K-Pop Demon Hunters & Peacemaker: Exploring the Cultural Phenomenon and Character Challenges

In this episode of Scene N Nerd, hosts Sarah Belmont and Will Polk dive into the electrifying world of "K Pop Demon Hunters" and the latest episode of "Peacemaker." They kick off with a thorough discussion on the phenomenon that is K Pop Demon Hunters, exploring its unexpected success, the viral sing-along version, and the impressive performance of its soundtrack on the Billboard charts. Sarah shares her insights on the film's music, while Will reflects on the universal appeal of K Pop and its impact on fans.

The hosts also dissect the film's narrative, touching on themes of identity, fame, and the pressure faced by idols in the K Pop industry. They highlight the character arcs and the significance of the music in elevating the story, noting how the film resonates with both K Pop enthusiasts and casual viewers alike.

Switching gears, they delve into the first episode of "Peacemaker" Season 2, discussing the character dynamics and the emotional struggles of Chris and Harcourt as they navigate life post-heroics. Will and Sarah analyze the storytelling techniques used by James Gunn, the balance of humor and depth, and the intriguing introduction of new characters.

With plenty of banter and insightful commentary, this episode is packed with nerdy goodness that you won’t want to miss!

0:00 Welcome

0:45 Jump right into K-Pop Demon Hunters on Netflix

52:27 Peacemaker Season 2 Episode 1 "The Ties That Grind"

1:17:35 Outro

Want to keep the conversation going? Hit us up on X (formerly Twitter) @SceneNNerd, Bluesky @SceneNNerd.bsky.social, Facebook, Instagram, and Threads @scene_n_nerd. Don’t forget to check out our website at www.scenennerdpodcast.com. If you enjoyed this episode, drop us a rating and a shout-out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcast fix!

Episode Transcript

>> Will (00:00):
Music

>> Sarah (00:13):
Greetings Nerds. This is Scene N Nerd. I'm your host, Sarah, Belmont. And with me as always,
is our Mr. Producer, Will Paul. How are you doing tonight, Will?

>> Will (00:20):
Doing very well, Sarah. How are you doing this evening?

>> Sarah (00:22):
I'm doing good. I'm doing all right.

>> Will (00:26):
That's good. Yeah. Monday night
recording. Welcome. We are back after
taking another week off and got a lot
to. Very excited to talk about K Pop
Demon Hunters and Peacemaker with you tonight.

>> Sarah (00:41):
Yeah. K Pop Demon Hunters, who dropped a
sing along version on Netflix today. And
this came after the one weekend only
screening event in theaters that grossed over.
I heard it grossed twice. 20 million.

>> Will (00:56):
Yeah, yeah, whatever. Yeah. So
whenever I, when I was putting this
in the notes last night, it was I think
between tracking between. I've seen everything from 16 to
20 because I guess apparently Netflix, ah,
hadn't put in
for whatever reason they are, aren't tracking

(01:16):
this, or releasing the numbers so
far. But you know, it is pretty, different
for Netflix. They did sort of break the grain because, I
mean, obviously this movie came out back in like late June
and now they are, you know, releasing
in theaters just because it's just like, continues to like, just
rise in popularity.

>> Sarah (01:36):
Well, everyone wants to do the sing along thing. I mean,
that's wicked. Got a bunch of
extra gross because of the idea after
people started seeing it, they wanted to go back and do the sing
along version of it. And so
now not only is the movie on Netflix, but also
the sing along version is on Netflix as well.

(01:57):
And meanwhile, on the music charts,
K Pop Demon Hunter soundtrack is currently number
two on Billboard Top 1200
with more than 3 billion global streams to
date. And the song, your idol has surpassed
BTS's dynamite on Spotify.

>> Will (02:15):
Yeah, yeah. Another thing I saw too today,
is that the. This is the first
soundtrack, first movie soundtrack
to have four songs
in on the top, 10,
Billboard 100. So I mean it's just like
taking. Yeah, it's just, it's just taking over.

>> Sarah (02:37):
Yeah, yeah. I mean we're, we're
honestly late to the party. But this is
truly a phenomenon. And
and it, it's it's. It hit at the
right time, I guess. And it,
The music. Having
now watched the movie myself, the

(02:59):
music is the only reason why this is becoming a
phenomenon. Like,
honestly, the story itself,
it's not that m. It's not
that complicated. It's not that new and
riveting. No, it's a very simple, very
straightforward story. But
it does, the music

(03:22):
uplifts it and makes it much more
entertaining. And it's their
ear worms, they get stuck in your head. and,
and then you just, and a lot of people
have, now they're, they're complaining now
that this is a gateway drug because once you
watch K Pop Demon Hunters, then you start to get

(03:42):
four on your FYP page. You
get, you get recommendations of K pop music and
different groups and then before you know it, you're,
you're down the rabbit hole, so to speak. So,
and I, I, I don't know if you fell down that rabbit hole
or not.

>> Will (03:59):
well, I, I will say I was already
kind of part, you know, I already dipped my
toe into that rabbit hole just because of our
friendship and knowing, you know, for example,
part of the reason why we were earlier this month,
I know you had gone to CFT's in California. and so,
and, and you share, yeah share

(04:20):
your, share your videos, and stuff with me as far
as some of the concerts. And I have to say, I mean I, you
know, so I, you
know, for most, a lot of folks, you know, BTS is like
the, you know, for I guess the novice
K pop fans who aren't really, you know,
I, I kind of, when I, when I was watching this movie this,

(04:40):
this weekend, I, I, I, I was like, okay, now I see how
Sarah feels when I start talking about, talking about Star Trek.

>> Sarah (04:47):
What do you mean?

>> Will (04:48):
Well, just because, you know, you're a bigger,
our level of fandom here is like,
like you know, you're, you're the K pop person
here. I'm just a guy who just kind of just dips his toe
into it. I like it. But you
know, I, and I, and as I was watching K Pop
Demon Hunters, I mean I was seeing some of the, like
I was picking up because, because of our conversations and, and,

(05:11):
and things over the years, I was able
to. Some of the, you know, the little
fandom bits and some of the little, and the, and the,
some of the culture. The culture and the, the
things that happen like as far as the light sticks and
little things that, that if I
hadn't, if I did not have that

(05:33):
knowledge base just from our conversations and stuff
about shows and seeing things, you, you know, and, and
whatnot, I probably would have missed some, a lot
of those things in the movie. I will say to your point
about just as far as the story, yeah, it pretty was, it was
pretty much pretty straightforward.
and, but but it did. I have to say, I
did like the way that it ended because

(05:56):
I really thought they did. They took it in
a path where
especially with,

>> Sarah (06:04):
Spoiler alert. Geneo dies. Yeah,
Will's gonna do this whole non spoiler. I'm like, if people have
already.

>> Will (06:11):
No, no, no, I'm gonna talk spoilers. I figured at this point, I
mean, hell if people are like going to the theater after
seeing it, watching it on Netflix and then
going to the theater to watch it again and do the sing along
and stuff. I mean at this point, if you, if
you know, if you resonate, you've probably seen the
film. So I'm just going to assume that you know

(06:32):
that.

>> Sarah (06:34):
Yeah. Can we, can we rewind though? because
you said a lot of really interesting things. and then you kept
going and I was like, stop, Will, stop. Let me chime in here.

>> Will (06:42):
Sorry, sorry.

>> Sarah (06:44):
So I want to go back.
Got it. I want to go back to what you're saying about
picking up on little things. So besides the light stick,
what. Can you give us more examples of the
various nuances that, that you found,
as they relate to fandom?

