Overview of The Watch
Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald open with a deep dive into the Lanterns season finale, praising it as one of the strongest superhero TV finales they’ve seen—emotionally rich, structurally ambitious, and surprisingly restrained with its action. They then pivot to entertainment headlines, including Sicario 3, Michael Mann’s newly revised Miami Vice ending, and a mailbag segment that touches on Matthew Weiner’s return to TV and how to think about adaptations like Slow Horses.
Lanterns Finale Reaction
What worked
- Both hosts felt the finale was emotionally satisfying and a strong payoff for the season.
- They admired how the show balanced:
- John Stewart’s origin story
- Hal Jordan’s story
- The partnership between the two
- The broader mystery of the Manhunters
- They praised the writing team for pulling off a season with a lot of moving parts without feeling rushed.
Why the finale stood out
- The show was described as boldly restrained:
- Very little “cool ring stuff” compared with what a Green Lantern series might typically do.
- The story leaned more on character, legacy, and emotional stakes than on spectacle.
- They felt the finale earned its emotional beats, especially the final John/Hal moment:
- Hal’s hologram telling John, “I love you too, Junior,” was seen as a major payoff.
- They noted that the show works partly because it functions as:
- A story about parents and children
- A story about responsibility and identity
- A setup for the larger DCU without feeling purely like franchise homework
Small critiques / unanswered questions
- Some plot mechanics felt a bit squishy or overstuffed, especially:
- The way information was delivered through Sinestro
- The blackmail / reparations plot
- The logic around Manhunters
- Even so, they agreed the show “pulled it off” overall.
The Bigger Lanterns Takeaway
- The hosts praised the show for creating a new kind of Green Lantern story—more grounded, more adult, and more emotionally literate.
- They also highlighted the cast:
- Aaron Pierre
- Kyle Chandler
- Kelly Macdonald
- Ulrich Thomsen
- Their main hope is that the creative team gets to keep telling this story, whether in TV or through the broader DCU.
Entertainment Headlines: Sicario 3 and Miami Vice
Sicario 3
- Chris said he’s excited but cautiously curious about the new film.
- Key points:
- Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin, and Emily Blunt are returning.
- Stephen Knight, not Taylor Sheridan, is writing.
- A new director, Padraig McKinley, is attached.
- They see this as a major test of what actually defines the Sicario series:
- Sheridan’s writing
- Villeneuve’s visual style
- The franchise’s specific mood and worldview
Michael Mann’s new Miami Vice ending
- Chris attended a screening of Michael Mann’s “final director’s cut” of Miami Vice.
- Mann has made a significant change to the film’s ending, emphasizing:
- The romantic tragedy between Crockett and Isabella
- Time, luck, and doomed love
- Chris loved the revised version and argued that all versions now have value:
- The theatrical cut
- The earlier director’s cut
- The new final cut
- His broader point: movies can remain alive when great filmmakers keep refining them.
Mailbag: Matthew Weiner, Slow Horses, and Adaptation
Matthew Weiner update
- A listener asked where Matthew Weiner has been.
- Chris noted that Weiner is now attached to a new show with Eddie Murphy called The Chairman.
- He found the pairing surprising but interesting:
- Weiner could be a useful reset
- Murphy may benefit from a prestige scripted project
Slow Horses and crediting the source material
- Another listener pushed back on how the hosts discuss Slow Horses, arguing that many of the show’s biggest twists come directly from Mick Herron’s books.
- Chris agreed the critique was fair:
- They sometimes talk about adaptation choices as if they originate in the showrunner’s room
- But the key story beats belong to Herron
- His response was basically:
- The show deserves credit for execution, casting, and compression
- The books deserve more explicit credit for the underlying architecture
- He also noted the tension of discussing serialized adaptations when the audience may or may not know the source material.
Closing and What’s Next
- Chris previewed the next episode, which will cover the first three episodes of East of Eden.
- He also teased possible future catch-ups on other shows and movies, including Youth, War, and the return of The Lowdown.
- The episode ends with a reminder that the mailbag remains open for listener questions.