The Worst of All Possible Worlds

141 - Team America: World Police (feat. Stephen Stout)

Stephen Stout (Puffs) and the lads hop into their red, white, and blue helicopters and completely obliterate France as they cover Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s 2004 fraught satire of the War on Terror: Team America: World Police. Topics include Parker and Stone’s origins, the film’s overwhelming racism, and what a movie so steeped in the post-9/11 hysteria of the early 2000s means twenty years after its release.

Stephen Stout: Twitter // Instagram // Spock Hats Twitter

Puffs: Website // Amazon // Broadway HD

Media Referenced in this Episode:

• Team America: World Police. Dir. Trey Parker and Matt Stone. 2004.
• “Launching a small-scale offensive” by John Horn. The Los Angeles Times. Sept. 12th, 2004.
• “Team America-World Police: Down-Home Theories of Power and Peace” by James Gow. Millenium: Journal of International Studies. Volume 34, Issue 2. February 2006.
• “Playboy Interview: Parker & Stone” by Playboy Staff. June 2000.
• “Puppet Masters - Interview with Matt Stone and Trey Parker” by Heather Havrilesky. Salon. October 12th, 2004.

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

Commercial: “TWOAPW, Fuck Yeah (Abridged)”

140 - Doki Doki Literature Club! (feat. Anne Huston)

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

 

Anne Huston (Caveat NYC) joins Brian and Josh in getting bombarded by the twee writing, adorable anime girls, and abject existential terror of Team Salvato's 2017 dating sim/horror cult hit Doki Doki Literature Club! Along the way they talk about the appeal of fanworks, the perils of adolescence, and the mortifying ordeal of being known by a fictitious character inside a computer game.

Anne Huston is the General Manager at Caveat, a cabaret comedy theatre located on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.

Want more TWOAPW? Get access to the rest of this episode, our full back catalogue of premium and bonus episodes, and add your name to the masthead of our website by subscribing for $5/month at Patreon.com/worstofall!

Media referenced in this episode:

• Doki Doki Literature Club! (Team Salvato, 2017) available on itch.io
• Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! (Team Salvato/Serenity Forge, 2021) available on Steam
• Undertale (Toby Fox, 2015) available on Steam
• Year Walk (Simogo, 2013) available on the App Store and Steam
• Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem (Silicon Knights/Nintendo, 2002)

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

Interstitial: "A Series of Updates from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority re: Dupont Circle and Farragut North Metro Stations"

139 - The Dutch Knight Rises (feat. Scott Benson) [Whit’s Endless Summer #35]

Scott Benson (Night in the Woods) returns once again to Odyssey as he and the lads finally wrap up their three-part coverage of the many spy-games, double-crosses, and hastily wedged in Christian morals of the epic, twelve-part Adventures in Odyssey saga: Darkness Before Dawn. Topics include the wiki-centric writing, the benefits of pirate mutiny, and what it means to grow up believing that certain souls are beyond redemption.

Scott Benson - Twitter // Instagram

Previously on Whit’s Endless Summer:

• The Odyssey Commercials Vol. 1
• Blackgaard Begins (feat. Devon) [Whit’s Endless Summer 33]
• The Dutch Knight (feat. Trevor Strunk) [Whit’s Endless Summer 34]

Media Referenced in this Episode:

• Adventures in Odyssey
• #331: Checkmate
• #332: Another Chance
• #333: The Last Resort
• #334: The Final Conflict

• Is AIDs [sic] a Result of God's Punishment? by James Dobson.
• Connie’s Special Bible - NKI - Adventures in Odyssey [Archive of Our Own]

 

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

Commercial: “The Light Before Dusk”

• Part One: “Oily Marks”
• Part Two: “Blood and Tears” feat. Brendan Dalton as “318"
• Park Three: “Still Life” feat. Eleanor Philips as “???” and Brendan Dalton as “318”
• Part Four: “What Did You Say?” feat. Maki Borden as “Pete”

Music Used in the Commercials:

• The “Hide and Seeks”:

• • Acapella Cover by 4inabar
  • Organ Cover by Jonny Music
  • Piano Cover by Blake Alkire
  • Piano and String Cover by Brooklyn Duo feat. Dover Quartet
  • Violin Cover by Arlo Adams

• The Underscoring:

• • “There Will be Blood” by Jonny Greenwood
  • “The Hunt” by Jonny Greenwood

138 - Baby Reindeer

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

The lads grab their iFoNeS and spam your inbox as they dive headlong into the nightmarish world of stalking and stand up comedy that is Richard Gadd’s hit 2024 Netflix series: Baby Reindeer. Topics include the show’s origins as autobiography, the incredible performances, and what, if anything, artists owe their real-life subjects in a world addicted to true crime.

