We Watch TV
We Watch TV is a podcast where we (Hope and Daniel) watch TV and then talk about it. We bring our own brand of weird humor and obscure references to the various shows and topics we discuss. This ranty and tangent filled podcast is just for you if you like commentary on current streaming TV and rewatches of old shows with spoilers and laughs.
We Watch TV
We Watch TV Episode 123 – A Wicked Christmas: For Good
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In this episode of We Watch TV, we are feeling a little Wicked! Or Hope is at least. She shares her feelings on the emotional roller coaster that was Wicked: For Good. Hope and Daniel are also back with more riveting conversation on the latest Hallmark and Netflix Christmas movies. Did Daniel actually LIKE one? Perhaps so tune in for his thoughts. Major things happened during the DWTS semi-finals, and let’s just say one host isn’t pleased with the way the fandom has behaved this season! Regardless, Hope and Daniel also predict this year’s Mirrorball champ. Conversations wrap with some Thanksgiving favorites, featuring mostly Friends, New Girl, Frasier, and The Middle. Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Birthday, Daniel!
(00:00:00) Intro
(00:03:27) Wicked: For Good
(00:23:48) Hallmark Christmas Movie: Tidings for the Season
(00:29:23) Netflix Christmas Movie: Champagne Problems
(00:39:41) Hallmark Christmas Movie: Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story
(00:49:11) Ghosts
(00:51:19) Dancing with the Stars
(01:05:28) Thanksgiving Stuff
Music by yourtunes from Pixabay
Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/wewatchtvpodcast
Are we missing something on the show notes? I can't recall. I can't tell. I don't feel like we missed anything.
SPEAKER_00:One, I still don't know if I'm being recorded or not because you keep throwing me off with the intros, but I don't think so.
SPEAKER_01:This is a non-disclosure state. I don't have to disclose if I'm recording you or not.
SPEAKER_00:I know I watched Wicked on Friday to prepare for Wicked for Good because I knew you. You are over over the hill now.
SPEAKER_01:I am He's already in a mood. I'm starting my tumble day on the backside. That is correct. What do you mean I'm in a mood?
SPEAKER_00:You're just always grumpy. Like, you're so weird about your birthday. It's strange.
SPEAKER_01:I I think that um if you're allowed to have a month of birthdays, I don't do that! I'm allowed to have a week of being grumpy.
SPEAKER_00:Okay.
SPEAKER_01:Um so here we are. It is November.
SPEAKER_00:How is Thanksgiving this week? I'm very confused.
SPEAKER_01:Uh I don't know. Like it's seems like it was just Halloween.
SPEAKER_00:It seems like it was just like the summer and now. Like, why do why do January and February always drag? They're like the most miserable months. I hate them so much. It's like the kind of just that like downfall from the holidays, and it's just cold and miserable and awful. At least we're getting some good TV, because we're getting a lot of good TV coming up in December that we're gonna like punt to January. So that's something you look forward to. But it's like those months always go by slow, and then the rest of the year starts to uptick. And by the time you hit about like June, July ish, like that back half, it flies by. And the Burr months are the best. They're elite, they're top tier. And I'm like, I can't believe we're about to be wrapping up November.
SPEAKER_01:But I've got something, so I've got something that makes February just slightly better for you.
SPEAKER_00:Valentine's Day. Nope.
SPEAKER_01:Go to your calendar on your phone and look at February 2026 and see how satisfying it is. It's just, it's the best thing. Somebody on TikTok looked at did this the other day, and it's perfect. It's perfect. Oh, because it's like aircraft? Four straight weeks, Monday or or Sun Sunday through Saturday. It's perfect.
SPEAKER_00:I don't love it. I thought you were gonna tell me it was like leap day again or something. I was like, what does they call it on 30 Rock? Is it Leap Day?
SPEAKER_01:Um Well, I know what you're saying.
SPEAKER_00:Is it Leap Day Tom? That's not air.
SPEAKER_01:No, that's not it's not Leap Day Tom, it's something else. No, it's not Leap Year, but that's just like February is the only month you can have a perfect a perfect calendar on, and so that I just thought that was really cool.
SPEAKER_00:February is literally one of the most boring months, too.
SPEAKER_01:That's why you gotta you gotta take it where you can get it.
SPEAKER_00:Leap Day Williams.
SPEAKER_01:Leap Day Williams. And then buttons and bows. The Fraser episode. For the Fraser episode.
SPEAKER_00:Alright, what did we do over the past week? Well, I'll tell you what, we did. We have the the holidays are as follows Halloween, Christmas, Thanksgiving, you get like a day, and then the rest of Christmas, or you know, other holidays of that time of year. And then uh the first for the past two years, the week before right before Thanksgiving has also been the wicked week. And it does really feel like another holiday, and uh the wicked era is almost coming to a close. But I need you to take me to see the Broadway show.
SPEAKER_01:I think it's gonna have a long tail.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, because now I am listening to the side of the side of the side.
SPEAKER_01:Of you running around the house singing the songs, but not in complete sentences. You pick like four words and just repeat them over and over and over again.
SPEAKER_00:Thank goodness. Wonderful. Well, every time I start to think about for good, I start to get really sad. I get I got sad when I would hear like for good when Kurt and Rachel sang it on Glee. It would make me emotional. So every time I hear that song, I get emotional. So like the Broadway version, I'm like, I know when I have to hear Cynthia and Ariana sing this, I'm gonna sob. Then I watched him on that one wonderful night wicket special on Peacock, where uh Dina and Chris um Kristen also sang it with them, sobbed on that. I thought I was ready to go into the movie. I had all the tissues packed. I was like, I know I'm gonna cry in this number. I didn't know that I was going to weep. Like, I had to keep taking on my glasses. I'm talking full-blown, sobbing. Thankfully, my mascara is mostly intact. I'll tell you what, something Ariana's beauty line. This is not I'm not sponsored by REM Beauty, but I got the Glenda makeup set. That like purple liquid um eyeshadow, that stuff stays intact because I sobbed and it was still there, and I was still scrubbing it off my eyes after the movie. But shall shall I just go ahead and talk about Wicked?
SPEAKER_01:Tell us about it. Shall I see no one more than the Wicked? You went to your hometown, you took your nephew with you. Yes. And you bought a bunch of crap.
SPEAKER_00:Not crap, wonderful things. Uh yeah.
SPEAKER_01:And then you Obsessulated. Saw Wicked for Good.
SPEAKER_00:Wicked for Good. So last year we saw Wicked Part One together. I took my nephew, who was like I like starting to get really into Wicked and excited about it, and I created another little Wicked St. Thank you. You're welcome, sister.
SPEAKER_01:And just what the world needed.
SPEAKER_00:We had a wonderful time. It was amazing. I've never gotten to actually see the Broadway show because no one's ever taken me to that before. Someone needs to take me. So I love you out there want to take her? I love that they did this movie and that they got the movie right. Like I've my experiencing Wicked is, you know, through the lenses of other things, and I know the soundtrack, and I was so thrilled. And I felt like the they knocked it out of the park on part one. And I knew when we were I knew when going into part one that we were gonna like it was gonna be in two parts. I guess some people didn't know that last year. I'm like, I I knew that like right away. And I'm glad because after seeing the second part, I feel like they would have for me to be satisfied, I would have had to have like at least a four-hour movie. Like everything would have felt rushed. So we end act one, Defiant Gravity, and then I at first I was like, let's let's make it, you know, in the summer. Don't make me wait forever. But ultimately, I like that they put it out that same time of year because it felt like another like build up to Thanksgiving. Like we get Wicked Week, Thanksgiving. So it was really fun to get to experience that again with my nephew. He was super excited. His birthday is actually on Thanksgiving Day this year because you guys are like a day apart. And my sister went ahead and gave him one of his birthday gifts, was a wicked t-shirt. So I had my pink wicked sweater with the wicked in the green. He had his t-shirt on. We're walking into the mall, and the Salvation Army person's like, enjoy Wicked. You know what we're gonna do, what we're there to see. And last year we bought a like the which I'm looking at right now, the beautiful lantern popcorn bucket. And I knew that we were gonna have to get some merch. I know everybody says I spoil him, but hey, birthday, it's wicked, it's fun for me to be the fun, you know, and getting to spoil. And we got the this year, they had the and they only had a few left, like, so we we got there right in time. It's the wicked popcorn bucket that's also a music box, and it actually plays for good. So we got that, and it came with two large popcorns that basically look like it's like bigger than our trash can in the bathroom. Like, that's how big these buckets of popcorn were. What a great component. I'm starting to think I was ripped off last year because I had to pay for my popcorn separately with a popcorn bucket, which didn't make sense to me. And this year, like, oh, it comes with two free larges. And I'm like, oh, how much bigger can a large be than a medium? Because I always get like a small or a medium popcorn. Um I'm telling you, like, I made I eat like that much of it. Like I'm making a a reference with my hands, like barely a dent. Um, so we got that. Oh, and they had, I had we had to get the plushies, of course. So, but they only they didn't have any Glenda or Alfie, so we got the scarecrow, or I I don't really, I guess if you haven't seen Wicked yet, I won't spoil that for you. But you know, the the musical's like over 20 years old. You should know who the scarecrow becomes from Wicked. So we got that, and then Theme Food hates to see me coming, truly hates it. They had those dipping dots. Remember how when I went to Stitch, I told you I got those dipping dots that were like pineapple themes?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:They had a watermelon limeade, which was the green and pink. These weren't as good as the pineapple ones, but they were pretty- I'm starting to think dip and dots, a little container of it hits. And I was like, okay, we're gonna do that, we're not gonna do the icy's again. But then when your nephew's like, oh, we should really get the icy's too, because I have to get one for Alpha Bud, and you have to get one for Glenda, and I'm like, oh, twist my arm. So we also got those, and the Icy's were better this year. They were really good.
