The Reactor Corps

We're celebrating 10 years of The Whatnauts with an end of the year "grand prix" because you can call anything a grand prix, there's no rules stopping you! Two people talking about pizza can be a grand prix!! Kyle sees a chicken. Melissa sees a big glove. Between the two of us, we've seen Tenet 3.5 times and Interstellar 1 time and we're going to try to understand both. We also give out the yearly Review Show superlatives, recap the F1 season finale and the Game of the Year awards, imagine a Scrabble game that takes up your whole house, and talk about cow cinema.Click here to watch a video of this episode. (00:00) - Intro (00:04) - Welcome and banter (05:01) - Cinema corner (51:33) - Review Show awards and superlatives (01:39:11) - Episode 300 again (02:03:20) - Melissa's BIG news (02:20:31) - Formula 1 corner (02:36:11) - Pop culture lightning round (02:43:10) - Detour to The Game Awards (02:52:40) - Last bit of the pop culture lightning round (02:55:16) - Outro Reply on Bluesky ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Episode 147. Start your engines, it's time for Kyle and Melissa to talk F1: The Movie! We cover how this movie works whether you know the sport or not, the rivalry between the two drivers, male jewelry, and the unforgettably intense crash from the movie Ferrari.Click here to watch a video of this episode. (00:00) - Intro (00:02) - Welcome and banter (01:01) - General thoughts on F1: The Movie (14:18) - Spoilers begin here (14:32) - Breaking the mold right from the start (16:59) - The characters feel like they have a history (22:35) - The dynamic between Hayes and Pierce (25:37) - The portrayal of Women in F1 (30:36) - There should have been a lot of penalties (34:07) - The biggest F1 fan crowd pleasers (39:57) - Young drivers and their families (40:40) - Melissa was wowed by the jewelry (42:17) - The cinematography and filming techniques (48:17) - Crashes and superhuman recoveries (52:33) - Expectations for the end of the film (58:48) - Aging action stars in Hollywood (01:01:54) - Outro Reply on Bluesky ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Episode 146. We discuss Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning, the eighth film in the series, and whether it's as "final" as its title proclaims it to be. We talk about callbacks to the first movie, plot details that are over-explained and under-explained, Ethan's isolation in the stunt setpieces, foosball, and why we think there's going to be a ninth movie and how it could resurrect a beloved dead character.Click here to watch a video of this episode. (00:00) - Intro (00:02) - Welcome and banter (00:35) - General thoughts on Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning (09:11) - Spoilers begin here (09:23) - A messy beginning (15:31) - Was there a version of this movie about Ethan's mental state? (25:53) - What's up with Luther? (34:02) - Ethan's overly complicated plan (42:08) - The submarine scene (46:33) - Remember when the movie got really religious for a bit there? (48:35) - The return of William Donloe (54:46) - Lots of missing or vague information (56:44) - Ethan and Grace...? (01:01:54) - Was this really the FINAL recokoning? (01:09:26) - The doomsday bunker (01:13:21) - The reveal of Jim Phelps Jr.? (01:19:03) - Planes! (Lots and lots of) (01:25:33) - Would Ethan's fate being ambiguous been better? (01:29:18) - The President's side of things (01:33:34) - The ending scene sure is... something. (01:39:57) - Rooting for Ilsa to return (01:43:48) - What might happen in the next movie if there is one? (01:55:06) - Outro Reply on Bluesky ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Episode 145. Kyle and Melissa assemble to discuss Marvel's new hit, Thunderbolts*! We talk about the meaning behind the asterisk and if this movie's title will officially change in the future, Congressman Bucky Barnes, the "Emperor's New Groove" scene, and how we hope to learn more about Val and feel for her as a character.Click here to watch a video of this episode. (00:00) - Intro (00:02) - Welcome and banter (01:47) - General thoughts on Thunderbolts* (05:55) - A few spoiler free thoughts on Yellowjackets s3 (08:29) - Plot synopsis of Thunderbolts* (10:48) - Spoilers for Thunderbolts* start here (11:42) - How about that new team name? (20:48) - What's the deal with Bucky? (24:28) - We gotta talk about about Bob (32:44) - What does Bob do now? (38:02) - The Emperor's New Groove scene (39:54) - Remember when Steven Yeun was supposed to be The Sentry? (44:05) - Val is such a mystery (50:18) - Yelena is so embarresed by her dad and it's great (54:08) - Where the Thunderbolts got their name (01:01:18) - The end credits scenes (01:09:39) - Next Marvel stuff is Ironheart and Fantastic Four (01:13:02) - Outro Reply on Bluesky ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Episode 144. It's a mega-sized episode on season 3 of Yellowjackets! We ask if the "hidden reality" could be a real supernatural occurrence or a metaphor for the lies the adult Yellowjackets tell, plot holes that might amount to something greater, still being suspicious of Walter, and if the show can pull off any more surprise survivors.Click here to watch a video of this episode. (00:00) - - Intro (00:02) - Welcome and banter (01:29) - General thoughts on the second half of Severance s2 (03:28) - A few spoiler free thoughts on Yellowjackets s3 (06:42) - Plot synopsis of season 3 (09:04) - Spoilers for Yellowjackets s3 start here (09:30) - Pink hat girl's name is Melissa (20:37) - Callie and Jeff's "good" influence (32:11) - Walter is still suspicious (41:26) - Adult Tai and Van (44:20) - Is there a supernatural force or not? (51:35) - The women as different ways trauma can effect you (53:02) - Coach Scott and dual realities (01:11:35) - Circling back to Coach Scott (01:18:08) - The Scientists (01:29:01) - What really happens to Hannah? (01:35:58) - Getting rescue (01:41:10) - Funny bits and other good moments (01:50:05) - Full Circle and the pit girl scene (01:59:13) - What became of the wilderness they were in during the modern timeline? (02:11:09) - Season 4? (02:15:46) - Outro Reply on Bluesky ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Episode 143. There's a lot to talk about in episodes 6-10 of Severance season two: where did Choreography & Merriment come from, was all of MDR was working on the Gemma project or on other test subjects, side characters we may or may not ever see again, if Jame would rather keep Helly around instead of Helena, a possible stowaway in the severed floor, and when shows "do a Desmond."Click here to watch a video of this episode. (00:00) - Intro (00:02) - Welcome and banter (01:29) - General thoughts on the second half of Severance s2 (11:08) - Spoilers for Severance s2 start here (11:17) - Gemma (18:48) - Religion and cult-like thought in Lumon (22:50) - Is Lumon a failing company? (27:38) - More on the religion and cult-like behavior (29:37) - Ressurecting Kier or implanting his memories in a new body (34:38) - Harmony Cobel (39:26) - We needed more Ricken and Natalie (43:08) - Milchick (52:09) - Can a severed personality take over permenantly? (56:30) - Trying not to be distracted by the mysteries (01:05:09) - Helena Eagan (01:07:26) - Some things the show has seemingly dropped or not told us much about (01:14:11) - What's the win condition? (01:18:50) - What we think will happen in s3 (01:33:02) - Outro ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Episode 142. Kyle and Melissa suit up for Marvel's latest adventure, Captain America: Brave New World. We discuss how the movie feels overcrowded with supporting players, the strength of Sam's camaraderie and introspection, Washington DC imagery, glowing eyes, and how the post-credits scene feels vague on purpose so it's guaranteed to pay off in some way.Click here to watch a video of this episode. (00:00) - Intro (00:02) - Welcome and banter (01:24) - General thoughts on Captain America Brave New World (16:55) - Spoilers for Captain America Brave New World start here (17:12) - The performances (25:23) - Adamantium (31:08) - Thoughts on Red Hulk (37:03) - Needs more insight into Sam's perspective as Cap (40:13) - The end credits scene (45:48) - Final thoughts (49:01) - Outro ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Episode 141. Welcome to our IPTBE, an Indoor Podcasting and Team-Building Episode. We discuss how the show advances farther in these episodes than you would've guessed, imagery borrowed straight from Lost, themes of doubles, if Natalie ever gets to be herself, and whether The Board is a literal board, like a piece of wood.Click here to watch a video of this episode. (00:00) - Intro (00:02) - Welcome and banter (01:00) - General thoughts on Severance s2 ep1-5 (06:09) - Spoilers for Severance s2 start here (06:31) - The new MDR team (11:03) - Doubles, doppelgangers, and diptychs (16:48) - Mr. Milchick is a standout this season so far (22:52) - Who the hell is Ms. Huang? (27:34) - Dylan seeing his wife (34:37) - Irving figured it all out (38:26) - Helly R. and Helena (47:46) - Lumon is no fun (51:00) - Episode 4 is WILD (01:01:05) - The funeral and the melon head (01:03:32) - What can we expect in the second half of season 2? (01:09:50) - Outro ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Kyle and Melissa are here for a chill end-of-year celebration, looking back on our year in podcasting and looking ahead to our 2025 goals. We give out our Review Show awards, play a game of "What the Hell Were We Talking About?", run through our recent cinema experiences, talk about fancy cocktails and fancy mansions, and finally share our thoughts on the weird twist in the otherwise conventional neo-noir show Sugar.Click here to watch a video of this episode. (00:00) - Intro (00:03) - Welcome (02:17) - Cheers to nine years of The Whatnauts (04:59) - Melissa's holiday parties (09:04) - Have we done anything else for nine years? (13:02) - Break number 1 (13:04) - Kyle's got his pizza (17:36) - Alcoholic slushies and other drinks (27:03) - The mansion tour (37:07) - The Review Show awards (01:21:43) - Break number 2 (01:21:45) - Kyle's got his Old Fashioned (01:24:08) - What the hell were we talking about? (01:42:25) - A quick check in on our fantasy movie draft (01:47:53) - The Cinema Corner (01:55:54) - Spoilers for Sugar (01:57:46) - The Cinema Corner round 2 (02:07:42) - Out of Alcatraz (02:13:41) - Outro ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Episode 140. Kyle and Melissa are here to talk about The Penguin, the Max limited series tied into The Batman films. We discuss characters with speech impediments, a city in need of the healing power of live theater, Mark Strong's history in DC adaptations, and times we've seen actual penguins in real life.Click here to watch a video of this episode. (00:00) - Intro (00:02) - Welcome and banter (01:19) - General thoughts on The Penguin (07:07) - Shout out to Rhenzy Feliz (08:51) - Award worthy performances and makeup (10:48) - Spoilers for The Penguin begin here (11:18) - The Penguin's relationship with his mother (15:00) - Sophia's relationship with her family (18:06) - What is next for The Batman universe? (23:21) - More on Victor (25:42) - The penguin didn't focus on easter eggs (31:03) - Consistent geography between The Batman and The Penguin (32:35) - So no Batman?? (35:30) - What a stacked cast, ya know? (37:19) - Fake Anna Torv (39:02) - Outro ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★