 

CW: Frank discussions of sexual assault and stalking.

 

Media Referenced in this Episode:

• Baby Reindeer. Netflix, 2024.
• “‘Baby Reindeer’ Star Richard Gadd Questioned By Producers Over Dating Actress Who Auditioned For Hit Netflix Series” by Jake Kanter. Deadline. May 3rd, 2024.
• Reddit Thread About Richard Gadd’s Previous Edinburgh Shows
• “Richard Gadd on Baby Reindeer-the shocking truth behind the Netflix hit” by Susannah Butter. The Times. January 21st, 2024.

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

Commercial: “The Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2024"

137 - Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (feat. Josh Sawyer)

Josh Sawyer (Pentiment, Fallout: New Vegas) and the lads grab their razors and complete their arms as they attend the tale of Hugh Wheeler and Stephen Sondheim’s 1979 barber-ic bloodbath: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Topics include the show’s horror film origins, the unimpeachable score, and the long term ramifications of using Sweeney Todd as a gateway drug into the wild world of musical theater.

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

Josh Sawyer: Twitter // Tumblr

Media Referenced in this Episode:

• Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

• The Original Broadway Cast recording
• The 2006 John Doyle Revival
• The 2023 Broadway Revival
• The Movie
• “Finishing the Hat: Collected Lyrics (1954-1981) with Attendant Comments, Principles, Heresies, Grudges, Whines and Anecdotes” by Stephen Sondheim, Penguin Random House. 2010.
• “Stephen Sondheim: The Story So Far” Podcast. Masterworks Broadway.

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

Commercial: “Epiphabee” Music by Stephen Sondheim, Lyrics by Dr. Samuel Bultch, D.D.S. feat. Eleanor Philips as “Mrs. Hornet”

136 - Outer Wilds

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

The lads hop into their wooden spaceships and fly straight into the dying sun as they cover Morbius Digital Games’ hit 2019 indie exploration/Newtonian physics simulator: Outer Wilds. Topics include the cozy/existentially terrifying vibes, the efficacy of the storytelling, and what it means to find hope at the end of the universe.

Want more TWOAPW? Get access to the rest of this episode, our full back catalogue of premium and bonus episodes, and add your name to the masthead of our website by subscribing for $5/month at Patreon.com/worstofall!

Media Referenced in this Episode:

• Outer Wilds. Mobius Digital Games. 2019.
• No Cartridge Audio: Outer Wilds Forever! with Alex Beachum and Kelsey Beachum.
• No Cartridge Audio: Scott Benson on Outer Wilds.
• “Outer Wilds is Not a Video Game”. Daryl Talks Games.
• “The Making of Outer Wilds - Documentary”. Noclip-Video Game Documentaries. Jan 1, 2020.

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

Commercial: “A Pep Talk for a Hatchling”, Music by Andrew Prahlow, Lyrics by Dr. Samuel Bultch, D.D.S.

135 - The Boss Baby: Family Business (feat. Patrick Willems)

Patrick Willems (Night of the Coconut) returns to finish some unfinished business as he and the lads fight off the deep conservatism and unending baby ninja armies of Dreamworks’ 2021 babypalooza: The Boss Baby: Family Business. Topics include the nebulous target audience, the uncanny animation, and the consequences of pivoting from the increasingly bonkers Boss Baby lore to the terrors of…school choice???

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

Patrick Willems: “Pretty much the Terrence Malick of YouTube.”

• Twitter // Youtube // Nebula // Instagram // Letterboxd
• Night of the Coconut
• Patrick’s Episode of Something Rotten on Metal Gear Solid 2
• Patrick’s Episode of Eye of the Duck on Minority Report

Media Referenced in this Episode:

• The Boss Baby: Family Business. Dir. Tom McGrath. Dreamworks Animation, 2021.
• “Conan O’Brien Needs a Doctor While Eating Spicy Wings” by First We Feast.

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

Commercial: “Babies Are Forever” Music by John Barry, Lyrics by Dr. Samuel Bultch, D.D.S., feat. Eleanor Philips.

