The Worst of All Possible Worlds

248 - Whit Side Story [Whit’s Endless Summer 52]

The lads dive right into the heart of NOVACOM as they return to Odyssey for further adventures in franchising, gang warfare, and the terrifying video game that makes you old: Gloobers. Topics include the “evils” of VR, the inescapable childhood of the Boomer, and the vital importance of gloobin’ it with your buds.

Want more TWOAPW? Get access to our full back catalogue of premium/bonus episodes by subscribing for $5/month at Patreon.com/worstofall!

Media Referenced in this Episode:

• Adventures in Odyssey
  • #455: “Best Laid Plans”
  • #462: The W.E.
  • #463: Green Eyes and Yellow Tulips
  • #415: Gloobers!
• The Dobson Newsletters
  • November 1998
  • November 2000
  • February 2001
• The Official Adventures in Odyssey Podcast #66

TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com

Interstitial: “Sister Location” // Written by A.J. Ditty // feat. Josh Boerman as “Timmy ‘Taxman’ Thompson”, A.J. Ditty as “Estragon Estragonov/Phoebear/Melvin Mulligan”, and Brian Alford as “John/Alistair Adelman” // Music: “The Chain (Violin Cover) by Steve Bingham

247 - Hamilton

THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall

 

We’re not throwing away our shot.

 

 

 

Media Referenced in this Episode:

• Hamilton. Dir. Thomas Kail. Written by Lin-Manuel Miranda. 2015.
• “Alexander Hamilton, the Wrong Founder” by William Hogeland. The Nation. June 16th, 2026.
• “Disaster Act” by Shellyne Rodriguez, Iris Dipni and Comité Por La Defensa Antillana. The New Inquiry. September 11th, 2019.
• “Father's Day with Luis and Lin-Manuel Miranda: Joy, Hustle, and Building a Legacy” by Ana Navarro. Bleep! With Ana Navarro. June 22, 2026.
• “Hamilton’s America”. PBS.
• “Hamilton and the Death of the Obama Era” by Alexander Avila.
• “'Hamilton' Arrives In Puerto Rico, Bringing A Bit Of Controversy With It” by Adrian Florido. NPR. January 11th, 2019.
• Puerto Rico: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
• “The Mixed Reception of the 'Hamilton' Premiere in Puerto Rico” by Daniel Pollack-Pelzner. The Atlantic. January 18th, 2019.
• Siempre, Luis. Dir John Antonio James. 2020
• Black Actors Dress Up like Slave Traders…and It’s Not Halloween - ISHMAEL REED

TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com

Interstitial: “Princess Track” // Music by Lin-Manuel Miranda // Lyrics by Dr. Samuel Bultch, D.D.S. // feat. Josh Boerman, Eleanor Philips, and Anne Boerman as “Ensemble” and A.J. Ditty as “Dr. Samuel Bultch, D.D.S.”

246 - 007 First Light (feat. November Kelly)

November Kelly (Kill James Bond!; No Gods No Mayors; Trashfuture; Well There’s Your Problem; Be Gay Solve Crimes) enrolls the lads in the 00 program as they cover IO Interactive’s 2026 spy-fest: 007: First Light. Topics include the origins of IO, the importance of fluted windows, and what it means to try to maintain a modern franchise featuring nothing but a stupid policeman.

November Kelly: Website // Bluesky

Kill James Bond! is a comedy film review/ pop culture commentary podcast about the portrayal of masculinity in cinema. November Kelly, Abigail Thorn, and Devon have watched Bond movies, War on Terror movies, Eurospy movies, and now they take on their biggest task yet: Heist Movies. What can Heat, Oceans’ 11, and the Fast and Furious movies teach us about how masculinity was imagined by the people who created them? What does that say about Society? Free episodes are released every fortnight on all major podcast platforms and bonus episodes are released for supporters on Patreon on the interstitial weeks.

• Website // Patreon
• Listen on Apple Podcasts // Spotify

Trashfuture is a podcast about business success and making yourself smarter with the continued psychic trauma of capitalism.

• Website // Patreon
• Listen on Apple Podcasts // Spotify

Well There’s Your Problem is a podcast about engineering disasters and systemic failures, from a leftist perspective, with jokes.

