Fire Escape Cast #124 — January 19, 2026

Hosts: Michael Mahardy (B), Mary Kish (C), Dan Ryckert (A)

Episode Overview

The crew—Mike, Mary, and Dan—kick off a new year of Fire Escape with their trademark blend of video game enthusiasm, movie geekery, offbeat life anecdotes, and group therapy for adulthood. They discuss the blurring of work-life boundaries, swap horror stories (literal and figurative), break down their favorite films and games of 2025, dive deep into their current gaming obsessions, and answer listener emails about Stardew Valley and Survivor. In typical Fire Escape fashion, the conversation zigzags from house renovations to the merits of high-rise jeans and the etiquette of modern movie theaters.

Key Discussion Points

1. Starting 2026: Life Updates & Home Office Woes

[01:00 - 05:30]

• The group reflects on returning to work post-holidays, with Mary noting the blurred boundaries of remote work.

  • Mary: "I love the remote life. But… I have very little work life separation. My office is where I be gaming." [01:31]
  • Solution: Mary created a second office in her house (converted from a closet), describing the quirks of her old 1914 home.

• Dan briefly gets stuck in his own closet while the others riff on the hazards of old houses.

  • Dan: "They don't have emergency pull cords for closets, like they do for trunks. They should." [03:11]

• Discussion of house histories, attic conversions, and the joys/pains of temperature extremes in old homes.

2. Reddit Rabbit Holes & Real-Life Horrors

[05:29 - 09:08]

• Mike recounts a supernatural Reddit thread about people discovering strangers secretly living in their attics.
  • Mike: "That's infinitely creepier than a ghost. There's a human being living in my space I didn't know about." [07:56]
• The group jokes about being “the attic person,” Mary role-plays paying the mortgage from the attic.

3. Film Chat: Heists, Heavies, and Recent Favorites

[09:37 - 32:24]

• The Sting: Mike watched the 1975 heist classic for the first time and recommends it. Dan confesses to having never seen a Robert Redford movie.

• Badlands, Predator, & Subtitled Films: Dan and Mary debate whether action movies like the latest Predator have substance ("That guy was a little wimpy boy who was trying to prove himself" — Mary, [14:33]); Dan is proud of finally seeing a few movies with subtitles.

• Wake Up, Dead Man: The crew praises what was, for Mike, the best film of 2025. They dig into its religious themes, Rian Johnson's knack for blending social critique with murder mystery, and the one miscasting (Mila Kunis as a cop).

  • Mike: "Having grown up Catholic and now being an atheist… this movie hit me in a way I did not expect." [22:12]

• Train Dreams: Mary’s surprise top movie of the year; a Netflix-produced adaptation of the Dennis Johnson novella.

  • Mary: "It is gutting. I was walking my dog the other day and thought about it and started crying." [18:06]

• Top 2025 Films: The trio rattle off their personal top fives (including Sinners, Weapons, Bonia, One Battle After Another, Warfare).

  • Dan: "Naked Gun... firmly established as my recommendation."
  • They delve into what makes a movie a 'masterpiece' and debate Paul Thomas Anderson's filmography (pro There Will Be Blood, anti-Magnolia).

• Movie Night Rituals: Nostalgia for MoviePass and the culture of going to theaters for anything and everything.

  • Dan: "I do pine for the days of MoviePass." [42:55]

4. Horror Movie Affinities and Definitions

[33:00 - 38:39]

• The group explores what kinds of horror they actually enjoy, poking fun at the term "elevated horror."
  • Mike: "They have a phrase for the kind of movies you were just describing: Elevated horror." [34:33]
• Dan's realization: "Wait, I like a lot of horror movies. What the fuck am I talking about?" [36:07]
• Mary suggests more horror recommendations, especially campy or non-traditional ones ("Jennifer's Body" praised as fun horror-camp).

5. Games That Grow On You (Whether You Like It or Not)

[39:49 - 42:17]

• Discussion of movies and games that improve with time, where initial reactions (“I didn’t like it”) mellow into appreciation.
• Dan gives Annette as an example: "I think this is the worst movie I've ever seen to I love this movie." [41:03]
• Mike gives Mary a “homework assignment” to watch Annette sight unseen.

6. Current Gaming: Jedi Survivor, Routine, and Obsessions

A. Star Wars Jedi Survivor
[44:39 - 54:19]

• Dan is playing Jedi Survivor for the first time, loving its platforming, mechanics, and “fun factor.”
  • Dan: "It's fun controlling this character and flying through the air... It's just a very fun game to play." [45:20]
• Mike advises: Don’t linger too long on the big planet; come back later when you’ve got more abilities.
  • Mike: "I would strongly encourage you to leave [the first big planet] as soon as you can and come back at your own pace." [48:05]
• The group compares its “From-like” qualities and debates who has completed which FromSoftware games.
• Sekiro: Dan considers making it his next "challenge game" due to his love for pattern recognition in Punch Out and overcoming the intimidation factor of From titles.

