Succession, ATBAATB, Gotham Knights, Superman & Lois, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, Better & Life of Pi
Hosted by
KT & Oti
Show Notes
Welcome to Reference Max where we cover Succession S04E01, All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, Gotham Knights S01E01, Superman & Lois S03E01, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, Better S01E01 & Life of Pi.
Episode Details
- Duration
- 0:00
- Released
- March 24, 2023
- Category
- Episode
- Hosts
Transcript
Transcript (7,282 words)
Full transcript of Succession, ATBAATB, Gotham Knights, Superman & Lois, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, Better & Life of Pi.
KT: It's another week in the For Your Reference household and it is another jammed pack back to back Ref Max, Oti. Very exciting. Um, thank you to all of the PR, um, and all of the contacts, uh, for inviting us to screenings as well as screeners. We're very excited to talk about, we have seven on. Today, Oti. Yeah. Some are already out. Some are on their way. We're very excited. Friends and Lovers. Grab a beverage. Grab a snack. It's definitely gonna get nasty. So I guess put a towel down. And let's get on with the show.
KT: How Hello Friends and Lovers. Welcome back to the For Your Reference Podcast. You got your host,
Oti: And Oti.
KT: Welcome to Reference Max, where in this episode we will be covering Succession season four, episode one. All the Beauty and the Bloodshed. Better, Gotham Knights. Our hero correspondent Oti, Superman & Lois exclusively. Shazam too. Um, I guess I can also comment on that. And also the West End filmed Life of Pi. Theatre Theatre. Very, very exciting. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you Friends and Lovers for joining us another week in the For Your Reference household. I do love my spoiler tags, but the great nature of Ref Max is we're not going to spoil anything
Oti: no spoilage,
KT: And I think that's great and it definitely kicks off Friends and Lovers. If you were joining us in a linear fashion, you were days away from watching the first episode of the fourth and final season of Succession.
Oti: Good thing we live in an Unle timeline. ha.
KT: I'll be 10. Dway and you be everyone else in West.
Oti: I'll take that
KT: Okay. Well, Friends and Lovers, if you are all, if you have joined us in our Delicious as sumptuous podcast journey, you'll know that we have covered all seasons of Succession. Thus far, I'm pretty sure we binged the first two seasons when we watched it for the first time. We watched the third season and we were very excited. Thank you to Charlotte and the team at Binge for, um, and also HBO and also just the Armstrong, um, for gaining us access to the first episode of season four this is such a great time.
Oti: It sure is.
KT: We are also the ambassadors of allowing people to enjoy stuff. You know, a lot of times, even when we are covering things, I always say, we're always gonna be here for you, babe. So you don't need to listen to something you haven't watched. Right. So we're definitely not going to spoil it. Um, but I would love to hear just generally what your thoughts were, or I guess more what your experience was in watching the first.
Oti: Excited, I was pumped, especially after how season three ended.
KT: Yes.
Oti: I was ready. And it did not disappoint one bit.
KT: Oh, absolutely, absolutely, absolutely. You know, and this is why, you know, With the stacked cast and crew that we have with the writers, as well as Jesse Armstrong, um, and also the brilliant, brilliant performances Daddy, Brian Cox. I've made it very clear, especially talking about Armageddon Time, that I have a lot of love and a lot of time for Jeremy Strong,
Oti: Mm-hmm.
KT: Sarah Snook. The Predestination of it all, obviously always in my heart chambers, Kieran Culkin, but as Oti would say, Mr. Culkin, if you're nasty, um, as well as Alan Ruck, like this show really just brings something that, uh, the television game was missing,
Oti: Yeah, yeah. It's quality space for itself and the fact that it's in its last season.
KT: Oh, how I, I guess because we're not gonna talk about specific plot points, there's not a lot that I get upset about because I think we very much agree, even though Sherlock kind of left us a bit too early. Um, how did you feel? Knowing that this was going to be the last season because I wasn't ready. I talk a lot about saying that, oh, you know, it should end before, you know, before we don't want it anymore. But I wasn't prepared for this announcement.
Oti: No, I was ready. Like when, when, when a creator comes out and says that this is the last season, then you know that they felt that they've pushed it to where it needs to be. Yep. Better leave it when you're on a high than linger on lost and then, you know, and then everyone just gets upset and angered over all that. Yeah. So you know what? Live on a high and will, Succession will be remembered as one of their best things out.
KT: I You got any more coughs for shows that might have gone too long or
Oti: nah. you're
KT: Grey's Anatomy or something.
Oti: He has an audience from a blast. 16 Seasons plus bra?
KT: I guess so. I guess so.
