The 42cast

It’s about the time that the show covered The Big G himself, The King of the Monsters, the legendary Godzilla. As Godzilla turns 70 we look at decades of films and many many takes on the basic concept. We discuss our favorite Kaiju. We debate whether Godzilla works best as a defender of the Earth or a an implaccable force of terror. We also talk about our favorite Godzilla films and eras. We also...

Blue Beetle was one of the last of the DCEU releases. Originally intended as a straight to Max streaming movie, Warner Bros-Discovery was apparently impressed by what they saw and decided to release the movie to theaters. Sporting a modest $75K budget, the movie managed to look better than many, more expensive blockbusters. It also boasted a mostly latino cast, bringing representation to a communi...

The Karate Kid was a popular movie in the early 80’s that spawned several sequels and in 2018 a spinoff series called Cobra Kai. In this episode the cast discusses the latter series. They talk about origins of the legacy characters and how the new series views them through a different point of view. They debate the merits of the various younger characters and their storylines. They also get into t...

Superman and Lois season 4 has already premiered, so we have some catching up to do with our review of season 3! In this action-packed episode we discuss the introduction of Bruno Manheim and Intergang into the narrative. We also talk about the very real plotline around cancer and how Superman faces an enemy that he can’t defeat. We also debate the merits of a tougher, less intellectual Lex Luthor...

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is the first attempt to do a comedy series within the MCU. In this episode we take a deep dive on the She Hulk series. We discuss how the show fits within the greater context of the MCU as well as how well it lives up to the various comic series that it’s adapting. We talk about the characters and how the story of Jennifer Walters may resonate with fans. We also address t...

It’s the end of an era as we come to the very last season of the very last Arrowverse series as we discuss the final season of The Flash. It’s ten years to the day that the series premiered, so it feels especially fitting that we do this topic. In this episode we talk about how this is the culmination of the entire Arrowverse. We discuss the many, many misses of Arrowverse story elements that shou...

In this episode we review the first three seasons of the popular Netflix series, The Umbrella Academy. We give our opinions on all aspects of this series. We discuss the characters and their unusual relationships and personality quirks for a superhero series. We talk about the plots and how they cleverly set up conflicts and resolutions that one may not expect. We also get a little into the comics...

In this episode we discuss the final season of a show that was gone far far far too soon. That show is Stargirl. Although Stargirl aired on The CW it was originally conceptualized as a streaming series first for DC Universe and then HBO Max. Episodes were simultaneously released on both the CW and the corresponding streaming service. In this examination of the final season we discuss the plot and...

In this second part of our two-part extravaganza on The Rings of Power the cast jumps back into talking about Middle Earth. In this episode they ask “What’s in a name?” as they wonder why anyone included a Hobbit. The Stranger’s gray identity is mooted. The cast discusses the geometry of rings and why 15 minutes may not be enough time to devote to their creation. They also get into the trauma that...

It’s a trip back to Middle-Earth this week as the cast takes an epic-length at the Amazon Prime series, The Rings of Power. In this episode the cast discusses the logic of a series that can only use the appendices of Lord of the Rings as reference. They get into the types of stories that they’re choosing to tell and whether or not there’s a significant loss of context. Along the way they also get...

You often hear that there’s too much TV to watch these days or that the market is catering to geeky interests on TV today. Yet, the 80’s saw it’s fair share of genre television for people of all ages. In this episode four people that were there (old fogeys) recount tales of the television of their youth. They also discuss whether 80’s television holds up and whether they think that modern audience...

Indiana Jones has returned in a fifth installment of the titular franchise. In this episode we talk about the Dial of Destiny. We discuss revitalizing the franchise in the 21st century and how it compares to the prior attempt. We debate the Indiana Jones franchise’s potential for a continuation with other characters or a reboot. We also get into Nazi villains, use of historical set pieces, artefac...

This week we delve back into the MCU on Disney+ to talk about Ms. Marvel. Join our cast as we delve into the comic origins of these characters. We’ll talk about what works, what didn’t, and what we wish they included and didn’t. We’ll also discuss casting and performances and what we thought of the tone of the series. We’ll also debate how this works into the greater MCU, where we think it’s going...

