Fire Escape Cast #123 – January 5, 2026

Hosts: Dan Ryckert, Mary Kish, Mike Mahardy
Summary by Podcast Summarizer

Episode Overview

This New Year’s episode kicks off 2026 as Dan, Mary, and Mike reunite (virtually) to discuss holiday traditions, tales of family and gaming during the break, and to catch up on what they've been playing and watching. From CRT TV shenanigans and cocktail experiments to musings on classic games, the cast blends cozy nostalgia, irreverent humor, and genuine gaming insight. Long-time Fire Escape listeners will enjoy the familiar tone—a blend of affectionate ribbing, deep-dive gaming talk, and tangents about bodily functions and odd life choices.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Holiday Recaps: CRTs, Cabins, and Parties

• Mary’s CRT Road Trip (02:04)

  • Mary shares her annual tradition: "I get an old game and play through it ... got a new CRT. I got another new CRT. I have three now." (01:24)
  • Story of buckling three CRT TVs into a car for a cabin-in-the-woods holiday.

• Dan’s NYE Party & Wrestling Tapes (04:19)

  • Dan recalls the MVP party guest John Carson, who "brings this giant platter of cheese curds and awesome Wisconsin cheese ... and like fifteen VHS tapes of old wrestling." (04:19)
  • General Hospital tapes accidentally played at the party.

• Mike’s Holiday: Sickness, Couch, and True Detective

  • Mike's wife Amanda was laid out with the flu, leading to a marathon of True Detective Season 1: “We watched the entirety of it today. That’s how we spent New Year’s Day.” (28:15)

Cocktail Science & Alton Brown

• Mike’s Tiki Cocktail Advice (05:45)
  • Dan sought out Mike’s expertise for batching tiki drinks: “You text Mike Mahardy ... [expect] an easy answer, and it’s a book of the most detailed, knowledgeable information ...” (05:45)
• Mary’s Milk Punch Adventure (07:14)
  • Mary details making Alton Brown’s clarified milk punch: "It curdles and gets all goopy and nasty ... the liquid that drips from the goo is your finished product." (08:08)
  • Discussion about food-science personalities, including Alton Brown (bow ties!) and the Thirsty Whale Instagram account.

Gaming Over the Holidays

• Dan’s Family Gaming: Boomer Mode Breath of the Wild (10:12)

  • Dan played Gears of War with his sister Kayla—remarked on her beating Sekiro and other games on TVs with massive input lag, not even knowing what "game mode" is.
    • “She is the Jimi Hendrix of video games.” (11:43)
  • Discussion of Dan’s dad’s Breath of the Wild habits: walking everywhere, never warping, refusing to talk to NPCs, or learn to use the mini-map.
    • “Objectively, he’s playing it wrong in a lot of ways, but he fucking loves it.” (14:53)

• Navigating Parental Gaming Styles

  • Mary relates trying to explain dual-stick controls to her mother, who can manage only the basic Gears gameplay.

• Boomer Mode Gaming

  • The term is coined for Dan’s family gaming style (15:04).

TV & Movies: True Detective, Pluribus, and More

• True Detective Seasons Ranked (28:32)

  • Consensus: Season 1 still perfect, Season 2 boring and messy, Season 3 “fine,” Season 4 divisive.

• Pluribus (31:00):

  • The hosts discuss the new TV show Pluribus, its “slow burn” style, and philosophical implications. They ponder what they’d do if everyone else in the world became part of a collective consciousness except for themselves.
    • “I want a movie that I get to direct, and I’m gonna write it, and you guys have to make it good.” (34:58) —Mary

• Knives Out/Wake Up Dead Man & Other Watches

  • Praise for Knives Out 1, mixed on 2, positive on 3.
  • Mary: “I think it’s the first time that a Vampire Survivors clone is better than Vampire Survivors.” (100:10)
  • General discussion about “stressful” Safdie brothers movies, Marty Supreme, Uncut Gems.
    • “I don’t think any scene in fiction ever made me anxious ... if it’s a movie, you’re always safe.” (44:20) —Dan

• Lighthearted Tales: Restaurant and Bathroom Stories

  • Extended riffs on pooping in public, toilet rituals, and a friend peeing himself after slipping on ice (25:53).

Main Video Game Discussions

Mary’s Ocarina of Time First Full Playthrough! (61:03)

• Mary played Ocarina for the first time start to finish, live on a CRT in a cabin.
  • Favorite temple music: Gerudo.
  • Least favorite: Shadow Temple (those hands, ugh), Water Temple “annoying but not the worst.”
• Mike and Dan celebrate Mary’s “fresh” takes and pepper her with questions about her favorite/least favorite dungeons, puzzles, “aha” moments, and compare to their nostalgia.

