The Worst of All Possible Worlds

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”

131 - MASH (1970)

The lads hop in a chopper and get into some morally dubious hijinks as they cover Robert Altman’s 1970 war/frat house comedy that inspired one of the most well-regarded TV shows of all time: M*A*S*H. Topics include Eliot Gould’s mustache, rampant 70s misogyny, and what it means to live in a country that can only define itself by settler conquest.

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!

Media Referenced in this Episode:

• M*A*S*H. Dir. Robert Altman. 20th Century Fox. 1970.
• Golden Rainbow 1968 Tony Award Performance
• Looking Back, 1952: York doctors join war effort
• middle school 9/11 tribute dance
• Mash The Movie Backstory
• MASH: A Story About Three Army Doctors by Richard Hooker. William Morrow. 1968.
• Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) - American Helicopter Museum & Education Center
• “Richard Hornberger” by Variety Staff. Variety. Nov. 19th, 1997.
• “Robert Altman on Being The 15th Director Cast To Make MASH”

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

Commercial: “The 4077th Morning Announcements”

130 - Heaven is for Real (feat. Radio Free Tote Bag)

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

This week, Josh and Brian are joined by Radio Free Tote Bag as they take the next direct flight straight to God’s Throne. We discuss the history of books about heaven, the Near-Death Experience community, and the many thrills of saying “Burpo” over and over again.

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!

Radio Free Tote Bag is a weekly relationship advice podcast hosted by Audrey and Donovan. Patreon // Spotify // Apple Podcasts // Twitter // Instagram

Data Transfer - Apple Podcasts // Spotify

Audrey Brehm - Twitter 

Donovan Eyre - Twitter 

Media Referenced in this episode:

• Where is Colton Burpo Now? - Pureflix
• Interview with Kevin Malarkey
• I Did Not Die. I Did Not Go to Heaven. - Slate Magazine
• John Wesley as Dream Reader - Pawel Rutkowski
• Colton Burpo on Ordinary Discussions
• Interview with Todd and Colton Burpo
• The Burpos on Marilyn and Sarah
• IMDb - Heaven is for Real
• Near-Death Experience Research Foundation

 

129 - Blackgaard Begins (feat. Devon) [Whit’s Endless Summer #33]

Devon (Kill James Bond!) becomes an Odyssian convert as they and the lads journey to Odyssey for further adventures in vandalism, charge cards, and the impending return of the Devious Dutchman himself: Regis Blackgaard. Topics include New York solo shows, the proper way to cook a Chansey, and what it means to be the only pirate in a gang of roaming middle-schoolers.

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!

Devon: Twitter // Bluesky // Streaming

Kill James Bond! is a comedy film review/pop culture commentary podcast about the eponymous English spy, James Bond. November Kelly, Abigail Thorn, and Devon watch a different Bond movie every fortnight in an attempt to give 007 the socialist, feminist comeuppance he so richly deserves. 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 / Twitter / Patreon
• Listen on Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Google Podcasts

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

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

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

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

Ten Thousand Posts: A show about how everything is a form of posting, and how our lives are guided by the only dialectic that matters: good posts and bad posts.

• Podcast // Twitter // Patreon

Media Referenced in this Episode:

• Adventures in Odyssey

• • #323: A Little Credit, Please
  • #324: Small Fires, Little Pools
  • #325: Angels Unaware
  • #326: Gathering Thunder

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

Commercial: “Patrick Smother’s Plumber Brothers”