Sarah – The Toy Department

The Toy Department – Episode 262

In Episode 262, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky plunge immediately into this week’s content, because Kolsky has a take he’s been anxious to share about:

The new Peacock series We Are Lady Parts (1:20) which is Kolsky’s clubhouse leader for SHOW OF THE YEAR in 2021…
Some thoughts on The Challenge: All Stars reunion (10:10) and what the future of the franchise may hold…
The latest from Top Chef: Portland (20:50) and the heavy hitters heading down the stretch of the competition…
Netflix’s new Zack Snyder film Army of the Dead (31:55) and just how terrible it actually is…
Bo Burnham’s new Netflix comedy special (41:35) and the incredibly creative and innovative style that captures the essence of our year of pandemic life…
A few sports thoughts (55:05), covering the NBA Playoffs, health vis a vis rest and some USMNT soccer talk…
Homework for next Tuesday (1:01:01), including: more Top Chef in Portland (and probably more NBA Playoffs action), the new Netflix show Startup, the new Michael B Jordan movie Without Remorse on Amazon Prime, the new HBO Max show Starstruck and the return of HBO’s Betty (a pod favorite… plus, Madden and Kolsky will break down EW’s list of the best Challenge contestants of all time…

In Episode 261, Madden and Kolsky have a log list of subjects, so time-wasting is eschewed in favor of:

The latest from Top Chef: Portland (1:10) and FINALLY the elimination of bad-pasta-Chris, plus thoughts on the recipe challenge and the hosts’ favorites heading down the stretch…
The Friends reunion on HBO Max (20:45) and how it aimed for 100 minutes of nostalgia and hit pretty close to the bullseye…
The new film Plan B (38:25) and how it’s an absolute home run of an indie high school adventure movie…
A wrap-up discussion on Mare of Easttown (43:55) and how HBO has another high-quality limited series in the drama category, filled with tremendous acting performances and a compelling crime mystery…
Some NBA playoff thoughts (54:35) at the halfway point (or so) of the first round, re-assessing the favorites after a rash of injuries and some see-sawing series results…
A brief discussion about Naomi Osaka’s withdrawal from the French Open (1:02:50) and the difficult task of respecting metal health while also realizing that media availability is part of the job of a modern professional athlete…
Homework for next Tuesday (1:09:30), including: more Top Chef in Portland (and probably more NBA Playoffs action), the new Netflix movie Army of the Dead, Bo Burham’s new stand-up special on Netflix and the new British comedy We Are Lady Parts, about an all-female Muslim punk band…

In Episode 260, Madden and Kolsky are attempting a short episode per scheduling needs, so they dive immediately into:

The new Tina Fey/Peacock show GIRLS5EVA (1:20) and how the one episode available to non-subscribers isn’t quite enough to draw in our non-subscriber host…
The new HBO Max show Hacks (6:05) and the greatness of Jean Smart…
Angelina Jolie’s movie Those Who Wish Me Dead (11:35) and just how little sense any aspect of it makes…
Season 3 of Netflix’s Master of None (19:20) which focuses almost entirely on Lena Waithe’s character Denise and her wife, and continues to be an intriguing made-for-streaming art film sort of piece…
The latest from Top Chef: Portland (30:35), which is heading down the home stretch with a ton of talent in play after a completely unique restaurant wars…
Homework for next Tuesday (45:10), including: more Top Chef in Portland, the end of HBO’s Mare of Easttown, the new film Plan B on Hulu and the Friends reunion on HBO Max… and DON’T MISS our coverage of The Challenge: All Stars FINALÉ on Thursday night!!!
A few NBA thoughts (47:40) as the Playoffs have commenced…

In Episode 259, Madden and Kolsky are back from a Kolsky Paternity Break to catch up on their favorite pop culture, specifically:

A couple weeks of thrilling action on Top Chef (5:30) with the elimination of the much-hated Gabriel and a pretty distinct top four chefs emerging; now restaurant week is on deck, with a new open kitchen design!!
The old Cinemax show Banshee (26:00) which is now available on HBO Max and makes a hell of an enjoyable binge…
Catching up on The Challenge: All Stars (34:10) which is heading into the final with an awful lot of competitors but only a few competitors, if you catch our drift…
Homework for next Tuesday (58:45), including: more Top Chef in Portland, the new Tina Fey/Peacock show GIRLS5EVA, HBO Max’s Jean Smart vehicle Hacks, the new Angelia Jolie movie Those Who Wish Me Dead and the debut of season three of Netflix’s Master of None (which focuses on Lena Waithe’s character)… and DON’T MISS our coverage of The Challenge: All Stars on Thursday!!!