The Ringer-Verse - Ringer-Verse Recommends: February 2025

Episode Date: February 27, 2025

A short month yields a long list of recommendations! Join your favorite Ringer-Verse and House of R hosts and friends as they gush about geek content in the latest installment of their monthly mini-pod about fandom favorites from TV, anime, movies, video games, books, comics, and beyond that were (mostly) released recently but not yet covered in-depth on a full-length episode. Host: Ben Lindbergh Guests: Steve Ahlman, Jomi Adeniran, Matt James, Arjuna Ramgopal, Charles Holmes, Joanna Robinson, Van Lathan Producer: Steve Ahlman Social: Jomi Adeniran Additional Production: Arjuna Ramgopal Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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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. Hello, and welcome into the Ringerverse, your nexus feed for all things fandom. I am Ben Lindbergh, Buttonmasher, and Recommendation Rangler, reporting for the February 2025 edition of Ringerverse Recommends. February is famously short, but we won't short change you with our recommendations. As is often the case, the year got off to a slightly slow start, severance aside,

but the releases are really rampant up, and we've got some good ones to share with you today. As usual, we've convened the Council of Ringiverse and House of Our Host to shout out something they've liked that came out in the past month, give or take, that hasn't been covered at length on a regular episode. Any form of media is eligible, provided it fits the fandom definition, which gets a little loose on some of these episodes. For each pick, we'll give you a little taste in a teaser clip, and then you'll hear a familiar voice explaining what it is, why you'd like it, and where you can find it. We're all excited for Daredevil and or the last of us and the rest of the Springs TV tent pulls, but we won't overlook the lower profile projects that deserve some of your time. We're here to highlight the little nerd culture that could. We're missing Mallory Rubin this month, but the rest of the gangs all here waiting in the wings,

so let's get going and give them their cues. At the end of the episode, I'll be back to recap the picks and share a listener nomination, which was submitted to Ringervverse Recommends at gmail.com. For now, I'll pass the conch to Mal's co-host, the Queen of Culture, your friend and mine, Joanna Robinson. There have been two moments in my life when I was happiest. The first was the day I met Josh. I'm Josh.

I'm Iris. And the second, the day I killed him. Just relax. Remember to smile and act happy. Iris, wake up? What are you doing? Shut her down already. What is she talking about, Josh?

What's up? Ring averse Listeners, Ring Reverse Watchers. It's me, Joanna Robinson here to tell you about a cute little movie I saw this month called Companion. It's about 90 minutes long. It stars Jack Quaid of the Boys' Fame, Sophie Thatcher, of Yellow Jackets' Fame. And it is about a young woman who just happens to be a robot, who goes on a weekend trip with her boyfriend, who just happens to be an asshole, to stay in a house with some of his friends. and chaos and, dare I say, bloodshed ensues. This is a really fun, gory little murder romp in the woods, if you're into that sort of thing. Is this the best version of this story I've ever seen?

No. Like, I think films like Ex Machina and Her and Promising Women and Ready or Not all have done some of this stuff a bit better. But I really had a good time with this film. I think it's really fun. So if you're looking for like a fun, rompy, bloody, 90-minute watch, which will leave you questioning whether you're on the side of the humans or on the side of the robots, you could do worse than companion. It is in theaters, I think, still perhaps in some theaters. It's also streaming at home for kind of a chunk of change right now, but, you know, wait a little it and it'll be a little bit more reasonable to rent.

And that's what I think it's like a fun Friday night rental companion. And I think you should just continue to keep your eye on Sophie Thatcher because I think she's going to continue to climb and cover herself in the blood of people you're not particularly rooting for. And what's, uh, what's more fun than that? Companion, enjoy. Bye. When the internet comes back online, show to the other UIs and more past them.

It doesn't matter. how fast they burn out, they can still burn us all down. Who told you this? The only thing that can stop a UI is another UI. One that doesn't have this flaw. They're curious why you're letting an 18-year-old run the show. What do you think they'd say if they knew he was a clone of Stephen Holstrom?

