The Incomparable Mothership

Merry Kilmas to all who celebrate the works of Val Kilmer! This year, our Kilmas selection is “The Saint,” a very 90s spy movie featuring surprise sweater reveals, tension-free water pipe escapes, and a wide collection of accents, wigs, and pseudonyms—all from Val Kilmer, of course. Kilmas: "The Saint" Jason Snell with Aleen Simms, Dan Moren, David J. Loehr, Jean MacDonald and Moisés Chiullán Referenced Works The Saint Val Kilmer Show Notes & Links Edited by Steven Schapansky. 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 watched all eight hours of the Disney+ documentary “The Beatles: Get Back” and now we’re going to talk about it. Toast, vests, London Bobbies sucking on their chin straps, Debbie the receptionist, Paul as “second boss”, Yoko’s knitting, George Harrison’s pinstripes, and most importantly, the amazing view of a bunch of musical geniuses having a very difficult time creating anything at all. "The Beatles: Get Back" Jason Snell with Steven Schapansky, Monty Ashley, Guy English and Amy Gruber Referenced Works The Beatles: Get Back Show Notes & Links Edited by Steven Schapansky. The Talk Show: "John Was the Problem" 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.

Grab your Tamagotchi Baby Monitor, because it’s time to discuss “Doctor Who: Flux,” a six-episode season that had a lot of plot, a lot of characters, and a lot of questions, many of them unanswered! We discuss what worked this season and what didn’t, anticipate the 2022 run of specials to end Jodie Whitaker’s era, and ponder what Modern Doctor Who looks like when Russell T Davies takes over the show (again) in 2023. "Doctor Who: Flux" Jason Snell with Steven Schapansky, Erika Ensign, James Thomson and Antony Johnston Referenced Works Doctor Who [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.

We discuss Marvel’s weird and epic “Eternals,” which breaks a lot of Marvel-movie conventions while attempting to tell a different kind of story with a whole lot of new characters. It’s full of interesting choices, some of which pay off, while others end up amounting to not very much. "Eternals" Jason Snell with Moisés Chiullán, Quinn Rose and Chip Sudderth Referenced Works Eternals Marvel Cinematic Universe 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’ve gathered the family around the table to celebrate F’sgiving, a thing we just made up in which we care enough to watch a film featuring F. Murray Abraham. In this case it’s “Last Action Hero,” a movie that Wikipedia claims is a cult classic. We don’t know about that, but it certainly is unjustly maligned. This is a big, loud action movie that is also a parody and celebration of big, loud action movies. Sure, it’s got its flaws—we’re looking at you, kid—but there’s a whole lot to like. "Last Action Hero" Jason Snell with Moisés Chiullán, Erika Ensign, Steve Lutz and David J. Loehr Referenced Works Last Action Hero [Amazon] Show Notes & Links Unjustly Maligned: "Last Action Hero" 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.

Put on your stillsuit and prepare your sand compactor. We’re venturing out into the uncharted deserts of Arrakis with “Dune,” Denis Villeneuve’s cinematic take on the oft-filmed Frank Herbert novel. We do some comparing and contrasting with David Lynch’s version, question whether this adaptation is for fans for for people who know nothing about “Dune”, and basically stare at a bunch of big spaceships hanging in the air. Denis Villeneuve knows what we like. "Dune" (2021) Jason Snell with John Siracusa, Jean MacDonald and Joe Rosensteel Referenced Works Dune (2021) Dune (1984) [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.

Buy those bongos and make it a 30-piece drum set, because legendary one-season wonder “Freaks and Geeks” is finally available to stream. This is an amazing show with a fantastic cast about a bunch of geeks and burnouts in Michigan in the early 1980s. It’s a sweet and funny and awkward and painful story about growing up and trying to figure out who you are, while everyone else in the world wants to label you and make sure you never forget your label. We discuss our favorite ancillary characters, the richness of the world of “Freaks and Geeks”, and how upon rewatching the show 20 years later, we have gained even more appreciation for Mr. and Mrs. Weir. "Freaks and Geeks" Jason Snell with Tiff Arment, Steve Lutz, Annette Wierstra and Marco Arment Sponsors The Intrazone, by Microsoft SharePoint: Your bi-weekly conversation and interview podcast about SharePoint, OneDrive and related tech within Microsoft 365. Referenced Works Freaks and Geeks 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.

