Socially Distanced – Details, episodes & analysis

Pop Break walks the Witches Road as they review the two-episode premiere of Marvel’s Agatha All Along starring Kathryn Hahn.

Amanda Rivas is in the host chair and is joined by Pop Break Editor-in-Chief Bill Bodkin and DrtheWife from Face4Wrestling. They discuss their hype level for the series, the chemistry between Kathryn Hahn and Joe Locke, the Aubrey Plaza of it all, the coven and if the series could see a return of Scarlet Witch, Doctor Strange or any number of Marvel multiversal characters.

In the pre-game section they discuss the announcements (so far) from Netflix Geeked including trailers and news about One Piece, Castlevania and more.

We're not going to say his name three times but Socially Distanced will be talking about the #1 movie in America -- Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

Bill Bodkin and Amanda Rivas are joined by Kriss Nunez of the BCP+ (making his Socially Distanced debut) and Jeff Grettler of the Dos Incredibles Podcast to discuss the long-awaited sequel to Beetlejuice.

In the episode they discuss their history with the film -- how it frightened Amanda, Bill and Kriss and how Jeff say it five times in theaters. They talk about their love for Tim Burton films like Big Fish, Batman Returns, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ed Wood and Sleepy Hollow. They then dive head first into the film and what they loved about it (everything from Catherine O'Hara to the beloved Bob), and what notes they have for it -- in particular the overstuffed plot. They also discuss Michael Keaton's immaculate performance and if they want to see a third film in the series.

Welcome to Socially Distanced’s fourth installment of the House of the Acolyte review series — where we review both the latest Star Wars series, The Acolyte and the second season of HBO’s House of the Dragon.

This episode is hosted by Amanda Rivas (for The Acolyte section) and special guest host Alex Marcus (for The House of the Dragon section), tagging in for Bill Bodkin this week. They are joined by The Pop Break’s White Knight and Commander of our Hearts — Ben Murchison. 

Our small council begins their journey to Brendok and Westeros with a pregame discussion of the trailers for Agatha All Along and Gladiator 2. 

In the first half of the podcast, they return to Brendok with Master Indara, her padawan Torbin, Master Sol, and wookie Jedi Kelnacca, and learn the fateful events that led to the present day events the show covers in Episode 7 of The Acolyte:”Choices.”They discuss Carrie Ann Moss’s performance, her decision to withhold the events of Brendok from the Jedi Council, the epicness of a Wookie Jedi possessed by Space Witches, and the weak-willed Torbin’s struggle to accept the consequences of his actions that night. They also discuss Master Sol’s string of poor choices, intense need of connection, and how his unhinged behavior pretty much led to Mae being thrown under the bus for what happened on Brendok. Plus they clearly had to revisit the thirst for Qimir and why they all are Sith now. 

In the second half of the podcast, our small council takes part in a massive dragon battle as they discuss Episode 4 of House of the Dragon: “King of the Narrow Road.” They discuss whether Daemon via his dream sequences in Harrenhall has given up on his ambition to rule or whether he will eventually challenge Rhaeynra, this episode’s lack of Rhaenyra in the first half, Alicent’s motivation for digging into her late husband’s historical texts (although her motivation for taking moon tea is quite clear), and whether Criston Cole is toast after what happens to Aegon in this battle. Plus, they dive into the heated rivalry between Aemond and Aegon, collectively mourn the late great Rhaenys and her dragon Meleys, and discuss so much more. 

The Socially Distanced Podcast dives deep into the Marvel Cinematic Universe with a review of Werewolf by Night and the entire first season of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. Hosts Bill Bodkin and Amanda Rivas are joined by Matt Kelly -- host of Nando v. Movies, The Nando Cut and The Mostly Nitpicking Podcast (as well as the guy behind the name "The Pop Break" and the current design of the site). In the episode they discuss the success of Werewolf by Night and how this could potentially shape the future of Marvel's Disney+ footprint as well as where Jack Russell, Man-Thing and Elsa Bloodstone could end up in the MCU and if it's okay if they are just in this one story. They also discuss the future of monsters in the Marvel world and if this could lead to the introduction of Ghost Rider or Midnight Suns. They then shift the conversation to She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. They discuss the criticisms hurled at the show, the misogyny of these criticisms, She-Hulk's depiction of issues women face on a daily basis, the relatability of Jen Walters,  that absolutely off the wall finale and the potentially fruitful future of Jen Walters and She-Hulk in the world of Marvel.