Oti: He can't knock that. That's all.
KT: uh, what I, I guess something that I do wanna say just generally about the first episode, you know, there's, there's obviously a, a lot of love and a lot of care for the characters and you know, we talk about that a lot. Like, take us wherever you want in this world, but just care about the fucking characters, right?
Oti: Yeah.
KT: Snow.
Oti: Wow. you're coming out all guns blazing.
KT: Well, and I, I guess the reason why I'm saying that is because, you know, we love TV and film, but we also know that we don't write TV and film. So it's nice to be able to put our little hearts in the hands of the creators and just let it go where it wants to go.
Oti: Mm-hmm.
KT: I guess the only other thing to say is, Meet us in the DMs, Friends and Lovers. The moment you finish watching the first episode, we're very excited. Okay, well, now that we're all settled and steeped in some quality, let's continue on. Uh, the Oscars went past Oti and you didn't slap anyone. At least, at least maybe as a vigilante in the shadows, but as far as I know, you haven't slapped anyone
Oti: yet. Yeah. Coming.
KT: Um, any, any sort of general thoughts of the Oscars at all?
Oti: Not really. I think, I don't know. I felt like this year's just had a lack luster feel to it. Uh-huh, uh, didn't, you know, all the movies are won or nominated, weren't exactly my favorite things that I'd watched the past year. Yep. So, you know, to each their own.
KT: Yeah. Fair enough. I get. Um, there were a couple of titles that we did watch. There are some titles we didn't watch. Thanks to Liv and the team at Madman Entertainment, um, for giving us a screener for All the Beauty and the Bloodshed that was nominated for documentary.
Oti: Oh.
KT: At the Oscars. Uh, so I watched it. Um, it was very, very interesting. So I guess to catch you up to speed, Friends and Lovers as well as Oti. Um, All the Beauty and all the Bloodshed, it essentially encaps the life, the legacy, the art, and the activism of Nan Goldin. So, um, you know, she came up at a time that, you know, exhibitions in regards to like photography wasn't necessarily, um, Wasn't necessarily being used as the actual sort of exhibition. Um, and she, she definitely met some resistance and she has, it feels weird to say interesting when you talk about someone's actual life, but she definitely had an interesting sort of life story, um, and especially. The, I guess the family and the chosen family that you found along the way as well? Um, most recently, I guess if you watched the Last Week Tonight in John Oliver's of the mall, or you might even just be familiar with the Sackler family who are essentially the pioneers of the opioid crisis.
Oti: Mm-hmm.
KT: Um, you know, incentivizing paper, pushing prescriptions, you know, that sort of thing. So, um, I didn't necessarily were, were you aware of Nan Goldin at all? The Sackler family
Oti: Sackler had had,
KT: Yeah, so essentially this documentary, you know, as art does, it can shift culture and shift opinion and also perhaps bring to justice injustices. Um, and that's what gets explored in this documentary. Um, my thoughts on the documentary, there were ways in which this documentary was told that made it hard for me to connect.
Oti: How so?
KT: Um, I wouldn't necessarily call Nan a voyeur, but kind of the way that, and again, it is her life, but there's also an art to the way that documentaries are constructed. Right. We even talked about the Tiger Woods one, and the pacing and the choice of elongating particular part of it. Daddy issues.
Oti: Mm-hmm.
KT: So there's definitely an art to crafting a documentary. So I'm not necessarily speaking on her life, but the way that it was structured in the documentary, it was as if what made her interesting were the things that happened around her and to people around her,
Oti: uh,
KT: if that makes sense. So not to say that that would make her art any less, but it was interesting. A lot of, a lot of, again, a lot of that interest was generated externally, not necessarily from her.
Oti: Okay, I see that.
KT: So yeah, the, so
Oti: sort of, so was it hard to sort of obtain that resonance?
KT: I, I think so. I think so. And you know, it might just be a different sort of world of experiences because I, everyone experiences hardship, you know, and, and struggles no matter what their economic sort of status is. And maybe it's just because I had, you know, I had the, I didn't have the um, Roy family experience. I had the family experience of the little kid that Roman was offering a million dollars. I was more on that side, um, of resonance. But the reason why I say that is, you know, the, the availability of care that Nan was able to get is something that, you know, people in my life weren't able to get.
KT: And it's not to say that I don't have empathy for Nan and also what she had gone through, but there is also a consciousness of the different life experie.
Oti: Mm.
KT: You know, um, you know, and even, even when I talk about like, uh, Armageddon Time or even like The Fabelmans, you know, it doesn't need to be the saddest, most treacherous story to those that are being treated less than human, right. It just needs to be true to your experiences. And sometimes I felt as though it was, it was the experience of critical mass, if that makes sense.