• Youtube // Instagram // Patreon
• Listen on Apple Podcasts // Spotify

No Gods No Mayors: Municipal government: a trap that catches those too incompetent, too corrupt, too strange even for national politics. And the greatest of these, the mayor - the highest political office one can hope to reach with a truly oppositional personality or a crack addiction. Mattie Lubchansky, Riley Quinn and November Kelly are teaming up to make a podcast investigating these mayors. From petty Bonapartes to flagrant mafiosi, these are their stories.

• Spotify // Apple Podcasts // RSS Feed

Be Gay, Solve Crimes: Join Mia Mulder, November Kelly, and their local librarian Lucy as they investigate pop-culture copaganda and solve the mystery of why they wanted to become detectives before they transitioned.

• Spotify // Apple Podcasts // Patreon

Media Referenced in the Episode:

• 007: First Light. IO Interactive. 2026.
• “007 First Light Dev IO Interactive Says It’s Now Sold 3 Million Copies, Tracking ‘Well Above Our Forecasts at This Point’” by Wesley Yin-Poole and Simon Cardy. June 6th, 2026.
• "I've been MANIFESTING this!" 007 First Light's Patrick Gibson REVEALS James Bond casting process by Radio Times Gaming.
• Jonas Eneroth’s Profile. Moby Games.
• “Long-awaited James Bond game shows how big games have become” by Julie Wurtz and Jesper Dein. Dr.Dk. May 26th, 2026.
• “The Making of: Hitman: Codename 47” by Edward Love. Retro Gamer. May 17th, 2018.

TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com

Interstitial: “Untitled Bond Movie 2026” // Written by A.J. Ditty // feat. Josh Boerman as “Announcer”, Brian Alford as “Q”, A.J. Ditty as “M/Salazar”, Eleanor Philips as “Moneypenny/Norah”, and introducing Devon as “James Bond”.

245 - Meta Horizon Worlds and the Death of the Metaverse

THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall

Mark Zuckerberg spent seven years and $80 billion attempting to build Horizon Worlds, a virtual reality "metaverse" that peaked at around 200,000 monthly users in October 2022. After years of decay, Horizon froze the creation of new worlds in VR this week, shifting the platform's focus back to mobile and marking the effective end of Meta's virtual reality ambitions. This week, the lads perform an autopsy on both Horizon Worlds and Mark Zuckerberg's dream of the metaverse more broadly, discovering how a platform built on the vision of a revolutionary gaming headset eventually gave way to a world solely inhabited by dozens of eight-year-olds screaming slurs in 360 degrees of immersive 3D.

Media Referenced in this Episode:

