Mobile Armored Podcast Show

Matt Trakker: Worst Dad Ever? (with special guest Jason Burns!)

• Adam Moore and PJ McNerney • Season 1 • Episode 17

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Jason Burns from the "What About..." Podcast joins us as we travel to an England (ish) Renaissance Faire! Join us as we revel in the best poetry M.A.S.K. has to offer, Scott's epic quest to send a postcard, and some of the absolutely worst parenting we've ever seen from Matt Trakker. It's an extra special guest for an extra special Mobile Armored Podcast Show! 

https://www.instagram.com/m.a.s.k.podcast/

squadcaster-8ee4_1_07-26-2024_100053:

Alright as always, going in 3, 2, 1. Welcome to the Mobile Armored Podcast Show, the podcast that transforms into the WhatAbout Podcast. Uh, My name is Adam Moore, alongside my co host and best friend PJ McNerney, and our guest co host today the co host of the WhatAbout Podcast writer, editor, and host. Podcast host, Jason Burns. How's it going, fellas?

jay-bot_1_07-26-2024_130051:

It's going well, thanks for having me. Gents, I appreciate it. I drove here in a car that transformed into another vehicle so it really tied in with what we're talking

squadcaster-8ee4_1_07-26-2024_100053:

With lasers, I hope.

jay-bot_1_07-26-2024_130051:

Oh, pew pew all over the place.

pj_1_07-26-2024_110054:

I,

squadcaster-8ee4_1_07-26-2024_100053:

Well, Look, Jason, it is a real pleasure to have you on. We're big fans of your podcast. Of course you've had luminaries, which is Rob Lowe and Tony Danza on. Most recently, though, I really loved your episode on magnet fishing. I've gotten deep into that community. I've been watching YouTube videos about it. I'm fascinated by it,

jay-bot_1_07-26-2024_130051:

Any group of people that spend their past time purposefully looking for bombs and missiles is uh, is a group I want to be involved in.

squadcaster-8ee4_1_07-26-2024_100053:

Sounds like Matt Tracker's type of crowd.

pj_1_07-26-2024_110054:

Yeah. I'm pretty sure

jay-bot_1_07-26-2024_130051:

yeah, at least what he would have his kid doing when he was off on a mission.

squadcaster-8ee4_1_07-26-2024_100053:

Totally. well Hey, but before we dive into uh, to ruining the episode we'd love to just ask you some questions. you know, and how does Mask occupy a special place in, in your heart?

jay-bot_1_07-26-2024_130051:

It's interesting because I was holy and Lovingly a G. I. Joe kid growing up like I still have my collection as a kid It got so far that when I was an adult and got married I had a G. I. Joe room and I just Spent way too much money on G. I. Joe and then we had kids and the G. I. Joe room had to go away sadness But I had a friend, I lived in apartments growing up, and there was a friend that I was really close with throughout a couple of years that I was in this one apartment, and he had mask toys, and I was so jealous of them. He was the one who introduced me to them. His name was Dan, and then He turned me on to the cartoon. And so then I just started watching it. And it became like our thing. So it, I have like solid summer memories of Mask.

squadcaster-8ee4_1_07-26-2024_100053:

The toys were so cool, and I think when we were all eight to 10 years old, I guess the stories just didn't matter. We just wanted to see the things transform and see the laser blasts

jay-bot_1_07-26-2024_130051:

A hundred percent. But, but what's funny is that we're all creative and writer writers. So they had to impact us in some way, right? Or at least the idea of characters. That's why I love GI Joe. There were so many characters. They each had a backstory. They lived within this one world. And then for mask. The idea of it, it was combining the two worlds of G. I. Joe and Transformers together and taking two really cool eighties properties and making them one.

squadcaster-8ee4_1_07-26-2024_100053:

when we first launched the podcast, you reached out immediately, and, You said Mystery of the Rings is one of your Favorites, so we gotta know, why is this episode, out of all episodes, your favorite?

jay-bot_1_07-26-2024_130051:

It's totally gonna bum you out, but it was, it's simply one of those things where I remember turning on the episode after school and it always was this episode. So it's just the one that was always on every time I turned on the TV.

squadcaster-8ee4_1_07-26-2024_100053:

Yeah, okay. Final question for you, before we dive into the real fun here. what makes this episode quintessentially Mask to you?

jay-bot_1_07-26-2024_130051:

the crazy need and ability to Create these adventures using Things from other brands. Cause for me, like the idea of the, these three rings coming together and I don't want to spoil too much of the episode. I mean, It's just, there's just bits of pieces stolen from everywhere else. And I just picture the writer's room getting together and being like, Who remembers, you know, uh, This and that and if we can just change a little bit I think we can make it work and get this out of there as quickly as possible because Didn't they do like 60 episodes the first season or something like that which had to be intense

squadcaster-8ee4_1_07-26-2024_100053:

did 65 episodes in the first season.

jay-bot_1_07-26-2024_130051:

and I was shocked to learn that Chuck Lorre was one of the writers

squadcaster-8ee4_1_07-26-2024_100053:

Yeah, man. I mean, we don't know who wrote which episodes, because they don't say written by. They just give out the whole list of the staff writers, so we don't really know. But if PJ and I ever decide to do some real research we'll try to figure out which ones he wrote. We'd love to have Chuck on the podcast, just to ask him a bunch of questions about how did this all come together? Like, how did you end up writing these episodes with so many ancient temples in them?

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

Oh, thank

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

We got through our questions, we will dive into the actual episode itself. So here we go. We open on beautiful green pastures, a small, lovely bucolic town, and then we appear to be in a renaissance fair, complete with costumes and clowns and like a super creepy crystal ball guy. And Matt's walking,

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

from every uh, what was the uh, Santa Claus is coming to town the, the winter warlock. He looks just like

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

Oh yeah, you're right. I thought it looked like the guy from Gummy Bears, do you remember that?