Hulstrom died 20 years ago. This is a trick. I'm trying to keep an open mind. What's up, guys? Jomi, again, Ringiverse recommends. and this month I'm recommending one of the best shows that I've ever seen, that I've had the pleasure of watching. Pantheon, the second season dropped on Netflix just last week,

and I can't even begin to describe how much fun I'm having it with it so far. Season one came out all the way. Long time ago on a thing that people used to call AMC Plus. I don't even know if it's around anymore, but I fell in love and I went. waited to watch the series legitimately because I know it was online. It was on YouTube and all those dark websites and stuff. But I wanted to get a legit now that it's here for everybody, not just the people

that had Amazon and New Zealand, for everybody around the globe. I hope you're watching it because it's legitimately excellent, the story of Maddie and Caspian and the uploading UIs. I do not want to spoil it for you, especially if you haven't watched season one. But if you are listening to me, I know you're going to. like this good stuff. So tap in the Pantheon season two. Again, one of my favorite shows of all time, legitimately excellent. Captivating. It looks great. And it's just an overall throw ride. Tap in if you were a real one. This episode is brought to you by Spectrum Business. Fast,

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Your home for the next 365 days. There is no outside communication here. What's that on the other side? That is East Tower. Contact where the other side is strictly forbidden. So what's the mission to keep people from going in the gorge? No. You need to stop.

in the gorge. What the hell is that? The gorge is the door to hell. Hey, what's up, Ring ofverse? It's Arjuna here with my February Ring of Verse recommends, and I'm recommending the Apple TV plus original movie The Gorge. It stars Miles Teller, Anya Taylor, Anya Taylor, Joy, Sigourney Weaver, directed by Scott Derrickson, probably best known in R-space as the director of the 2016 Doctor Strange.

Listen, I'm not going to pretend that the gorge is the next, you know, Dune Part 2 or Oscar-winning movie that's coming out or anything like that. But it's an enjoyable watch. You know, I'm recommending something where if you just want a good time, you know, if you want something that is science fiction, is a little bit of romance, is nothing too crazy or too deep where you're wondering what's happening at every single scene or every single shot, then I think the gorge is for you. It's got a little bit of everything.

It's a movie that you shouldn't take super, super seriously, and it's not one where you have to be fully locked in to appreciate it or enjoy it. I think it's just one of those great movies where you're like, hey, maybe I don't have a lot to do or I just want to turn off my brain a little bit. That's what it is. I feel like I've been recommending a lot of easy lounging type of content, And I think the gorge kind of continues that. So, you know, that's the one.

Check it out on Apple TV Plus and hopefully you enjoy it. Yo, it's Skok Baby Chuck, the most successful Weeb on the Ringiverse. And I'm back here to recommend, honestly, what I think is going to be the new member of the big three for Shonen Jump. Americans, unfortunately, are super obsessed about the big three. It used to be Dragon Ball Z, Bleach, Naruto. then it was Jiu-Jitsu Kisen, One Piece, My Hero Academia. Right now, it's seeming like the big three is going to be One Piece as always, Kagoribachi. And my recommendation for this month, Ichi the Witch.

Ichi the Witch is just a fantastic new series. And essentially, if you like Card Captor Sakura, Pokemon, Jujitsu Kaisen, Sailor Moon, it's all those in one. Basically, the story is about this protagonist, Eichi the Wich. witch in a world where only women can use witchcraft and wizardry, this feral boy who lives in in the woods, basically beats a demon, gets magical powers, and from there, you get your typical battle shonen greatness. So it's great for kids.

Get it from the library. Shonen Jump app. I think at this point is like a dollar a month. But Ichi the Witch is one of my favorite manga of the year. So Itchy The Witch. We spend more money than ever on healthcare and everyone's still sick. Think about all the people who make tons of money just from keeping us sick by keeping us unwell. This company, Reutical Pharmaceuticals, their CEO is this like evil.

