How Did This Get Made? – "Last Looks: War of the Worlds" (Sep 12, 2025)

Hosts: Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael, Jason Mantzoukas

Episode Overview

This episode of How Did This Get Made?’s "Last Looks" revisits the recent "War of the Worlds" discussion. The hosts dive into listener corrections and omissions, share bonus insights, and engage in their signature banter. Listeners call in with intriguing fact-checks and fun anecdotes, clarifying everything from first aid accuracy to the pronunciation of “Data,” and dissecting the movie’s many plot holes. Afterwards, Jason and Paul catch up and offer a whirlwind of TV/movie recommendations, touching on Taskmaster, new British comedies, hidden streaming gems, and more.

Table of Contents

1. Cold Open & Tech Trouble Skit (01:10–03:48)
2. Listener Corrections & Omissions (07:22–23:29)
3. Bonus Deleted Scene: June Relates to Ice Cube (23:29–24:30)
4. Catch-Up: TV and Movie Recommendations (28:04–54:16)
5. Next Week's Movie Announcement (54:16–57:36)

Cold Open & Tech Trouble Skit

(01:10–03:48)

• Skit: The episode opens with a recurring bit: Paul is ready to do the episode but discovers all "Last Looks" data has mysteriously vanished. Jason blames an "A.L.I.E.N. invasion"—aliens that eat podcast data.
  • "Aliens invading Earth to eat data? That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard." (Paul, 02:04)
  • Alexa (voice) miraculously restores everything: “Last Looks data recovered. Oh, I also destroyed all the aliens.” (03:22)
• Tone: Playful, tongue-in-cheek, setting up the episode’s irreverence.

Listener Corrections & Omissions

(07:22–23:29)

Each segment draws from calls and Discord messages, responding with jokes and new information.

Facebook Privacy & Ice Cube’s Character

• Discord user Soap Trail flags that Ice Cube’s hacker character would definitely have snooped on his daughter’s baby-daddy via Facebook.
  • Paul counters that maybe Ice Cube lost touch with Facebook after his wife died.
  • "It feels to me more like Ice Cube hasn’t checked Facebook in a long time after his wife died." (Paul, 08:15)

Plane Chyrons & Newsroom Chaos

• Dove points out the movie’s on-screen caption: “Passenger jets are falling to their death.” Paul riffs on the panic of newsroom graphics creation and reminisces about TV projects that never got made.

Amazon Delivery Truck Surveillance

• Johnny Unusual notes the improbable number of cameras (six!) in Amazon trucks.
  • Producer Scott (posthumously): Vice reports Amazon does use AI-cameras monitoring speed, location, and more.
  • "Wow, that's scary to me. But I'll tell you one thing, my Amazon packages come on time." (Paul, 09:36)

First Aid Realism: Tourniquets and Foreign Objects

• Riley from New York, volunteer EMT, corrects hosts about tourniquets:
  • Tourniquets don't guarantee limb loss—if treated within 6 hours most retain function.
  • Reinforces: Never pull out an embedded object.
  • "Applying a tourniquet does not mean that you're going to lose that limb. The science has changed..." (Riley, 10:29)
  • Paul is amazed and grateful: "Medicine, science, all working together to make us live longer." (Paul, 11:34)

Pronunciation of "Data" vs. "Data"

• Simon from the UK educates: “Data” became the norm thanks to Patrick Stewart on Star Trek: TNG, as per Gene Roddenberry’s phonetic rule.
  • "Gene Roddenberry had a rule that the first person to say the name... that becomes the way that you say it." (Simon, 12:36 & Paul, 13:22)

Ice Cube's Parenting and Email

• Amy from Baltimore: Notes the odd lack of apparent affection for Ice's son, who only gets attention late in the movie.
  • "He seemed to hate his son so much that he didn’t even add his name to that email until... after he found out his son was The Disruptor. I thought it was wild." (Amy, 14:24)
  • Paul riffs: "He didn’t even seem that upset when his son almost got killed. This guy is bad news." (Paul, 15:40)

Government Secrecy and Social Media

• David: "No way someone with defense clearance would have Facebook or social media—massive government fail."
  • Paul: "My son’s computer from school has more restrictions than Ice Cube’s does now." (17:10)

The Pointlessness of Data-Eating Aliens

• John from Minnesota: “Wouldn't aliens just write programs to generate 'dummy data' if they're so advanced?” His experience as a developer pokes a hole in the very premise.
  • Paul: "With any amount of research, this movie falls apart." (18:48)

Ludacris Lyric Reference

• Caroline from Texas: Points out an Ice Cube “Move, bitch, get out the way” line, a Ludacris reference.
  • Paul: "The way he said it just didn’t feel like an homage… it sounded more aggressive and misogynistic." (19:29)

Miscellaneous Discord Corrections

• Sean McBee: "Why would Goliath suddenly 'ring the dinner bell' for aliens if the whole internet already exists?"
• The Mighty Beard: Amazon drivers were heroes during COVID, thus their central role in the movie—a director/producer’s decision, not product placement.
• Permutator: Suggests biblical symbolism between "David," "Faith," and the "Goliath" AI—Paul awards them “winner” of the week. "Congratulations, permutator. You've done more thinking than the writer of this film." (21:59)

Bonus Deleted Scene: June Relates to Ice Cube

(23:29–24:30)

A candid moment where June discusses feeling stressed seeing disorganized computer screens—mirroring Ice Cube's character. Jason and Paul riff on the anxieties of desktop clutter, with June defending the "working parent" digital chaos.

