Binary System Podcast Archive

This episode originally broadcast on November 16, 2023. The original podcast post is here: https://pixelatedgeek.com/2023/11/binary-system-podcast-385-the-loki-season-2-finale/

The second season of Loki had its highs (that fourth episode good googaly moogaly) and lows (the bonkers pacing, that weird hot chocolate scene) and for a while there we were worried the series might go out with a thud instead of a bang. But in the end they brought together all the threads and gave us something really special: a surprisingly satisfying ending, and a hell of a redemption arc, not just for Loki but for everyone. (Except Renslayer: your mileage may vary when it comes to her.)

Helped along by gorgeous effects, timey-wimey trickery, and Tom Hiddleston’s flawless delivery of technobabble at high speed, the finale was just about everything we wanted. (We’re still a little iffy on some of the cause and effect.) Massive spoiler warnings! Obviously!

This week’s outro is a clip from Softly by Beat Mekanik.

This week’s outtake is brought to you by the fact that Elizabeth’s Zoom was acting up so Kathryn used her free account, which bumped us out after 40 minutes and was a real pill about starting back up.

Looking for a present for that hard-to-shop-for person? Want to buy them (or yourself) a square foot of a castle in Scotland? Look no further! You can support the restoration of Dunan’s castle, legally call yourself Lady or Laird, AND if you use this link to get there, you can support this podcast too! ScottishLaird.co.uk.

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This episode originally broadcast on November 9, 2023. The original podcast post is here: https://pixelatedgeek.com/2023/11/binary-system-podcast-384-wtnv-237-frown-night-and-more-loki/

This week's episode of Welcome to Night Vale features the surprise return of Kevin from Desert Bluffs! AND Lauren, who's sporting a fashionable set of priestess robes and a permanent frown tattoo, courtesy of an angry mob that was at least partly Kevin's fault. The two frenemies spend the episode telling the story of Frown Night, and prove that while Kevin may have had a redemption arc and Lauren may have gotten her comeuppance, Desert Bluffs is still a terrible place to live.

After that, of course, we've got an in-depth recap of season 2 episode 5 of Loki. We're not quite sure about some parts of this season; there seems to be two sets of writers with dueling consequences, Loki takes way too long to get up to speed on everyone's new lives, and really? You're serving bourbon in shot glasses?? But there are some satisfyingly twisty things going on with time, the spaghettification effects are mesermizingly gorgeous, and the season just went full-on meta, so how long until the next episode?

This week's outro is a clip from Curious Satellite by Frau Holle.

Looking for a present for that hard-to-shop-for person? Want to buy them (or yourself) a square foot of a castle in Scotland? Look no further! You can support the restoration of Dunan's castle, legally call yourself Lady or Laird, AND if you use this link to get there, you can support this podcast too! ScottishLaird.co.uk.

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Original broadcast date November 2, 2023. The original podcast post is here: https://pixelatedgeek.com/2023/11/binary-system-podcast-383-loki-season-2-episode-4/

Fall is well and truly here, and all we want to do is curl up with a scary movie or TV show, which is why we were delighted to get an episode like Loki season two, episode four. Never mind our quibbles about the bonkers pacing, clunky dialogue, and stupid hot chocolate; we got a scene (yes that scene) that's so disturbing you just have to laugh because it's FREAKING HORRIBLE, in the best possible way.

After we finish discussing spaghettification and very small boxes (...lordy that still makes us cringe...) we also talk about the Pear Cider and Cigarettes commentary that's available for free on YouTube. If you haven't seen the short animation you may want to skip the last part of the episode, because we do spoil everything, but if you haven't seen the short animation you really, really should because it's available for free as well.

This week's outro is a clip from Bustling Sunrise by Brylie Christopher Oxley.

Looking for a present for that hard-to-shop-for person? Want to buy them (or yourself) a square foot of a castle in Scotland? Look no further! You can support the restoration of Dunan's castle, legally call yourself Lady or Laird, AND if you use this link to get there, you can support this podcast too! ScottishLaird.co.uk.

Original broadcast date October 26, 2023. The original podcast post is here: https://pixelatedgeek.com/2023/10/binary-system-podcast-382-wtnv-236-truck-touchers-and-loki-season-2/

We had to skip another recording last week since somebody failed a saving throw versus a rock (we'll explain later) so we've got a lot of catching up to do. First up this week, Cecil is covering Night Vale's first Truck Toucher contest: 72 hours in, and it's down to the last four contestants, not counting the shadowy figure behind the wheel which may or may not come standard with that model.

After that, to no one's great surprise, we're already caught up with the first half of Loki season two; we may be bad at TV, but this is Tom Hiddleston we're talking about, of COURSE we're caught up. It's an extra long podcast this week as we recap not one, not two, but three episodes of Loki in addition to Night Vale, with slight tangents on spaghettification, unauthorized headstones, and journalism lingo that everyone gets wrong.

