Mobile Armored Podcast Show

Sly Rax's Acid Trip

• Adam Moore and PJ McNerney • Season 1 • Episode 16

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Surely there’s a better way to make money than breaking into temples in Singapore and melting down the gold statues inside, but, okay Miles, great plan! Also, Scott is almost killed by an elephant, T-Bob is treated like garbage, and Sly Rax has a really bad acid trip. All on this week’s episode of the Mobile Armored Podcast Show!

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pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

Like, even possibly piece together the statues. That was

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

I know.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

So anyway,

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

know. All right. You ready?

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

I'm ready.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

Here we go in three, two, welcome to the mobile armored podcast show. The podcast that transforms into a birthday cake. I am Adam Moore alongside my cohost, best friend and birthday boy, PJ McNerney. How's it going? Happy birthday. You decided to record a pod on your birthday.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

I did. I thought this would be a great way uh, spending some amazing time with you, which is always wonderful. and why not? Give the people what they want. This is a gift to all of you. But mostly us. I'll admit, like as a birthday episode, this probably wouldn't have been the one I would have chosen. Just simply to do how confused I was nearly the entire time.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

Well, We were talking off the pod a moment ago, a little bit of research about the destination would elevate the show significantly. Not, it wouldn't solve everything, but it would get us at least to another level.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

you know, I think we've got enough evidence to show that they did some research, but just like incorrectly, like it's actually maybe worse than doing no research because at least if they'd done no research, they could have just made it up. And it's okay, that's just the world there here. They're actually going to be using real world names, incorrect from a geopolitical standpoint. Okay.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

Yeah, They just pulled a bunch of names and just mushed them together, into some weird polytheistic religion that we're quite certain is not practiced in Singapore, or anywhere.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

Yeah, and if it wasn't for the tagline, we could probably maybe have gotten away of saying this is Malaysia, which would have made a lot more sense. But the tagline firmly places us in Singapore, so we're kind of stuck.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

Speaking of, here we are, Mask Episode 16, The Golden Goddess. Venom steals golden relics from ancient temples in Singapore using a special gas that liquefies gold and smuggling it by pumping it secretly through a pipeline. We open on a jungle. We see very ancient looking temples, very Asian esque music playing, and oh boy, here we go again. Heh heh heh

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

I am very certain this is going to be very informative, accurate, and culturally sensitive.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

Indeed. We follow a monkey, a handful of monkeys, actually, swinging by on the trees. We see one sad, lonely elephant.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

I was Wondering, did this elephant know Alex Sector? Because like So sad.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

it looks like it's been lobotomized. It's just standing there, sullenly. Heh

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

So he does know Alexander.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

We end up focusing on one temple in particular. And there's a statue of Buddha. It's clearly Right? It's a statue of Buddha.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

think so. I mean, It seemed what it was to me.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

Um, And then we go inside we, we meet three monks, one of whom is dressed in the traditional orange. It's a, Buddhist monk, shaved head, orange costume for lack of a better word. Again, we do no research, but maybe slightly more than the mask writers. Anyways I digress. And that monk with a very thick accent, by the way. Praise, protector of the forest, bringer of the rains, that which makes all things grow. We beseech you to look kindly upon us. Bring the rain in the right season. May our crops grow. We offer our humble prayers. And they bow down in prayer. And my question throughout that was, how Buddhist is this prayer?

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

So I have, I'm going to be hesitant for us to walk into religious corner because I will be very frank. I am not a Buddhism expert by any stretch, nor it's practice. But from what I've come to understand, maybe in a pop culture way is that the core tenets really are about following the four noble truths to achieve nirvana. Now I am completely unaware of Buddhism being practiced in some sort of Greek house God type fashion or Roman house God type fashion. And in this sense, I have zero knowledge about if this is true or not, but I'm pretty sure the writers didn't do any research on this either.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

I invite our fans to write in and tell us if we're wrong, but I don't necessarily think that Buddha is the god of the rains and the harvest and whatnot.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

I have a feeling we're going to see a lot of evidence where they, the writers basically smushed together Buddhism and Hinduism together. And just decided, ah, it's all the same. So, I mean, The writers, you've already won, really early on, your Lifetime Buddy Hawks award, again.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

Well, Look, things get a little mysterious. We hear that kind of weird energy mask sound. And then suddenly, the golden altar is gone. But the room is sealed, there's no way anyone can get inside. the lead monk says, When such a thing happens, Hardship and destruction will soon plague our land. It is written. So number one, again, how Buddhist is this? But number two, so this has happened before?

