The Living Daylights: Cello Cases, Cargo Nets, and Timothy Dalton’s Big Debut
Welcome to this episode of The Most Excellent 80s Movies Show. Hosts Krissy Lenz and Nathan Blackwell welcome special guest Nate McWhortor to dig into The Living Daylights (1987), the movie that hands the tuxedo to a brand-new 007 and asks the trio whether “Bond summer” gets even better on the second stop.
The conversation keeps circling one big question: is this a reinvention of Bond, or just a reset with the same gadgets, puns, and glamour dialed to a slightly darker frequency? The hosts and their guest trace how Timothy Dalton’s colder, more calculating take lines up with Ian Fleming’s original novels, and debate whether that grounded edge helps or just makes the romance feel more like manipulation than seduction.
From there it’s pure conversation fuel: gadget nostalgia, a running bit about how many ways a car can be split in half, strong opinions about a villain lineup that never quite finds its footing, and a genuine soft spot for all the wonderfully “very 1987” touches sprinkled throughout. Supporting characters get their own spotlight too, with a few earning surprise fan-favorite status.
It all wraps with real affection for Dalton’s swing at the role, some good-natured ranking chatter, and a shared curiosity about where his era goes next. This one stays premise-level and spoiler-light throughout, more about vibes and debate than beat-by-beat plot details.
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If you had to design Bond’s next sexy assassin from scratch, what’s their one signature weapon?
