The Ringer-Verse - Ringer-Verse Recommends: April 2024

Episode Date: April 29, 2024

The entire Ringer-Verse and 'House of R' crew assembles, crosses the streams, and forms a team beam for the inaugural edition of 'Ringer-Verse Recommends,' a new bite-sized monthly podcast and video series in which the hosts shout-out fandom favorites from TV, movies, video games, books, comics, and beyond that were recently released but haven’t been covered in-depth on a full-length episode. Hosts: Mallory Rubin, Joanna Robinson, Charles Holmes, Van Lathan, Ben Lindbergh, Jomi Adeniran, Arjuna Ramgopal, and Steve Ahlman Senior Producer: Steve Ahlman Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopal Social: Jomi Adeniran Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Did Don Draper really buy the world of Coke? Did Tony Soprano really die? Or just order more onion rings? The finales of our favorite shows can make us argue, make us cry, and make us crazy. From Spotify and the Ringer, I'm Andy Greenwald, and this is Stick the Landing, a new podcast where we'll be telling the story of modern TV backwards, one fade out at a time. Find Stick the Landing on Wednesdays on the prestige TV feed, on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. For adults with Crohn's disease or also, obstinative colitis symptoms, every choice matters.

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You don't need WeatherTech floor liners in the summer, unless you hit the beach or go camping. Then you'd want a cargo liner. Or a road trip goes sideways, ketchup goes rogue, ice cream drips. Yeah, you'd be pretty happy about those WeatherTech seat protectors. So just to be clear as the mud, you're inevitably going to step into the summer. You don't need WeatherTech unless you plan on doing summer. Visit weathertech.com today. Welcome into the Ringerverse, your Nexus podcast feed for all things fandom.

I am Ben Lindberg, a senior editor for The Ringer and the host of Button Mash, bringing you the start of something new. Now, I just said something that's not new at all. Your Nexus podcast feed for all things fandom. You've probably heard that phrase before because we say it at the top of every pod. Of course, we don't quite cover all things fandom. How could we? How could anyone? There's only so much time to watch and play and read

and only so much time to talk about what we've watched and played and read. When we decide which content to cover, we follow our personal passions and the appetites of our audience, but invariably, some stuff we like slips through the cracks. Well, we've decided to try to seal some of those cracks, and in the process help you keep up with the constant stream of new stories and discover some stuff you might like, too. This is the inaugural edition of what we hope will be a recurring monthly feature on the Ringervverse podcast feed and on our social and video channels. Ringerverse recommends. The concept is simple and just what it sounds like. Each month, Ringervverse and House of Our hosts, as well as some friends of the Ringiverse who've been regular guests, will tell you briefly about recent releases they liked that we haven't covered in depth on a full-length episode.

These will usually be things that came out within the last month, or close to the last month. We may stretch the calendar a little. We may also bend the definition of nerd culture and fandom from time to time. But we'll try to keep most of these recommendations in the usual Ringervverse Realm. And we welcome suggestions. Email us at Ringervverse Recommends at Gmail.com if you want to nominate something for us to salute. To be clear, a mention on Ringaverse recommends does not preclude additional coverage. We may devote more time to some of our picks on podcast down the road,

and we'll still do occasional longer episodes where we catch up on things we missed or share longer recommendations. This is just an end-of-the-month bonus, like an end-of-the-meal cookie or candy that comes with your check. It's also a way for all of us to appear on the same pods more often, which we always enjoy. So on this trial run, you can listen along as most of your hosts heap praise on their faves and Charles recommends something not to watch. Kidding, kidding, Ringervverse Recommends is a safe space where we're all lovers, not haters. So welcome, my friends, to the show that hopefully never ends. Ringerverse recommends, we're so glad you could attend. Please sit back, relax, and let us curate the culture for you, as Lovar Burton, aka Kwame used to say,

Let our powers combine. And now I'll hand the mic to the mother of recommendations for our first hot tip for April 2024. Hey, you're the dead boy detective agency. He's the brains. I'm the poor. We ghosts, and we saw mysteries. Dead boy detectives. It's Aces, right?

Just a stupid name. Hello, friends, it's Mel. Welcome to Ringervverse Recommends. My April recommendation is Dead Boy Detectives, the new Netflix show that is available right now to binge in full, all eight episodes. This is another Neil Gaiman comics creation that is making its way to our Netflix carousels.

