The Incomparable Mothership

As an adjunct to the Summer of Spielberg, we are revisiting the Indiana Jones movies we only glossed over the last time we covered them! We begin with “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,” which gets credit for trying something different and demerit for failing at a lot of that. "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" Jason Snell with Annette Wierstra, Steve Lutz, Moisés Chiullán and David J. Loehr Referenced Works Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom Steven Spielberg Indiana Jones Show Notes & Links Support this show and other shows like it on The Incomparable network by becoming a member. Members get early access to podcasts, bonus episodes, and more.

“Barry” is the blackest of black comedies — if it’s even a comedy at all by season four. We knew Bill Hader was funny, but now we also know he’s an impressive actor and director, too. This spoiler-laden discussion of all four seasons dives deep into what’s real and not, what’s funny and not, and whether Barry was mostly a trippy homage to “Breaking Bad.” "Barry" series wrap Lex Friedman with Brian Warren and Brian Hamilton Referenced Works Barry Show Notes & Links Support this show and other shows like it on The Incomparable network by becoming a member. Members get early access to podcasts, bonus episodes, and more.

From the sleeper hit that everyone clung to during the COVID lockdowns to a third season with Premier League-levels of hype and scrutiny, Ted Lasso was more than a breakout hit for Apple TV+. We dive into the Good, the Bad, and the Zava and make our picks (“It’s not a draft!”) for what spinoffs we want to see! Chip Sudderth with Aleen Simms, James Thomson, Kathy Campbell and Shannon Sudderth Referenced Works Ted Lasso Show Notes & Links Support this show and other shows like it on The Incomparable network by becoming a member. Members get early access to podcasts, bonus episodes, and more.

Our book club tackles two Nebula-nominated novels with ampersands in their titles! Is that all they have in common? It’s “Nettle & Bone” & “Legends & Lattes.” Plus: Is Scott the monster again this time? Maybe not! "Legends & Lattes" and "Nettle & Bone" Jason Snell with Scott McNulty, Aleen Simms, Erika Ensign and Kelly Guimont Referenced Works Legends & Lattes [Amazon] [Apple] Nettle & Bone [Amazon] [Apple] Show Notes & Links What are we reading? Scott: The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older The Last Remains by Elly Griffiths Erika: The Stepsister Scheme by Jim C. Hines (Princess series) The Red Scholar’s Wake by Aliette de Bodard Kelly: Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs (Alpha and Omega series) Till Death Do Us Tart by Ellie Alexander (Bakeshop Mystery series) Aleen: The Measure by Nikki Erlick Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes Jason: A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab (Shades of Magic series) Support this show and other shows like it on The Incomparable network by becoming a member. Members get early access to podcasts, bonus episodes, and more.

They made a better movie about Dungeons & Dragons! Can you really go wrong with Chris Pine and Hugh Grant? Two expert DMs and a roleplaying novice break it all down! "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves" Jason Snell with Tony Sindelar, Scott McNulty and Moisés Chiullán Referenced Works Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Show Notes & Links Support this show and other shows like it on The Incomparable network by becoming a member. Members get early access to podcasts, bonus episodes, and more.

We go 20 minutes into the future and 36 years into the past to discuss ABC’s cyberpunk drama “Max Headroom.” For a show with an 80s pop-culture icon as its title character, it’s actually a prescient satire about where our culture was (and still is?) headed. Even more than three decades later, its discussions of data security, the right to privacy in a technological age, artificial intelligence, and even deepfakes are still state of the art. (Non-American viewers who thought this was the show where Max Headroom introduced various music videos… uh, no.) Catch the wave and join us, won’t you? "Max Headroom" (ABC) Jason Snell with Cicero Holmes, Moisés Chiullán, Monty Ashley, Warren Frey and Austin Rich Referenced Works Max Headroom [Amazon] Show Notes & Links Support this show and other shows like it on The Incomparable network by becoming a member. Members get early access to podcasts, bonus episodes, and more.

They said that “Star Trek: Picard” wasn’t just going to be a “Star Trek: The Next Generation” reunion show, and that turned out to be true, at least about the first two seasons. We review the show’s just-completed third season, which brought us the emotional and nostalgic moments we craved, introduced an assortment of new characters we liked (or didn’t), and introduced some plot elements that we puzzled over. "Star Trek: Picard" season 3 Jason Snell with Joe Rosensteel, Moisés Chiullán, Cicero Holmes and David J. Loehr Referenced Works Star Trek: Picard Star Trek (franchise) Show Notes & Links Support this show and other shows like it on The Incomparable network by becoming a member. Members get early access to podcasts, bonus episodes, and more.

We gripe because we love! We break down the third season of “The Mandalorian.” Is burying part of the story in another show doing a disservice to this one? Why are there so may plot threads that seem to go nowhere, or get resolved in an anticlimactic fashion? And, despite all that, how did we all still have a good time? "The Mandalorian" season 3 Dan Moren with Tony Sindelar, Houman Sadri, James Thomson and Kelly Guimont Referenced Works The Mandalorian Star Wars (franchise) Show Notes & Links Support this show and other shows like it on The Incomparable network by becoming a member. Members get early access to podcasts, bonus episodes, and more.

Our Book Club begins our walk through awards shortlist reading with two Nebula Awards nominees for best novel, “The Mountain in the Sea” by Ray Nayler and “Spear” by Nicola Griffith. One’s a near-future thriller about sentient octopi, the other’s an Arthurian fantasy with a few twists. Next time we’ll be reading Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher and Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree. If you’re on Goodreads, you can also join our Book Club there. Book Club: "Spear" and "Mountain in the Sea" Jason Snell with Scott McNulty, Erika Ensign, Aleen Simms and Deborah Stanish Referenced Works Spear [Amazon] [Apple] Mountain in the Sea [Amazon] [Apple] Show Notes & Links What are we reading? Erika: “Radcliffe Hall” by Miyuki Jane Pinckard “can i offer you a nice egg in this trying time” by Iori Kusano “Waystation City” By A. T. Greenblatt Aleen: The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall Deb: West with the Night by Beryl Markham and Sara Wheeler Scott: Translation State by Ann Leckie Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson Jason: Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin Support this show and other shows like it on The Incomparable network by becoming a member. Members get early access to podcasts, bonus episodes, and more.

Everyone laughed at the title, and many laughed at the over-the-top violence, but 1987’s “RoboCop” turned into a sleeper hit that kickstarted a major franchise. We revisit Paul Verhoeven’s first and best big-budget sci-fi satire. Antony Johnston with Erika Ensign, Steve Lutz and Moisés Chiullán Referenced Works RoboCop (1987) Show Notes & Links Support this show and other shows like it on The Incomparable network by becoming a member. Members get early access to podcasts, bonus episodes, and more.