March 2020 – The Toy Department

The Toy Department – Episode 206

In Episode 206, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky are still surviving somehow, and find time to discuss:

This week’s episode of Top Chef (4:20) and its great Jonathan Gold-inspired LA food tour…
The new Hulu movie Big Time Adolescence (19:45) and how it turned out to be strangely moving…
AMC’s Dispatches From Elsewhere (24:30) and how its madcap plot and general insanity don’t hinder its charm…
AMC’s Better Call Saul (33:05) and the near-fever pitch it has reached as it builds towards a final season…
The new Amazon film Blow the Man Down (39:15) and the guys’ differing views on its enjoyability…
The old FX show Terriers (42:50) and how it makes a great binge during our time of quarantine…
Homework for next week (47:15), including: another episode of Top Chef, Tiger King on Netflix, the return of Netflix’s Ozark, the new season of The Challenge, the new Pearl Jam record Gigaton and a check-in with political comedy shows Last Week Tonight and Patriot Act, which should be very interesting given where we’re at as a world…

In Episode 205, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky are still adjusting to our strange new reality as they hop through:

The challenges of living in a COVID-19 world (1:00) and the potential pitfalls of working from home…
The return of Bravo’s Top Chef (10:45) and thoughts on all the All-Star competitors in this year’s LA-based season…
The season four premiere of IFC’s Brockmire (28:30) and what a marvelous delight it continues to be, regardless of whether anyone seems to be watching it…
Season two of Black Monday on Showtime (35:30) and whether it stands out from the pack in a crowded TV landscape…
The first couple episodes of Hulu’s Little Fires Everywhere (38:35) and what an interesting show it seems to be, though Reese Witherspoon treads familiar ground…
HBO and David Simon’s The Plot Against America (49:20) and how it’s really just an awful lot to digest at a time like this…
Homework for next week (54:40), including: another episode of Top Chef, the new Hulu movie Big Time Adolescence, the new Amazon Prime movie Blow the Man Down, check-ins on Better Call Saul and Dispatches from Elsewhere, and a quarantine streaming special — the old FX show Terriers, which is now available on Hulu…

In Episode 204, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky are settling into life in a COVID-19 world and delve into:

Some thoughts on what life has been like over the last week (2:05) and what it may be like moving forward…
The season finale of HBO’s The Outsider (9:35) and what a great 10-episode run it had…
The series premiere of FX’s Hulu-specific series Devs (17:45), the mystery therein and a dramatic turn from Nick Offerman…
FX’s new series Dave (24:55) and how star Lil’ Dicky sucks you in and makes you laugh…
FX’s Better Things (28:10) and how it continues to soar as a shining example of great sitcom-style television…
Netflix’s I Am Not Okay With This (37:15) and the charmingly distinct style of its creator…
The Netflix-made Lil’ Peep documentary Everybody’s Everything (42:55) and how it’s probably more for the late rapper’s fans than the general public…
Marc Maron’s new Netflix stand-up special End Times Fun (49:45) and his apparent mastery of his craft…
The HBO Sports documentary Women of Troy (53:20) and how much each guy learned about some stars in women’s basketball past…
Homework for next week (1:01:05), including: the return of Top Chef, the return of Brockmire on IFC, the return of Black Monday on Showtime and David Simon’s Philip Roth adaptation The Plot Against America on Amazon…

In Episode 203, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky have MUCH to discuss, so dive right into:

The HBO Sports documentary Ali & Cavett: Tale of the Tapes (1:25) and how it adds something to the historical record on a well-covered sports titan…
Dwyane Wade’s documentary Life Unexpected (8:00) and how it is very much the Dwyane Wade version of the Dwyane Wade story…
PBS’ American Masters episode on Miles Davis, entitled Birth of the Cool (14:55) and what a complete picture it painted of a complicated man who was truly one of the great musicians in human history…
The return of Better Call Saul on AMC (24:00) and how it is probably the best show on television right now…
The new Amazon show Hunters (30:55) and the surprisingly understated performance of Al Pacino…
AMC’s new show Dispatches from Elsewhere (37:00) and how producer/writer/director/star Jason Segel has created a fascinating and exciting curiosity through two oddball episodes…
The new Netflix comedy Gentefied (44:55) and how it fails to really grab the viewer in its first couple episodes…
Pete Davidson’s Netflix standup special (48:10) and how he’s a promising young comedic talent…
Homework for next week (57:40), including: the return of Better Things on FX, the end of The Outsider on HBO, Devs on FX/Hulu, Dave on FXX (it’s an FX-heavy week), the Netflix Lil Peep documentary Everbody’s Everything, Netflix’s I Am Not Okay With This, the HBO Sports documentary Women of Troy and Marc Maron’s new special End Times Fun…