The Pop Break

This week on Good Bye To All That, Michael T. Ford III is joined By Nina Perez of Podcast Fandom to discuss Netflix's global phenomenon, Squid Game, starring Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, and Jung Ho-yeon as cash-strapped individuals who accept a strange invitation to compete in children's games for a tempting prize of 45.6 billion won, but deadly high stakes.

Show Topics discussed include:

- Nina's experience with the series as a "binge" reviewer as she sought to stay ahead of spoilers while covering the show episode by episode.

- Squid Game's impact on social media.

- The show's decision to give players the opportunity to opt out and give audiences an insight into why the players ended up opting back in.

- Jun-ho's undercover investigation in the B plot, and how that allowed us to see the game from the other perspective.

- The role of alliances and betrayal, and how it came to a head in the heartbreaking 6th episode.

- Mi-nyeo's role as the wildcard character, and why she may have been underappreciated by the audience.

- The terrifying Fifth Game and why the VIPs were the worst.

- The enigma that is The Front Man, and the questions raised by his role as former winner.

- Player 1 and his irrational love for tug of war strategy.

- What we'd like to see in the second season of Squid Game.

- Other Korean dramas that viewers who enjoyed Squid Game should check out.

You can follow host Michael T. Ford III on Twitter and check out his Racial Draft Podcast and various MCU review podcasts on the Racial Draft Podcast Network. Also, check out his written review of Marvel's Eternals over on Murphy's Multiverse!

Welcome to another installment of Pop Break TV's Live, Laugh, & Lovey. Lovey and the crew are back with another season of Married at First Sight. This season, the franchise set down its roots in Houston, and we have you covered all season long. This week on the pod, the crew jump have their first live show and discuss all the following highlights and lowlights:

The traditional couples retreat has arrived for the season - and drama did ensue.

Zack and Michaela try to gather their thoughts after she moved out of their apartment in the last episode, but it’s Zack who’s walking away this time. Myrla and Gil enjoy a horse riding excursion together, reminding one of their youth as it was something she loved doing as a kid. Johnny, Bao, Ryan, and Brett, go on a shooting excursion together, but only Bao and Ryan are brave enough to participate. Lastly, Jose and Rachel were just two peas in a pod the whole trip!

Check back next Monday for our continued weekly coverage of the season, and don't forget to follow Lovey on Twitter @iamloveytoo and check out the show on YouTube.

Welcome back to another episode of our podcast all about the ABC reality series The Bachelor and it's many spinoffs.

ThePopBreak.com's Michelle Coraci, who has been recapping all things Bachelor for The Pop Break for years, and cohost DJ Chapman, of Mostly Nitpicking, are back covering The Bachelorette’s 18th Season!

This week Michelle and DJ are back for Michelle Young's premiere as the Bachelorette. They cover all of the night 1 craziness, their favorite entrances, men, and the drama that goes down with Ryan. They also look forward to the rest of the season and what can be in store for Michelle's journey to find love.

Welcome to another installment of Pop Break TV's Live, Laugh, & Lovey. Lovey and the crew are back with another season of Married at First Sight. This season, the franchise set down its roots in Houston, and we have you covered all season long. This week on the pod, the crew jump have their first live show and discuss all the following highlights and lowlights:

This week, the couples are in the final countdown to Decision Day, and emotions are running high as they meet with the shows’ experts. Myrla showed up to her meeting with Dr.Pepper sloshed after drinking 25 cent martinis just hours before. But she actually held it together pretty well, while Pastor Cal explained to Gil that negativity was cancer to a relationship. Michaela felt she should not be held responsible for Zack’s happiness, and Pastor Cal explained that was how marriage works. Meanwhile, Zack met with Dr. Pepper and expressed his fears over his perfectionist ways. Later that night, the two had a conversation where they both agreed how they’d be deciding on Decision Day. Jose got read the riot act by Dr. Pepper, who told him that she did feel he had a tendency to be controlling. Dr. Pepper encouraged Johnny to communicate with Bao and take the cruel things he was saying off the table. But no sooner had he agreed to Dr. Pepper’s terms did Bao and Johnny’s post-therapist meetup turn ugly. Dr. Pepper encouraged Ryan to really try with Brett and push through his doubts. Pastor Cal also encouraged Brett to get real with Ryan while asking her to ask Ryan when he had given up on the marriage.

