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Saturday, May 18, 2024

Fallout |1x03 "The Head"

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Ah, The Golden Rule. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you". Our characters are a product of their environment - a system - and seem to be moving beyond their societal expectations, for better or worse. Feo, Fuerte, y Formal, indeed. 🎬A word of advice: tip us on Ko-fi or, for as little as $1 /month, join a membership tier on either Ko-fi or Patreon to receive the unedited episode recordings in advance of these premieres. We had the raw and unfiltered version of this episode available for your streaming pleasure a while ago, but unforeseen personal matters have taken precedence and we're behind on our episode releases. It will most likely continue that way for the next few recordings. As we also mentioned near the end of this episode, we could really use your support from here on in, so if you enjoy what we're doing and want to see what we're made of, be a part of something big and show your support!

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David Cameo:
Rachael Burt:
Sherrandy Swift:
Bridget Mason-Gray:

SPECIAL GUEST

Carinae Davey:

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Eta Carinae Art (@carinae_d) • Instagram photos and videos
The ratings for Amazon Prime's Fallout are pretty high! Whether this season comes to somewhat of a close seems uncertain.

OKIE DOKIE!!! pic.twitter.com/XWiZj0Y2ND
— FALLOUT⚡️ (@falloutonprime) April 29, 2024
As we mentioned in the first episode, recently-minted Squire Thaddeus is played by Superstore's Johnny Pemberton. His character in Superstore, Bo Derek Thompson, actually predicts Johnny's role in Fallout.

@riversquatch #fallout #johnnypemberton #cloud9 ♬ original sound - RiverSquatch
The episode dives into pre-war events, providing a unique perspective on the Fallout universe in the present (in contrast to The Walking Dead, which intentionally denied the viewer flashbacks and origin stories).
The character development of Cooper Howard is intriguing: there are hints at his past and how both it (and existing for 219 years) has shaped him.
The use of 50s songs, adds to the overall atmosphere and nostalgia. Of note, Johnny Cash's So Doggone Lonesome is reprised in Maximus' fight with the scavengers: this song first played when we were introduced to him while being brutally beaten by his fellow aspirants (including Thaddeus). This demonstrates how Maximus' past not only shapes his present, but the tragedy of it becomes a gift that he uses to overcome adversity.
Speaking of great music from the 50s while enjoying both this series and the games, it reminds Dave how much he enjoyed playing Grand Theft Auto while listening to Lazlow Jones on the radio. Carinae's favorite station to listen to was the original Three Dog, who [Editor's note] was voiced by none other than Chocolate Rain himself, Tay Zonday.
Rachael regales us with childhood memories of her uncle conducting the music of Glenn Miller Band's In the Mood, while we muse over how automobile conveniences and safety equipment - especially infant/toddler/child car seats - has changed dramatically in the last 50 years!

@daisyorpeach Car seat safety 101 *Strap it in* 😂 😂 #raisinghope #tvseries #pilot #baby #carseat #humour #funny #comedy #fyp #viral ♬ Hedwig's Theme - John Williams
In extreme conditions, ethical decisions may require different approaches than in normal circumstances. Norman MacLean's dilemma of how to deal with the imprisoned Raiders - in light of the broken water chip - raises questions about punishment, rehabilitation, and the value of life. Oh, and the actor who portrays him, Moisés Arias, not only played Rico in Hannah Montana, he also portrayed Sue's first boyfriend on The Middle.
The Golden Rule, do unto others as you would have done unto yourself, may need to be reevaluated in extreme situations. But you don't have to break The Golden Rule: explore being the change you want to see in the world. Either way, the version of it we see in this episode, again, is finding that your broken is a gift in the present. Oh and here is the story of Hillel the Elder explaining the essence of the Torah while his listener stood on one foot: a modified version of The Golden Rule, That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. That is the entire Torah, and the rest is commentary. Now go and study..
Maximus behavior, and whether we like him or not, sparks a debate about whether he is a hero or a villain, further highlighting the complexity of morality in the Fallout universe. The different moral frameworks of The Vault Dwellers, The Brotherhood of Steel, and even The Enclave showcase the diverse perspectives within the game, which adds depth to the storytelling and each character's choices. We're even seeing, now, that Cooper Howard was trapped in a McCarthyist system until the nukes dropped, which has definitely informed his ghoulish present. Cue Maximus crushing the head of one of the scavengers:
For a comedic actor, Pemberton plays Thaddeus fairly straight, which allows Aaron Clifton Moten, who plays Maximus, to look and sound a lot more ridiculous. The comically huge (caddy?) bag squires drag around for their knights is a joke about the sheer amount of items players can typically carry in the games.

