The Incomparable Mothership

The summer of submarines kicks off with 1995’s “Crimson Tide,” a taut character drama that pits a captain (Gene Hackman) against his XO (Denzel Washington) in a conflict that escalates as global tensions rise outside their nuclear submarine. "Crimson Tide" Jason Snell with Philip Michaels, Lisa Schmeiser, Dan Moren, Casey Liss and Erika Ensign Sponsors Jiiiii: All your anime stream schedules in one place. Free to download, unlock your anime-watching-superpowers today! Referenced Works Crimson Tide Submarines 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.

With the guiding hand of Prof. Siracusa choosing the curriculum, we watch select animated shorts from the Netflix series “Love, Death + Robots.” John’s quest to find the perfect photorealistic CGI animation continues. Tony does his companions a solid if he’s ever killed on a moon. The others debate if they represent love, death, or robots. We try to reconnect with our inner pool-polishing robots. It’s a real team effort. "Love, Death + Robots" Jason Snell with John Siracusa, Annette Wierstra, Brian Hamilton and Tony Sindelar Referenced Works Love, Death and Robots Show Notes & Links Here’s the viewing list for the Love, Death & Robots episode of The Incomparable. “Sonnie’s Edge” (Season 1, Episode 1) 17m “Lucky 13” (Season 1, Episode 13) 15m “Zima Blue” (Season 1, Episode 14) 11m “Bad Travelling” (Season 3, Episode 2) 22m “The Very Pulse of the Machine” (Season 3, Episode 3) 17m “Swarm” (Season 3, Episode 6) 17m “Golgotha” (Season 4, Episode 6) 10m Plus one (optional) upsetting bonus episode: “Jibaro” (Season 3, Episode 9) 17m 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.

The second (and final?) season of the BBC/Disney+ collaboration era of “Doctor Who” is at an end, and so our crew of fans is here to pick up the pieces and ponder what went right and (unfortunately) what went wrong. Where does this franchise go from here? "Doctor Who" season 2 wrap-up Jason Snell with Steven Schapansky, Erika Ensign, Chip Sudderth, Annette Wierstra and Heather Berberet 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 conclude (for now?) our coverage of the TV adaptation of The Wheel of Time, which was just canceled by Amazon. Three seasons in, we cover whether we think it is still worth watching despite cancellation (we do) and how well the show’s third (and final?) season fulfills the promise of it coming into its power. "The Wheel of Time" season 3 Moisés Chiullán with Sarah Hendrica Bickerton, Heather Berberet, Bryan Guffey and Kathy Campbell Referenced Works The Wheel of Time 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 Awards Book Club continues its run through the roses with a tougher than expected review of Vajra Chandrasekera’s “Rakesfall,” Adrian Tchaikovsky’s “Alien Clay,” and Kelly Link’s “The Book of Love.” 2025 Awards Book Club, part 2 Jason Snell with Scott McNulty, Aleen Simms and Erika Ensign Referenced Works Rakesfall [Amazon] Alien Clay [Amazon] The Book of Love [Amazon] Show Notes & Links What are we reading? Scott: Strong Female Character by Fern Brady, The Melancholy of Untold History by Minsu Kang, Making History by KJ Parker Aleen: Dauntless Path series by Intisar Khanani Erika: Clockwork Boys by T. Kingfisher Jason: The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman, Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson 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.

Guillermo del Toro’s career started small, with the small-scale vampire (sort of) horror (sort of?) movie “Cronos,” in which an old man finds a mechanical object containing a magical bug that gives him eternal life in the bad way. Meanwhile, young Ron Perlman hates his evil uncle but continues to do his bidding! It’s a fun 1992 throwback that is still recognizeably del Toro. "Cronos" (1992) Jason Snell with Steve Lutz, Moisés Chiullán and Tony Sindelar Referenced Works Cronos 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 skyscrapers of Coruscant to the pyramids of Yavin and with numerous stops in between, season two of “Andor” covers the rise of the rebellion and leads to the doorstep of “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.” What makes it special among Star Wars series? Did season two improve on the groundbreaking first season? It’s Star Wars, so we break it down in detail. "Andor" season 2 Jason Snell with John Siracusa, Dan Moren, Tony Sindelar and Steven Schapansky Sponsors TRMNL: Clarity, at a glance. Get $15 off for 1 week only. Referenced Works Andor 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.

We return once more to 1995, this time for a movie set at the turn of the century! It’s “Strange Days,” a cyberpunk movie with only a little bit of cyber but a lot of punk, along with grease and stink. "Strange Days" Jason Snell with Erika Ensign, Tony Sindelar and Monty Ashley Referenced Works Strange Days 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.

The highest-grossing film of all time is straight-up sci-fi and yet in 15 years at this place we’ve never talked about it. That ends now, as we put on our oxygen masks and venture out into the moon of Pandora to meet the local Na’vi and the interloper Sky People and discuss why James Cameron’s “Avatar” became an enormous hit and then disappeared entirely (other than the theme-park attactions) until re-emerging with a sequel that was also an enormous hit. "Avatar" Jason Snell with Erika Ensign, Brian Warren, Brian Hamilton and Chip Sudderth Referenced Works Avatar 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 walk through the 10 different novels nominated for the Hugo and Nebula awards in 2025 begins! In this episode we discuss “Sleeping Worlds Have No Memory” by Yaroslav Barsukov, “A Sorceress Comes to Call” by T. Kingfisher, and “Someone You Can Build a Nest In” by John Wiswell. 2025 Awards Book Club Part 1 Jason Snell with Erika Ensign, Aleen Simms, Scott McNulty and Heather Berberet Referenced Works Sleeping Worlds Have No Memory [Amazon] [Apple] A Sorceress Comes to Call [Amazon] [Apple] Someone You Can Build a Nest In [Amazon] [Apple] Show Notes & Links What are we reading? Heather: “Mr. Penumbra’s 24-hour Bookstore” by Robin Sloan Erika: World of the Five Gods series by Lois McMaster Bujold Aleen: Mark Lawrence’s Library Trilogy Scott: Jack Taylor series by Ken Bruen Jason: “When Women Were Dragons” by Kerry Barnhill 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.