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

Yes.

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

It was like, black hair, giant mustache, really well trained mustaches for these bad guys all around.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Completely. And there's also the weird clown with the, with the, Red face?

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

Is it any wonder drug use was rampant for our generation? When you saw this shit as a kid? Ah!

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

ever been to a Renaissance fair? Because that's

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

Interestingly enough, were were Renaissance fairs even that popular in the, I mean, I didn't learn of them till much later in life. High school, I was in high school in the 90s, so maybe this is where they began. They invented them, created them right out of thin air here.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

has created many things, including much of David Lynch's a career as we've discovered. But um, Matt's walking with this very British guy named Duke Windsor. And Matt says your country always stages a. Magnificent fare, Duke Windsor. And I noticed that Matt's wearing this like really dashing outfit. It's not his blue suit. it's kind of turtleneck. It seems like a brown sport coat. Very

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

I felt he was very uh, Jason Statham, like he could throw down at any minute.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Yes.

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

Statham saw this episode and said, you know what, I'm gonna model myself after Matt Tracker.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Okay. So matt uh, thanks the Duke for inviting him and Scott, but not T Bob, saying it's always a pleasure to have you as my guest. Your many factories in our country have brought thousands of jobs to our people. So what is Matt making in these factories?

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

I did do a little research on this one, and according to, I don't know who Eric Hobsbawm is, but this is from Wikipedia, so it must be true.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Yeah.

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

Thatcher's overs

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

sounds like a real name. Hobsbawm. Mm

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

It must be real, because it sounds so fake. Uh, Thatcher's oversaw an industrial holocaust, which saw Britain's industrial capacity decrease by fully one quarter. So major state controlled firms were privatized, including British Aerospace, Telecom, the electricity, gas, and English water industries are split off and sold off. So my question back is what is it Matt making in these factories? A

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Maybe the

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

is Matt Tracker Possibly if we were to jump ahead 40 years to now, that would probably impact the English pollution, airways waterways, all that stuff. Is Matracker's responsible?

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

hundred percent. Matt didn't care. It was getting deregulated up the wazoo, pump that sewage out into the Thames.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Well, Everything that Matt has in terms of mask is presumably powered by radioactive material. So you know there's waste involved in that as well. So this guy is really a menace to the environment overall.

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

Would be an awesome episode if Captain Planet went up against Matt Tracker for pollution.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

well, Matt, in response to that factory comment, tells the Duke, I couldn't have done it without your help. Maybe that's why you're a Duke. So I guess is Matt implying that the Duke received his title only because of the economic deal that he made with Matt Tracker? Like it was a quid pro quo?

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

Someone had to introduce him to Margaret. I had this one thing though, like the duke, and I know it's supposed to be kind of this like scene where the duke's helping a kid out, but it seemed weird and creepy.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

Not only is he creepy, but what the fuck is up with the balloon staring at the girl the entire time? It's the only balloon that has eyeballs, and why would there be a balloon with eyeballs at a renaissance fair? I don't understand it.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Okay, so we go into a tent, and we find all these treasures from the country's past, including something called the Mystery Ring. We learn it is one of three rings. Together with the others, it's said it will reveal one of the world's greatest treasures. But no one knows where the others are, and I thought, Don't the elves and dwarves have them?

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

As a kid, as I said, I saw this episode many times and I never stopped myself once and said, Wow couldn't they have come up with a better name than that? But the first thing as an adult that I watched and thought, Wow, how could they just go to press with that name and not even try to do anything else with it? But, they were speaking to the audience because we didn't think about it then.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Oh,

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

it's the mystery ring. That's it?

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

this entire episode felt to me like a Key and Peele skit where they, you ever see the thing where they're pitching gremlins to, and they're like, yes, the Hulk Hogan is going to be in this episode, in this movie.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

so, uh, then we go behind the tent. And the Duke secretly reveals to Matt that he has one of the other rings. We got one ring in the treasure tent, the Duke's got one of the other ones, but the third has been lost for centuries.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

dun, dun. Dun,

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

they do this zoom in on Matt's face here, and he looks really scared and concerned, and then determined. It's like, this dark music plays, and he becomes this very menacing looking villain in this moment. What's up with

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

Mm The turtleneck doesn't help either. It's the whole look. Everything is working in unison.

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

this is a great bit as a, like creative or as a writer where it's like, what is the treasure, brings some stakes to this moment, cause otherwise it's like, oh, it's a clay cup. That's what the treasure is. And uh, we're really scared about falling into the wrong hands.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

Just the entire ridiculousness of it, though, is that, okay, this guy's obviously a very public figure. The first ring, which looks exactly like the ring he's wearing, is on display for everybody to see. And then he wears the other one, but it's a secret.

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

So

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

meanwhile Scott is posing for pictures, while T Bob uses his internal camera. new uh, element of T Bob here. Scott explains that he went through a lot of trouble to put that camera inside T Bob. And of course, T Bob complains that all he saw was a blinding flash. Obviously Scott did not install this camera the right way.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

T Bob lost some memory there.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

But it's also, I mean, I guess digital cameras weren't a thing back then,

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

it does have two digital cameras, we call them eyes,

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Yeah.

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

So yeah, maybe basically like Scott didn't want to go back to Alex to ask for like another digital camera, or just like, hey, can you record this in your memory, and then says like, I could do this, let me duct tape this camera inside of his head and remove the radio dad uses to contact me.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

I also thought like the idea that, 17 episodes in that they can just add on new skill sets to the robot is so 80s, right? It's just like, oh well, we've never established this before, but let's just, we'll just keep adding on new skills you can do.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

I did have a question though, the animation style seemed a lot different in this episode.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

You know, it's funny you say that? because even the girl that the Duke goes to hug at that one point we were referencing earlier, she looked different like, she didn't belong in the world almost. She almost looked more Cherubic than any of the other characters.