>> Will (07:02):
Yeah, the.
And I don't want to get in trouble because I don't want to sound like I'm being,

>> Sarah (07:08):
No, I know. Don't, don't, don't worry about it. I've heard
it all. I've heard it all. Like, like full
disclaimer. I have been a
K pop Stan since
2021. Okay? So I've,
I've, I've. I'm not a newbie.
but I also, I'm not, I'm not an,
ah, an old K Pop fan either.

(07:30):
however, I do listen to second and third gen groups.
Okay. I listen to Shiny. I know who Shiny is.
Taemin is my mom's alt. So.
Okay, so continue.

>> Will (07:41):
Well, yeah, yeah, just like I said, the
light sticks, this, the, you know, the general things that
it's, it's the fandom
moments of,
of, you know, the boy bands, the, the
fans in the stands as far as just. And you
see this. I mean it's kind of a universal thing as far as just

(08:02):
people just, you know, crying in the stands
and and you know, following
every last, every last move that the band is doing
and you know, so, you know, so those, the things
like that, that are, that are pretty universal.
But but like I said, the,
those. That was sort of the, some of the

(08:22):
fandom things that I, that I saw the Light sticks was the biggie.
And then and also the earwarm nature of,
of this. The songs. because
that is to me as a, As a
novice to. As someone who just
sort of as a cas. A cat. I wouldn't even call myself a
casual K Pop listener.

>> Sarah (08:41):
Right, right.

>> Will (08:41):
But. But someone who does, you know, from
time to time listen to various
songs. they are ear
worms. And, and I can see
why this genre has
really just, just taken off because,
you know, once you get one in your head, it, it stays there.

>> Sarah (09:05):
Yeah, to an extent.

>> Will (09:07):
I mean at least the good ones.

>> Sarah (09:08):
I know, I know, I know what you're getting at.
Man, now I lost my thought. But,
Yeah, the light sticks. So. So for who? Because
that is one of the more unique things. Things
in terms of K Pop. so
for those who who don't
Aren't aware of that is, Is that

(09:30):
each of the groups have a light stick. Yeah.
Capitalism at. At its finest.

>> Will (09:35):
Yeah.

>> Sarah (09:36):
Essentially you buy the light stick
in order to attend concert. and when
you go to the concert the light stick
traditionally is hooked up to, To
a to the Bluetooth. So it's Bluetooth
controlled. And then it you're able
to have your light stick part of the

(09:56):
light show that goes on in the performance.
So that it's a way for the
groups to even to allow their
fans to even to be. Feel as though
they are a part of the,
of the performance itself. Because
that's arguably like,

(10:17):
yeah, K pop is music. No, no, no.
K pop transcends music because it's performance.
they. A lot of the
songs that get put out in K
Pop specifically, they're not intended.
And this is where like the divide comes
between, between Western and Eastern culture.

(10:39):
So over here
music is often consumed
via your earphones, via the
radio. Right. So you just
hear the sound and then it gets stuck in your head and
everything. Now K Pop,
what I found to be very unique about it

(11:01):
is in Korea there are music
shows. So do you remember the good old TRL
from back in the early 2000s? I do,
yeah. So think
TRL. But not just music videos.
We're talking. The groups go to
these programs and perform
their songs. Specifically whatever new

(11:23):
single is out or new, what we call title
track is out, as promotion. And
then fans vote and every week
they get crowned. And we're talking not one,
we're not talking two, talking at least four to
five of these. So during a
promotional. When, when a K pop group releases an
album they typically promote

(11:46):
for two weeks to a month on
these shows. So that's why there's so
much dancing and then
for new people. That is also
why like the choreo is so
big, is because it's,
it's suddenly not just you're hearing

(12:06):
the sound, it's also visually
like you have to have a visual performance
because you're on TV
or or on YouTube
and you're, you're showcasing
the choreography. And so a lot of the
songs, in K Pop, I

(12:27):
find I tell my mom all the time
and other people who I know that are into K
pop that, well, when you listen
to the song, you have to remember
you're just hearing half of it. Like
they probably made that song because they're going to perform
it. So you're not fully going to appreciate the song

(12:48):
until you see it perform formed. So,
so there, there is,
so that's a very interesting,
side of K Pop that I think.
Why RM's RM from
BTS. He's a leader of BTS. he said it
best right around the time like butter came

(13:10):
out and permission to dance. he said
Butter. I think it's a really good song to listen on
the radio. That is why BTS
has in the early two, in the
early, early 2020 kind of like
just blew up in the States because suddenly
they were making all English music

(13:32):
and that was, that was
accessible for car rides
like their pop. Suddenly, suddenly it did it because
I've seen. Let's let's call Spade a
spade. Butter. The performance is not that great.
Okay. It's okay. It's okay. But
it's not anything shocking. However, Butter

(13:52):
can be a fun song on the radio. Dynamite, of course.
Fun song on the radio. And that's another thing.
Like this whole, like the other thing
about it is I believe
only BTS's
song Life Goes on is
the only song by them.

(14:13):
and I could be wrong about this, so, so
please correct me. I, I, I am
very familiar with bts. They were my gateway into
this whole, K pop world. And I listened
to them for nothing. I listened to only their
music, for about six months straight.
Like only them.

>> Will (14:32):
Like I remember that.

>> Sarah (14:36):
Yeah, yeah. And, and, and that's another
thing. A lot of people who don't know a lot about K pop
found, like, think that BTS was just
like a one hit wonder. And it's like, no, no, no.
They had seven years. They've been
out since 2013, y'. All.
Okay. They Were babies. Jungkook was a

(14:56):
baby. but,
but I, I've, I've lost my,
my point on this.

>> Will (15:04):
Yeah, well, let me, let me just jump in because you
said one of the things and, and, and, and
that as you were describing the
genre and the, and how, the
performance aspect of it, that was something that I
really, really picked up onto in this,
in K Pop Demon Hunters, especially

(15:24):
when you had the Hunx and the Saja
Boys, with the whole, with the award show.

>> Sarah (15:30):
Oh, yeah, the word choice are big over there.
Mamas. Mamas as we call them.
Yeah, no, they really are like, that's the
acronym. The acronym is Mama. Okay.
We call it the Mama Award. They're totally
rigged, but whatever.

>> Will (15:47):
Yeah, well, and again, and again, that was sort of like,
okay, I know that this,
this is another part of the, of the
genre that as a
cat, as a new, you know, that, I thought
this film did a good job of really
you, you know, really just capturing

(16:10):
what all is that entails
of K Pop. And again, like I said, I'm just a guy
who just who knows it vicariously through you, but
I know enough to be like, oh, yeah,
I, I think I've heard Sarah talk about this. And you know,
either, you know, either whenever we've had story, time
with Sarah moments when you, you know, watch,

(16:32):
K dramas on, on Netflix or other, or the
platforms or just conversations we've had before and after
shows where, you know, you'll, you'll share these things with me. And I
was just like, so as I'm watching this, I was just like,
oh, yeah, now I, I, I can relate.
And, and as, as the movie progressed, and,
and, and roomy, you know, whatever, whenever

(16:52):
they were, you know, she was having issues with her voice and everything
else, but also just,
just that the performance aspect of it really
just was big to me. And then
also, and then again with the story
just basically where you have, you know, the, the
Huntricks and the SAA Boys, like
basically, their, their rivalry and,

(17:15):
and, and, and you know how.

>> Sarah (17:19):
Oh, I, I, I'm, I'm not, not to cut you off.
I, I feel as
someone who is
obviously a bit more in it,
they could have done more. They scratched the surface.
There, there is so much because arguably,
the, the fun,

(17:42):
Korea, South Korea is a very small, very,
very small country. Okay. Everyone knows
everyone there. and so
fans like to pit people,
pit idols against one another. the
idols themselves are typically friends.
Like they, they, they grew up and

(18:03):
and they didn't even. They didn't even talk.
And this is another big difference, about the
training systems over there. And yes,
then people are going to think, oh, you're talking about the fact
that it's manufactured. No, no, no,
no, no. That is a
misconception. Okay. They

(18:23):
do training over there. We're
talking, Let me think about an
example of how long. I
forget how long. Chris, from Stray Kids.
He's the leader of Stray Kids Bangtan. how
long he was. I think he was at
JYP for a
while. Like eight years or something.