He's not even smart enough to be evil. He's like the devil's idiot butler. You know how bad my life is right now? Ah, great. Now my room service is here. Hey, it's Ben, back again with my recommendation. You know the Ring ofverse contains adult content, but today it also contains adult swim content, because I am here to tell you about an adult swim series called Common Side Effects, which is streaming on Max. But first, you've seen Scavenger's Rain, right?

It's a glorious sci-fi series from 2023 about colonists who land on a beautiful but highly lethal planet and try to adapt and survive. It's inventive and thought-provoking and, frankly, kind of disturbing in the best possible way. I recommended it on House of R before Ringiverse recommends existed. Sadly, despite that Lindbergh bump, it seems that not enough people watched it for Netflix to give the green light to a second season. I'm sure you checked it out, either on Max or on Netflix, because if you didn't, I'd have to hold you personally responsible for the fact that the series hasn't been renewed. But no, I know it's only non-ringerverse listeners who cost us season two. They're why we can't have nice things. But I'm not mad.

please don't put in the newspaper that I got mad. I'm just disappointed. However, optimists that I am, I'm choosing to look on the bright side because Scavengers Rain co-creator Joe Bennett has a new show, Common Side Effects, that's just about as brilliant as Scavenger's Rain. Glass half empty, no second season of Scavenger's Rain. Glass half full, first season of Common Side Effects. One door closes, another opens. So let me tell you about what's behind door number two. Common side effects is a kind of of Cohen Brothers-esque combination of comedy and thriller with a side of sci-fi. Bennett teamed up with Steve Healy, who wrote for Letterman and 30 Rock and The Office and Veep to tell this original story about a man named Marshall who finds a mushroom that can

cure anything, even fatal illnesses and injuries. Marshall just wants to help people, but the man is keeping him and his mushroom down. And by the man, I mean big pharma, the government, the DEA, everyone is after him, because a bunch of powerful figures stand to make a fortune from people staying sick. Marshall, a loner, reconnects with his high school crush, who tries to help him but has her own agenda, and hot on their trail are two DEA agents, a couple of free thinkers who question their assignment and can't restrain themselves from bopping along to the tunes on their car stereo, like characters from a night at the Roxbury.

If you've seen Scavenger's Rain, and we've already established beyond all doubt that you have, then the visuals will look very recognizable. Green Street Pictures, the same studio that worked on Scavengers Rain, also animated Common Side Effects, using many of the same artists and a similar style. You'll probably also recognize a lot of the voice actors, including the inimitable Martha Kelly, Ben Feldman, and Mike Judge, who also produced the series.

But as much as I'm pitching this series as a substitute for Scavenger's Rain, common side effects is a very distinct creation, a weird, profound, funny, semi-psychedelic trip. The series premiered early this month and just reached the midpoint of its 10-episode season. The episodes are short, classic sitcom length, those you have plenty of time to catch up before the finale airs at the end of March. It's probably too late to save Scavenger's Rain, but we have collectively learned our lesson, right?

We won't repeat the same mistake by letting those profit-seeking suits cancel common side effects, too, because not making more of this show would be as bad a decision as not making medicine from a miracle mushroom. When I was a kid, my twin brother and I found something that loved to kill. I did everything I could to make it go the fuck away. But it had other plans. Why don't you vanquish it, huh, Bill? Hey there, Ringiverse.

Steve Allman here with another recommends for February. This week, I am going to be recommending a great movie that I've loved watching. It's The Monkey, directed by Osgood Perkins, and this is for anybody that loves Stephen King, specifically cocaine-era Stephen King. If you want nuts, absolutely bonkers storytelling that it definitely makes sense, but everybody has a little bit of an ethereal dreamlike quality to how they move about the world, and it's so funny with amazingly cartooning. goarry kills.