It is part of the wider Sandman universe. So if you like Sandman, certainly check this out. But also, if you like shows like, Umbrella Academy or being human, other supernatural found family tales, definitely check this out. If you like British wit and charm making its way across the pond to a sleepy coastal town, check it out. If you like Mystery of the Week slash in this case episode structures, check it out. If you like ghosts, demons, witches and they're familiars, talking cats, check this out.

It's a very charming, fun, propulsive tale. I've really enjoyed it so far. Give it a go. And, of course, check out the rest of Ringervor's Recommends as well. Chapter 1. If the bread hadn't burned, this would be a very different story. If the cook's son hadn't come home late the night before, if the cook hadn't known he was hanging around that lady playwright,

if she hadn't lain awake fretting for his immortal soul and weeping over the future fates of possible grandchildren, If she hadn't been so tired and distracted, then the bread would not have burned, and the calamities that followed might have belonged to some other house than Casa Ordoneo. What's up, Bad Babies? It's me, House of our host, Joanna Robinson. Some of you may or may not know, but long before I was a podcaster, long before I was a writer, I was a bookseller. And so I thought I would use this hopefully monthly Ring of Verse Recommends segment to talk to you about either a new or a new to me sci-fi fantasy book that I'm reading that I think. you might enjoy. So I wanted to start this month with a brand new book by Lee Bardugo called The Familiar. Love that spooky cover. And Lee Bardugo, in case you don't know, number one, New York Times bestselling author, Lee Bardugo, is the author of Shadow and Bone, she's turned into that Netflix series that was canceled after two-season, FU Netflix, wrote Six of Crows, which is also

part of that Netflix series, Shadow and Bone, wrote Ninth House and Hell Bent, incredible pair of books set in Yale, but instead of like skull and bones being just for old, moneyed rich people, it's for magic. Incredible. Love those books. This is her brand. This is her newest book. It is set in the, during the Inquisition in Spain.

And it is about a young woman who can perform little acts of magic known as like Milagritos, I believe. And that puts a target on her back because she is Jewish and it is a very fraught time for her in Spain. So it is about a really fun historical story about magic. There might be something vampiric going on, as if you couldn't tell from the cover. And I just really, really recommend Leibardugo in general, a great author. And I hope you enjoy and let me know what you're reading. And if you read this and if you enjoyed it too. All right, bye.

Sinsa, I need you to tell me just who that elf is. According to the list of test takers, her name is Freeran. That's the name of the mage who traveled with the party of heroes. Not only that, but she was carrying a holy emblem with her. The last great mage is before us. Yo, guys, it's Charles, Coke Baby Chuck, one-fourth of the Midnight Boys. I'm here for Ringiverse recommends, and I'm talking about Furin, beyond Journey's End. It is one of my favorite shows of the year, not just one of my favorite anime.

basically about a centuries-old elf, realizing that she fumbled a baddie. Her love of her life is gone. All of her old pals that were on this grand high-fanty adventure have died. And now she has to find a newfound family, and she's coming to terms with what happens when you whiff on a bad bitch. And let me tell you, this show has made me cry. I think it does something that when we talk about something like Lord of the Rings, everybody's just like, oh, it's about the journey. The journey is so important. And I think Furen, the great thing about it and kind of the thing that transports you is that it is actually a show where this is about the journey. Some of the episodes have wild implications for this world. Some of them are just the characters

learning how to coexist with each other, but the animation is stellar. You always hear me bitching about animation. And this is something where I was like, oh, this is the best of the best. We don't get many shows like this. So if you have time on your hands, go get Crunch Roll, watch this show. It is if you're always like, Charles is a hater, Charles is a hater, what to see actually love. This is one of those shows at the end of the year when we were talking about Shogun. I'll put fear in right there on the same tier.

It is so fantastic. This episode is brought to by Paramount Plus. Beth and Ripper back in a new series, Dutton Ranch. Kelly Riley and Cole has a return, and this time their team. taken on Texas. As Beth and Rip build a future together, peace will have to wait as they face corruption, danger, and a ruthless rival ranch willing to protect its secrets at all costs. Legacy is a beautiful thing, but only if it survives. Dutton Ranch starring Colehauser, Kelly Riley, Annette Benning and Ed Harris now streaming on Paramount Plus.