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

And there's a few other characters that are like that. it was like weird because like anything that was not masked was kind of in this other animation style.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

I remember watching G. I. Joe as a kid, Where like certain frames would just not be colored and they'd be like, ah, fuck it. Let's just move forward. Have you found that with mask at all where they do that?

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

I've seen that occasionally with, uniform. Like it might show him in like his leg has the blue suit and then it switches to the gray uniform But they don't care, like, just get this thing out the door. We don't

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

I like the, I like the idea that someone did care. Someone really cared a lot and went to his boss and said, look, you can't send this out. Matt's uniform isn't burgundy, like it's red. He's like, kid, I'm not gonna send this overseas again, because you fucking think the kids care about whether it's red or red. Get the fuck outta my office.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

And that was chuck lorre

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

And look how well he's doing now. so, uh, Scott is complaining to T Bob like, he wants to speed this up. He says, T Bob, if we don't hurry up, we won't have time to turn it into a postcard for Gloria. Now, call me a traditionalist, but I think she'd probably appreciate being called Mom.

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

I really think we gotta figure out like, I, either Gloria is Scott's mom or Scott has clearly transferred the mom persona onto her because he has no one else.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

could Gloria be his stepmom? Mm

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

I mean, if Matt and Gloria were married, then certainly, right? Or if Gloria was married to his biological father

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

Or just maybe she sleeps over every now and then and it's, it's dad's uh, special friend. have a smiley face balloon.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Run along. We're busy.

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

Remember that one time where like, Scott was allowed to go out at night? Like in a magic uniform.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

At nine o'clock at

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

Yeah. I like nine o'clock at night and it's and that was an episode. Gloria was there. So

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

What's amazing is that Scott was us, right? I mean, He was supposed to be our perspective into the mask world. And what a shitty world that we were looking at through. Not the greatest of lifestyles.

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

Jason, you're saying of being abandoned in a foreign hotel, like time after time, isn't like the best thing in the world with your neurotic robot.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

And inputting a a old timey camera into it while my dad is out hanging out with Gloria. Yeah, it's not ideal.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

There is a piece of that. I'm not sure about you, Jason, but you know, PG and I were, were very much the quintessential latchkey kids. So we came home from school and you know, no one was around. We grabbed a snack. We watched our cartoons and whatever. And I think Scott's continued abandonment by Matt resonate resonated then

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

a good point. Mm Yeah, both my parents worked, so I came home probably Long before my parents did. Had a key probably too early that I would never give my kids a key to come and go. And you just put on the TV, you were told to stay there, and you did. Wow, I am Scott. Noooo!

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

could help you here Jason and get this, get this trauma.

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

Welcome to the Scott circle. Um, where we're all Scott

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

Yeah.

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

coming into this, Adam, I think you and I we're going to get really down on Scott about getting into trouble. And I think we've turned around to feeling so bad for Scott for just being so neglected.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

He is

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

There is a moment in this episode, I won't jump ahead, but I was like, holy shit, this poor kid like, and I never saw it as, maybe it's because I'm a parent now, but I was like, Oh man.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Yeah, yeah, no, completely. None of us would ever do this to our kid.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

Yeah.

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

a hundred percent.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

We cut to a couple of uh, Ren Faire guys who are up to no good. They release gas into the tent, causing everyone to fall asleep, or maybe die, I don't know. But the bad dudes put on gas masks, they go in, they steal the ancient treasures and run away. And T Bob happens to actually snap some pictures of them as they're going. One from behind and one from the side. Great job, T Bob! Way to not be of any use whatsoever, even though you now have a camera. Ha.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

What's interesting is that all the stuff that they use, the the chemicals is actually the pollution from Matt Tracker's factories in this country.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Yep, exactly. Now we know what he does with it. Ha. Of course the bad guys get away.

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

No one's. stopping them either. No one's like doing anything except for one poor security guard that got trounced.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

They probably think it's part of the performance, right? Yep. Like old timey robbers come in and steal all the treasure.

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

Exactly.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Which, by the way, can I ask, why do they actually have real treasure at a renaissance fair? you notice that?

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

I did it was like they wanted to do this at a museum, but decided, Oh, we should do it at a Renaissance fair instead. That would be easier to rob, but why would you bring a museum piece to a Renaissance fair? So some kid with, you know, greasy hands gets to touch stuff.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

And the first rule of any united treasure is you never bring it all in one place. And so the Duke shouldn't even be there with the other ring there. It just doesn't make any sense.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Well Jason, don't be silly, the third ring is still missing.

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

It's fine.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Later Matt is chatting with Bruce via video in Thunderhawk and uh, Bruce asks, Venom? And Matt's response is, Confirmed, I've got a picture of one of their boots. Wait, what? How do you identify Venom by one of their boots?

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

I'm backing Matt up on this one, okay? So first off, most of the Venom members wear the same outfit every time. Now, these are clearly two henchmen, But We know Miles is a dramatic snob, right? So I think he has all the boots handmade by an Italian master and Matt's like only Giovanni could make a stitch like that

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Jason, do you have any theories on how we can identify Venom by their boots?

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

I think it's less a theory about how to identify Venom from the boots and just his obsession with Venom is responsible for everything is part of the, it's part of the issue I think he's having.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

yeah, that ongoing paranoia. it must be Venom. They're wearing boots, so

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

Yep. A normal person would never wear boots.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Alright Matt surmises that they stole everything to cover up their theft of the mystery ring. and Venom probably has a plan to steal the other two. And so we go right into our agent selection scene. And Bruce Sato and Alex Sector are the only two agents who are selected. And this is another episode where it's just the three of them. The previous episode was the same deal. It was just Bruce and Alex.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

I have a theory.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Yes.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

Coming from the comic book world when you know you're tight on the deadline, you want to limit the characters to get the books out the door. And so I think probably, given some of the other areas where it seems like, some animation was not up to par, that Maybe they had to rush this one out the door, and they said, let's just only have the three agents this time.