I need a mod that makes all companions carry those big ass bags
byu/ETkach infnv
As we talk about perks and drugs in the games, we relate it to the behavior The Ghoul starts to exhibit when his drugs are crushed: it's possible that he's merely reacting to the minuses of all the drugs he's taking.
We then speculate on Cooper Howard's overall motivation and the possibility of his daughter being alive in a vault that he simply hasn't found in 200+ years. Speaking of, he's a lot like those who play the game, Thou shalt get side tracked by bullshit every time. Knowing about his past and what we have yet to see that further shapes it, along with the song We'll Meet Again by The Ink Spots - which was about soldiers leaving for war (but largely regarded for those who never returned) - maybe he persists to see a better world than the one he left behind before the bombs dropped?
On the subject of how Cooper Howard might've become a Ghoul in relation to what happened to the citizen's of Vault 12, Vault-Tec has a dark side and the vaults in the game often don't function as advertised.
Dave draws a line between Norm and Doctor Siggi Wilzig as, at the very least, very similar characters, but also going as far to say that future Norm went back in time and assumed the rather interesting moniker to be of service to Lucy MacLean somehow.
There is a lot of unsaid subtext in Cooper Howards Vault-Tec photoshoot, with his wife possibly having a bigger role at Vault-Tec than both he and the audience is even aware. Also, lavender taffy sounds gross to the majority of hosts.

Thumbs Up Cooper Howard GIFfrom Thumbs Up GIFs
We discuss the gulper and its stomach contents, which include not only Wilzig's head and Lucy's boot, but yet another toaster (there's a toaster in every episode) and a pink flamingo. There's a small complaint over how the doe Lucy feeds should've had two heads (like most animals in the universe), but we fall on the side of it being a narrative choice to symbolize where Lucy is at, as a character in the universe.
A little color science (psychology/narrative/technology) was discussed while discussing the orange heads-up display (HUD) in the power armor and why we didn't feel as claustrophobic as the scenes where Dwight, Sherry, and even Morgan Jones were in gas masks in Fear The Walking Dead's Seventh Season. Speaking of FearTWD, CX-404 licking Wilzig's head reminded us of Season 6's premiere, The End is the Beginning, when Rufus, Emile LaRoux's dog, was licking Walter's decapitated head.
The conversation touches on the inbreeding in the vaults; however a cluster of 3 vaults (31, 32, and 33) really reduces the possibility. Most-likely, they also have a child limit in place to avoid overpopulation.
Everyone weighs in on a potential relationship between Norm and Stephanie Harper, with some finding it romantic and most seeing them as having more of a buddy-cop dynamic.
Feo, Fuerte, y Formal and John Wayne's legacy.
Sherrandy spots a caricature of Cooper Howard's character (in the movie he was working on). She also notes that famed singer/dancer Leslie Uggams plays interim Co-Overseer Betty Pearson, not to be confused for Nichel Nichols. Because of this chaotic conversation over mistaken identities, we joke about terrible song covers, particularly most of William Shatner's (just listen to his rendition of Mr. Tambourine Man); however, his album Has Been, produced by Ben Folds, is actually highly underrated and is a must-listen.
The appearance of Cooper Howard's character is progressively becoming more ghoulish, which probably has the opposite effect on (Walton Goggins) thirst-traps than intended. We're just glad to see him be more of a lead in a series. The design of The Ghoul in the show, though influenced by the games, is soft enough to show his humanity (and not scare us off). And, un/fortuantely, HotOrNot.com is no longer a thing, though RotOrNot.com happens to be a movie ranking website.
There are Easter eggs and visual references to the game, such as the appearance of Sunset Sarsaparilla and Maximus "respawning" after being brutally knocked down by the scavengers looking to grab his power armor.
The young woman repairing the power armor part may be a synth refugee of The Institute (in Cambridge, Massachusetts). Though Ghouls and Synths find little acceptance most places (ghouls more than synths), an example of the places where they are in the Fallout series of games is Nick Valentine, a synth who happens to be a detective in Fallout 4's Diamond City.
It's possible that real, extracted teeth (Maximus has an extraction of his own to pay for the part) is used as ammunition in a Junk Jet, but is a nod to the historical practice of using ivory or cadaver teeth as replacement/missing teeth (which might be what's happening here, with all the teeth lost as a result of radiation sickness).
The set design in Fallout is highly detailed and incorporates repurposed signs and mashed-together elements from a bygone era.
Players often get sidetracked by side quests in open-world games like Fallout, prioritizing exploration and immersion in the game world. We, too, become sidetracked as we spot, yet again, Mr. Handy wandering around California Crest Studios (pre-apocalypse) as well as promoted on a billboard in the end credits.
The chip in Wilzig's neck, which shocks Lucy when she touches it, most likely plays a significant role in the story to come. We muse over the Vault-Tec billboard promoting the vaults that The Ghoul shoots with his hand cannon. It actually references the Doomsday Clock which was created during the cold war after countries all over the world started building nuclear weapons. We're always 90 seconds to midnight.
Speaking of chips, Carinae mistakenly revealed the broken water chip referenced in this episode in our discussion of the first episode (also the basis of the original Fallout game). Could they have just replaced it with the one in Vault 32? Why can't they repair it? What will they do about The Raiders in light of their water problem?
Oh, and lest we forget, on the heels of our last episode, we see actors in Roman costumes wandering about California Crest studios. Might we see Caesar's Legion in future episodes?