Oti: All right? Yeah.
KT: Yeah. Um, there's essentially two sort of components in this documentary. There's her life slash artistry, and then there's also her activism, right? So Nan Goldin is, you know, she survived the opioid crisis and she talks about that, um, very frankly and very openly in the documentary. So there was definitely a willingness to really go there and really dig deep, which is what you would want from a documentary to really want to explore and, you know, take your audiences exactly where you are at every point in the journey. Right. But again, again, Oti, like, I think it's, it might just be differences, um, of experiences, right?
KT: Not everyone is Greta Thunberg,
Oti: that's for sure.
KT: And when we're talking about climate change, specifically for me, I'm thinking about my people in the islands
Oti: Mm.
KT: and how we emit the. but we're going to suffer the brunt and the, the harshest sort of consequences as a result of climate change. You know, even the droughts in Somalia. Right. So it, it's one of those things where like, understandably, and there should be a lot of attention talking about Ukraine, but also at the same time no one's necessarily giving Somali the same amount of a.
Oti: Mm-hmm.
KT: No one's necessarily looking at the Pacific Islands understanding that this fucking weather is exactly connected to that.
Oti: Right? Mm-hmm.
KT: So the reason why I say that is to prime us in this exasperated like Jennifer Lawrence, Don't Look Up world of people like throwing cream at like, you know, like protected, highly guarded pieces of art that don't get ruined.
Oti: Wow.
KT: No, the reason why I'm saying that is because I already, I already have a distance on, I guess, the sanctity of Western art, right? And that that's a whole protest. And then there's also protests in this documentary, and this is why I'm drawing this parallel. They were in museums around the world, I think they were at the Louvre. So essentially, because we're talking about the Sackler family, it's to bring them to account. Right? And also at the same time, whether it's public knowledge, whether you know about it, whether you're in the art world, it it's three families that are part of the Sackler family, but one of those families are deeply involved and have a richness and have an understanding, and obviously have deep pockets for the art.
Oti: Mm-hmm.
KT: So, um, you know, one of the ways that they were protesting in the documentary were having empty prescription bottles and them lying on the floor.
Oti: All right.
KT: Sorry, the, the protest was at the Guggenheim and I, I found it. Hi. Like, I'm glad that you know. That justice was brought. Um, obviously there's a lot more advocating, not just the visual sort of protests and that sort of thing, but I, and it might just be a personal thing. I found it hard to resonate with that,
Oti: Fair enough. Anyone would find it hard. You know, everyone has their own sort of, uh, uh, frame of reference and their own baggages that they come in with us, so. Yeah. I hear
KT: You don't want to go Lion Museums in Kenya.
Oti: Nah, I'm all right.
KT: Um, but it was very interesting and I do wonder, um, for our Friends and Lovers that do love art, um, or might be a bit more embedded in, um, the activism. I would love to, in any case, have a conversation. So hit me up in the DMs, Friends and Lovers. Alright, well let's move. A little bit of a change of tone, perhaps a gritty DC gravel voice sort of tone. Are you ready? Oti.
Oti: Who's that supposed to be?
KT: I'm the virgin.
Oti: It's not
KT: Um, thank you to the team at Binge for giving us a screener to the first episode that's currently out already at the moment. We're very excited. I'm very excited to talk about this kickoff your feelings, Oti, and your thoughts.
Oti: Ooh, always a fan of Gotham Knights.
KT: Uh,
Oti: uh, played the game, which came out, I think only this year, last year.
KT: Wow. You're a proper nerd.
Oti: So I was very intrigued to see where this will go. Uh-huh, uh, we got a young cast as expected. Yep. Which I thought they did a good job.
KT: Yeah, me too.
Oti: You know, it, it, it set a tone at start, you know, we get to see your fun faves, the Happy Dance.
KT: Uh-huh
Oti: your favorite.
KT: Hmm. What can I give my general thoughts first?
Oti: for? Mm.
KT: So, I am not as learned as Oti is in this world, um, that I didn't even know there was existing IP. For it. Um, I would love to hear just generally how you think it stacks up cuz you watch Young Justice League and Teen Titans and that sort of thing, so we'll come to that in a second, but this is completely new to me. I don't have DC specifically fatigue. I know there's a general sort of conversation about superheroes and villains in general. Um, but I don't have DC fatigue yet. Um, I didn't know anything about. Um, it's also in the trailers. And if you've watched the first episode, it's not a spoiler that Batman is dead.
KT: I didn't know that.