(18:45):
We're talking, Mark. I'm gonna do Mark. Mark
from, Mark Lee from nct.
Canadian. Korean. Canadian.
He, he tried out for SM
Entertainment when he was 14 or 15.
He flies. He. He gets an
offer to go to their training program. So him and his

(19:06):
family pack up and they fly all the way to Korea.
and he debuts two years later.

>> Will (19:12):
Okay.

>> Sarah (19:13):
Okay. And. Oh, oh, yeah, we're.
We're talking. He debuted when he was 16.

>> Will (19:22):
So.

>> Sarah (19:22):
He, he only had two years. But we're some
of these people, like four, six
years. So they like, grew up together.
and they, they live together and they
do. So. So that team,
they're,
The training, they didn't go into. And I understand

(19:42):
why they didn't go into. some
of the. Also the, like, besides the light
stick, they didn't. And I'm surprised
by this. and you know me.
yeah, so. So I was, I was
surprised. There wasn't a single mention of photo cards.
Okay.

>> Will (20:01):
I know that. Yes, that was one thing that
was.

>> Sarah (20:04):
Mentioned to the very thing
that has taken majority of my money
for the past few years.

>> Will (20:14):
But I think I did see some of the fans in the audience
and stuff. You know, maybe they didn't mention it, but I thought I did see
some out there, you know, as far as just people
carrying them.

>> Sarah (20:23):
Oh, yeah. And. And, and the merch.
Like, the merch.

>> Will (20:28):
Yeah, the merch was a big part. Yeah.

>> Sarah (20:30):
Oh. Like it goes beyond light
sticks. It. It's, Right. I
could. I could literally
it there. They scratch the surface. And
I think. Because. And I think a lot
of this is also from my perspective as
a fan versus the story,
which is told from the idol's perspective and

(20:52):
something that they did deep, go into.
But I don't think. I don't know if a lot of
people who are not familiar with K pop
and not necessarily the music, but I'm talking about
the world of K pop. I Don't
know if this resonated as much as to like
truly what they were trying to get at. But this

(21:14):
whole idea that Rumi is hiding the scars.
Okay. the
scars, yes. They are signs that she
is part demon. Like she has a
flaw. And they kept bringing that up. They put
emphasis on the flaw because
it, in Korea. There's a reason why

(21:34):
these pop stars as what we
would refer to them as, are actually called
idols. And that is because
they are deemed perfect.
There's a, there's,
there's a, an attention, a spotlight
on them where these, these

(21:56):
kids. Because majority of the
time they're teenagers when they start. Okay.

>> Will (22:01):
Yeah.

>> Sarah (22:02):
Aemond was like 15 when he first debuted
in 2008. Okay. The man is over
30 now. he, and, and
he's still going, but still to grow up
in that industry and under that
spotlight like it is.
They're harsh over there.

(22:22):
You, there's a reason why these guys are
also really thin.

>> Will (22:27):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I noticed that was another
thing too. I don't wanna, yeah. With the body
image and the abs and
all that kind of stuff. But yeah, continue with, with roomy and
discards because I really want to hear, hear, hear about that.

>> Sarah (22:41):
Right, right. So, so I thought it was
a really good subtle metaphor
about the idea that
these idols, they, they
do struggle having a normal
day, like a normal life because
they are under that spotlight so much.

(23:02):
And, and
here's one of the, some of the darker side of K
pop. The number of groups
that I'm aware of that has had a
quote unquote scandal. A member
has been caught SC smoking weed,
automatically kicked out of the group.

>> Will (23:22):
Wow.

>> Sarah (23:23):
I, I, I kid you not. And, and
nine times out of ten it's because it
was a rumor. A rumor that six
months later gets proven false.

>> Will (23:35):
Oh man.

>> Sarah (23:35):
And then here's a more horrifying, here's a more horrifying
example also. There's actually been
a case where a member left a, left
a group. Then it came out that
he sexually assaulted someone only
for him to then get blacklisted
and to, to, to

(23:56):
come out and also
verify with lawyers and investigators and,
and prove that that was all like fake, like
false. Like fans over there
are notorious for
starting rumors and then
those rumors automatically become truth

(24:18):
and then members have to leave the
groups. And again, to go back
to my point about the training, you're
talking about someone who basically
has lived and grown up
in like experience a very
informative time of their lives with

(24:38):
five or four or ten other
people and then suddenly, like they
are no longer part of that family.
Like, it's. It's insane. The.
The pressures over there because
one false move or
you accidentally piss off someone who

(25:00):
then in turn has this like, weird
power to manipulate something.
Like the horror stories. I could tell you.
It. It's. It's so. It is.
It's. It's hard to,
Because we see it with our celebrities over here.

>> Will (25:18):
Oh, yeah, yeah.

>> Sarah (25:20):
But a lot of times they're
independent, right? Like,
they. They are.
The groups never became
a, like a huge thing. And if it was, it was
usually banned and. And you would have your front
man. But there wasn't.
There. There isn't that, There isn't

(25:42):
that much known, like, oh, well, that.
That scandal happened and then they got kicked out of the group
or then they left. Like it's. It's few and far
between. I would say it's a weird
combination. If you were to take
the. The microscopes,
that is applied over in Britain on the Royal

(26:02):
Family. Right.

>> Will (26:03):
Okay. Wow. Yeah.

>> Sarah (26:05):
And then. And then take that
and kind of meld it with. With
our paparazzi. I
think in between there. Closer
to the Royal Family. That's what you got
going on with not all K pop
idols, but the top
got it like the. The top

(26:27):
of the top.

>> Will (26:29):
The.

>> Sarah (26:29):
The big names from the big companies, which
we call the big four, so.
Which ATS is not part of the big four. Kq.
They're the most. They're the most successful group,
not part of the big four, so.

>> Will (26:43):
Oh, okay.

>> Sarah (26:44):
Just. Just fact. yeah,
so. But. But the.
You kind of get what I'm saying that I. I think
it. I think it was a. Because
the more I think about the story and the fact that
it was told through the idol's
perspective, it was a good metaphor

(27:04):
that they used especially because she was
afraid they were. They were going to find her flaws and then kick
her out of the group and. And she would
suddenly not know who she is
and. And be. Be even more
alone and isolated.
And very similar thing was happening with
Janu too, who we kind of got this

(27:27):
understanding that he. In return
for,
greed and his voice and everything,
he. He kind of isolated himself from his
family.

>> Will (27:40):
Yeah. Isolated. Yeah. I mean, that was the thing too, that. The twist.
One of the, you know, twist as far as, like whenever we found out
what he did. Yeah, because he told. You know, he told me the
story originally about the family and.
And you know, now that you have like framed it
with the Deeper like the
training system and everything else because I mean we did
that. That contextualizes the story

(28:03):
even more for me that, that I'm like,
oh, I, I'm appreciating this film a whole
heck of a lot more because yeah, it did do,
it did explore, it did
touch on those elements. And yeah, you know, it was only an hour,
30 minutes or so long, 40 minutes long. So they
didn't go like too deep. But now that you've, now
that you have like described some of those things,

(28:26):
his story to me and, and even with Roomy
and the scars and, and the lyrics, as far as some of the
songs in particular, yeah, it all, it, it
just, it's just so, I'm just so, so
glad we're, we, we're talking about it tonight
because it's just now when I watch it again, which I definitely
will, it, it will definitely,

(28:46):
definitely will resonate a lot more than it
already has for me. Because now I'm like, oh yeah, I got the
context for like these things, you
know, these things happening here.

