a.k.a. That’s All We Have to Say About That

Welcome BACK to Season 2 of What Do You Think [of This]?! Considering the—now iconic—start of Season 1 (see Episode 22 “Season’s Rankings: Tournament of Nostalgia”), we felt some pressure to come out of the gate swinging. So we did just that with one of Josue’s all time favorite movies, Forrest Gump. He certainly knew this movie a little bit better than Jeff, who had limited exposure growing up because of some of the more salacious elements. It was a fun way to kick off the new season and the new year.

But first things first, we have an update about gluttonous backyard squirrels and a literal quiz about metaphors. After you listen, scroll to the poll or get in the comments and let us know whether you think Forrest Gump holds up, or if it is pure nostalgia. And all new for season two, let us know if YOU want to be a voice on our podcast! You can either send us a voice memo pitch of your nostalgia based recommendation, or ask us and we’ll give you some options from our list of upcoming episodes. Email any of that to ideas@WDYT.show. Thanks to our Ronie Cruz for providing this week’s content intro!

Chapters

00:00 New Beginnings and Birdwatching Adventures

05:57 QUIZ TIME: Gump Inspired Metaphors

12:37 Introducing Forrest Gump

14:33 Where We Started with Mr. Gump

18:05 Cast and Character Development

20:48 The Magic Behind Forrest Gump

26:25 Life Lessons: Simplicity and Perseverance

35:33 Inspiring Us All…for No Particular Reason

39:02 Historical Context and Innovations in Filmmaking

46:50 Character Arcs: Forrest, Jenny, and Lieutenant Dan

54:39 The Power of Details: Ping Pong and Sound Design

59:39 Alternate Realities and Profanity in Literature

01:04:33 Destiny vs. Free Will: Forrest Gets Philosophical

01:16:21 What Do We Think [of This]?!

01:22:01 Closing the Loop on Humpty Dumpty

01:25:46 Looking Ahead: We Want You on the Podcast

WDYT?! on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/wdyt.show

WDYT?! on YouTube — https://www.youtube.com/@wdytshow

WDYT?! Store — ⁠https://www.stickermule.com/wdytshow⁠

WDYT?! Everywhere — ⁠https://WDYT.show

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“All Eyes on You” - Copyright ID# DQASZJP28PSAN6W7

(a.k.a., “Alice Through the Looking Glass (with Jimmy Abyad)”)

It’s a new year and we are on the cusp of a new season of “What Do You Think [of This]?!” releasing next Thursday, January 9th. We can’t wait to dig into a fresh list of nostalgia, but not before re-experiencing this special treasure for the first time on video! This hilarious review of a 1980s masterpiece is even better with facial expressions, and more so with our first ever in-studio podcast guest.

Remember that YOU can be a voice on our podcast! (We explain at the start of the episode). Send us a voice memo pitch of why your nostalgia based recommendation is worth revisiting. Email it to ideas@WDYT.show.

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This week we have a special guest in the studio, and it’s not the white rabbit that you expected to find. Jeff’s brother Jimmy (a.k.a., ‘Second Desk’) visits the pod as our resident Wonderland expert, because—that’s right—we are back for PART 2 of Alice’s crazy, wild ride — this time in reverse! Don’t worry if you missed part one…so did we. Initially. But in part two the story gets curiouser and curiouser, and we realize that there is way more to relate to in the story of Alice than any of us may have realized. We also have a new quiz where Jimmy and Josue face off, or team up, to answer some trivia about Alice.

If either of these episodes have inspired you to take a trip down this 2-part rabbit hole from 1985, you can currently watch it on YouTube using the links below. There you can also find links to Jimmy’s socials as well as our YouTube show channel and instagram feed for fun video extras. Let us know if you have suggestions for future episodes at ideas@WDYT.show⁠. And scroll down on Spotify to vote in the episode poll — Do YOU think this movie holds up?!

Chapters

00:00 We want YOU on Season Two!

02:20 Introduction and Our Special Guest

04:28 Childhood Reflections and Adult Aspirations

09:33 QUIZ TIME: Alice Trivia

15:29 Setting the Stage for Alice Through the Looking Glass

21:54 Seeing Alice through Jimmy's eyes

26:46 The themes of Alice coming to the surface

31:07 Kids are dumb and 'adults' are mean

38:53 Dee and Dum: A Musical Interlude

42:45 Carol Channing Steals the Show

47:56 Humpty Dumpty as a source for childhood trauma

52:07 The Battle of Cake, Trust and Figures of Authority

01:02:08 Alice's Growth: Navigating Between Chaos and Reality

01:07:25 Out-of-it Adults Navigating Children's Questions

01:12:40 Alice achieves anxiety-inducing expectations

01:17:24 Facing Fears and Growing Up

01:23:54 What Do You Think [of This]?!

01:30:08 Closing the Loop

01:33:25 Suggestions suggestions

01:34:48 Reflections on Adaptations and Storytelling

01:38:09 What's Coming Next

Jimmy on Instagram —> https://www.instagram.com/_jimmyate

WDYT?! on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/wdyt.show

WDYT?! on YouTube — https://www.youtube.com/@wdytshow

WDYT?! Store — ⁠https://www.stickermule.com/wdytshow⁠

WDYT?! Everywhere — ⁠https://WDYT.show

Alice in Wonderland (1985) [Part 1] - https://youtu.be/AnRAjBVjiDw?si=AsBC6-05tGBuLbzQ

Alice in Wonderland (1985) [Part 2] - https://youtu.be/VwI0Exlgu0M?si=Ng_OedWRfZfScZTQ

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(a.k.a. “The Godfather is an Episode You Can’t Refuse”)

Christmas has come and gone, but we hope that you—like us—are still merry and filled with joy! “What is this new episode in my feed,” you may ask. Well while we are still hard at work in our podcast workshop getting things ready for season two, we have something special just for YOU. In the two remaining weeks leading up to January 9th we are re-releasing some of our favorite episodes with never before seen video footage! And this one has some special AI-inspired additions.

Remember that YOU can be a voice on our podcast! (We explain at the start of this episode). Send us a voice memo pitch of why your nostalgia based recommendation is worth revisiting. Email it to ideas@WDYT.show.

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Whether you’ve seen The Godfather or not, you know the Godfather. This movie (and book) is quoted, referenced, and featured all over popular culture. So we decided we ought to take a look and see if it is everything it’s cracked up to be. We’ll explore iconic characters, memorable quotes, questionable morality and family loyalty. Does this style of storytelling really have an enduring legacy, or is it overrated?

Follow us on Instagram for show clips and subscribe to our YouTube channel for fun clips and to be the first to know about our next “Test Kitchen!”

Chapters

00:00 We want YOU on Season Two!

02:52 Introduction and Food Talk

09:54 Quiz Time! Godfather Cultural References

14:28 Introducing The Godfather

16:01 Character Development and Family Dynamics

23:08 Plot Summary and Key Events

30:19 What is this story really about?

31:47 Themes of Power and Morality

35:32 A great strategy to tell a story about the mob

49:20 Iconic Scenes and Quotes

01:02:32 What Do You Think [of This]?!

01:08:24 Closing the Loop on Frankie Valli, Frank Sinatra, and Italian Geography

01:12:08 Final Thoughts and Recommendations

01:22:13 What do YOU think and a TEASE for next week!

WDYT?! on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/wdyt.show

WDYT?! on YouTube — https://www.youtube.com/@wdytshow

WDYT?! Store — ⁠https://www.stickermule.com/wdytshow⁠

WDYT?! Everywhere — ⁠https://WDYT.show

All Eyes on You - Copyright ID# DQASZJP28PSAN6W7