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

What I like about that theory is that I think with both last episode and this one, despite that we've had the smallest number of agents, it's also been somehow paradoxically the least amount of character development. Because like You figure like, Oh, they'll get more screen time. It's like, Nope, we're going to, we're going to minimize this as much as possible.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

I wonder, and you can touch on this again both as creatives too, is that in the 80s when these shows were based on toy lines, do you think they didn't put as much effort into character stories and arcs because so much of it came from us, our imagination when we were playing with the toys, and they didn't want to step on what we were doing? Doing with the product we were buying. Is that going too metaphory? I'm

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

No, I think you're being too generous.

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

Yeah, I agree. I like that world you've created, Jason, because it seems like those folks really are thinking this through and caring about it rather than being crass capitalists of saying, give me my line of Coke and let's get this script out the door.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

Yeah, that's a good point. That's a good point.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Also, if that's the point, then, I think PJ and I are out of the podcast business, because we have nothing to make fun of anymore. It's

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

Oh no!

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

it's okay.

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

I was going to say, I do think it's a good point though. I mean, Echoing stuff from earlier I think, we have a few cool episodes that are just good on their own. But I think you're right is that we invented their character arcs, their stories, like All from just playing the toys, like that was just how we filled in the gaps of being like, Hey what is going on between Gloria and Matt and what are all the other masked agents doing when they're not, being called upon by Matt. So I think that's, I think there's a real point there.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

it was just a great, Decade for entertainment for kids, and I think probably all of us are doing what we're doing because of being latchkey kids growing up on TVs and comic books and stuff that was available to us.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

A hundred percent. we cut to Alex's departure scene, by the way. He is joyfully playing with a white mouse when he gets the call. he puts the mouse back into its cage. Notably, there's no food or water of any kind. That's actually the only getaway scene that we see. But I think that, adds up with what Alex typically does with animals. Meanwhile, Scott and T Bob, they're snapping photos in what looks like a royal garden. There's topiaries and there's large statues and stuff like that. And yet another mention of this postcard for Gloria like, it made me start to think, does Scott have some kind of crush on Gloria? Like father, like son? Is this kind of like a weird Oedipal complex he's got going on here?

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

it's like, as if Gloria Is the mother he

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Heh

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

it Is the only human connection he has, so maybe that's why he's waiting for a letter in return to have some sort of communication with somebody.

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

we know that Matt has left him with random women at the various different spots Melinda back in the jungle, and then various so, like, Gloria is the only female presence that is at all stable in his life. I mean, It's either that or Vanessa Warfield, effectively, as your choices for mom.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

now we go into the Duke's office, and uh, I love this beat where Matt is trying to convince the Duke to give him the ring for safekeeping. Like, uh Huh, okay Matt, good one. Yeah, I'll totally give you my ring. The Duke, of course, refuses, saying that his police will have it handled. He also reveals that he's got an archaeologist searching for the third one right now, and once he has all three, he'll use the treasure to fix his country's economy. or he could deal with his country's massive budget deficit and spiraling inflation rate by instituting fiscal austerity measures and increasing trade and foreign investment. But okay, sure, rings and treasure great idea. I also hope it's not like Froggle Rock where the treasure isn't just a metaphor for something like hope or the beauty of the country.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

There's also this great moment where he's like Oh yeah, it'll turn up again. The thing that got stolen, like it was just like a no big deal vibe to him. He is like, Yeah, no, no big deal. It'll turn up And if his, police could handle it, wouldn't they have stopped it from being stolen in the first place?

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

He also has this line our archives say that one of our early rulers had a massive treasure When he was about to lose his throne he hid it

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

It was, that was Emperor Vague. Hehehehe That's who that was.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Not gonna let anyone have his treasure this is my treasure

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

Why is treasure always hidden? Why isn't treasure ever just out in the open for anything? It's always, it's always, somebody Always has to hide it.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Jason, when treasure is love, you should never hide it.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

Oh, well, that's why I feel so strongly about Gloria. And I want my postcard to arrive steadfastly. Hehehehe

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

well, finally, Matt is reunited with Alex and Bruce. He puts a tracking device on the Duke's car because whenever he leaves, he's easy prey for Venom.

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

Did you guys notice what a fucking huge tracker was in his shoe it's basically the size of his palm that he pulls from his shoe and puts underneath there.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

It was originally built for the Venom boots, so that's

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

ha ha I also like this one line, he said, I'm not worried about the Duke safety at home. He has 11 elaborate security system. And I was like, what kind of fucking security system do you have that can combat venom? Is this Boulder Hill type technology that Matt's installed for this Duke?

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

Instead of the one security guard at the Renaissance Faire, he has two security guards, so they won't get bowled over together.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Alright, well the dude gets into his car, and drives off, and Matt says, Remember to stay out of sight. But then T Hawk and Rhino follow behind him, like seconds after he pulls out of the gate.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

Very inconspicuous vehicles. It's hard to really notice them. Behind

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Yeah, a red Camaro and a giant tractor trailer truck. Also, did Matt just leave Scott and T Bob behind without saying anything to

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

Oh my god, this is the scene I was referencing this was heartbreaking to me It was just like Scott was left at school and not picked up by his parents and he was just waiting for them And he's like the last kid. Oh, no, they're coming. I swear they're

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

They

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

We didn't do a plain time check on this, but I'm gonna guess that I think the flight time from Denver to London is about 12, 13 hours. Which means that Scott and T Bob are just wherever for that period of time.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

They can't even get inside the Duke's manor. They're just stuck

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

Well, the security's tight there, so.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

oh, Okay we cut to Vanessa, and she is standing atop a cliff with a remote in her hand. And she's watching the Duke's car drive down the road, and she says, Just a little closer. And he drives over what looks like a A mine. And then it pierces the car, and emits sleeping gas, the duke passes out, and he crashes into a ditch. Switchblade, Jackhammer and Piranha arrive, Miles melts the car window with Viper, and he steals the ring saying, That's two down and one to go.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

I think they should've went really dark here and took the whole finger, not just the ring. Maybe it didn't, it was like really tight. Up the stakes. and for the artist, it's one less finger to draw, which is really hard to draw.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

There you go.