SPEAKER_01:But a good icy branded icy. It really got that rip-off crap.
SPEAKER_00:It's the icy branded icy. I think the Glinda, the Glenda one was strawberry lemonade, and that's what I had. And then I think it was green apple for Alphabet, which I didn't finish mine, and Gavin finished mine, and he said both were very good. So uh, but when it comes to the movie itself, this is the act two of the musical, and I feel like people that aren't really familiar with the source material might have not been ready at just how much like darker this one is and how much sadder it is, but it's still like incredible. And I thought they did such a good job. I like I said, I packed um those little mini tissue packs. I went through two full mini tissue packs and one tissue pack alone, just in the for good scene at the end where they're saying anything.
SPEAKER_01:No, none of this information surprises me whatsoever.
SPEAKER_00:Um, but I didn't expect to like just weep the way like I and I cried and I I was already crying with like in five minutes to the start of the movie. Like when you see like Alpha Bow and like Glenda, and you know, like about five years has passed between the events of the first movie and this one. So they don't explicitly say the time jump, but you know, it's indicated that about something, you know, some time has gone on. So I'm like already starting to cry. I'm like, oh I'm in for it. I'm in for it. One of the new songs that they added just for their movie, um, there I think it's called There's No Place Like Home. I cried at that. Like the the tones of that song in particular, I feel like really hit home to things that are going on, you know, in our country. Uh like the way people feel, and it was for anybody that says, like, oh, you know, it's just a movie, it's not like quote unquote political. I think all art can be determined as political, and I felt like that song in particular probably meant a lot to a lot of people. So the song I want to make sure that I got the actual name of the song right. Why is it playing this one? And the song is No Place Like Home. That is the new the name of the new song. And then the other song that they added um was is the girl in the bubble. And I thought they were both really good original songs. I'd say No Place Like Home probably had um well, they both had meaning to it. Um but I think that some people were wondering about like what the songs that they added would be and if they'd be good, and I thought they were great. I think when it comes to people are like which part did you like better? That's a tough question because to me it's one big movie. You know what I mean? It's kind of like how I see Avengers. Yeah. Like Infinity Wars and Endgame. Like it's it's just one movie. Like it's one movie to me. But if you're acting like I I came out of each one of them feeling different, like a different headspace. Like you feel just like, yes, like I want to just go like take on the world at the end of act one when you hear Defying Gravity. This one you come out and you're like, I'm so emotional, I'm so sad, because it's like I have sadness that something that I've looked forward to and it's been like like something I've been doing for like over a year, like almost two years is is over, but like also just the sadness of the movie and what happens at the end of the characters and kind of that bittersweetness of it. So you walk away feeling very different. Do you have something to say? You started like holding in your breath.
SPEAKER_01:No, I I'm I I have a Lord of the Rings reference, but you can finish your thought. I was just gonna say that like it it it this is the same story. This is really just one long story in the same way like the Lord of the Rings is one thing. Yes. Yeah, you can say, Oh, I like the fellowship better than like two towers or whatever, but at the end of the day, they're really one they're one continuous story that is meant to be taken in at one time. And so similar with Wicked, it's really saying, Oh, I like one versus the other, it's like, yeah, but I mean it it's really the same thing.
SPEAKER_00:And like I said, I think that the choice to split them was the right choice because I felt like we got to have more depth, we got to dive more into like you know, the Gelfie relationship. I feel like it would have, if they had tried to put everything in one movie and cut it down for, you know, I doubt that the cinema would have probably let them go over three hours. Like I felt I feel like it would have felt very, very rushed. Um, act one, when it comes to the songs, those are definitely I feel like the songs um are more hip popular, you could say la la la la. Like the songs when you think about wicked are mostly the act one songs because obviously Defying Gravity, like that's the big one that everybody thinks about. Popular, One Short Day, Um, The Wizard and I. So a lot of like your fun, more upbeat songs, because it's a more upbeat time. They're younger, the story's getting started, they're at school, but when you go into act two, obviously at this point, Alphabet is just completely outcast. They have they're putting out all these um what is the word I'm looking for? Ugh, propaganda about how she's the wicked witch. Haven't you heard? I'm the wicked witch of the West. Um, she and Glinda haven't separated, they're out of school. It's uh there's darkness going on in Oz. There a lot has happened. So this there's less of that, you know, happy uplifting songs, except for, you know, the thank goodness number, still has that uplifting beat. But when you listen to the lyrics of it and you see Glinda singing, you see what you know she's kind of putting on this public persona right now, but does she really believe in it? Is she knows that Alphabet's out there, she knows that Fiero's just probably not really that into her. And it's almost like, you know, I couldn't be happier. So it's just like that sense of melancholy. And this, if you like ballads, though, like act two is your jam. I feel like my very favorite song of all time from Wicked, which is For Good, which Wicked for Good, um, comes from Act Two. I also really like No Good Deed and As Long As You're Mine. So when I think about it, I feel like again, it's vibes-based. For me personally, I kind of like some of the songs because I like the I like the power power ballads, you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_02:Sure.
SPEAKER_00:Like obviously I've been singing As Lone As You're Mine, like constantly, even before it started, and I have to say, Sexiest man of the year, Jonathan Bailey. Delivered. I've been so excited to see him and Cynthia sing As Lone As You're Mine, and it was Chef's Kiss. I was looking around, the other ladies in the theater, we were all like, oh, so good. Nothing he does yearning so well as Anthony Bridgerton, uh, as Fiero. So good, so good. Just it was like when you want, like you you anticipate something and then you get to see it on screen. And they did keep it PG because the movie is PG, but it was still hot, you know what I mean? And the chemistry.
SPEAKER_01:Of course I do.
SPEAKER_00:The chemistry was chemistrying. I mean, ultimately I'm a Gelphy shipper, but like the alpha Fiero when they do As Long As You're Mine, just wonderful. Uh Cynthia Revo once again knocked it out of the park. She, no good deed had me like in chills. Like that's her big number after basically everything's going to crap, and she's like, you know, no good deed goes unpunished or whatever, and she's just going off. And I I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but I almost feel like she did better with no good deed than defying gravity when she did incredible with defying gravity. I mean, you've seen part one because you've watched that movie with me um here at the house. So she did amazing with that, but I feel like she like she nailed it. Um Ariana Grande went, I think they should both get Oscars, but like the second half is kind of more of like Glinda's movie. If she does not get an Oscar, I'm gonna be super mad because she gave it everything. Ariana Grande, and I said this about part one, she became Glinda, like she immersified herself in that role. Talk about taking something, going after your dreams. She's always wanted to be Glinda since she was like 10 because she grew up a theater kid and just putting your all into that. And you can just tell, you can really tell with all of them, especially the two leads, how much this meant to them to be in these iconic roles. And they both did it justice. And for me, like that is my alphabet and that is my Glenda. And I think that, you know, and I've heard people that seen the Broadway show several times ha share that sentiment now, and that's a testament to how well it's done because people are very critical um when it takes, especially translating like a beloved Broadway musical to a movie. And some of the I've seen some minor criticisms, but for the most part, I feel like everybody that loves Wicked was very satisfied. I think some of the only critiques that I've really seen from some people were they just weren't expecting just such a more of a melancholy tone. You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I mean that has to be coming from people who weren't familiar with the Broadway play. With like the source material, yeah. Like this this very much followed the Broadway play close enough that like anybody that's familiar with it was not surprised, shouldn't have been surprised. They shouldn't have been surprised. Where it went.
