Episode Overview

Podcast: Blank Check with Griffin & David
Episode: Send Help (February 1, 2026)

This episode sees Griffin Newman, David Sims, Ben Hosley, and Marie Barty (“the woman of Blank Check”) reviewing Sam Raimi’s new film Send Help—a darkly comic survival thriller starring Rachel McAdams as a beleaguered corporate strategist whose fate takes a wild turn when a company plane crashes on a remote island. The hosts celebrate Raimi’s return to genre filmmaking, analyze the movie’s blend of office satire and gross-out horror, and have lively side discussions about everything from Rachel McAdams’s career to Survivor superfans and the state of the January movie slate.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Opening Banter: Show Dynamics & Roles (00:01–03:00)

• The hosts riff on their collaborative process and office hierarchy, with recurring bits about Marie’s role as "the woman," Ben’s creative input, and Griffin’s dad’s social media habits.
• Marie voices the “imbalance” of being both a creative collaborator and an employee [01:09–01:24].

  “If you want to talk about us as creative collaborators, cool. But I think something needs to be acknowledged… you guys are, you’re my boss.” —Marie (01:17)

Sam Raimi’s Career/Legacy Context (11:15–14:08)

• Send Help marks Raimi’s return after Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and years of sporadic output.
• The hosts recall their affection for Raimi’s 2022 miniseries and his career-long ability to return to “rootsy, gnarly” filmmaking after blockbusters.

  “It’s thrilling... the fact that [Send Help] is such a kind of pure blast of peak Raimi return to form.” —Griffin (14:11)

About Send Help (Film Synopsis & Themes)

Set-Up and Structure (47:00–62:00)

• Linda (Rachel McAdams): A vital but overlooked strategist at a generic, soul-crushing company, undervalued despite being the “glue” holding everything together.

  “She’s this intangible glue person. Everyone's like, 'I know she seems silly, but she knows everything.'” —David (61:26)

• The Crash: A company retreat to Thailand goes awry, leading to a violent, Raimi-styled plane crash. Linda and fratty new boss Bradley (Dylan O’Brien) end up the only survivors on a remote island.
• Survival Satire: Linda’s obsessive Survivor-watching and practical skills make her the island’s alpha; corporate hierarchies invert.

Thematic Analysis (95:19–100:16)

• The film skewers “girlboss” tropes, toxic masculinity, and late-stage corporate nonsense, revealing how power replicates itself even in isolation.
• The “Survivor” hook is discussed as ingenious shorthand for Linda’s skillset and social outsider status.

  “This movie is kind of asking, what do men even do anymore?” —Griffin (95:25) “She wants some sense of permanent acknowledgment of having value—but doesn’t want to play those games.” —Griffin (140:40)

Rachel McAdams Discussion (44:17–49:18)

• The hosts lament Hollywood’s underuse of McAdams, tracing her post-Notebook career slowdown. They praise her for conveying both realness and movie-star quality.

  “You would have to be a fucking idiot to not know that [McAdams is] an incredibly versatile and talented actor... and yet Hollywood treats her with mild disrespect.” —David (44:17)

• The film’s casting of her as a “woman over 40” is interpreted as a commentary about how long-ingrained perceptions of desirability and value persist in culture and business.

Dylan O’Brien & Masculinity (65:40–73:08)

• O’Brien’s casting is celebrated as a “modern take on the finance/tech bro,” leveraging his “softness” and post-injury persona.
• The character is written as both contemptible and surprisingly vulnerable—a product of generational privilege and abuse cycles.

Sam Raimi’s Directorial Touches (18:31–22:38, 103:17–104:48)

• The hosts heap praise on Raimi’s ability to “return to small-scale genre” after blockbusters, comparing favorably to contemporaries who lose touch with scrappy roots after big budgets.
• Specific Raimi set pieces are highlighted—the boar sequence, his “blood recipe,” and comic-horror tension that escalates to slapstick gore.

  “He’s still boots on the ground that way... mixing bloods in my, you know, water bottles or whatever.” —David (92:42)

Notable Scenes & Spoiler Deep-Dive

Plane Crash Sequence (~90:00–91:40)

• Detailed breakdown of the visceral, slapstick violence when Linda stabs a coworker with a fork and watches him get sucked out mid-flight.

  “She stabs his hand with a fork...his tie is lodged...he’s being choked by it, outside the window.” —Griffin (91:21)

• The audience is invited to root for her as “the nastiness feels triumphant.”