It has a lot of final destination meets Stand by me, if that makes sense. A toy monkey is haunting these twin boys that grew up with the power to basically kill

random people. And it's a lot of fun. It's probably some of the most fun that I've had at the movies this month. And that is what I want you guys to check out. The Monkey by Osgood Perkins. Agent Collins, you're about to be entrusted with top secret national security information.

The president has cleared you at the highest level. You're going to want to hear this. Xavier, as a party, you're happy that Cal is dead? It's Van Lathan, the Midnight Boys. Pugh, you've seen me before. Ring averse recommends for February Paradise. Fantastic. Okay?

Sort of apocalyptic type show about people that have moved away to a different place and all of their machinations and things that are going on there, the president, all kinds of stuff. Look, Sterling K. Brown, James Marsden, Apple TV Plus. Apple TV Plus is on top of the heap.

There's a heap, and they can be on top of it right now. Paradise is something that you want to watch. You know, I get it. You're loving Severance. When you take time away from Severance, check out Paradise on Apple TV Plus. I've really been enjoying it.

And that is my ring of reference. recommends for the month of February. Yeah, this is Ringaverse recommends backchecker Ben Lindberg, interrupting your regularly scheduled recommendations to report that Paradise is, in fact, on Hulu, not Apple TV Plus. However, I can confirm that Van is correct about Apple TV Plus being on top of the heap. Love you, Van. All right, please proceed.

What's up, Ringaverse? It's Matt James again from the Buttonmash podcast. This month, I am recommending to you a great new indie game is called Keep Driving. Keep driving is presented in this really cool 2D pixel art style that's just a joy to look at, and it's super nostalgic. And nostalgic is really the key word here with keep driving. It's set in the early 2000s. You just got your first beater of a car. It's summertime, and you head out on the road across the country to get to a music festival.

So on the road, you've got to keep your car from falling apart. You've got to keep yourself fed. you've got to keep gas in the car. You've got to find time to sleep, and you have to decide which roads to take based on all of those things. And while you're driving, you'll encounter all these random events,

whether it's a slow driver or there's sheep in the road, which is a fun one, and you have to overcome all these in a clever turn-based combat system that keeps it really interesting. And along the way, you pick up all these eccentric hitchhikers,

like a runaway bride, or like a bird. or like a burnt-out businessman. And all of these people have their own unique impacts on your journey. They'll help you in some ways. And then in other ways, they can actually hurt you too. Like there's a stoner girl who just won't stop filling your car with trash, which is a fun.

You can earn money doing random jobs out on the road. And then you can spend that money on, like, useful or just fun upgrades for your car. If you ever hit the open road in your 20s, with just like a few bucks in your pocket and a heart full of aspirations, you're probably going to connect with keep driving. It's just oozing personality. It's got an incredible, incredible soundtrack, very importantly.

Of all these Swedish indie bands that I'd never heard of, but they're really good. And while you're out on the road, you can find new CDs that unlock new music and create your own custom playlists to listen to while you're playing the game. It's just a really special game about any time you feel like you don't know how to get from where you are in life to where you want to be and how important it is to just keep moving forward, to keep driving, right? Like if there was ever a game where it's about the journey and not the destination, it's keep driving.

It's out on Steam. It's only $18, which is so fair. It's keyboard and mouse only right now. I know that controller support is coming. Hopefully they put this on Switch. Hopefully they put this everywhere so more people can play it because it's one of my favorite games of the year. Definitely give it a try.

Keep driving. I have to level up as soon as I can. Mom's cure depends on it. Hey boss, what are these things? My regular soldiers won't cut it. I need something more powerful. That was just one punch? My strength stat is pretty broken.

How could he be? Even stronger than he was before. Hey, are you defeated a dungeon boss? Just what are you? I realized how blind I've been. He's an A or possibly even an S. Are you really a hunter? That man was the first that's ever smelled nice to me.