SPEAKER_00:It was really fun for me. I don't wanna, again, I know we're a spoiler podcast, but since just the movie just came out, if in case people don't know, I'm not gonna reveal everything, but my nephew didn't know one big major plot point at the very end, and I hadn't told him that. Um, so I just wanted to see his reaction, and he was like, Yes, I knew it! And it was so fun just to see him react. You know where it's like fun where you you watch me reacting to like your precious Star Trek movies, which I'll be watching with you on Friday. You know where you you see it through the eyes of somebody else.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, oh that's great.
SPEAKER_00:Like he really enjoyed I I really enjoyed him enjoying that. Um, but the for good number, oh my gosh. I thought I what is the I thought I was ready. I was not. They those two, and I hear that they have this one pivotal scene with like a door in between them, and I've heard that all of that is improvised. There's they say they tell each other that they like, I love you. I heard that was improvised, and John Chu, the director, kept it in. I mean, I don't think there was really a dry eye in the house. Everybody in my theater at the end of the show also clapped. Like, that's how you know. You I think I feel like except for the very front, like break your neck like seats, our theater was like totally packed. And just you could like we we had a good crowd, like everyone was locked in to watch it, but no one was it wasn't like Superman where everybody was being disruptive around us. Like people were there to see wicked, end of story, and everybody clapped. But like you after the movie, I went to the bathroom, and me and like several other ladies are just like wiping our eyes and we're still crying. And I was like, Yeah, Gavin, when I'm with the ladies, we always talk. Because before the movie started, I also somebody else saw somebody else in the bathroom was like, Oh, I love your sweater. Where'd you get it? I'm like, Oh, Target. And I'm like, Oh, sorry, Gavin. I was having a conversation about fashion before the movie, and then I was talking to everybody that was crying in the bathroom after the movie. And then I also have to give credit to Ethan Slater, who plays Bach. Bach. Uh I see now I now know why they cast him in this role. Like, I knew he was like a theater kid. He's the SpongeBob on Broadway kid, and he does saying in the first one, but in this one, he like uh he like scared me a little. Like he was that good. Everybody, close your put your hands over your ears right now, or I'm because I'm gonna spoil this part for you. You should know it by now. The music's 20 years old, and even in the promo material, you can tell. So Bach becomes the 10 man. And that whole like transformation of him becoming the 10 man and then the march where of the like the witches, and he's like, I've got a score to settle with Alpha Ba. I mean the witch. Like, I'd say if you're bringing kids to this, that's like the one thing that I would say would be scary. Like, it was I was like almost like like I couldn't almost breathe. Like he just gave a great performance. So I think he's gotten a lot of hate online for you know some of the personal stuff going on. Well done. Like, I see why he was cast. He was definitely the other than Ariana and Cynthia, was the standout performer for me in this movie. But it was it was great. Like, if I had to choose which movie I enjoyed best, was it part one or part two? Like I said, I'm thinking of it as one big thing. I probably would go with part one just because it's a little happier and I cried so much more on part two. But it's just so it's so hard for me to choose, you know? I get it. It's just so hard because they're both so good, and I loved it. After the movie, I went to um we went to a store called Five Below. Has have you ever been to Five Below?
SPEAKER_02:I have not.
SPEAKER_00:It's like a Dollar General, but with like a bunch of other crap and no organization, nothing, and I feel like everybody in the entire Middoh Valley was there at the same time. I told Gavin, I'm like, yeah, I'm never coming here with you again. But I did buy him a wicked sign that he really wanted. We like none of the wicked merchandise was in the same place, it was all over everything. Like it would have been the whole time I'm in there, I'm like, this would be Daniel's nightmare. And then you get in like one single line to go to a bunch of registers up front. So we waited in line like that snaked around for like 15 minutes. You're welcome that I could not find the wicked wrapping paper that they had because I was gonna buy it and be like, this is what I want to wrap all my gifts in for the holidays. But it's great. I loved Wicked. You will be watching once that as soon as it comes out on digital release, Blu-ray, whatever, you will watch it. How does it feel now that you get to listen to part two of the soundtrack constantly? You've heard of me listening to the Broadway, but now you're getting the movie.
SPEAKER_01:It's just amazing. It is amazing.
SPEAKER_00:I intentionally held off on listening to the because I think that soundtrack actually dropped like Thursday. Um, and I did not I wanted to hear all the songs in full for the first time in the movie. Do you have any idea how hard that was for me to do to hold off on that?
SPEAKER_01:The inter the intestinal fortitude you must have.
SPEAKER_00:And then on my way home, I missed my exit because I was saying as long as your mind. Okay, it was really because there was a car, a big car in front of me, and I couldn't see, and then by the time I turned, it was I screwed up, so then I had to drive an extra 20 minutes. But like once I got home, I started telling you more of the story. I was like, Yeah, I was like, Jonathan got to Jonathan Bailey's part, and then I was given, you know, have you never given a car performance like in the car by yourself when you're just saying?
SPEAKER_01:I don't think so, no.
SPEAKER_00:You're just you're truly missing out. Jeff or Jeff Goldblum again, wizard, slimy, perfect. Even you, somebody you're you you've agreed that he's the perfect casting, right?
SPEAKER_02:Yes, he is.
SPEAKER_00:I feel like I could talk about Wicked for good, but for forever.
SPEAKER_01:So we won't. Speaking of Five Below and the pits and depths of hell, um, we have some more Hallmark Netflix Christmas movies for you.
SPEAKER_00:We do.
SPEAKER_01:Only three this time, and thankfully I only was subjugated to two of them. Do you want to talk? I looked from the list, you've got the one I I don't recognize the name of the first one, so you must have watched that one by yourself. I did. How was the net the uh I'm sorry, the Hallmark Christmas movie Tidings for the Season?
SPEAKER_00:You watched part of that with me. Remember at the beginning, and then you you peaced out. It was the one with Tamara Maori of Tia and Tamara, the this from Sister Sister, and she her son wants to be newsbrush. So they're like in, I think they're like they're not in Chicago. That's where his job opportunity was. You had me thinking they were in the Rolling City. I don't know why I listened to it.
SPEAKER_01:I wasn't watching the movie, so I don't know why you were listening to me. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:I think they're like in Minnesota or something, but they he's a newscaster, and he basically, because the news is just depressing all the time, she's like, she she's like, ugh, I hate him. I wish she would tell, you know, fun stories. But her son, she's a single mother, and her son, like, remember, he like wants to be like weirdly obsessed with being a news anchor for a kid that that age.
SPEAKER_01:Like, I like I don't I okay, I can't speak because I don't have kids, but anybody out there that's got kids of a certain age, like what probably tennis, are they watching the evening news?
SPEAKER_00:I used to watch the evening news. My parents made me at dinner.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, well, you're an outlier.
SPEAKER_00:But I now wasn't I wasn't like that kid, but I did used to practice in the mirror my anchor voice. Is that weird?
SPEAKER_01:Let's hear your anchor voice. You can't say you got an anchor voice. You can't say you've got an anchor voice.
SPEAKER_00:Welcome to We Watch TV Podcast, the podcast where we watch TV. I am Hope, and this is Daniel. Stay tuned. The weather is looking a little I was never gonna be a weather girl. I don't know. Like you just try well, it's you gotta be something like, and then I don't know, give me something like somebody, I don't want like give me like something like a sad story, but not don't make it too sad.
SPEAKER_01:I immediately went to the joker thing.
SPEAKER_00:We can't do that. Sources are saying that this year prices have increased, and the average American family is going to find it hard to have their Thanksgiving feast. Gosh. That's over at the community park, they're having a turkey trot. Back to you, John. How are those trotters burning off those calories? Because those people can't afford to eat. That got dark. You're completely distracting me. But anyway, the kid is really into it and he convinces their school to do a tour. So he like but buddies up to this guy and he's like, Yeah, my mom doesn't like you. He thinks you should tell like fun stories. Then like the producer guy is like, hey, I think this would be cool to make him like our like our intern. So they and obviously, you know, he starts like razzing up the single mom, and they suddenly they they start to he start he realizes what it's like to tell a fun story. And I can tell you, as somebody who did used to work in media and my specialty was feature stories, that's why I liked it. Like I did kind of resonate with that. I liked because I I believe, especially when it comes to local media, that you get enough of the depressing stuff with national news, and that sometimes you want to read, like you want to either read them or watch like the feel-good stories to see what good people are doing, because not everything has to be negative and terrible and awful. You get enough of that on national coverage. So, like, I actually did like kind of like what the mom, what like the premise of the movie was, but then it really there's one part that confused me because like he does start doing the stories, and his producer guy, who was very cute by the way, I'm like, I want to spin off of this man. He was like, You can't like people wanna, you know, hear about all the crap. This is gonna tank our ratings, the station is in trouble. And he's on the side, he's also up for this other job in Chicago. So then he's like, Why don't he so he decides to you know roll the roll the tape, do the story anyway. And then they're like, Why don't you take a vacation? So like a forced vacation. So he that's they get to go do some Christmas activities together. But then turns out everybody likes the moms, is like the mom. Like, we like the good stories, and the ratings go up. So they're like, they call him, they're like, vacation's over, come back to work. And then the big, like, whole kind of you know, how they have their conflict, they're like, oh no, oh no, is because he does get offered that job and he goes to interview, and she's like, I I can't have my son around like you because I thought you'd be in our lives. This is why I haven't dated or something. I don't really know. I wasn't paying that much attention. She wants to say she was talking a lot of crap about how I don't listen. I don't know, I wasn't paying attention. She's giving me crap. Um It was alright. It was like the classic Hallmark formula. You saw bits and pieces of it. What do you think about what you saw?