Oti: That's the whole sort of point of Gotham Knights.
KT: but that's what I'm saying. Like I didn't even realize that that's not even a spoiler, like that's a given, you know, it's a post Batman sort of world. Right. So anyway. I was very excited. It was kind of like, I guess we'll see what this, um, upcoming Air film is where they say, don't worry that Michael Jordan's not in it. It's like, bruh. He's like, the whole reason. But anyway, um, so I was wondering what it would be like without Batman in this sort of show. Um, but I, I wouldn't say I was latched on instantly, but I was definitely brought in very quickly to this.
Oti: Yeah, I think loving Gotham is is very easy, you know? Yeah. The ambience, the dark nature. It's just easy to buy in and easy to love and the characters and you know, the world is fully built in, so you know that whatever it is you're going to get, it's not gonna be far off the mark. It's not gonna be But I went into this completely keen and eager to see what they'll do.
KT: yeah.
Oti: I was pleasantly surprised.
KT: Me too. Um, and also I think it, it's set up very, very well what the show might be and where the characters might travel emotionally or even from a story point of view.
Oti: Yeah. Uh, and, and you can see they're trying to tackle a lot of themes in there as well. So, um, it's something that you have to give it a chance. Yeah. And see how it unfold.
KT: And, you know, there, there's, there's so much sort of echoing and, you know, whisperings, um, Duela was very interesting. Like I kind of love the way that she navigated. And when you, you know, when you find out, you know, her family, it completely makes sense. But even without it being explained to me, I'm like, Ooh, yeah, that makes a lot of sense actually. Um, I will, I will lay down my life for Cullen Row. I'll just say that. Like I care about these kids already. I'm Sam Neill and these kids are Julian Dennison and we're in Hunt for the Wilderpeople.
Oti: Oh,
KT: I'm very excited. Um, I don't know about Bruce Wayne's son though. What do you think? Or is it just because he's rich that I'm finding it hard to connect with him?
Oti: He, he, he, he was the one that comes in with a lot of, you know, privilege, so to
KT: Yeah. Because you told me he is an orphan, but he's got the air of money.
Oti: Mm. It's been ingrained in him since he was a Bebe.
KT: I guess he's like the Anastasia of this world Yeah. Rasputin.
Oti: Oh, not Botox.
KT: Yeah, I suppose one of the kids looked like Mark Cuban, deny it then
Oti: Nah, nah, I'm not gonna say anything about of that
KT: Um, and, and the other note I have is hackers of change looks over the years.
Oti: Oh man. I think once we saw 50 Cent as a, as a hacker, anything is, is plausible.
KT: okay. Okay. Alright. I, I guess I, I wrote down a couple of quotes, but I kind of want, if you haven't watched it, to go and watch it. I think, you know, mood-wise absolutely what you're saying. It's easy to fall in love with Gotham. Um, and character-wise, I am very excited to see how things are going to shake out. Um, it was, it, we had to get to the point of the premise. But once we got to the point of the premise, I'm very excited to see where it continues.
Oti: work. Mm-hmm.
KT: Well, extending your DC media correspondent pass, thank you to Binge for giving us access to the third season, um, the first two episodes of Superman & Lois, and who better than the fanboy, who's been following along the show in the first two seasons. May I get your thoughts?
Oti: You know, having grown up, watching Lois & Clark. I was really excited. Mm-hmm. when Superman & Lois aired, because I was like, oh man, I'm, I'm ready to relive my childhood.
KT: my cute
Oti: Well, did you not watch it? Dean Cain. Teri Hatcher.
KT: Oh, redacted. Not Teri Hatcher.
Oti: But I was, I was eager man. And I think season one, the introduc of interesting, uh, villains and characters. I was just amazed. Yeah. I didn't expect the show to be, you know, you'd usually feel like the CW sort of trail of thought would get in its own way. Uh-huh. But it felt fresh. Okay. You know, it felt fresh. I was, I was buying towels as Superman, you know? Okay. It worked. I felt, I, I gotta say though, the kids
KT: Well, that, that's what I was going to say because we pretty much always try the first episode of a new show once. Usually that's where I get off the wagon, but we at least try. The first episode of a new show once and then we decide whose show it's going to be. Usually you love to watch everything, so you'll continue to watch it, but I was going, that's essentially what I was going to say. I remember the kids being annoying and I was going to ask you, in this season three, are they still as annoying?
Oti: Surprisingly, not .
KT: Okay, that's cool. That's
Oti: Like the adding some emotional depth that I didn't think they'd be able.
KT: Okay. Alright.
