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503 – “What Jesus Said”

Welcome back to The Speakeasy, where we consider episode 503 of Boardwalk Empire, “What Jesus Said.”  Jim and A.Ron talk about the surfeit of “boys” and “uckys” in Boardwalk, smooth dialog, the sad state of Nucky’s nightclub in the hands of Mickey Doyle, Joe Kennedy’s teetotaling, childhood sweethearts, the return of Marge, and theorize on…

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111 – Season One Wrap Up

Hey there and welcome to the final podcast for Season One of HBO’s The Leftovers!  Jim and A.Ron talk at length about the differences between the book and the TV show, consider tons of listener feedback, look ahead to the next season, and much more. Interesting article on Vulture discussing with Tom Perrotta (author of…

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502 – “The Good Listener”

Jim and A.Ron break down a very “boardwalky” episode of Boardwalk Empire, “The Good Listener”.  We talk about the Kennedy Family Empire, speculate on who Gillian is corresponding with, marvel at Stephen Graham’s performance as the coke/syphilis addled Capone, and ponder how Nucky’s childhood informs our understanding of Nucky the man.  All this, plus your…

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The Wire – Omar Comin’ – Commissioned Podcast

Hey there, A.Ron here with a very special commissioned podcast with a unique history and focus.  First, thanks to Andrew Stannard for using Subbable to make this all possible, and for working with us patiently on the format of the podcast.

Andrew wanted us to talk about The Wire.  The problem is, I’ve got massive plans for a Ultimate Badass Criterion Sapphire The Wire Podcast, and I didn’t want to take his money to release an inferior version.  So, we compromised.  We’d record a podcast about his favorite character, Omar Little, and we’d highlight two episodes that showcase a particular facet of the character, all without doing any major spoilers. I selected episode 206, “All Prologue”, and 306, “Homecoming”, to show off Omar at his best, and Omar at one of his lowest points.  Along the way Jim and I gush about The Wire, why we love it, why it can be hard at times to love, why Omar is such an important character for The Wire in general and pop culture at large, and talk about our favorite moments from these two episodes.  I also divulge some details about my upcoming The Wire podcast series, and why it’s taking so damn long.

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501 – “Golden Days for Boys and Girls”

Boardwalk Empire is officially back, and we’re here to cover its swan song.  A.Ron is more than a little nervous about all the apparently pointless and redundant flashbacks when coming to grips with a shortened season that starts off with a huge time leap.  What happened to A.R.?!  Where the hell is Eli and Capone?!  CHAULKY’S…

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110 – The Prodigal Son Returns

Jim and A.Ron are extremely impressed with the season final of HBO’s The Leftovers, “The Prodigal Son Returns!”  We do an in-depth dive of the episode, considering all the great character moments, twists and turns, dream imagery, and general madness of Mapleton.  But that’s not all, we’ll be back next week for more as A.Ron…

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Season Five Preview

Jim and A.Ron embark on a new venture, as they open The Speakeasy, their podcast covering the final season of HBO’s fantastic Boardwalk Empire.  Join us as we discuss why BWE is so criminally underrated, how the show will deal with its Margaret problem, how Winter and company will deal with the 7 year flash forward,…

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Season One Finale Preview

Special thanks to the folks at HBO’s Digital & Social Media department, who have invited us to do a podcast for their blog, Watching the Leftovers.  In this special episode, previewing the final episode of The Leftovers for season one, “The Prodigal Son Returns”, Jim and A.Ron break down the preview trailer, discuss some popular internet…

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710 – “Thank You”

This week we review the series finale episode 710 of HBO’s True Blood entitled, “Thank You”.  It was perhaps the worst finale of television I have ever seen.  If you care to listen to 50+ minutes of several True Blood fans venting their spleens about it, feel free to do so.  Otherwise, enjoy the GIF of Eric…

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109 – The Garveys At Their Best

Jim and A.Ron talk about the flashback episode 109 of HBO’s The Leftovers, “The Garveys At Their Best”, where we ponder how good were they, really?  Lot’s of extra content this week for your perusal; The story of St. Hubertus Michelle MacLaren talks about 5 scenes from “Cairo” h/t Cynthia B. Information about the mystery of…

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