Fallout Season 2, Zelda Movie First Look, And Our Birthday "Shallow Dives"

This week Frank celebrates his birthday in the studio with Jon, keeps the vibes relaxed, and still manages to pack in a full slate of geek news and debates. The two kick things off with updates on Shogun Season 2, breaking down the ten year time jump, the politics of feudal Japan, and how Western audiences connect with Asian history and tropes on screen. From there they pivot to Valve's newly announced Steam Machine concept and what it means for the future of consoles, PC gaming, and cloud streaming.

Then it is trailer time. Frank and John react to the new Fallout Season 2 trailer and its New Vegas setting, the Super Mario Galaxy movie trailer from Illumination, and the first official images from the live action Legend of Zelda movie. They also dig into Disney's Moana live action remake and use it as a springboard to talk about when fans want faithful recreations and when they actually want a fresh take.

In the second half, Frank launches a new recurring bit called Shallow Dives, a timed debate game where one host takes a position and the other plays devil's advocate. Topics this round include whether physical media is really coming back, if critic and audience scores should be hidden for a movie's first week, and how central cosplay is to modern fandom. The episode wraps with recommendations for Welcome to Derry and a timely revisit of V for Vendetta.

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Timestamps and Topics

• 00:00 – Birthday intro, in person recording, and why this episode is more relaxed

• 01:00 – Shogun Season 2 news, ten year time jump, and how the show handles Japanese history and European trade politics

• 05:30 – Valve's new Steam Machine concept, console vs PC, and why price point might decide its fate

• 11:20 – Fallout Season 2 trailer reaction, New Vegas connections, Elvis ghoul Kings, and Macaulay Culkin's role

• 15:40 – Super Mario Galaxy movie trailer, Bowser in a jar, Bowser Jr, Rosalina, and Illumination's animation style and music

• 18:20 – First look at the live action Legend of Zelda movie and a deeper talk about faithful adaptations vs reinterpretations

• 24:00 – Moana live action trailer, shot for shot remakes, green screen fatigue, and who these remakes are really for

• 28:15 – Introducing Shallow Dives, the 5 minute debate game and how it might work at conventions

• 29:30 – Shallow Dive 1: Is physical media actually making a comeback or is streaming still king

• 35:00 – Shallow Dive 2: Should critic and audience scores be hidden for the first week of release

• 41:00 – Shallow Dive 3: Is cosplay a core part of fandom or its own parallel hobby

• 46:20 – Weekly recommendations: Welcome to Derry and why V for Vendetta still matters

• 48:10 – Wrap up and sign off

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Key Takeaways