Subscribe to the show in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere else you find your favorite podcasts!

TDW Minutes 51-55: Cassandra and the Chalkboard

Frigga’s funeral may be mythological, but our hosts aren’t buying the emotion this week. Pete and Matthew dive into minutes 51–55 of Thor: The Dark World, beginning with a grand (if historically dubious) funeral and ending with Thor proposing a wildly reckless plan to his father. Along the way, they unpack the film’s missed opportunities for emotional depth—especially the absence of Loki’s moment of grief—and how these five minutes feel both overly busy and dramatically underpowered.

We bounce between six locations, including Selvig’s exposition chalkboard moment in what may or may not be an aging facility (featuring a forgettable Stan Lee cameo) and a quick visual reminder that Jane is still glowing red with ether energy. And despite the flurry of movement, the pacing still drags, weighed down by disconnected scenes and a serious case of mythological overreach.

Then it’s back to Asgard, where the Warriors Three confront Odin with some bad news: Heimdall can’t see the enemy, and Asgard is defenseless. But just as that stakes-rich thread opens up, it’s cut short so Thor can argue about Jane’s confinement—and pitch a plan that makes no sense to anyone, including the writers. What could’ve been a scene full of ethical tension dissolves into narrative incoherence, and even the production design misses its moment: the throne is still missing, but no one seems to care.

Matthew wins this round with a sharper emotional take, while Pete is left wondering whether the good minutes are behind us. Plus: technobabble, Cassandra metaphors, and Harrison Ford’s paychecks.

If you want to hear these conversations unfold in real-time, join the Marvel Movie Minute community at trustory.fm/join, where members get early access, invitations to live stream recordings, and other bonus content.

Film Sundries

Assemble.

Matthew Fox and Pete Wright are back to the MMM bridge—for the first time together—picking up the hammer and heading back to Asgard for Thor: The Dark World, and they’re taking it apart five minutes at a time.

Scroll To Top