Trivially Crucial

Michael has been binge-watching a lot of Star Trek, so Mandy and Michael chat about it! Almost everything before the Kelvin-verse movie trilogy is covered (turns out there was so much to talk about that the TNG movies didn’t get much of an explicit mention).

The topics in order are:

The Original Series

The Animated Series

The Original Series Movies

The Next Generation

Deep Space Nine

Voyager

Enterprise

The Kelvin movie trilogy and new Trek beginning with Discovery is not discussed in detail, though the show does end with some high level thoughts of what really defines Star Trek and some opinions on what Michael and Mandy have seen of it so far seems to be missing. The topic is reserved for a possible future episode!

This episode is part of our Trivially Crucial Backlog - Episodes recorded previously and until now left unposted.

In this episode the Superman run continues with a single episode for the 3rd and 4th Christopher Reeve Superman films. It’s a severe understatement to say these movies were found to be absolutely ridiculous.

Years ago Mandy got Michael to start watching Supernatural, a show with plenty of horror-esque content in its first couple of seasons (Michael doesn't do horror). 15 seasons later it's time to bid adieu to the Winchesters and their 1967 Chevy Impala.

In this episode you’ll hear about the finale, sure, but before that you’ll hear much more:

Recommendations of what to watch after the first 5 seasons if you don’t want to watch everything in the rough seasons.

Opinions on exactly how bad some of the seasons get.

Some love for many characters and individual episodes even through the show’s darkest times.

Respect for truly experimental, in the best of ways, episodes strewn throughout the series.

Strong feelings about the show’s return to form as it marched towards its end.

Yes, there are definitely some problems with the ending too.

Supernatural is over, but the Winchesters, Baby, Cas, and so much more of the cast will remain with us forever. There’s no better way to say farewell than:

🎵 Carry on my wayward son
There'll be peace when you are done

Lay your weary head to rest
Don't you cry no more 🎵

Follow us on twitter:
@TrivCrucial (The show)
@Auhim (Michael)
@Brown_Ajah (Mandy)

This episode is part of our Trivially Crucial Backlog - Episodes recorded previously and until now left unposted.

For 49 episodes, Mandy and Michael have discussed how important stories are. They reflect the world, they help breed empathy, they help shape world views, and which stories resonate with a person in youth can help explain who a person is in adulthood. This 50th episode is about exploring works with great personal impact across all types of media. It’s about as much a meta episode as this show can really get.

Follow us on twitter:
@TrivCrucial (The show)
@Auhim (Michael)
@Brown_Ajah (Mandy)

This episode is part of our Trivially Crucial Backlog - Episodes recorded previously and until now left unposted.

Michael and Mandy spend some time chatting about Zatanna as written by Paul Dini, an author also known for his work on Batman: The Animated Series, Tiny Toons Adventures, and a whole lot of comic book writing.

Amazon links to works recommended in this episode:

Young Avengers Vol. 2

Angela: Asgard’s Assassin Vol. 1

Angela: Queen of Hel: Journey to the Funderworld

Dark Knight: A True Batman Story

Batman: Mad Love

Follow us on twitter:
@TrivCrucial (The show)
@Auhim (Michael)
@Brown_Ajah (Mandy)

This episode is part of our Trivially Crucial Backlog - Episodes recorded previously and until now left unposted.

In this episode Michael and Mandy the power and utility of different storytelling mediums. What they’re good for, how they’ve been used well, and more.

Follow us on twitter:
@TrivCrucial (The show)
@Auhim (Michael)
@Brown_Ajah (Mandy)

Michael and Mandy discuss Avengers: Endgame, everything it means, its emotional impact, its plot issues, and hopes for the MCU moving forward.

As we continue catching up, this episode is about Spider-Man: Homecoming. There's a lot of Spider-Man background and MCU meta-commentary before discussion of the film even begins, followed by plenty of Spoiler-free content.

This episode covers Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 and how it signals odd views on parenthood, redemption, adorable baby tree goofiness, and everything the group of misfits gets up to.

Mandy and Michael discuss Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi bout 3 hours after Michael finished watching it on opening weekend. Listen to them working through initial thoughts even as they inevitably would change (and have changed) over the course of the next few days.