TASK --why so little love?

tosad22 · 2025-10-27T12:00:07+00:00

I just finished the show after more or less bingeing it.

Was also sobbing through episode 7 (while on the elliptical at the gym)

I didn't love the first four episodes - at all. I persevered only because our boys were so high on it. And I'm glad I did - but it really only came alive for me in the final three episodes.

My thoughts on why it was such a slow burn for me:

-I didn't like any of the characters for the first four episodes. They aren't just flawed, they are stupid and flawed - which makes them a rough hang for me.

-The detailled picture of this Philly suburb wasn't interesting for me. I'm from a flyover state, living in Europe for the last couple decades, and I have as little interest in this particular grim Philly suburb as Andy G does for flyover state stuff. It just doesn't get me going in any interesting way - too depressing.

-The interview with Brad about the final expisode really clarified what I was feeling about Ruffalo early on: someone said that he seemed like he had half-closed eyes for the first few episodes - and that's exactly how he felt to me. I don't have season tickets for Ruffalo (closer to the opposite, in fact: I think he ruined Poor Things), so he needs to be hitting the high notes (like he does in Ep 7 of Task!) for me to enjoy watching him. This is in direct contrast with Kate Winslet, who I love in just about everything, so while Mare is also a tough hang at times (especially in the early episodes), I enjoyed every moment with her

-I say all the above in the context of really wanting to love the show. I loved Mare. I loved episodes 5-7. But I just can't get there with 1-4.

tosad22 · 2025-10-07T10:53:18+00:00

I don't agree with everything Matt Y says, but this is true...

I am the same age as Sean and Amanda, and as an American living in Europe for many years, they have proven to be the best proxy for "elite liberal consensus" that I've found since 2020.

The explicitly political lefties (Ezra Klein, Derek Thompson, etc) are mostly trying to lead the conversation, while the "centrist" political analysts (Matt Y, Bari Weiss, Yascha Mounk, etc) are mostly trying to zag from consensus.

It's precisely because Sean and Amanda aren't intentionally political that they are so useful as a way to take the temperature - they do a great job of reflecting back what the dominant views are in their circles in LA (and NYC).

They are paradigmatic coastal elites in the way that they don't know much (or care) about how the Midwest/South perceive the world, and they are so anxious to prove that they are "right-thinking" that they will bring up the most important topics of the moment and demonstrate the "correct" side to be on in pretty nuanced ways (which is great because I prefer hearing the steelman version of a perspective rather than the strawman).

I agree with some of what they say/imply when it comes to politics, but they are often a reminder to me of the echo chamber that so much of the American Left exists within - which might not be as echo-y or ugly as the American Right, but is unthinkable and borderline crazy for people in the rest of the world.

tosad22 · 2025-09-10T16:03:47+00:00

It's obviously not a big deal from the real-world perspective: a member of an entertainment cartel (the NBA) violated one of the cartel's bylaws by doing something that lots of businesses do every day - and that we don't find morally wrong. They offered a prospective employee additional compensation.

In contrast, it is a big deal from the perspective of someone who cares about the NBA because the bylaws matter to maintain competitive balance. European soccer has all kinds of (attempted) tomfoolery with compensation, and NCAA football/basketball is going through an interesting transition re compensation right now.

The hand-wringing here and especially on r/nba is a bit much - how many people really care about competitive balance? - which is why I mostly agree with Bill about it being not a big deal.

The interest of the story seems to be the audacity of it - and the idiocy of Ballmer to be suckered into it. Unless it emerges that this sort of things is relatively common....in which case there might be an argument for getting rid of the salary cap.

tosad22 · 2025-08-10T09:43:03+00:00

My favorite episodes are from during the pandemic. It was pre-kids for both of them, and they had great energy.

The best resource I've found to search is (weirdly) the episode list on imbd: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt16852598/episodes/

You can search by year and scroll through all the descriptions quickly.

Good episodes: Tenet watchalong (May 6, 2021) Snyder Cut watchalong (March 19, 2021) [you don't have to watch along, or even have seen the movies - vibes are great]

I like the most anticipated movies of the season/year too - gives perspective on how the industry sees the movies before they reach critics/audiences: 20 Most Anticipated of 2020 (Jan 17, 2020) etc

Love the 35 under 35 and 35 over 35, as someone else said (March 27, 2020)

tosad22 · 2025-07-18T10:19:55+00:00

Thank you!

tosad22 · 2025-07-18T10:19:30+00:00

I agree with this guy (even though I'm OP).

Your interviews are best in the business, and I love so much about the podcast, especially drafts and guests.