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

I thought the core was like a detachment from the material world. Not that was going to cause like bad things to happen. So this was like, my head spinning two minutes in.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

So from that tragic scene, we cut to the fun mask music. And we find Scott riding T Bob in scooter mode through the streets of, Singapore. And Scott says, come on, T Bob, faster! And T Bob says that he's pooped. We've been doing nothing but sightseeing ever since we got to Singapore. So again, T Bob gets tired and then T Bob says something along the lines of, Oh my aching inner tubes. And again, what kind of monster creates a robot that feels both fatigue and pain?

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

It's the same monster who likes to keep animals to break orangutans, to misfeed crocodiles, and to create spider traps for his assistant. Like thank you, Alex Sector. so what one note I'll say is like, I guess we should comment that this actually is a testament for how safe Singapore is. That Scott's riding around in a foreign country alone, except for his robot companion. It's better than being abandoned in his hotel room,

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

For now.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

For now.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

uh, Scott comes upon an elephant. And he says, I wonder if I can trade you for an elephant ride. Like saying, Can you trade T Bob for a ride on the elephant? So Scott is incredibly wealthy, so money is not the issue here. So he's really just saying this to make T Bob feel bad.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

I feel like this is the T Bob Roy Batty moment, where He would turn on Scott at this point in time, because he's just taking physical abuse from Scott. He's taking emotional abuse and verbal abuse.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

The elephant actually hits T Bob with his trunk, making T Bob race off. And Scott, and also seemingly the elephant, laugh at T Bob. Like father, like son.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

he's a monster.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

Meanwhile, Matt and Bruce are in a pedicab being peddled by some poor Singaporean dude. Like, seriously, Matt? You could take a cab or drive Thunderhawk. Instead, this is how you choose to travel around Singapore?

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

Look man, he wants shit authentic. Alright? And he never wants to pass up an opportunity to force others to bear burdens from him. This is just the way that Matt rolls.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

Now, it turns out they are running late for a meeting at a government building. Then why did you take a pedicab? There's a shot of the pedicab from the side, and it shows the speed it's moving, and a very slow toddler could overtake this pedicab. I mean, Someone just strolling down the street casually would be walking faster than this pedicab.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

It does pay off later on, so we'll give it credit for that. At the same time like how sad it is that pedicab needed to take these two large men in addition to the burden that he's already bearing.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

Bruce reminds Matt that time is nature's way of keeping everything from happening all at once. And Matt just gives him that classic tracker withering stare. And Matt responds, according to the PNA, Venom operatives are rumored to be swarming all over Singapore. And by agents, you mean all four of them?

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

Miles does have a number of unnamed Venom agents that frequently die in the large vehicles that Venom creates.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

Very true.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

I do want to comment, this is going to happen a couple of times here, like Bruce says, if Miles Mayhem is behind it, then they're up to no good. And this is the diametric opposite of any satuism because it's so painfully obvious that it doesn't even need to be said.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

Matt and Bruce Get to the government building and they meet with some higher ups in Singapore's government who are very heavily accented, The one guy says, Our country is always grateful for your interest in preserving our historical treasures, Mr. Tracker. And Matt says, My pleasure.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

The sycophantry continues. Matt donated a large sum of money, and as a billionaire, he gets access to whatever the fuck he wants.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

And then it turns out a PNA courier delivered a letter to this government guy. Matt opens it, and he says, Mayhem is here. And it's really interesting in this scene. The government guy doesn't know Know what he's talking about. So Matt tries to cover for it hilariously and says oh Yes, my my uncle uncle mayhem. He's a real character. So did Matt seriously Accidentally mentioned mayhem's name

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

I'll be honest, I was really confused on this, and so I was trying to like, figure this out. So we know the name PNA is the Peaceful Nations Alliance, right? So presumably an alliance of nations that have an aim for peace. The PNA knows about Venom. They know about Miles. The PNA decided to deliver a letter to someone in the Singaporean government for Matt, but that person doesn't know Miles. And it made me think, is Singapore not in the PNA? And if it's not, why did they send a message to Singapore? Is that an FU? And I just couldn't, I, it was like really hard to track basically like the logic around this one. Because it felt like, if you have a terrorist organization, you would want to know who's behind it in a fairly public way. I get Matt wanting to hide the identities of his agents, but I don't understand why they would hide the identity of Miles Mayhem.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

It's a weird tone that we've never heard from Matt before. tonally this episode has moments that are not in keeping with the tone of the rest of the series so far. So this is definitely a new writer. On the staff that we haven't necessarily seen yet.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

I had one question. What if Matt actually is telling the truth? What if Miles is Uncle Mayhem

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

not his father, but his uncle? Which would mean maybe Maximus Mayhem is his father?

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

Maybe, or it's like his that it's his mom's

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

Hmm. That'd be interesting. We'll never know.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

We'd love to tell the audience that this will be revealed later on, but the answer is, we have no fucking clue.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

No idea. suddenly a monk storms into the office and says the golden altar of Saba has disappeared. Any idea who Saba or what Saba is?