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

I like the idea though of cutting off the finger a lot because like I can imagine Sly Rax comes up with stiletto and is trying to cut the finger off, but instead just keeps pinning him down because that's like, that's all I've ever practiced is pinning folks down. I've never actually tried to hurt someone before.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

And then next year at the next renaissance fair the duke can do the where's my finger routine with the kids.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Alright mask arrives and Miles says Roll out the welcome at Vanessa. And she triggers the same mines that pump sleeping gas into the mask vehicles and they start to pass out. But you'd think their masks could probably filter out something like sleeping gas, also,

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

You think?

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

I would presume Bruce and Matt's masks could. But Alex has got that Batman mask where like his mouth is exposed, so I'm pretty sure he's fucked.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

we've established in previous episodes that the masks cannot block out bright light. So I guess another feature is they can't filter out gas

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

Until, like t bob, it becomes necessary to add it to the story and then you can add it, which might happen, we don't know.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Exactly. So Venom watches as Thunderhawk is about to drive off a cliff. Matt is sure to die, but what's gonna happen, guys?

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

I don't know! I don't know!

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

Will he survive?

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

We'll find out after these messages.

We've got them in sight. Hold on. Mask will be right back. Now watch what Mask does.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

And we're back, and when we left you, Thunderhawk was about to fall off a cliff, killing Matt, but somehow, T Hawk transforms into jet mode and takes off into the air. I mean, I guess it has an autopilot?

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

So I will actually back the idea that there's enough smarts in this computer. To have it be an autopilot in the event of like, imminent danger I also think that the computer is programmed to do a breathalyzer on Matt. If he's been drinking while cooking again, like we saw while he was sitting down, it's like, you know what, Matt, I'm going to take over for you right now.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

I could see that, because these are expensive cars. You want to be able to protect them in case of, Obviously, Venom would be at fault here, as that tracker assumes everything is. So, yeah, I'd buy it.

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

I did have a thought though, that it just occurred to be like, when those Mines jump up, they pierce the bottom of the car and we've never really established where the power sources are on these vehicles, but if they're anything like a Tesla, if you pierce the battery on a Tesla, like that thing's going to explode. So maybe it just narrowly missed, basically like hitting that precious radiation source that powers these vehicles.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Matt lands and reconnects with Bruce and Alex. Bruce uses Lifter to pull the Duke's car out of the ditch and they check his hand. The ring is gone. And Matt says, Looks like Venom really caught us sleeping on the job. And it's like, look, I am all for having fun at work, but this is not the time for jokes, Matt. Focus, buddy!

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

I realized that this is where my love for puns began. This show has quite a bit of them, this episode in particular. And, looking at my own writing, I'm starting to question what I'm doing with myself and my life now after watching this again.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

dude, the whole show is dad jokes.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

Yeah, it really is.

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

Ironically by a really bad father.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

Which makes sense, because they're really bad jokes.

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

It's true. I like this idea of Matt saying, Hey Bruce, Alex, go back to your post. I'll take care of the Duke. And I was really curious, what does take care mean? Like, Is there a ravine nearby that Matt's going to like just take care of? Just dump the body into.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Look, the guy doesn't have the ring anymore, so why

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

he's useless now. Yeah. And he's got nine fingers now, which, what is he gonna do with only nine fingers?

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Well, Meanwhile, Scott and T Bob are developing photos in a dark room, and it's like, where's this dark room? There's this Castle of the Dukes just happened to have a dark room and Scott asks How is Gloria going to recognize me with just the top of my head showing because one of the photos is bad and again What is this obsession with Gloria? It's it keeps on going on and on in this episode like does the writer have an obsession with Gloria

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

Can I ask, because I wasn't on the previous episodes of this podcast, is this an ongoing thing throughout the series or just new to This

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

this episode Throughout the other episodes of the series, we've been tracking the fact that Matt and Gloria clearly have something going on on the side. But for Scott to be involved in it now is a new twist in the sordid love story. but

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

a man now. That is

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

for anything at this point in time. It's so desperate.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

I can see Gloria getting the postcard and talking to Matt and be like, Hey Matt, like, tell your kid to stop writing to me. Like, I'm not, I'm Not here to be mom. Okay. I'm here to fight crime, drive cars fast and have a little fun on the side with you. And that's it. It gets weird here, T Bob accidentally drops Matt's PJ bottoms into the photo machine. Which means that Matt was washing his pajamas at the Duke's Manor. but the one good picture of Scott it seems somehow is printed the pajamas.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

Okay. You, you had a really good guest choice for this episode because just after high school, I worked at a photo development place and that's, that's special paper. You can't just print on anything. It's not a photocopy machine.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

And, then Scott elaborates. What are we supposed to do? send Gloria dad's pajama shorts? It's like, Scott, she's seen a lot more than just his pajama shorts. Uh

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

The idea of like Gloria's response to this being like, Matt, I really did like getting your pajama shorts. It reminds me of a lot, but putting Scott's face on the ass, that's fucked up.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

Is there something based on our conversation that we're talking about with Scott's obsession now? Like maybe he purposely meant to put him on that shorts and he's like staking claim almost.

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

Let me ask you guys a question. Okay. as writers, basically, what makes you write these lines where it's like, this is a story beat that's necessary for this episode.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

mean The way that I was always taught to write is to write what you know So at some point this writer printed his face on a pair of pajama bottoms. That's apparently

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

On his father's pajama bottoms.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

Yeah, that's true that's true

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

send to his father's love interest is what you're saying.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Hey, look, I don't know when the listener is listening to this. It could be Next week it could be five years into the future, so I don't know where AI has gotten. But many of these episodes sound like the way an AI would write a script.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

That's good point.