This episode is brought to by Viori. When it comes to close, that score high in both comfort and style, Viori is my MVP. Sunday performance. Oh, yeah. They have the perfect. I could watch a game and then go out to dinner vibe. And the metapant, that's my number one. I need to look like I tried option. Get 20% off your first purchase at vore.com slash Simmons and discover the versatility of Viori clothing. Exclusions apply, visit the website for full terms and conditions. Want to support your gut health? Take Activia's gut health challenge by enjoying two Activia yogurt today for two weeks and see if you feel a difference. With billions of probiotics and

20 years of scientific expertise, Activia is one of the easiest and tastiest ways to start your gut health ritual. Try Activia today. Enjoying Activia twice a day for two weeks as part of a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle may help reduce the frequency of minor digestive discomfort, which includes gas, bloating, rumbling, and abdominal discomfort. Has arrived at WrestleMania. Hello, it's Van Lathen here for Ringaverse Recommends,

and I would like to recommend WrestleMania 40. Okay, WrestleMania X-L. Excel baby. Let me tell you why. It was a watershed event in the history of wrestling. Now, you might think that you're not a wrestling fan, but the reality is that you are. You watch wrestling as a kid. You enjoyed wrestling.

Wrestling was a part of you. And you've fallen away from it. You're not a wrestling fan. You're a lapsed wrestling fan. You dug it at one point. And I'm telling you right now it's a perfect opportunity for you to dig it again and the perfect place for you to dig it again. is WrestleMania XL. Cody Rhodes was able to capture the universal WWE title.

Okay. And that was very important. It was very important that you finish his story. It was a lifelong family dream for him to capture the belt that his father never captured. But more than that, it was a fantastic display of the old guard of wrestling, the rock, the final boss, the undertaker, Sina, all of these guys. in a spectacular main event like the Avengers' endgame of wrestling main events

that took place there with the New Guard, Roman Reigns, one of the greatest hill runs in wrestling, bloodline rules in the main event match. You had the pairing of the trio of Naomi and Jay Cargill and Bianca Bel Air, the EST.

You had the Uso brothers against each other. You had all kinds of stuff happening in the frigid temperatures of Philadelphia. I was not. there, if you care about spectacle, if you care about storyline, if you care about America, you need to watch WrestleMania from this year. That's what I'm recommending.

The last light of the world, you have to know that. This is not the answer. It must end. This isn't everything. You don't get to choose for the world. You don't get to choose for me. This is all I have left. This is all you have left.

She's not gone. There has to be a sacrifice. It's broken world. Michelle, but together. We couldn't do anything. Hey everyone, it's Ben again. I'm here for Ringiverse Reckomends

to try to sell you on yet another spin-off of The Walking Dead. I know, I know, didn't that show end a year and a half ago? Why is it always still on? Great questions. Or maybe you haven't noticed that it's always still on because you checked out of this franchise years ago if you ever checked in.

I wouldn't blame you. In fact, I constantly question my continued attention to the Walking Dead. But every now and then, my undying, undead attachment to TWD pays off. It did with Daryl Dixon last year, and now it has, once again, to a lesser extent, with the Walking Dead the ones who live. If you stop watching The Walking Dead when Rick, played by Andrew Lincoln, or Michone played by Denai Guerrero left the series, I've got great news. They're back. And together again, despite the Civic Republic military and Rick's consistently terrible plans, conspiring to keep them apart. Look, Darrell and Carol may be the platonic one-chew pairing of the Walking Dead, and maybe Maggie and Glenn come to mind more quickly as a great romance, but Rick and Michone, or should we say Rashon, were close to the heart and soul of the series both before and after that fateful hookup on the couch.

When we left this very violent couple, Rick had been abducted and was believed to be dead by basically everyone except Michaud, who had left her remaining friends and family to search for him. The rest of their story was supposed to be told in a trilogy of films, but instead we got the six-episode AMC miniseries, which wrapped up almost a month ago. Does the Civic Republic threat the franchise has been building up for years completely pay off? No. Does this spinoff turn into a full-fledged Walking Dead reunion? Not really. But does it deliver some solid character work and a satisfying apparent resolution to the saga of Rishone? It does indeed.