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

Yeah, We're gonna go to geography corner, so I like, had to like, look this one up. And this is where like, my confusion really like, started to crack. Can So Saba is a state of Malaysia located on the northern portion of Borneo. But from what I can tell again, I I'm centering on the fact that this is Singapore and just so you know, so the audience knows Singapore was expelled from Malaysia in 1965. So I think again, if this was like them saying we're in Malaysia, it would make a lot more sense. But instead we're saying we're in Singapore. So maybe it was like a gift from the state of Sabah to Singapore. I don't know. That was the thing. It was like throwing my hands up on the air on this

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

Yeah. Now, we learned that in the past month, two other temples have been stripped of their golden relics. And tomorrow morning, the shrine of the golden goddess of Sarawak will be opened. And if anything happened to it, there could be civil war. So, Again, Sarawak?

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

So Sarawak is another state of Malaysia and the largest religion there is Christianity. I am unfamiliar with the golden goddess of Sarawak. The closest I could find was. There's an island of Malaysia, which has the Temple of Supreme Bliss, whose goddess is made of bronze. So I am almost 100 percent certain that there was a National Geographic issue, the writer picked up, vaguely read it, maybe while on cocaine, and then decided to just combine all of this stuff together, because I'm like, What is going on here?

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

But also mentioning a civil war could break out if a statue is stolen?

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

I don't understand the motivation behind this. I would assume it's actually a unifying thing as some terrorist organization is stealing your statues. A single line of dialogue would really help here. And I don't know. the best I can say is that the writers were paying attention to the names in that issue of Geographic. But little else.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

Look, Bruce sneaks out of the room and begins looking around and he spots Vanessa in disguise. and by disguise I just mean wearing a pair of glasses and something other than her usual bodysuit. And she's kinda skulking around the hallways. Bruce follows her as she sneaks into a file room and snaps a photo of a map. Bruce accidentally knocks over a book. And there's actually a cool moment here where at first it seems like Vanessa didn't notice. But then as she's walking out, she shoves a bookcase on top of Bruce and runs out. And, uh, Bruce kind of crawls out from underneath the uh, the books and says, And Vanessa still packs a wallop.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

yeah, this was a very cool scene from Stem to Stern. Vanessa has gone full librarian at this point, with the exception of her huge mane of dyed red hair with that distinct black dye in the middle. So I mean, it really felt like this would be a good time to wear a wig, Vanessa. It's a very badass move by Vanessa though. Like the way she like knocks this stuff over and I gotta say like Bruce he's pretty chill about his comment it was very familiar So I was like, is there something there something once upon a time? I don't know Like it was just like that was my first little hint.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

Yeah, because we haven't necessarily seen a one on one Bruce v. Vanessa moment that I know of in the show. So it is interesting. And then, as you mentioned, the very next scene, Bruce chases Vanessa to the roof where Switchblade is waiting to pick her up. And as she flies away on a rope ladder, she looks back at Bruce with this kind of wistful look in her eyes.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

Yeah Yeah and like just before that Bruce isn't especially running to chase after her like he's sauntering up the stairs you And yeah, there's this look back at from that rope ladder, like with some kind of remembrance because Vanessa, we know is really good with those cold, sadistic lines and looks, but that's not what we get this time. There's something else.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

Well, turns out the map is Singapore's old water and sewage system. And it also turns out that the storm drains go under the shrine of the golden goddess. So now we know how Venom is going to go after this golden statue. And it's time for the agent selection scene. So Matt pops open the briefcase computer and away we go.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

So a couple of things, My first worry if someone's looking at an old water and sewage system is going to be, is a terrorist organization going to do something to the water, like poison it? That would be like my number one thought. Also, if we put together the sort of facts of the episode, are we to believe that the system was run out to the temple in the jungle? I don't know. Like they actually like wherever that was because it was in the jungle They were like thought to run a sewage system out to the particular room where the statue is Because a sealed room needs a sewage system They

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

infrastructure.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

want to go everywhere and also Matt is not acting as part of the PNA and they know about venom, but Singapore doesn't What is he doing in the room? As a government official, I'd be trying to hide this shit rather than hell. Well, Let's let this billionaire, who I'm trying to do more business with, know about the dirty laundry that's going on

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

I think a few political contributions and Matt gets in any door he wants. Yeah, but also we never go to the tracker mansion in the core part of the episode.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

sixth episode in a row. Like it's been a, a long running thing. We haven't been back home in a long time.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

Matt then asks the computer to identify the best mask agent with knowledge of precious metals. We've never heard this before. We've never heard him find one specific agent that's good at one thing. And the agent that it identifies is actually surprising because it is Alex.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

This was so bizarre we know he's a bad vet and we know he's a computer expert But how the fuck is he knowledgeable about precious metals? Like I feel like this would be a good time to call in A new mask agent.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