SPEAKER_01:The kid actor was the best actor in the movie.
SPEAKER_00:Okay, Tamira Maori is a good actress.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, well, he was she the kid was better than the main male lead.
SPEAKER_00:Than the anchor man.
SPEAKER_01:I didn't buy him as an anchor. Like uh he may be a fine actor, but just he didn't have a voice that that said anchor man. Stay classy, San Diego. Yeah, so I don't know.
SPEAKER_00:Give me your best.
SPEAKER_01:I don't. I can't I can't.
SPEAKER_00:People have told me before that you have a good radio voice.
SPEAKER_01:I don't know what those people are on, but I would like some.
SPEAKER_00:What about when I do the at Theranos? We don't need to do that. We don't need to do that.
SPEAKER_01:Alright, next up, we're gonna skip on over to Netflix for a moment. Um, and we're gonna talk about champagne problems.
SPEAKER_00:Not the Taylor Swift song, the movie.
SPEAKER_01:They did not play the Taylor Slift song in the movie.
SPEAKER_00:They probably didn't want to buy the rights to use it.
SPEAKER_01:Would have been the whole budget of the movie.
SPEAKER_00:This starred uh Minka Kelly, who is best known as Lila Garrity from Friday Night Lights, one of the greatest shows of all time, Clear Eyes, Full Hearts Can't Lose. And since I had to do the synopsis for Tidings for the Season, and I don't like pay attention as much as you, apparently, to the movies I supposedly like, and I've talked so much on this podcast. Already.
SPEAKER_01:Half an hour almost.
SPEAKER_00:I could talk about Wicked for like three years. You oh my gosh.
SPEAKER_01:Should I just leave you in a room and you can just talk about Wicked and then I'll come back?
SPEAKER_00:Why don't you talk about champagne problems?
SPEAKER_01:Okay, so this the plot of this movie is as follows. The lead woman, what's her name? Do we know the character's name?
SPEAKER_00:I've totally forget her name.
SPEAKER_01:It's a good podcast, everybody. Um I don't remember her name at all. She works for some sort of uh private equity firm or something, a company they buy up other companies and and and do stuff with them and stuff like that. And she's trying to prove herself to her boss, and finally she gets the opportunity because he's gonna send her to France. They're buying a champagne um winery and a champagnery. She has a sister. She has a sister. It doesn't matter. She supports her sister, whatever.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, but her sister is the one that tells her oh my gosh, you're so bad at this now. Her sister is the one that's like, while you're in Paris, make sure you do something fun. And this kind of got on my nerves because, like, it's clear the sister has not had direction in life, and is she's like she's you know, ironically at like a spin class, like sipping on a frappuccino, barely working out. And you can tell she doesn't work or do anything to pay these bills, and that the sister is taking care of her all her life. And it's fun to be like, I'm so irresponsible, I'm not like other girls, I'm so cute and fun. But like, uh, if sister wasn't paying your bills there, you know, lady, you wouldn't be able to be like, just go be carefree. So that kind of bugged me. Go on.
SPEAKER_01:So, anyway, she takes her sister's advice to heart, goes to Paris, goes out, bones a French guy.
SPEAKER_00:They meet at the bookstore. That bookstore looked cool.
SPEAKER_01:The bookstore looked cool, and she ends up staying overnight in his apartment and then oversleeps for her meeting the next day with the French company she's supposed to buy. And oh big surprise, when she gets in there, she sits down in the room. One, the business, the owner of the of the is it a winery?
SPEAKER_00:No, it's like a champagne thing.
SPEAKER_01:So it's not so you wouldn't call that a winery because champagne is wine.
SPEAKER_00:I don't know what we're arguing about terminology.
SPEAKER_01:Anyways, he has all the other people who are bidding on his uh on his um vineyard um in the room, and then the guy she just slept with the night before comes in, sits down and finds and oh, we find out he's the son of the owner and the vice president of the company.
SPEAKER_00:And the reason he's having to sell Henri, or am I just making a professional?
SPEAKER_01:The reason that he's having to sell is because the son isn't wanting to take over the business.
SPEAKER_00:And charity knew because when they were bonding, he's like, My dad sucks. Like you're basically okay, so like the people that she's interviewing with, the other cast of characters are very important. You have the lady who's clearly been friends with the dad forever. She's like the uptight, classic, you know, like woman. You have the party guy, he just likes to drink. He drinks and he knows things. And then the I don't know what this actor's name is, but he's I remember that YouTube Jennifer poops at potties. She's a potty poopa.
SPEAKER_01:I don't remember he's a German actor.
SPEAKER_00:He's funny though.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I agree. Um, so so, anyways, they all end up at the owner's house like a state in Champagne region of France.
SPEAKER_00:Um by the way, Daniel's like, they bet it better be real champagne, because champagne comes from a certain place, and then they actually literally, as you made that remark, they clocked you and said it.
SPEAKER_01:Okay.
SPEAKER_00:Okay.
SPEAKER_01:Now, quickly, um, the rest of the movie takes place in the chateau in the Champagne region. But yeah, it's a big castle. It's a big house. But before we get before we leave Paris, I have notes, and so we need to talk about the notes. We have need to talk about notes in geographic order. And so when she still doesn't know that the son is who she's meeting with, and they're just, you know, doing their flirty thing, and they're walking through Paris and they walk across the bridge. I stop the conversation. I pause the movie and go, is that the bridge that and then Hope interrupts me. And what did you say when you interrupted me?
SPEAKER_00:You interrupted me, you were like I was like Belly and Conrad, carrying big, like thinking about these like iconic, wonderful like couple moments that I've seen that same shot used in Paris.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. And I and I said, No, is that the crow the bridge that Russell Crowe threw him off self off of in La Miz?
SPEAKER_00:Because of course she wouldn't remember. I was like, oh my gosh, I'm so proud. So, anyway, I thought we got a pretty good laugh at the time.
SPEAKER_01:Well, we we enjoy you know whatever.
SPEAKER_00:It's funny in the moment.
SPEAKER_01:We entertain each other, and that's all that matters. Um, so, anyways, they're out there, they do a bunch of they're they're out at the chateau, they they do a bunch of Christmas related activities.
SPEAKER_00:She is lactose intolerant, she eats a lot of cheese, and she has the farts.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. Um they dress a cute dog. They they um decorate the Christmas tree, and the drunk guy decorates it all, you know, gaudy, and then the German guy on the his side of the tree, he just puts one ornament on there and there's like my my theme is malaise.
SPEAKER_00:Malaise. Because we were, I was like, why is he only putting one bulb on it?
SPEAKER_01:And he also says, Many people consider me to be bleak.
SPEAKER_00:It was really funny. It was really funny at the time. You should watch it.
SPEAKER_01:Oh he was very entertaining.
SPEAKER_00:Um But you can tell he liked it that he was getting friends and added to the group chat. Yes. Like the side characters were fun. This was a good, like, this was a better movie. Like, and you said it too. You said it was better than five!
SPEAKER_01:I'm not done with the synapses yet.
SPEAKER_00:Okay.
SPEAKER_01:So so there's conflict between the father and the son because the father obviously does not want to sell um the vineyard, but the son does not want to run the vineyard. Yeah. And so there's a bunch of conflict there. He and then the people are bidding for the for it, and then come to find out the main lady's company sends another guy when they get when they start to feel like maybe she's not gonna be able to close this thing down. And a con and a conversation is heard where the company's just gonna do what they've done so many other times when it comes to private equity. They're just gonna pee take it apart, and and it's not gonna be the same thing anymore after it gets purchased. And so the male actor lead, sorry, well, I don't remember anybody's name from this movie, the hotel overhears it, he gets upset, she under she hears that he's upset, the shoe she goes do her own thing. Well, turns out they decide the they they all get together and and the drunk guy buys the place, but then he's not gonna actually like run it at all. He's gonna let them keep running it. He's just gonna provide the fun financing to get it out of debt.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:And everybody turns out happy.