>> Sarah (28:57):
And I, I like the fact that
this is done well enough
where without that context
you still appreciate it to an extent.
Like not. It doesn't go from
a bad to a good movie. It goes from a good
movie to, oh, there's, there's

(29:18):
more death. And that's, that's why it's it's
doing the numbers, it's doing. Because
people are going back again and again. And
yes, I know a lot of that's also the children.
I mean, here's a fun fact. I was on a
FaceTime with my,
my 13 month old niece

(29:40):
and in the background I put on the song
golden because I know, I know she loves
music. And about halfway through you see
the little pudgy arms go up and she
starts to move.
So it's, it's a very, it's a very
bright sound that attracts

(30:01):
a lot of people a lot of ages. And
yes, they didn't go far into
this world, but you can tell already there
is so much more. And another
thing, this is,
this is just funny and, and yeah, I'm gonna, I'm
gonna continue to bring up all the ATS facts because if you

(30:21):
haven't figured it out, if you haven't done math,
Another term that is very unique in K
pop is the terms bias,
bias, wrecker and alt.
Okay, alt means
a lot of different things to a lot of different people. But
in my opinion the definition of alt is that they're

(30:42):
your number one like, that is the group
that above everyone else,
like, like you. You don't know what
it is. Okay. You don't know what it is, but you're
like, they're. They're my all you. When you know, you know. Okay.
Ateez is my all group.

>> Will (30:58):
Yeah.

>> Sarah (30:59):
My mom, who's like alt group is
bts. Her alt of alts, though, is
tament. right. Anyway. Anyway, look him
up if you haven't. Okay,
But. But, to talk about the Saga voice.
Yeah, just a little bit. So. Fun fact,

(31:20):
Ateez has been out since 2018.
They've had a demon line.
Did you not? I mean, this is. This is.
No, this is historic fact.
You. You can watch a guide from 2024 and
they bring up the demon line. The demon line has been a
thing. Okay, now what do you. When. When I say
demon line, what does that mean? Okay, three. Three

(31:42):
members in particular. Ateez is an eight
member group. Okay. Technically, all eight of them are
demons. Okay. But three of them, I'm
talking Hanjun Sunwa son.
They are, considered what we call the
demon line because they.
How do I put this?

(32:05):
Keep it kind of rated PG 13. They,
turn into somebody else when they're on stage.
Just. Just the eyes roll back
and they just become,
they become possessed.

>> Will (32:20):
Yeah.

>> Sarah (32:21):
By something else. So I found it. I.
I found it a lot of very funny and a lot of the
fandom. And their fandom name is Atony.
We found it funny that, like the Saga Boys,
Demons and everything. And your idol, which.
Your idol by the Saga
Boys. here's a song to

(32:42):
go and check out and another group, a group that's actually
featured on the soundtrack. I was. I was very
happy to hear Exo on
the. On the soundtrack. Exo who,
that's a huge group as well. they,
They. Their song. Oh, man,

(33:02):
I'm gonna. I'm bringing it up and
I'm trying to think. They debuted and I want to
say 2012. 2013.
No, 2012.
Their, debut song. I'm not talking
Growl. Growl is not their debut song.
Okay? Growl was the national anthem when

(33:24):
it first came out, from what I understand
became the national. But
there's this song, and this is gonna bother me.
I have to look this up. We'll talk some more
while I look this up.

>> Will (33:38):
Yeah, as you look that up, I'm glad you brought up about
the Saja boys and. And the,
the demons and stuff. And in
particular with Gimoir,
you know, you know, and. And Junior coming up with the.
You know, how. How can
the. How can they like, overtake the hunt

(33:58):
tricks to keep the The, hormone from like, you know,
forming and all the, you know, and all that kind of stuff. And it's like,
okay, we'll just come up with a. A boy band. And.
And that was one of the plot points that really
were. You know, that. That also
when. With the story and. And how
they did, you know, they did overtake

(34:19):
the popularity, but for,
You know, but for Roomy being able to, you know,
to really, you know, break through the scars and break
through, you know, and. And the. You know, the.
The lot. I won't say. Like I said. Yeah, I was
Lies in the. And the. The concealment of who she
really is and just finding her voice and.

(34:40):
And again, there at the.
You know, I think that was the really powerful transformative
moment of. Of the film where I was just
like, really. That. That last like 20 minutes. I was
just like super locked in. I mean, I wasn't. I was really
before. But I think
what work. What. What made this thing resonate

(35:01):
so well for me was not only just the
story that it was telling, but then, you know, the
utilization of the music.

>> Sarah (35:09):
Yeah.

>> Will (35:10):
You know, to. To. To. To really share
the story and really tell
what, you know, this. That's. That's just, you know, it really
reinforces the power of music as. As far as
a way to like, channel emotion
and what we're feeling and.
And tell story. And. And that to me, that was what was

(35:31):
the genius of. Of K pop Demon Hunter
was just the blending of that. And then of
course, it didn't hurt that it, you know, had the. The
spider verse esque, you
know, animation as we.

>> Sarah (35:44):
Yeah.

>> Will (35:45):
As well. So I think that was also another point that I think made it
very accessible to a lot of folks also because that's sort of the style
it's been. And it was made
by Sony also. So, you know, so
I think that's the style recently that people
do like.

>> Sarah (36:00):
So yeah, I think
spider verse did it better. But I did find this.
Find this facts. Okay. EXO did debut in
2012 and their debut song is called Mama.

>> Will (36:13):
Okay.

>> Sarah (36:14):
Okay. so a lot of Xols
will. Will say would say argue that,
your idol is pretty much Mama. And Mama is a
bizarre song in my opinion. It's a very
weird song. but
yeah, and that. That's another
thing. And I know that I'm referencing a lot of

(36:34):
boy groups, but I did hear for a lot
of people who are not familiar with K pop and
pretty much if you're
primarily familiar with western music,
yeah, you know K pop because you know, at least
bts. But girl K
pop groups are actually

(36:55):
who, how do I put this?
From what I understand it specifically in
Korea and arguably in Asia
in general, girl K pop is actually bigger than
boy K pop. So,
so I, I, I, it's not
exclusive to gender.

>> Will (37:15):
Yeah.

>> Sarah (37:16):
I want to make sure people are aware of
Blackpink is a huge girl
group, like just a worldwide girl group.
There's also Netflix came out with
Dream Academy which puts together a,
not a K pop group, although they, they
do go through the K pop system and do promote in
Korea. But Cat's ah, Eye

(37:39):
there are technically a world group. There's also.
I'm going to make a plug for this group because I find this group to
be fascinating. And they did just perform at
Coachella this past year. Xg. Have
I told you about xg?

>> Will (37:52):
Will, I think. Yeah, you have,
you have, you did.

>> Sarah (37:56):
Okay.

>> Will (37:56):
Yeah. And.

>> Sarah (37:57):
Okay.

>> Will (37:57):
Yeah.

>> Sarah (37:58):
So XG
is. Oh, I'm about to
lose my card. my card because I,
I suddenly was like XG is a, how many members
are in XJ xg? they are an
all female group who
are all Japanese.

(38:21):
They are born and raised in Japanese.
Okay. they, they are
under a Korean label,
therefore they actually,
promote in Korea. But all
of their songs is in prime.
Like I'm talking 99
English.

>> Will (38:41):
Wow.

