Last Looks: The Manitou w/ Ashley Ray

Summary of Last Looks: The Manitou w/ Ashley Ray

by Earwolf and Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael, Jason Mantzoukas

59m•June 12, 2026
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Overview of Last Looks: The Manitou w/ Ashley Ray

This How Did This Get Made? Last Looks episode is split between listener corrections and omissions for The Manitou and a long, enthusiastic TV chat between Jason Mantzoukas and comedian/TV critic Ashley Ray. The Manitou segment focuses on clarifying the film’s weird medical lore, its bizarre pacing, and several gross or historically accurate production details. The back half turns into a rapid-fire rundown of the current TV landscape, with Ashley and Jason trading recommendations across streaming services and genres.

Corrections and Omissions on The Manitou

Listeners helped fill in a few of the movie’s stranger details:

  • “Baby growing in the chest” explanation: A pathologist called in to say the real-world reference was likely a teratoma—a tumor that can contain hair, teeth, and other body parts—not an actual baby growing in someone’s chest.
  • 70s hospitals were gross: Multiple callers confirmed that hospital carpets were a real thing in the 1970s, including in patient rooms and hallways. One nurse also described horrifying cleaning methods and shared hand-dipping practices used in isolation rooms.
  • The film’s pacing is absurdly slow: A listener pointed out the long, pointless aspirin-and-water sequence with Tony Curtis as an example of how the movie stretches simple business far too long.
  • The “green ribbon” story: A listener identified the childhood horror story Paul was trying to remember as “The Green Ribbon” from In a Dark, Dark Room by Alvin Schwartz.
  • Seance “molds” and paranormal fakery: Another caller explained that the head-like object in the séance scene resembles a materialization mold used in spiritualist hoaxes, often made from wax or paraffin.
  • The salt circle logic: A listener questioned why the evil medicine man didn’t just use a possessed body to break the salt circle, highlighting another plot hole.

Standout gag from the segment

Paul awarded the “winner” a fake prize: the official Manitou new parent emergency kit, complete with absurd baby items for giving birth to a demonic neck entity.

TV Recommendations from Jason and Ashley Ray

Jason and Ashley spent most of the “Just Chat” segment gushing about the current TV moment, especially on Apple TV+ and prestige-adjacent streaming shows.

Major recommendations and discussion points

  • Widow’s Bay

    • The clear favorite of the conversation.
    • Praised as one of the strongest first seasons in years.
    • Ashley and Jason loved its mix of horror, weirdness, and comedy, along with its fully realized characters.
    • Patricia became the breakout favorite character.
    • They praised the show’s ability to balance mystery, tension, and jokes without undercutting either.

  • Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed

    • A Tatiana Maslany-led show that Jason and Ashley liked for its blend of dark drama and comedy.
    • They noted Maslany’s range, calling out her ability to shift from emotionally heavy material to sharp comedy.

  • Margo’s Got Money Troubles

    • Ashley said the TV adaptation improved on the book.
    • She appreciated that the show leans more into the emotional and family-drama side than pure comedy.
    • The discussion also touched on its cam-girl subplot and its more sincere tone.

  • The Reggie Dinkins show

    • Described as one of the funniest sitcoms currently on TV.
    • Jason loved its dense joke-writing and layered background gags.
    • They singled out the show’s absurd premise and strong ensemble comedic timing.

  • The Other Bennett Sister

    • A period-drama spinoff centered on Mary Bennet.
    • Ashley recommended it as a lighter, brisker take on the Austen universe.
    • She appreciated that it gives a side character her own full story.

  • Ludwig

    • David Mitchell’s mystery-comedy was recommended as a fun, character-driven procedural.

  • Dark Winds

    • Jason and Ashley both praised it highly.
    • They described it as a great detective procedural with light supernatural elements, set on a Native American reservation.
    • They felt it deserved a much bigger audience.

  • Kevin and other adult animated shows

    • They gave a shoutout to adult animation as a genre worth supporting.
    • They also mentioned frustration over the loss of some animated favorites.

Other shows mentioned

  • Hacks — praised for sticking the landing.
  • Half-Man — described as extremely dark, intense, and hard to watch.
  • Slip — recommended as a clever, funny premise show.
  • Love Island, Real Housewives of Rhode Island, Southern Hospitality — Ashley admitted she’s gone deep into Bravo territory.
  • Taskmaster — Ashley highlighted the current season, especially Kamail Nanjiani’s performance.
  • Deli Boys — praised for getting even better in its second season.

Next Episode / Movie Announcement

The episode closes with the reveal of the next How Did This Get Made? movie:

  • Next movie: Circus Island (2006)
  • Why it’s special: It’s the show’s 400th episode
  • Premise: A teenage girl runs away to find her deadbeat dad, a flying trapeze artist on a tropical island, and together they turn the island into a circus camp for teens.
  • Paul strongly encouraged listeners to watch it on YouTube, Tubi, or Hoopla, calling it one of their most baffling and fun recent picks.

Bottom Line

This episode is half listener fact-checking, half enthusiastic TV roundtable. The Manitou corrections highlight how bizarre and sloppy the film’s logic is, while the Ashley Ray conversation becomes a passionate snapshot of what’s worth watching right now across streaming platforms.