From the Couch Hole: Show Me a River That’s So Deep

Previously on FTCH, on Alien Earth, Shin Godzilla was at square one with fudge stripes. The timecop said the hard truth was that Argentinian steak potato chips aren’t that great. This week was that weird mix of fall temps and then days over 100. I’m just happy to report that college and professional football have returned and the weekends are rough on the remote again. This week we say farewell, my lovely, to sweet love at Terminus. Chips Ahoy can be weapons but toffee creamer is the opus. Remember, FTCH answers in the form of a question.

Pop Culture Ephemera

• Weapons (2025) (Directed by Zach Cregger): “Because the night before, at 2:17 in the morning, every kid woke up, got out of bed, walked downstairs, and into the dark… and they never came back.” – Narrator. I was curious about this film from the first time I saw the trailer. Imagine my surprise (in a good way) when just about everything in the trailer was revealed in the first few minutes of the film. It’s got a pitch that’s hard to not fall for immediately. Seventeen children run into the darkness and disappear without a trace, all of them from the same classroom, with only one child who didn’t. It’s equal parts allegory for school shootings, COVID, and a little political conspiracy. Director Crregger doesn’t pursue any single one of these themes in a way that makes you feel like he is making a “message movie.” There were well-placed touches of humor to relieve the stress of the suspense, but the humor also lessened any attempt to interpret this as having serious political implications.
  
  The cast is what drives the story in this film. Julia Garner is Justine, the teacher of the classroom of disappeared children. Josh Brolin is refreshing as Archer, the father of a missing boy. He could have been a stereotypical MAGA jerk, but as we follow his story, there are more nuances to his grief. The boy who did not run away, Alex, is played by Cary Christopher, who acts mostly silent and helps round out the most important parts of the trio. There are other characters who have their stories told to help tie together different elements of the story. The structure is very reminiscent of Pulp Fiction (1994) in the way we move forwards and backwards through the narrative to complete the story. I thought that Sinners (2025) was going to run away with my “movie of the year” ranking, but this may surpass that film in creativity and compelling storytelling.

Buy Weapons

• Doctor Who – “Terminus: Part Four” (1983) (S.20 E.16) (BBC): “It’s controlled by the computer and the computer is uncontrollable.” – The Doctor. The second story of The Black Guardian Trilogy doesn’t have much to recommend it. The story is put into motion by Turlough messing around with things he doesn’t understand in the Tardis. He’s constantly letting down the Black Guardian, but generally is a jerk to Tegan along the way too. The story of Terminus probably sounded interesting in meetings around a writer’s table. I don’t doubt that it was in the minds of the writers of The Walking Dead as they had their version of Terminus. The episode is notable for he departure of Nyssa. I’m sad to see her go in a way that I’ve only felt in recent Doctors with Jo and Sarah Jane. Nyssa was a smart character that added quite a bit to Peter Davison’s crowded Tardis. This story hasn’t aged well, and I’m pushing through because I know good stuff is on the horizon.

Buy Doctor Who: The Black Guardian Trilogy

• Commodores – “Sweet Love” (1975) (from Movin’ On): “Reach out and touch my soul / Give my life so much meaning.” The band was playing Motown Soul and spreading into more classic funk on this album. Their first hit, true radio play hit, would be “Sweet Love.” It’s written by Lionel Richie, and it already shows the sound that would become his signature in ballads. The group lends some incredible harmonies that I miss in his solo hits. If they didn’t have the term Smooth Soul before, they did after this release.

• Farewell, My Lovely (1975) (Directed by Dick Richards): “She gave me a smile I could feel in my hip pocket.” – Philip Marlowe. Robert Mitchum was 57 when he played Philip Marlowe here for the first time in the adaptation of the second Marlowe book by Chandler. The Marlowe character is in his thirties in the books, which works better for the attraction by the women, but Mitchum’s face fits the role as well or better than Humphrey Bogart. Unlike The Big Sleep, the plot isn’t too difficult to follow. They skip some steps between the encounter with Marriott and Marlowe’s time in the asylum. There’s a contraction of events on the gambling boat that in the book give Marlowe more of the tough-guy persona that Mitchum gets to play in the film. Despite these changes, the movie maintains a logical sense. Charlotte Rampling isn’t your typical femme fatale, but she simmers in a role that requires her to have multiple personalities. Much like the book is a good starting point for those interested in hard-boiled detective stories, this film is a great start to those who want to watch more hard-boiled films.

