Decoding TV

In this episode of Decoding TV, David Chen and Roxana Hadadi recap and discuss season 2 episode 4 of The White Lotus, “In The Sandbox.”Harper quietly begins to reckon with some of the shocking events of last episode, while Cam, Daphne, and Ethan are none the wiser. Albie and Portia continue to have massive issues trying to make this vacation fling work. Valentina is straight up just bad at her job at this point. And Tanya makes a new connection that may lead her down an interesting path. We discuss all this and more in this week’s episode!Decoding TV paid members: You can add the private private Decoding TV feed to your preferred app/device by going to decodingtv.com/listen.Links:Email us at decodingtv(AT)gmail(DOT)comRead Roxana’s work on VultureFollow Roxana on TwitterFollow this podcast on TwitterFollow this podcast on TiktokSubscribe to this podcast on YouTubeFollow David Chen on Twitter Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode of the podcast is brought to you by McDonald's, proudly serving communities since 1965. McDonald's. I'm lovin' it. After a long wait, all episodes of The Crown Season 5 are finally here! David Chen and @joyonapping are planning to cover The Crown in three installments:Episodes 1-3 (this episode)Episodes 4-6Episodes 7-10This is our first time covering a binge-release show on Netflix so if you have any thoughts on this approach, feel free to email us at decodingtv@gmail.com. It won’t change our plans for this season but could for future seasons.Today, we discuss The Crown Season 5 episodes 1-3, “Queen Victoria Syndrome,” “The System,” and “Mou Mou.” How does this season continue the Diana/Charles storyline? How does the new cast work for us so far? Did the writing of Andrew Morton’s book really go down like it does in the show? How exciting is carriage racing as a sport? Are the metaphors more clunky this season or is it just our imagination? All this and more on this week’s episode of Decoding TV!DecodingTV.com subscribers: To add the premium feed of Decoding TV to your podcast app, go to DecodingTV.com/listen and follow the instructions.Links:Follow @joyonapping on TwitterSubscribe to David Chen’s new newsletter, Decoding Everything Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode of Decoding TV is brought to you by McDonald's, proudly serving communities since 1965. McDonald’s. I’m lovin’ it.In this Decoding TV episode, Patrick Willems and David Chen dive into season 1 episode 11 of Andor, “Daughter of Ferrix,” now streaming on Disney+.The penultimate episode of the first season puts in place many pieces for what promises to be an explosive finale. But it also raises a lot of questions like: Is Luthen secretly a Jedi? How different are Mon Mothma’s views on marriage from her daughter’s? Where will next episode leave #Keero? How will Andor and Melshi reunite? Also, David and Patrick discuss what they would like done with their remains. All this and more on this episode of Decoding TV!You can always email us at decodingtv(AT)gmail(DOT)com.Links:Follow Decoding TVOn YouTubeOn TwitterOn TiktokFollow Patrick H. WillemsOn YouTubeOn TwitterOn PatreonFollow David ChenOn TwitterOn InstagramOn Tiktok Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode of Decoding TV is brought to you by McDonald's, proudly serving communities since 1965. McDonald’s. I’m lovin’ it.In this episode of Decoding TV, David Chen and Roxana Hadadi recap and discuss season 2 episode 3 of The White Lotus, “Bull Elephants.”A series of surprising decisions reveal cracks beneath many of our core relationships. What is the nature of Cam and Daphne’s relationship? What does Ethan think of everything that’s going on? Is Albie actually a good guy or not? And why does he have to go after The Godfather anyways? Listen to hear us debate and discuss.Links:Email us at decodingtv(AT)gmail(DOT)comRead Roxana’s work on VultureFollow Roxana on TwitterFollow this podcast on TwitterFollow this podcast on TiktokSubscribe to this podcast on YouTubeFollow David Chen on Twitter Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode of Decoding TV is brought to you by McDonald's, proudly serving communities since 1965. McDonald’s. I’m lovin’ it.It’s the first live recording of Decoding TV! David Chen and Patrick Willems are at the Hawai’i International Film Festival to share their expertise with students, but they couldn’t turn down the opportunity to record an Andor recap in person. In this Decoding TV episode, they dive into season 1 episode 10 of Andor, “One Way Out,” now streaming on Disney+.This episode puts the fate of ISB Senior Officer Lonni Jung front-and-center. How will Lonni fare in Luthen’s world? What is the show trying to say about revolutions and the people behind them? What is the ultimate fate of Kino Loy? Do Andor and Melshi end up surviving this week’s events? (Probably). Also: Where’s the #Karntent this week? All this and more on this episode of Decoding TV!You can always email us at decodingtv(AT)gmail(DOT)com.Links:Watch Patrick's #Keero fancam videoFollow Decoding TV:On YouTubeOn TwitterOn TiktokFollow Patrick H. WillemsOn YouTubeOn TwitterOn PatreonFollow David ChenOn TwitterOn InstagramOn