>> Sarah (38:42):
So they, they, they are from Japan,
they sing in English and they
promote in Korea. Okay, wrap
your mind around that. Wrap your mind around that.
And, and, and they are fluent in
all three languages. Okay. And, and
Kakona can rap in all three languages

(39:03):
and so can Maya and so can
Jiren. It's insane if you haven't
watched the, the viral xg,
tapes as they call it. but, but
they're like, it's, it's
interesting how
the, the the K pop system,

(39:25):
is suddenly like between
XG and then Cat's Eye
kind of blew up. I don't know how long
they'll last though. That's just my opinion.
they, they're now a world group and they're
under one of the big four companies. So
between that and their drama on Netflix,

(39:46):
I know that they have a lot of buzz around them,
but you can tell that there is
something that the business
side of the music that's coming
out of Korea is very enticing,
not only for, for us in the US
but also worldwide because

(40:06):
they want to Tap into that. Because
of what, what you were just talking about not
too long about the, that fandom.
like, like I've heard some
commentary coming out of this movie and I have
to say, yeah, yeah,
it's, it's. People don't,

(40:28):
I don't think you quite understand the fandom,
until you're actually in it.
Because it, it just, it's like,
oh, yeah, I, I, I get it. I, I understand.
I'm like, no, no, you, you don't
understand. I have had, never had.
I, I live again for those who don't

(40:49):
don't understand. I live in Alaska.
Okay. I have to spend, I have to buy airline
tickets. I have to buy, I have to pay
for a hotel for at least two nights. I
have to be able to get transportation
to and from the venue and
I have to have the light stick and oh yeah,

(41:10):
the few times I've gone, I've, not the first time, but
I've seen ATS and Content concert now four times.
But I have to buy the merchandise. And we're
talking about jerseys that are about a hundred dollars.
Okay, so all of this is adding
up now. I,
I am a very responsible person.

(41:32):
I can attest to that, that for some
reason and, and I have
so far only done this for one group.
but I've, I, like,
I can't explain it in detail. It's just
like my desire to not only
support them, but to be

(41:53):
a part of that. That, to
have that experience for my memory.
Wow. Like, I have never. And oh yeah,
I have. Also talking because I've done
fan calls with two of the M members. Not to brag. Like,
I have. I have. and, and I, I
still have ptsd because son,

(42:17):
he is a demon. Will, he is a demon. He
stole my soul during that three
minute conversation. Too
close to the camera.

>> Will (42:28):
Yep, I remember that.
Remember doing some test test runs to make sure the platform
worked with before you.

>> Sarah (42:34):
Yeah.

>> Will (42:35):
Whenever you had the call, I was get it. yeah,
yeah. But I completely get what you're saying about fandom. And you know, like I said,
you know, I can appreciate it from an academic standpoint, but,
you know, but you. And, and
so it's just so enjoyable for me. You know,
I know whenever we, whenever we talked about
covering this film, a couple weeks back,

(42:56):
we, you know, yes, we, we are behind because
at this juncture, know, it's, it's,
it, it was already like popular and now it's just like
everywhere. I mean, truly everywhere.
but one Thing too, when you're talking about the girl K
pop fans. And I know we want to talk peacemaker as well tonight, but
that was one thing I did. To your point, they.

(43:19):
They also did address
that and that they are, you know, the. The
girl K pop bands. Clear. You know, Huntress
Huntrick is the band, you know, in the
world. And.

>> Sarah (43:32):
Oh, I thought you were gonna bring up the fact that they showed
twice singing the music at the end, which.
Twice the big group over there.

>> Will (43:41):
Yeah, that too. That too. Yeah. No, you. You brought
it up for me. But, yeah, but that. There's that. And then
also, just to let you know, the last thing I'll say about
it to you is just, you know, again, just, you know, from the
beginning where they just talked about how.
And we're going back to their point about story and song,
where you've had these trios throughout time. And

(44:02):
then, you know, they're clearly setting up the,
you know, Huntricks now. But then at the end of the film where you
have the
band, the girls see these younger three,
and I was just like, sequel.

>> Sarah (44:16):
See, I don't. I don't want them to go to the younger
girls. I actually want an understand.
I want a flashback. I want a prequel
because I, I want to know what happened with
Rami's roomies. Ah, birth mom,
M. And birth father. I. I want to.
I want to. I want to be told that story. Because that story
sounded fascinating.

>> Will (44:38):
Yeah.

>> Sarah (44:38):
But to continue on this point
about story and song, which I'm so
glad you brought up again because this is really,
something I want to talk about that I don't think people
quite understand. K Pop.
Another unique thing about K Pop and K Pop's music.

(44:59):
A, lot of groups have not only a
concept, but a storyline.
A storyline
storyline. And we're talking
the music, the lyrics of the music,
the, the the performances,
the music videos are all connected.

(45:21):
BTS is notorious for having what they
call the BU storyline
to the point where there's a movie, I believe, that's
available on Amazon that is. Came, out
recently. and it. And it basically took
all of those and created the.
Told the overall story of the BU

(45:41):
storyline. there's a group called Enhyphen
who just finished touring the States.
they are, they have a vampire concept and
they have a whole storyline. Ateez
has one of the most fascinating stories
and in my very, very biased opinion.
Okay. And it's what drew me in.

(46:03):
And they. They have it to a Point where there's
a world A and there's a world Z.

>> Will (46:09):
Okay?

>> Sarah (46:10):
And there's a, there's a Chromer device
that transports them. I, it
would, we would be on this podcast for another two hours
storyline for y'. All. But that is what
sold me when I started
figuring out the storyline and I
watched YouTube explanations on

(46:32):
it. And now all of a
sudden, and to this day, I will watch
a reactor react to one of their
albums that came out in
2018 or 2019.
And I will continue to take screenshots of
lyrics on these, about these songs and be
like, oh, my God, there,

(46:54):
there's a song called Desire that they released on their
second album. And there's a lyric about
not being able to see but just being able to feel.
Well, there's now like, fast
forward seven years later, they released a song called
Blind, which is all about
desire. So it
is, it is so connected. It's, it's

(47:17):
just the, and then also their
albums, their, their
albums are. There's three versions of the
albums. Again, capitalism
at its finest. Right? And
you have the A version, the Z version, and then what we call
the diary version. Like, the diary
versions have chapters.

(47:40):
Like we're talking books.
Like, like, so, so I,
I, I, think you're right. Like,
I think what they nailed
is that idea that,
that me, it's, it's. I wouldn't even call this a
musical. It's just that the music

(48:01):
helped reinforce ideas
about or themes within this story
that they're telling, which is
a very K pop thing that
I, I into. Until
you find it, it just goes over your head.
And this is my last thing. And I just have to make this

(48:22):
plus plug, because I will tell
you, there are two songs
that, that arguably is
what sold me on this idea of the,
of the K pop story. And if I
have any recommendations, it would be these two
songs, and they're actually BTS songs.

>> Will (48:42):
Okay.

>> Sarah (48:43):
If you are at all, after watching this
movie, interested in this idea of
storytelling and music,
go and watch the music video for BTS's
Spring Day.

>> Will (48:56):
Okay?

>> Sarah (48:57):
Okay. Watch that music video
without lyrics and then with lyrics. Okay.
Then on YouTube, there's
explanations and you
will trust me. It doesn't take very long before you
get the right explanation videos for the Spring Day.
Not only song, but music video.

(49:19):
Okay?

>> Will (49:20):
Okay.

>> Sarah (49:22):
It's a whole thing. The other song.
And, and I would, I would, I recommend
listening to the song with.
Find the lyric video so you understand, but
then find their performance of it.
Oh my God, I love the performance. Magic Shop.
Magic Shop has some of the

(49:44):
most beautiful lyrics. And if you
don't know what a magic shop is,
look it up. Because. Because it
just. It just, It makes.
Like, once you start figuring
out. And we're not even talking translations,
we're just talking, like, why are they using that metaphor?

