The Reactor Corps

Episode 147. Start your engines, it's time for Kyle and Melissa to talk F1: The Movie! We cover how this movie works whether you know the sport or not, the rivalry between the two drivers, male jewelry, and the unforgettably intense crash from the movie Ferrari.

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Episode 146. We discuss Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning, the eighth film in the series, and whether it's as "final" as its title proclaims it to be. We talk about callbacks to the first movie, plot details that are over-explained and under-explained, Ethan's isolation in the stunt setpieces, foosball, and why we think there's going to be a ninth movie and how it could resurrect a beloved dead character.

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Episode 145. Kyle and Melissa assemble to discuss Marvel's new hit, Thunderbolts*! We talk about the meaning behind the asterisk and if this movie's title will officially change in the future, Congressman Bucky Barnes, the "Emperor's New Groove" scene, and how we hope to learn more about Val and feel for her as a character.

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Episode 144. It's a mega-sized episode on season 3 of Yellowjackets! We ask if the "hidden reality" could be a real supernatural occurrence or a metaphor for the lies the adult Yellowjackets tell, plot holes that might amount to something greater, still being suspicious of Walter, and if the show can pull off any more surprise survivors.

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Episode 143. There's a lot to talk about in episodes 6-10 of Severance season two: where did Choreography & Merriment come from, was all of MDR was working on the Gemma project or on other test subjects, side characters we may or may not ever see again, if Jame would rather keep Helly around instead of Helena, a possible stowaway in the severed floor, and when shows "do a Desmond."

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Episode 142. Kyle and Melissa suit up for Marvel's latest adventure, Captain America: Brave New World. We discuss how the movie feels overcrowded with supporting players, the strength of Sam's camaraderie and introspection, Washington DC imagery, glowing eyes, and how the post-credits scene feels vague on purpose so it's guaranteed to pay off in some way.

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Episode 141. Welcome to our IPTBE, an Indoor Podcasting and Team-Building Episode. We discuss how the show advances farther in these episodes than you would've guessed, imagery borrowed straight from Lost, themes of doubles, if Natalie ever gets to be herself, and whether The Board is a literal board, like a piece of wood.

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Kyle and Melissa are here for a chill end-of-year celebration, looking back on our year in podcasting and looking ahead to our 2025 goals. We give out our Review Show awards, play a game of "What the Hell Were We Talking About?", run through our recent cinema experiences, talk about fancy cocktails and fancy mansions, and finally share our thoughts on the weird twist in the otherwise conventional neo-noir show Sugar.

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Episode 140. Kyle and Melissa are here to talk about The Penguin, the Max limited series tied into The Batman films. We discuss characters with speech impediments, a city in need of the healing power of live theater, Mark Strong's history in DC adaptations, and times we've seen actual penguins in real life.

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Episode 139. We summon a coven true of coven two as Kyle and Melissa talk about Agatha All Along. We discuss its pop culture influences, if the show can reach audiences outside of MCU followers, what a second season might look like, and Ralph Bohner as an important representation of the everyman struggling to cope in this superhero wold.

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Episode 138. Kyle and Melissa are here to talk about the Marvel smash hit Deadpool & Wolverine! We discuss the surprisingly emotional farewell to the 20th Century Fox era of superhero movies, the difference between anchor beings and nexus beings, going full Boomhauer, and a possible allusion to M&Ms lore.

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Episode 137. We're back in the podcast kitchen to discuss the new season of The Bear! We talk about "contemplation" being this season's watchword, the fork on the floor, the foolish wisdom of the Facs, and what it could mean if the restaurant gets two stars when it was only aiming for one.

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Episode 136. Melissa and Kyle are on the case of the latest season in the True Detective anthology series. We discuss how this standalone season possibly connects to previous seasons, and if it even matters, the actual detective work, Lost imagery, themes of loneliness, and a thematic use for Kangaroo Jack.

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Episode 135. We're discussing the Marvel limited series Echo, including the show's sense of community, cool action scenes, grandpa ingenuity, how Kingpin could behave in Daredevil: Born Again, and a Midwestern road trip.

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Ignacio and Kyle team up to talk about the second season of Marvel's What If.... We discuss how the show references other pop culture touchstones, the naming conventions of the episodes, and Kahhori's power set.

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Join us for the 8th anniversary retrospective, which we've now declared will be called a Grand Prix! Just try to stop us!! Kyle and Melissa gather for our annual pizza awards banquet for favorite Review Show topics, best performances, biggest surprises, and for the first time ever, a two-time Dream Date winner. We also debut a new structure for the Review Show and Captain's Log starting in 2024! Master of electricity Ignacio joins us for a rousing discussion on southern California theme parks, and we name our goals for the year ahead.

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Episode 133. Melissa and Kyle are here to talk about The Marvels! We praise the movie for its fun and breezy pace, and discuss the MCU's attention to beloved non-superhero supporting characters, going harder on musical numbers, and that poor guy just trying to have a solo picnic.

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Episode 132. We conclude our journey with Loki, discussing episodes 5 and 6 of season two. We talk about getting to know these characters better and seeing them as a unit, borrowing from the Doctor Strange playbook, and how this is a satisfying ending that also leaves the door open for a return to this world.

Episode 131. We're back to cover the next two episodes of Loki, discussing mechanical pants, tandem bicycles, only seeing slices of pie but not a whole pie, Miss Minutes reminding us of the lovesick robot from Flubber, and the horrors of small box.

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Episode 131. We're back to cover the next two episodes of Loki, discussing mechanical pants, tandem bicycles, only seeing slices of pie but not a whole pie, Miss Minutes reminding us of the lovesick robot from Flubber, and the horrors of small box.

