The Incomparable Superfeed

KNEW THIS WAS ONE WAY TICKET BUT YOU KNOW I HAD TO COME At long last, it’s the episode Jason has waited 13 years to schedule. Up from the depths of the ocean comes a long-awaited 4K transfer! It’s time for all of you to join us in watching one of the great (and underrated) adventure films of all time, and perhaps James Cameron’s best film: “The Abyss.” We watched the Special Edition of the film, and discuss the ways in which it’s superior to the original cut, and the ways it isn’t. - Jason Snell with Todd Vaziri, John Siracusa, Annette Wierstra and Erika Ensign.

In this week’s episode Brian briefly forgets the entire concept of the written word and how TV works. We forge ahead, undaunted by any single hosts unhinged intro, and cover Newsroom S3E2, called “Run.” We meet a few new characters and see familiar faces while the network is faces a takeover, Maggie scores a new lead, and Neal is definitely in trouble. Which we mostly don’t care about. - Lex Friedman and Brian Warren.

Our Director Annette Wierstra interviews playwright and writer Reina Hardy in advance of the release of her Hallmark movie Paging Mr. Darcy. They discuss Jane Austen, conferences, Regency dancing, and casting Austen heroes. They also dive into how one gets into writing a Hallmark movie, the logistics of writing a screenplay, and the experience of having your script come to life. - Annette Wierstra with Reina Hardy.

Though his mind is not for rent, it still is the subject of this episode. Jacob Haller discusses Mark Twain’s Tom Sawyer (1876). - John McCoy with Jacob Haller.

On this episode of the Game Show, we play You Think You Know Me, a card game by Amy Baio that has panelists figure out other people feel about things like romantic movies, second changes, villains, and time itself! Get your own copy of Amy’s game at Pink Tiger Games. - Glenn Fleishman with Annette Wierstra, Brian Hamilton, Cicero Holmes and Tony Sindelar.

The spelunking continues as our party confronts both menacing meenlocks and muddy morasses of morality. - Tony Sindelar with Dan Moren, Jason Snell, Kathy Campbell, Mikah Sargent and Tiff Arment.

We’re off to Oklahoma to catch up with a stand out character from the Hawkeye show — Maya Lopez A.K.A. Echo. Taking refuge from the Fisk organization after having shot Kingpin in the face we find Maya returning to her roots, those she left behind after a tragic childhood accident, and coming to terms with her heritage and who she is. - Dan Moren, John Moltz and Guy English.

It’s the premiere of the final (short) season of The Newsroom, and Brian and Lex are watching. Sadly, the Genoa storyline is STILL sticking around — this time affecting the team’s reporting on the Boston Marathon bombing. Plus Neal gets a Genoa of his own. (Where by “Genoa,” we mean, “storyline we wish would go away.”) With all that said, you might think this is a lousy episode, but we actually… like it? And this episode just might bode well for the final season of the TV show! - Lex Friedman and Brian Warren.

We reconvene Miyazaki Club to discuss the master animator’s latest final movie, “The Boy and the Heron.” We went in wondering, will this be lyrical and nostalgic magical realism, or will it be a barrage of super-weird fantastical imagery? The voluminous bird poop and the suit of frogs point the way. - Jason Snell with John Siracusa, Steve Lutz and Moisés Chiullán.

We’re back to close out our coverage of the second season of What If. There’s some real highpoints in this back half of the season and a whole lot of fun to be had. So strap in to your Hydra-Stomper and prepare yourself to visit strange new worlds. - Dan Moren, John Moltz and Guy English.