In this week’s episode we fire up the spore drive to arrive at Star Trek Discovery season 4. In this episode we delve deep into the storytelling, discussing the advantages and disadvantages of season length, using writers unfamiliar with Trek, and telling a narrative across multiple seasons. We also talk about how much we want to see more of the bridge crew, interspecies romance, and how all the t...

The 42cast has reached 200 episodes! We’d like to thank our audience for making this possible. As a treat for this episode we’ve invited back our most prolific guests. We discuss what has been going on in the geeskisphere since Episode 100, and we give our opinions on what has been the good; the bad; and the ugly. We also talk a little about what goes on behind the scenes on The 42cast. Watch out...

Our intrepid hosts are back as Nathan and Emma once again take center stage to discuss the topics near and dear to their hearts in a conversation recorded back in June of last year. This time they do their best to find a theme, but end up realizing that it’s a lot more fun to switch to any idea that catches their fancy at any given moment. Join them as they discuss topics as varied as manatees, bo...

In the entire history of anime only two characters were considered to have had sufficient cultural impact outside of Japan to adorn the welcome materials given to international Olympic athletes during the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. Those were Son Goku from Dragonball/Z/GT/Super and Sailor Moon. In this episode we talk about the phenomenon that is Sailor Moon. We discuss the manga, anime, and live act...

The Flash film was announced back in 2014. Originally slated to release early in 2018 many were impressed at DC’s confidence in announcing so many films so far in the future. Over the the intervening decade, The Flash production would be placed on hold multiple times as the script faced an almost infinite amount of rewrites, directors came and went, and various reshoots occurred. Eventually, the f...

Babylon 5 created a revolution in television in the mid-90’s. Series creator J. Michael Stracynski was told that science fiction would never succeed on television if it wasn’t Star Trek. Yet, the man had a dream and he fulfilled that dream. Conceiving of a series that would last for five years with a defined beginning, middle, and ending Babylon 5 succeeded in its mission by providing complex, int...

Hot on the heels of Disney’s announcement of Moon Knight blu-ray and 4K UHD sets, The 42cast brings you it’s review of the titular Marvel hero. In this episode we delve into Moon Knight’s comic origins, the changes made in later years, and the various changes made for the Disney+ series. We’ll discuss the use of Disassocative Identity Disorder and how well the series handled that and the broader c...

The 42cast is proud to welcome star of the stage and screen, George Buza , to the show. George is best known as the voice of the Beast in X-Men: The Animated Series , X-Men ’97 , and Spider-Man (1994). He is the only voice actor for the animated series to also appear in an X-Men film when he played the trucker who brought Rogue to Alaska in 1999’s, X-Men . He has also had significant roles in tele...

onth’s ago, Seth Rogen made waves in the entertainment industry with his comments on criticism while guesting on The Diary of a CEO podcast. His comments spoke to the emotional pain suffered by entertainers who are the objects of negative reviews. His words called into question whether critics understand the impact of what they’re writing and implied that reviews shouldn’t include negative materia...

From the beginning the Guardians franchise has proven to be a surprise hit for Marvel. Many anticipated that the first Guardians film would be a failure, but it garnered a surprising following and has been lauded by many as their favorite MCU films. In this episode we discuss the third installment of the Guardians franchise. We talk about the developments for the various characters. We debate the...

Fringe was a series ahead of its time. Tapping into the multiverse concept, the show brought a story about parallel worlds into a procedural paranormal investigation series. The series boasted a stellar cast necessary to juggle the hardcore scientific concepts explored throughout the series five seasons. In this episode we delve deep into Fringe. We discuss what we liked about the series. We talk...

Hawkeye was the last in the first wave of Disney+ Marvel series. The show introduced Hawkeye successor, Kate Bishop, played by Hailee Steinfeld. It also debuted new character, Echo, as well as saw the return of Vince D’Onofrio as the Kingpin and Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova. In this episode we discuss the plot of the Hawkeye series. We talk about it’s place in the MCU and how well it meshes with...