Catching Up:

• Peter shares a laid-back spring break filled with Avowed, a vasectomy, and home recovery. He praises the game's gray morality and engaging writing.

• Eden talks about buying a Boox Palma (a minimalist e-reader) to curb phone addiction, reading five books in a week, and recommends the Practice Perfect romance series by Carson Tate.

Tech Dalliances:

• Both hosts talk about recent tech indulgences.

• Eden raves about the Boox Palma as a life-improving gadget for focused reading.

• Peter details his journey with the Ayn Odin 2 Portal, a handheld Android gaming device. His dream of retro emulation quickly becomes a nightmare of BIOS files and sideloading drama.

• The takeaway? Sometimes it's better to just play your modern Steam backlog.

Comics Corner:

• Eden shares thoughts on DC's new Absolute line and its reimaginings of classic characters:

• Absolute Wonder Woman is a standout.

• Absolute Batman explores a working-class Bruce Wayne.

• Absolute Martian Manhunter earns high praise for reinventing a character Eden never cared about.

• A rant about Hush 2 and a Harley Quinn scratch-and-sniff fart fetish comic provides comic book industry absurdity.

Main Topic -- Andor Episodes 1-3:

Peter's First Watch:

• Came in skeptical due to Star Wars burnout.

• Found episode one a bit slow, episode two better, and episode three "hooked" him.

• Admits it's the most he's enjoyed Star Wars since Return of the Jedi--possibly ever.

Themes and Analysis:

• Andor is a serious, adult take on Star Wars, unafraid to depict the empire as a metaphor for real-world fascism and police brutality.

• The show avoids nostalgic gimmicks and "wink-wink" references in favor of grounded storytelling and rich characterization.

Setting Praise:

• Ferix, Cassian's home, is a fully realized working-class world with its own culture, social code, and resistance instincts.

• The show's commitment to practical sets over digital environments makes it visually compelling.

Character Deep Dives:

• Cassian Andor's backstory reveals a lifetime of loss and injustice, priming him for future rebellion.

• Marva's complex relationship with Cassian is explored through strong performances and layered writing.

• Syril Karn is identified as a perfect example of authoritarian overreach--ambitious, small-minded, and terrifyingly familiar.

Visual & Directorial Highlights:

• Directed by Toby Haynes, the series is praised for its cinematography, lighting, and gripping action sequences.

• The bell ringer, glove wall, and "droid that is stairs" moments are noted as the kind of world-building Star Wars does best.

Looking Ahead:

• Eden hints that the upcoming arcs in Andor get even better.

• Season 2 will follow a similar structure: four arcs of three episodes, each set a year apart leading up to Rogue One.

Closing Thoughts:

• Peter is intrigued and excited to continue.

• The hosts tease more Andor discussions ahead and wrap up with their usual mix of sarcasm, cultural critique, and sincere enthusiasm.

Welcome back!

• Peter and Eden catch up on life, touching on:

• Why modern society feels like a "hellscape."

• Eden's unique take on a book club (it's really just a reason to meet at a bar and talk about books).

• A foray into Bad Movie Bros, a community dedicated to watching and laughing at terrible films.

• Highlights from their recent March Badness-- including absurd movies like The Core and the utterly bizarre 1980 film The Apple.

Cultural Tangents & Side Discussions

• The joys of intentionally bad movies and their ability to bring people together.

• The absolute madness of The Apple, a musical disaster that features a literal rapture via a spectral Buick.

• Eden's ongoing quest to master Riichi Mahjong-- and the realization that half of the players in Mahjong Soul are either total newbies or unbeatable experts.

• Peter's thoughts on Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson and the daunting length of his books.

• Tsunami Sea by Spiritbox and why Peter thinks they are the next big thing in metal.

• Bioluminescence by Dawn of Ouroboros, blending prog, death, and jazz influences.

• A surprising deep dive into Poppy, a genre-defying artist oscillating between pop, metal, and chaos.

Main Segment: Desert Island Albums

• How We Chose: Instead of just picking favorites, Peter and Eden each framed our choices as "Which five albums would I be most sad to never hear again?"

• No Live Albums or Compilations Allowed!

Our Picks:

• Eden's Five:

1. Koyaanisqatsi (Philip Glass) -- The haunting neoclassical score from the experimental documentary.

2. Systems/Layers (Rachel's) -- A genre-defying, deeply personal post-classical album.

3. F# A# ∞ (Godspeed You! Black Emperor) -- A post-rock masterpiece of apocalyptic soundscapes.

4. The Harp of New Albion (Terry Riley) -- Experimental piano music with a tuning that bends reality.

5. Promises (Pharoah Sanders & Floating Points) -- A jazz masterpiece that Eden describes as the finest piece of jazz music ever recorded.

• Peter's Five:

1. Through Silver and Blood (Neurosis) -- An impenetrable wall of sound and raw emotion.

2. Terrasite (Cattle Decapitation) -- A brutal yet oddly cathartic death metal record.

3. Slow Forever (Cobalt) -- A riff-heavy American black metal album that never gets old.

4. Dreaming Neon Black (Nevermore) -- A concept album of insanity, grief, and power.

5. Folium Limina (The Otolith) -- A haunting, violin-infused post-doom album that Peter has written three books to.

Honorable Mentions:

• Rush's Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures (though both hosts realized they could mentally replay these albums in full without ever hearing them again).

• Mariner by Cult of Luna & Julie Christmas.

• Catharsis by YOB.

• Chopin's Opus 28 Preludes, specifically Amy Kobayashi's recording.

Final Thoughts

• Reflecting on how music shapes personal identity and memory.

• The joy of rediscovering albums that remain impactful years later.

• Eden's experience revisiting The Harp of New Albion and realizing its timeless brilliance.

• Peter's increasing excitement for The Otolith and the music that fuels creativity.

Thanks for listening and join us in two weeks for another fun episode!

Life Updates & Gaming Adventures

The February blues hit hard as we commiserate about adulting struggles, work deadlines, and the never-ending battle against muddy paw prints

Eden champions Obsidian's Avowed as a triumph of weird fantasy and complex moral choices that puts other RPGs on notice

Peter confesses he hasn't fallen under Avowed's spell yet but is intrigued by Eden's passionate defense of its uniqueness

Musical Journeys

Peter takes us into the melancholic melodies of Dawn of Solace and the powerful vocal performances in Lacuna Coil's latest releases

Eden surprises everyone (including themselves) with an unexpected deep dive into 1960s Brazilian samba, featuring hidden gems from Tenorio Jr. and the Salambanso Trio

Literary Explorations

Eden savors the sweet cultural journey of A Bánh Mì for Two while struggling through the deliberately paced Cold War classic The Spy Who Came in from the Cold

Peter connects the dots between Le Carré and Nick Harkaway's The Gone Away World, revealing literary legacies hiding in plain sight, and assures everyone he will, eventually, start Wind and Truth

Featured Topic: Akane Banashi - Where Tradition Meets Ambition

We unpack the first three volumes of this captivating manga about Rakugo, the centuries-old Japanese art of storytelling. Akane Banashi masterfully transforms this traditional art form into a compelling underdog narrative with:

The perfect blend of reverence for tradition and the fire of youthful ambition

Competition that feels both high-stakes and surprisingly cozy

Characters who demonstrate that truly owning a story means finding your authentic voice within it

A fascinating peek into an art form that feels both foreign and surprisingly universal

Tune in as Peter shares his perspective as a manga newcomer, and we both explore why this series about sitting alone on stage telling stories has us completely hooked!