Discerning Geeks Portal

One of Preston's favorite shows is the classic "Twilight Zone," and this week, he and Todd review the episodes "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" and "Two." These two episodes examine the timeless issues of fear, paranoia, war, and peace. Note: Due to a crunch time trying to release "Discerning Geeks Portal" episode #206, "Alienating Ourselves" episode #036, and "Discerning Lurkers Portal: A Babylon 5 Podcast" episode #019, all in the same morning before lunch...no long summaries this time (at least not at first; maybe I'll come back and edit the episode summaries later). Please rate or review us wherever you listen to podcasts. E-Mail addresses: - [email protected] - [email protected] - [email protected] Some royalty-free music used in these episodes comes from Pixabay.com. The theme song used in "Discerning Lurkers Portal" is "Putin's Lullaby" by Alexander Nakarada, CC04 (royalty-free with attribution).

This week, the Geeks take a look at the middle three episodes of "Pluribus" season 1. This is where we see Carol playing amateur detective, trying to figure out a way of getting more truth out of the hive mind and finding out what their mysterious milk-like nutrition is actually made of. Note: At the time this episode is being released, the 2026 Emmy Awards were very recent. Rhea Seahorn won for Best Actress, and show creator Vince Gilligan won for Best Writing (both for the 1st episode, "We Is Us"). - How is the hive mind being manipulative? How much are they lying despite claiming that they can't lie? - When the hive mind praises Carol's writing, are they actually telling her their version of the truth, just sucking up, manipulating her, or all of the above? - In what ways is Carol's situation so different from the other 12 unaffected people, and how does that make her harder to manipulate? - What major issue does one Geek have with Manousos's introduction? - When the hive mind chants to Carol at the hospital, "Please, Carol," is that the hive *being* freaked out by her, the hive trying to freak Carol out, or a little of both? And, what exactly does, "Please, Carol" mean, since it's not obvious that it's a complete thought? - What is impressive about Carol's efforts to investigate the hive's motivations & secrets but both impressive & frustrating about her attempts to convey those things to the other unjoined? - In what ways does Carol continue to be low-tech? - Is there any greater symbolism involved in Carol having a handcuff stuck on her wrist for a few episodes? - Is there any significance to there being three types of "milk" that the hive members are constantly drinking? - What are the bad & good aspects of the big reveal...spoilers...that the hive members are eating Human Derived Protein (dead people)? - With John Cena being a former wrestler, what did Preston (a huge wrestling fan) think of Cena's interesting & unexpected cameo in episode 6? - How well is Carol's forced solitude portrayed? - What are the Geeks' differing views as to why Carol cried in the bathroom in Las Vegas and about who failed at something? - Is there anything more to be read into the moment that Diabate copies Carol when she makes a sandwich out of the four or five different items he makes her for breakfast? - Out of the 13 unaffected, Carol is one of only two people not satisfied with the new world situation and the only American. Is there any greater meaning behind the show's almost-sole hero being American, or is that just a natural result of the show being written by an American and produced in America? - How did the hive mess up in trying to appease Manousos? - And, what else are the Geeks watching on TV lately? Listen now for the answers to these and other life sustaining questions as we consume the middle three episodes of..."Pluribus." Please rate or review us wherever you listen to podcasts. You can leave comments on individual episodes via the Spotify & GoodPods apps. Our e-mail address is [email protected]. Royalty-free music used in this episode comes from Pixabay.com.

The Discerning Geeks Portal finally went to the movie theater this summer (one of us twice, for the same movie). We went to see the same movie that $2 billion worth of other people also went to see..."Spider-Man: Brand New Day." - Why is the good stuff section of this review called, "Flowers, Legos, and Russian Baths"? - In what ways did the co-hosts differ in their opinions of Frank Castle / Punisher, and how he fit (or didn't fit) in a Spider-Man movie? - In which ways was this movie similar to...and different from...the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man movies? - One criticism of the movie is wondering how Peter Parker affords his high tech gadgets when he's Spider-Man full-time. What were the co-hosts' theories of how Peter might be staying self-sufficient? - Did the co-hosts like the inclusion of Detective Jean DeWolff as an ally to Spider-Man? - Were there any strong feelings about the sets and/or practical effects in the movie? - How well does the movie portray Peter, Ned, and M.J., as the trio they used to be and could potentially be again? - Did the Geeks have any strong opinions about mechanical webshooters vs. organic webshooters? Are they open-minded to a possible mythical version of Spider-Man powers, as explored in the comics during J. Michael Straczynski's run as writer? - How many ways does one of the Geeks feel this movie sets up the X-Men? - Why is the bad stuff section of this review called "Bullets, Cuss Words, and Green Rage Monsters"? - Is this less fun and/or less humorous than previous "Spider-Man" movies, and is that good, bad, or a little of both? - How did one co-host contradict himself about the good & bad of this movie's pacing? - What were the good & bad things about the closing credits? - What did the Geeks save for spoiler section? - What was one Geek's biggest problem with the movie, too spoilery to talk about in the non-spoiler section, but which reminds him of the way Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch) was handled in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness"? Why did that Geek dislike this part badly enough that he'd be okay with one of the next two "Avengers" movies undoing it all? - And, what do the Geeks think about Spider-Man's place in the MCU, past, present, and future? Listen now for the answers to these and other web-slinging questions as we have a brand new review for..."Spider-Man: Brand New Day." Please rate us or review us wherever you listen to podcasts. You can leave comments on individual episodes via the Spotify & GoodPods apps. Our email address is [email protected]. Royalty-free music used in this episode came from Pixabay.com.