So Bruce isn't selected, but that's great because it avoids an awkward conversation between him and Matt, right? But also, that's the entire team. It's Bruce, Alex, and Matt.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

It's the smallest team we've ever seen.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

Yeah. And then, Again, going with the weird tone of the episode, which we've already talked about. There's this line where Matt says, Transmit the mask signal code and instruct Alex Sector to take the mask transport jet along with the Rhino direct to Singapore. We've never heard Matt communicate like that before. We've never heard him mention the mask signal code, which now we understand must be when the watches beep. We've never heard him order food. Anyone to take the mask transport jet it's quite a bit of world building there, which is very cool. But sadly, we don't see Alex torture any animals before leaving, which is somewhat of a bummer, but it almost feels as though the writer of this episode does not understand the tone, nor the basic structural elements of a mask episode.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

So the only thing I'll say is that I think maybe they got the notes of, Hey, there's a setup, there's battle number one. There's, investigation and then battle number two closes out the episode. And I feel like those were the, the top line elements because those are all here. And what's not here is stuff like, oh, we don't get the fun run out scene. We don't get the radiation scene of death. But I did thought it would be so hilarious for Alex to be alone. Just like in the chamber, which is now echoing as he says, Energize!

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

He is looking around sadly. And there's no one there.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

There's no one else there.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

Hey, can we check on the flight time between Denver and Singapore?

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

Yeah, I looked this up, and it was with a connecting flight, but I figure it's around about the same time, I think. From Denver to Singapore. So it'd be like 18, 20 hours is like what we're looking at. So he's also not just in the chamber alone. He has to fly the entire trip alone in a pre internet world for 20 hours.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

Yeah. And is he flying the jet? Who flies the mask? Jet. I mean, Brad knows how to fly. Matt knows how to fly. Does anyone else on the team know how to fly?

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

not that we've seen yet. So I actually was, I was head canning this morning and, There is going to be a pilot later on called Ace Riker. Who drives slingshot. And so I was like, huh? I don't think you want Alex piloting that jet for 20 hours. Cause he should sleep. Probably it would be someone like Ace Ryker actually piloting the jet.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

We cut to the shrine of the golden goddess, where they are preparing to open the doors To, quote, awaken thee from the year of rest, unquote. So look, I don't even know what to say about these priests. They're not Buddhist, clearly. They're not wearing what you would typically see. They are half naked. So check, if you're playing mask trope bingo, you can mark that square. Half naked, they have armband tattoos, this guy's got a man bun. So he's either a contestant on The Bachelorette Or I don't know.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

Yeah. I was like looking at this, it was like, you guys got this imagery from another issue of National Geographic. I didn't even know what to say.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

Yeah. Matt wraps up a call with Alex, where he's telling him, Get here as soon as you can. And then he tells Bruce that for the time being, it's just the two of them. Which I actually think is cool. They're finally paying attention to the timeline. Alex can't be there immediately. It's gonna take 20 hours.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

So I kind of wonder if there's a time jump that happened ahead of this, Because we're going to see Alex relatively soon, so this might be a call that's made at the end of But I mean, you're right, at least they're obeying the idea that, hey, he's not getting there instantaneously. But it might be like, Hey, he's a half an hour away. Get here as fast as possible. Twitch Alex, I would have been like, what the fuck, man? I can't make this thing fly any faster. It's a giant ass jet.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

It's true. Now Scott and T Bob show up because Scott wants to help. And, of course, Matt tells him, as usual, it's too dangerous. And Scott, though, he gets super excited. He's like, Danger! Excitement! That's what I'm looking for! And are we sure that Scott isn't Gloria's son? Because he's got the adrenaline junkie in him.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

Yeah. I was trying to play this one out. So, Okay. Gloria got pregnant with Scott. But she wanted to continue her racing career, so she puts Scott up for adoption at an orphanage. Matt adopts Scott, and now is trying to woo Gloria back. Like that is, that was like the sequence of events for how Scott is adopted, but, has sort of Gloria's essential excitement DNA.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

Are you saying that Matt doesn't know that Scott is his son with Gloria? Or

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

Now, he knows that he chooses to adopt him anyway, like it just,

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

Because he want him to know it's his biological son.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

it's fucked up. it's just fucked up. That's what it comes down to. My other theory, which doesn't contradict the earlier one is that, Scott, we've seen just wants attention repeatedly and all Matt cares about is fighting Venom. So Scott is desperate to bond with Matt by also fighting Venom.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

And, of course, it is. Matt tells Scott, no, you're not going to get to fight Venom, tells him to go back to, where else? The hotel. And as Scott drives off with T Bob, Bruce says, what a pair. What is that supposed to mean?