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Sunday, July 31, 2022

[Better SQUAWK Saul: E9] Season 6, Episode 10 of Better Call Saul, "Nippy"

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Our 🔴LIVE Reaction to and FULL Breakdown of #BetterCallSaul's 10th episode of it's 6th and final season titled, "Nippy".
⚠ Apologies for Sherrandy's poor audio quality, mostly in the Breakdown: We've already taken steps to minimize!

Oh BOY, Oh BOY: did we have technical difficulties this episode! We took advantage of the lulls and spoke about attending both The Camp and Anthony Collins' #TWD Series Finale Viewing Party, along with a whole host of side conversations before, after, and in between. If YOU would like to see the RAW and 🎬UNEDITED version of this episode's recording, all while supporting this incredible podcast, head here:

Sherrandy Swift:
Rachael Burt:
David Cameo:

🎖SURVIVORS TIER MEMBERS:

Bridget:

INITIAL REACTIONS

We predicted, incorrectly (sort of), what the episode title, Nippy, was referring to.
We, also, rather incorrectly predicted the role Carol Burnett was set to play on the show.
Did you also think that this episode was a fun break from all the weightiness of the close of Jimmy McGill timeline?
This is only one of TWO episodes (technically three) where Kim Wexler / Rhea Seehorn doesn't appear.
Editor's Note: Better Call Saul seasons typically only contain 10 episodes. With the 10th episode of what would've typically been it's series finale, we get a new, disconcerting title sequence: especially in the shadow of Jimmy & Kim's break-up.
The theme of football is not only present in Gene Takovic & Frank's conversations, but the planning involved in Gene's & Jeffy's scam.
There's also the recurring theme of 3: Episodes remaining, Minutes for Frank to eat his Cinnabon, How many items Jeffy needs to take of each and the amount of trips to drop off the stolen merchandise, and up to how many people are on screen at any given moment (Gene, Frank, and Nick; Marion, Jeffy, and Gene; Gene, Jeffy, and Jeffy's friend).
You didn't need to see the color in this episode to know that Gene/Saul Goodman/Jimmy felt alive.
Taking a page out of Mike Ehrmantraut's book in the last episode, he makes Jeffy and his friend say that this is the last time he scams with them. Putting his experiences with everyone into practice.
Though a little rusty, Gene uses some real emotion when invoking "My brother" to prevent Frank from turning around to see the security camera footage. Do you also think that was also an unexpectedly real emotional moment for him?
We were a little freaked out when the person - whom we now know is Jeffy, who also previously intimidated Gene to do the Better Call Saul point - winds up at the home of the person whom we thought would play Kim's mother.
...and further freaked out as soon as Kathy told her assistant to get the maintenance guy to polish the floors, but only because we thought Jeffy would have an awkward encounter with him as he was running through the store.
When we saw Jeffy eventually slip on the spot maintenance polished, we immediately thought - yet again - Jimmy/Saul/Gene killed someone. Others assumed the unforeseen consequences would come in the form of Frank having a coronary from all the Cinnabon he was eating.
There was a certain weightiness added to every scene due to the sound capturing the breathing noises Bob Odenkirk was making in scenes with no dialogue and even the clang of the utensils and eating noises Jim O'Heir was making.
And we can't forget the reference to Walter White and Jesse Pinkman.
Appreciating the difference in score between the Jimmy McGill timeline and the Gene Takovic timeline: a more Muzak, Bossa Nova sound. Even the music from the scam montage evoked a 60s/70s era sound (we'll get into that more in the breakdown).
Small parallel of Jimmy snipping Marion's scooter cable to Jeffy snapping the security tags off the merchandise.
Speaking of the scam-planning montage, did you notice the flash of the S.G. Was Here carving Gene had previously scribbled in a previous episode? Did you think all of this was to show that Jimmy wants to know he existed or is this foreshadowing that he will finally shed Gene?
Though the tag on Jimmy's car reads 2005, the early timeline of Better Call Saul actually took place in and around 2007, according to Thomas Schnauz in the last Better Call Saul Insider Podcast.
Of all the things we predicted and assumed about Carol Burnett's character, none were more wrong than both she playing, in earnest, Judge Papadoumian, or, in jest, one of Saul Goodman's prostitutes.
For those who missed it, we livestreamed the TWDU news coming out of San Diego Comic Con, available for both listening and streaming, here:
Mitchell Shoemaker, in the audience, mentions the yet unnamed (at the time) episode will have a total runtime of 79 minutes. The teaser for that, prior to the credits, shows a truck at a crossroads, with Jimmy/Saul/Gene's voiceover (as has been the case for the last handful of episodes).
We miss Kim and we think of wild ways in which she would reappear on the show: killing Jimmy, prosecuting him, or maybe she ends up being Judge Papa-dinkus.
Either way, nobody has, thus far, has properly guessed how this series will end.

