On the last episode, where our MCU panel talked about Iron Man 3, Michael mentioned that he and William Bruce West had a conversation about the same movie for Michael's former Christmas movie podcast. Even though they did talk about how Iron Man 3 works in some Christmas themes, most of the conversation was about the movie in general. So for that reason, and  because William Bruce West is awesome, we thought you might enjoy hearing that discussion.

The AfterLunch MCU Panel - Lizzie, Pax, Rob, and Michael - reconvene to talk about the final film in Marvel's Iron Man trilogy: how it builds on themes from the previous films and whether or not it flows well into what came later. And of course, there are its controversial villains, kid sidekick, and whether or not that ending works super well.

Michael's back with another short, solo episode, this time about the second James Bond novel, Live and Let Die. Listen to how it differs from the film while also influencing other Bond movies like License to Kill and For Your Eyes Only. 

We hope you haven't finished eating all your Halloween candy yet, because Michael and Rob are joined by Joanna from Bloody Popcorn and new guest Ron Ankeny to determine once and for all, Sweet 16 bracket-style, what the ultimate Halloween treat is. Whether it's what you pass out to trick-or-treaters or what you serve at your Halloween party, it's the season for sweets. And you bet there's some discussion of other Halloween traditions along the way.

After a brief intermission, the AfterLunch Loungers finish their wandering conversation with thoughts on horror movies, DC superhero shows, acting better than you feel, and relationships with technology.

We're trying something different with the latest After Dinner Lounge conversation. Rather than drop another 3+ hour conversation on you, we're splitting it into two, smaller chunks. In this part, Michael, Rob, Evan, and Pax talk about what they've been listening to and reading, with the conversation meandering into Dracula comics, film canon, murderbots, and Nerd Lunch's lost Brenda Starr episode.

David asks Erik, Michael, and Dave to find the hidden connection between Fargo, Jingle All the Way, and Pokémon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back. If you haven't seen one or more of the movies, feel free to skip to the discussions of your choice:

00:01:24 - Review of Fargo (1996) 00:13:03 - Review of Jingle All the Way (1996) 00:32:09 - Review of Pokémon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back (1998) 00:51:05 - Guessing the Connection

Michael goes solo this episode to talk about the first James Bond novel, Casino Royale. 

Michael, Rob, Evan, and Pax gather in the library for another rambling discussion about what they've been listening to, reading, watching, and thinking about, including breakfast cereals, megamixes, musical theatre, and bad office jargon.

Michael and Rob welcome back Chad Young and Jeff Somogyi for another few rounds of throwing improbable contestants into battles and arguing about who would emerge victorious. If our panel can stay on topic, that is.