Oti: Adding some, I I was like, ooh, I I'm getting shocked here.
KT: You, oh, okay. So, so you are friends with the boyfriend, um, that Angel's ex-girlfriend went with in Nope. that's a deep cut. Friends and Lovers, but that, that was some unexpected, funny dialogue about the CW um, in our
Oti: yeah, Just stealing
KT: everyone's girlfriends, I guess, friends and.
Oti: But it's wild. Cause you usually think, cause I was like, oh, are we not gonna get to see Lex Luthor? Oh, is l gonna be in SI two? Are we gonna see Lex Luthor in season three? Like they built it up so nicely. Like we get, we got people like Bizarro, Parasite and all that. And what can I say
KT: May I be ignorant? I, I remember you watching like a super mega crossover show event. Is this in the same world or it's separate?
Oti: I dunno, they sort of moved away from Arrowverse. Uh, then again, I stopped watching Arrow finished, so I sort of fell off that and I don't really watch Flash anymore.
KT: uh
Oti: Um, I remember. Legends of Tomorrow, like I was, I was living my best life.
KT: Hey, hey Biba, it's your world. I'm just living in it.
Oti: Clearly, clearly
KT: Well, I'm glad you're having a good time. I'm glad that you're enjoying Superman & Lois, I'm glad that we can enjoy Gotham Knights together. I think this is what they call a hat trick, Oti. Uh, I think this is what they call a hat trick, Oti.
Oti: Oh,
KT: Uh, rounding off our DC hat trick. For this Ref Max, we are covering Shazam! the Fury of the Gods, but also leading up to, we also watched the first Shazam, thank you to Universal as well as DC for inviting us to the previous screening.
Oti: I remember watching the first one when he came out, and
KT: I thought that was your official review. I
Oti: remember
KT: I remember watching
Oti: this I was like, confirm. Yeah. I was like, you all right? Um, I love Zachary Levi. You know Chuck, Chuck, Chuck. Fans out there
KT: Can I stretch this far though?
Oti: he, he's using those mileage He's redeemed a lot of those already. Uh, man. Um, what can I say? Like, I understand what it is. You know, it's very hard for it to be anything serious when it's a bunch of kids
KT: bunch, who knew a CW show would get your heartstrings, and a, a c a theatrical release would not do it for you, but there you go.
Oti: I dunno. I dunno where. There's something about the dialogue of elder people talking as kids and just doesn't vibe with me. Yeah. I'm like, it just feels wrong. And I'm like, bro, snap out of it.
KT: what are we doing here?
Oti: Everything else is grown up apart. Apart from your fucking minds.
KT: Yeah. So, okay, so, so let's talk about it. Is there any other general thoughts to the first Shazam though?
Oti: It wasn't as bad as I thought it was. After watching the second.
KT: Can confirm. I watched the movie Official review from Oti.
Oti: it was a movie. It, it, it had a run time of two hours and a few minutes.
KT: Yeah. Well, granted I've never wa I've never read the comics. Um, I, I didn't even know Shazam was an actual character in the ethos of the world. Um, Shazam, the watching the first. It was exactly what I thought it was going to be. That's not a dig, that's just branding and marketing being very efficient and effective. Right? Um, but I knew that film wasn't necessarily for me going to the Shazam! Fury of the Gods screener. It was very clear there is an audience and the audience was there.
Oti: There was
KT: lady that was having a jolly old time there. Mm. She was having a really good time. And you know, I'm not gonna yuck people's yum. I'm not going a shit on things that people love. Right. So there, there's a, there's a part of me that acknowledges. That I, I don't necessarily like the, the connotation of like, this wasn't for me because that indicates that I guess a lesser sort of pen is okay as long as it speaks to specific sort of experiences. Um, but again, we're talking about like highly consumable, like mainstream stuff. So maybe I don't need to go so hard. Um, but essentially what I'm saying, There needs to be some level of like, resonance. Like Wakanda Forever was one of my favorite films last year, and it is one of the biggest sort of IPs out at the moment.
KT: So it is possible for me to find resonance in mainstream, um, you know, high appeal, you know, massive box office success, sort of, you know, stories, right? It's exactly what you're saying because the first one was the first one. That's my official review. Um, but the second one did less than the first. Right. Or maybe undid what the first did. And the, I guess what I'm saying is the kids were more mature than Zachary Levi as Shazam. Like that didn't make any sense at.
Oti: Uh, actually, I thought, I thought
KT: because Billy Batson, when he grows up, like obviously it's been a couple of years since the first film, he's already mature. So how then when he turns into an older superhero version, he's less mature.
