Overview of The Watch by The Ringer
Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald cover a wide-ranging pop-culture episode that starts with a skeptical reaction to the new Avengers: Doomsday trailer, moves through a discussion of Ryan Coogler’s X-Files reboot idea and Netflix’s shifting business strategy, and then lands on a deeper TV-history detour into The Prisoner on Criterion. They finish with a candid take on House of the Dragon and an unexpectedly juicy literary-news item: Rachel Cusk’s reported novel about Natalie Portman.
Avengers: Doomsday Trailer Reaction
Main takeaway
Their first reaction to the trailer is concern: it feels dark, anonymous, and over-reliant on legacy Marvel hype rather than emotional or visual freshness.
What they liked / noticed
- The trailer appears to center on familiar MCU “event” beats:
- Thor as the biggest star still on the board
- glimpses of newer characters like Yelena, Namor, Shuri, Ant-Man, Gambit, and Cyclops
- They expect Marvel to keep holding back bigger reveals for later trailers.
- They think Doctor Doom may ultimately be the movie’s main selling point.
Biggest criticism
- The trailer seems to take place in another generic, dim Marvel soundstage with too much “purple hallways of nowhere.”
- They argue Marvel is no longer making enough of a case for why people should care.
- The sense is that the studio is still leaning on moments that once worked — like Cap lifting Thor’s hammer — without enough new energy.
Bigger MCU concern
- They frame the project as part of a larger Marvel/Disney problem:
- the studio needs to start making things people genuinely love again
- the X-Men reboot may be Marvel’s next major long-term lifeline
- They also joke that the Russo brothers remain on “fraud watch.”
Ryan Coogler’s X-Files Reboot
What’s being reported
- Coogler’s new X-Files project is said to be shooting on 65mm film.
- The pilot may get a theatrical rollout.
Their take
- They think the hybrid theatrical/TV strategy can work as a hype-generating move.
- Theatrical exhibition, they argue, now functions more as a prestige and excitement signal than as a pure distribution model.
- Coogler’s involvement gives the project real credibility, especially since he’s one of the few filmmakers who can still open a movie.
Why The X-Files might benefit
- The property has real cultural memory.
- The show’s strength historically was its mix of monster-of-the-week episodes and mythology episodes.
- They hope the reboot captures the totality of the original, not just one famous storyline.
Netflix: Data, Strategy, and Identity
What came up
- Netflix is changing its “What We Watched” reporting from twice yearly to annual.
- The company also missed earnings expectations again, and its stock dropped sharply.
Their read on the situation
- Netflix seems increasingly opaque, which could make investors nervous.
- They see a company trying to define its future through:
- live sports and live events
- ad-supported tiers
- FAST-style channels
- broader franchise/brand plays
What the data suggests
They mention the recent popularity rankings as evidence of Netflix’s current identity:
- Squid Game
- Adolescence
- His & Hers
- Bridgerton
- One Piece
- The Night Agent
- Ms. Rachel
Their main point
- Netflix is still dominant, but its scripted-TV identity feels less clear than it once did.
- The platform appears to be moving toward a mix of:
- global genre hits
- bingeable thrillers
- live programming
- franchise expansion
- They note Netflix seems less interested in critical prestige races than in scale, retention, and broad audience behavior.
The Prisoner on Criterion Channel
Why they’re excited
- They praise Criterion for making the 1967 British cult series The Prisoner easy to watch in a high-quality restoration.
- They call it an influential touchstone in television history.
Why it matters
They trace its influence through:
- Twin Peaks
- The Truman Show
- Inception
- The Matrix
- The Good Place
- even Austin Powers
What the show is
- A spy resigns from MI6 and wakes up trapped in a strange seaside village.
- In the village:
- everyone is watched
- identities are obscured by numbers
- “Number Six” is constantly pressured to explain why he resigned
- a giant white balloon-like threat can literally kill people
Why it’s still interesting
- The show is surreal, playful, and structurally weird in ways modern TV rarely is.
- They appreciate that it doesn’t over-explain itself.
- The episode order and production order don’t always line up cleanly, adding to the disorientation.
- They argue its influence is bigger than its fame, because it helped make weird, unresolved, idea-driven TV feel possible.
House of the Dragon Discussion
Overall reaction
- Andy remains mostly frustrated by the show’s slow churn and grim plotting.
- Chris is a bit more forgiving, mainly because he’s more interested in the newer characters and their performances.
What they like
They highlight several performers as standouts:
- Fabien Frankel as Criston Cole
- they think the actor has been underrated
- the part works better now that the character is out in the field and not stuck in court intrigue
- Tom Glynn-Carney as Aegon
- they find him charismatic and surprisingly compelling
- they like the pairing of Aegon with another damaged/deformed figure
- Gayle Rankin as Alys
- they enjoy the wit and ambiguity she brings to Harrenhal
Their critique
- The show still feels like it’s moving toward plot points rather than living in its characters.
- Harrenhal, in particular, remains a drag for Andy.
- They think the show is often strongest when it allows actors to create chemistry and tension, not just deliver setup.
Bigger structural note
- The show is built around escalation and eventual battles, but week-to-week it can feel repetitive.
- They think it’s stronger than season 2 overall, but it’s still burdened by the challenge of making political fantasy feel alive before the big payoff.
Rachel Cusk Writing About Natalie Portman
What happened
- A new Rachel Cusk novel, Life of M, is reportedly an unflattering portrait of Natalie Portman.
- There’s some embargo confusion around the book’s reviews and how much Portman may have knowingly participated in the relationship.
Their reaction
- They find the story fascinating and very “literary celebrity gossip.”
- Chris especially admires Portman’s willingness to let a sharp novelist into her orbit.
- They joke that this is a very French, very high-risk move.
Why it caught their attention
- It’s the kind of story that blends literature, celebrity, and social dynamics in a way they find irresistible.
- They also use it as a chance to praise Rachel Cusk’s reputation as a cool, scalpel-sharp writer.
Key Takeaways
- Marvel’s hype problem is worsening: the Doomsday trailer doesn’t yet feel like a convincing reason to care.
- Coogler’s X-Files reboot could work if the theatrical-TV hybrid is used as a prestige and excitement engine.
- Netflix remains huge but strategically in flux, shifting toward live content, ads, and broad-access programming.
- The Prisoner is a foundational weird-TV text and still feels fresh because of its ambiguity and playfulness.
- House of the Dragon has stronger performances than ever, but the storytelling still feels trapped in a slow, grim mechanism.
- The Rachel Cusk/Natalie Portman story is the episode’s most surprising and entertaining piece of literary gossip.