This week's outro is a clip from Winds of Tek by TeknoAXE.

Looking for a present for that hard-to-shop-for person? Want to buy them (or yourself) a square foot of a castle in Scotland? Look no further! You can support the restoration of Dunan's castle, legally call yourself Lady or Laird, AND if you use this link to get there, you can support this podcast too! ScottishLaird.co.uk.

For updates, fan art, and other randomness, come follow us on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and Instagram!

Original broadcast date October 5, 2023. The original podcast post is here:

The Binary System Podcast team loves the entire idea of a book club, so this week's episode is a surefire winner. Cecil has started a book club with Tamika Flynn, and their first book is Les Miserables, the original version with time travel and improv comedy troops.

After recapping a bit of an adventure involving a box of rusty switchblades, a radio transmitter and a new sport involving weather balloons, we go on to discuss The Book of Boba Fett (which Elizabeth is finally working her way through) and Andor (which Kathryn is finally starting). Elizabeth also watched the movie Host, so we have a spoileriffic discussion of that. (Seriously folks, GREAT BIG SPOILER WARNING since this movie involves jump scares and you really need to watch the movie first if you want to enjoy the full effect.)

This week's outro is a clip from Runway by Beat Mekanik.

Correction: the reason why we've been so out of touch about what happened at this year's New York Comic Con is because it hasn't happened yet. It's October 12-15. We're really out of touch.

Looking for a present for that hard-to-shop-for person? Want to buy them (or yourself) a square foot of a castle in Scotland? Look no further! You can support the restoration of Dunan's castle, legally call yourself Lady or Laird, AND if you use http://www.scottishlaird.co.uk/#_a_2gk to get there, you can support this podcast too!

For updates, fan art, and other randomness, come follow us on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and Instagram!

Original broadcast date September 28, 2023. The original podcast post is here: https://pixelatedgeek.com/2023/09/binary-system-podcast-380-good-omens-and-mandalorian-finales-plus-2020s-host/

That's right, brace yourselves, this week we're going to recap the Good Omens season 2 finale! Spoiler warning, because we remember all the cool scenes and all of them IN THE COMPLETELY WRONG ORDER. Seriously, we cannot get one thing right in the timeline, but we do know that David Tennant is one lanky dude, Michael Sheen's got the most expressive face in the biz, and Neil Gaiman needs to be flogged for breaking our frigging hearts. Okay fine not flogged but talked to very sternly. (Can someone tell us a season 3 is confirmed so we'll feel better PLEASE?)

After that Kathryn gives a spoiler-free commentary on the Mandalorian season 3 finale (in short: it's absolutely everything she wants in a Star Wars show) and touches briefly on 2020's Host, which gets compared to 2014's Unfriended a lot, maybe unfairly? They're doing very different things and they both do them very well.

(Except Host is definitely scarier.)

This week's outro is a clip from Swing Party by Beat Mekanik.

Elizabeth's review of Saga #66 is here.

You can find the ScreenRant article about the significance of Crow Road in Good Omens here.

Looking for a present for that hard-to-shop-for person? Want to buy them (or yourself) a square foot of a castle in Scotland? Look no further! You can support the restoration of Dunan's castle, legally call yourself Lady or Laird, AND if you use http://www.scottishlaird.co.uk/#_a_2gk to get there, you can support this podcast too!

For updates, fan art, and other randomness, come follow us on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and Instagram!

Original broadcast date September 21, 2023. The original podcast post is here: https://pixelatedgeek.com/2023/09/binary-system-podcast-379-wtnv-234-the-boy/

SURRENDER THE ANGLE!

This week's Night Vale episode is a straightforward story about a boy appearing in town who doesn't seem to remember his name, or the concept of food, or anything earlier than his appearance in Grove Park earlier that day.

The episode had some interesting and fun bits (the advertisement for SPOONS, or the fact that there really does need to be a DNA test for astrological signs) but what we really wanted to talk about was episode five of Good Omens season 2. Yes, it's finally time for the Whickber Street Shopkeepers and Street Traders Association Monthly Meeting. With Aziraphale hosting the meeting for the very first time, it's been turned into a Jane Austin-themed ball, complete with unrehearsed dancing and fancy costumes. It's silly, it's improbable, and it's absolutely delightful.

We also talk briefly about the latest season of The Mandalorian, Saga, and (yet another) rewatch of Arcane, but really, it's all about the Ball and how we're still giggling over the "Seamstress!" scene.

This week's outro is a clip from Vibe the Grind by TeknoAXE.

