The Toy Department – Episode 391

The Toy Department

In Episode 391, Madden and Kolsky are back from an unplanned hiatus (thanks to Derek’s unnamed coworkers) to dive deep into:

• The last two episodes of Top Chef (2:05) including a cheese-and-fishy quickfire, great chefs cooking scared in the pre-final and a final cook that saw three great chefs do their thing…
• The the end of The Challenge All-Stars 4 (22:40) including a purge, a rad paintball shooting challenge to kick off TJ’s Final, a friend-ly twist to end it and a big win for a bigger legend…
• The HBO docu-series Ren Faire (36:05) and whether the Succession comparisons go deeper than the obvious surface narrative…
• The intense and emotional Godzilla Minus One (44:00) and whether it transcends the standard monster-flick label…
• Bob Marley: One Love (49:15) and the life and legacy of reggae music’s GOAT…
• The Glen Powell/Richard Linklater team-up Hit Man (55:45) and what a winning rom-com it ends up being…
• A few thoughts on the end of the NBA season (1:00:30) and the championship-winning Boston Celtics…
• Homework for next week (1:10:55), including: Hannah Einbinder’s stand-up special (on Max), the documentary Brats on Hulu, Ophan Black: Echoes on AMC, Apple TV+’s Presumed Innocent, the Dev Patel feature Monkey Man (now on Peacock) and the return of The Boys on Amazon Prime Video…