After walking hundreds of miles across Middle-Earth, Daniel and Bo finally arrive at the grandfather of all Triumphs - The Lord of the Rings. Pretend to be shocked by Bo's tragic confession at the very beginning of the episode. Travel back to 2001 with Daniel and recall what it felt like to watch these in the theater for the first time. Listen with mouth agape while Daniel defends Boromir at the stand. Examine the call to adventure, but first, imagine the icy touch of a frothy pint on your lips ...
Feb 29, 2024•1 hr 16 min•Season 2Ep. 7
We invite a friend to join the side of peace and hope - a side that believes that great stories exist and can be celebrated freely. Bo, Daniel, and Mark swap stories about their experience with the rich and deep story that Respawn has woven into the great tapestry that is Star Wars. How did it feel to see the Jedi Temple? Did Tears of the Kingdom affect how quickly we got around to playing it? Which stances did we all prefer? Did you see that teaser with Mark Hamil? While Jedi: Survivor's been o...
Feb 27, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Discussing the triumph Blue Eye Samurai, equal parts Samurai Jack, Die Hard, Avatar the Last Airbender, Kill Bill, and Mandalorian. Daniel wonders if Mizu is redeemable. Bo insists that she must be. Daniel applauds the animation and writing. Bo laments the long wait for season two.
Feb 01, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 5
In which Bo, Daniel, and guest star Anthony explore all the incredible passion and detail inside of 2023's game of the year. At over 100 hours each, the three compare their play experiences, including an in-depth comparison of their Goblin Camp strategies and Character Creator shenanigans. We manage to (mostly) avoid Act 2 and 3 spoilers due to Daniel having spent more than 40 of his 100 hours in the character creator, and the other 60 in Act 1, with 5 different characters. Anthony and Bo agree ...
Jan 18, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Season 2Ep. 4
In which Daniel and Bo absolutely gush about Miyazaki's so-called final film. Daniel points out it may be Miyazaki's most personal and authentic yet, and Bo breaks down Mahito's grieving journey. Daniel asserts the Grey Heron must be death itself (what CAN'T Edward Cullen do?) and Bo identifies Miyazaki's more subtle depictions of forgiveness and love. Daniel explains that while this is a hot entry to the Ghibli repetoire, Monoke may still hold his personal first place spot....
Jan 04, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Season 2Ep. 3
In which we touch on a brief history of Gojira, debate the monster movie rules, and admire the incredible ass-heating power of Cinemark D-Box seats. Bo admits he's never seen a Godzilla film before, and Daniel schools him with ancient knowledge from the annals of MST3K. We gush about how the opening works to set up moral gray in the film, only to clarify in the finale. We agree that the film is a certified triumph, and Bo soapboxes about limitations and art.
Dec 21, 2023•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 2
The episode of the podcast of the Marvel show made just for you, for all of us. Featuring our friend Noah! The Marvel show with the best graphic design returns for a timey-wimey season 2 in which a charming british man in a fancy coat uses time magic to help save the world. Daniel compares to the classic Murray film, Noah grows his hair out, Bo grumbles softly.
Dec 07, 2023•1 hr 15 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Only a sith deals in absolutes, but we're sure you'll like this.
Nov 02, 2023•2 min•Season 2Ep. 1
A finale, of sorts. An end, and a beginning. Thank you 2023 for being an incredible year! In this episode, Bo and Daniel itemize their favorite Movies, Games, and TV from 2023. Overall, Bo and Daniel share the feeling that it has been a year of strange return to the old. As streaming's newness fades, and single-player games dominate, we both feel like it's 2010 again in some ways. Daniel gushes about Baldur's Gate 3, Bo confesses his love for Starfield, and more.
Nov 01, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Season 1Ep. 15
Did our predictions come true?! Jump into the Filoni-verse with Daniel and Bo to explore what makes Ahsoka special. We'll be breaking down the entire season, recorded the day after the finale premiered. Funny enough, discussing the Ahsoka finale is also the TRIUMPH! Season One finale! Thanks for enjoying the show and stay tuned for more from Triumph!
Oct 05, 2023•1 hr 15 min
In which Daniel and Bo gush about one of the greatest (superhero) films ever made. How are the heroes and villains connected? Is the insurance company behind everything? Isn't it sort of gruesome that Syndrome just dies and they all move on? Does everything Brad Bird touches turn to gold? (eh!)
Sep 21, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 13
It's 2008 and Rockstar Games dares to ask: is the American Dream even real? Does money matter, really? How many rocket launchers can fit into the trunk of a shady van? Reminisce about this Certified Triumph! from the 7th generation of console gaming, and decide if they delivered on the true promise of video games: to be fully immersed in a world not your own. Thrown off the Platypus and onto the streets of Liberty City, Niko Bellic falls fast into a criminal life, and the player comes along for ...