FULL BREAKDOWN

Turns out the reason the actor who had originally portrayed Jeffy, Don Harvey, dropped out was due to a prior commitment to We Own This City on HBO. Pat Healy took on the mantle after casting had rifled through previous auditions for both Breaking Bad & Better Call Saul.
Marion is a shrewd individual that is not afraid to speak her mind! And, of course, the Extra-Sharp Wisconsin Cheddar she spits-out is from Schnauz Farms, an ode to Producer Thomas Schnauz.
Jimmy uses his "lost dog, Nippy" to break her down and gain her confidence. Did you dial the number on the lost dog flyer? Correctly?
Don't you think Carol Burnett looks terrific for 89 years of age? The rest of us joke about the show could've suddenly broke into a sitcom: certainly looked like it might, between Jeffy's Cosby sweater and how he vexed Marion!
Bridget takes the time to dress down Jeffy for being called Jeffy, thereby picking a fight with Dave for slandering his own mother for calling him Davey.
Going back to Jeffy, do you think he is a stand-in for or mnemonic device of Jesse Pinkman?
Though this episode is devoid of color, there are still colors evoked in this episode: Marion lives on Clementine Street. In Breaking Bad Universe color terms, the color orange evokes danger. Bridget reminds us that in consumer psychology, it evokes something being affordable or even classless.
We muse on the line Buongiorno Ladies!
Pat Healy nearly passed out during the practice runs due to Albuquerque's high elevation (yes, the snowy field was, in fact filmed in New Mexico... somehow).
Back on the subject of color, Marion & Gene were both sharing Peach Schnapps when Jeffy walks through the door: a mixture of pink/red and orange. What does it mean? We proceed to call Marion & Jeffy The Peachmans.
Do you think Jeffy's "bad crowd" in Albuquerque might follow him to Omaha to stir things up for Gene? Or is it, as Bridget jokes, just Jesse Pinkman having returned from Alaska after having life-altering plastic surgery? ...and stealing Kim away from Jimmy?
Rhea, on Seth Meyers, spoke about how devoted a fan Carol Burnett is to Better Call Saul and her character.
We muse on both the abrupt change in title sequence and the concept of Fun and Games (the title for the last episode) and how they both signify that fun in the game (that Saul is attempting to introduce Jeffy to) was over. Like Marie Schrader, Jeffy so badly wanted to get in the game and just needed permission to enter it.
Is Jimmy hanging Saul up for good, by the end, or does he just feel confident that he can use him when he needs him? Like Don Eladio says, "A little is ok..."
Gene is so elated after the con is over, he forgets to take his break: were you as irked as the ladies were that he didn't finish icing the Cinnabon he was working on? Dave's takeaway was that it was cool to see that he could life and maintain relationships without the constant weight of being discovered.
Like an alcoholic that flirts with drinking, though, Gene decides to put Saul down. Even deciding to wear Marco Pasternak's pinky ring isn't a definitive indicator that he is invested in bringing Saul back, though it does make us appreciate his pause on when he discusses his "brother", as he tries to buy Jeffy time to collect himself from slipping on the waxed floors (so Frank doesn't discover him in the security monitors).
Discussing the various iterations of Jimmy's brothers: the actual, Chuck McGill; the proverbial twin/doppelganger, Howard Hamlin; and his chosen brother, Marco.
Not only is the song that plays throughout the scam-planning from the Mission Impossible television show, not only is it called Jim is on the Move, it is composed by Lalo Schifrin, which has been confirmed by producers, via the Insider Podcast, to be where Eduardo "Lalo" Salamanca received his namesake.
The Mission Impossible-esque split-screen montage is also an homage to 2x07 Inflatable, down to the music choice. Insider Podcast also mentions that this won't be the last montage of the series.
I think all the smacking and clanging noises during the Cinnabon eating scenes might've put us off on ever eating Cinnabon, ever again. Maybe. Don't worry, Jim O'Heir spit most of it out during takes.