Looking for a present for that hard-to-shop-for person? Want to buy them (or yourself) a square foot of a castle in Scotland? Look no further! You can support the restoration of Dunan's castle, legally call yourself Lady or Laird, AND if you use http://www.scottishlaird.co.uk/#_a_2gk to get there, you can support this podcast too!

For updates, fan art, and other randomness, come follow us on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and Instagram!

Original broadcast date September 14, 2023. The original podcast post is here: https://pixelatedgeek.com/2023/09/binary-system-podcast-378-good-omens-mandalorian-and-thoughts-on-burning-man/

Once again there's no Lore Olympus this week (heavy SIGH) but wonder of all wonders we took the time to catch up on some things! Current things! Less than a year old and everthing!

First up we're recapping the fourth episode of Good Omens season 2, a story filled with magic, zombie nazis, terrible puns, and a lot of padding. (Good lord that scene in the magic shop went on forever.)

Then Elizabeth briefly touches on the Black Mirror episode "Demon 79, which may actually be her favorite of the whole season (it's either that or "Mazey Day," and Demon 79 is better at punching you in the heart) and then Kathryn discusses episode 6 of the Mandalorian season three, which is also a bit of a placeholder but it has lots of droids and that's always fun.

Finally we finish up by going over everything we know about this year's Burning Man, because we love us a convention/festival disaster story. We're glad everyone got to go home, we're sorry someone died (mostly likely not from Ebola) and we look forward to the eventual documentary. For that and for the "upcoming" Fyre Festival 2, because dear lord people why are you still giving that guy money?

This week's outro is a clip from A Step Closer by Darkfluxx.

Looking for a present for that hard-to-shop-for person? Want to buy them (or yourself) a square foot of a castle in Scotland? Look no further! You can support the restoration of Dunan's castle, legally call yourself Lady or Laird, AND if you use http://www.scottishlaird.co.uk/#_a_2gk to get there, you can support this podcast too!

For updates, fan art, and other randomness, come follow us on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and Instagram!

Rationalization is one of man’s most clever and most dangerous inventions.

Night Vale has a vampire in town. Well, had, anyway.

In this week's episode Cecil talks about Luca and his long, long life. It's a story about mistaking "comfortable" for "happy". It's about being okay with getting older, and learning to love the life we can have if we can just get the courage to leave a toxic person behind.

IN HAPPIER NEWS, the Binary System Podcast team has watched another episode of Good Omens, and The Mandalorian. Elizabeth has also watched an episode of of Black Mirror ("Mazey Day"), which so far has been the best out of a mostly indifferent season.

This week's outro is a clip from Anthem of the Lost by TeknoAXE. (Which, for reasons, is being played at 1.5 speed.)

The Good Omens recap from Vulture that Elizabeth was talking about can be found here.

Looking for a present for that hard-to-shop-for person? Want to buy them (or yourself) a square foot of a castle in Scotland? Look no further! You can support the restoration of Dunan's castle, legally call yourself Lady or Laird, AND if you use http://www.scottishlaird.co.uk/#_a_2gk to get there, you can support this podcast too!

For updates, fan art, and other randomness, come follow us on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and Instagram!

Original broadcast date August 31, 2023. The original podcast post is here: https://pixelatedgeek.com/2023/08/binary-system-podcast-376-good-omens-mandalorian-and-the-guardians-of-the-galaxy-holiday-special/

With no Night Vale or Lore Olympus this week (T-minus 73 days till the next free episode of Lore Olympus YES WE'RE OBSESSED WE'RE NOT SORRY) we actually took the time to catch up on our backlog of nerd content instead of rewatching Arcane and the Try Channel.

(...okay we caught up on nerd content in addition to rewatching Arcane and the Try Channel, what can we say we're obsessed.)

Spoiler warnings ahoy for the second episode of Good Omens Season 2, because we've got to break down all the ways why Jon Hamm is having the best time, why even priests hate the Book of Job, and why Crowley and Aziraphale's dynamic is freaking adorable.

After that Kathryn goes over Mandalorian season three episodes three (masterful world building on Coruscant) and four (aerial jetpack rescue missions eeeeee!) and Elizabeth recaps the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (.......okay it's very silly but sometimes that works.)

This week's outro is a clip from Mirror by CXR ATK.

Correction: The space dog in the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is Cosmo the Spacedog, a long-standing Marvel character, usually male but for this version she's voiced brilliantly by Maria Bakalova. In the MCU she's previously shown up in end-credit and background scenes before the Holiday Special.

You can find Hugh's review of the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special here.

Looking for a present for that hard-to-shop-for person? Want to buy them (or yourself) a square foot of a castle in Scotland? Look no further! You can support the restoration of Dunan's castle, legally call yourself Lady or Laird, AND if you use http://www.scottishlaird.co.uk/#_a_2gk to get there, you can support this podcast too! S

For updates, fan art, and other randomness, come follow us on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and Instagram!