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

You just cracked it, Adam. The AIs have been trained on mask episodes. They're actually perfectly trained. They've just been trained on shit. Dun,

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

the future, AI went back in time to write masks to imprint on our society in a way that would change us in the way that they want us to be changed. ha ha

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

a Stonehenge esque place, only in some rocky, barren landscape. This must be Sunhenge, I guess. Uh, venom is watching an archaeologist and his assistant doing an excavation. And the archaeologist says, This must be the place. And Miles, first of all, somehow heard that. From atop a cliff. Like half a mile away. But he says, Did you hear that? I can just feel it. And everyone starts laughing.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

This reminded me of another episode that You guys had done about I think it was the Aurora Borealis or something like that, where they just take things that exist and just slightly change the name a bit, and they're like, Alright, that works, let's just move it.

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

was like really curious. What was the hangup of just not calling it Stonehenge? Like it was there some like concern that they were gonna get in trouble with some authorities I don't know about you guys But I like is an archaeologist permitted just to do random excavation at Stonehenge because I just feel a little fucked up

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Also, so in the last episode, it took place in Singapore, and they were all over the place, with the incorrect religions and mashing together Hinduism and Buddhism and things like that. And one of our suggestions was, you could have just made up a fake country. So here, they've made up some kind of fake England. of all the countries, you could just go ahead and do England for real. I would assume at least the Masked Writers have a basic understanding of like, the Anglo world.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

so they probably didn't want to offend the Anglo world, but they didn't care about offending anybody else in the 80s, so they just went with that route,

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Yeah,

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

seems.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

exactly. Um, Vanessa says, I just love playing the spider. I bet you do, Vanessa.

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

just ask Bruce.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

she has like these really We cut to Matt and the Duke, and they're talking in the Duke study, and he mentions his archaeologist and mentions that the ring was inscribed with the letter X. And the one we saw at the beginning had the letter V. And Scott shows up randomly, and he asks to borrow some money to make a postcard for Gloria. Matt says, Later, Scott. Another Father of the Year moment there.

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

It's such a sad commentary the entire time. Just the way he just dismisses him. Like, Matt, all you have to do is fucking reach into your wallet, give him some money. If you can't give him love, give him that which you have tons of.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

would have loved it in this scene if Scott showed up in the pajamas with the face on it.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Dad,

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

but you know He wouldn't even have noticed, right? It would have just been like, right over his head.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Absolutely. But then Scott says that they'll run out of time because the Photoshop is going to close and that. line gives Matt an incredible brainstorm. And he says, I have a hunch. Now, gentlemen, buckle up, because this is crazy. I have a hunch that the letter X stands for the Roman numeral 10 on a sundial. And the V could stand for the Roman numeral 5. Wow! What a genius! I take back everything I've ever said about Matt. And I just want to make a bold prediction here. But what if the third ring has the letter I on it the Roman numeral one?

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

I love that they're like, no one knows what the X stand for. Apparently not, the fucking archaeologists I have illegally digging in Stonehenge. Do you guys wonder if like, the scene from the last crusade was actually taken from this?

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

They were big fans. Was Chuck Lorre involved in in the last crusade? But also it's funny that it's Matt who comes up with this, like you're saying, while the archaeologist is already at a sundial and knows what he's looking for and could at least just look at it and tie everything together, but It's a good ol hunch that Matt, he's going with his

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Also where are Bruce and Alex? They're just hanging out in Rhino? Just sitting there like Well, I guess Matt doesn't need us. The mask team rolls out to Sunhenge, and Scott runs out of the uh, the manor grounds and says, Dad, wait! Matt abandoning his son yet again. And Scott says, Darn it, we've got to follow them. He forgot to give me the money for Glorious Postcard.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

This could be the worst bee storyline of all time. The postcard storyline.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Well, Yeah, let's talk about that as writers, man. So, like, For some reason, I guess, they wanted Scott involved. So they needed to get him out to the Sunhenge place. Walking, the Trail of Breadcrumbs backwards, as you do as a writer, their idea was Scott is trying to make a postcard for Gloria, and that's what's gonna get him eventually out to Sunhenge. I mean, There's a thousand different ways you could do that,

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

I mean the one that makes the most sense is that yeah, you know, Matt just abandoned him there at some point And he was still there when he showed back up. I mean that's on character at least

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Now we're back out at Sunhenge, and the archaeologist is sifting dirt. And he finds a little treasure chest. Like this tiny little treasure chest you get out of a a claw machine game. And inside, gentlemen, is the third ring. And that's when Miles appears, he takes it from him. And Miles says, Tie them up and put them in a cave until we're done. So first of all, Miles loves caves, as we know. But second, what if there aren't any caves around? Do they just blow a hole in a mountain to make one?

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

you know, we're seeing more and more evidence of this lazy writing effectively. What are the clues that said the third ring is going to be here? What says there's a cave around? It's just like, all right, whatever. Don't show it. Don't say it. Just, the kids will accept it.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

And we did we ate it up

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Yeah. Wow! I wonder if I'll ever get to go to Sunhenge and the rings make a laser light show. Miles pulls out a magnifying glass, like most cartoon characters do from behind their back. And Miles through the magnifying glass reads an inscription on the ring.

I am the third ring of three. My number is one, as you can see. Place all three stones. One, five, ten. And very rich become all men. I think the writer must have been like, That's great. Man, I

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

I crushed it today.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

He went home and made sweet love to his wife that night.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

But first he, But first he read the poem to her.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

yes.

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

I was wondering if Miles was both versed in Latin, because it didn't look like English writing in here, and clever enough to change it into a rhyme.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

Can I bring some some comic book knowledge to this as well? So, so in the world of comic books, if it's not live text on the page, you have to make it look like some gibberish so that it'll work in any country. Ha, so there you go.