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

No idea like I like hit that I thought line it was like, you know, it's like ah funny Scott who always wants to fight venom and funny t bob who never wants to fight venom because it's radically dangerous like It was such a casual line for such a serious situation.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

Yeah, and Matt doesn't even say anything. He just kind of like rolls his eyes at Bruce. So yeah, so Matt sends his son and robot off to the hotel all alone. And meanwhile, Matt and Bruce go to their stations to guard the storm drains.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

you notice that Matt never goes anywhere without his mask uniform, and he also makes everyone else take theirs.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

totally.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

And the other question I had is, especially if the mask jet is back in Denver, how did they get Thunderhawk into Singapore? Especially since it meant they'd have to get it through customs. Someone got paid off!,

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

Plenty of people got paid off. That's how he was sitting in the government office. meanwhile, we cut to miles and Venom, and there is so much good stuff in this that I'm going to break it down piece by piece. So, first He checks in with Cliff and Vanessa, who are in position and everything is going well. And then he calls Sly Rax and Sly is like really sketched out. It's like Dennis Hopper in easy rider during the acid trip sequence, like And we never find out what the delay is. The only thing that I can imagine is he's actually having a bad trip. Like, He's hallucinating something. He's like, we're having real problems here, Miles. Uh, I don't know, man.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

I had like much the same complaint because like we come back to the beat a little bit later on without any explanation and it feels like one of the biggest sins of the writer. And yeah, I think we drive a truck through this and say that Sly has hopped up on acid. It's going really badly and like he needs a minute to fix it.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

He's seen too many like, golden statues and they're, like, talking to him.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

it just occurred to me that maybe, the reason why Sly has hopped up on so many drugs is because he's the human ragdoll. that's the only way he can function because of how many times his body has been broken.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

He's definitely an opioid addict, that's for sure. But then probably has to mellow that out with something else that creates a, a hallucinatory experience for him. Okay, so let's continue unpacking the scene. That happens. And then Miles Calls him an idiot and some old lady walking by hears Miles and thinks that he's talking to her and she shouts How dare you now Miles turns very contrite which we've never seen this before in miles. He's like, oh, no No, I wasn't talking about you. And then the lady throws her purse at miles Sending miles to the ground Like all of this is so unnecessary. It's really hilarious, but does not fit the tone of mask at all

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

It's a weird comedy moment that's Again, like maybe you do something like this with Cliff Dagger, or, but like, this is like, bizarre. And to be honest, the lady was pretty out of line for hitting miles. Like it's hilarious, but like what an escalation.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

She doesn't hit him with the purse, she throws the purse.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

Miles though is on the ground, we're gonna see in a second, cause he's got a concussion I think. Like what, got like a, like a mace ball in there or something like that. Just smacks the guy, like he's down and out for a second.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

Yeah. But all the Venom agents are there, right? The full Monty. Miles, Vanessa, Cliff, and Sly, they're all there.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

Mask is actually going in outnumbered. And in theory, Venom would have a 2 to 1 odds over Mask at this point in time, Mask may be in real trouble here, because they are just undermanned at this point in time.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

Yeah. We'll see how it goes. Uh, Miles tells the gang that he will create some kind of diversion while Sly is sorting out things on his end. Whatever that is.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

I'm still back in the bad trip theory. I also think he forgot to wear pants, because we never see him from the waist down.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

I knew I forgot something this morning. It's the damn acid again. What about that look on Miles face

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

So he has this weird smile on his face where he's like looking on like in the distance and like it's a pretty interesting smile. And then the next shot is this slow zoom on the The lead priest, I guess, worshiping the door that's about to be open. But the slow zoom is on the guy's ass. Cause he's like fully prostate on the ground. So it's like, are we led to like try to connect these shots together that Miles is checking out this guy's ass?

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

Or he's imagining the diversion is going to have something to do with it. And like, uh, a Benny Hill kind of way that we've seen for miles before, like he's gonna kick him in the butt or pull his pants down.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

definitely was like, wondering if for the next scene, Yakety Sax should be playing.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

Well, What have worked well, because in the next sequence, these two elephants come stampeding down the road, sending the crowd running. It turns out it was Vanessa using whip that caused them to stampede.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

Good use. It was a good use of a mask power.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

Yeah, absolutely low key use of whip, which is capable of doing a lot of things. Though we've seen her use it to like whip hats off of people's heads and stuff, so At his station, and then Bruce shows up and shouts, It's Venom! And Matt says, let's get to Teahawk and get our masks. And I love, I love, he calls it Teahawk and that's what I'll be calling it for the rest of our podcast,

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

I love it. T Hawk,

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

So meanwhile, Scott and T Bob are, riding presumably back to the hotel and they see Cliff Dagger. And so Scott jumps off of T Bob and chases after him. And T Bob apparently has no choice but to follow after Scott as they chase Cliff Dagger.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

he so wants Matt's attention. it's so desperate.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