The Big Twist—Linda’s Agency & Morality (105:09–128:21)

• Linda’s “refusal” of rescue—a deliberate sabotage of her own rescue and the killing of would-be saviors—is unpacked as both monstrous and understandable within the film’s metaphorical logic.
• The group's reactions acknowledge the film’s courage in not offering easy moral clarity at the end.

Climax: Office Satire, Violence, and Vindication (138:19–140:28)

• Final confrontation: Linda outsmarts Bradley with a classic “strategy planning” gambit, and the notorious “VP who can golf” callback.

  “She kills his ass with a golf club.” —Ben (138:46)

• Epilogue: Linda emerges as a media darling with a bestselling “send help” self-help book, riding off with her bird, Sweetie, in a convertible.

  “You love to see someone like Linda have everything work out.... It put a damn smile on my face.” —Ben (139:41)

Survivor Fandom & Outsiderness (54:00–56:00)

• The hosts discuss how Linda’s Survivor obsession marks her as a “co-worker type,” not one of the cool kids—a microcosm for her social isolation.

  “After I stopped watching Survivor in... season four, I forgot about it until I got a normal person day job. And then I’m like, oh, this is co-worker shit, this movie.” —Marie (55:40)

Gender, Power, and "Girlboss" Disillusionment (130:40–132:29)

• The film’s thesis: Success for outsiders (or women) must frequently involve adopting the ruthlessness of the system; true virtue is impossible in both business and the wilderness.

  “The hell of the last decade of the girl boss era... is there was this feeling of, is progress letting women be as awful as the men who used to run companies?” —Griffin (130:53)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Are you getting mad? Watch.” —Ben (63:01), on the indignities of women’s invisible labor.
• “[He] sees a projection of his fiance coming to him in the water to save him. And then she starts puking on him...she is performing CPR... and every 20 seconds, she, like, Exorcist style projectile vomits right into his face again.” —Griffin (116:54–117:05)
• “The movie’s asking, what do men even do anymore?” —Griffin (95:25)
• “It's so sleazy. I don't believe him for a second.” —Ben (137:46), on Bradley’s tearful “reconciliation” at the end.
• “She kills his ass with a golf club.” —Ben (138:46)
• “You can't wait for someone else to help you. You got to help yourself.” —Rachel McAdams’s final line as Linda (139:51)
• “In the end... you love to see someone like Linda have everything work out.” —Ben (139:57)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 00:01–03:00 — Opening banter: show dynamic, creative roles, recurring room bits.
• 11:15–14:08 — Sam Raimi miniseries recap, excitement for new release.
• 44:17–49:18 — Rachel McAdams’s career, Hollywood’s treatment of middle-aged women.
• 54:00–56:00 — Survivor superfans, office isolation, and co-worker archetypes.
• 61:00–63:00 — Linda’s invisible labor at the company; corporate hierarchy set-up.
• 91:21–92:06 — Plane crash violence; style/favor of Raimi's gore-comedy.
• 103:30–104:48 — The boar attack; gross-out humor and 4DX effects.
• 116:48–117:22 — Vomiting CPR scene; audience reaction.
• 128:21–140:28 — Third act twist, finale, Linda’s transformation, and ending.
• 152:07–152:49 — Raimi rankings; where Send Help fits in the director's canon.

Tone & Style

The episode is characteristically lively, irreverent, and self-aware—the hosts joking about their own “lack of focus,” veering into personal anecdotes, and flinging pop-culture references (from Blink-182 to Dropout, Melania popcorn buckets, and obscure British ciders). The show’s signature blend of granular analysis and punchy banter remains intact. The language is casual and affectionate, but sharp and passionate when discussing overlooked talent and systemic industry problems.

Final Thoughts

“Send Help” is branded a “pure blast of peak Raimi,” a January surprise that’s equal parts dark Office Space, gross-out cartoon, and parable about the virtues, and perils, of being underestimated. The hosts urge listeners to see it on opening weekend, support small-scale genre filmmakers, and enjoy the first major crowd-pleaser of the year.

Closing Takeaway:
“You can't wait for someone else to help you. You got to help yourself.” — Linda (Rachel McAdams, 139:51)

For more:

• Listen to the full episode for incomparable tangents, deep-cut filmography rankings, and a vivid sense of how Send Help refracts modern anxieties through classic Raimi spectacle.
• Blank Check’s signature running gags and digressions about workplace dynamics, reality TV, and pop culture ephemera make this a must-listen for longtime fans.