Check back next Monday for our continued weekly coverage of the season, and don't forget to follow Lovey on Twitter @iamloveytoo and check out the show on YouTube.

Welcome to Blerd Watchers! ThePopBreak.com's monthly podcast about TV shows with a Blerdy twist!

Come hang out with Courtney & Marshall, two married Blerds, as they navigate all the dopeness on TV and share insights and opinions on the monthly show topics!

This week, Courtney and Marshall are overloaded with content! The dynamic duo check back wrap up the first season of Marvel’s What If? on Disney Plus and third season of Titans on  HBOMAX. They also go in on some of Netflix’s major recent releases, including Midnight Mass and Squid Game, along with a series-spanning review of Star Wars: Visions. Later, they consider the shifting relationship the west has in response to Eastern media and culture, and make some commitments for next month's watch list!

Follow Marshall on Twitter, Instagram, Twitch and Courtney on Twitter & Instagram.

Make sure to check out their other podcast, Blerd Life with My Wife on your favorite podcasting app and on Twitter & Instagram.

And head on over to their new Patreon page for extra content.

Aaron and Josh Sarnecky are here for the October edition of their movie podcast. This time they’re talking about The Prestige for its 15th anniversary. Joining the brothers as their special guest is their cousin Shawn Lebert.

The Prestige is a mystery thriller directed by Christopher Nolan (Tenet), who adapted Christopher Priest’s novel with his brother Jonathan Nolan (Westworld). The film came out on October 20, 2006.

The Prestige follows Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman, Reminiscence) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale, Ford v Ferrari), two magicians living in Victorian England. Angier and Borden start as friends but develop into bitter rivals competing in a dangerous game. Aiding Angier is his assistant Olivia (Scarlett Johannsson, Black Widow) and his engineer Cutter (Michael Caine, Kingsman: The Secret Service). Angier also enlists the services of inventor Nikola Tesla (David Bowie, Labyrinth) in his obsessive mission to beat Borden.

The Prestige opened to a mostly positive reception and grossed $109 million on a $40 million budget. The film earned Oscar nominations for Best Art Direction and Best Cinematography. In 2020, Empire magazine ranked The Prestige #66 on its list of the 100 Greatest Movies of the 21st Century.

Aaron, Josh, and Shawn talk about the movie’s elements, including the plot, characters, and overall production value. They also discuss where it ranks for them among Christopher Nolan’s films.

For another podcast on a Christopher Nolan movie, you can listen Josh and Aaron’s podcast on Memento. You can follow Shawn on Twitter @shawnlebert. You can also watch his proof-of-concept film “DAVE” on Vimeo.

The Prestige is available on Prime Video.

Welcome to another installment of Pop Break TV's Live, Laugh, & Lovey. Lovey and the crew are back with another season of Married at First Sight. This season, the franchise set down its roots in Houston, and we have you covered all season long. This week on the pod, the crew jump have their first live show and discuss all the following highlights and lowlights:

This week, Myrla and Gil discuss their next steps, post-production, and what their living situation will be since Gil’s current lease ends soon;  Rachel is still hoping to visit Europe, but Jose has plans for a big road trip around their home state of Texas; Michaela and Zack spend some time playing games, laughing and dancing in one of their most light-hearted moments of the season so far; Brett organizes a group outing with Rachel and Jose which Ryan enjoys but leads to doubts about their marriage; Johnny claims he’s giving the relationship 150 percent and wishes Bao would take more initiative leading to another fight.

