Badslant Podcast

Ice is back, and with his birthday approaching, he wastes no time, dropping the hammer on the stresses of home improvement, crappy AI sunglasses, bad sandwich takes. It’s not all vitriol though, as JJ furnishes the group with fancy Lays chips from faraway lands to celebrate AANHPI Heritage Month. Then there’s the usual hand wringing about Washington Football, with a little Chipotle bashing sprinkled in for good measure. If you’re thinking of listening to this episode on your Ray Ban Metas, we strongly suggest otherwise.

NOICE? No problem. AJ and JJ call an audible and go full remote this week. And without any X-Men '97 episodes, the fellas are back talking about their other two passions: sports and Malort. They sprinkle in some disdain for LiveNation and what that means for consumers moving forward. It's a condensed show but they cover lots of ground. Hopefully you get to enjoy at your local sports team's brunch event.

The guys finally reach the end of a wild first season of X-Men ’97. Whether the finale lives up to the hype is another story. The boys provide a full recap of the final clash between Xavier’s X-Men, Mags, and Big Bad Bastion, while warily looking into the X-future. The fate of the mutants wasn’t the only MCU headline this week, as rumors about the Agatha Harkness show (specifically its title) began to circulate. There’s also a bit of pro basketball talk to whet your sports whistle. So put on your best draft day hat, summon the dark phoenix from within, and enjoy. (Just make sure your mom isn’t stuck researching spiders in the Amazon.)

With the X-Men ’97 season finale looming, the guys do their deepest dive yet on the hit series. There’s plenty to discuss, to include the awkward return of Charles Xavier and the untimely end of g-string Magneto. But much of that pales in comparison to episode 9’s shocking final moments, and the boys ponder just how Marvel & co. plan to top themselves next week. Speaking of unexpected beefs, the guys discuss the inescapable phenomenon that is the Kendrick Lamar/Drake beef. And if that weren’t enough, the guys close with specialty potato chips and dart night shenanigans. Pretty sure you can C-walk to this episode.

No X-Men watchalong this week but the BS crew give first reactions to the latest episode of X-Men '97, “Tolerance Is Extinction Part 1”, featuring MANY spoilers (this is your warning). Oddly enough, that discussion is almost completely pre-empted by chili crunch and the drama surrounding it. (S/o to Fly by Jing… we see you too, Lao Gan Ma.) Elsewhere, the Iceman and JJ discuss the latest season of Physical 100. They eventually try to convince AJ to at least watch season 1 if for no other reason than the presence of Sexyama. The boys wrap up with a little sports, recapping the local professional football team's draft haul and paying 'respects' the NBA playoff teams that were gratefully put out of their misery this week.

Ice is on excursion this week so naturally, things got weird. In the midst of X-Men fever, AJ and JJ host the first BS watchalong for episode 7 of the series. It’s an interesting experiment to say the least. (FWIW, the cue to begin the episode is at the 6 minutes and 35 second mark of this show.) Once the mutant mayhem plays out, the guys touch on the latest Deadpool & Wolverine trailer, which apparently everyone but AJ is dodging like the plague. Of course, the NBA playoffs are in full swing, as is the WNBA pre-season (go figure) so the boys have you covered there as well. And if that weren’t enough, the guys are finally safe to speak honestly and freely about the recent troubles facing America’s tech sweethearts, Apple and Tesla. It’s enough to make you wanna chuck your AR glasses from the window of your runaway EV.

If you like cartoons inflicting untold levels of trauma on an audience, this is the program for you. The guys finally get to dissecting X-Men ’97, specifically, the Infinity War-esque episode 5. (Spoilers abound so you’ve been warned.) They discuss the build up to the episode’s most dramatic events, the insane details surrounding production, and what this might mean for X franchise going forward. That was almost the entire show but as with most entertainment programs this week, the guys are legally obligated to discuss Caitlin Clark, and the Beavis and Butthead skit on SNL. This episode is best enjoyed on long Metro rides (and with a creamsicle hard seltzer if you’re sneaky about it).

It’s a zesty one this week. AJ is clearly feeling a Wrestlemania hangover, while Ice is getting ready for a tradition unlike any other: Tiger Woods inevitably withdrawing early from the Masters. Oh, and in case you haven’t heard, there was an eclipse fairly recently. Strangely enough, its mysterious forces compelled JJ to visit every gas station in Loudoun County. Elsewhere: No X-Men ’97 discussion this time (you can thank JJ for that) but there is an update of sorts on the BS Parlay King title. All pretend title belts welcome here.

For the first time in a long time, the boys are back in Studio A! On this momentous occasion, the Iceman and JJ brought snacks and beverages to sample on the show. Logically, the conversation devolves into a heated debate about proper expectations at fast casual restaurants. All three hosts finally get around to sharing their thoughts about XMen '97 (with a few spoilers sprinkled in along the way). And after all is said and done, AJ gives his final report on the Road to Wrestlemania, on the eve of the marathon weekend. Grab a sweet treat and have a listen…just not TOO SWEET.

Pure chaos this week. The guys are remote in a new location, the aptly titled Studio Calaman-C. Uncle Phil is in town, and as usual, he comes bearing gifts of the boozy variety. The rest is kind of a blur but in in summation: Ray Ray is gracious host, Beertender makes dick jokes, General Jinro Jack takes command, AJ shouts about gambling, and Ice tries to get us cancelled on multiple continents. So yeah, chaos.