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

I like how we've had Both Photos Corner today and Comics Corner. So Jason, thank you for occupying those new

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

Yes. Yeah I'll touch on anything. I worked at, a record store in high school, video store. If anything comes up, I'm your guy.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

We're gonna have you on call going forward

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

Yes.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

Yeah,

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

And well, yeah, Miles, Sly, and Cliff run off to insert the rings into the three stones. Notably, Vanessa is not chosen because I guess the inscription says all men. It doesn't mention women at all. The sun appears, and a laser light show begins. Shining from the rings that have been inserted into the top of the stone hinges. Heh Mask sees the laser light show going off, and Matt orders Bruce to pull the curtains on the light show while he distracts Venom. So Rhino fires some smoke bombs into the air to block out the sun. And we have a good old fashioned Act 3 Mask Venom battle. Thunderhawk vs. Jackhammer, Rhino vs. Piranha. It's a rare solo battle episode. They don't have their Typical mid episode encounter that usually happens, right?

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

So that's what you've been able to find, is that they are more formulaic than you remember?

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

hundred percent.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Yeah, Instead of following the formula in this episode, they decided to spend a lot of time on Scott's B story of making a photograph for Gloria.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

Which makes sense, because it's what we've talked about most.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Right? Well, Switchblade In helicopter mode blows all the smoke away. The laser light show resumes and points to the top of a rocky outcropping where Scott and T Bob are.

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

I did think this was a smart use of Switchblade to blow the smoke away. And I loved Miles's lines to them because he uses all their last names. He's like, Rax, Dagger, Warfield, what are you doing down there? Taking a nap? Give him a hot one. I was like, who wrote that? Like, Give him a hot one. What the fuck does that mean? Ha

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

The same guy who wrote the poem and made sweet

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. ha.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

today, fellas.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

Yeah.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Switchblade returns to the battle and smoke covers the sun again. And the laser lights turn off. and when they turn off, a hole has been revealed in the mountain, right? So Scott looks into it and finds the treasure. The economy is saved, everybody. It's gold doubloons and necklaces and crowns and everything.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

Now they can hire multiple security guards for another, the next Renaissance Fair

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

ha ha ha ha ha ha

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Imagine your nation's economy resting on finding an ancient hidden treasure.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

which really wasn't all that hidden after all, because they seemed to know where it was.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Right?

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

ha. They just had to desecrate an ancient site in order to

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

Mm-Hmm.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

T Bobb says, this must be what Venom is after. And Scott says, yeah, we gotta save them for dad. Like not for the country or for your museum, but for his father.

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

He's a painfully lonely boy who just wants his father's attention. What else do you expect? Ha!

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

I would have expected him to take some of that gold to bloom and buy the fucking stamp he's been waiting for the entire goddamn episode.

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

Yes!

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Um, well, we go back to the battle. T Hawk and Switchblade are now fighting in the sky. But Matt spots Scott and T Bob on the ground and he shows actual concern for his kid's safety. Oh no! Scott and T Bob are down there! And Jackhammer opens fire on Scott and T Bob, so now the kids are in actual danger. But Rhino cuts in front of Jackhammer and Piranha, causing a smokescreen, keeping them from firing on Scott and T Bob. It seems like, uh, only ability this episode is, smokescreen. You can do a lot more, fellas, but, okay. Matt rushes up to Scott. What in blazes are you doing here, Scott? And the kid says he'll explain later. And then reveals he's hidden all the treasure inside T Bob! How is there room inside T Bob to fit this giant cave full of treasure?

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

the camera and T Bob's empathy circuits. T Bob would weigh a fuck ton right now, by the way, with all of that gold.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

We remember how big cameras were in the 80s, so I'd buy that.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

They hear the archaeologist yelling for help and Matt uses spectrum to blow a hole in the mountain revealing the archaeologist and his assistant, but like, how did venom hide them inside a mountain? When they cut to the mountainside, there was clearly no cave opening ever. There was no rubble or anything. It was a side of a mountain. how did they get the guys in there? Were they hidden in solid stone or something?

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

it's a good question, because it is. They don't have penetrator, like if they had penetrator, they would actually be able to go right through. it could be they blew a hole and then used more boulders to cover it up like they do.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

What you just said gave me a realization, is that the same guy who came up with that poem and was making sweet love to his wife, Clearly made up Penetrator as well. It was all the same day and night.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

ha ha ha Ha. One of the top, the top writers on the staff here. Mask escapes this time instead of Venom. And Miles is understandably upset by this. Saying, I'll even the score someday mask, wait and see. Will you, Will you ever? at the Duke's castle and they are cleaning up Thunderhawk. And Matt thanks them. In the face of danger we came through. Says Scott, and Matt replies, yes, but now you're going to have to face the real danger. and the discipline I am going to think up for you for going to Sunhenge without permission. Oh no, this is not going to end well for Scott. in fact, T Bob says, before you read Scott, his last will and testimony, can I take a picture of him? It might be the last time we see him smile. Aww. And Matt busts out laughing.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

You know what I realized is that literally what Mask is an origin story for a villain. Like a supervillain. Like, everything that you see in this episode Is some hurt, painful stuff. Like when he says Uh, why are you at Sunhenge? It's because you literally paid zero attention to him throughout the rest of the episode. Ha.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

yeah, cause he realizes that his father only paid attention to supervillains. to get attention from his father, he becomes a supervillain himself.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

Yeah.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

And kills his father. And the cycle of horror and

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

and here's the scene, right? I'm gonna paint the scene for you where it turns. You pan down, and he's wearing the boots. And you fucking know that Scott has gone deep. Ha

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

wearing the boots and the pajamas he wants to send to Gloria. With the face on

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

ha.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

Yeah.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

well, Matt grabs Scott and puts him in a headlock, by the way. At the end of the scene. And Scott smiles probably because he's actually getting some physical attention, or physical affection from his father. Which at least is something.