SPEAKER_00:They get together and then they end up running their own bookstore, which is in like the guest house at the side of the chateau. Yeah. Because when you're already rich and you can easily start your own business, easy peasy, and then it seems like the sister, you know, who has no directional life, joins her in Paris, and she and the Malaise guy kind of have a winky wink. Um, the dad, because so like the mom, his mom was like, and that was a part of their contention. Like, she seemed to die a while ago. And it seems to me like they were indicating that something could happen to the dad and the one woman that they had known forever. That woman started off, she made that girl eat all that cheese. I would I would have been like, I I'm not eating this cheese, I'm lactose intolerant, but I guess she really wanted to close the sale or whatever. I like how like Donat exists in the Netflix movies, but it does not exist in the Hallmark movies.
SPEAKER_01:So I will say, and again, I I am keeping to my promise I made recently, because this is not a Hallmark movie. I can say this with a clear conscience. This was good.
SPEAKER_00:Well, yeah, it was a good movie. Like it was funny. I liked the side characters. I felt like the two leads had actual chemistry. Like I I bought that they had that really fun night, and then you know, what are the odds when he shows up? I am bad she never got to eat that baguette that he brought her.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, not to but it's not just that.
SPEAKER_00:Did you see that baguette?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, and it's not just that the romantic leads had chemistry, but the side plots and everything that came into it. The dead the plot with the dad and the son was meaningful. The plot, you know, all the different actually had something and had context to them that added to the story versus the the one what we're gonna talk about after this one.
SPEAKER_00:And again, you've really glazed over this when I've asked you about it. Because you were talking about it a lot during it. I need you to talk to me about that baguette. You keep like, yeah, yeah. You and I like had a pause the movie five-minute conversation about how much we like a good baguette.
SPEAKER_01:I love a good baguette.
SPEAKER_00:And they never got to eat it.
SPEAKER_01:I don't know, it's a shame. It's like, is this gonna go up there? Okay, is where does this rank on your list of uneaten Christmas foods? Obviously, we know. I know what's at the top of the list. The home alone, the mac and cheese. Okay, but where's that out? Does this one fall in the top five of Christmas foods uneaten?
SPEAKER_00:What would the other ones be?
SPEAKER_01:I don't know, maybe it's this one and two.
SPEAKER_00:I mean, I do kind of weirdly think Buddy the Elf's mixture looks good.
SPEAKER_01:He ate that though. We saw him eat it, unfortunately.
SPEAKER_00:I I may yeah, I I can't really think of uh you're losing me here. I know like the home alone thing is the only thing I complain about.
SPEAKER_01:So yeah, maybe it's Well you complain about it enough, so Because it's frustrating.
SPEAKER_00:Kevin could have at least taken one bite of it like before he went off. Like it's just like it's honestly the best macaroni and cheese.
SPEAKER_01:If you have Netflix, if you have a Netflix, guess what, Daniel?
SPEAKER_00:Kevin was eating macaroni and cheese for his meal, not as a side. Because it can be a full meal.
SPEAKER_01:Kevin was a child. So if you have Netflix and you are looking for a good Christmas movie, I I I I put, you know, give Champagne Problems a watch. You'll you'll be entertained at least.
SPEAKER_00:Because it's better than fine.
SPEAKER_01:It's not gonna be on, it's not on my every year list. Yeah. But it was good enough to get me through. And now we go back to Hallmark.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, this was a bad movie.
SPEAKER_01:One of the worst Hallmark Christmas movies I've ever seen.
SPEAKER_00:Same. It was called Holiday Touchdown, a Bills Love Story. So they've partnered with the NFL or something. So last year it was the Chiefs, this year is the Bills. Where's my I'm gonna have to just write the script for my Steelers one, I guess. Okay, I don't even like if this movie is.
SPEAKER_01:I don't know how to describe the plot plot to this movie. Um the the two leads are like neighbors, neighborhood, childhood, friends, etc. By the way, before I start, I just have to say this. Every actor in this movie is attempting uh what I'll the o what I can only assume to be a northern uh western New York accent, a Buffalo style accent, I guess. I don't know. I'm not familiar with the next one.
SPEAKER_00:I don't think the girl was attempting.
SPEAKER_01:But the male lead was and poorly, and it made everyone sound ridiculous.
SPEAKER_00:Aren't you gonna talk about how Santa is the same stadium? No, I'll get there. I'll get there, I'll get there.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, so um and he's also and they also like like the story revolves around the new stadium they're building. And so he works for a company that's working on the new stadium, and she is a doctor.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, but she's at home for the but just she lives in Buffalo, so as she kicking around at the house, I was very confused about around the situation.
SPEAKER_01:And then and their families like living together, so they always take a picture at Christmas time at the Bills game that's around Christmas, and they have an uncle Tommy, and she was like her father figure. She was like a father figure because her dad died and he moved in and took care of them, and then they find out he gets like a random weird anonymous Christmas present every year. Yeah. And then he tells them the story about how when he went off to NAM Um that he like somebody started sending money and stuff over to his mom to help take care of him and because he couldn't, because he was the one working with the job, and then he got drafted and sent off.
SPEAKER_00:I thought they were sending money before he went to NAM when he was kids.
SPEAKER_01:When he left.
SPEAKER_00:I zone out.
SPEAKER_01:So then, anyways, he gets back and the is able to get a job and blah blah blah, but he still gets a Christmas present every year. And so the the two leads are like, oh, you know, wouldn't it be really cool if we were able to track this person downonymous so he could say thank you. And also, it's also a ruse because the male lead has had un has had feelings for her for a long time, but has never said anything on it. And that's kind of like a central theme of the movie is that he can't commit. And everybody knows it, yeah, except for those two. So, anyways, they go to this store and they try to track down the ornament from the 70s, and with this whole receipt game that just seems like a big thing.
SPEAKER_00:Did people write their names and addresses on their receipts in the 70s? And like their private information? I don't know. Is it real?
SPEAKER_01:Um and they're also they get a bunch of people from the Bills, I guess. I'm not a Bills fan, I'm not familiar with them.
SPEAKER_00:So Bills Mafia. Like the coach was in it. Some of the old all the Bills actors were better than the Hallmark actors.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, yeah, for sure. Um they track down, they end up, they it ends up they find this lady who he who Tommy had been dating before he went off to NAM.
SPEAKER_00:And her sister still lives in town.
SPEAKER_01:Her sister still lives in town. They go to the sister's house. It ha she happens, Mia happens to be there. Oh, you remember her name? And then she just the only person's name in the movie I remember. Wow! I don't remember any of the names. I remember Tommy and Mia. That's the story I remember. They should have just done the movie about that because I did not care about the other two.
SPEAKER_00:I don't care for Jimmy.
SPEAKER_01:They did not care about them at all.
SPEAKER_00:Me either. They had no chemistry. They had no chemistry.
SPEAKER_01:Nothing. It was just like two rocks bashing together trying to get away.
SPEAKER_00:Maybe they hooked up on Joey. Do you have any chemistry with the people at work? No! Um Hey, does this Orson Wells guy direct Burger King commercials?
SPEAKER_01:Yes. So, anyways, then they they go to the game and they do this whole thing on the field and reveal that that the Tommy knows it was Mia, and then they go kiss on the field and they have a nice time. And then the sister who we didn't even bring up, um Her personality was I am pregnant. Yeah, I am pregnant, and she goes into labor while they're watching the game, so they go to the hospital and have the baby and blah blah blah blah blah, and then eventually the construction guy, Male Lee, gets them back into the old stadium so they can take their picture with a bunch of people. And then they kiss there, and yay, happiness.
SPEAKER_00:You're missing major stuff, because I have some questions, Hallmark. So they have this group of friends. Has Hallmark introduced a thruple to the mix? Because it was this lady, another man, and another man, and they were always on screen. I know they were like presented as like the main couple's like friends. I'm not gonna be able to do that. But they were all at the same house together, like when they went over to figure because she the woman was like a social media like person, can like stalk people, and that's how they were able to find Mia. And I'm like, okay, both of the men are there. This is this a thropple? Like, I don't know which one was her husband. I don't know what were they all roommates? Ha ha wink wink, they were just roommates. Like, it was it a thruple? Like, I'm confused. Are you I was like, even like what what was what was up with that?
SPEAKER_01:Uh they they did not address it. Okay. It was weird. So now woven into this movie more than any other Hallmark, more than the Chiefs one last year, they had the same Santa from the Chiefs movie last year. And he was here often. Too often.
SPEAKER_00:Constantly. Constantly. Is he like the the Santa, the official Santa of the NFL?