(50:06):
Well, Magic Shop relates to. Actually
a psychological thing
to. To find hope in peace. if
I remember correctly. But, those are the
two songs I would recommend, so.

>> Will (50:19):
Yeah, yeah. Place of Healing and Self Discovery. Yeah, yeah. I
mean, yeah, yeah. I was looking it up.

>> Sarah (50:25):
Yeah. Place appealing. Yeah. So.
So, Yeah, yeah, I can. I.
I have listened to,
Magic Shop has, like. It's not a song I play all
the time, but, as I'm talking about
it, this is what K Pop does for me. I
can hear the chorus play in my head,

(50:46):
like. And I was. So I was talking to my mom the
other week. I was like. I was like, it's so
weird to me how there are songs I haven't
listened to in maybe a year. And I'll wake up one
day and it'll just be playing in my head
randomly. And I'm like, I don't even listen to that song so
much. What are you doing? But, So

(51:08):
now that we've spent an hour talking about K
Pop Demon Hunters, clearly I could
talk longer. But we do need to
talk about peace. Baker.

>> Will (51:18):
Yeah, yeah. Before. Before, I. I know I said I
was dumb, but I do. I am curious. What
of the songs in K Pop Demon Hunters,
which one was your favorite?

>> Sarah (51:30):
I. The. The. I wouldn't say
any of them. Like, I will be honest. I didn't download any
of them. not because I didn't like any of them, because I
just. It's, I don't know. I. I just. I wasn't
like, oh, I want to listen to this all the time.
Golden, has gotten stuck in my head the most.

>> Will (51:47):
Okay.

>> Sarah (51:50):
The K Pop Idols. The boy K Pop
Idols cover of Golden.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. My boy Jungle.
Yep.

>> Will (51:59):
Anyway, for me, it's what it sounds like,
but, But Golden's also very, very close. Yeah,
Golden's very close as well. But,

>> Sarah (52:07):
Yeah, yeah.
All right, so now,
that I've ex, Like, like,
exhausted myself on K Pop Demon Hunters.
so I have very little energy for this Peacemaker discussion. We
are going to talk. Episode one, the Ties that Grind.
Peacemaker interviews for a spot on the Justice Gang,

(52:27):
while Harcourt struggles to find work on the
heels of
why do they put her name at the
bombshell, press conference, economics
is Economists is forced to surveil
Peacemaker while under Rick Filig's senior's
new management. Well, okay,

(52:48):
all right, well, what do you think about Peacemaker?

>> Will (52:52):
Picked up right where I left off. I will say
though, the just, just, just out, out of the gate.
The, the I
loved everything about it except I will say
the iconic season one
opening. The season two opening did not do
it as much for me. I liked it, but you know, but I

(53:12):
just, that's just, that's just my own personal preference.
But but as far as the show itself, I
really, really did enjoy it. And
and I really liked
the fact that, you know, we, we,
we were finding these characters after saving the
world. you know, this is where

(53:33):
speaking of story, as we were talking about before with K Pop
Demon Hunters and how story works. And
I think for me what Peacemaker
really shows is how
solid a storyteller James Gun really
is. Because, I think of two,
two key, two key scenes that happen in this

(53:53):
episode. And you probably know which one too. I'm talking about
for, for, for Chris and for,
for Harcourt. And
yeah, you know, there's a lot of discussion of shock value about the
orgy and all that kind of stuff. But to me,
what Peacemaker was
really seeking there in, in that, in

(54:14):
that scene and also with hardcore and her going to the
bar fight wasn't about the shock value
or her just kicking some ass. It was just really
both of them just having a hole in their soul
that they're trying to like, find
meaning and, and a
purpose that you ah, know, that
really was one of the things that just sort of

(54:37):
really resonated throughout
this, this, this first episode for.

>> Sarah (54:42):
Me, to just focus
on one of those scenes and one of those
characters first, Harcourt, Is
it wrong to know that she was
a. Appropriately diagnosed. Like she
does have toxic masculinity.

>> Will (55:02):
She does.

>> Sarah (55:04):
Let's call a spade a spade.
Yeah, Yeah, I think I,
I, I agree, to an extent that,
that Harcourt clearly,
just lost and very
out of her element being blackballed,
blacklisted by Amanda Waller.

(55:27):
so, and, and not
knowing like she,
she knows nothing else. And a lot
of, a lot of people, who
lose their jobs or find
theirself at somewhat of a urgent early
midlife crisis. They, they go through that
period of like,

(55:49):
what am I? Like what is this all for? In that
purpose? And the purpose. Ah,
now I, I'm unlike you. I have not re Watched
The Peacemaker Season 1, but I
do vaguely recall purpose being
a fundamental theme of
season one. And it's continues because

(56:09):
even though the season one
arc wrapped up, and they did save the world,
it doesn't mean like these guys have
suddenly found themselves, and it's also
interesting that it's, it's not only Peacemaker,
like this whole gang now,
and I'm not talking justice gang, this whole crew

(56:30):
has, has now find
found themselves displaced. And I, I
think, I think what really hit that nail on,
in terms of these other characters, not I'm not
talking Chris Chris slash Peacemaker quite yet,
but was that whole scene with,
economists and
Abio.

(56:55):
Abio. I'm gonna get it by the end of the
season. Abio, and when he
tells her, like, I've been,
Sir, I've been tasked to serve
run surveillance on, on Chris's
house and, and I found this
evidence of him and this dimension.

(57:16):
And I don't like, I, I
thought the actor did a good job of clearly,
even though it's not like, oh, I've known him since
I was five years old. There's a clear loyalty
slash bond there
that he can't, he can't, he
can't in good faith suddenly

(57:36):
just like, be like, well, I'm just doing my job,
while at the same time it's kind of like, but
this is my job. And
I like the conflict was very
real there. And I like how
it was bounced off of Amanda
Waller's job daughter, who is Al,
who, who's one of them who's

(57:59):
taking like this opposite, like,
while, while everyone else is kind of like,
I don't know what to do
because I can't do the thing I was meant to
do anymore. She's like, I
got my cards. We're gonna, we're
positivity. We're gonna do this. I was kicked

(58:19):
out of my house. Like, like me and
my girl aren't together anymore more. But, you know,
we're, we're still alive.

>> Will (58:27):
Yep. Yeah, that's a good point. I mean, you
know, yeah,
I didn't really think of it that way. But you're right. She,
she does have her stuff together.

>> Sarah (58:38):
I mean, she, I, I don't, I didn't say
that.

>> Will (58:43):
Relatives, relative, relative to
everyone else.

>> Sarah (58:47):
I, I, I don't think she's has her stuff together
together. I think she's,
I think she's putting on a false
mask of confidence
because, if she were to. Because
it's not just that her job is to
her personal life went to. So she's

(59:09):
very similar in a way. She's more
similar to what's going on with Chris right now
than then hardcore where.
Where she is suddenly. And. And also
the betrayal with her mom. Like. Like,
I feel like the. The mask
she put up is

(59:30):
such a statement of falsehood when. But
it's. It's just like if I were
to. To really look at all
of the. That is going wrong in my life right
now, I would probably commit suicide. That, you know,
like. Like it's a. It's a defense mechanism
is what I'm trying to say more. So. But

(59:50):
it also allows there to be,
balance among all these characters where they're.
They are going through similar things, but they're having
different responses, which I think is necessary
so that we can see different
how. How different individuals would respond

(01:00:10):
on. In this situation. I mean, arguably,
she's taken more of the vigilante
route.

>> Will (01:00:20):
Yeah, vigilante's back at. Yeah, he's back at the. Back at
the restaurant. And. And, You know, and
still. Yeah, I love that call between him.
Economist with the whole owl thing. And,
And, you know. And again, he just really wants that belonging
because he.

