The Boys are back, and they’re excited to talk about all things Dunk and Egg! They dive into Episode 2 of 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,' explore character dynamics so far in the show, and maybe even hit a few tangents along the way. (0:00) Intro (5:46) Spoilers Ahead (7:45) ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Episode 2 Reactions (1:09:13) Outro Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman Producers: Aleya Zenieris and Jade Whaley Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgop...
Jan 26, 2026•1 hr 22 min
Sharpened pencils down! Ben Lindbergh and Daniel Chin discuss the momentous, if somewhat scattered, sixth episode of the second season of 'Fallout,' "The Other Player." After sharing their overall review, they recap and dissect each of the (many!) main plot threads and character developments, break down the story revelations, and greet a new guest star with a crucial connection to ‘Fallout’ lore. They also scrutinize a mini–musical number, speculate about what could be coming in the final two ep...
Jan 22, 2026•1 hr 30 min
The Boys are back, and they’re here to dive back into the ‘Game of Thrones’ universe. They discuss the highly anticipated first episode of the new series ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.’ Then they jump into a little Nerd News from George R. R. Martin himself. (0:00) Intro (5:54) Spoilers Ahead (7:28) ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Episode 1 Reactions (1:12:34) Nerd News (1:27:47) Outro Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman Producers: Chris Thomas, Jade Whaley, and...
Jan 19, 2026•1 hr 32 min
We need to talk! Ben Lindbergh and Daniel Chin discuss the strong fifth episode of the second season of 'Fallout,' "The Wrangler." After sharing their overall review, they recap and dissect each of the main plot threads and character developments, break down the story revelations, and assess the connections to ‘Fallout’ lore. They also examine the mystery of who ended the world and probe that puzzle’s implications for the rest of the series. Intro (0:00) Overall review of the episode (1:46) Hank...
Jan 15, 2026•1 hr 29 min
The Boys are back, and they’re here to give you the best primer for 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms': the best ‘Game of Thrones’ crash-outs. But before they get to that, they give you a bit of Nerd News, with Sebastian Stan joining ‘The Batman Part II.’ (0:00) Intro (16:58) Nerd News (37:23) ‘Game of Thrones’ crash-outs (1:28:21) Outro Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman Producers: Aleya Zenieris and Jade Whaley Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell Lea...
Jan 15, 2026•1 hr 32 min
Viva New Vegas! Ben Lindbergh and Daniel Chin climb into their T-45 armor to analyze the fourth episode of the second season of 'Fallout,' "The Demon in the Snow." After sharing their overall takes on the episode, they check in on the Vault dwellers, Maximus and the Brotherhood, and Coop/the Ghoul and Lucy and examine how the show's core characters and factions are reacting to the stress of wasteland life. They also reflect on the Brotherhood's lax security, the deathclaw design, and 'Fallout' l...
Jan 08, 2026•1 hr 33 min
It’s 2026 and the Midnight Boys are back! The guys react to the Avengers: Doomsday teasers before getting into their predictions for the box office, critical success and more on all things fandom in 2026. Intro (0:00) Nerd News - Avengers: Doomsday Teasers (03:15) Over/Unders of 2026 (13:41) Outro (01:47:11)Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve AhlmanProducers: Jon Jones and Jade WhaleyAdditional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...
Jan 08, 2026•1 hr 51 min
Ben, Matt James, and Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier start a new save file for 2026! First they sum up the subjects they think will define the year, from 'Grand Theft Auto VI' to the Steam Machine to rising prices to anti-AI sentiments. Then they select their most anticipated games of 2026 in several categories and wrap up with big-picture predictions. Intro (0:00) Big questions about the year (3:45) Most anticipated games (35:34) 2026 predictions (1:29:12) Outro (1:41:42) Host: Ben Lindbergh ...
Jan 06, 2026•1 hr 45 min
Hot dawg! Ben and Van Lathan suit up to discuss the lore-stuffed third episode of the second season of 'Fallout,' "The Profligate." After sharing their overall review, they check in on Lucy, Coop/The Ghoul, and Maximus, and examine how the episode's themes and plot lines tie together. They also reflect on the merits of talking to dogs, compare and contrast crucifixion methods, break down bathroom conversation etiquette, bemoan anti-ghoul discrimination, and more. Intro (0:00) ‘Fallout’ Episode 3...
Jan 01, 2026•1 hr 12 min
The Boys are back for their end-of-the-year review of all things nerd-verse and their Midnight Mulligans rankings! (10:13) 'Star Wars: Skeleton Crew' (13:56) 'Wicked' Part 1 (18:04) 'Captain America: Brave New World' (34:17) 'Daredevil: Born Again' (34:58) 'Sinners' (38:34) 'Thunderbolts*' (40:22) 'Andor' Season 2 (40:53) 'The Last of Us' Season 2 (55:43) 'Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning' (58:03) 'Ballerina' (59:58) 'Ironheart' (1:03:19) 'Jurassic World Rebirth' (1:05:37) 'F1' (1:08:15) ...
