This week, Mandy welcomes an old friend and collaborator, the multi-talented Brian Bradley, to the show. The pair reminisce about their shared history at the sadly now-defunct Acme Comedy Theater. But what secrets lie hidden in the NDA-protected annals of their legal battles? Mandy and Brian remain tight-lipped.
Brian, a lifelong devotee of all things geeky, reveals the origin story of his nerd journey, from comic books to Star Wars to the theater (purely to meet women, of course). But the real question is, can he convert Mandy to the ways of the Trekkie with a curated selection of Star Trek episodes?
First up, “The Inner Light” from Star Trek: The Next Generation. This acclaimed episode sees Captain Picard living out 40 years on an alien planet in the span of mere minutes. Mandy is quick to point out the decidedly ’90s aesthetic, from the Coldwater Creek-esque costumes to the cutting-edge electronic doorbells. But beneath the dated veneer lies a poignant exploration of the human condition – and the comforting universality of soup.
Up next is the musical extravaganza “Subspace Rhapsody” from the new series Strange New Worlds. In this whimsical and surreal episode, the crew of the Enterprise finds themselves trapped in a mysterious nebula that compels them to burst into song and dance numbers, much to their confusion and consternation.
As the conversation veers into the mainstreaming of geek culture, Brian laments the “cool kids” co-opting Comic-Con, while Mandy posits that The Big Bang Theory played a significant role in the nerd zeitgeist shift. But does the show accurately represent geekdom, or is it a Hollywood caricature? The debate rages on.
Tune in next week to see if Mandy has fully embraced her inner Trekkie, or if she’ll be forever lost in the uncanny valley of Star Trek’s retro-futuristic makeup.
