Podcast Summary: How Did This Get Made? – Last Looks: The Christmas Tree

Date: December 5, 2025
Hosts: Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael (absent), Jason Mantzoukas
Special Guest: Devin Tory Bryant

Overview

This episode of How Did This Get Made? is a "Last Looks" installment dedicated to the bizarre animated holiday film The Christmas Tree. Paul and Jason respond to listener corrections/omissions, unpack wild fan theories, highlight the most memorable moments and lines from the movie, and share their own media recommendations. The episode also features an in-depth conversation with former show audio engineer Devin Tory Bryant about his new album “Blame it on My Zodiac.”

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Why Everyone Remembers "The Christmas Tree"

• Paul explains why the film left such an impression:

  “I feel like this movie unlocked a core memory that people had. They didn’t know where it was from, but they had seen it. This movie is important to be seen. Not since Peanut Butter Solution have we untapped something that’s disturbed us all so deeply.” (Paul, 04:00)

• Listeners called it ‘Joyless Recollections of Childhood Trauma’—unearthing a lost, unsettling relic.

2. Corrections & Omissions Segment

• [07:17 – 18:45] Listener Theories and Observations:
  • The Orphans' Hive Mind Theory:

    “The orphans are a part of a single hive mind … the tree is the matriarch … has turned the orphans into thralls.” (Listener Old Man Pappy, read by Paul, 07:45)

    • Paul calls it “possibly the best theory I’ve ever heard on any movie that we have ever done.”
  • Chainsaw Consistency Gaffe:
    • Mrs. Mavilda asks for an “electric chainsaw” but a gas-powered one appears. Paul jokes it’s a “choice of a drunken person” and not just an animation error.
  • Reporting Requirements for Orphanages:
    • Listener details how, if American, the orphanage would need to comply with strict federal reporting, and Paul muses about the film’s nonsensical setting: “This is not an American tale. This is no Fievel.”
  • Iconic Depressing Line:
    • Listener Ben details a line that caused “actual physical pain” to watch:

      “Santa’s not going to hear you. Nobody’s going to hear you. Miracles don’t happen.” (Ben, 13:04)

    • Paul calls it “the sentiments of a very depressed animator who forgot to center the animation cells.”
  • What’s with Mrs. Mavilda’s Gambling?
    • Steve from Virginia posits that the movie’s cryptic ending is an allegory for her addiction:

      “Perhaps … Mrs. Mavilda found a loophole and learned that if you are good or feigning being good, you can start winning.” (Steve, 15:05)

  • Meta Discussion:
    • The episode (80 mins) is almost twice the film’s runtime; this rarely happens except for deep-dive movies.
  • Listener John Steele jokes Mrs. Mavilda’s first name is “Bavilda,” prompting Paul to declare him the “winner.”

3. How Did This Get Made Community Interactions

• Encouragement for listener engagement:
  • Submit taglines, song intros, theories via Discord/website
  • Paul hypes merch re-releases and upcoming livestream details

4. Live Show and Tour Recap ([24:40])

• Paul and Jason reminisce about recent New York and Philadelphia live shows and the joys of performing together in the same room again.
• Shout-outs to memorable fans:

  “There’s Tim at Largo. There’s Morgan… Morgan was like an absolute superstar.” (Jason, 27:01)

  • Naming the core, recurring diehard fans

5. Tangents on Movie Podcasts & Comedies ([27:30 – 34:41])

• Blank Check Crossover:
  • Paul and Jason discuss their recent appearance on Blank Check for a massive episode on “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs”

    "People lamented that 3 hours and 41 minutes, not enough time for us to break down..." (Paul, 27:56) “If you are a Coen Brothers fan, if you're a Blank Check fan, if you like our show, you should be listening to Blank Check.” (Jason, 29:45)

• Nostalgia for Studio Comedies:
  • Revisiting 21 Jump Street and the lost art of big-screen comedies with strong ensembles and endless jokes.
  • Jason mourns the death of the studio comedy boom:

    "That's a run ... that's kind of the end of studio comedies, really." (Jason, 32:08)

6. Watchlist & Recommendations ([34:41 – 46:45])

• Paul & Jason recommend recent series, stand-up specials, and other media:
  • Taskmaster Season 20 (Jason: “It’s that magic trick... I immediately become obsessed with them” – 35:10)
  • Haha, You Clowns! Adult Swim (“absolutely bananas level funny” – Jason, 39:49)
  • Landman, Diplomat, The Last Frontier (“what if Con Air was a TV series”, Paul, 40:03)
  • Bunheads (“It’s incredible… Sutton Foster is the star…” – Jason, 40:25)
  • Chair Company, Pluribus, Goliath (“I’m calling for the Lou Diamond Phillips Renaissance”, Paul, 41:54)
  • Downey Wrote That (Jim Downey documentary – 42:27)
  • The Lowdown (“maybe my favorite show of the year” – Jason, 42:57), Ethan Hawke leads this Tulsa noir from Sterlin Harjo
  • Wolves of Glendale (YouTube music competition series: “It’s Iron Chef with music.” – Paul, 43:59)
  • NY comedy shows & standup specials:
    • Natalie Palamides’ Weird, specials by Ian Edwards, Earthquake, Frankie Quinones, etc.