A little more. Just a little more and I can save Mom. When I come back, it's on. All right, it's Ben, piping up for the third time to bring you this month's listener nomination, which was submitted to ringerverse recommends at gmail.com. where we welcome your emails every month. This month's mailbox was stuffed enough

that I've got to give you a few honorable mentions. Jen Krause recommended the new audiobook edition of The Inevitable Ruin, the seventh novel in Matt Dinnaman's Dungeon Crawler Carl Lit RPG series. A lit lit RPG series. Sorry. Brandon Parker recommended the first trade paperback volume

of the Image Comics series The Power Fantasy, written by Kieran Gillen, fresh off his work on Immortal X-Men, and drawn by Casper Wingard. and Elsa O'Callaghan recommended Macbeth by William Shakespeare. Have you heard of him, lad? Macbeth is not a new release, but the movie version of the production that featured Cush Jumbo and David Tennant is new,

and is still in some theaters. And if you're wondering why a William Shakespeare play qualifies for a Ringiverse wreck, it has David Tennant and witches. What could be more House of R than that? It pains me to pick another nomination, but official listener wrecks are like Immortals and Highlander. There can be only one. And this month, that one comes from J.B. Bonifacio, who recommends the second season of solo leveling.

J.B. writes, every gamer has wished real life were as simple as a video game. Fight things, level up, rinse, repeat. So when I say that 2024's most popular new anime, solo leveling, is cathartic to watch as a gamer, know that I'm telling the truth. The setting of the show is a present-day society where interdimensional portals have opened, thereby unleashing demons and magic upon the world. In other words, real life has transformed into an MMO. The main character, Sung Jin U, is known as the weakest hunter of all mankind and is barely able to fight low-level goblins and dogs without getting injured.

Sounds like me playing a soul's game. A fateful encounter with a mysterious program simply titled The System transforms him into a literal video game character with the unique ability to level up in strength. The anime cleverly uses video game shorthand, to clock his power creep. Sung Jinu now has daily missions that allow him to get stat points

for strength, agility, or even intellect. He absorbs new abilities and attains new gear from his defeated foes. He even gets loot boxes from the system after clearing out a portal. As of Season 2 episode 8, Sung's power level is almost godlike and is sure to increase even further

as he tackles harder and more powerful adversaries. On its surface, solo leveling is like most Shonen in that it is largely about increasing your power level to take on tougher and tougher foes. But the fact that it leans so heavily

into the video game analogs makes it easy for me to understand why it stands out amid all the other Shonen anime of this generation. But Mashers, this might be your thing. Season 2 is currently airing on Crunchyroll. Well, thanks to J.B. And to everyone else who emailed, what was that address again?

Oh, right, ringerverse recommends at gmail.com. That brings us to the traditional recital of selections. From Joanna Robinson, the major motion picture companion. From Jomi Adon, season two of Pantheon on Netflix. From Arjuna Ramgapal, the streaming movie The Gorge on Apple TV Plus. From Charles Holmes, manga series Ichie the Witch. From me, common side effects, an animated masterpiece that's halfway through its first season on Max. From Steve Alman, another movie that may be playing at a theater near you, the Stephen King adaptation, The Monkey.

from Van the Man Lathan, Paradise Season 1 on Hulu, season finale incoming next week. From Matt James, the indie game Keep Driving on Steam, and from listener J.B. Bonifacio, season two of solo leveling on Crunchyroll. Thanks to Steve Alman for producing this episode and to Arjuna Ramgapal for supporting this series. Stay tuned for tomorrow's button mash

as I speed date several long-running franchises for the first time. Plus next week's button mash on Split Fiction. Also coming next week, The Verses, the award show that everyone is waiting for, plus our Daredevil two-part premiere Instant Reactions and Deep Dive from The Midnight Boys, Poo-Pew, and House of R, respectively. Thank you for your downloads, your views, your reviews, your emails, and more. As long as you keep listening, we'll keep talking. Until next time, we hope that you'll recommend The Ringerverse.

Thank you.