Going back to the theme of football throughout this episode, during Franke & Gene's conversation about football, specifically when speaking about Nebraska Cornhuskers player Martinez, we were able to confirm that the Gene timeline is currently in November of 2010 because that was when Martinez received the 484 yards they were talking about.
Since Jimmy disappeared himself in May of 2010, that makes where we're currently at in the Gene timeline at least two months after Walter White's death.
Though the department store scenes were filmed in Albuquerque's Cottonwood Mall, they didn't actually film in a department store: they completely constructed furnished an empty space in the mall to look like one. Kim's childhood flashback, several episodes earlier, also involves stealing from a department store.
Though Jeffy steals three of each item, Gene speaks nothing of getting a cut of the merchandise, which says a lot more about why he does this (other than getting Jeffy off his back). Along with the theme of threes we spoke about in the Reaction, the cameras are reset every 72 hours (three days) and Jimmy has taken on 3 different names/personalities. We're also reminded that bad things come in threes.
Frank turning his plate through his Cinnabon eating session reminds us of how Howard showed us how Chuck used to turn soda cans to prevent them from exploding when dropped or shaken (purposefully or not). This reminds us of how Jimmy's scams tend to go: seems like he gets away with them until he doesn't.
As opposed to 4x01 Smoke, where Jimmy prevents the kid from stealing games for fear of the security guards, in this episode, Gene is unafraid of them and even confident that he can pull this off.
We're noticing that even Jimmy's desire to occasionally con, considering he might get caught (given his history), might compete with his yet unconfirmed interest to seek out Kim in Omaha, if that's where she really is. This gives us an opportunity to revisit Jimmy's relationship with his father, how he died, and the alleged skimming of his father's corner store profits and how that parallels Jimmy offering money to The Kettlemans, earlier on in the season. It may also be why he chooses scamming as a way to get Jeffy off his back rather than try to hurt him or get him in trouble with the law.
Jimmy's affinity with the elderly survives the Gene timeline, in the way he endears himself to Marion. We talk about why he does this and it might be because, just like the elderly, he too is often overlooked and neglected. Sherrandy takes the opportunity to acknowledge that we're all a bunch of Jimmy McGills who saw the value in her contributions and brought her aboard as a host.
Pat Healy's real-time run through the store was actually 11-12 minutes. One of the ideas they had in the writers room about where his character would hide in was an ATM machine, which evokes a parallel to Spooge's demise in Breaking Bad.
Gene didn't just tell Jeffy & his friend, Buddy, to "say it" (promising this is the last time) to evoke how Mike told he and Kim to him to do the same after cleaning up their apartment in the prior episode: it was revenge for Jeffy, himself, making Gene do the Better Call Saul point when he discovers him in the mall.
We know Walter's & Jesse's meth haul was the size of a Volkswagen because of the scene in Breaking Bad where Huell Babineaux and Patrick Kuby were swimming in it. Fun fact, Bill Burr was slated to play a part in Better Call Saul until his best friend had passed. He was replaced by Steven Ogg (Simon on The Walking Dead) as an entirely different character, Mister X.
Not only is nobody from the Jimmy McGill timeline present in this episode, including Kim, their names don't appear in the opening credits. Yes, not even Michael Mando. Speaking of destroyed love stories, the forthcoming Interview with a Vampire series is being produced by Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul producer, Mark Johnson on AMC.
Speaking of things nobody asked for, don't watch Titanic 2, by The Asylum (the creators of Z-Nation).
We discuss the pre-credits teaser into the next episode. Is he talking to Kim or Jesse Pinkman in the Better Call Saul era? Maybe even Jeffy Peachman?
Join as next episode when we'll be wrong again!