Dan’s Challenge Runs: Mario Galaxy 2 & Link Between Worlds (76:39)

• Dan grinds out the final, notoriously difficult "The Perfect Run" star in Galaxy 2 on Switch: “I died like 40 plus times... it was super satisfying.” (77:26)
• Celebration of the 3DS’s Link Between Worlds: “It’s the only 10 I ever gave reviewing for Game Informer.” (78:25)

Mike: Octopath Traveler 0 Deep Dive (81:59)

• Impressions after 35+ hours:
  • “It’s crazy how crunchy they made the combat even though it’s turn-based.” (82:46)
  • Praise for the larger cast, though a slight loss in narrative focus compared to the first two.
  • Strongly recommends for those who enjoy big party, Suikoden-style JRPGs.

Other Games and Recommendations

• Sector (92:58)

  • Dan, Mary, and Bonk all addicted to this arcade shooter—competing for leaderboard scores.
  • Mary on the deck/card system: “Chaos ... lets you switch the order of your upgrades ... it’s random. Every time you play it, it’s like shaking a snow globe.” (95:34)

• Mega Bonk

  • Mary: “First time a Vampire Survivors clone is better than Vampire Survivors ... it’s stress-free gaming.” (100:10–101:53)

• Skate Story (102:00)

  • Mary: “It's part existential, part sick skating game ... it took me at least two hours. The first two hours I was on the fence ... and then it clicked.” (103:12)

• Death Howl:

  • Mary highlights this turn-based grid deck builder with a dark story and strange animal enemies.

• Terminator Game

  • Dan reviews a new action/shooter Terminator game that’s faithful to T2, but at $30 and ~45 mins long, he can’t recommend it unless on deep sale.

Gaming Habits, Social Media, and Predictability

• On Being Predictable (54:00)
  • Discussion about which host is most/least predictable in life, food, and gaming choices.
• Social Media Detox (113:58–116:37)
  • Dan and Mary reflect on the peace of unplugging from Twitter/BlueSky, surviving just fine on Instagram and away from gaming drama.
    • “God damn it feels great ... stepping back has just been a universal positive.” (115:48) —Dan

Classic Fire Escape Tangents: Bodily Function Humor

• The Asparagus Pee Bit Returns (132:05)
  • Signature Fire Escape bathroom humor, including a bet on whether Mike will express his “love” for asparagus pee smell.
• Listener Emails (up to 137:36)
  • Music and games: Mary has driven her siblings to forever associate "Dragula" by Rob Zombie with Sledstorm. Mike still treasures tricking out his NFL Street 2 experience with custom soundtracks.
  • Fun question: What “game asset” would you want to claim you designed? Mary wants to make a goofy Rocket League topper; Dan is responsible for the "fart in a jar" grenade in Saints Row 3.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Dan’s Dad’s Gaming:
  • “Objectively, he’s playing it wrong in a lot of ways, but he fucking loves it.” —Dan (14:53)
• Kayla as a Gamer:
  • “She is the Jimi Hendrix of video games.” —Mike (11:43)
• On Gift Giving:
  • “Beer, cheese, and old wrestling tapes. Carson knows me well.” —Dan (05:27)
• On Sector:
  • “It’s one of those games ... you can’t play it too close to bed ... I’m gonna do the one more run thing forever.” —Dan (93:13)
• Ocarina “Aha!” Moments:
  • “I jumped across this bridge with my horse. ... I feel like I was the first person to figure that out. I felt awesome.” —Mary (66:20)
• On Social Media Detox:
  • “It’s not some revelation, like the clouds are more vivid. ... I just don’t miss it.” —Dan (115:00)
• Classic Fire Escape Bathroom Story:
  • “That was the guy before me. I just went back to the table.” —Mike, after leaving a restaurant bathroom (23:54)
• Bodily Humor Peak:
  • “I don't even like asparagus. I eat it specifically so my pee will smell." —Mike (135:00)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:54 – Episode kicks off, holiday recaps
• 05:45 – Detailed tiki cocktail and milk punch science
• 10:12 – Dan’s family and weird gaming stories
• 28:15 – True Detective, TV & movie talk
• 31:00 – Pluribus discussion & “what would you do with total power”
• 61:03 – Mary’s first full Ocarina playthrough
• 76:39 – Dan’s Mario Galaxy 2 “Perfect Run” quest
• 81:59 – Mike’s thoughts on Octopath Traveler 0
• 92:58 – Sector, Mega Bonk, and more
• 113:58 – Social media detox/mental health
• 132:05 – Asparagus pee/jokey predictions
• 137:36 – Emails: music-game connections, asset design, and more

Conclusion

This episode effortlessly weaves together classic gaming nostalgia, grounded and humorous stories from the hosts’ personal lives, current TV/movie debate (True Detective, Pluribus, Knives Out 3), in-depth recaps of games (with spotlight moments for Ocarina of Time, Mario Galaxy 2, Octopath Traveler 0, Sector, and Mega Bonk), and signature Fire Escape off-the-rails banter about bathrooms, bodily functions, and life philosophies. If you haven’t listened: expect warm friendship, candid honesty about holiday burnout, pure gaming enthusiasm, and irreverent comedy—the epitome of a Fire Escape New Year.

For more, visit fireescapecast.com and send in your emails to firescapecastmail@gmail.com!