B. Routine (Sci-Fi Horror Game)
[54:40 - 63:27]

• Mary discusses her playthrough of Routine—an atmospheric, puzzle-rich horror experience—noting its oppressive mood and smart (if sometimes strict) resource mechanics.
  • Mary: "I, I think it's very well made. My biggest issues with it is, like, I'm not sure why they put such a strong limit on this gun." [61:19]

C. They Are Billions & The Love of RTS Turtle Play
[63:39 - 68:16]

• Mike tells of falling back into They Are Billions, loving its emphasis on defensive 'turtling' strategies over campaign play.
  • Mike: "If you turtle in real time strategy games, this is the game for you." [65:21]

D. Sectori: The Great High Score Rivalry
[68:16 - 76:23]

• Dan, Mary, and even Jeff Grubb (in absentia) are deep down the Sectori high score rabbit hole. Jacob Geller leads with 12 million; Dan and Grubb are locked in a fierce rivalry.
  • Mary (reading Grubb's DM): "'You'll never get 10 million.' What a [jerk], that's all it says." [70:31]
• The trio exchanges strategies. Mary plays in chaos mode for XP, Dan chases score, and everyone wants to topple Grubb.

E. Other Gaming Dabbles

• Big Hops: Dan endorses a frog-based platformer reminiscent of Mario 64, suggesting it’s perfect for Mary to stream.
• Romeo is a Dead Man (Suda 51): A preview of Suda’s latest surreal, stylish, but perhaps slightly dated hack-and-slash.
• Dune Crawl: Mary gives high praise to a new couch co-op game where you ride, upgrade, and customize giant crabs with friends, calling it "the best co-op game so far in 2026." [84:55]
• Shadow Gambit & Routine: Mike and Mary recount dipping back into beloved stealth and horror titles during holiday downtime.

7. Listener Email Segments

[91:06 - 123:37]

A. Stardew Valley: Would You Move if You Inherited a Real Farm?

• All three agree they'd love the post-corporate farm life (as long as they could still stream).
• Heated debate on who’d run the most profitable farm:
  • Dan: "My whole family is farmers!"
  • Mike: "Doesn't mean you know how to do anything."
  • Mary would rather own the local pub—“If I was a Stardew Valley person, I would own the bar, dude."
• The idea for a "Fire Escape bar" is floated ("Giant neon sign, that sweet logo!" — Dan, [96:13]).

B. Boomer Takes

• Alex from Australia prompts a discussion of "boomer opinions":
  • Dan: Staying off social media is key to happiness.
  • Mike: Movie theaters are still best (audiences rarely behave).
  • Mary: “I’ll never go back to low rise jeans. You can’t make me. High rise jeans for life.” [106:01]
• Tangents on the complicated modern streaming landscape, the lost joys of physical media, and the reliability of cable TV.

C. Survivor

• Caitlin asks which of Outwit, Outplay, Outlast each would excel at on Survivor.
  • Mike claims outlast, Mary for outplay (problem-solving, "poozles"), Dan for outwit (social maneuvering).
  • Mary: “I think I could rally people to make Dan the victim, quite easily.” [116:30]
  • Dan: "I think I would do really good at the outwit, the social element, but I would be the least of us three on the physical stuff.” [117:05]
  • Dan now wants to campaign to be on Survivor.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Mary (on movie impacts): "It is gutting. I was walking my dog the other day and thought about it and started crying." (Train Dreams - [18:06])
• Mike (on attic horror): "That's infinitely creepier than a ghost. There's a human being living in my space I didn't know about." [07:56]
• Dan (on horror films): "Wait, I like a lot of horror movies. What the fuck am I talking about?" [36:07]
• Mike (on game strategy): "If you turtle in real time strategy games, this is the game for you." (They Are Billions - [65:21])
• Mary (on pub dreams): "If I was a Stardew Valley person, I would own the bar, dude. And I would, like, give people their beers and just enjoy that life." [93:58]
• Dan (on Survivor): "I think my speechcraft skill is like at a million out of ten... I would do really good at the outwit, the social element. But, yeah, any of the physical stuff, I think I would be the least of us three." [117:05]
• Mike (on remote work): "I love the remote life. But… I have very little work life separation. My office is where I be gaming." [01:31]
• Mary (on jeans): "I'll never go back to low rise jeans. You can't make me. High rise jeans for life." [106:01]
• Dan (on MoviePass): "I do pine for the days of MoviePass. That was a good time." [42:55]
• Mary (about Fire Escape's possible future): "Let's just buy a town... We'll have a farm, we'll have a bar..." [97:17]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Returning to Work & Home Office Discussion: [01:00 - 05:30]
• Reddit Attic Horror Stories: [05:29 - 09:08]
• The Sting & Film Talk: [09:37 - 17:17]
• Wake Up, Dead Man Analysis: [20:00 - 25:14]
• Favorite Films of 2025: [20:43 - 21:12]
• Jedi Survivor Discussion: [44:39 - 54:19]
• Routine (Mary's Horror Game): [54:40 - 63:27]
• Sectori Score Wars: [68:16 - 76:23]
• Listener Email - Stardew Valley: [91:06 - 98:36]
• Boomer Takes: [98:37 - 112:48]
• Survivor Who Would Win?: [114:03 - 123:37]

Tone & Style

• Witty, warm, meandering, and digressive.
• Heavy on playful ribbing and self-deprecation.
• Occasional abrupt topic switches (classic Fire Escape).
• Equal parts nostalgia, critique, and affectionate goofiness.

Useful for Listeners Who Missed the Episode

This episode is a lively sampler of Fire Escape's core strengths: games, movies, tangents, and laughs, making space for both cathartic venting and surprising recommendations. From advice on Jedi Survivor playstyles to impassioned discussions of “train dreams” (both literal and metaphorical), the cast covers a lot of cultural ground while staying true to its talk-at-the-bar roots. If you want to know what to play, what to watch, and what to laugh about in January 2026, this one's for you.