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

I think Scott keeps that picture by his side always, Just as his touchstone reminder always yeah, it's sad. It's sad, but it's true

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

So we cut to the more, you know, moment and Scott and T Bob are out skateboarding and at least Scott is wearing a helmet. So that's good.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

That's very advanced for the eighties. Really?

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Yeah. And uh, they're on the sidewalk. Another kid is skateboarding on the street. And he almost gets run over by a truck. And T Bob says, You should never skateboard on the street. And Scott says, T Bob's right. We only skate on private property or skateboard parks. So, They only skate when they're trespassing?

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

I Think the next line out of one of them was like let's tag the places we can skype board so we know where to go

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

And then when we leave, we'll huff the paint that we have left over in the

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

Brad taught me how to do it.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

But here we are. That is episode 17. Let's take a look at some of our awards, shall we? Um, Anyone have nominees for dad of the year moment?

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

I mean, That moment, the second time he gets abandoned and follows on T Bot. That, to me, it was just like devastating. Like, You could have just seen him breaking down and crying, but instead he's a real go getter. He decides to follow them all the way to the ancient ruins. Heh heh heh heh

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

I love the, that through line. I'm going to push it a little further in the episode though, where Scott has saved the day and still his father's about to shit on him. It's like pretty awful. It's like, dad, I've been trying to get your attention. And now that I saved the day, you're just going to like discipline me. What the fuck man?

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Yeah, and I like just the classic first time it happens when Scott runs up because he needs some money. And Matt's like, not now. Like just like brushing him off like he's a mosquito flying around. I think what we have here is a trifecta for Matt in this episode in terms of his Dad of the Year award.

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

Yes, the entire episode is the Dad of the Year moment.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Do we have any Buddy Hawks award nominees this episode?

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

I did not have one. it kind of like speaks to a lot of the episode. Like we talked about earlier like, they've got a small number of characters in here, but you don't see them do very much. Like we keep. Cutting back to, I wonder if it was like just massive filler, the whole like, look, just keep cutting back to the dark room thing. We really don't want to be animating most of these guys this episode.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

Or maybe this is really, they've really, 17 episodes in, they're hitting their creative stride.

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

Ha ha ha ha Ha!

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

we'll see. We still have a ton more to go. well That's it friends. That is episode 17. This has been a great one. Jason, this has been outstanding. It's been so awesome having you on the pod. Hope you had as much fun as we had having you

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

had Jason, thank you so much for coming on. This has been phenomenal.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

Thank you for letting me relive my past and remembering why 80s opening theme songs were so important, which is, they just, Describe the entire premise of the show in the lyrics. And tell you exactly what you're gonna see. which I always enjoy. And they do it in a catchy

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Yeah, and one of my theories is, I think this is the best of the 80s cartoon theme songs, and one of my theories has been, the reason Mask has resonated for so long, is the theme song alone. It's like, we remember how great the theme song is, and so, you know, we think like, oh yeah, and the show was so awesome, but it's actually, no, the theme song was awesome. The toys were awesome. The show? Yeah.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

Yeah. In fact, going back and re watching it for this. And again, I watched it as a kid. There were characters I Did not remember, even though I watched episodes over and over again, and yet I can still sing the song in the shower every day

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

so Jason, you are the co host of the incredible what about podcast for our listeners who haven't heard about it yet? Tell us just a little bit about it.

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

So the what about podcast started from myself and actor Danny Nucci who people remember from movies like the rock and titanic and lots of other Actiony movies but he was also in the tv show the fosters he and I have been writing together for some time we would get together and we were supposed to be writing and coming up with the Really good poems that we could bring back to our wives and have a good night. But but essentially we would talk about things that interested us topics. So that's why we started the podcast. It's just us. Every episode is about a different topic of interest or that somebody has a strong opinion on with our guests. Every Tuesday episode is with an actor or celebrity, and then every Thursday episode is with a, an expert on a particular field. And then we just dissect those subjects with that person. We talk about their journey, and then we jump into the special episode topic each thing. So we've done everything from cotton candy to McCarthyism.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Yeah. It's a really interesting angle for a podcast. You have a guy like Rob Lowe on but his topic is resilience,

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

Yeah He's been around doing it for so long. It's something we try to do. A lot of times, like people will come to us with a topic or we try to identify a topic that we think like we, we had Leah Thompson on. And we really wanted to talk about PG 13 movies and she was in the first one Red Dawn that got the PG 13 rating that made it to theaters. So we thought who better to speak to about it than somebody who was living it.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Yeah. And I mean, it just, a lot of Pods with when celebrities come on, it's like, Oh, cool. That was so cool. You were on the West wing. St. Emile's fire, that sort of thing. But to hear them actually dive into a topic that they're interested in, that they care about, whether serious, meaningful to them or just interesting or funny is great. I'm a big fan of the pod. I hope everyone else goes out right now and downloads it from their podcaster of choice. It's been so much fun

jay-bot_2_07-26-2024_131326:

Guys, thank you so much. I'm gonna go abandon my children like Matt Tracker now. So, uh, I will, uh, I will see you all uh, in the future down the road.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Awesome.

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

come back.

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

so next up, folks, we have uh, episode 18, Bad Vibrations, Venom Threatens to Destroy Buildings in Hong Kong with a Sonic Weapon.

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

I'm glad we're getting back to scientific devices that Miles comes up with that, you know, he wants to immediately abandon instead of making it a billion dollar property. So we

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Right. Yeah. Well, This podcast has to transform and head back to HQ. As always, I am Adam Moore.

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

And I am PJ

squadcaster-8ee4_2_07-26-2024_101328:

Bye bye.

pj_2_07-26-2024_111328:

Bye bye.

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