Just in time for Halloween, our mega-sized Old Movie Club meets up in a spooky haunted house to discuss two horror-comedies that honor their source material more than you might think — it’s 1948’s “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein” and 1974’s “Young Frankenstein.” We learn that werewolves can fly, quoting film dialogue on the playground can be cruel, and in the end it turns out that none of us are the doctor—we’re the monster. "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein" and "Young Frankenstein" Jason Snell with Philip Michaels, Monty Ashley, Steve Lutz, Shelly Brisbin, Moisés Chiullán, Dr. Drang and David J. Loehr Sponsors Ladder: Flexible life insurance in minutes. Referenced Works Young Frankenstein Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein 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 return to “Ted Lasso” to discuss the second season of the Apple TV+ comedy-become-dramedy, with an increased view into mental health, questions of relationship power dynamics, the power of Rom-Communism and Holiday Specials, and much more. [The original version had two minutes of weird audio at 18:30. You can press “forward 30 seconds” four times, or delete the file and re-download.] "Ted Lasso" season 2 Jason Snell with Myke Hurley, Kelly Guimont, James Thomson and Dan Moren Sponsors TerryRunte.com - Celebrate the life and work of Terry Runte and discover some fun behind-the-scenes Hollywood stories. (Remember “Super Mario Bros.”?) 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 reconvenes to discuss two final 2021 Best Novel nominees, “Harrow the Ninth” and “The Relentless Moon.” We also discuss all the Hugo Award nominees for short fiction, rank the books, and recommend some books we’ve been reading lately! 2021 SF/F Novel Shortlist, part 3 Jason Snell with Scott McNulty, Erika Ensign and Aleen Simms Referenced Works Harrow the Ninth [Amazon] [Apple] The Relentless Moon [Amazon] [Apple] Show Notes & Links What Are We Reading? Erika: “Light Chaser”, by Peter F. Hamilton and Gareth L. Powell “The Galaxy, and the Ground Within” by Becky Chambers Aleen: Lois McMaster Bujold “Every Heart a Doorway” by Seanan Maguire Scott: “In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin” by Erik Larson “A Psalm for the Wild-Built” by Becky Chambers “The Personal Librarian” by Marie Benedict “Why Fish Don’t Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life” by Lulu Miller “The Dictionary of Lost Words” by Pip Williams Jason: “The Angel of the Crows” by Katherine Addison “City of Stairs” by Robert Jackson Bennett “A Psalm for the Wild-Built” by Becky Chambers “The Premonition: A Pandemic Story” by Michael Lewis “Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City by K.J. Parker Best Novel The Incomparable’s Rankings: “Piranesi”, Susanna Clarke (3 first-place votes, 5.25 average) “Black Sun”, Rebecca Roanhorse (1, 4.5) “The Relentless Moon”, Mary Robinette Kowal (3.25) “Network Effect”, Martha Wells (3) “The City We Became”, N.K. Jemisin (2.75) “Harrow The Ninth”, Tamsyn Muir (2.25) Best Novella “Come Tumbling Down”, Seanan McGuire (Tor.com) “The Empress of Salt and Fortune”, Nghi Vo (Tor.com) “Finna”, Nino Cipri (Tor.com) “Ring Shout”, P. Djèlí Clark (Tor.com) “Riot Baby”, Tochi Onyebuchi (Tor.com) “Upright Women Wanted”, Sarah Gailey (Tor.com) Best Novelette “Burn, or the Episodic Life of Sam Wells as a Super”, A.T. Greenblatt (Uncanny Magazine, May/June 2020) “Helicopter Story”, Isabel Fall (Clarkesworld, January 2020) “The Inaccessibility of Heaven”, Aliette de Bodard (Uncanny Magazine, July/August 2020) “Monster”, Naomi Kritzer (Clarkesworld, January 2020) “The Pill”, Meg Elison (from Big Girl, (PM Press)) “Two Truths and a Lie”, Sarah Pinsker (Tor.com) Best Short Story “Badass Moms in the Zombie Apocalypse”, Rae Carson (Uncanny Magazine, January/February 2020) “A Guide for Working Breeds”, Vina Jie-Min Prasad (Made to Order: Robots and Revolution, ed. Jonathan Strahan (Solaris)) “Little Free Library”, Naomi Kritzer (Tor.com) “The Mermaid Astronaut”, Yoon Ha Lee (Beneath Ceaseless Skies, February 2020) “Metal Like Blood in the Dark”, T. Kingfisher (Uncanny Magazine, September/October 2020) “Open House on Haunted Hill”, John Wiswell (Diabolical Plots - 2020, ed. David Steffen) Emily VanDerWerff on the story behind "Helicopter Story" 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.