• Meta Horizons Worlds for Oculus Quest, including the following worlds:
  • “Horizon Central”
  • “Bobber Bay Fishing”
  • “NBA Arena”
  • “Coldplay Music of the Spheres World Tour”
  • “METDONALD’S”
  • “Pizza Kitchen”
  • “Bad Roommates UPDATED!”
• “I Spent A Week Alone In The Metaverse” by Jarvis Johnson (August 1, 2023)
• Kickstarter campaign for Oculus Rift
• Oculus VR profile on Crunchbase
• “Happy Go Luckey: Meet the 20-year-old creator of Oculus Rift” by Robert Purchase (Eurogamer, July 11, 2013)
• “John Carmack's former employer claims he stole tech for Oculus VR when he left” by Ben Gilbert (Engadget, May 1, 2014)
• “Palmer Luckey: The Facebook Near-Billionaire Secretly Funding Trump’s Meme Machine” by Ben Collins and Gideon Resnick (The Daily Beast, September 22, 2016)
• Palmer Luckey’s post about Nimble American on Facebook (September 23, 2016)
• “Palmer Luckey distances himself from Nimble America group” by Matt Kamen (Wired, September 26, 2016)
• “Facebook launches beta of Spaces, its goofy and fun social VR platform” by Lucas Matney (TechCrunch, April 18, 2017)
• The Mark Zuckerberg/Sweet Baby Ray’s edit
• “Zuckerberg blasted for tone-deaf 'magical' VR tour of Puerto Rico” from CNET News (October 10, 2017)
• Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism by Sarah Wynn-Williams (Flatiron Books, 2025)
• “Introducing Oculus Quest” from Meta Developers (February 13, 2019)
• “Oculus Quest Basics Tutorial” from Meta Quest (May 20, 2019)
• “Everything revealed at Facebook's Oculus Horizon presentation” from CNET Highlights (September 25, 2019)
• “Building the Tools to Power the Future of Work” press release from Facebook (May 21, 2020)
• “Growth At Any Cost: Top Facebook Executive Defended Data Collection In 2016 Memo — And Warned That Facebook Could Get People Killed” by Ryan Mac, Charlie Warzel, and Alex Kantrowitz (BuzzFeed News, March 29, 2018)
• “Zuckerberg Says He Strongly Disagrees With “The Ugly” Memo By Top Facebook Exec” by Jim Dalrymple II (BuzzFeed News, March 29, 2018)
• “Facebook Horizon | New Worlds in the Making” from Meta Quest (August 27, 2020)
• “Facebook launches ‘Horizon Workrooms.’ Here's how it works” from CBS Mornings (August 19, 2021)
• “The Metaverse and How We'll Build It Together -- Connect 2021” from Meta (October 28, 2021)
• Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook post announcing Horizon Worlds launching in France and Spain
• Announcement that legs are coming soon
• Footage of Meta Connect 2024 in Horizon Worlds
• “What Went Wrong With Horizon Worlds? Former Meta Devs Share Surprising Insights -- And a Solution to Still Save It” by Wagner James Au (March 12, 2025; archived from the original on March 16, 2025)
• “Eli Roth Brings His Brand of Horror to Meta Horizon Worlds + Meta Quest TV” Meta press release (October 14, 2022)
• “Why The Metaverse Was Doomed From The Start” by The Art of Storytelling (March 27, 2026)
• “Zuck Never Understood the Metaverse” by The Morbid Zoo (April 4, 2026)
• “How Did the Metaverse Fail So Badly?” by Patrick Boyle (April 12, 2026)
• “What does Meta actually do now?” by Good Work (May 8, 2026)
• “Meta burned $19 billion on VR last year, and 2026 won’t be any better” by Lucas Ropek (TechCrunch, January 28, 2026)
• Announcement from Meta that Spark will be shutting down in January 2025
• “Meta is closing down its VR meeting rooms as part of its wider cull” by Mariella Moon (Engadget, January 16, 2026)
• “Meta Lays Off 8,000 Employees, as A.I. Casualties Mount” by Eli Tan, Kalley Huang, and Mike Isaac (The New York Times, May 19, 2026)
• “Backrooms uses the bluntest of metaphors to capture a uniquely Gen Z fear” by Joshua Rivera (The A.V. Club, June 5th, 2026)

TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com

Interstitial: “Connect Keynote Address 2026” // Written by A.J. Ditty // feat. Brian Alford as “Zucks”

244 - Gamer (feat. maia arson crimew)

maia arson crimew joins the lads for a gruesome game of Slayer and a quick round of Society as they cover the rich text of toxic masculinity that is Neveldine/Taylor’s 2009 murderfest: Gamer. Topics include Michael C. Hall’s puppet moves, the film’s deep fear of penises, and what it means to live in a world where tech billionaires want to control your every thought.

maia arson crimew: Website // Bluesky

Want more TWOAPW? Get access to our full back catalogue of premium/bonus episodes by subscribing for $5/month at Patreon.com/worstofall!

Media Referenced in this Episode:

• Gamer. Neveldine/Taylor. 2009.

TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com

Interstitial: “Ken Castle’s Crazy Kart” // Written and Performed by A.J. Ditty

243 - The Cable Guy (feat. David Armstrong)

THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall

David Armstrong (Bonus Action) upgrades the lads to the Rainbow Package as they cover Ben Stiller’s 1996 cult thriller/comedy: The Cable Guy. Topics include trials of the century, the cultural significance of Medieval Times, and what it means to contemplate 90s monoculture in a post-cable world.

Bonus Action: Hail and well met, Peaches! Adam and Jay from the reaction channel pReview’d have started an Actual Play TTRPG channel with their DM friend David Armstrong.

• Youtube

Media Referenced in this Episode:

• The Cable Guy. Dir. Ben Stiller. 1996.
• “How a Sure Summer Hit Missed” by Bernard Weinraub. New York Times. June 27th, 1996.

TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com

Interstitial: “The Sound of Larry the Cable Guy Encouraging Renowned British Theater Director Trevor Nunn to Attack A Critic at a Local Pub Mere Hours After Said Critic Panned His, and By His I Mean Trevor Nunn’s, Revival of The Sound of Music” // Written by A.J. Ditty // feat. David Armstrong as “Larry the Cable Guy”

242 - The Gay Agenda: LIVE (feat. Théâtre Voltaire)

The lads bring Odyssey to Brooklyn as they, along with their newly-formed acting troupe Théǎtre Voltaire, get to the bottom of the Gay Agenda by covering the infamously never-produced episode of Adventures in Odyssey: “One-In-Ten”. Topics include the structure of a very special episode, the resplendent beauty of a crow’s call, and the paramount importance of being as gay as humanly possible.

Want more TWOAPW? Get access to our full back catalogue of premium/bonus episodes by subscribing for $5/month at Patreon.com/worstofall!

Théâtre Voltaire

• Jessie Cannizzaro as Jimmy
• Madeleine Bundy as Artie/Donna
• James Fouhey as Sam/Mr. Andrews
• Alex Ptak as Mr. Michaels
• Jeremy Kaplowitz as Rodney Rathbone
• Patrick Harvey as George
• Cristina Pitter as Mary
• Dara Swisher as Foley

TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com

Interstitial: “James Dobson in Hell” // Written by A.J. Ditty // feat. A.J. Ditty as “James Dobson” and William Vaughn as “James Dobson’s BFF”

241 - KPop Demon Hunters

THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall

TICKETS TO OUR MAY 24 LIVE SHOW IN BROOKLYN ARE ON GENERAL SALE NOW! LIVE STREAM AVAILABLE! To get your tickets, go to Littlefieldnyc.com

The lads hide their demon marks and move their shoulders to Sodapop as they cover Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans’ 2025 musical megahit: KPop Demon Hunters. Topics include the origins of KPop, the frustrating narrative choices, and the absolute joy of watching a group of demon slayers cap off a successful hunt with some much deserved couch time.

Media Referenced in this Episode:

• KPop Demon Hunters. Dir. Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans. 2025
• “‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Directors on Why This Was Too Personal To Walk Away From: ‘We’re Gonna Do It Even if It Kills Us’” by Jake Hodges & Perri Nemiroff. Collider. October 4th, 2025.
• “KPop Demon Hunters is Officially Entering Its Sequel Era” by Stephan Lee. Tudum by Netflix. March 12th, 2026.
• “‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Smash Hit ‘Golden’ Surpasses 1 Billion Views on Youtube” by Hannah Dailey. Billboard. January 14th, 2026.
• “KPop Demon Hunters Took 7 Years to Make But a Lifetime to Experience” by Regina Kim. New York Times. July 21st, 2025.
• “Netflix announces ‘K-Pop Demon Hunters’ world concert tour” by Fred Topel. Y! Entertainment. May 13th, 2026.

TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com

A note from Josh about the livestream and other stuff for the May 24 live show at Littlefield

Hi everyone,

Josh here with your (hopefully) one-stop shop for all details regarding the May 24 7PM ET live show, including how the livestream will work. HERE'S THE LINK TO TICKETS AT LITTLEFIELDNYC.COM.

TL;DR:

• We're excited to have you on the livestream to bring in as much of our audience as possible
• The stream will be on YouTube. You'll get the link right before the show and the VOD will stay up for at least 30 days
• We'll have live chat during the stream
• The video of the show will only be available to people who purchased a livestream ticket via VOD. The edited audio will be released as the main feed episode on May 27, but it will not include the special live-only interstitial
• This is the most ambitious thing we've attempted for this show so far and we need you to help us tear this shit apart

Get those tickets and we'll see you on the 24th.

Love,
Josh

240 - Candide

LIVESTREAM AND IN PERSON TICKETS TO OUR MAY 24 LIVE SHOW IN BROOKLYN ARE AVAILABLE NOW! To get your tickets, go to Littlefieldnyc.com

The lads ring in their fifth anniversary by finally explaining the show’s title as they cover the 1974 revival of Leonard Bernstein’s hit operetta: Candide. Topics include Voltaire’s poster mind, the masterful direction of Hal Prince, and what it takes to remain hopeful in the face of the worst of all possible worlds.

Media Referenced in this Episode:

• Candide. Dir. Hal Prince. 1974.
• “Candide” by Voltaire
• Libretto for the 1974 Production
• Libretto for the 1956 Production

TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com

Interstitial: “The Worst of All Possible Worlds” // Music by Leonard Bernstein // Lyrics by A.J. Ditty // featuring A.J. Ditty as “A.J.“, Josh Boerman as “Josh”, and Brian Alford as “Briangloss”