Aug 30, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 12
The moment we've all been waiting for. Our canon janitor Dave Filoni has arrived, and Daniel and I cross swords about what he's done, Empire style. Questions asked include: Did Dave Filoni play Fallen Order? Should heroes build big ships? Are lightsabers heavy? Do Hera and Sabine work in live-action? Are stories math? Does Sabine really have to be force sensitive? We can't wait for more Ahsoka.
Aug 23, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 11
On this special bonus episode of Triumph, our good friends Anthony and Noah join us to discuss the upcoming Ahsoka premiere. We pick our favorite lightsabers, compare and contrast our first impressions of Ahsoka, and discuss what makes Rebels great. We debate which animated characters have best translated to live-action so far, and we enthuse about what makes Ahsoka so great as a Star Wars character. We put on our tin foil hats, discuss the Hot Tub Time Machine and other models of time travel, a...
Aug 19, 2023•1 hr 22 min•Season 1Ep. 10
In this episode of Triumph! Bo and Daniel reflect on the remarkable words and pages of Alyse Knorr, author of "Super Mario Bros 3", a Boss Fight Books publication. SMB3 is a certified Triumph! Mario Kart or Mario Party? Choose your fighter, Double Dash edition. Bo plays emulated SMB3 for the first time, while Daniel makes it all the way to Bowser's Castle. What makes SMB3 special and why is it the Tanooki? Did SMB3 even really happen? What are those anomalies on the right-hand side of my SMB3 RO...
Aug 16, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 9
On this special episode, recorded live in the Lone Star state, Bo and Daniel break down Henry Cavill's last bow. Questions asked include: what makes a story great? Why is Witcher so inconsistent? What makes Witcher amazing?
Aug 09, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 8
We open with the incredible, mind-bending, one-time live Podracing event that is the BARBENHEIMER EVE CLASSIC. Wherein Bo and Daniel debate who would win in a Podrace starring characters from both Gerwig's Barbie and Nolan's Oppenheimer. We open the Witcher discussion with background on our individual experiences with the franchise. We explore and evaluate the quality of what summates to be a strange collection of canon material. (Witcher canon is broadly weird) We celebrate the relative Triumph...
Jul 26, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Including a Tears of the Kingdom recap with Bo's 10 year old nephew, Ruben! (27:12) Bo and Daniel begin by introducing themselves in 3 starships. Bo provides some background on Akira, an anime legend that influenced a whole world of cyberpunk that came after it. Daniel, having just watched it for the first time, shares his first impressions. We identify connections and other influences, and share the parts we loved. We conclude with more Akira thoughts, and debate whether or not to participate i...
Jul 19, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Instead of watching Michael Keaton in a rubber suit (The Flash), we're watching Michael Keaton in a rubber suit (Birdman). While the film barely passes the Bechdel test, it does succeed as a meditation on ego, artistry, and also in making us re-evaluate the entire purpose of our show. Daniel introduces an inter-generational interpretation of the film via the three journalists, as well as the three main characters. We ponder as to whether Iñárritu ACTUALLY hates superhero movies or not, and we de...
Jul 12, 2023•52 min•Season 1Ep. 5
We share our Mass Effect play-through experiences, and gush about the incredible story and characters that BioWare put together. SPOILER ALERT FOR HOMER'S ODYSSEY! (You've had hundreds of years, it's too late.) Daniel starts us off with some key historical context: the capabilities and promises of the Xbox 360 and PS3 era. Bo explains it was Daniel who convinced him to play these games, by explaining the key story innovation: choices made in one game carry over into the subsequent titles. We exp...
Jul 05, 2023•59 min•Season 1Ep. 3
Discussing the incredible triumph which is the very existence of this sequel film. A film, Daniel argues, which works arguably poorly as a standalone film, and even worse as a sequel, but excellently as the middle part of what promises to be a breathtaking trilogy. Bo and Daniel share whether or not they cried (guess who did and who didn't), and Bo waxes meta about the Miles Morales story as a whole. Daniel suggests that not all the animation in the film is connected to the overall story, and Bo...
Jun 28, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 3
Welcome aboard! Dive right in.
Jun 27, 2023•28 sec
Goodness? Evil? Do they exist in a vacuum? Does James Gunn think so? We discuss how we almost didn't even see the movie in the first place, and whether or not we enjoyed it. Bo expressed a strange feeling he had, that he had "seen this movie before". Daniel explains the importance of Superman, and ultimately, the role of a hero. We ultimately agree that Guardians is an excellent set of James Gunn movies, but that it's starting to feel like James Gunn only knows how to effectively tell one story....
Jun 21, 2023•58 min•Season 1Ep. 2
Today we're talking Tears of the Kingdom, and all the Zelda that came before it. Learn about our expectations going in, and laugh with us about Nintendo's unpredictable marketing strategies. In an attempt to identify the magic of Zelda, we compare and contrast our childhood Zelda experiences. At one point, Bo asks Daniel if he thinks he would have loved Tears of the Kingdom at age 7, wherein we admit perhaps we're becoming crotchety old men. UItimately we arrive at the conclusion that this Breat...
Jun 14, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 1