Sorry, Scott. It's never gonna happen.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

Unless you die, and then Matt will show you affection when you come back to life.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

We'll see. He's missing in season two and Matt doesn't seem too, too sad. But We'll get there in about a year, dear listener, so hang in. Matt ends up stopping one of the elephants by putting T hawk in front of the elephant, and the elephant stomps on the hood of the Camaro, that's when Miles realizes that Mask is there. So Vanessa uses her whip to cause another elephant to go stampeding towards a bus, And Bruce, to save all the people on the bus, uses Lifter to lift the bus into the air, thus avoiding the elephant. So well done Bruce good use of lifter Scott and T Bob chase Cliff Dagger until he goes through a sewer grate and into the sewers Scott tries to lift it up, but it's too heavy and that's when an elephant comes racing towards them Corners them in this alley and it is not going to end. Well Scott and T Bob are finished PJ. What's gonna happen?

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

Once again, what's going to happen? Scott's going to die due to Matt's neglect. Again. But I don't know! I don't know what's going to happen!

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

We'll find out after these messages.

Come on, Jeebop. Mask will be right back. Oh, boy. Back to mask.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

And we're back. When we left you, Scott and T Bob were doomed. They were about to be stomped on by an elephant who cornered them in an alleyway. The elephant grabs T Bob by its trunk and tosses it into the air and into a garbage can. Now Scott is really about to die. And that's when he looks up, he sees the mask transport jet and Rhino. Parachuting down from the back of the mask transport jet, which is cool Alex fires a few laser blasts to distract the elephant and Scott is saved.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

Yeah this was fun because T Bob does go Hondo here and throws himself in front of Scott to go charging at the elephant. Like he tries to actually rescue Scott before getting thrown into the air. And I agree it was very cool getting parachuted in. I kind of realized that I wonder how excited Alex was to be able to torture animals. And that's actually one of the motivating factors. It's we gotta go now! And he has to be a crack shot, because he could have easily hit Scott instead. There's not a lot of like, room for error here.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

Well, Also Rhino is swaying back and forth in the breeze as it's parachuting down it's not stable

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

Yeah. Good on Alex for like, you know, not killing Scott.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

We cut to Miles and he checks in with Sly for a progress report, and Sly finally says, Ready to go. Great. The mile says, It's about time.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

again what happened? Did Sly find a pair of pants to put on?

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

No, the acid wore off. Matt enters the shrine of the golden goddess with the government man and the, Priest with the man bun. And they discover that the golden goddess is gone. Doom is sure to befall their country.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

Once again, why? Are they afraid of some kind of internecine fighting? Like, why can't they say they're delaying the opening? Can they just fake the statue and replace it? There's so many questions here about, like, Why this is like, I mean, again, it's not, it's awful. I don't want to like, take anything away. I don't think the U. S. would fall if the Lincoln Memorial had the statue gone.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

The U. S. did not fall when the Statue of Liberty was stolen a few episodes

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

Correct. Correct. This is kind of like my like, beef with like, give me a little bit more to justify this

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

Yeah, and this is, this is, not a theocracy. That is the basis of this government. It's not built around a god, or goddess, or series of gods. But anyways, nonetheless doom is sure to befall the country civil war. It's all going to go horrible unless they solve this problem. So. We Find Matt and Alex investigating the room. Alex discovers traces of gold around the drain in the temple. And explains that Venom must have found a way to change gold into liquid without heat.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

Yeah let's go to science corner for a second.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

Let's go.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

So just so folks know, dissolving gold has been known for a long time. It's actually part of the purification process of gold and it is actually this. Combination of chemicals. you can't do it with one acid alone. You got to use nitric acid and hydrochloric acid. It's a thing called aqua regia, which is Latin for Royal water. It's been known since about 1300 AD. it's not so like out there, like it's a thing. Why without heat? I mean, Ben has had a year to do this. Like they've had a long time. So what if they snuck into the room with to melt it down? Who would know?

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

If only one of their agents had a mask power that produced heat.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

Yes. Yes, if only there was something that could torch it.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

But apparently not. Scott, T Bob, and Bruce come running in next, and they discover a gas cylinder in the drain that Cliff Dagger had climbed into. And Matt surmises that Venom is using the old sewer drains. To steal the gold. And I feel like he had that figured out in the first two scenes of the episode?