And as far as we know now, it's not just a springboard to another spinoff. Though knowing the Walking Dead, it may turn out to be. And knowing me, I'll probably watch that one too. It has been a hell of a journey. But everything ends someday. The discovery is my home. My family. We've always been able to find answers together.

Being a part of a crew, being where you need to be, when you need to be, that Starfleet. I shall follow your lead. Hey, everybody. Arjuna here for the Ringiverse. here to share my Ringaverse recommends for the month of April. I'm going to go with Star Trek Discovery, season five. If you're stuck with the show this long, you've been on quite the journey for this little show

that started out as something of a prequel and became something of a sequel. I want to spoil too much here if you're interested in checking it out, but this season is just as crazy as the other ones. Now, I'm not going to sit here and pretend that Star Trek Discovery is the best Star Trek property out there that Paramount has. I think that belongs to, strange new worlds and even lower decks.

But it's certainly worth checking out and taking it in. If you're a fan of Star Trek, this newest generation that Paramount has kind of put out or even the older stuff, there's a lot of goodies in there. And it's just a classic and fun sci-fi. So check it out before the madness begins in a couple months.

Welcome to your mind. This is my mind. Welcome to the Power Discovery Program. You don't have a power? It's a really a big deal. Most us. Oh, thank you.

What's up? Ganger is Jomi here with the mini mic? What? For Ring of Verse recommends. And what I am recommending this month, I don't know if you guys have got the Hulu, Hulu Disney Plus login. Okay?

I know what we're calling it. I think we said Dulu Plus. It's right. If you got the Dulu Plus login, watching Extraordinary Season two, right? It is a British superhero comedy, right? About a teen who in a world where everybody gets superpowers when they're 18, she doesn't get any powers. And it's funny, emotional, a little raunchy, yeah, but ultimately super fun and super, super awesome. I had a blast

binging it just this last week. It's continuing awesome. And the ending, Let me not even spoil. But the ending is top notch. I hope you guys check it out. And I hope you love it as much as I do. All right. Let me know what you think. Okay, at me.

You all know where to find me. Tell me what you think about X-Rourning season two. I'll see you guys next month. Peace. Hey there, Ringgiverse. It's your favorite producer Steve Allman here. And my April recommendation for you guys is a video game called Children of the Sun. It's available on Steam right now.

And it's from Devolver Digital. And what I like about this game is you play as a psychedelic sniper tasked with assassinating a killer cult. But you don't so much play as a sniper. You play as its bullet. And what I mean by that is once you mark all of the potential victims in your level or vicinity, you play as the bullet to ping and zip across different victims to take. take everybody out in one single shot. I like this because it's a very clever and slick mechanic

to make a fun, small puzzle shooter. And it's an interesting mechanic that I would actually like to see implemented in bigger games should this actually take off. So I've been playing it a bunch on my Steam deck. I've loved it a lot. And I think it's definitely something that you should check out. It's on Steam right now for about $15.

bucks and it can give you quite a few hours of pretty cool fun, and I would recommend you check it out. Well, that concludes the maiden voyage of Ringerverse recommends. In a stunning upset, nobody recommended Rebel Moon Part 2 The Scargiver. Sorry, Zach. Maybe we'll stop snubbing you when we see the Snyder cut. As for the books and games and shows we shouted out, we hope you'll give them a shot and tell us what you think. And please also tell us what you think of this experiment. If you liked it, we'll bring you more next month. So send your feedback and nominations for next time to ringerverse recommends at gmail.com. And remember to recommend recommends to your friends.

Speaking of friends, thanks to Steve Allman, not only for his great game recommendation, but also for producing this podcast. Thanks to Jomi Adaneron, not only for his extraordinary, extraordinary recommendation, but also for editing the video versions of our recommendations on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube, and beyond. And thanks to Arjuna Ramgapal, not only for his stellar recommendation, Ringervor's Trekers Unite, but also for helping plan this series. Stay tuned for Midnight Boys and a Mint Edition comics check-in later this week, plus a double dose of House of R, featuring Thruples and fandom, and a Star Wars Day special on The Bad Batch and Tales of the Empire.

I'll team up with Mal for the latter and be back on Buttonmash next week. April showers will bring May Flowers for more unsung IP, so join us next month for the second installment of Ringerverse Recommends.