SPOILERIFIC HALLOWEEN EPISODE

It may be Halloween, but HOLY EASTER EGGS, Mandalorian! What a treat. Hosts Brett Ashley McKenzie & Stephen Gawrit return after a long Covid hiatus and welcome back guest and friend of the pod Gee Stryker (of Steeler Nation and Movie Madness) for a no stone left unturned discussion on "The Marshal," Season 2's near-perfect premiere. We go almost minute by minute through the episode to uncover every reference to Return of the Jedi, Attack of the Clones, Clone Wars, Deadwood, Dune, multiple episodes of Mando Season 1, Solo, and more. Whether you're an SWU fanatic with canon embedded in your brain, or simply a Mando fan looking for some clarity, we got you. And of course, we spend a good 10 minutes dissecting THAT cameo reveal at the end. Is there such a thing as an abandoned Sarlacc Pit? Grab your kids candy, poor a cup of tea or something stronger, and buckle up partner. High Tea with Monsters, Rebel Scum, and Vigilantes is back in town.

WE ARE BACK! After a seven+ month hiatus due to CovidLife, we kick off a second season by getting right into the scifi/fantasy shows that have sustained us. Specifically today, we invited G Stryker, host of the SteelerNation podcast (https://www.steelernation.com/steelernation-podcast/) and a fellow "Movie Madness" (https://www.facebook.com/groups/MovieMadnessChallenge) costar of Brett's. Spoiler alert begins for HBOMax's "Raised By Wolves" at 14:35.

High Tea with Monsters, Rebel Scum, and Vigilantes proudly presents: "Star Wars: What Ifs and What the F*cks?" Part 1 of our miniseries is dedicated to one of the weirdest unexplained/underexplained concepts in the Star Wars Universe: midi-chlorians! Are they an ability? A genetic anomaly? A tiny race of sentient mitochondria-like cellular beings speaking to you in your head and accessing the force from within your BODY OMG THAT'S REALLY F*CKIN WEIRD.

Stephen brings his formidable knowledge of Star Wars canon and lore to the table while Brett attempts to process and understand and asks the FAQs and WTFs that have been burning in your brain since The Phantom Menace debuted. Join us for this hilarious, historic and hotly-debated Star Wars topic.

Bracketology for film fanatics? It's a thing!

Brett Ashley speaks to fellow UMBC alum Dustin Fisher, founder of "Movie Madness," a 1500-member, free group on Facebook where you can nominate and vote on your favorite films in a March Madness style bracket for the silver screen and root for your epic triumph or bust.

Dustin and Brett fanguy and fangirl out, first over the jubilant claim-to-fame that all UMBC grads have in common, as the only 16-seed to upset a 1-seed in the NCAA men's basketball tournament, and then over the films they favor in Movie Madness. Dustin tries to win Brett over to finally watching "Wall-E," Brett struggles through mom-brain to recall obscure alien abduction films from the Nineties such as "Fire in the Sky," and we have some fun at the expense of "Goonies" addicts, the dancing in "Remember the Titans," people who only nominate "Jaws," the sad trombone of the Dr. Jones saga: "Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull," and people too old to appreciate "The Sandlot." We also give kudos to another UMBC alum having a big moment this week, R. Eric Thomas, whose book "Here for It" is a chart-topper in its debut this week.

Dustin's book "Daddy Issues" can be found in paperback, e-book, and audiobook format here: https://www.amazon.com/Daddy-Issues-Average-Daughter-Learning/dp/B00KO84G2G

Brett Ashley's seven-year-old Sophie joins the tea table as a guest host to discuss when kids are old enough for "scary" films, Jafar vs. Maleficent, The T-Rex vs. Velociraptors, scary rides, and more. Mother and daughter render each other momentarily speechless with random dinosaur tangents.

TRIGGER WARNING/CONTENT WARNING. Our show is usually relatively friendly for audiences aged 13 and up but parents, please use your judgement with this one. This content may be difficult for survivors of sexual assault. I do not go into any detail in outlining the attacks on the show "Unbelievable," as this is an episode focused on the portrayal of the victims and the investigation.

Additionally, we spend some time at the end discussing reaction to Kobe Bryant's death, the validity of survivors' experiences, but also the lens of racism through which we hold black celebrities and athletes to a different standard of accountability and punishment than we do white athletes and celebrities.

This is a difficult but important conversation. Thank you for listening.

Is Greta Gerwig's adaptation of "Little Women" (gasp) BETTER than the 1994 film? Brett Ashley thinks so. In seven minutes, here's why.

The "Rise of Skywalker" left even those of us who live and breathe Star Wars with more questions than answers. Our resident expert Stephen Gawrit and Brett Ashley sit down to hash out what showrunners left unanswered. Why leave Snap Wexley's important familial role in the Rebellion and Resistance untouched? Why Retcon most of Rose's story? Why cast a talent like Keri Russell and not even show us her whole face? Who the hell are the Knights of Ren? What was Finn so desperate to tell Rey? And how the heck did Palpatine reemerge? Did Ben/Kylo's story really conclude the way we think it did? And could Cara Dune have been somewhere in that armada? Let's get into it.

Part 1 of a 2 part series.

Three. That's the total number of black actors and actresses nominated across ALL categories in the Golden Globes by the Hollywood Foreign Press. Major snubs included "Watchmen," "When They See Us," "Us," "Euphoria," and "Queen + Slim."

At a time when representation, intersectionality, and anti-racism matters MOST, what WAS the HFPA thinking? We try to wrap our minds around it and discuss the handful of people of color who made it past the narrow-minded HFPA to secure well-earned nominations. What are their odds?

Part 1 of a 2 part series.

Three. That's the total number of black actors and actresses nominated across ALL categories in the Golden Globes by the Hollywood Foreign Press. Major snubs included "Watchmen," "When They See Us," "Us," "Euphoria," and "Queen + Slim."

At a time when representation, intersectionality, and anti-racism matters MOST, what WAS the HFPA thinking? We try to wrap our minds around it and discuss the handful of people of color who made it past the narrow-minded HFPA to secure well-earned nominations. What are their odds?