7. Interview: Devin Tory Bryant & “Blame it on My Zodiac” ([47:10 – 54:37])

• Paul and Jason catch up with Devin, HDTGM’s former audio engineer.
  • Devin’s music project is Painkiller the Pigeon:

    “These are guitars, these are drums, these are bass, these are lyrics. It’s Beatles type pop songs...” (Devin, 48:08)

  • New album: Blame it on My Zodiac
    • Inspired by late ‘60s/early ‘70s classic records, with a double-album vintage vibe.
    • All instruments performed by Devin: “This is a record I made entirely on my own. I play every single instrument. … On a double album with four EPs that come out after it. So it's 42 tracks that I did from T to B.” (Devin, 52:20)
  • Available streaming everywhere,“but Bandcamp is best” (Bandcamp Fridays send all the money to the artist — 51:39)
  • Includes a Joni Mitchell cover:

    "...I was like, this needs to be done as if the Byrds had covered this in 1968..." (Devin, 54:16)

  • The group plays “Mistaken”, a chamber-pop, orchestral tune from the record.

8. Next Up: “Merry Kissmas”

• Paul announces next week’s film, a 2015 romcom and details the upcoming livestream.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On ‘The Christmas Tree’ Uncanny Memories:
  • “This movie is important to be seen. Not since Peanut Butter Solution have we untapped something that has disturbed us all so deeply.” (Paul, 04:07)
• Listener Ben’s winningly depressing line:
  • “Santa’s not going to hear you. Nobody’s going to hear you. Miracles don’t happen.” (Listener Ben, 13:04)
• On Mrs. Mavilda’s arc:
  • “Maybe ... she learned that if you are good or feigning being good, you can start winning.” (Listener Steve, theory at 15:05)
• Orphan Hive Mind Theory Triumph:
  • “Kids are Borg, and I love it.” (Paul paraphrasing “Old Man Pappy”, 08:25)
• Runtime meta-joke:
  • “Our discussions frequently go much longer than the movie, but we edit them down. ... No one wants to hear three hours of Morbius. And I know you’re like, yes, we do. No, you don’t.” (Paul, 15:54)

Timestamps of Important Segments

• 00:00 – 02:20: Theme, intro, setup for what’s ahead
• 04:00: Paul’s reflection on the movie’s uncanny memories
• 07:17: “Corrections & Omissions” listener segment starts
• 13:04: Listener Ben’s breakdown of the most nihilistic line in the movie
• 14:43: Steve’s theory about Mrs. Mavilda’s gambling and the movie’s morality
• 18:47: John Steele declared winner for “Bavilda Mavilda” name theory
• 24:40: Paul and Jason begin live/tour show discussion
• 27:30: Shared podcast universe—reminiscing about Blank Check
• 31:28: Love for 21 Jump Street movie and the lost era of studio comedy
• 34:41: Jason & Paul’s TV/music/comedy recommendations
• 47:10: Interview with Devin Tory Bryant about new album, classic rock influences
• 54:42: Song “Mistaken” preview
• 56:16: Next week announcement: Merry Kissmas

Style & Tone

Consistently irreverent, playful, and fast-paced—with Paul and Jason riffing on tangents, lovingly roasting bad movies, and embracing the chaos of their fanbase’s weirder contributions. Their enthusiasm for their audience, each other, and all things pop culture shines through.

For Listeners Who Missed the Show:

This episode is a perfect mix of in-jokes for devoted fans (hive-minded orphans, chainsaw types, and tagline contests), enthusiastic recommendations for everything from TV to 1970s-inspired indie music, and a shining example of why HDTGM has one of the most engaged comedy podcast communities around.

Key Takeaways:

• “The Christmas Tree” is so weird, it’s iconic in its own strange, traumatizing way
• Listener theories are wild and wonderful; nothing is too far-fetched
• Watch good (and bad) movies, listen to good (and weird) music—and always join live shows if you can

Next up: “Merry Kissmas”

“A magical kiss and an elevator leaves a woman torn between two men at Christmas time…”

[End of summary]