Therefore I Geek

***Spoiler Alert*** In which, Dude and Becky fill in for Andrew & Tracy due to unforeseen circumstances and cover the premiere of Captain America: Civil War. Dude, in a moment that surprises literally no one, hated the movie, while Becky actually liked it. They discuss awkward closeups, the implosion of Marvel's greatest bromance, and wonder why the female superheroes do not get the same treatment as the males.

In which, the guys discuss a topic very near and dear to Andrew's heart: what it is that sums up the existence of Superman. Dude is actually on the east coast for this one and the energy in the room is palpable. The crux of the argument on the table is whether or not Zach Snyder's Man of Steel, in which Superman breaks Zod's neck, is an accurate interpretation of who Superman is and should be.

In which, Tracy, Andrew, and Dude take on the topic of Fan Theories--a conversation brought about by an article about how fan theories may be replacing actual film critique.

In her first solo episode, Tracy reflects on a lifetime of Tolkien addiction, her annual tradition of rewatching Peter Jackson’s homage, The Lord of the Rings, and the differences–both good and bad–between the books and the movies.

Walk Around in Circles is an appropriate track for this week's episode, in which, Andrew and Dude discuss Star Wars. With the new Rogue One trailer dropping last week and the blue ray of The Force Awakens available now, that's the topic on everyone's mind. They also discuss the expanded universe and what is canon and what is no longer canon, trekking down a side path to discuss favorite expanded universe media and characters. A brief foray into other cool movie topics, including Eddie the Eagle, and how the Coen brothers depict dopey Communism in Hail, Caesar. After Star Wars has been thoroughly discussed, the pair venture into new movies, comics and role playing games that they are excited about.

In which, Andrew and Tracy discuss Season 2 of Netflix's Daredevil. There were a lot of plot threads in season 2 and a lot of antagonists running around. Tracy loved the character development of Punisher and Karen Page--and apparently cannot pronounce "pep talk" without some practice. Andrew defends Foggy as a character and enjoyed some of the most powerful fight scenes; and both of us appreciate the series' choice to replace Ben Ulrich.

***** SPOILER ALERT *****

This podcast will be discussing plot points of comics and movies which may be considered spoilers. Consider yourselves warned.

"No one cares about Clark Kent taking on the Batman." - Perry White. Emotions are at an all time high as Andrew, Tracy, and Dude discuss Zack Snyder's Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Dude loves it, Tracy hates it, and Andrew is... meh. Ultimate takeaways: Wonder Woman rocks, pacing is slow, and everyone would like to see more emotion from Superman.

In which, Andrew and Dude (who has finally learned his name) nerd out hardcore discussing all the Star Trek series finales. They discuss the Next Generation team of the future, agreeing that "old Picard" is the best part of the DS9 finale; Andrew delves into his own distant past for relevant stories. They take a brief detour into a conversation about Gene Roddenberry's vision for Star Trek. The ultimate takeaway from this episode is that Romulans always suck.

In which, Andrew and Tracy step out of their comfort zones and into Dude's, discussing the 1st Amendment and free speech--both what it means to us, and what it means in the context of comic books and broader geek culture. A little heavier and pithier than our normal podcast topics, this one is timely given the current climate of the geek community.

In which our hosts, Andrew and Joseph (The Dude), talk about all the comic book movies coming out in 2016. They decide that nobody cares about Michael Fassbender, while failing to pronounce any non-English name. Dude also manages to completely befuddle Andrew by staunchly defending Keanu Reeves.