TRASH TALK REVERSE

Let's get better at spotting & debunking bad (or bad faith) criticism, and better at thinking critically about media in general. In this video, I debunk a horrible video that criticizes the way intelligence is depicted on screen, and hopefully through this somewhat long but entertaining process, we can get better at thinking about media as a whole. All timestamps below marking discussions about Sherlock (BBC Sherlock plus original book discussion), Sage from the Boys, and Tyrion from Game of Thrones. Companion article: https://www.trashtalkreverse.com/post/spot-bad-criticisms Join the TTR mailing list for monthly newsletters! https://www.trashtalkreverse.com/ Links: Sherlock meets John: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaT7IYQgyqo Sherlock John deduction explained: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXNQz7l6Bmc Sir Arthur's letters: https://www.arthur-conan-doyle.com/index.php/Letter_to_Mr_Bell_about_Sherlock_Holmes_(4_may_1892) Free Sherlock Holmes novels available at Project Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/ Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes adaption: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJfhxUKC_TVoOHuKo-HEYPpkzmtHWSA8c&si=TtIeBMQ7BzTEwtcg 0:00 Beware bad criticism 1:57 Debunking the bad thesis 4:32 Original Holmes novels, BBC Sherlock scenes, story purpose 15:01 FALSE EQUIVALENCY 17:27 Debunking the false equivalency 26:32 Even more bad criticism 28:56 How bad critics win 30:25 Sage (The Boys spoilers) 35:52 Really bad criticism (non spoiler) 38:51 TONS of Sage-planning scenes (The Boys spoilers) 40:30 Three shows: MORE false equivalencies 42:22 Game of Thrones slight spoilers 43:39 More bad analysis 45:30 Why the analysis is so flawed

While sifting through footage for my video about the terrible season 4 of Amazon's The Boys was, I realized seasons 1 through 3 weren't that great either. They only seemed better because of the distance between them and season 4, which was so atrocious is made the memory of previous seasons seem better. So I made this video talking about why I don't like this show, why I literally don't care what happens, and why a show like this has been getting so much recognition despite its shallow writing. (Please excuse the lazy editing, I've been super busy and this has been delayed for months so I just wanted to get it out.) Companion article: https://www.trashtalkreverse.com/post/the-boys-sucks Join the TTR mailing list for monthly newsletters! https://www.trashtalkreverse.com/ 0:00 I kinda hate this show 0:30 The characters suck 9:06 Political commentary is surface level 14:59 Other shows that actually work 18:01 I just don't care

Hollywood's been announcing new reboots, remakes, sequels, and spin-offs every five seconds, and people have been wondering if the entertainment industry is creatively bankrupt. This episode dives into the mountain of content being made that happens to be based on something else. Anything can be IP, and we'll take a look at everything from Mattel's toy-based content, the Harry Potter reboot, Pixar & animation, TV universes and reboots, public domain adaptations, superheroes, game-based content, horror, other types of franchising, and whether IP-based content is inherently a bad thing. Join the TTR mailing list for monthly newsletters! https://www.trashtalkreverse.com/ Read the article here: https://www.trashtalkreverse.com/post/hollywood-ip-obsession Links from others: Playground Equipment Mattel Graphic: https://www.playgroundequipment.com/everything-owned-by-mattel/ Taking Back Harry Potter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UO43wDZf08k Lordlook's One Piece Anime version of Netflix Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCb13lbVGE0 Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJfhxUKC_TVoOHuKo-HEYPpkzmtHWSA8c&feature=shared Relevant TTR videos for you: Fangirls & Serial Killers episode: https://youtu.be/uYnq1IQoQb0 Another Hollywood episode (strikes, studios, AI): https://youtu.be/PT1sDX3PRYQ AduItifying Kids Content: https://youtu.be/3j1BAOomBoc 2023's Barbie Review: https://youtu.be/RpPt5YwCMEI Mario Movie Review: https://youtu.be/tWU0vea8E-E Bottoms review: https://youtu.be/THGg70d7BV4 Hunger Games video: https://youtu.be/vHb-LB4KY8E Hunger Games Prequel video: https://youtu.be/bI88uajoRNA Maze Runner movies: https://youtu.be/kscNPLEZRKg 0:00 Marketing is everything 3:26 Mattel's Toy-Based Content Plan 7:18 Harry Potter 11:13 Animation & Pixar 17:25 ATLA, Percy Jackson, Scooby Doo 19:57 Superheroes (DC, Marvel, Spiderman, The Boys) 25:23 Netflix Universes: Squid Game & English Remakes 27:32 Netflix Universes: Stranger Things, Wednesday, One Piece 28:52 Game of Thrones Universe & Fantasy Deficit 30:55 Universes: The Boys, Pitch Perfect 31:37 Sitcoms: The Office & Friends 32:39 Sitcoms: That 70s Show vs. That 90s Show 34:11 Sitcoms: Big Bang Theory Universe 34:36 Sitcom: Wizards of Waverly Place Reboot 36:21 More TV Reboots 37:16 Dexter 37:42 EVEN MORE TV REBOOTS 38:08 Sherlock Holmes 40:07 Modernized Literature Adaptations 40:50 Game-Based Content 43:32 Horror Franchising 44:28 Everything Franchising 45:07 They're Not All Bad 46:16 Pirates of the Caribbean 47:46 Star Wars & Wide-Age Content 49:32 Hunger Games & Maze Runner 50:43 Benefit to Universes & Sequels 51:17 Appeal of Remakes/Reboots/Public Domain 52:42 Some Original Ideas Suck 52:06 The Studios Have It Wrong 55:07 It's All About Story

