Syndicated with Lesley and Ben

It's time for another commercial commentary special! Lesley and Ben are joined by our friend, streamer Svideotheque to talk Video Games, Video Games and more Video Games. We dissect 15 commercials advertising games for arcades, Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis and PlayStation 3 featuring Q*bert, Paul Rudd, Super Mario, Sonic, Kratos, Link and Zelda. We're plugged in on this very special episode of Syndicated with Lesley and Ben! Now You're Playing with Power! *On the Main Feed*: We're posting a teaser of the first half of the commercials we covered for everyone subscribed to the show, wherever you get your podcasts! *On Patreon*: Patreon subscribers, you're in for a treat. At the $1/mo level, you get access to the whole enchilada. An hour and thirty minutes of 15 commercials with commentary and live reactions. We chat about 2000s office aesthetic, wireless controllers, the Nintendo PowerGlove, claymation, Final Fantasy and more. *On YouTube*: We have a complete playlist of all of the commercials covered by Lesley, Ben and Sviddy for your viewing pleasure. Many of these commercials have real wacky visual components. We included the audio in the episode, but some of these need to be seen to be believed.

For the first time in Syndicated with Lesley and Ben history, we’re covering a non-narrative show. With Victoria Collins help, we dip our toes into reality tv and cover the Korean show Chef and My Fridge (Please Take Care of My Refrigerator). It’s a wacky take on the cooking show genre, as the celebrity chefs can only make their final creations out of the ingredients already in that week’s guest’s actual refrigerator. Lesley and Ben were knocked back by the stylistic editing choices and frantic energy of the show., but honestly, we kind of love it? Syndicated with Lesley and Ben is a twice monthly podcast about television, genre and storytelling in which your hosts watch one episode of a new show and explore the history of television one episode at a time. From family room sitcoms to space exploration shows, reality TV to procedurals and game shows, we’re going to cover it all and give you the context you need to understand the wonderful world of television and the stories we love. Our current season is International TV. Our Logo is by Terra Bosart, the theme song is by Mandra Sigma and the show is edited by Jay Gagnon.

Much like the Crunchyroll anime Ruri Rocks, this episode of Syndicated with Lesley and Ben, is an excuse to talk about rocks, minerals and crystals. We’re joined by Héctor González to ask a critical question. Can an anime be educational, beautiful and fan service? Yeah, of course it can. Are you kidding? We covered the first episode, My First Mineral Hunt. Ruri Tanigawa becomes fixated on a crystal necklace in a boutique store. After a failed attempt to get her mother to forward her the money to purchase it, Ruri ventures forth into the forests to find some natural crystals and minerals on her own. The adventure doesn’t go her way until she meets Nagi Arato, a graduate student with significantly more experience in locating the gems that Ruri is obsessed with. Together they’re able to find some garnets and Nagi’s insight into minerals cements Ruri’s new interest. Syndicated with Lesley and Ben is a twice monthly podcast about television, genre and storytelling in which your hosts watch one episode of a new show and explore the history of television one episode at a time. From family room sitcoms to space exploration shows, reality TV to procedurals and game shows, we’re going to cover it all and give you the context you need to understand the wonderful world of television and the stories we love. Our current season is International TV. Our Logo is by Terra Bosart, the theme song is by Mandra Sigma and the show is edited by Jay Gagnon.

Syndicated returns with an episode of Nine Puzzles, the freshly released South Korean detective thriller about two criminal profilers, one of whom is a murder suspect herself, attempting to solve a series of serial killings in which mysterious puzzle pieces are being left behind at the scene of the crime. We talk about atmospheric storytelling, international adaptions, how we depict memory as physical space in visual media and, obviously, the Kiefer Sutherland starring political thriller tv show: Designated Survivor. We covered the first episode of Nine Puzzles, just entitled Episode 1. Yoon Dong-hoon, a superintendent police officer and artist is found dead on the floor of his home by his niece, Yoon E-na, with an awl jammed into the back of his neck. Police interrogate Yoon E-na, but due to a lack of evidence and Yoon’s disappearing memory, are unable to satisfactorily close the case. One clue is left fully unexplained, a singular black and white illustrated  puzzle piece found on the scene of the crime. 10 years in the future, Yoon, now a criminal profiler herself, solves a murder involving a similarly amnesiac child. Just as the case is cracked, Yoon receives an envelope containing a black and white puzzle piece. The episode ends with Yoon frantically reaching out to Kim by phone.

After a bit of hiatus, Lesley and Ben’s season on International TV continues with Money Heist, the his Spanish language crime show from Netflix about a group of bank robbers dead set on robbing the Royal Mint of Spain. This is our second show from Spain, and third Spanish overall, but instead of ghosts and worried priests, Money Heist is packed with action, intrigue and bullets. We talk about translation, non linear story telling, crime movie archetypes and the dynamic design choices that Money Heist makes in its color palette and costuming! We’re watching Season 1, Episode 1, “Do As Planned.” Runaway Tokyo is preparing to leave the country following a botched robbery and a dead partner in crime, when she’s stopped and recruited by The Professor, a strange man promising her an enormous payout for a single job. Tokyo and a team of several other pseudonymously named professional thieves enter a five month crash course to learn how to infiltrate and rip off the Royal Mint of Spain undetected. We flash forward to a heist in progress, with hints of emotional turmoil and mismatched personal relationships that may lead to the crime of the century’s bloody downfall.  Syndicated with Lesley and Ben is a podcast about television, genre and storytelling in which your hosts watch one episode of a new show and explore the history of television one episode at a time. From family room sitcoms to space exploration shows, reality TV to procedurals and game shows, we’re going to cover it all and give you the context you need to understand the wonderful world of television and the stories we love. Our current season is International TV. Our Logo is by Terra Bosart, the theme song is by Mandra Sigma and the show is edited by Jay Gagnon.