Buy Farewell, My Lovely / The Big Sleep Double Feature [Blu-ray

• Opus (2025) (Directed by Mark Anthony Green): “The back row is asleep… but the front row is ready” – Moretti. John Malkovich plays Moretti, a pop star that has reached such heights that he literally has his own cult located out in the desert. Ayo Edebiri (The Bear) is part of a gaggle of journalists and influencers invited out to the compound to hear Moretti’s new album. The film is rightly compared to Midsommar (2019) for the unease below the surface. The film sets up to be a critique of stardom and also the way that the media focuses on the artist more than the music. There’s a trouble of genre focus. The film wants to be a horror film and it’s also trying hard to make us laugh at our culture. The two leads are wonderful, and they make this film watchable even if you want more meat on the bone. The supporting cast, including the great Juliette Lewis, are wasted and probably would have filled out some of the missing elements. I appreciate the influences and I’d recommend it.

Best of the Rest

• The Commodore’s “Sweet Love” was a Smooth Soul classic. It’s no surprise that Smooth Soul hip hop artist, Warren G sampled it in “You Never Know” from his underappreciated album I Want It All (1999). A little Snoop Dogg to kick it off make this a “bouncing along in the car” jam song. This is a windows-down classic. Top-quality production and a message to just roll with the changes in life.

• Entertainment Weekly (3/28/97): “Best Commercials of All-Time” #6: Isuzu “Joe Isuzu / Liar” (1985) “See, you can trust me.” How famous did Joe Isuzu get during the ’80s? Ronald Reagan once compared Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega to “that Joe Isuzu guy.” These ads were hilarious and definitely a precursor to the Chaos guy. Actor David Leisure kept this character going from 1986-1989 and a brief revival from 1999-2001. A Top Ten? Maybe. If you have a free 17 minutes, there are longer anthologies of the ads online.

• It appears that my Michigan trip in March was just a tad bit too early. Vernors has dropped a Boston Cooler soda this end of summer. The vanilla ice cream and ginger ale soda float was a favorite at my Nana’s house when I would stay over in the summers. It’s essentially a Ginger Cream Soda. Contrary to what might seem likely because of the name, it’s not Boston, MA but Boston Boulevard in Detroit.

Sunday Morning Tuneage Flashback

• Sunday Morning Tuneage from 10/25/2009, Caleb ran for just over 50 yards for the first Bourdo football touchdown. I believe it was his last, but later in high school, Christian would punch one in too. We were watching Cake Boss (TLC) regularly and The Biggest Loser (NBC). My Top Ten of the Week was very specific and I’m going to think hard if I have any changes to add to it.
  
  My #90 Top TV Show of All-Time was 30 Days (FX) (2005-2008): I liked this series from Morgan Spurlock. It was a docuseries where Morgan or someone else would do something out of their comfort zone for 30 days. Serve in prison, live with a Muslim family, survive a month on minimum wage, etc. When Morgan was cancelled, this show disappeared from any streaming or the DVD racks. I’m hoping with his passing that we could review some of these interesting episodes. As I’ve said before, I wouldn’t rank docuseries or reality shows on my list the next time, so this ranking is meaningless in the scheme of things. If you see it somewhere, take a second look.
  
• SHAWN’S FAVORITE SHOWS THAT NBC CANCELLED IN TWO SEASONS OR LESS (2009)
  • 10. Dark Skies (1996-1997)
  • 9. Project UFO (1978-1979)
  • 8. Bionic Woman (2007)
  • 7. Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979-1981)
  • 6. Andy Barker P.I. (2007)
  • 5. Amazing Stories (1985-1987)
  • 4. James At 15 (1977-1978)
  • 3. The Monkees (1966-1968)
  • 2. V (1984-1985)
  • 1. Freaks and Geeks (1999-2000)
    