Tiktok Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode of Decoding TV is brought to you by McDonald's, proudly serving communities since 1965. McDonald’s. I’m lovin’ it.In this episode of Decoding TV, David Chen and Roxana Hadadi recap and discuss season 2 episode 2 of The White Lotus, “Italian Dream.”This episode continues to set up the dynamics between these characters, with some tantalizing clues as to what lies ahead. How are Harper and Ethan really doing? Is Cam’s anger really under control? Will Dominic ever overcome his demons? Listen to hear us discuss and speculate!Links:Email us at decodingtv(AT)gmail(DOT)comRead Roxana’s work on VultureFollow Roxana on TwitterFollow this podcast on TwitterFollow this podcast on TiktokSubscribe to this podcast on YouTubeFollow David Chen on Twitter Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Decoding TV is kicking off our coverage of The Crown today! In this episode, David Chen and his wife @joyonapping offer their overall thoughts on the show, why it continues to be compelling after all these years, and what the next seasons might have in store.Programming Note: While Decoding TV will cover Season 5 of The Crown, we’re still working out the details of our coverage. At the very least, we can promise there will be one more Decoding TV podcast episode discussing season 5 but we may or may not have weekly coverage given that the show will be released binge-style on Netflix beginning November 9th. Stay tuned to Decoding TV for more details.The Crown is returning to Netflix on November 9th for its fifth and penultimate season. Its last season drew attention for its depiction of Princess Diana and her marriage to Charles - an event that even many millennials such as myself remember in their lifetimes. Season five promises to begin following that story to its horrifying conclusion (the show currently plans to end with season six).The production of The Crown is estimated to cost over $100 million per season, making it one of the most expensive TV shows ever made. It’s also one of the most critically acclaimed: The Crown has been nominated for hundreds of awards since its premiere in 2017, including Outstanding Drama Series at the Emmys and Best Television Drama at the Golden Globes. In 2021, it won all seven drama categories at the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards, becoming the first show to ever do so. Listen to this episode to hear David and Joy discuss where we left off with every plotline from season four and what topics we think season five will probably tackle.Links:Follow @joyonapping on TwitterSubscribe to David Chen’s new newsletter, Decoding Everything Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welp, it’s official: Westworld has been cancelled. Once one of HBO’s biggest tentpole shows, Westworld has seen its popularity and viewership erode over time.In this bonus episode, David Chen and Siddhant Adlakha discuss their feelings about this news and the legacy that Westworld leaves behind.Links:HBO Cancels WestworldWhy HBO Cancelled WestworldEveryone from Westworld is getting paid anywayFollow Siddhant on TwitterRead Siddhant’s work on IGNFollow David on InstagramFollow David on Tiktok Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode of Decoding TV is brought to you by McDonald's, proudly serving communities since 1965. McDonald’s. I’m lovin’ it.David Chen and Patrick Willems dive into season 1 episode 9 of Andor, “Nobody’s Listening!,” now streaming on Disney+.How does a show like Andor tackle depictions of torture? How well does the show deal with Kino Loy’s personal journey? Is Mon Mothma ever going to get on board with this whole Rebellion thing? Also: The Keero ship finally gets its day. All this and more on this episode of ~Decoding TV!You can always email us at decodingtv(AT)gmail(DOT)com.Links:Follow Decoding TV:On YouTubeOn TwitterOn TiktokFollow Patrick H. WillemsOn YouTubeOn TwitterOn PatreonFollow David ChenOn TwitterOn InstagramOn Tiktok Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode of Decoding TV is brought to you by McDonald's, proudly serving communities since 1965. McDonald’s. I’m lovin’ it.A new season begins at The White Lotus in Sicily! And here on Decoding TV, David Chen and Roxana Hadadi try to figure out where exactly this show might be headed.In the season 2 premiere, “Ciao,” we meet, Harper (Aubrey Plaza) and Ethan (Will Sharpe), along with Daphne (Meghann Fahy) and Cameron (Theo James) who are away on a vacation together. Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge) and her assistant Portia (Haley Lu Richardson) try to navigate a fraught situation with Greg (Jon Gries). Dominic (Michael Imperioli), his father Bert (F. Murray Abraham), and his son Albie (Adam DiMarco) try their best to get along. And hotel manager Valentina (Sabrina Impacciatore) tries to keep locals Mia (Beatrice Grannò) and Lucia (Simona Tabasco) at bay. Listen to hear our thoughts on the episode!Links:Email us at decodingtv(AT)gmail(DOT)comRead Roxana’s work on VultureFollow Roxana on TwitterFollow this podcast on TwitterFollow this podcast on TiktokSubscribe to this podcast on YouTubeFollow David Chen on Twitter Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.