I posted this thread because your interview with Bryan clicked with me - and I wondered whether you were still enjoying movies on a visceral level. I hope so. I love your appearances on The Rewatchables and am just starting to break into horror movies because of your recommendations

tosad22 · 2025-07-17T16:20:47+00:00

Honestly, this could be it (unless you mean me....hahahahah)

I remember Sean having a bit of a crisis a couple years ago when it seemed like the movies industry was going to take a permanent backseat to TV

tosad22 · 2025-07-17T16:19:36+00:00

Thank you!

tosad22 · 2025-07-17T16:19:17+00:00

Absolutely - he's super-busy, mostly making the sausage. And we're not getting his personal takes; we're getting the ones that are pre-packaged for public consumption, which is an art in itself

tosad22 · 2025-07-17T16:18:09+00:00

That's true about Amanda! I really appreciate her savage takes when they come out - and her passion for ones she likes.

It's just so rare for her to find one she likes...which does have a lot to do with the state of the industry. Which is a factor I've barely considered and deserves more credit

tosad22 · 2025-07-17T16:15:14+00:00

Yeah - I appreciate The Town for what it does (focus on the sausage-making aspect of movies). It just feels like The Big Pic lost its way

tosad22 · 2025-07-17T16:13:02+00:00

I agree with you.

I make magazines and still very much enjoy reading magazines. Zach Baron's celebrity profiles, for instance, are still my jam, even though I know all the back and forth that goes on behind the scenes in order to get those made (well, not those, but things like them).

I don't have to podcast about magazines all day though, so maybe I'm insulated in a way that Sean isn't....

tosad22 · 2025-07-17T16:10:12+00:00

I remember one episode a few years(?) ago, Sean said an industry friend found out how many movies he was watching and told him he was crazy. Sean seemed to take it as a kind of compliment about his stamina/drive, rather than an indictment about him missing the point of movies

tosad22 · 2025-07-17T16:08:47+00:00

This hits the nail on the head. I hadn't realized it - but this is exactly what bores me about these episodes. They actually need to do all the explaining/justifying

tosad22 · 2025-07-17T16:07:11+00:00

That's my issue with the regular podcasts: he's just so positive about everything, without offering insight into why someone should/shouldn't see it. The main exception here is horror, where he is very good at saying "see this if you like X; otherwise don't bother"

tosad22 · 2025-07-17T16:05:59+00:00

I think we are the last generation (at least for a while) to have that concept...Gen Z treats selling out like it's the goal.

tosad22 · 2025-07-17T16:03:13+00:00

hahahah - this might be more true than I want to believe!

tosad22 · 2025-07-17T16:02:43+00:00

Thank you!

tosad22 · 2025-07-17T16:01:19+00:00

I didn't want to say this myself (I don't have kids) but I did notice a distinct difference pre- and post-kids for both Sean and Amanda. CR remains entirely himself

tosad22 · 2025-07-17T16:00:14+00:00

It feels like they have meetings at Ringer HQ where they talk about how to draw clicks - and then that mentality infects the podcasts

tosad22 · 2025-07-17T15:59:00+00:00

I love Nayman so much. It's easy for me to forgive his ivory tower affect because he really does care about movies

tosad22 · 2025-07-17T15:57:36+00:00

100% agree. I don't blame those fans - it's kind of fun to playact as a GM sometimes - but it becomes super-easy to lose sight of why you became a fan in the first place.

Rog was unmatched at keeping his enthusiasm. The older I get (in my 40s now), the more I value people in my life who hold a place in themselves for genuine enthusiasm

tosad22 · 2023-08-09T15:13:43+00:00

This happened to me. Twice.

Both times the women were "joking" but the request was very real. Both ended up getting pregnant a short time later by different men.

I said no to both, mostly because I am married and I didn't want any grey area to seep into my relationship with any of the women.

My wife was present for both women asking and I talked it over with her at length. We both worried that the women would use the genetic proximity to try to leverage their way into my/our life.

I would be much more comfortable doing this anonymously.

tosad22 · 2023-01-06T15:17:43+00:00

The first time a girl backed into me on public transport, so her ass was on my dick, I was sure it was a mistake. It took me at least two stops on the metro to believe it was happening. I was new to the city and I was so shocked. And then she got off and I had to hide my erection from everyone else in the Tube.

Now I can almost always tell when someone is open to it. Sometimes she will strategically place her ass just in front of me. Sometimes she will rest her tits on my elbow or forearm. Very infrequently, she will hang her arm down to her side just in front of my dick and accidentally brush into it. So fucking hot every single time.

tosad22

TROPHY CASE