00:00 - Intro 00:02 - Welcome and banter 02:06 - General thoughts on Loki S2 episodes 3-4 08:51 - The Automat and all that pie 16:11 - Victor Timely and The Chicago World's Fair 23:47 - X-5 and his acting gig of a lifetime 28:57 - Renslayer vs. Miss Minutes 35:17 - Who pruned Loki and who was on that phone call? 40:03...

Episode 130. Kyle and Melissa are here to talk about the new season of Loki, two episodes at a time! We discuss the mystery of everyone's past and alternate lives on different timelines, themes of dreams, how much we want a limited edition Sylvie's Order at McDonald's, and whether the Automat pies mean something for the plot or are just weird set dressing.

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Episode 129. The final movie is here for the long-running Adult Swim cult favorite, The Venture Bros! We discuss the storylines to tie up from season seven, the surprising reveals to who is Hank and Dean's mom and what is the bizarre connection between Dr. Venture and The Monarch, very specific callbacks to past episodes, and the ever-present theme of building your own ragtag family.

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Episode 128. We discuss the last two episodes of Secret Invasion, and compare its strengths and shortcomings to the other Marvel shows on Disney+. We talk about storylines that felt like they were going to come back, villain monologues we wished we could hear, overthinking the meaning behind clothing, and the sweet visual bookend to episode one.

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Episode 127. Melissa and Kyle put on their best pink outfits and are here to detonate a special Reactor Corps episode about "Barbenheimer" -- not just reviewing the two separate films but the event of seeing both of them in double features. We discuss which movie to see first, the (K)energy in our theaters, Oppenheimer in 70mm, gossiping with Einstein, and telling an old lady she's beautiful.

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Episode 126. Melissa and Kyle accepted the mission to talk about the Mission: Impossible movie! We theorize on whether a dead character is still alive, and discuss the stunt setpieces big and small, the story's specific interpersonal angle on how an AI can ruin your life, clown energy, and what we want to see in Part 2.

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Episode 125. We're back to talk about episodes 3 and 4 of Secret Invasion, and we'll return in two weeks for episodes 5 and 6! We discuss deaths that were fake, deaths that look real, whether or not Skulls can take the form of animals, wishing we could see Nick Fury and Priscilla's wedding, and predictions for the end of the show.

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Episode 124. Kyle, Melissa, and a surprise invasion by Ignacio are here to discuss adult man conversations, Sonya being posh and pristine while cutting off fingers and crawling through tunnels, and what forgotten minor characters we want to see turn up as Skrulls.

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Episode 123. We're talking about the new movie from Wes Anderson, Asteroid City! We discuss the layered narrative structure, themes of artistic pursuit, the spaceman hoe-down, and how one of the characters might be named after Melissa's college advisor.

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Episode 122. Kyle and Melissa are here to talk about the new Marvel show Secret Invasion. We discuss Maria Hill's presence in the MCU, possible fates for the President, and the unnerving quality of the opening credits.

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Episode 121. We enter the speedforce to talk about The Flash! Kyle has qualms about characterization and effects, Melissa is high on her immersive Screen X experience and loves all the hot dog buffoonery. We discuss the thoughtful production design of this movie, surprising cameos, and how it fits into the history of DC films.

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Episode 120. Kyle and Melissa thwip in to talk about the latest Spider-Verse adventure! We discuss the different universes the movie visits, exciting character cameos, the villain's journey, clues from the comics, and a possible vague reference to Solo.

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Episode 119. The season two finale of Yellowjackets is here, and we're discussing a game-changing death, a mysterious fire, how long Shauna's family will stand by her, teens who don't solve mysteries, and potentials for new timelines and alternate perspectives in future seasons.

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Episode 118. We're talking about the penultimate episodes of season two, including discussions on whether or not "Lightning Crashes" is a song you can dance to, which supporting characters are marked for death and when, how much Jeff knows about the baby, and what's left to resolve in the season finale.

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Episode 117. Kyle and Melissa fasTEN their seatbelts for Fast X! We discuss our experiences seeing this movie in theaters, how it feels different than previous movies in the franchise, the surprise cameos, the cool outfits, and men hugging each other and literally saying "I love you."

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Episode 116. We're back back after that weird mid-season break to talk episodes 5 and 6 of Yellowjackets! We try to find a pattern in the possible glimpses at an alternate dimension, and discuss falling down a poop hill, secrets the show tells the audience but not the characters, and the haunting end of episode 6.

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Episode 115. Melissa and Kyle discuss the emotional finale to the Guardians of the Galaxy series, including character journey parallels, callbacks to earlier movies, which songs on the soundtrack really hit, dancing, crying, and Missouri pride.

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Episode 114. Season 3 of The Mandalorian has wrapped up beautifully… or has it? Kyle and Ignacio are at odds with their opinions on the show, but have some hope for the future of the series. And shout-out to those droids in that bar, you know?

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Episode 113. We're talking about episodes 3 and 4 of Yellowjackets, including the mysterious reappearance of Javi, suspicions of Walter, themes of duality and other selves, and the significance of the novelty naked lady pen.

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Episode 112. Kyle and Melissa are back in the wilderness again for season two of Yellowjackets, talking about the first two episodes. We discuss the higher production values, characters who are definitely dead now and those who could still be alive, references to Greek mythology, and how this season could echo the Nikki and Paulo storyline from Lost.

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Episode 111. Kyle and Melissa suit up for John Wick Chapter 4! We discuss the new characters, the creative fight setpieces, the possibly ambiguous ending, the memorial to the late Lance Reddick, and falling down stairs.

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