Oti: No. They do a, a lot of interesting stuff with Billy in this, and I think that sort of works more than it did in the first one.
KT: I'm talking about Billy, not like growing up Billy Shazam.
Oti: No, I'm saying Billy. Billy. You know, it's, it's where the Freddy started coming in and those more focused on Freddy's, you know? I was like, S Come on now, bro. You're losing me. Yeah, you're losing me,
KT: But you, yeah. But I guess you know who the characters are. Um, I don't necessarily, um, yeah, I think those are my general sort of feelings about. The film, um, I can understand why people would enjoy this film. I, I just didn't necessarily, um, land on the same love cloud, I guess Friends and Lovers, what I would say, I would say it's very egregious that we went through, or I've never watched the first one without even knowing that Meagan Good was in the film.
Oti: Ah, yeah,
KT: Unless she's not pushing it to the community, I don't know. But I I just think it's wild that I never knew she was in the film.
Oti: It was a good surprise though. When, what's the first one?
KT: What did you let, let's talk a bit about the expanding sort of cast. Uh, where have your lady love Lucy Liu?
Oti: Yeah. We get to see Lucy Liu, Helen Mirren. It can't go wrong with Lucy Liu. So, you know, she, she did what she had to do Elementary. She did what she had to do. Now Elementary was good
KT: You were challenging. Keep her name out your fucking mouth. Energy. You just didn't have the gall to say it.
Oti: Now, Elementary was, was, was sufficiently watchable. The only issue was people are comparing it to better combos.
KT: you
Oti: Which wasn't fair.
KT: Yeah, I guess. I don't know. But again, like I never continued Elementary, but it was nice to see Lucy Liu.
Oti: Oh, a hundred percent. It was a good time.
KT: Um, is this a safe space Oti? Um, is Helen Mirren like De Niro?
Oti: Uh, yeah.
KT: Do you understand what I'm Patrick Oh, I don't think I
Oti: been doing roles. And I'm like, bro, what is it? up Is your agent putting your number in Yellow Pages or what? I'm
KT: you picked up what I was putting down because I was being very delicate with what I was saying. But you absolutely opened the door and stormed in
Oti: Yeah, I see her doing a lot of stuff now that I'm
KT: franchise too. Isn.
Oti: Yeah, she's joining the family. Uh, Fast X. I'm excited about that. Are you not,
KT: I remember it was a film.
Oti: Are you not a Fast head?
KT: I don't think that's what that means. Um, I would say if we're talking about like performances that we really enjoyed, Adam Brody.
Oti: Mm. He just, I don't know. Maybe it's The O.C. person in me.
KT: Okay.
Oti: I see Adam Brody. I just, I feel like I'm in my teens
KT: It ain't easy being white
Oti: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. You know me living in Orange County and all that,
KT: Is this a safe space as well? Were there black characters in O.C.
Oti: Bro. Back then it was very hard to see black people, so you took what you get. as far as Abody was black. So
KT: he's that tall, dark, and handsome, isn't he? You
Oti: You know he Ben McKenzie, even more so. So
KT: You're fighting your own battle, Oti
Oti: I am. I am. And
KT: I respect the journey. I respect the journey. Absolutely. Wow. I didn't even realize we had, you know, back to back to back, um, DC viewing sort of experiences. So that was fun.
Oti: Mm.
KT: Are you ready to get into a crime drama?
Oti: A crime drama
KT: from across the pond? Quarry. Or Linda quarrel,
Oti: what is it
KT: Better?
Oti: Oh
KT: yeah. So this is, um, BAFTA-nominated Leila Farzad, who is our main character. We have Andrew Buchan, um, and this show. So I guess we're without spoiling it, and I guess to tantalize you Friends and Lovers, this is a crime drama that is centering Leila Farzad's character of DI. and you know, there's some interconnected murmurings within the department. Perhaps maybe not to the level of The Shield, maybe to the level of being a bent copper.
Oti: in
KT: line of
Oti: Mm-hmm.
KT: But there, there's definitely some unsavory sort of dealings that are happening, um, in this show. So, um, I had the opportunity to watch the first episode and, I guess this is on me, I should have continued to watch and I will continue to watch. So please report in in our DMs, Friends and Lovers. It's a show that I watch. If I would like to reference you.
Oti: Wow.
KT: it's, not bad, but it really very much feels like, like even before Line of Duty, we were getting a lot of UK crime bent copper floating up the LA and Nabo.
Oti: Yeah. You know, I I I've been hearing stuff about Happy Valley as well. You know, it, it, it's, it's got a big following. It's sort of pretty much in a similar ilk,
KT: But isn't there also another one recently from Mickey Briggs?
