Grounded Geeks

MAJOR SPOILERS for the biggest TV show on Netflix right now, Squid Game. Oh man...what can we say about this show that was wildly entertaining and yet also broke our hearts at the same time (marbles anyone? *sob*). Not only do we discuss our favorite characters and scenes, we also talk about some of the plot holes and the increasingly depressing wealth gaps there are in society. Oh and ample time is dedicated to discussing the character of Ali Abdul (duh) including what we loved about him—and what sadly made him a token. SHOW NOTES: https://bit.ly/3fFHfiD

MAJOR SPOILERS in this episode for the Disney+ series titled What If...? If you need a refresher on Kang the Conqueror and his whole deal with the multiverse and timelines and all that jazz, then we've got the episode for you. Not only do we talk about major themes from the show—such as grief and the impact of our choices—but we also talk about the role theoretical physics plays in the lives of these beloved comic book characters. SHOW NOTES: https://bit.ly/33FVnG6

A conversation between a proper Star Wars fan (a.k.a. Aman) and someone who has no idea what they're talking about (Lena) focusing specifically on the new Disney+ series, Star Wars: The Bad Batch. We cover everything from the ethics of cloning to Nazi Germany. Also why do the Empire's prisons suck so much? SHOW NOTES: https://bit.ly/3AhJvpO

SPOILERS in this episode for a new show streaming on Hulu called Reservation Dogs, which is about four Native American teens growing up on—and trying to leave—a reservation in Oklahoma. Brought to us by Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi, it's the perfect mix of coming-of-age drama and dark comedy. Not only is the show hilarious and incredibly entertaining, it's also a great way to learn more about all the things we should have learned in U.S. history textbooks. SHOW NOTES: https://bit.ly/3AknTcd

We have some exciting news: Aman is now a father! Yaaaay [cue confetti, balloons, flowers] and in honor of this joyous occasion, we wanted to do another Superhero Smorgasbord episode focusing this time on fatherhood. We each share which superhero we think is the best dad—and the worst. SHOW NOTES: https://bit.ly/3KtsEF1

This episode is slightly related to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, but it's not our official take on it (more on that later). What we DO talk about though is how streaming services are changing the world—whether we like it or not. Is it a bad thing? Is it good? Only time will tell. SHOW NOTES: https://bit.ly/3nK8wEX

Be warned that this episode is a long one. But we wanted to take some time to reflect on 9/11 twenty years later and talk about how that day (when Aman was 15 years old and Lena was 12) and the many days after affected us. We asked each other questions that we've never asked one another before and of course, we also discuss how the geek world was affected by 9/11. SHOW NOTES: https://bit.ly/33FWeXk

MAJOR SPOILERS for the TV series (based on a comic book) called Raising Dion. Well they're not really spoilers since this show came out in 2019. But if you haven't seen it, then don't listen to this episode! Raising Dion brought up a ton of real world themes for us to talk about like toxic masculinity, respecting people's boundaries, racism, the CDC's total lack of clear messaging to the public, and so much more. SHOW NOTES: groundedgeeks.medium.com

MAJOR SPOILERS ahead for the movie, The Green Knight. In this episode, we cover the hero's journey, Arthurian legend, brown people in medieval knight stories, Bridgerton, and so much more. We hated the movie right after we saw it, but the more we think and talk about it, the more we're realizing that maybe there's more to it than we first thought? SHOW NOTES: groundedgeeks.medium.com

Love, Death, and Robots. It's what the future holds and also the name of an anthology series on Netflix. This week, we focus on the robots—specifically artificial intelligence—and talk about three episodes (titled Automated Customer Service, When the Yogurt Took Over, and Three Robots) that show us what could be our near-future, mid-future, and post-apocolyptic future. But essentially, all you need to know is that the robots are taking over. SHOW NOTES: groundedgeeks.medium.com

MAJOR SPOILERS in this episode for the movie, The Suicide Squad (not to be confused with Suicide Squad, which came out in 2016). We talk about whether this movie is a sequel or a reboot (it's neither) and there's lots of discussion about American imperialism, the Monroe Doctrine, the Iran-Contra Affair, and of course the heart and soul of the movie: King Shark. SHOW NOTES: groundedgeeks.medium.com