SPEAKER_01:And I don't know. And then now we have to-cast Roger Goodell as Santa. But now we have his Mrs. Claus.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, which we clock that.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Because I was like, first we thought she might, and I was like, we're like, no, she's too old for Mia. Then I was like, oh my gosh, is she gonna be Mrs. Claus? So the two leads from the first Chiefs movie, they show up in the beginning, cameo. I cannot believe that what they're doing in the Hallmark universe where they're off showing up in the movies. Daniel, you noticed him before I did. Who was the bartender, Daniel?
SPEAKER_01:Pencil Man.
SPEAKER_00:Pencil Man. Andrew Walker. Daniel's like, Pencil Man, and pauses the movie. I was like, why are we pausing this movie? Don't we want to get through it? It was not the best. Just no, I felt like the Chiefs one at least had more of a story. This one was just kind of like all over the place.
SPEAKER_01:It makes the story about the Magic Christmas hat. The Magic Christmas play.
SPEAKER_00:I'm mad about that because the Steelers ended up losing to the Chiefs last year on Christmas. It was, they also did more like Christmasy stuff. And like they didn't really do a lot of Christmas activities in this one. There was some Caroline. Then every time I would start to be like, okay, we're getting somewhere. They tempted us with the Buffalo, like what the Bills like to do, like the tape, like jump through the table, yeah.
SPEAKER_01:They tempted us like the biggest thing.
SPEAKER_00:And then I guess that like Tommy and I think the other guy are have both been in the Sopranos, the show. I've never watched it.
SPEAKER_02:Oh, maybe. I don't know.
SPEAKER_00:All I know is the one guy, I was like, oh, he was in the secret life of the American teenager. I hope he knows that that's what I know him from. And then um Joel's mom and also Pete's wife who got sucked off on ghosts, Carol. She showed up in it.
SPEAKER_01:New brand new sentences.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. It was it was a stinker. Like it wasn't even very Christmassy. Anyway, I am going now, and you you are into it too. Daniel and I are in the process of writing our own screenplay called Holiday Touchdown, maybe like a rival love story with the Steel Stealing My Heart at Christmas or something. Because I was like, I'm gonna write one with the Steelers. Then I'm like, you know what? Better yet, let's write like a rival thing. Steelers and Browns. They could go so many places, and you can have the like enemies to lovers trope. Because I just I don't love the like that there was like going on. Well, I guess he really wasn't a big Chiefs fan in the first one. That's why that one was better. I just re- I just clocked it. Because remember, he like worked for the team, but he wasn't like crazy about it. And there was that kind of like, you guys are like freaking weird. Whereas they were all just I guess the Bills mafia, sorry, y'all are wild. And like they were all like, all of them were like super into it. And I think that foil helped at least make the other one a little like because that guy was like, Your family's strange, you know? And it would have just been more helpful to have like a foil like that. But anyway, are you excited about the screenplay that we're gonna write?
SPEAKER_01:I only have one stipulation when with the script, and when we get to filming, okay. Um, is that any extra in the movie that's performing some sort of service job, if it's a trash man, if it's a you know, checkout recording. Like Tommy Max is gonna show up and work the deli. Yeah, if it's um any any kind of thing like that, a janitor has to be a former Browns quarterback from the list of people that you got like what, like 40 plus of them to choose from from 99 to now. So many.
SPEAKER_00:The possibilities are endless. I feel like many of those guys have got to be looking for a check somewhere, so I feel like Mike Chalman could deliver like an Oscar Award-winning performance with his deadpan delivery for this. But yeah, these I don't know what's up with these holiday, and I guess like I don't think the Chiefs are doing very good this year, right? Because people in my Hallmark subreddit have been like, are the Bills gonna be cursed now? Because now that they've done a movie.
SPEAKER_01:Hopefully.
SPEAKER_00:But we watched that so you guys don't have to. Speaking of ghosts, we already talked about Carol from Ghosts, she's no longer on Ghosts. Uh we did watch the most recent episode of Ghosts, and it was actually a Thanksgiving theme episode of Ghosts. I'm not sure they've done a Thanksgiving.
SPEAKER_01:No, I don't think so.
SPEAKER_00:I'm gonna go.
SPEAKER_01:We'll talk over it. Let's both say it at the same time. No, um, do you want to go?
SPEAKER_00:John Stamos. You go first.
SPEAKER_01:I did like how they they did an episode of Ghosts. They haven't done a Thanksgiving theme yet, and so the very first thing they did at the beginning of the episode was address Sasapi.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. Like, is it okay?
SPEAKER_01:Is it okay that we have Thanksgiving?
SPEAKER_00:Well, I was gonna say that they did they caught it planes, chains, and automobiles or something because there's planes, trains, and automobiles, a movie I've never seen, but apparently it's like a Thanksgiving movie. I'm like, so it's Rocky then. Rocky and Adrienne take their first date on Thanksgiving. The Rocky movies.
SPEAKER_02:I okay.
SPEAKER_00:I haven't. If people are calling Die Hard a Christmas movie, I can call Rocky a Thanksgiving movie.
SPEAKER_01:I think the synopsis of the movie is he's trying to get home for Thanksgiving. I think that's a little bit more Thanksgiving orange.
SPEAKER_00:I like that how they because Sam and Pete, who can he's like a traveling ghost, that's his power, so he could go with her, and she's doing like the book tour, so she's kind of off, they're off kind of doing their own thing. So they had that about how she had to get home. Then they had the guy from Superstore, who's the other guy, human that can see all the ghosts, he shows up because Jay's like, I'm not gonna be the ghost butler the whole time. And I think that Sam does too much for them. Like it's great that they they definitely take advantage, but that was that was funny. Because I remember like he I do remember he hit on Sam in that one episode, but I don't think it was really romantic. I think he was just like, oh, somebody else that can talk to ghosts.
SPEAKER_01:And they had the the the they don't go very dark on it in this show very often, but he kind of represents how being able to see ghosts could be a really terrible, terrible power.
SPEAKER_00:I'm disappointed there were no airport ghosts.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, they didn't have any. They must be losing budget or something. I don't know. So listen, we're we're long into this episode, and there's still a very major rant to come, so let's just go ahead and give it out of the way. Dancing with the stars semifinals has been in the books. Tonight is the finals. What are the five and expensive? Who are the five couples that are gonna be in the finals here tonight?
SPEAKER_00:We've got Well, we have Robert Irwin, who is the he's probably gonna win, and it will be deserved to win. Um, is he the best dancer? Now I would call him the fourth best of this left, but usually the best dancer doesn't win. We have Alex Earl, who is a good dancer, but her fans have really showed up to be kind of crazy.
SPEAKER_01:Rattle them off here, Hope. Come on.
SPEAKER_00:Um, we have um Elaine Hendricks. Yay, Elaine! Very excited. Love Elaine, Justice for Meredith Blake. We have Jordan Chiles, who has been chronically underscored all season, so I'm very happy she is in the finals. I think she and Ezra could have really potential. They're getting to do a passo. I'm really excited to see their passo. And then I think that their freestyle could be really good. And this is Ezra's first finals. He's the only pro that has never done um the finals before, so that's pretty cool. And then Mr. Danny dances around him. That's all you look at the whole time. But he pulled out Zach Efron finally showed up, y'all. We have Dylan Efron. Dylan Efron, um, who does not seem to move very much on stage, but he made it in. And I think Dylan Efron, I stand by what I said. I think he's still gonna get at least third place. Um but all I see is Danny when they dance, and it's just it is hard to be a woman on the show. The women, and you as a man, do you agree with me that the women have to do so much more? Because when you're a male pro, your female dancers, they can dance around you, they can make you look good, but like your eyes are typically on the woman.