Oti: Yeah. We love a good Mickey Briggs show.
KT: There was also the one in the submarine as well.
Oti: Mm.
KT: There was one in the oil rig, like, and we've watched all of these, like, you know what I mean? Like there's a lot of, even specifically UK thriller crime dramas that have been coming out recently and none of them are bad. and maybe it's just because of the frequency and maybe it's because of the level of production and quality, it's hard to break through of all of that noise.
Oti: I hear you.
KT: I'm finding it hard to latch onto the protagonist Slack. Um, it's very interesting and you know, I won't go into a lot of detail, but what I will say is, The dynamics are shifted. So like say for example, if you're watching The Wire, McNulty is the one out there being I, I wouldn't call him a bent copper, but you have McNulty out there doing what he needs to do, right? And then you've got his wife at home, or even like Criminal Minds, you've got Hotch and the wife at home. But in this instance you have Slack that's out there and the husband is at.
Oti: Yeah.
KT: So there are some interesting sort of moments where I feel like gender is played into a lot. Like the husband is like, where are you going tonight? And it's like, bruh, like regardless of her gender, like she's a DI so she be out there in those streets. You know what I mean? Like it's just, it's just weird to put her in an apron and tell her to bake cookies after that. So there are moments that like that, that I'm a bit like, bruh, what are we doing? But, um, yeah, I'll, I'll definitely continue. Um, and perhaps you can watch the first episode and we can continue together, um, because maybe you've got that sort of, that, that sort of particular perspective that we need to bring into our viewing.
Oti: Mm, yeah. I, I, I'll be good to give it a go and I'm sure it'll be slack. Um, slack's be as fans
KT: On the slack
Oti: On the slack, wearing slacks, cuffed slacks.
KT: Wow. you were a man of words, my love. Ooh, speaking of man. A play, a production, most importantly, the woman Lolita. Um, thank you so much to Kate and the team at Nixco as well as Sharmill Films. We are finishing off this tantalizing mu Ref Max, talking about National Theatre Live in the West End in London. The play production, Life of Pi. So this, um, was an early screening and we were able to obtain a screener. It is out in Australian cinemas March 31st. So this and Succession are the early ones that currently haven't come out yet. Um, written by Yann Martel, adapted by Lolita Chakrabarti, and directed by award-winning theatre director Max Webster.
KT: And in regards to the lead. Wow. Wow, wow, wow, wow. My whole heart, Oti, Hiran Abeysekera. Whoa. Kick us off. Oti.
Oti: if I was told that I have the opportunity to fly to London. to go watch this live. Uh-huh. I'll jump on that plane with that second question. it was that good. The production value is of the, the innovative nature of this production. You can tell they've put a lot of thought into everything.
KT: Olivier Award-winning stage adaptation.
Oti: the set. Just blows your mind. Yeah. The sound design. Just every little thing. The minute of things, you know, you've got puppeteers and
KT: Mm.
Oti: oh my God. Like I can't even describe what I felt watching this. We, we got this screener and I feel like I had to watch it a second time. Yeah. You know, I need to watch it a second time. I'm probably living in a third.
KT: Yes.
Oti: We all know Life of Pi and how the story unfolds, but for those of you who don't know, I won't spoil anything. All I have to say is how Lolita adapted this is one of the best things theatrical release we've seen of anything.
KT: Yes, yes, yes, yes.
Oti: down. It's the best thing I've watched this year. Whoa. And I'd even say last year as. It was that good. The performances were off the charts. I, I'm stepping in it right now. I'm putting my reputation on this.
KT: Yeah. And I, I am happy to live in this sound production. This is
Oti: right. No, but seriously, seriously. Um, it's coming out on 31st. For those of you in Sydney, it'll be in Ddy. get yourself. And experience the marvelous joy of what this version of Life of Pi is all about. You will not be disappointed, not one bit.
KT: Wow. How am I even supposed to follow that? Oti?
Oti: No. Qualms, quals and quandaries.
KT: No Um, so I, I guess even, because you even referenced, um, the film, I am so glad that, and I'm so happy that we were given access to watch this, you know, taping of this stage adaptation because, And, and you know, Oti, if you are down, I would like to watch the film Life of Pi again after I've read the book, because in the film I didn't necessarily feel like it offered anything in way of deep lasting resonance.
Oti: Mm-hmm.
KT: Like, there were a couple of things that were perhaps touched on in the film that I found interesting. I guess that's why it was a bit frustrating to me that it was only touched on and not necessarily explored, and that was magnified and dutifully delivered on this stage.
