709 Meridian

Certainly an episode entitled DICK GRAYSON isn't going to be a cheap-ish mind game episode without much to do with the series, ongoing story arcs, or anything else. Listen as Andrew and D discover, actually, it is going to be a cheap-ish mind game episode but at least the second season teaser's good?

D and Andrew finally get to Kory's intergalactic secret origin which just happens to take place... in an Arrowverse abandoned warehouse. But there is a twist ending? And some special effects? (momentarily). Surely the whole season and the fate of the world aren't going to hinge on some dude rekindling a high school crush....

D and Andrew reach the antepenultimate episode of the season, which involves the astoundingly grim and gritty back story for Hawk and Dawn. Sorry, Hawk and Don, Sorry, Hank and Don. No, wait, trying again--Hawk and Dawn. Dang it. Anyway. It's problematic, weird, boring, and bad, though your intrepid hosts do seem more interested in giving the JACK REACHER show a shot.

D and Andrew head ... to a different part of Chicago? And there's a train somewhere? Is it New York? Anyway. They tag along as Dick goes to visit Donna Troy and we get some superhero action for once. Albeit not like fight scene superhero action. But we again get a sense of how the show could be better (Donna Troy). And isn't. Though Andrew's finally (somewhat) invested in Raven's f...

D, Andrew, and the rest of the TITANS head to Arkham Asylum... wait, no, they didn't get permission to use Arkham. But we do get a delightful episode about our lovable teenage (and early twenties) superheroes getting tortured. A lot. Also a surprise guest star.

D, Andrew, Richard, and Jason all head to the Windy City for what starts as a talking heads episode between two emotionally abused young men who share the same malevolent legal guardian but then becomes a great procedural for the show TITANS isn't (or hasn't yet been). Tune in as they talk crowbars, jokers, circuses, and so on.

D and Andrew head back to the Tower to catch up with the Titans, who spend this episode getting to know each other, getting to know all about each other. We also discover Robin in the Titans-verse is one of those non-metahuman superheroes who needs his suit to have any ability. There's still more Nuclear Family. And we find out Titans-verse has giant barns instead of the Arrow-verse's ware...

After years of watching DOOM PATROL, Andrew gets to see how they first appeared and then gets to tell D all about how different the TITANS version is from the regular PATROL. They also discuss better and worse castings, the Middle West, and much more.

D and Andrew head through the dimensional portal and find themselves in the barren wastelands of... Michigan, where the Titans are on a collision course with destiny. Listen as our intrepid hosts discuss disco fight choreography, missing butlers, and much more.

D and Andrew are headed to Gotha... Bludhave... Detroit. Really, Detroit? OCP has questions. Anyway. For 709 Meridian's next adventure, the hosts are doing a watch-through (and talk-through) of the DC Universe/HBO MAX series "Titans," from the writer of "Batman & Robin." Listen as they discuss adaptations, expectations, special effects, and bad wigs.

D and Andrew watch KING KONG LIVES, the charmless 1986 sequel to the 1976 KONG. Listen as they remember they should've thought better of watching KONG LIVES, as Andrew implores D to ignore the terrible action and listen to the pretty (albeit not particularly well-matched) music, and they talk about, I don't know, actors or something. It's a bad movie, y'all, a bad movie.

Join D and Andrew on their trip to the Island of the Skull or whatever they call it in this groovy(?), campy(?) seventies take on the "America's Biggest Hero." Listen as they slack-jaw at the good and bad from the beautiful blond(e) leads, the glorious Rick Baker, the beautiful photography, and so much more.

D and Andrew fire up the sirens and head out looking for the ghosts of blockbuster summers future with GHOSTBUSTERS II. Listen as they discuss... production problems, continuity concerns, special effects shenanigans, vapid villains, and much more!

It's radical, it's factual, it's grammatical--709 MERIDIAN finally gets around to 1984's GHOSTBUSTERS, deciding just to pair the eighties duet and skip the legacy-sequels, reboots, preboots, and deboots. Join D and Andrew as they sit back and enjoy the Ivan Reitman classic, and marvel at the cylinders clicking, one after another. Oh, and the Richard Edlund VFX... baker's kiss.

D and Andrew suffer JEWEL OF THE NILE. Including the credits probably for the first time ever. Listen as they... talk about better movies, try to think of how to make this terrible movie better, think about their life decisions given they've both seen the movie more than once, appreciate the dulcet tones of Billiam Ocean, and, I don't know, make fun of Michael Douglas some more.

D and Andrew head back to '84 (it may be a theme of this second season of sequels) for the first half of the Joan Wilder duet. Listen as they bemoan the lack of a successful franchise, Kathleen Turner's leading lady career fizz, and lots about Michael Douglas's ego and whether or not it's deserved (spoiler: no). Every once in a while they notice the superb film they're watching...

Back to the shack, what could be better than... Well, obviously, the (successful for once) live action Warner Bros. cartoon, GREMLINS 2: THE NEW BATCH. D and Andrew stare through the hurricanes of history at John Glover's Daniel Clamp, wonder where Phoebe Cates goes, opine on Dick Miller: Action Hero, and much, much more. It's a delight.

D and Andrew find themselves in Bedford... wait, no, Kingston? Kingston Falls. They find themselves in Kingston Falls for Christmas, except the latest gift this year is a cute little furby with a slimy upgrade. In other words, it's GREMLINS time.

For the final SON OF SEVENTIES MARVEL CBS UNIVERSE, D and Andrew head to Hong Kong (really, they did film in Hong Kong with the principals) for THE CHINESE WEB. Listen as they discuss technical problems (theirs and the episode's), appreciate a good guest star (Rosalind Chao), and wait endlessly for the action to finally start.

D and Andrew have almost wrapped up SON OF SEVENTIES MARVEL TV MOVIES--just one to go--but first they've got to battle their way through Airk Thaughbaer versus Dr. Sidney Freedman with Rita as potential collateral damage. Also Spider-Man fights lions, tigers, and bears, oh my. It's a weird couple episodes smushed together, giving our intrepid hosts plenty to dish on. Including how the show...

D and Andrew head to that great city of the North... Vancouver(?) and find Matt Murdock already fighting crime in Hell's Kitchen(?) with his regular cast already assembled. But, wait, it's an Incredible Hulk reunion movie? Really? Sort of. Listen as they discuss Canada, Nancy Everhard, special effects, Batman, booties, and Stan the Man.

GEOFFREY LEWIS ALERT! After seventy-two episodes, D and Andrew have watched their first Geoffrey Lewis movie on 709 Meridian. Listen as they discuss... better movies, better performances, the Enforcers, Gerrit Graham not actually being in this episode, and much more. Like Charles Haid as Michael Pataki.

D and Andrew head to scenic Los Angeles, circa 1988, where they catch up with Bill Bixby as he attempts to finally cure himself of Lou Ferrigno and get his butt into the producer's chair. Listen as they discuss better acting, better movies, just how much too young Lee Purcell is for Bixby, and much more!

In the chill of night, D and Andrew deliberate the very compliation nature of CON CAPER AND CURSE OF RAVA, which pairs two episodes of Spider-Man across seasons (and in reverse). Listen as they discuss changing fashions, changing music (and better music), along with a return to familiar stunt locations. Not to mention Chip Fields sings! Well, not on the pod, but you get the idea.

D and Andrew head for sunny Honolulu, California to catch up with David--anything but Banner, David, don't write Banner on a legal document, oops--as he pesters special guest star Mariette Hartley until she agrees to help him. Listen as they discuss action television, dirty L.A. beaches, Kenneth Johnson's effective direction, HULK playsets, and much more.