Overview of The Watch
Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald split this episode between a broad Comic-Con trailer/news roundup, a deep appreciation of The Agency Season 2, and a fairly negative reaction to the latest House of the Dragon episode. The conversation is strongest when it’s about how prestige TV and blockbuster IP can either feel creatively alive or become repetitive, overmanaged, and visually static.
Comic-Con Trailer and News Roundup
Marvel: Black Panther 3 and the state of the MCU
- The hosts focused first on the reported Black Panther 3 casting of David Jonsson (the Industry actor, correcting the transcript’s “David Johnson”) as the next Black Panther / grown-up version of the kid introduced in Wakanda Forever.
- They thought Jonsson was an inspired choice:
- he has a centered but internally divided screen presence
- he can signal that “what he’s doing and what he’s thinking are different”
- he feels like a strong fit for a character carrying legacy, rebellion, and inherited power
- They also welcomed the idea that Ryan Coogler is the one steering the movie, arguing that if he wants to make Black Panther 3, Marvel should let him.
- The discussion turned into a broader critique of Marvel’s creative model:
- the studio often seems to flatten filmmakers’ styles
- it prioritizes production efficiency and IP maintenance over distinct vision
- Black Panther remains an exception because Coogler has enough leverage to shape the film
- They also noted the reported return of Denzel Washington to the project.
Marvel fatigue: Ryan Gosling and “Ghost Rider”
- The hosts mocked the idea of Ryan Gosling playing Ghost Rider in a project directed by Sean Levy.
- Their bigger point wasn’t just that the character is silly; it was that Comic-Con fan culture sometimes celebrates job announcements more than actual movies.
- They argued that the MCU’s recent strategy often feels like:
- hiring competent “delivery” directors
- announcing star casting as the main event
- overvaluing brand maintenance over film identity
- Their reaction to Ghost Rider was basically: this is a bizarre, corporate idea for a character that doesn’t need this much ceremony.
DC: Lanterns looks promising
- They were very positive on the new Lanterns trailer.
- What they liked:
- it had a grounded, detective-thriller feel
- it seemed to blend Watchmen / Leftovers-style moodiness with superhero mythology
- it looked like a rare case where the show might satisfy both fans of genre material and fans of auteur-driven TV
- Cast and character notes:
- Kyle Chandler as an older, worn-down Green Lantern
- Aaron Pierre as the younger successor figure
- Kelly Macdonald, Ulrich Thomsen as Sinestro, and Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner
- They were especially interested in whether the show could reconcile:
- James Gunn’s more self-aware, jokey tone
- a serious noir-investigation structure
- Their verdict: one of the most exciting Comic-Con trailers.
Neuromancer and Blade Runner 2099
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They were also impressed by the trailer for Apple TV’s Neuromancer adaptation.
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Why it worked:
- strong visual identity
- the sense that the show understands it is adapting a foundational cyberpunk text
- a vibe that felt close to Fincher’s Girl with the Dragon Tattoo teaser in tone and precision
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They discussed how Neuromancer has been so influential that any adaptation has to contend with the fact that modern sci-fi has already borrowed from it for decades.
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The cast they highlighted included Callum Turner, Mark Strong, Peter Sarsgaard, Clemence Poésy, and Andre De Shields.
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They also briefly noted Drake as a producer.
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For Blade Runner 2099, their reaction was more cautious:
- visually, it seemed close to Blade Runner 2049
- the show appears to be continuing a world that has already been heavily mined
- they’re interested, but also aware that the franchise has been stretched for a long time
The Agency Season 2 Review
Overall verdict
- They were both very high on Season 2, though they also admitted that the show has an odd problem: it is such a strong remake of Le Bureau that it can feel almost too faithful at times.
- The tension in their discussion was:
- admiration for the adaptation
- frustration that it sometimes feels like “the best karaoke performance ever”
- excitement that the show eventually finds its own voice
Why Season 2 worked better
- For both hosts, the season started to click once it leaned into:
- the emotional lives of the characters
- more specific, idiosyncratic character beats
- the pressure-cooker nature of the spy world
- They particularly praised episodes in the back half of the season, especially around Episodes 205–210 and Episode 208.
- They felt the show became more compelling when it stopped being only a remake and started building its own emotional and thematic terrain.
Characters and performances they singled out
- Michael Fassbender as Martian:
- still a huge draw
- excellent as a controlled, emotionally sealed-off spy
- fits the role of someone who is both lethal and exhausted
- Jodie Turner-Smith:
- they thought she was excellent
- her performance added a new emotional texture to the season
- Richard Gere:
- they loved his late-career work
- he brings a unique “I am so over this, but I’m still magnificent” energy
- Jeffrey Wright:
- another major reason the show feels unusually well-cast
- Katherine Waterston:
- especially strong in the quieter scenes
- Sara Lightfoot Leon as Dani:
- they found her lively and compelling
- more emotionally vivid than the original version of the character
- Clayne Crawford as Viking:
- they singled him out as a standout in the Africa storyline
Storylines they liked
- The Valhalla / right-wing extremism thread
- The Central African Republic / diamond mining / Antwerp material
- The therapist scenes with Dr. Sampson
- The spy-vs-spy confrontations that expose how everyone is being used
Best thematic idea in the season
- They loved a line from Dr. Sampson:
- “Two sorts of people are drawn to this work: those who wish to be someone else and those who are unable to be a person in the first place.”
- That, to them, captures the essence of classic spy fiction:
- damaged people
- identity as performance
- emotional self-erasure as a feature of the job
Biggest concern: cancellation
- They are worried the show may not return.
- Their argument for renewal:
- the show has a roadmap from the original French series
- it’s only now hitting its stride
- the cast and material are too strong to lose
- They see it as a rare high-level spy drama that deserves more time to develop.
House of the Dragon Episode Reaction
Main complaint: repetition and stagnation
- This was the weakest part of the episode for them.
- Their core criticism:
- too many scenes feel like the same conversation repeated
- too much of the show happens in the same handful of rooms
- the storytelling feels box-checking and over-engineered
- They wanted:
- more varied locations
- more movement
- more environmental texture
- a stronger sense that the world is changing around the characters
The action is good, but not enough
- They acknowledged that the battle and sword choreography is strong.
- But they felt the show over-relies on:
- set-piece violence
- surprise deaths
- “now we’re here, now we’re there” plotting
- They thought the episode’s opening violence, including the death of Criston Cole, felt manipulative rather than dramatically earned.
The larger issue
- Their broader frustration is that House of the Dragon often feels like it is:
- staging tragedy
- rather than generating it through lived character movement
- They want the show to feel more like Game of Thrones at its best:
- expansive
- geographically dynamic
- full of real tension created by travel, consequence, and changing alliances
- Instead, they feel many of the characters are trapped in interiors and repeating strategic conversations.
Their final take
- They think the show is fundamentally a tragedy, but not always a very engaging one.
- For now, they’d rather wait until the finale before talking about it again.
Key Takeaways
- Best Comic-Con buzz: Lanterns and Neuromancer both impressed them as examples of IP being handled with style and ambition.
- Biggest Marvel point: Ryan Coogler and David Jonsson give Black Panther 3 credibility; the hosts are skeptical of Marvel’s broader factory model.
- Most enthusiastic TV praise: The Agency Season 2, especially its second-half run, character work, and spy-fiction psychology.
- Most negative reaction: House of the Dragon remains visually strong but emotionally repetitive, at least in their view.