Dec 31, 2025•1 hr 52 min
With various hosts scattered or taking time off for the holidays, Ben Lindbergh and Van Lathan toss out the typical Recommends format for this month and devote the whole episode to one show that hasn't been covered on The Ringer-Verse or ‘House of R’: ‘Pluribus.’ Ben and Van explore what made Vince Gilligan's Apple TV series a challenging yet fulfilling watch, discuss what sets the series apart from other sci-fi fare, and look ahead to a (distant) second season. Happy New Year! Host: Ben Lindber...
Dec 31, 2025•1 hr 11 min
Ben and Daniel Chin patrol the Mojave and discuss the literally mind-blowing second episode of the second season of 'Fallout,' "The Golden Rule." After sharing their overall review, they assess each of the episode’s four main settings and story lines, point out the parallels between characters, and wrestle with this season’s accelerated world-building. They also consider whether becoming a ghoul is good, the Golden Rule vs. the Ghoul-den Rule, the likelihood of surviving a nuclear explosion by h...
Dec 24, 2025•1 hr 13 min
Ben, Matt, Steve, and Joshua Rivera recap an eventful year in video games by summing up the overall quantity and quality of games released in 2025, identifying both naughty and nice trends in the industry, and drafting their favorite titles across several categories. (00:00) Intro (3:35) Overall Quality of 2025 Games (8:35) Naughty and Nice Industry Trends (43:32) Games of the Year Draft Host: Ben Lindbergh Guests: Matt James, Steve Ahlman, and Joshua Rivera Producer: Isaiah Blakely Additional P...
Dec 23, 2025•2 hr 14 min
The Boys are back to give you all of their thoughts on the newest installment of James Cameron’s ‘Avatar’ universe: ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash.’ (0:00) Intro (22:15) Spoilers Ahead (23:54) ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ Reactions (1:25:06) Midnight Meter (1:27:32) Outro Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman Producers: Chris Thomas, Devon Baroldi, Aleya Zenieris, and Sarah Reddy Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoice...
Dec 19, 2025•1 hr 31 min
Ben Lindbergh and Van Lathan return to the Wasteland for the first weekly Button Mash breakdown of ‘Fallout’ Season 2. First, they recap the premiere and discuss how it sets up the season. Then, Ben talks to Justin Theroux about joining the show in the role of Robert House. Finally, Ben brings on Polygon senior editor Chris Hayner for a primer on the game that inspired much of this season, ‘Fallout: New Vegas.’ Intro (0:00) 'Fallout' Season 2 premiere recap (11:56) Interview with Justin Theroux ...
Dec 17, 2025•1 hr 27 min
Ben Lindbergh and Matt James share their instant reactions to gaming's annual awards show/trailer fest! First they discuss the dominance of ‘Clair Obscur: Expedition 33,’ Matt’s experience attending the show in person, and the award winners that made them happiest and saltiest. Then they count down their respective top 10 lists of exciting announcements about upcoming games. Intro (0:00) Reactions to the Game Awards (2:20) Top 10 highlights (18:36) Outro (1:01:26) Host: Ben Lindbergh Guest: Matt...
Dec 12, 2025•1 hr 5 min
The Boys are back and here to bring you their very merry Christmas movies draft! Five categories of holly jolly fun, from Comedy to Wild Card! (0:00) Intro (7:44) Christmas Movies Draft (1:39:06) Outro Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman Producers: Aleya Zenieris, Devon Baroldi, and Jacob Cornett Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...
Dec 10, 2025•1 hr 43 min
After stepping inside Samus’s visor for the first time in years, Ben and Polygon's Giovanni Colantonio compare notes on the much-anticipated ‘Metroid Prime 4: Beyond,’ a great game grafted onto parts of other, less-good games. In their spoiler-lite chat, they puzzle over the game’s discordant elements, praise its strengths, and analyze how it fits into the franchise’s lineage before assessing the Switch 2's launch-window lineup now that Nintendo has released its last title of 2025. Then Jessica ...
Dec 06, 2025•2 hr
The Boys are back and they’re asking the Midnight Riders for their most burning questions about the nerd-verse! From Yoda to Jomi-cookie-gate, they’re here to give you all the answers. (0:00) Intro (9:04) Midnight Mailbag (1:39:09) Outro Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman Producers: Aleya Zenieris and Devon Baroldi Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...
Dec 03, 2025•1 hr 43 min
Spoilers ahead! Jomi, Steve, and Jess dive into the long-awaited 'Zootopia 2,' sharing their full review and exploring how the sequel expands the world of the original. They discuss the franchise’s cultural impact and what Disney got right (and wrong) this time around and look ahead to a potential 'Zootopia 3,' discussing where Judy, Nick, and the rest of the city could go next. Finally, they zoom out for a broader conversation on Disney sequels, the hurdles they’ve faced, why some manage to shi...
Nov 28, 2025•56 min
The Boys are back, and they’re drafting white girl movies! From Meg Ryan to Lindsay Lohan, they draft in five categories: Fantasy/Action, Romantic Comedy, Musical, Drama, and Wild Card. (0:00) Intro (9:29) White Girl Movies Draft (1:27:05) Outro Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman Producers: Aleya Zenieris, Devon Baroldi, and Devon Renaldo Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...