>> Sarah (01:00:36):
Because, well, it's. It's
belonging with this group of people
more so than. Than. It's not the same
belonging as Harcourt is missing
with. Like, I need to
do the thing that I've been doing, and
it's all I've ever known. Like,
vigilante. On that phone call, you don't get

(01:00:58):
the sense that he's mad, that he's still
like a waiter or anything. He's just like, I'm still living
my life. But now I have these people that I can
continue to call even though they clearly don't want to
talk to me and have
these nuanced conversations with. And then, like,
I'm gonna go and invite myself to this guy who

(01:01:18):
I barely know, sweating. Like. Like. Yeah,
his life.

>> Will (01:01:22):
So that's his life. Yeah, I mean,
he's. I think he is. Yeah. I mean, he is,
I guess Mo. Maybe the most constant. Yeah,
yeah, yeah. He. He is who he is.
And. And to your point, I'm glad you. I'm glad you, like,
corrected me there about Adebayo. And. And really, she doesn't have
things together because you're right. Yeah, she's. She really is

(01:01:43):
trying to, like, you know, she's trying to set herself up and
really, you know, go into, like. What was the 11th Street
Kids? is. I think the name of Their, their little, Little
Mary band, and, and
going full forward with this. But you're right. I mean, everything else in her
life is just, has gone to the weight, you know, to
shambles. And, and, and, and so

(01:02:05):
I'm glad, I'm really glad you brought that up.

>> Sarah (01:02:08):
So she's pushing all of her stock on, on
Chris and Peacemaker, and that's why she
felt like a stage mom taking her kid to an
audition. Like, we got
these cars. You're gonna do great. Okay. And
are we at the right place? Like, it truly felt
like a parent dropping their child off

(01:02:29):
at a weird place to, audition for some
kind of weird movie.

>> Will (01:02:33):
Yeah, it was, it did feel like
that. I totally got stage parent vibes. I was like,
I, I did. That was, that's a great call
there. That, with that. And then of course, the whole, the
whole moment there with, with the
interview with Matthew Lord.

>> Sarah (01:02:51):
Yeah, that went on just a little too Lord.

>> Will (01:02:53):
Max Lord. And, yeah,
you know, I, I, yeah, I, I, I will
say that, yeah, I agree. It, it, it worked for a
moment, but when they started going into the popcorn and,
and the butt and, and all that kind of stuff, I was like, okay,
James T. Tighten that up a little bit because you had a great scene
there. But it did go a bit long. I would.

>> Sarah (01:03:16):
I'm just gonna go back one second because I will say,
th. This was a, I think this is a good episode, especially
for a first episode of the season. However, I
would have liked it more had there been more Vigilante. I'm
just saying Vigilante is my favorite character. I'm just saying
Vigilante more, please. But then again, then again,
when we get too much of him, I'll be like, okay, real it is.

(01:03:39):
But yeah, I, so I think with
that scene and where the conversation was going
and to go back to your point that you brought up a little bit
about all of the, the
orgy of it all. Okay.

>> Will (01:03:53):
Yeah.

>> Sarah (01:03:53):
First, this show is never
gonna be the Boys. So
don't, don't like
we. Because we watch the boys.
It's kind of like hero gasm. Yeah,
I, I don't, I don't need the
boys outside of the boys. And we are getting
ready for the, gen v

(01:04:16):
season 2 at the end of next month.
which surprisingly, we'll be covering while we wrap
up Peacemaker, which is funny, but
it's just, I,
I, I, I, and I will be honest,
like, I, I kind of hate that they
went that far because, and I hate it

(01:04:38):
because I was so over all
of that that I did not pick up on a
lot of the nuances. and it took me a
moment to actually get back into the episode
once he goes into the other,
the other dimension and
meets his brother and everything and his,

(01:04:59):
and his father. Like, it took me a moment because I
was still, I was like, kind of like
I felt like I left the episode. I'm like, okay, you have
your orgy, whatever, I'm gonna be here.
I don't really care about any of the stuff.
It's, I do similar things when action
sequences go on for too long. Like I will just.

>> Will (01:05:20):
You do.

>> Sarah (01:05:20):
I will just check out and then I have to check back in
and then suddenly the stake of the third
act is lost on me. Or I like, could
care less because like, you took
me out there.

>> Will (01:05:33):
yeah, that is something that is, that, that is
very true. So I, so when you said that, I didn't even think it
was because of all this, you know, all the nidity and
everything else and just all just. Yeah,
I, Yeah, because you, you share the same sentiment.
And about that, I think for me it,
Okay, I, I, I had

(01:05:54):
several, you know, you know, thought the
boys, I also thought, Doom Patrol, I think they had a
similar type of out, you know,
outlandish scene. But, but where,
where it did pull me back where I did start to realize
that like, oh, he's just really trying. He's, he's just,
he, he's trying. None of this stuff is soothing

(01:06:14):
for him. I mean, one of the, one of the good things that did come out of that
overlong scene when he was auditioning with the,
with the justice gang was the fact, you know, they did
bring up the fact that he's a free spirit.

>> Sarah (01:06:24):
Oh, I thought you were gonna say he's a great.

>> Will (01:06:28):
Well that too.

>> Sarah (01:06:30):
because they did. Will, when you were re
watching season one. I don't remember a scene
like that occurring or any kind of idea.
Was there any innuendos that he
partaked because.

>> Will (01:06:45):
Okay, yeah, yeah, so I knew he was bisexual.
I didn't know that. They did, they do reference, I'm.

>> Sarah (01:06:50):
Not talking about the bisexuality of it all, but
I, I, I think a few people have pointed out
he's fully closed. Closed
during that entire sequence. And that's a red
flag. Why? Because
if you're gonna do it, then do it.
Like to me there was just, it's,

(01:07:11):
it's not even the new, nudity.
and and all of that, it's more just like.
Because again, we watched the boys.
We. Doom Patrol had an episode too,
but the characters, their
responses to those events
made sense. And so it felt like,
okay, I can see these characters in this

(01:07:32):
situation. For some reason
I was just like, so this is just
the scene where you're trying to be the boys, but you're not the boys?
Because. Yeah, like, I don't. I, I thought it
was more like him getting high.
Okay. But to have a full on
orgy, like, I don't, I don't know,
it just, it didn't even feel like an orgy

(01:07:55):
though. It felt like just people were having
sex all over his house.

>> Will (01:08:00):
Yeah, it felt like people were having sex sometimes, but I think for me,
whenever. So what, what pulled me back in,
honestly was actually when he went to the, the
cupboard to pull out the coke and
for a rainy day. And that's when I was just like, ah, I
get it. He, you know. Yeah, he's just,
he is because of what we talked about earlier

(01:08:20):
and you know, he, you know, he's.
And after he's dejected from the interview and
everything else, he, he was just, he's just looking
for that escape and looking for something
to like, just fill that, that, that void that he
was filling. And so that's where I was just like. And you know,
none of this is satisfying. So that's where. That's

(01:08:40):
where doing the lines of cocaine is.
Where it was just like, okay, I get it now. That. So,
so it, so
yeah, the visual aspect of it. Yeah, a moment. But then
after that, then I got back in it and got back
in the story and of course when he went to the, into the closet, and
went to the other dimension and, and everything, yeah, that

(01:09:02):
was just, you know, again, Cena's acting chops and how much
better actor he's gotten even since season one really did
come across there with, with Keith and all the
story as far as, you know, when, when they had the
previously on, and how they like
book into that with, you know, going into another
universe which apparently, apparently in the, in the quantum,

(01:09:22):
realm there it's like 99 doors. So they have any
number of stories they could tell with that. And that's another thing too.
I think GUN does a good job. You know, it
reminded me a lot of everywhere, every everywhere all at
once. where they did a good job of
how. Of m. Utilizing the multiverse in a
story. Not to be the gimmick, but to just

(01:09:42):
Basically a gateway to, like, tell
the deeper story. The story here as far as, like,
the life that I could have had.