SPEAKER_01:I agree. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Every year on the show, it seems like the women are chronically underscored, they have to work ten times harder. And the I always call it the Facebook wine wine moms always seem to hate the women. And this season, it that's always been a thing. But this season has been, I think I've touched on this before, it's been particularly annoying with some of the new fans and the toxicity in the fan base. I've seen some contestants people complain about stuff before that happens every year. But I've never seen it just like such level of vile hatred and bullying that has occurred. I really think Hilaria Bodwin might have had a point now. Like, I did I like that she was on? No. I think it's a little, I think what it's there's always gonna be people with dance experience, unless you want a bunch watch a bunch of Andes that have zero experience moving around. And if you want to, this you know, fine. But they're always, I mean, the entertainment industry, people are gonna have dance experience. Whitney is not the only one this season that has dance experience. Alex does, Elaine does, uh let's see, Charlie D'Amelio before, one of the best inches I've ever seen, dance experience. So that's nothing new as much as people want to make it a thing. So people are always gonna gripe and complain about that. But this year, it's just like, and with Hilaria, like one of the reasons why again, why I will say like I disagreed with her casting was because she was actually ballroom trained. She competed against Emma Slater and beat her in a competition. That's very different than Whitney as a child dancing at a rival studio to the pro Whitney Carson. That's when they were like kids. Like, you're in Utah, a bunch of people are gonna dance out there, full stop. But I'm starting to think that Alaria had a point about like some of the online bullying and discourse. I know Andy felt it a little bit, but Whitney from The Secret Lives of Mormon Lives Mormon Wives, I feel like got it worse than anybody else I've ever seen on this show. Ever. Like it was so bad. And every week I would see like on the Dancing with the Stars Instagram or the Facebook post, and then especially TikTok, just like so many negative comments about her. People would come up with and they started like dragging Mark too. I never thought I would see the day where Mark Ballast would be dragged as a pro. They're like, oh, he gets favoritism. Let me tell you this. If anyone is favorited on this show, it's Robert Irwin. Um do I think that Robert doesn't? Of course not. I think Robert deserves to win. But like I do not, I think that was just again, people reaching. And it kind of like was a very distracting vibe to the show for me. You only watch it with me, you don't engage on the online stuff, so you're not seeing it the same way I do. And people it could be like, oh, well, just don't get online then. But that's one of my favorite things to do after the show is to get on there and see what people are saying and kind of interact with that community of watchers. Well, this year it's just it was bad. Like, I really think I honestly think the show should address it. Like the bullying, like even like the like Carrie Ann, one of the judges, uh, we complain about Carrie Ann. She's we know she's always been inconsistent since the beginning of time, but she doesn't deserve to be made fun of for her appearance and receive death threats over a dancing show, like, go touch grass, it's not that deep. But the secret lives of Mormon Wives aired, and um, a lot of people think that that's some of what Whitney said contributed to her lack of votes. I disagree. I think some people probably saw that and was like, mm-hmm. But I think it was she's been getting hate every week, and I think some of the people that were hating on her used that as oh, this is what she said on this show, like for that whole it really talks about like groupthink mob mentality. But yeah, I I'm gonna say it right now. I think maybe some people were impacted by what she said, but not enough people watched that, even though it's a huge reality show. I don't think not enough people watch that to be that impacted. And really, she came out looking pretty good at the end of the season. So I think that people use that as just their orchestrated campaign to get her off. It's one particular fan base that seems that seemed to be doing it the most, and that is Alex Earl's fans. Alex is a great dancer. I voted for Alex quite a few times this season, but I'm gonna call out some, like, and I'm saying all the fan bases, even the Whitney fans, probably even maybe the Elaine and Georgia fans, there's always bad apples in every bunch, but the majority of that smear campaign that was targeted to get Whitney off the show came from that fan base and do better people. And a lot of them have never watched the show before. They viewed Whitney as a threat and just with they like, oh, we have to get the mean girl off the show. And I'm like, so you basically know you you were the mean girls. When I don't love Dylan Efron, but I don't make TikToks making fun of him. I don't comment hateful things, I don't have him, you know, actually romantic, living rent-free in my head. I mean, shoot, I was extremely excited that Zach Efron finally showed up. Did it take Prince William, the future King of England, to make an appearance on Dancing with the Stars previously to get Zach to come? Maybe. Do I think that it was true? Do I think Dylan's a lot smarter than all of us think? And that he was like, you know what, I'm gonna pull out my brother. You can come for the semi- I mean, I and I have to applaud that because that got more eyes. Zach Efron tweet like was like, hey, vote for my brother. Well played. You gotta do what you gotta do because it's never been about the best dancer winning. So I've seen people say that that are so basically, if you haven't figured it out, Whitney got sent home. And I pre- I said I could see this happening based on what I'm seeing on TikTok. It doesn't mean that I wasn't furious about it. And guys, all she said on Secret Lives of Mormon Wives was she had left the mom talk thing because it it is toxic. Like may a friendship like that never find me. And she was basically like, Yeah, I'll come back and film and do the show for Dancing with the Stars because they offered it to her. Uh, same girl, same. And why is it that when a woman is ambitious and goes after what she wants, everybody thinks that's a bad thing? Ask yourself that. Really ridiculous. Also, for every woman who's ever been told like they're too much. Some people are like, Oh, she's just too much. I just don't like her. I take that personally because I have been told I'm too much, and you know what? So what? Like, so like I I feel like for so many years that I would try to tone down my personality and why. I am who I am, you either like me or don't, whatever. And I just Whitney was a great dancer, she was the best dancer on the show. Do you this season? Do you agree?
SPEAKER_01:Uh yes, I think she's up there. She was up there for sure, but yeah, she was in the one or two, three people who could be the best dancer.
SPEAKER_00:I think she was the best dancer for sure. And it's just it's and the thing is, we even those of us that like to watch good dancing, I know I predicted her as my early winner, but I still ultimately thought Robert was gonna win. I was just trying to change it up from the obvious choice, which turned out to be more obvious. I thought maybe I was like, maybe we'll have a Charlie situation on our hands where people, because everybody that year like got really into like Charlie and Mark were putting out these great dances, and no one seemed to care about the experience, and people were like, Oh, we really want to see Charlie D'Amelia win. Now I don't think that cast was quite as stacked, but I thought, well, maybe, you know, maybe Whitney could pull it off. She could, you know, because it's gonna be so good. I didn't realize that everybody would be like seeing her as a threat. Right. Um, so basically what people did was they did and people have done this before, it's nothing new, but where you vote for everybody but that person, that's part of the reason why Andy did there are people that truly voted for Andy because they liked him, but that is one of the reasons why Andy stayed so long. You realize that, right? Because people were doing that tactic to try to get Whitney off the show. So it's not as voting for your favor. It's it's it was like a literal targeted campaign. And then after everybody's making TikTok's like, yay, we got her off the show. And the thing is, Whitney was never gonna win. She wasn't. It's I would be I would be really surprised if ro like I would be shocked. I think that he's got the judges would have to give him bad scores for Robert Knox.
SPEAKER_01:Let's wrap around to tonight's episode tonight's episode. Robert's winning, right?
SPEAKER_00:Absolutely. Like, do I think that maybe Alex, who is the best dancer left, Alex Earl is the best dancer left on the show. Do I think she's winning? No. Do I think maybe a little bit more of a chance than I thought, based off some of her army of fans, but they're mostly on TikTok and Instagram. Reddit still seems to be the same place. It's funny because I used to argue with people on Reddit, but then like we've all been like, what is up with all these new fans that are just so toxic? We we would argue with, like, oh, I like this stance better. Oh, I disagree with that score. We weren't like arguing about how someone's just a terrible person and they deserve to not have any happiness and joy life.
SPEAKER_01:And I think you already mentioned it earlier. And I think that's why I'm so upset about it. The new people, the new, the people that are new to the showgrass. Those people, there's an un there's a very large silent majority of voters out there. That aren't chronically online. Yeah. The the Facebook wine moms.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:They're voting for Robert. Oh, absolutely. Overwhelmingly. They're gonna be maybe Dylan will get some of their attention too, but mostly they're gonna be voting for Robert. I think Robert has this handle. I still do. Unless he just bombs his dances and the gets bad scores.
SPEAKER_00:And like I'm talking like bad scores. Like Joey last year got Carrie Ann, remember she gave him a nine, she didn't get a perfect score on his freestyle. Um, and he still won.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:I think that, but I just because we're saying too, because I've seen some Robert fans are getting a little sensitive about this, just because we say it's Roberts to lose doesn't mean we don't think he deserves it. I think he is an entertaining dancer. I really would am excited to see Whitney Carson get her second mirror ball. So that's not taking away from and they were like, he's worked hard. Well, everybody, Dylan Efron, everybody has worked hard up to this point. Everybody that's on that show works hard. Um, so nothing saying that is not negative on Robert. I want that to be understood. I will be if it if it was like a different anybody with a different personality, maybe that was like the win was locked, and you know, I might have been more salty about it, be like, uh, like it's locked in, like how boring is this? But because he's such a good guy, I think it'll be fun. I think for me, just seeing Whitney get voted off and after all the crap that it it felt like the bullies won. That's what it felt like to me. It felt like the mean girl mentality, and I'm not saying again that Alex is mean, I think she's fine, uh, but just and it's it probably wasn't all her fans, but a lot of them was her fan base. It just it felt like the bullying mentality won. And I feel like for me as somebody who's really liked to see Alex dance, like her Maleficent dance has been one of my favorites. I'm having a real hard time separating it right now because it made me that that upset. You know what I mean? Because now some of that same fandom, they've been coming after Robert, saying that he uses now this is a crit saying that he uses the sympathy vote for his dad or whatever. And I feel like the show's always asking him about his dad. So, like, what is he supposed to do? Steve Irwin was, especially if you're like a millennial and like and like he was huge. Like we all grew up watching him.