134 - The Dutch Knight (feat. Trevor Strunk) [Whit’s Endless Summer #34]

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

Trevor Strunk (No Cartridge) returns once again to the horrors of Odyssey as he and the lads face down the true return of the devious Dutchman, Regis Blackgaard, in part two of Adventures in Odyssey’s most notorious run: Darkness Before Dawn. Topics include the vocal dexterity of Earl Boen, the collaboration between Paul McCusker and Philip Lollar, and the deeply depressing conversion of Eugene Meltsner.

Want more TWOAPW? Get access to the rest of this episode, our full back catalogue of premium and bonus episodes, and add your name to the masthead of our website by subscribing for $5/month at Patreon.com/worstofall!

Trevor Strunk

• Twitter / Story Mode

No Cartridge Audio: Critical but casual approaches to current, past, and future video games six times a week. In addition, guests will periodically share their own aesthetic and personal experiences with games in conversation!

• Available on Apple Podcasts // Spotify // Red Circle
• Support No Cartridge Audio on Patreon // Twitter
• Josh’s Episode of No Cartridge About Thief 2: The Metal Age
• A.J.’s Episode of No Cartridge on Bad Mojo
• The Lads’ Episode of No Cartridge on Final Fantasy XV

 

Media Referenced in this Episode:

• “Happiness is a Water Gun”: The Maxwell/Blackgaard Erotica
• Adventures in Odyssey:

• • #327: “Moving Targets”
  • #328: “Hard Losses”
  • #329: “The Return”
  • #330: “The Time Has Come”

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

Commercial: “’On the Importance of Muzzy at the End of the World”

Special Thanks to: David Armstrong, Jake Beckhard, Ellie Philips, Dara Swisher, Jessie Cannizzaro, Audrey Brehm, Donovan Eyre, Dean Beckwith, Petrea Whittier, Greg Foster, Matt Barbot, Josiah Hughes, Patrick Willems, Graham Techler, Trevor Strunk, Josh Sawyer, Lenore Olson, Jacob Dallas, Devon, Anne Huston, Chas LiBretto, maia arson crimew, November Kelly, and Tony Ditty.

133 - Sam Shepard’s Buried Child (feat. Yurié Collins)

Yurié Collins (@babypinkhaus) and the lads grab their shovels and go digging for babies as they cover Sam Shepard’s 1979 Pulitzer Prize-winning fever dream of a play: Buried Child. Topics include the toxic masculinity of the cowboy persona, the plays’ morbidly rich imagery, and the terrors of any generation, past or present, facing the dead baby buried in the backyard.

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

Yurié Collins: Tiktok // Instagram

Media Referenced in this Episode:

• Buried Child by Sam Shepard. 1979.
• The New Group production of Buried Child. 2016.
• “Flashback: Sam Shepard, the Rolling Stone Interview” by Jonathan Cott. Rolling Stone. August 1st, 2017.
• “Rhythms & Truths: An Interview with Sam Shepard” by Amy Lippman. American Theatre Magazine. April 1st, 1984.
• “Sam Shepard: ‘America is on its way out as a culture’” by Laura Barton. The Guardian. September 7th, 2014.
• “Sam Shepard, The Art of Theatre No. 12.” by Benjamin Ryder Howe, Jeanne McCulloch & Mona Simpson. The Paris Review. Issue 142, Spring 1997.

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

Commercial: “The Autograph Theatre’s Pearl Fartbor Season Announcement” feat. David Armstrong as “Jim/Tom/Mark/John/Ray” and Yurié Collins as “Pearl Fartbor”

132 - Macbeth in Canada: Slings and Arrows, Season Two [feat. Graham Techler]

Graham Techler (Tooning Out the News, Fairview) joins the lads for another cursed production of Macbeth as they return to both the New Burbage Theatre Festival and the second season of the hit AcornTV Canadian dramedy: Slings and Arrows. Topics include the curse of The Scottish Play, the showrunners’ dedication to an authentic portrayal of a life in the theater, and the importance of doing your taxes in a world teetering on the edge of a youthquake.

Want more TWOAPW? Get access to the rest of this episode, our full back catalogue of premium and bonus episodes, and add your name to the masthead of our website by subscribing for $5/month at Patreon.com/worstofall!

Graham Techler: Instagram // “Our Upcoming Theatrical Season” // “Lane Gaullson’s Revenge!”

Media Referenced in this Episode:

Slings and Arrows: Season Two. AcornTV. 2005.

The AI Upscale of Slings and Arrows

Emily St. James’ AV Club coverage of Slings and Arrows

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

Commercial: “2Frog2Hammer” feat. David Armstrong as “Curd Sorryboutthat”