Oti: I remember hearing about the book back in the day and I watched, I remember watching the movie. I don't know, I, I thought it was good. I watched Life of Pi and I never really thought about it much afterwards. Yeah. But what this play does, I don't know. Maybe it was, maybe it was Hiran's performance. Yes.
KT: Yes.
Oti: Because he brings everything
KT: Yes. Every second of watching this. I was just internally yelling theatre, this is theatre.
Oti: You can't look away from him. No. You cannot look away from him to. No. Um, the cast just, I don't know. I don't know what to say other than Get your bloody asses into the cinema and watch this because Wow, wow,
KT: wow.
Oti: and that's analysis for you.
KT: Um, in way of live play adaptations. Um, you know, we haven't watched as many as we would've liked, but we watched the Book of Mormon play when it was in Melbourne, and that was a lot of fun. It was a lot of fun to experience the Book of Mormon. It was a play. And that's not a bad thing, but it was a play. Um, and we most recently saw the Dutch production adaptation of the New York Bestseller, Hanya Yanagihara's, um, book A Little Life. Um, and that was also a play,
Oti: one of the best books out there as well.
KT: One of the best books, Friends and Lovers for your bookends. We're gonna start a book club Um, but anything that I thought. Was encapsulated in a stage. Production was absolutely challenged and shattered and, and, and beautifully delivered to my heart chambers in watching this live adaptation, I don't think we can. Express any more than we already have in how much we absolutely loved this play and this stage production. The puppetry was absolutely great. I wasn't sure how I would be able to suspend my, you know, the being able to look at the puppet and not the actual human that's operating it. I wasn't sure how I was going to be able to do that very.
KT: Very quickly. I would say instantly, Hiran has a way of. Drawing you in, you know, bringing you into, I guess, for lack of better words, and if you'll pardon the pun, the Life of Pi. And I was fully immersed into this world. The, the way that the themes of religion and the necessity and the assured continuance and the reassurance that religion brings was so masterfully crafted in this adapt. That it, it can make anyone believe.
Oti: you touched on something, you know, how am I going to disassociate what I've seen? Because I feel like they've spoiled me now. I, I'd expect such set designs everywhere now. Yeah. And that's just not fair.
KT: Yeah. I paid $5 for this school production.
Oti: Come on now,
KT: It's shit. Or you'll be doing the Kurt Angle. You suck.
Oti: Heck, the buck.
KT: Wow. And you know, but there's a part of me that's excited to explore. More to go and watch more plays, but it's absolutely what you're talking about, the way the set was designed and you know, it was so much more expansive than the film. And I, I know by mentioning the film, we we're taking attention away from the play, but if anything, it's just to bolster the quality because a film. By, by all sort of, um, notions has the ability to stretch and morph and is mobile, right?
Oti: Mm-hmm. ,
KT: a play is more stationary and, and it's limited within a particular sort of space. But the innovation partnered with the puppetry, underscored by the sound design. You know, even when they were doing the rain, there was no rain there, but I believe.
Oti: Yeah,
KT: Based on the visuals, based on the sound design. Wow. I guess we're moving to London.
Oti: We are indeed. We can just come in, um, uh, film Buster's homes.
KT: Yes. Paul, Ben, and Adam. we'll go get shared custody, right?
Oti: Yeah.
KT: Wow. Do you have any closing thoughts, Oti?
Oti: I may picking up salute a lot of the time, but when it comes to this play, it's something that you'll definitely not be disappointed. And just amount of work and effort you can see that's been put through it oozes off their pores and you can see it, you can feel it, you can smell it.
KT: oh my. And I can taste it. No one wants to come to our theatre. Oti.
Oti: I don't know. After that, I'm pretty sure we'll have a line out there.
KT: Wow. Do like exactly what Oti's saying. Do yourself a favor, Friends and Lovers, and go and check out this production. Um, Life of Pi is also on Broadway right now.
Oti: Yeah.
KT: it's exciting and I'm very excited. And apparently we are going to have a book club too.
Oti: We are indeed.
KT: Can I get a yay ha. Okay. From around the way. Very nice. thank you so much for joining us on our biggest Ref Max. So far we've covered seven. A combination of films, of TV shows, even sort of preview episodes and screenings. It's been very exciting. If you wanna continue, if you wanna love on us Life of Pi style or otherwise, maybe not the,
Oti: oh,
KT: Yikes. Um, on Twitter and Instagram, we're f
Oti: Write us, an hello podcast.com.
KT: We're also on theater. This is theater podcast. If you like to leave a radio review and we'll see you guys next week. you. for John Wick.
Oti: Woohoo.
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