This episode is not timely at all since Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame came out years ago, BUT we still wanted to talk about Thanos' plan to get rid of half of the universe. What did that even mean and was it a good plan in the first place? Not only did we take this chance to talk about Thanos as a villain, but in this episode we also cover climate change, women's rights, racism, sexism, poverty, and so much more.  SHOW NOTES: groundedgeeks.medium.com

SOME SPOILERS for the new Peacock original show, We Are Lady Parts.  Have you heard of this incredible new show called We Are Lady Parts? No, of course not and the only reason WE have is because the show's about five young British Muslim women who start their own punk band—and we're into that. And honestly, you should be too. If you've ever wanted to see more than one token brown person on screen or more representation of Muslims in general or simply something that you can rock out to, then this is the show for you. SHOW NOTES: groundedgeeks.medium.com

MAJOR SPOILERS in this episode for the Disney+ show Loki. We got very philosophical and analytical and reflective on this episode—right after talking about how much we just....didn't like the show Loki. We're sorry but also we stand by our opinions. We also spend a good deal of time talking about how we're all cogs in a great big machine, sheeps in a bureacratic system. Enjoy! SHOW NOTES: groundedgeeks.medium.com

MAJOR SPOILERS in this episode for Black Widow. Despite the fact that Black Widow should have come out years ago and that she should have gotten her own trilogy of movies and her character should have been treated better in general throughout all the other movies (the list goes on), we liked this movie! This episode starts off as a movie review, then Aman goes into great detail about a totally different storyline that he thinks Marvel should have done for this movie, and Lena describes why Black Widow reminds her of the real life girls and women around the world that not enough people talk about—or fight for. SHOW NOTES: groundedgeeks.medium.com

We've talked a lot in previous episodes about more intense movies and TV shows that touch on racism, time travel, white supremacy, and other heavy stuff like that. But in this episode, we wanted to talk about the adorable film that is Luca and the real world impact it may have on kids. And the best thing to come out of this little movie may be the "Silenzio Bruno!" defense mechanism. SHOW NOTES: groundedgeeks.medium.com

Welcome to the second round of Superhero Smorgasbord! As a reminder of what this mini series is all about, this is when we take something that's happening in the real world and then talk about how certain characters or entities in the geek world would react to that particular situation. So for round two, we naturally had to talk about the January 6 Insurrection. For the first bit of this episode, before we get to the superhero part, we shared our own reactions to that day. As a reminder, these are our opinions and we had some raw emotions to share because that day was scary for us—and dare we say, for many Americans. SHOW NOTES: groundedgeeks.medium.com

Aside from being a real place, Palestine is also the name of a 1993 graphic novel written and illustrated by journalist Joe Sacco. On this episode, we talk about what makes this book so great to this day, the role of objectivity and the "two sides" argument in journalism—and whether we have any hope for the future. SHOW NOTES: groundedgeeks.medium.com

Happy Pride and happy (early) Juneteenth, dear listeners! On this episode, we decided to talk about a lovely, happy comic book titled, "Bingo Love" written by Tee Franklin, art by Jenn St-Onge, and colors by Joy San. This is the story of two Black women named Hazel (a.k.a. Elle) Johnson and Mari McCray who meet at church bingo in New Jersey as young girls in 1963. They go on to become best friends and fall in love, but are then torn apart by their families because their love is seen as forbidden. But this story—which spans more than 50 years—has a happy ending that celebrates love, joy, and freedom. We loved it and think you would too. SHOW NOTES: groundedgeeks.medium.com

MAJOR SPOILERS in this episode for Watchmen and Lovecraft Country (both shows that are brought to you by HBO). In Part 2, in addition to acknowledging how dumb it is to even try and talk about two spectacular and important shows in one podcast episode, we also discuss parallels that we see in both shows. And we talk about bigger themes like racism, time travel, generational trauma, and technology. We promise it's a good one! SHOW NOTES: groundedgeeks.medium.com