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

Yeah, I thought we had established that. But I think he just wanted to bring Alex and T Bob up to speed. But not Scott.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

heh. Yeah.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

fuck that kid.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

Doesn't care. Matt takes off in T Hawk. Though it has trouble transforming at first. Actually, the wings go up and down before it finally opens and he takes off. And then he uses Spectrum to follow the traces of gold through the sewer system, which is a legitimately good use of Spectrum,

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

Great use. And, you know, first I thought the transformation bit was weird, but again it pays off. And, there's a couple of, I'll give the credit to the writer that there's a few places in the episode where they're like really seeding stuff to have it pay off later in the episode. So that's nice. The problem is there's so much of the main mechanics and framework that doesn't work. That like, those small payoffs, they're not making up for the fact that there's deep structural issues

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

Right. Agreed. Alex is doing some work in the Rhino Computer Lab, and the computer reveals that the gas in the cylinder is capable of liquefying selected metals into a Hydro Velonic State? I listened to that about five times and tried to read captions. And that's all I could get was Hydro Velonic State. I thought it was Hydro Colonic State first, which I was like, oh, that's no good. But Hydro Velonic? What is that?

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

If you try to look up hydrovalonic on Google, it takes you to hydrocalonic. And first off, it's not a thing. They just made up some science shit for the Episode. It's not even worth going to Science Corner for this. This was actually kind of interesting because Bruce actually asked Alex what he meant.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

Yes, I thought that was very interesting, wasn't it?

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

And to be clear like, I would have been asking Alex what he meant as well. Cause this time I think Alex just making shit up.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

I would have been like, Hydro Colonic, I'm having one of those on Monday. I don't know. Well, Look, Mask arrives at some warehouses, and it turns out that's where the gold trail ends. They enter one of the warehouses and find some giant pumps. And Matt has this flashback. He saw these two pedicab drivers straining while driving by the warehouse just moments ago. and he thought it was especially interesting because they didn't have any passengers on them. So Mask chases after the pedicabs and it turns out they're solid gold, right? So Matt scans them, reveals they're made out of solid gold and that's how Venom is smuggling the gold out of the country. He's putting all these pedicabs on a ship.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

just so people know, it'd probably be a couple thousand pounds if you have pure gold it likely would be too heavy to drive.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

Those are some strong pedicab drivers. Now the uh, the jig is up, and a masked Venom battle breaks out. T Hawk can't transform because of the elephant attack, and uh, Venom just unleashes everything they've got on him, as he's kinda driving down this wooden dock. But Matt just keeps on outdriving them, it's a pretty cool sequence. And then, Real cool climax to this sequence. Right when the dock explodes and T Hawk is about to go underwater it transforms at the last minute and takes off. It's actually great animation, fun moment, no notes,

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

it was nice payoff on T Hawk having trouble due to the earlier battle. It's good tension. Venom is again going in for the kill. It showcases what happens when Mask is outnumbered. I will note, Singapore is an island nation city state. Would have been a great time to pull in Gator and Shark. Like to be in this battle, but whatever he's, he's macho, he's trying to do it all by himself.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

Cause he, all he needed was a medals expert.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

they would have brought up the entire team otherwise. And then he's like, Nope, I'm going to do this with just my metals expert to tell me a fact that actually is not going to be that useful in the course of the episode.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

No, Alex doesn't actually have much to do in this episode, really.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

Oh, he saves Scott.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

That's true. He does save Scott.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

Oh, Let me nuance my note on that. He accidentally saves Scott while trying to torture an elephant.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

That's more like it. That's our Alex. well Now that he's in the sky, Matt fires on Piranha and Jackhammer. Smokescreen is used to distract Miles, and this all gives Bruce time to use Lifter and get all the pedicabs back. And Miles says, Months of work down the drain, which causes Sly to laugh. And he's like, down the drain? And Miles has this great line, and he's like, You dare laugh? And Sly's like, sorry, thought you were making a joke. And so now we realize that Sly is stoned again. So somewhere in between the previous moment and this moment, he's gotten high again.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

It's crazy. This is like this comedy in there that we haven't really seen before. Which kind of goes to the point about the writer not really having the essence of the characters down. And so yeah, stoned is the only logical explanation at this point in time. we can say that, it was months of work, so Miles was planning and doing this for a while. And, you know, you could sort of see that maybe if he hadn't been as greedy, he would have gotten away with it if they'd stopped a little earlier.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

We cut to the Shrine of the Golden Goddess. And the government guy says we were able to use the original molds to restore it as it was. Okay, wait. The original molds? Wasn't this made hundreds If not thousands of years ago, we'll just say hundreds of years ago. But they still have the original molds of the Golden Goddess statue?

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

Yeah, so here's my theory on this one. The original molds they're talking about are the molds they used on the statue in order to then shrink, to create smaller souvenir statues from the original. So this is basically like them saying capitalism saved the day.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

When doesn't it save the day, PJ?

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

also was it really necessary? Was it really smart idea to kind of remold it out of solid gold again?