>> Sarah (01:09:50):
Oh, yeah.

>> Will (01:09:52):
And it's. And. And a father that actually loves him and
doesn't, you know, berate him every moment.

>> Sarah (01:09:58):
Yeah, yeah. The. It. It is
a good. Using, that,
mechanism in a way to continue
telling a story that you've already started.
for sure. so,
So naturally he kills the other version of
himself at the end,

(01:10:20):
which is how we conclude the episode where
we. We realize the, the
Peacemaker of this alternate
reality, other dimension, however you want to call
it. And he confronts,
Peacemaker Number One, and they get in a battle
and Peacemaker, number
One uses the jet pack against him, which

(01:10:43):
I did. I did listen to the
Peacemaker after show
with. With James Gun, where they brought up that the, the
jet pack was actually something that our
Peacemaker requested in the very first
episode of season one. Very cool tie in,
I will have to say. Other than that.
Not a fan of the after show. Not a

(01:11:06):
fan.

>> Will (01:11:06):
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Episodes.
And. Yeah, I. Some. Some are better than
others.

>> Sarah (01:11:12):
Yeah, I just. I. I don't know if I'm
gonna dab my toe back into that because
they. It felt too much like, oh, you did
this good. You did that kid. And I'm like, talk about
the actual, like, story. Story applied for people.
Yeah, kudos.

>> Will (01:11:28):
Yeah. I think this is where, you know, James's ego
sometimes gets the better of him. It would be
better served if he had an actual. Another host
to, like, bounce off of.

>> Sarah (01:11:39):
Yeah, I. I felt like it was
more. His employees were centered around
him. That's. That's not a good thing. I. I think he actually did
want to talk about the show, and they kept bringing up.
And I'm like, dudes, cut it off. Anyway.
yeah, but, yeah, but yeah, it sets us up for
what looks, to be a solid

(01:11:59):
Season two. and.

>> Will (01:12:02):
And we can't have. We can't have any
analysis without, of course, mentioning the Retcon. just for
those folks who need it. I just wanted to point it out. So they
did it. And. And hopefully we never hear
anything more about. Is it canon?

>> Sarah (01:12:16):
Oh, oh, we're gonna hear about it again and again.

>> Will (01:12:18):
Oh, yeah.

>> Sarah (01:12:19):
Oh, yeah. It's a talking point.
Did, Do you remember if they. If they. Did
they actually change the. The
finale of the first season or did
they.

>> Will (01:12:33):
No, they kept it. They. They left it. They left
it in.

>> Sarah (01:12:37):
Yeah.

>> Will (01:12:38):
Yeah. One thing they did change though, and I did learn that,
that I did learn from the, the, the, the
after show was the whole thing about Guy
Gardner and the puke machine and stuff. apparently I
guess that that scene was filmed for the first
season.

>> Sarah (01:12:53):
Right.

>> Will (01:12:53):
But it couldn't use it. so that I
was so whenever, whenever I I watched episode
Thursday night because I still want to get spoiled about the dance number.
but I watched it again last night and
with the knowledge of, about that and I did see how,
how they cut Wolf
that cut scene from season one as far as Guy

(01:13:14):
and the puke machine, into, into this
episode when they were whenever
Gardner was like talking about how he thought it was like he has some puke fetish.
But but other than that, everything, everything else
from season one was pretty much how, how it
was from, from when I watched it before, the first
time around. And then of course you know, there's obviously

(01:13:35):
the tie ins with Rick Flag and everything now with
Superman and, and all that. And I, I did
watch a, I, I haven't finished Creature Commando, so I,
I don't know how things sort of ended there, but
I, but I do, I will say, Frank Grillo,
as Rick Flag. Yeah. I'm very
curious to see where things go with, with this story. And

(01:13:55):
then I know to Meadows and and and then Sol
Rodriguez is the
Rick Flag's assistant. So. Yeah. So. Well,
you know, with whole, the whole argus of it all, there's
a lot of things I'm sure it'll like have some tie ins Superman and
other parts of the justice, you know, the now the
DCU moving forward. Which you know, I will say,

(01:14:16):
you know, I, I, I, I do like the fact
that tonally we
don't, it's not cookie cutter, with, with what
that, what I've seen from the three projects so far in, in
dcu, which is nice.

>> Sarah (01:14:31):
Yeah. I, but I think it's consistent.

>> Will (01:14:38):
I lost you there.

>> Sarah (01:14:40):
Oh. Oh. I, I said I think, I think it's
consistent.

>> Will (01:14:44):
Yeah. Yeah.

>> Sarah (01:14:45):
Like, like I, I think
the, the two projects I've seen
because I didn't watch Creature Commandos, are
consistent in tone.

>> Will (01:14:56):
Yeah.

>> Sarah (01:14:56):
And, and I think to an extent
like some of the later projects in
dcu, like, like the, it,
it's a weird thing because
this, it, I'm not
saying it's the same. I'm not, I'm not trying
to make this sound like a bad thing or a

(01:15:18):
detriment, but I am saying what
I'm trying to Say is it.
It feels like dc.
It doesn't feel like a brand new, like, oh,
that was the dcu, and this is this. And
you can, you can tell there, like, there's a big

(01:15:39):
chain. No, because the later
projects in the DCU were like,
similarly colored, similarly
toned. It.

>> Will (01:15:49):
Yeah.

>> Sarah (01:15:50):
So, like, Like, I'm not, I'm not talking Justice
League or anything, but though those last
handful of projects that came out in the
2020,

>> Will (01:16:02):
Aquaman. Yeah, they all had that same. Yeah, yeah, I know.

>> Sarah (01:16:05):
Yeah, yeah. It's,
it's so, so it's, it's not
cookie cutter, but it's also, it's. I
wouldn't say it's like, oh, you have like,
all of these different genres or these, the
different world. I mean, the one outlier is the
Batman. But that, that, that
has been. That's between, between

(01:16:27):
the retcon and that whole
situationship. And I'm just gonna call it a
situationship. yeah,
D.C. still, still manages to make
the headlines. Even when they don't got much going on. They
still will get their headlines in there with the,
the, the constant. Because I, I
think. I think the DCU could run, the DC

(01:16:49):
could run circles around Marvel if they ever release
the, the actual shenanigans
behind their business model.
I think a lot of the DC projects over the last
20 years are much more fascinating when we
learn the truth about what actually happened. And I'm

(01:17:09):
at you, Shazam, and. Or at, ah, you Black
Adam. Should I say, meant to say Black Adam.
yeah, so, so I just. Man,
those documentaries are gonna make billions.

>> Will (01:17:21):
Yeah, all the tea, all the TE's out on the street about those
projects, for sure.

>> Sarah (01:17:25):
Yeah. All right, well,
on, that note, will, why don't you tell our listeners where they can
find you?
Hello.

>> Will (01:17:37):
I L, L M M P O L K.
Okay.

>> Sarah (01:17:41):
And you can find me there, too, at SJ Belmont
SJBLmon M T. Please follow our crew on
Twitter @SCHener Nerd on
Blue Sky. Friend us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram
and threads at scene ncore nerd, and
visit our website,
www.scenrdpodcast.com. but
most importantly, rate, follow and comment on Apple Podcast,

(01:18:01):
Spotify, YouTube, or wherever your podcast. Good night, Geek out.
You're welcome.

>> Will (01:18:13):
Sam.