Overview of The Watch
Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald lead with the big Hollywood business story before turning to Episode 6 of Lanterns, “Bad Optics”. The Paramount segment is a skeptical, industry-insider take on the state AG settlement and the broader consolidation of power in entertainment, while the Lanterns discussion focuses on how the show is using time jumps, off-screen history, and character work to deepen Jon Stewart and Hal Jordan’s arcs. They also briefly cover a new HBO/Javier Bardem project and end with a quick Eagles check-in.
Paramount Settles the States’ Antitrust Lawsuit
What happened
- Paramount reached a settlement with a coalition of state attorneys general, headed by California’s Rob Bonta, over the company’s merger/business dealings.
- The hosts frame the reporting as another example of major entertainment news leaking in real time before an official announcement.
- They note the deal includes all the usual industry anxieties: merger scrutiny, debt, potential layoffs, and the future shape of studio output.
Why they think it matters
- Their main view: industry contraction is bad for workers.
- Fewer buyers means fewer places for creators, crew, and below-the-line workers to sell their labor.
- Consolidation often leads to pay suppression and job losses.
- They acknowledge the opposing corporate argument:
- The tech-bro view is that Hollywood’s old “handshake/back-end/overall deal” system was inefficient or inequitable.
- Even so, they see the scale of debt as the real red flag:
- Heavy borrowing tends to produce cost-cutting and redundancy-driven layoffs.
- The Ellisons’ role and Paramount’s future are treated with caution, not optimism.
Bigger-picture takeaway
- The hosts are wary of a media landscape where only a few giant players dominate and the regulatory system feels too weak or too political to stop it.
- They argue that, without meaningful government oversight, disputes become a battle of rich factions rather than a process that serves the public or labor.
Other TV News: HBO’s Javier Bardem Project
The logline
- HBO won a bidding war for a new series starring Javier Bardem, set in Miami and centered on a visionary billionaire in the financial world.
- The show comes from the Ozark creative orbit, with Bill Dubuque and Chris Mundy connected to the project.
Their reaction
- They note that HBO has increasingly leaned into stories about the wealthy elite:
- Succession
- The White Lotus
- Big Little Lies
- Other prestige dramas about power and money
- Chris jokes that “visionary billionaire” is one of the least appealing phrases in art or life.
- Andy argues that these shows can still work if they use wealth to expose something human, funny, or unsettling rather than simply glamorizing power.
Lanterns Episode 6: “Bad Optics”
Overall response
- They both liked the episode more than some earlier installments because it feels more grounded in the story’s current moment.
- The episode is treated as a reset/pick-up-the-pieces chapter after the bigger previous episode, while still advancing the season’s mystery and emotional stakes.
- They praise the performances of:
- Aaron Pierre as Jon Stewart
- Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan
- Kelly Macdonald as Sheriff Kerry
What the episode does well
- It shows a 10-year gap in Jon Stewart’s life:
- He’s older, less rigid, and more morally complicated.
- He’s no longer just the by-the-book military type from earlier episodes.
- It gives Hal Jordan a more complete downfall story:
- He’s dealing with prison time, guilt, amends, and a complicated relationship with Kerry.
- The episode uses off-screen developments effectively:
- Jon’s family dynamics
- Hal’s life in Rushville
- Prior emotional and romantic history
- They appreciate that the show is letting certain characters breathe rather than force-feeding every plot point at once.
Key lore and plot discussion
- They discuss how the show handles the Green Lantern ring succession and the presence of Guy Gardner.
- Andy admits he hadn’t fully clocked that the “alt-Hal” inside the ring was the mechanism that would let Kyle Chandler remain on the show in another form.
- They enjoy the reveal that the show is making room for the larger DCU while still telling its own story.
- They also note:
- The appearance of Carol Ferris
- The mystery surrounding the Manhunters
- The show’s continued use of jump cuts, off-screen history, and future-seeded storytelling
Critiques
- They think the show sometimes leans too hard on:
- Jackets as shorthand for character development
- Constant swearing
- Expository worldbuilding that feels laborious
- Andy says the show may work better as a binge because of how much it’s clearly designed to pay off later.
- Chris disagrees slightly, arguing the show should still function episode by episode, not just as a long-form puzzle box.
Themes they highlight
- The episode is trying to balance:
- superhero spectacle
- class and racial perspective
- family drama
- DC continuity
- They think the show is making a sincere effort to be more thoughtful than a standard franchise tie-in, even if it’s not on the level of Watchmen in terms of social commentary.
“Watch After Dark”: Eagles Talk
Quick sports check-in
- The episode ends with a brief Eagles conversation after a tense game.
- Chris describes the emotional experience of watching on mute and feeling the familiar dread of a late-game collapse.
- Andy and Chris reflect on how the team’s win felt unexpected, and how Jalen Hurts’ performance changed the tone.
Friendship / ritual note
- They close by reflecting on how many years of watching sports, talking TV, and doing podcasts together helped build the rhythm of their friendship and the show itself.