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

Maybe this made up religion of theirs requires things to be made out of solid gold. And maybe by saying that, you're a heretic.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

perhaps, I'm glad they had souvenir molds of all of the different statues that were stolen.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

that's totally true. They have all the original molds. Well, Scott and T Bob come running into the the temple there. But when T Bob realizes that the goddess is an elephant, he runs out, slips on a can, flies through the air, and lands in the same garbage can again. And everybody laughs. Including the guy from the Singapore government. Like, everyone hates T Bob.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

Such a cruel, cruel reality. But again I had this like, wait, what? This is like a definite mix up here because the elephant God, not a goddess. is Ganesha, who's from Hinduism. So I'm pretty sure the writers or writer was just, again, looking at that national geographic, saw a bunch of shit and just like, let's just throw this together,

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

Yeah, I'll tell you what would work though. What would work is if the Buddhists blame the Hindus for stealing their statues and the Hindus blame the Buddhists for stealing their statues and that's what precipitated the civil war. However, those two religions are two of the most peaceful religions

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

Also. If the Singaporean government guy didn't know about Miles Mahan before, he certainly does now. So now Matt has to like explain when he's asked the question, Wait, are you saying that's your fucking uncle? He is such a dick.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

I told you he's a character.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

Ah,

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

We cut to the more you know, and we finally are back at the Tracker Mansion. And uh, Scott just runs outside with his Walkman, and he's got his headphones on. And uh, Matt rushes out and tells him that he can't do that, because he might not be able to hear a siren or a car approaching. that's the lesson, PJ. Don't walk around with headphones on. They're uh, they're anti Sony on this show.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

Yeah, I was like wearing a mask that isolates you from the world all day long is a okay. But wearing like those, classic Walkman thin, headphones, like that's not okay.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

I don't know, was it a problem back in the day when the first Walkmen were being introduced and for the first time kids could walk around blaring their rock and roll music while walking down the street? I don't necessarily remember that being a problem.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

If you're crossing the street, maybe if you're riding a bike, it just felt like there was, I don't know,

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

It's just interesting. These more, you know, segments always oscillate back and forth between like the most mundane things. And then, Don't drink poison. Stay away from child molesters. It's so confusing. Did they just tell the writers to come up with something? Just come up with something. Anything. It's fine. It doesn't seem like they have a list of dangers kids need to be aware of here. that is the episode. Let's get to our awards. PJ, what do you have for the dad of the year moment?

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

I think the general concept of letting Scott just wander the streets of Singapore alone, which results in him nearly getting killed he could have been on his way back to the hotel, and he just got trapped by the elephant, and then needed to be saved, not by Matt, but another mask agent.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

then zero follow up, Alex not telling Matt, Hey, here's your son. and Matt not necessarily checking up on him, making sure he got back to the hotel. I'm gonna agree with you on this one. It's definitely go back to the hotel. How many times is he gonna stick this kid in a hotel? something Bad is bound to happen. And by the way, something bad always happens. Almost just did happen in this one. So yeah, I, I'm in full agreement there. How about the Buddy Hawks award?

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

I did not have one for a character in the episode. The writers, 100%. But I didn't have one for anyone in the episode itself.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

I agree. I'm going to add to the writer's lifetime achievement award here because they've opened a brand new dimension of what they do, which is the religious aspect of it, of, Taking religions and just being completely wrong about them. Not doing any research, paying no respect to them whatsoever, mashing Buddhism with Hinduism, it's so disrespectful to any religion really, but specifically those ones that I think it just adds like extra laurels to their lifetime achievement award. So that's where I'm going.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

I back that 100 percent like the writers have managed to take it to yet another level here

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

Masked writers, you've done it again. Congratulations. Next up is episode 17, Mystery of the Rings. Venom goes to Sunhenge with three mystic rings that will point the way to a wealth of ancient treasure. Sounds exciting. I have something else exciting to announce is that we will have our first guest co host on next episode. He is Jason Burns. he's a writer an editor, a podcaster uh, one of the co hosts of a great podcast called What About? Where they tackle, Pretty much anything they have questions about. But they've recently had Rob Lowe on, talking about resilience. They had Tony Danza on, talking about teaching. I just listened to a great one that's about magnet fishing. But he, like us, as a child of the 80s, grew up on mask and when he heard about our podcast, he says, I gotta get in here. And episode 17 is his favorite. So we can't wait to have Jason join the madness next week and see how it goes.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

I'm excited.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

PJ happy birthday. It is a gift to do this podcast with you every week. So many happy returns to the day. If I'm doing my math right, we will be podcasting yet again. on your birthday next year'cause there's plenty more episodes to go.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

Uh, very likely. So, like, we've got, we've got a while to go, and we'll be podcasting on your birthday, so I'll get to wish it right back at ya.

adam_1_07-19-2024_100628:

Sounds good. But for now, we have to transform and head back to hq. I am Adam Moore.

pj_2_07-19-2024_110628:

And I am PJ McNerney. Bye bye.

​The mobile armored podcast show is written, produced and edited. Bye Adam Moore. And PJ McNerney.