• SHAWN’S FAVORITE SHOWS THAT NBC CANCELLED IN TWO SEASONS OR LESS (2025)
  • 10. The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams (1977-1978): Based on a movie, I thought this show was on lots longer than two seasons. Dan Hagerty was great, but as a child I watched this for Ben, the bear.
  • 9. Grady (1975-1976) / Sanford (1980-1981): NBC couldn’t quit one of their biggest hits of the ’70s. Grady was a true spin-off that had potential with the bumbling Grady character. Sanford was part of a trope of ghetto characters among the upper crust that could have worked longer for one reason, Redd Foxx. (Not included – The Sanford Arms (1977) which included neither Sanford nor Son and was embarrassingly bad)
  • 8. James at 15 (1977-1978): Lance Kerwin was awesome as James. The serious nature of the episodes was a huge influence on the teen dramas of the ’90s.
  • 7. Project U.F.O. (1978-1979): This Jack Webb created series was just what you might imagine. It was pre-X-Files seen through a Dragnet filter. It had lots of potential, especially the first season when it aired on Sunday nights.
  • 6. Cliffhangers (1979): There were three stories that continued through each episode, not too different from movie-serial length. There was a traditional adventure serial, a future Western type of story, and my favorite, a Count Dracula story. This aired opposite Happy Days and Laverne and Shirley and had no chance at success.
  • 5. Buffalo Bill (1983-1984): Dabney Coleman is an out-of-control talk radio show host. It was done with a more sympathetic character in Frasier but this set the template for how to tell the stories at the radio station. Props to a young Geena Davis in the cast.
  • 4. Midnight, Texas (2017-2018): I sometimes wonder if I was the only person watching this show. Written by Charlaine Harris (True Blood), it had a mix of all elements of the supernatural. They couldn’t find an evening for it in the schedule, which was part of the issue. It was a show that you needed continuity and couldn’t just drop in on. I wish another network had picked this up.
  • 3. Working (1997-1998): This Fred Savage-helmed show couldn’t recapture his success in The Wonder Years. It had good bones for a sitcom. Office comedies come and go. Today they are all compared to The Office (NBC), but this didn’t completely go down the route of outrageous characters. Subtle humor didn’t work well in this era, and ratings could never catch up with it.
  • 2. Constantine (2014-2015): I was a huge advocate for this one-season series. Matt Ryan made a great John Constantine. This wasn’t your traditional superhero show, and I think people expected something more mainstream. I was rewarded with Constantine retrofitted to become a key member of the Arrowverse for CW.
  • 1. Freaks and Geeks (1999-2000): This is my high-school experience in hour-long bites. This wouldn’t have been a show to go six to eight seasons. This is a show that needed two more seasons to wrap up the characters that we were invested in. There hasn’t been a launching point show for actors like this one since the century started.

Buy Constantine: The Complete Series [Blu-ray

1975 in Review

• September – Action Comics #451 (DC Comics): Cover by Bob Oksner. Art by Curt Swan. Written by Jim Shooter. “He wrangled his rich old man into giving us a free ride to this resort… So we could get fingered for four murders he committed with rocks and a sling! What’s your game… kid? ” – Oliver Queen. Quite the all-star team working on the book in September 1975. I don’t remember much about the Superman story other than he was fighting some rich kid from another planet. The Green Arrow / Black Canary backup stories were really the stars most months.
• September 3 – Steve Garvey (Los Angeles Dodgers) started what would become a streak of playing in 1,207 consecutive games until 1983. It is still the longest National League streak ever. Only Cal Ripken, Lou Gehrig, and Everett Scott have played more consecutive games.
• September 13 – TV Guide: The experts picked Phyllis (CBS) (two seasons), Joe Forrester (NBC) (Lloyd Bridges, one season) and Switch (CBS) (Eddie Albert, Robert Waggoner, three seasons) as the successes for the upcoming season. Switch was a fun show in the tradition of The Sting (1973) that was eventually replaced by The Incredible Hulk (CBS). The football picks were much simpler. The AFC picks were correct, including Pittsburgh going to the Super Bowl. The biggest misses are missing that Dallas would win the Wild Card and end up in the Super Bowl and that the Baltimore Colts would pull it together to win the AFC East.

What the Hell Did I Put in My Mouth?

“The world is filled with all the lonely people
Trying to find their way
All they need is a hand to guide them
To a brighter day” – Lionel Richie