• "Occasionally I will see June’s computer screen and it gives me an anxiety attack because there’s too many files on that desktop." (Paul, 23:48)
• "I wasn’t comforted by it, but I understood... he’s got a lot going on, you know, and he’s a working dad." (June, 24:09)

Catch-Up: TV and Movie Recommendations

(28:04–54:16)

Paul and Jason’s beloved pop culture catch-up—rapid-fire but detailed and enthusiastic.

Jason Recounts Taskmaster Fame

(28:44–29:09)

• Jason shares joy at his recent Taskmaster UK stint: "Just being out in the streets, people are talking to me about Taskmaster, which is delightful." (29:00)

Jason & Paul’s Top Recommendations & Viewing Habits

TV Highlights

• Andor (Disney+): Both call it possibly the best show of the year.
  • Jason: "Absolutely must-see TV... just an incredible season of television." (29:39)
• Dark Winds (AMC+): Jason raves about the Zahn McClarnon drama as the best current procedural.
• Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Paul’s family rewatch and ongoing praise.
• Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Paramount+): Beloved return of the franchise.
• Ballard (Amazon Prime): Bosch spinoff; both hosts want cameos.
  • Jason: "It's better than Bosch: Legacy; it's better than late-season Bosch. Maggie Q is fantastic." (33:16)
• Naked Gun (theatrical re-release) – Paul: “A movie to see in a theater; bring friends.”
• British TV Panel Shows & Comedies:
  • Last One Laughing (UK) — Jason: "Just them fucking with each other in a room where you can't laugh."
  • Would I Lie To You, 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, and more — many can be found on YouTube or BritBox.
  • Ludwig (BritBox): David Mitchell’s procedural.
• The Comeback (HBO): Lisa Kudrow classic; both rewatching and raving about its satire.
• Medical Drama 'The Pit': Both admit to being too anxious to handle the grotesque content.

Animation & Other:

• Digman! (Comedy Central): Andy Samberg/Nick Kroll animated comedy — needs more attention.
  • Jason: "One of the funniest pound for pound joke machine shows that’s on television." (47:23)
• South Park, King of the Hill (new): Paul’s animated highlights.
• Marvel Cinematic Universe: Paul introduces his son via Guardians and Spider-Man instead of recommended order.
  • Jason: "They don’t have to suffer through bad origin story movies." (50:04)

Films:

• Weapons (Zach Cregger): June stars, Paul touts it as “Paul Thomas Anderson meets John Carpenter.”
• Nolan’s Odyssey (rumored production): Paul shares a Hollywood gossip nugget about Christopher Nolan being furious over harmless set photos of the boat.
• Alone (Season 12, History): Jason recommends “Alone: Africa.”
• Sherwood (British crime drama): Jason: "One of the best shows I've seen in a long time."
• Wolf Hall (BBC): Jason touts Mark Rylance’s performance, recommends PBS app.
• Mobland (Paramount): British gangster series.

Notables & Shout Outs

• Predator: Killer of Killers (animated): Both agreed—"Incredible, absolute blast."
• Amy Sherman-Palladino’s Etoile (ballet drama): Already canceled, but Jason enjoyed the “insane” run.
• South Park and King of the Hill new seasons.

Next Week’s Movie Announcement: "Jack’s Back"

(54:16–END)

• Film: Jack’s Back (1988), starring James Spader & Robert Picardo.
  • Paul: "A movie where a serial killer is in Los Angeles celebrating Jack the Ripper’s hundredth birthday by committing similar murders. But here’s the twist, people—it has nothing to do with that." (54:38)
  • Paul quotes Roger Ebert: "What makes Jack's Back worth seeing is the work of Spader."
• Availability: Stream it on Hoopla, Prime Video, Tubi, Roku Channel, and more. Paul shouts out public library services like Kanopy and Libby for free digital media.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "What better place to hunt for beloved data than 15 years worth of podcast assets in the How Did This Get Made Dropbox folder?" (Jason, 02:09)
• "Medicine, science, all working together to make us live longer." (Paul, 11:34)
• "Congratulations, per mutator. You've done more thinking than the writer of this film." (Paul, 21:59)
• "With any amount of research, this movie falls apart." (Paul, 18:48)
• "There's so many things, so I get it. Amazon workers are heroes. You heard it here first." (Paul, 20:38)
• "It feels to me more like Ice Cube hasn’t checked Facebook in a long time after his wife died." (Paul, 08:15)
• "Just being out in the streets, people are talking to me about Taskmaster, which is delightful." (Jason, 29:00)
• "If you’re listening to this, go and find it. Find a way to watch Digman. Tell people about Digman. I think it’s one of the funniest pound for pound joke machine shows that’s on television." (Jason, 47:13)

Final Thoughts & Takeaways

• Tone: Affectionate chaos, full of tangents and listener engagement.
• Major Listener Fixations: Plot holes, hacking realism, parenting inconsistencies, and tech jokes.
• TV & Movie Section: Exceptionally dense with recommendations—viewers won’t want for suggestions, especially in international and animated comedy.
• Meta-Humor: Several jokes at the expense of their own show (“producer Scott is dead,” “winner gets nothing”) and affection for avid callers.
• Next Up: James Spader in a Ripper-themed thriller.

Essential Segments & Timestamps

• Listener Tourniquet Correction: 10:03–11:21
• Data Pronunciation Story: 12:15–13:22
• Parenting Dynamics Call: 14:13–15:40
• Amazon Heroics Discussion: 20:07–20:38
• Paul & Jason’s TV Catch-up: 28:04–54:16
• Next Week’s Movie Setup: 54:16–end

For more, join the Discord or call 619-PAUL-ASK to be featured! Next up: Jack’s Back—watch along and get your corrections, omissions, and alt-taglines ready.