The season 2 finale suffered from problems created earlier in the season, and also had some scene and episodic writing problems on its own. But there were also some strong moments and interesting set-ups, and ultimately this second season was 10000 times better than season 1. Game of Thrones was undoubtedly the biggest show of the 2010s, ending in 2019 with what is hailed as one of the worst seasons of TV on the planet. But I think the problems of this show began much earlier on. Join me as I rewatch this show for the first time since 2019 and explore both the positives and negatives of the story and writing from seasons 1 through 8. Join the TTR mailing list for monthly newsletters! https://www.trashtalkreverse.com/ 0:00 Intro 1:13 finale & overall season commentary 40:06 dothraki resources in description 41:45 finale & overall season commentary 44:27 final season 2 thoughts Full Playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlWowcafvouDWJht66HCOI2QVrXxPiVxm Why the depiction of Dothraki is problematic: https://acoup.blog/2020/12/04/collections-that-dothraki-horde-part-i-barbarian-couture/ https://acoup.blog/2020/12/18/collections-that-dothraki-horde-part-iii-horse-fiddles/ This content is protected under Fair Use. (Trust me, I edited and double checked like crazy.)

Season 2 episode 9 is the Battle of Blackwater, and overall it was a really good episode. In fact, it made episode 8 look even worse and more pointless. Stannis shows up at Tyrion's doorstep, the Hound and Joffrey both freak out, Cersei freaks out Sansa, and Tywin shows up to save the day. Game of Thrones was undoubtedly the biggest show of the 2010s, ending in 2019 with what is hailed as one of the worst seasons of TV on the planet. But I think the problems of this show began much earlier on. Join me as I rewatch this show for the first time since 2019 and explore both the positives and negatives of the story and writing from seasons 1 through 8. Join the TTR mailing list for monthly newsletters! https://www.trashtalkreverse.com/ 0:00 Intro 1:07 reaction & commentary 24:24 further thoughts & analysis Full Playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlWowcafvouDWJht66HCOI2QVrXxPiVxm This content is protected under Fair Use. (Trust me, I edited and double checked like crazy.)

2023's Bottoms was a massive disappointment as it tried way too hard to do everything - coming of age, teen romance, absurdist, social commentary, genre commentary - and failed at them all. With unlikeable characters and ones with no personality, a simultaneously convoluted and boring plot, and a literal fumble (get it, football) for its attempted genre, this movie was almost impossible to watch, and I only made it through because of sheer curiosity about whether it would get better. Join the TTR mailing list for monthly newsletters! https://www.trashtalkreverse.com/ This was initially an article published April 16, 2024. https://www.trashtalkreverse.com/post/bottoms-review 0:00 Fumbling the premise 0:43 Disingenuous commentary & bad characters 2:44 Overdone trope 3:28 DOING TOO MUCH 4:27 Bad at every comedy genre 6:30 Rewriting Bottoms

Season 2 episode 8 is chock full of bad scenes. Theon gets yelled at by Yara, Robb and Talisa decide to marry, Brienne and Jaime are off, Arya escapes, Dany pops in for one second, Jon's in trouble up north, Bran and Rickon are alive to no one's surprise, and Tyrion has terrible conversations with Varys, Bronn, Cersei, and Shae. Game of Thrones was undoubtedly the biggest show of the 2010s, ending in 2019 with what is hailed as one of the worst seasons of TV on the planet. But I think the problems of this show began much earlier on. Join me as I rewatch this show for the first time since 2019 and explore both the positives and negatives of the story and writing from seasons 1 through 8. Join the TTR mailing list for monthly newsletters! https://www.trashtalkreverse.com/ 0:00 Intro 0:48 reaction & commentary 17:41 great transition, forgot to add the note but basically her mentioning children and cutting to the children 17:50 reaction & commentary 18:10 further thoughts & analysis Full Playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlWowcafvouDWJht66HCOI2QVrXxPiVxm This content is protected under Fair Use. (Trust me, I edited and double checked like crazy.)