Check back next Monday for our continued weekly coverage of the season, and don't forget to follow Lovey on Twitter @iamloveytoo and check out the show on YouTube.

Welcome back to another episode of our podcast all about the ABC reality series The Bachelor and it's many spinoffs.

ThePopBreak.com's Michelle Coraci, who has been recapping all things Bachelor for The Pop Break for years, and cohost DJ Chapman, of Mostly Nitpicking, are back covering Bachelor in Paradise’s 7th Season!

This week Michelle and DJ catch up on the last 2 episodes of Bachelor in Paradise and give their thoughts on this season and the show in general. They also go over the latest Bachelor news including the announcement of the new Bachelor host, as well as what they're looking forward to for Michelle's season of the Bachelorette.

Aaron and Josh Sarnecky are back for their October TV retrospective. Joining them this time as their special guest is Ann Hale, Senior Writer for The Pop Break. The trio are discussing Dexter for its 15th anniversary.

Dexter debuted on Showtime on October 1, 2006. The show ran for eight seasons, with a total of 96 episodes. The series finale aired on September 22, 2013. Developed by James Manos Jr. (The Shield), the series adapts the work of author Jeff Lindsey.

Dexter follows Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall, Six Feet Under), a serial killer who hunts murderers the legal system misses. Dexter often collects evidence through his job as a blood spatter analyst for the Miami police. Also with the police is his stepsister, Deb (Jennifer Carpenter, Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms). Both Deb and Dexter’s significant other Rita (Julie Benz, Love, Victor) are unaware of his secret life. Throughout the seasons, he faces off against other serial killers, such as the Ice Truck Killer (Christian Carmigo, See) and the Trinity Killer (John Lithgow, Shrek).

In addition to breaking viewership records for Showtime, Dexter garnered multiple nominations and awards, including Emmy nominations for Best Drama Series and Best Actor in a Drama Series. Michael C. Hall and John Lithgow won Golden Globes for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, respectively. Lithgow also won an Emmy for the same role.

Aaron, Josh, and Ann talk about the series premiere of Dexter, its polarizing series finale, and the show as a whole. The three also give their feelings on the upcoming revival, Dexter: New Blood, premiering November 7 on Showtime.

You can listen to Josh and Aaron’s previous TV podcast on Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z. You can follow Ann on Instagram @scarletjupiter.

Dexter is streaming on Hulu and Showtime.

Welcome to TV Break, where Pop Break’s Podcasts Editor Alex Marcus is joined by editor-in-chief Bill Bodkin, and TV Columnist Josh Sarnecky to talk about the happenings in television.

Here’s the format of the show:

The Best Thing I Saw on TV Last Month – Alex, Bill, and Josh talk about a show/episode/event they liked from the last month including AppleTV Plus’s The Morning Show; HBOMAX’s The Other Two, Titans, & The Sopranos; & Netflix’s Midnight Mass & The Great British Baking Show.

News Break – Alex, Bill, and Josh discuss Netflix’s billion dollar deal with the Roald Dahl Story Company for the exclusive rights to the entire Roald Dahl library, which Netflix intends to turn into an interconnected universal across tv, film, and games.

Streaming Wars – Alex, Bill, and Josh pick a streamer they think “won the month” based on new shows airing/upcoming shows announced etc. This month, everyone agrees that Netflix won the month thanks to the hit fall film festival buzz (The Power of the Dog, The Guilty), returning TV shows (The Great British Baking Show, Dear White People, Sex Education, The Circle, Too Hot To Handle), new TV shows (Squid Game, Midnight Mass), trailers (Bridgerton S2, Stranger Things S4, Cowboy Bebop), a Britney Spears documentary, AND winning the most Emmys in one year of all time, including best Limited Series (The Queen’s Gambit) and Best Drama (The Crown).

Series Spotlight – Alex, Bill, and Josh watched Disney Plus’s anime anthology series Star Wars: Visions.