The Last of Us: "Long, Long Time"

Katie and Doug from Novel Gaming bring their queer and gaming chops to this unexpected gay love story, which turns minor video game characters into protagonists of their own decades-spanning epic. We dig into all the context and discourse around this episode, Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett's performances, and why an episode criticized as "filler" actually establishes the thesis statement of the show and is arguably the most important episode of the season.

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Novel Gaming Podcast: http://bit.ly/40BhmGn | Novel Gaming YouTube: ⁠@NovelGamingPodcast⁠ | Novel Gaming Twitter: ⁠⁠@NovelGamingPod⁠⁠ | Doug on Twitter: ⁠@ickybooley

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Contact Gimmicks: Email: [email protected] | Twitter: ⁠@gimmickspod⁠ | Instagram: ⁠@gimmickspod⁠ | Derek on Twitter: ⁠@DerekBGayle⁠

Theme song:⁠ "Disco Tears" by Raven⁠ | ⁠Creative Commons Attribution 3.0⁠

Episode Sources: The Last of Us Wiki | Nerdist

The Simpsons: "22 Short Films About Springfield"

Tommy Proffitt of Distant Echoes returns for a classic Simpsons episode packed with short vignettes about two dozen secondary Springfieldian characters... including Pulp Fiction parodies and the origin of the now legendary "Steamed Hams" segment. 

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Theme song: "Disco Tears" by Raven | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

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Arrested Development: "S.O.B.s"

Writer and podcaster Joel Arnold joins for an episode that throws out every hacky ratings gimmick imaginable -- from celebrity cameos to 3D to live segments -- all while playfully parodying fan campaigns and grappling with the show's uncertain future.

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Theme song: "Swift Electric" by Cyberbear | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

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Dead End: Paranormal Park: "Phantom of the Theme Park"

Doug Fink joins for one of the best television musicals in years! The very queer animated adaptation of Hamish Steele's DeadEndia comics presents its penultimate episode as an inspired rock opera, with music by Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump and influences from Little Shop of Horrors, Phantom of the Opera, and renaissance Disney.

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Theme song: "Swift Electric" by Cyberbear | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

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We talked a whole bunch more about Supernatural than what you hear in the final cut of our "Changing Channels" episode, and that extra content is here for the Supernatural and Gimmicks die-hards! We talk more about shipping Gabriel and Sam, pre- and post-season 5 stories, Ruby, Bela, and Bobby, and more. Plus, a surprise Pixar conversation?!

Supernatural: "Changing Channels"  

Merrilee O'Neil returns for this hilarious reality-bending jaunt through parodies of Grey's Anatomy, CSI, Knight Rider, Miller-Boyett sitcoms, and more -- all while still playing deeply into Supernatural's dark apocalyptic storyline. 

Look out for Merrilee's upcoming Criminal Minds podcast, Overkill! Give it an early follow on Twitter: @OverkillPod

Find Merrilee on Twitter: @papillonvoleur

Contact Gimmicks: Email: [email protected] | Twitter: @gimmickspod | Instagram: @gimmickspod | Derek on Twitter: @DerekBGayle

Theme song: "Swift Electric" by Cyberbear | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

Closing song: "Knight Rider Theme (Remix)" by STEALTH

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Boy Meets World: "And Then There Was Shawn"

Will Ackerman (of Earth-2.net: The Show) joins for one of the most famous episodes of this TGIF classic, which goes full 90s horror and affectionately parodies slashers like Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer, complete with a Jennifer Love Hewitt appearance.

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Theme song: "Swift Electric" by Cyberbear | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

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Roseanne: "An Officer and a Gentleman"  

Nearly 30 years before Roseanne Barr was notoriously removed from her own sitcom, an early episode posited that question: could the show Roseanne exist without its titular star? Kevin from May the Power Protect You Podcast joins for this prescient episode that puts Laurie Metcalf and John Goodman in the spotlight.

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Theme song: "Swift Electric" by Cyberbear | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

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Star Wars: The Clone Wars: "The Box"

Tommy and Cassie Proffitt of Distant Echoes join to talk about this unexpected homage to the horror film Cube, where an undercover Obi-Wan and a ragtag group of bounty hunters try to survive and escape the deadly traps of a giant space box.

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Theme song: "Swift Electric" by Cyberbear | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

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Star Trek: Voyager: "Fair Haven" and "Spirit Folk"

Eric Berry (of Starfleet Escape Podcast and Ranger Command Power Hour) joins to talk about two holodeck episodes that pay homage to romance novels and fae folklore thanks to a holographic Irish village, complete with a philosophical examination of having a hologram boyfriend. 

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