SPEAKER_01:Like, so that fan base is about to get a healthy dose of reality when they try because they now they think, oh, we got rid of Whitney, now we can turn our sights on Robert, because they've you've told me they've been very irritated when people say, Well, Robert's gonna win. Oh, they get really bad. What do you mean? No, Robert's gonna win, period. They're like, When? There's nothing they can do to change it.
SPEAKER_00:The person I have voted for every single week, and I've made you vote for as Elaine, so I am team Elaine ultimately, but I liked seeing I like I like to watch the show for good dancing. And I think that Whitney deserved to be in there over Dylan, but Dylan got the votes, pulled out Zach Efron. That's the way the cookie crumbles. My beef isn't that oh, the person I liked a lot got voted off. It was just, it's just the way it all went down is just icky to me, and it's really made me less excited to watch tonight. But I'm still gonna watch as usual, and they're doing like three, they have to do three different dances tonight because it is a three-hour finale. Is that really necessary?
SPEAKER_01:That's that sucks.
SPEAKER_00:I think I think this is the way I think the order's gonna be. I think Robert, Alex, and then I think Dylan's gonna get third, and then Jordan Elaine, I think, are is a toss-up. I know a lot of Whitney people are going are giving their votes to Jordan and Elaine based on off of what I've seen on social media. But it's just do better, guys. And I hope if these new fans stick around, they can and maybe I need to touch grass too, because I let it affect my mood for like three days.
SPEAKER_01:I think you should, yes.
SPEAKER_00:It really, really bothered me. It's just because Dancing with the Stars is like my escape. It's my fun show. And to see that toxicness in my fun show, it was upsetting to me. And they've robbed me of a Mark Ballast freestyle. And if Mark Ballast doesn't come back as a pro, shame on you guys. Do better and stop knocking an ambitious woman. It's stop it. Stop it.
SPEAKER_01:All right, everybody. Well, that just about wraps it up for this week. Um, a couple notes here. If you're wondering about the special forces finale, uh, we haven't watched that yet. We're gonna get to it here soon. Um, so we will be talking about that next week. Uh, you also started a new show on Netflix. Uh not on Netflix. Oh, it's oh, it's on Hulu, sorry.
SPEAKER_00:Hulu. A viewer actually recommended this to us probably over a year ago. A couple viewers, and I finally got around to it. Tell me Lies. Um, I think the season three is dropping in January. Lord knows I've had enough TikTok recommendations for this. I'm shocked too, you guys, that it's taken me this long to start because I did not want to stop watching it last night. Some diabolical characters, but I will talk all about Tell Me Lies when I finish the first two seasons before we go into season three. Don't you worry.
SPEAKER_01:Yep. Um, of course, as all of you know, the big 800-pound gorilla of television, Stranger Things season five, drops this week. Or at least the first parts of it. Drops tomorrow at 8 p.m. Uh so we will be watching uh that and trying to get through everything they put out, and next week's episode we will talk probably mostly about that. And then for the rest of that, the the because they I drop an episode then what on Christmas and New Year's?
SPEAKER_00:Then they have the rest of the half on Christmas, and then the finale episode will be on New Year's.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, so we'll hit that in January, and a lot of the other shows that are starting gonna start dropping here in December. Emily and Paris, Fallout, a lot of that stuff.
SPEAKER_00:Percy Jackson.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, we we can't make any guarantees we're gonna get to that stuff, so probably those are all gonna be January conversations because we are, you know, click quickly approaching December and the end of the year, and it's here before we know it. So um, with that said, it is Thanksgiving, and you had one item on the schedule here to talk about. Two, actually, but we'll do the friends thing first. So what's what what what are we doing with friends?
SPEAKER_00:Like as in the TV show.
SPEAKER_01:The TV show, yes, not our personal friends.
SPEAKER_00:Well, friends, we um are known for their iconic Thanksgiving episodes. Would you be able to rank them like your favorite?
SPEAKER_01:I couldn't.
SPEAKER_00:Pick, give me your best three, at least then, of the Friends Thanksgiving episodes.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, I so I know this first one is controversial. Uh the one that when they're all late, I really enjoy for some reason. Season 10. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:The floating fist.
SPEAKER_01:Not one that people like or point to, but I really are in there.
SPEAKER_00:Throw something on Alicia May.
SPEAKER_01:I just think that one's funny for some reason.
SPEAKER_00:You won an adult Thanksgiving Day spelling bee. Yes, yes.
SPEAKER_01:Um these are in no particular order, by the way. Oh, they're not in particular order. Um also, so the Brad Pitt one.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, iconic. It is great. Season eights. The one with the rumor.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, the one with the rumor. And then I think um, what was the one where Twitter got?
SPEAKER_00:That is my favorite one. That is season six.
SPEAKER_01:That is that is also that's my top three for sure.
SPEAKER_00:Season six is my favorite because you get the trifle, you get um the one with Roth's heal. I was all high and stuff. And well, Hurricane Gloria didn't it break the porch swing monik again. And there's just so many liners from that. You know, walks in while you're changing and they want to introduce Thanksgiving to the hot girls. Um, so many different funny bits from that one.
SPEAKER_01:I mean, the one with the football is very good as well.
SPEAKER_00:But I love the one with the football from season three. I think season five, the one with all the Thanksgiving.
SPEAKER_01:Joey, where did French people come from?
SPEAKER_00:Nice try. The one um season five, the one with all the Thanksgivings, is one of the best ones. That's right. In my opinion. It's the boy who hates Thanksgiving. Um I agree with you. The season I I think the season 10 one's good. I still I like this, I like them all. It's so hard because season nine with Rachel's other sister with Amy. Yeah, that's a good one. It's like wouldn't it be great if you guys died? And Ross is like, thank you, Amy. And then the that's also a crazy plate lady. And then Chandler breaks all the plates at the end. Season eight, the one I agree with you with Brad Pitt. I'm thinking about joining, and I hate Turkey Club, but with Rachel and the rumor and Ross with the having set most of her life for oil paintings. It's like the eyes did still sparkle. There's so many good ones. Um yeah, I it's so hard to pick, but I I'm thinking for me, season six, the new girl has some really good Thanksgiving episodes that we always like to watch. I like the one where they go camping.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, and they eat the fish.
SPEAKER_00:And then whatever one where Schmidt and his cousin, I think it's one of the later ones, they have like the Schmidt off and they like they to see who's the best Schmidt.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, that wasn't Banksgiving, right?
SPEAKER_00:That's not Banksgiving. That's another one. And then, of course, Fraser has one pretty good Thanksgiving episode with Marboy Academy is our first choice. I always like a good one. Fraser Lilith mess around. What is the best one? Well, guess High Holidays is the best. High holidays is Christmas. That's right. Fridge pants.
SPEAKER_02:Okay. All right.
SPEAKER_00:And the middle has some really good Thanksgiving episodes, too. So many good ones from the middle. But I think my favorite is where they end up like broken down on the side of the road, so they all just start eating. That one's good. And then also where the Donahues are like storing their food at Frankie's house. I don't know why they why do these people keep trusting the hex? And then because I've done that before, where you do like the corner method, you eat a little bit, then you tuck it back down to make it, and but they end up like eating all their food.
SPEAKER_01:So well, my new favorite Thanksgiving tradition, if anybody's knows, my birthday usually falls somewhere around Thanksgiving, either before or after a few days, sometimes on.
SPEAKER_00:This year it's on Black Friday.
SPEAKER_01:My newest Thanksgiving Thanksgiving tradition is watching a good old-fashioned Star Trek on Thanksgiving. And so everybody just look forward, in addition to Stranger Things next week. Hope will be able to give you her full thoughts on Star Trek 4, The Voyage Home.
SPEAKER_00:And it's got the lady from Seventh Heaven, right? Yes. That plays the mom.
SPEAKER_01:Yes. And it's it's it's And there's whales, apparently. It is considered so most in the fandom consider Rathicon. It's a conversation between Rathicon, Voyage Home, and then there's a few weirdos like me that throw the undiscovered country in there as well. So I'll be interested.
SPEAKER_00:What one was Spock dead half the movie in?
SPEAKER_01:The Search for Spock, the third one. That's the last one we watched.
unknown:Okay.
SPEAKER_00:I don't know.
SPEAKER_01:I'll give you, listen, I'm gonna give you the whole before we start the movie on Friday, I'll give you the whole previously on so you can catch up.
SPEAKER_00:I don't think which one did I like better of the two of them?
SPEAKER_01:You liked Rathicon better than Search for Spock so far.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, there's a thirst trap on Rath of the United States.
SPEAKER_01:That's that's not what I didn't see that one coming, but uh so. Anyways, look forward to all of that and more next week. So thank you all for tuning in. Happy Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving.
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