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Remember that feeling you got the first time you watched Dead Poets Society? What about the first time you watched National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation? Now imagine having both of those experiences at the same time. The Holdovers rides an impossibly fine line, to become the most honest and moving comedy drama of the year. In this discussion we're taking a closer look at the style of humor that makes this film so special, and the immaculate sense of setting that it creates.

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Discussion of Season of Storms, Ch. 16-Epilogue

The final Witcher book goes out with a bang – and by bang, we mean avalanche of echoes, questions, and titanic ideas. Is Season of Storms as a whole an epilogue to the series? Is destiny a metaphysical conspiracy or a matter of individual human nature? Why is Sapkowski dropping loads of early Tolkien references? And most importantly, what does that epilogue really mean? Dreams, illusions, resurrections, legends – we cover all this and more in this beefcake finale.

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Discussion of Season of Storms, Ch. 9-15

We've followed the witcher through short stories and novels, but this final book in the series really feels more like a play. In this middle section of Season of Storms, we're overwhelmed by echoes that double as callbacks and new moments of insight into Geralt's character. Sapkowski gives us the new final form of his femme fatale, and swaps his journalist press badge for a degree in comp lit. Mountains of subtext, sexual tension, and scheming wizards await.

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Sofia Coppola's Priscilla is a period piece biopic. David Fincher's The Killer is a stylish revenge thriller. But if you look under the hood, these films are playing with exactly the same uncomfortable idea: the shockingly dystopian and dispossessed state of modern America.

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The latest sprawling adventure from Bethesda has reawakened an old feud. Since the days of Fallout 3 back in 2008(!), Cam has been trying his damnedest to fall in love with one of Bethesda's worlds. On that front, Starfield is a mixed bag. On all fronts, Starfield is a mixed bag. Join Cam and Maggie for a massively conflicted journey through the galaxy. Topics include: exploration, loading screens, art direction, uncanny faces, procedural generation, story pacing, inventory space, combat improvements, combat shortcomings, skill upgrades, quality of life issues, and open world pitfalls.

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Discussion of Season of Storms, Ch. 1-8

Something has ended. Something is beginning. This final Witcher book is a prequel and a sequel. You could even call it a side-qual – though we would prefer you don't. Regardless, Sapkowski is back in top form with new structural experiments, echoes of destiny, Dandelion drama, and monsters we've never heard of. But there are new wrinkles too: a seductive sorceress whose revolutionary magical practice threatens to destabilize a whole kingdom, the truth about Geralt's missing witcher swords, and the looming question that hangs over the whole book – is this side story necessary?

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The day has finally arrived. 160 episodes and many months later, we've completed the glorious, hysterical, convoluted death march that is 7 seasons of ABC Family's Pretty Little Liars. This is the ultimate couples' show, probably the funniest thing we've ever watched, and a genuinely fantastic, fun, and addictive work of art. Join us for a walk down memory lane, remembering The Girls' greatest adventures, disasters, and detours. Get in loser, we're going to Rosewood. - A

Watch the Mike's Mic video that started it all right here

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Discussion of The Lady of the Lake, Chapter 12

Here it is: the final chapter of The Witcher saga. Yes we're sad, yes we're emotional, but we're also thrilled. This ending is perfect, poignant, surprising, devastating, and revealing. We get our final word on some of our long-standing philosophical grindstones, like the problem of evil, destiny, and non-intervention. Cam's got a theory about the pointed flashbacks in these last few chapters and their importance for Sapkowski's notion of heroism. Maggie explores the cyclical nature of time and the empowering humility of prophecy.

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Discussion of The Lady of the Lake, Chapter 11

'The Scouring of the Shire' hangs over this chapter like Eeyore's black raincloud. Sapkowski's poignant, hollow homecoming hit us just as hard as Tolkien's did, but we think there's a different point being made here. So much has changed, and so many characters are now reverting to the way they used to be, but is any of it sustainable? This is a provocative, deliberately uncomfortable chapter - and we loved it. Maggie spends some time exploring the chapter's preoccupation with silence and Cam digs into the punishing, iron-clad re-emergence of all our old philosophical touchstones. How is this thing gonna end?

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Diablo IV shouldn't even be a live service game, but here we are! Cam played through this first season to see what it was all about, and this episode is an exploration of what he and his burly new Druid found out there in Sanctuary. Lots of promise, lots of problems - a proverbial mixed bag. Topics include: story structure, completion incentives, fun factor, seasonal challenges, lackluster rewards, pricing models, and concerns for the future.

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