Robot or Not? 323: Pasta Roundup

John fields some important questions about pasta from listeners Connor, Joshua, and Lee, including the definition of Al Dente and noodles versus pasta. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

Our Summer of Submarines floats on with “U-571”, a 21st centry-style action movie that manages to hit most of the squares on the submarine bingo card. McConaughey is a disgruntled XO! Depth charges terrify! A surprising twist if you didn’t think about the title! Turns out, submarine movies aren’t a genre—they’re a format that lets filmmakers explore genres. Jason Snell with Erika Ensign, Casey Liss and Moisés Chiullán.

Cracks are forming in Dana’s dating plan while Dan is recruiting a reluctant Isaac for a special feature on, you guessed it, the Giants winning the pennant back in 1951. Sure, Lex and Brian are wondering how Sorkin continues to pick the strangest titles for his shows, but you, dear listener, need not worry. Just keep Sorkin’ In It. Lex Friedman and Brian Warren.

A season of “Strange New Worlds” comes to an end, and so does this season of our podcast! But before we go, we have thoughts about Pike and Batel, “Doctor Who” plots, ley lines, parallel timelines, and even “Star Trek: Scouts” and “Star Trek: Khan”! Scott McNulty and Jason Snell.

It’s Higgins versus Magnum in a tit-for-tat, Roland for Oliver battle of pranks, hijinks, and accused felonies. There’s a long scene in an elevator. Our characters become as impervious to damage as cartoon characters. And put away your red string and conspiracy board, because there’s a terrible idea in this episode that receives the blanket condemnation and denouncement of the entirety of Magnum, podcast. Jason Snell, Philip Michaels and David J. Loehr.

This episode of Random Pursuit features a quest for CanCon, fours for everyone, and two new editions of Trivial Pursuit! Numbers! Erika Ensign and Steven Schapansky with Cicero Holmes, Glenn Fleishman, Monty Ashley, Sarah Murphy and Tom Dickinson.

Erika and Steven reach the mid-point of the last 6-parter structured like this one. Turns out there’s a lot to talk about here in the middle! Erika Ensign and Steven Schapansky.

This episode has less chaos, but more dragon. Tony Sindelar with James Thomson, Kathy Campbell, Monty Ashley, Steve Lutz and Tiff Arment.

We dive beneath the sea again with “K-19: The Widowmaker,” in which Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson star as… wait a second… Soviet naval officers? It’s a film about a horrible nuclear accident assembled from pieces of other submarine movies, as well as possibly several “Star Trek” movies, and we can’t decide if the screenplay or the casting is more of a problem. But finally we’ll get to the bottom of the real question: if most of the crewmen aren’t married, can K-19 really be a widowmaker? Jason Snell with Erika Ensign, Philip Michaels, Steven Schapansky, Brian Warren and Tony Sindelar.

Who knew that the opposite of an Arena was an Enemy Mine? Scott McNulty and Jason Snell.