Jerry's parents are monsters and they raised a more frightening monster.
Struggle Session Weekly Update | 08/16-08/22
Hello everyone! We hope you’ve been reading Jerusalem along with Jack and I on The Alan Moore Podcast.
FYI, Alan Moore and Mitch Jenkins’ new film The Show will be showing across the US for one day next week on Thursday, info here: https://www.fathomevents.com/events/The-Show
Upcoming Episodes
This Saturday be sure to have your Twitch notifications on as Jack, Emma, and I will be joined by Jordan Morris for our live Suicide Squad episode: http://twitch.tv/strugglesession
Bugmane negotiations are ongoing but we have decided that the next commentary will be The Force Awakens. History demands it.
Struggle Session Voicemail
We love to hear your questions and comments, and now it’s easier to make your voice heard on the show! Leave us a voicemail on our new website: http://sesh.show
Seinfeld Morality Tier Ranking
I did a Seinfeld birthday celebration stream yesterday and between episodes, we ranked the characters by morality.
After much deliberation here are the definitive rankings:
The results demonstrate the Leslie Lee III Rule of Sitcoms:
“The good sitcoms acknowledge that their main characters are bad, the okay to mediocre ones do so occasionally, the bad ones never do.”
Jerry and Elaine are abysmal human beings who gleefully wreck the lives of anyone unfortunate enough to come into their path. Given Jerry’s parents, it’s no wonder he ended up like this.
George, in spite of the constant intervention by Frank and Estelle, was ruined by his friendship with Jerry. Note: the delusive “Art Vandelay” backstory, which is a manifestation of George’s innermost dreams, involves George and Jerry going their separate ways after high school.
Check out the clip of the stream and let me know if you’d go to bat for Kramer, or if you think Puddy’s religiosity should bump him down a peg.
Merch
Check out the new FFVII inspired design. As always, use promo code SESH to get 10% off as a subscriber to Struggle Session: strugglesession.shop
Emma wants to talk to you about Odd Taxi
Anime correspondent Emma Bowers has a new video up about Odd Taxi. Check it out and Emma’s new Hyenas and Gin Patreon page: patreon.com/hyenasandgin
Understanding Afghanistan with Katie Halper
Check out this must-watch, unflinching interview Katie Halper did with Mike Prysner vet turned anti-war activist of The Empire Files with Abby Martin. It’s a tremendous counterpoint to the warmongering and excuse-making dominating the vast majority of this conversation.
The Witcher is Good
I had almost forgotten how good The Witcher books are. A lone warrior hunting legendary monsters is a great concept for a fantasy series, but the execution is what makes these books so special. Each story is philosophical, satirical, and very political.
Andrej Sapkowski (who receives an excellent English translation), follows the Roddenberry school of storytelling where every new adventure forces Gertalt into a decision with huge ethical, political, and moral implications and no clear answer. It’s no surprise that quite often he chooses to do nothing. This line is featured in the first episode of The Witcher Netflix show was featured in the trailer for The Witcher III, but it first appears near-verbatim in The Last Wish. Highly recommend.
Uniting the Art and the Artist
This image is courtesy Karlo of Podside Picnic listing where SFWA members stood on the War in Vietnam. On this occasion, the personal politics of the artists seen to speak volumes about their quality of art.
Recommendations
You’ve probably never heard of Red Oaks since it’s on Amazon Prime but unlike the majority of prestige comedies from the past few years, it’s actually funny. If a show that’s a mix of White Lotus and Red Hot American Summer interests you add it to your binge list.
Over the summer I’ve been diving into odd and forgotten movies from the ‘90s and it seems like every forgotten mid-budget thriller has something truly interesting about it. The Dean Koontz-based Supernatural horror flick Hideaway features Jeff Goldblum playing against type as a loving father and loyal husband who dies, comes back, and has to hunt down a serial killer. There’s an absolutely bonkers car crash scene and two CGI heaven/hell sequences that will trip you out in spite of the PS2 level graphics. It’s not a great movie, but you won’t regret catching it on cable. Alternatives: Fallen, Constantine, and The Watcher.
I’m playing through the Halo series for the first time ever via the Master Chief Collection. I was always a Playstation guy (Killzone, Resistance) but Jack’s going to be showing me the ropes. Add me on Xbox for some co-op: lleeiii!
Any questions, concerns, or suggestions please send them to thestrugglesession@gmail.com or leave a comment here or voicemail us at sesh.show.
Peace!
- L.