Hello you lucky people, you! Socially Distanced heads to 23 Meteor Street in Northern London (metaphorically speaking) to discuss the brilliant British sitcom -- SPACED. The series air in 1999 and 2001 on Channel 4 in the UK and starred Simon Pegg, Jessica Stephenson, Nick Frost, Mark Heap, Katy Carmichael and Julia Deakin and was directed by Edgar Wright. Hosts Bill Bodkin and Al Mannarino (in his last episode before paternity leave) are joined by comedian and SPACED aficionado Melissa Jouben. They discuss how they discussed this slice of fried gold back in 2007, how it's been there favorite show to share with friends, Bill nearing breaking Simon Pegg's nose, Melissa's deep knowledge of the failed America remake, their favorite songs from the series, the best episodes and of course all the beauty and creativity imbued into the series by its writers, director and cast.

Socially Distanced returns to a galaxy far, far away as we're talking about the first four episodes of the new Star Wars Disney+ series, Andor. Hosts Al Mannarino and Bill Bodkin are joined by resident Star Wars walking encyclopedia Amanda Rivas and Pop Break staff writer Ben Murchison to discuss the Rogue One prequel series. Before they jump into the Star Wars Universe, the gang talks about the announcement made by Ryan Reynolds on Twitter that Deadpool 3 is coming and Hugh Jackman will be reprising his role as Wolverine. Finally, Bill talks about the 13 year anniversary of Pop Break.

Sea.Hear.Now 2022 is in the books and there's lots to talk about. Hosts Bill Bodkin and Al Mannarino are joined by their least favorite person Ryan DeMarco to discuss the annual music fest that takes place on the Asbury Park Beachfront. Ryan, Bill and Al discuss this year's lineup as opposed years prior, the evolution of the festival, the change in vibe of the festival, improvements that could be made, the reflection of the changes in the Asbury scene and more. They discuss how IDLES was a game changer, the joy of The Little Mermen, what artists blew them away and of course who they'd like to see headline next year.

We're reacting to all the LucasFilm news from Disney's D23 Expo last weekend. Hosts Bill Bodkin and Amanda Rivas are joined by the newly married Pop Break senior staff writer Ben Murchison to discuss Willow: The Series, Indiana Jones 5, and all things Star Wars. They dive deep on the future of a potential "Indyverse" and how Fleabag's Phoebe Waller-Bridge could make for an interesting successor to Harrison Ford. Willow and how it scared and scarred everyone on the pod is discussed as well as Bill's dislike for Burgelcutt. Amanda takes the lead on Star Wars they quickly touch on casting news and stills from The Skeleton Crew, The Acolyte and more. The episode concludes with analysis of the trailers for: Tales of the Jedi, The Bad Batch Season 2, Andor and The Mandalorian Season 3.

Socially Distanced makes its return to Middle-Earth! In this episode host Bill Bodkin is joined by Alex "The Grey" Marcus -- the wizard of all things podcast on Pop Break and Rachel Freeman -- The Galadriel of The Pop Break (aka Comic Books and Anime Editor) to discuss Amazon Prime Video's high-priced new series, Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power.

In the episode we discuss our relationship with Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy (yay!) and his Hobbit trilogy (booooo) and how that impacted our anticipation for Rings of Power. Other topics discussed includes the set design and visuals of the series, the return of Elron and Galadriel, as well as new characters Nori, Bronwyn, Arondir and more. They discuss the "stranger" and if he just might be a wizardly character, the disconnect with some of the stories, the controversy over non-white characters in the series (spoilers: that controversy is stupid), and so much more.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has so many new films and TV shows on the horizon. Hosts Bill Bodkin and Al Mannarino are joined by Allie Nelson and Tyler McCarthy of The Not Couple Goals podcast to predict the future of the MCU.

In the episode they stunt cast the roles of the entire Fantastic Four, Wonder Man, Wolverine, Professor X, Doctor Doom, Storm, Jean Grey, Cyclops and other X-Men. They talk about the futures of Thor, The Defenders (minus Daredevil) and The Winter Soldier and what their involvement in Phase 4 and Phase 5. 

They also discuss the fates and futures of some of Marvel's more beloved side characters like: Jimmy Woo, Darcy Lewis, Korg, The Swordsman, Red Guardian, Scarlet Scarab, Isaiah Bradley and more. They also discuss who will be taking up the mantle of Black Panther and what characters will appear in Thunderbolts.