come. When possible, we will broadcast the episode live on YouTube, so be sure to follow us there. Thanks for being a paid subscriber!Links:Email us and let us know what you think at decodingtv(AT)gmail(DOT)comListen to Patrick’s videogame podcast, Remap RadioSubscribe to Patrick’s newsletter, CrossplayFollow this podcast on InstagramFollow this podcast on TiktokSubscribe to David’s free newsletter, Decoding EverythingFollow David on InstagramFollow David on Tiktok Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.