Preston & Todd review the first three episodes of "Pluribus," one of their favorite shows of the previous season. The world is hit with an alien virus that turns humanity into a hive mind. Fantasy romance author Carol Sturka is one of very few humans, barely over a dozen, in the whole world unaffected and still maintaining individuality and free thought. Episode 1, "We Is Us," is about the horror show that occurs when the virus first hits, including the death of Carol's wife Helen, and Carol's discovery of what is going on and why (vaguely) she is somehow unique. Episode 2, "Pirate Lady," is about the aftermath of the virus being unleashed, the hive assigning a beautiful "chaperone" named Zosia for the rebellious & stubborn Carol, and Carol's insistence in meeting others unaffected by the virus. The meeting takes place in Spain, only includes others who speak English, and reveals that Carol is the only one who seems to have a problem with the results of the virus. Episode 3, "Grenade," shows a flashback of Carol and her wife visiting an ice hotel after Carol had her eggs frozen. In the present, Carol tests the hive with certain demands & requests to see just how far the hive is willing to go to try to please her. Listen now as Preston & Todd explore the motivations & methods of the hive mind, the distribution of the virus, the show's religious allegories & numerology, the relevance of Carol Sturka as LGBT, the "families" of the remaining unaffected being hive but still pretending to be family members, the similarities between Zosia and Helen, the virus's comparison to AI, an unexpected Winston-Salem reference in a throwaway line of dialogue, and much, much more. Note: There is a spoiler section at the end for discussion about references to the remaining six "Pluribus" episodes. Preston & Todd plan to review those episodes as well. Please rate or review us wherever you listen to podcasts. You can leave comments on individual episodes on the Spotify and GoodPods apps. Our e-mail address is [email protected]. Royalty-free music in this episode comes from Pixabay.com.

Preston & Todd are back to review great TV shows of 2026. Which shows are we recommending to each other and to you, the audience? Which shows are we both watching? Are they all great, or are there any disappointments so far? And, what are we looking forward to in the near future? In this episode, we cover the following packed list of shows... - A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (season 1) - Alton Brown’s YouTube Show - Atypical (season 4) - Dark Winds (season 4) - Death Clock (movie) - Doc (season 2) - Fallout (season 2) - For All Mankind (5th/penultimate season) - Found (season 2) - Game of Thrones (via reaction videos on three YouTube channels: Popcorn In Ben, Reel Rejects, and the Kristian Harloff channel) - Ghosts (season 5) - Hacks (5th/final season) - High Potential (season 2) - Hijack (season 2) - House of the Dragon (season 3; just started) - Horror & animation on YouTube - Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous (season 5) - King of the Hill (season 14; season 15 coming soon) - Mindhunter (Preston's rewatch; two seasons) - Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (seasons 1 & 2) - Monsters (serial killer documentaries) - National Geographic documentaries - Outlander (8th/final season) - Paradise (2nd/penultimate season) - Pluribus (season 1) - Predator Badlands (movie, not TV) - Reckless Ben YouTube Channel - Regular Show: The Lost Tapes (season 1) - Scrubs (season 10) - South Park (specials) - Star Trek: Starfleet Academy (season 1) - The Ark (season 3 coming soon) - The Burroughs (season 1; cancelled on the day we recorded the update) - The Following (Preston’s binge watch) - The Hunting Wives (season 1) - The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs (7th/final season) - The Mandalorian & Grogu (theatrical movie probably coming to Disney+ soon due to disappointing box office numbers) - The Mentalist (Preston’s rewatch) - The Muppet Show (pilot) - The Pitt (season 2) - The Rookie (season 8) - The Way Home (first 3 seasons; 4th/final season coming to Netflix…sometime) - Tulsa King (season 3) - Wolfwalkers (animated TV movie) - Wonder Man (season 1) - X-Men '97 (season 2 coming soon) - Young Sherlock (season 1) Note: The first hour and 40 minutes were recorded a while back. The last hour was recorded a week ago as an update. The update includes further discussion on shows previously mentioned, plus a few new shows, some movies, and TV seasons coming soon. Please rate or review us wherever you listen to podcasts. You can leave comments on episodes via certain apps, like Spotify and GoodPods. Our e-mail address is [email protected]. Royalty-free music used in this episode comes from Pixabay.com.