Season 2 episode 7 was half good, half bad. Theon pretends to kill Bran and Rickon, Catelyn pretends to kill Jaime after Jaime for real kills his cousin, Robb and Talisa go off together, Arya hangs out with Tywin, Tyrion and Cersei accidentally bond, Cersei and Sansa chat about Joffrey, Jon and Ygritte waste some time, and who knows what the hell is going on with Dany in Qarth. Game of Thrones was undoubtedly the biggest show of the 2010s, ending in 2019 with what is hailed as one of the worst seasons of TV on the planet. But I think the problems of this show began much earlier on. Join me as I rewatch this show for the first time since 2019 and explore both the positives and negatives of the story and writing from seasons 1 through 8. Join the TTR mailing list for monthly newsletters! https://www.trashtalkreverse.com/ 0:00 Intro 0:47 reaction & commentary 18:28 further thoughts & analysis Full Playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlWowcafvouDWJht66HCOI2QVrXxPiVxm This content is protected under Fair Use. (Trust me, I edited and double checked like crazy.)

Originally published as part of a podcast on September 2, 2023. One day I'll dive deeper into why Inception missed the mark, but for now, enjoy this quick discussion of how Nolan's faux-intellectualism got in the way of crafting a good story, including why the ending is actually contradictory to its own theme. Join the TTR mailing list for monthly newsletters! https://www.trashtalkreverse.com/ 0:00 Bad execution 1:36 Telling, not showing 2:20 Contradictory ending Check out the rest of the podcast episode on Barbenheimer and writer-directors here: https://youtu.be/IRbQP6_puCI

Season 2 episode 6 was mostly good but with some significant issues. We have Theon taking over Winterfell from Bran, Robb finding out, Arya getting more help from Jaqen H'ghar, Catelyn and Brienne meeting up with Robb, Tyrion/Joffrey/Cersei/Sansa getting attacked by the public, Jon meeting Ygritte, and Dany dealing with crap in Qarth. Game of Thrones was undoubtedly the biggest show of the 2010s, ending in 2019 with what is hailed as one of the worst seasons of TV on the planet. But I think the problems of this show began much earlier on. Join me as I rewatch this show for the first time since 2019 and explore both the positives and negatives of the story and writing from seasons 1 through 8. Join the TTR mailing list for monthly newsletters! https://www.trashtalkreverse.com/ 0:00 Intro 0:48 reaction & commentary 16:23 further thoughts & analysis Full Playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlWowcafvouDWJht66HCOI2QVrXxPiVxm This content is protected under Fair Use. (Trust me, I edited and double checked like crazy.)

Season 2 episode 5 was much weaker than its four predecessors. We fast forwarded through a lot of really important stuff, kicking off with Renly's ridiculous shadow baby death. Stannis got Renly's bannermen, Tyrion found out about Cersei's secret plan for the impending battle with Stannis, Catelyn and Brienne plus the Tyrells all ran away, Theon and Bran prepare for the attack on Winterfell, and our one good Westeros storyline came from Arya and Tywin as usual. Beyond the Wall, Jon prepares to deal with Wildlings, and to the East, Dany makes plans to leave Qarth. Game of Thrones was undoubtedly the biggest show of the 2010s, ending in 2019 with what is hailed as one of the worst seasons of TV on the planet. But I think the problems of this show began much earlier on. Join me as I rewatch this show for the first time since 2019 and explore both the positives and negatives of the story and writing from seasons 1 through 8. Join the TTR mailing list for monthly newsletters! https://www.trashtalkreverse.com/ 0:00 Intro 0:26 reaction & commentary 10:29 Dothraki resources in description 12:06 reaction & commentary 15:01 further thoughts & analysis Full Playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlWowcafvouDWJht66HCOI2QVrXxPiVxm Why the depiction of Dothraki is problematic: https://acoup.blog/2020/12/04/collections-that-dothraki-horde-part-i-barbarian-couture/ https://acoup.blog/2020/12/18/collections-that-dothraki-horde-part-iii-horse-fiddles/ This content is protected under Fair Use. (Trust me, I edited and double checked like crazy.)

There's nothing more disappointing than seeing a visually stunning and uniquely original animated world completely destroyed by a boring and generic story, but unfortunately that's exactly what we got with The Super Mario Bros. Movie from 2023. From super formulaic and forceful storytelling to nostalgia bait fanservice, this movie failed to utilize its unique source material to its full potential. Join the TTR mailing list for monthly newsletters! https://www.trashtalkreverse.com/ This was initially an article published April 1, 2024. https://www.trashtalkreverse.com/post/super-mario-movie-review 0:00 It could've been good 0:48 Forceful, formulaic writing 1:52 Nostalgia bait game commercial 3:36 Major storytelling missteps 5:12 Music & Voices 7:21 Missed opportunity