Nov 26, 2025•1 hr 31 min
We all pod down here. You'll pod, too. Recommends returns for a Thanksgiving feast! First, Ben brings on Zach Dionne to talk about 'It: Welcome to Derry,' Hollywood's obsession with Stephen King (including several new adaptations in 2025), the dos and don'ts of adapting King, the historical highs and lows, and the future of King's work on-screen. After that, other Ringer-Verse hosts and friends salute unsung releases to complete another expanded installment of the monthly roundup of fandom favor...
Nov 25, 2025•1 hr 8 min
Ben brings on Simon Carless of GameDiscoverCo and Morgan Park of PC Gamer to explain the success of some of the most popular games released this year that haven’t previously been discussed on the podcast: surprise Steam sensations ‘R.E.P.O.,’ ‘Schedule I,’ ‘Peak,’ ‘Megabonk,’ ‘Escape From Duckov,’ and ‘RV There Yet?’ They break down how unknown PC games go viral, how long their time in the spotlight usually lasts, and what these huge hits have to teach us about the gaming landscape in 2025. Intr...
Nov 24, 2025•1 hr 21 min
The Boys are back for good! They unpack all things ‘Wicked: For Good,’ including the highly anticipated musical numbers, the interweaving of the original ‘Wizard of Oz’ story, and the depiction of animals in the movie. (0:00) Intro (9:27) Spoilers ahead (11:11) ‘Wicked: For Good’ reactions (1:02:35) Midnight Meter (1:21:46) Outro Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman Producers: Aleya Zenieris and Devon Baroldi Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell Learn m...
Nov 21, 2025•1 hr 26 min
Ben is joined by Kotaku’s Claire Jackson and Zack Zwiezen as they react to the just-announced nominations for the Game Awards (focusing on the Game of the Year candidates, the record number of nominations for ‘Clair Obscur,’ and the debate about the definition of “indie”) and then break down the industry implications, player considerations, and AI ramifications of the competition brewing among a trio of online-multiplayer powerhouse shooters: ‘Battlefield 6,’ ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops 7,’ and ‘AR...
Nov 18, 2025•1 hr 24 min
The Boys are back, and they’re ready to talk all things ‘The Running Man’! Then they get into the nerd news of the week with ‘Superman 2’ and even do a mini draft of the best rappers-turned-actors. (0:00) Intro (7:07) Spoilers ahead (9:36) Instant reactions to ‘The Running Man’ (55:05) Midnight Meter (57:33) Nerd News (1:11:30) Outro (1:14:58) Post Credits Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman Producers: Aleya Zenieris and Devon Baroldi Additional Production Support:...
Nov 15, 2025•1 hr 32 min
Ben Lindbergh, Jomi Adeniran, and Daniel Chin discuss news surrounding a few coming attractions—another 'Grand Theft Auto VI' delay, trailers for 'The Super Mario Galaxy Movie' and 'Fallout' Season 2, and Valve's announcement of a new Steam Machine—before breaking down the highs and lows of hit episodic superhero adventure game 'Dispatch' (including one spoiler-ish interlude about Jomi's forlorn electronic love life). Then Ben talks to 'Dispatch' creative director Nick Herman and narrative direc...
Nov 14, 2025•2 hr 36 min
The Boys are back, and they’re ready to talk all things ‘Predator’! First, they react to the newest addition to the 'Predator' universe, ‘Predator: Badlands.’ Then they rank the top five ‘Predator’ movies. (0:00) Intro (3:51) Spoilers ahead (5:30) Instant reactions to ‘Predator: Badlands’ (56:22) Midnight Meter (59:25) Top five 'Predator' movies (1:04:24) Outro Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman Producers: Chris Thomas, Jade Whaley, and Aleya Zenieris Additional P...
Nov 07, 2025•1 hr 9 min
No tricks, all treats! Recommends returns for a dose of fall fun. First, Ben brings on CBR writer Katie Doll to talk about the rise, fall, and future of 'The Walking Dead' in honor of the 15th anniversary of the franchise, with an emphasis on 'Daryl Dixon' Season 3. After that, other Ringer-Verse and House of R hosts and friends salute unsung releases to complete another expanded installment of the monthly roundup of fandom favorites from TV, anime, movies, video games, books, comics, and beyond...
Nov 01, 2025•1 hr 9 min
This is an Xbox ... episode of Button Mash! First, Ben Lindbergh and Matt "The Matt-ster Chief" James breaks down what the upcoming multi-platform remake of the original 'Halo' portends for the future of Xbox. Then, they stick with the theme by sharing their spoiler-free reactions to two new Xbox-published multiplatform games, 'Ninja Gaiden 4' and 'The Outer Worlds 2.' Intro (0:00) The Future of Xbox (1:46) 'Ninja Gaiden 4' and 'The Outer Worlds 2' Reactions (25:18) Outro (1:09:13) Host: Ben Lin...
Oct 31, 2025•1 hr 13 min
