Down To Watch

This week on Down to Watch, two unique takes on a life of crime in Dope Thief and Deli Boys! Dan and Raul watched the first few eps of these new streaming shows to contrast the lives of the title characters and their extrajudicial activities. The eponymous Thief has had a hard road, is finding himself in a dire situation, and by robbing the Dope dealers for money has chosen a dangerous solution. The Boys of the titular Deli meanwhile have lived privileged lives while unaware of their convenience store magnate father's crime-lord aspirations. When the patriarch departs his mortal coil, these two dopes need to keep up with their savvy aunt's tutelage to stay out of jail and in the lap of luxury. No need for legal or criminal puns about watching these shows, just listen to this pod!

This week, Down to Watch has got that Night Fever and the only cure is a Disco Inferno! Dan and Raul finally saw Saturday Night Fever, the film that reinvigorated the Bee Gees careers and launched John Travolta as a movie star, but how could they know it was gonna be a gripping social issues indie film? The driving soundtrack and magnetic lead performance buoy what might otherwise be an overdramatic morality tale, but did SNF dance it's way into the history books legitimately? You should be listenin', yeah!

Turns out this year is gonna have a March as usual, so Down to Watch is  sneaking a peek at the upcoming TV treats! Early in the month, Dan's gotta catch the Oscars and Raul's happy to see the Daredevil series get Born Again. Later, there's comedy in crime family bodegas and Seth Rogen's studio dealings. On the serious side, real cops deal with missing and invisible victims on the streets while fake cops shake down drug dealers despite the bad vibes those kind of hijinks might attract. There's a look back at the elimination of Bin Laden, a look forward to Mulaney taking a crack at live TV, and more! March right over and have a listen!

This week on DtW, the MCU flies too close to the emerging Celestial we never talk about! Dan and Raul ventured into theaters this week to catch the next installment of "Has the MCU gotten itself together yet" and the answer is a resounding: Soon, We Promise. Captain America: Brave New World seems to smash together so many ideas that none of them get the attention they deserve, as this seems to be equal parts Hulk movie, continuation of the Falcon TV show, table setting for the future of the MCU, and tying tons of loose ends while disregarding aspects of the previous installments that didn't work out. Does the stellar acting and action make it worthwhile to catch on the big screen or is Disney hoping you shell out theater money for a lesser outing? Listen up and get smart, like The Leader or whoever the villain of this film is!

The Down to Watch crew dives into the complicated world of David Lynch this week with Blue Velvet! Dan and Raul take a trip through the mind-bending works of one of their favorite filmmakers, spending a little more time on the MacLachlan - Dern - Hopper starring psychosexual mystery thriller that places corny young love in the center of an underworld of drugs, sex, danger, and abuse. Lynch finds his two top muses in the two leads of this cult classic about creeps and killers that operate just under the surface of normal suburban life and puts them through a complicated hell constructed by the maniacal Frank Booth. Dennis Hopper brings to life a legendary villain who functions more like a force of nature than an actual antagonist, existing as deep drug-filled breaths of anger and tears often followed by uncomfortable exclamations and vicious violence. As a shining spot in a fantastic career, Velvet is worth a watch in the modern era, and DtW is happy to spotlight all of Lynch's career in a retrospective episode. Diane, make a note!

Down to Watch rides West this week with a couple of episodes of American Primeval! Dan and Raul watched the first two eps of the Netflix series set in the Manifest Destiny days of America, as a woman and her son race between camps and forts in an attempt to catch up to the family's patriarch (or is he?). After their last shot at a guide out of Fort Bridger, a mountain man raised by natives who turns them down (or does he?), Sara puts her "faith" in some Mormon settlers heading to their Utah settlement. That plan goes South rather than West when a group of natives (or are they?) absolutely massacre the travel party. The mysterious mountain man saves the pair of travelers but a bunch of plots are launched as various groups seek fortune, lost family, and freedom in the Wild West. Does this new look into American expansion amaze and entertain? Your intrepid pod hosts know the answer (or do they?)!

It's the shortest month of the year but Down to Watch found plenty of TV treats to get you through Feb! Dan showed up to the pod with true stories and returning favorites while Raul shipped in a mix of new and off-the-beaten-path picks. We've got docs about taking down black hawks, bad brotherhoods and family burdens. Returning to screens, there's Reacher, some more White Lotus, Cobra Kai ends it's run and SNL celebrates on a "Super" Sunday. Intensity seems to be the key for Prison Cell 211, but also maybe boxers and lady thieves from jolly old-timey England get wild, and the robot named Cassandra is probably bad news. Plenty more than that is waiting for you on the pod and throughout the next month, so check it out! 

This week, DtW watched the next entry into the live-action Dune adaptation with Dune: Prophecy! HBO heard about another prince that was promised and decided they wanted to tell the tale of how the search started in this six episode series. Dan and Raul checked out the first two eps and dip into the greater universe lore as they discuss the story of palace intrigue and military posturing in the new show. Does the fresh look into the distant past of the films pierce their critical holo-shields and hook them into an ensemble epic in the vein of the big Max dramas? Whatever you do, don't ask the thinking machines!

This week on Down to Watch, it's a kickback to the 80s with The Karate Kid! Dan and Raul returned to the source material for the hit series Cobra Kai and the 2010 Jackie Chan remake to see if Daniel-san's tutelage under handyman Mr. Miyagi still holds up after all these years. Iconic lines and enduring images fill this classic coming-of-age story of beating back the bullies with bravery and determination, and performances from established actors and one-hit wonders manage to keep this high-kicking classic from growing stale. Come for the hand-to-hand heroics and blossoming romance and you might find a surprising amount of heart and humor. At the very least, you might get some chores done!

New year, new shows, and Down to Watch is back at it again in 2025! Dan and Raul brush confetti out of their hair and put away their Santa hats to welcome a brisk January on television. Early in the month, we see a number of doc series about living forever or making a killing on the air with Jerry Springer as well as a doc spoof with returning historian Philomena Cunk. Mid-month we're catching up with the split personality cast of Severance and redefining what good cop/bad cop means, alongside a Western that isn't made by Taylor Sheridan and a Japanese drama that might get messy but sure looks cool. Rounding out the month with big dramas around the President's security, a grounded Cold War Soviet sub, and whatever Prime Target might end up being a great start to the year. Listen up and decide for yourself!