My Brother, My Brother and Me 789: Meditations on Bean

Hosts: Justin, Travis, and Griffin McElroy
Date: November 17, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the McElroy brothers' ongoing fascination with Rowan Atkinson’s latest Netflix comedy, Man vs. Baby, unpacking its trailer in hilariously obsessive detail. The brothers reflect on the nature of "react content," offer advice to writers in public, and riff on wild fast-food PR stunts. With their trademark blend of sincerity, surrealism, and sibling razzing, they continually blur the line between affectionate mockery and genuine cultural criticism.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Meditations on Man vs. Baby

(Starts ~2:22)

• The Rowan Atkinson Cinematic Universe:

  • The episode kicks off with the brothers expressing excitement for the trailer of Man vs. Baby, a spinoff from Man vs. Bee.
  • The trailer’s massive popularity (4.7 million views in two days) shocks and slightly disheartens Justin:

    "That I don't like to. That doesn't make me want to do jokes." — Justin (03:22)

  • The brothers discuss the legal intricacies of fair use and transformative reactions while poking fun at internet video culture, suggesting “overlaying a picture of Rowan Atkinson making the face” to boost engagement (05:17).

• In-Depth Trailer Analysis:

  • The trio riff on the absurd escalating stakes: from fighting a bee to fighting a baby, joking about franchise power-creep and potential future entries like Man vs. Babies and Man vs. God — with Rowan Atkinson playing God, of course (11:41).
  • Griffin summarizes the permissively cartoonish violence ("tucks the cork right in the baby's mouth"), contrasting it with outdated humor that "doesn't really fly anymore."
  • Justin proposes a surreal theory:

    “That was him from the past. And he is watching himself as a baby… Every time he makes a mistake, another baby happens with the baby. He adult him gets dumber.” — Justin (09:46)

  • Griffin and Travis speculate further about the existential feedback loops this would create, and the possibility of an infinite onslaught of Rowan Atkinsons ("Mr. Bean Baby, Johnny English baby...Black Adder baby...") (11:18–11:39).

• Ethics & Tone:

  • The brothers are both fascinated and uncomfortable with the physical comedy involving babies:

    “I don't think Netflix is gonna let a movie go on streamable where Rowan Atkinson even harms an infant.” — Griffin (14:30)

• Reality & Franchise Expansion:

  • Jokes are made about alternate-universe "reactor" creators (“If they don't want to hear us saying the same stuff, they should listen to different people.” — Justin, 17:09) and the fatigue of relentless content creation ("It's a little exhausting making the amount of content that we make.") (17:33).

2. Reflections on Reaction Content & Creative Work

(Starts ~17:33)

• React vs. Original Content:
  • The brothers openly envy the ease of "react" content creators compared to their own improv-heavy show:

    “Everyone has discovered it is a lot more fun to just watch TV shows and talk about them.” — Justin (18:09)

  • Fantasies include being a well-loved reaction YouTuber ("listen to a song that you've never heard before but everybody else has heard and you really love the song" — Justin, 19:00) or a meme games channel.
  • Travis muses about being "an extremely ethical Mr. Beast. Yes, Mr. Beauty, I'd call myself." (21:03)

3. Advice: Crying Over One's Own Writing in Public

(Starts ~22:41)

• Listener Question:
  A writer asks how they can keep from unsettling coffee shop regulars while crying silently over an emotional work-in-progress.
• Support & Suggestions:
  • The brothers affirm the emotion as commendable:

    “That's brave. To be so invested in one's own art that it make you cry..." — Travis (23:24)

  • Justin notes:

    “You have become extremely distracted at the coffee shop. Your plan of avoiding distractions has been so completely foiled that you've been distracted to a point where you're emailing us...” — Justin (23:36)

  • They jokingly suggest setting up a tip jar or QR codes for preorders and coffee, riffing on the concept of "writing buskers" (25:27).
  • Travis hypothesizes people might assume the writer is “drafting a breakup letter” (27:28).
  • Justin shares a touching real-life anecdote about kindness—a story of warning a stranger about a spider in her hair at a football game (28:00–30:31).

4. Munch Squad: Fast Food Press Releases & PR Stunts

(Starts ~41:36)

• Taco Bell's Baja Blast Pie:

  • Tackles the limited-edition Baja Blast Pie hype and frustration over PR-driven scarcity.

    “I hate this, like, capitalization on these great dreams and then not everybody gets to try the dream.” — Justin (43:00)

• Hardee’s “Tender Bender” Lock-In:

  • Skewers Hardee’s attempt at viral marketing via a “Tender Bender lock-in” with streamer Duke Dennis and banana ball players — riffing on lock-in logistics and the implication of being “trapped” with endless chicken tenders (45:17–53:10).
  • Griffin, searching for concrete rules in the vague PR, says:

    “You gotta stop announcing shit gang, without explaining how it's gonna work. It drives me absolutely batty when these companies announce some wild shit and don't even think to put in some of the brass tax sort of rules and regulations.” — Griffin (52:20)

5. Final Riffs: The Nature of Online Fame and Content

(Throughout, esp. ~53:15–55:02)

• More jokes on the Mr. Beast-style giveaways, laughing about the peculiar economics and trappings of influencer culture.
• “You get your Beast wet,” becomes a running punchline for pocketing profits (54:06); general absurdity about giving away or winning items in surreal online contests.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On franchise escalation:

  "I'm so worried about the power curve of this franchise, you guys, because man versus BE already...there's not many places left to go...then they announced man versus Baby...I don't think you can go anywhere except man versus Babies in the squeak-well.” — Griffin (11:07)

• On emotional art in public:

  “That's brave. To be so invested in one’s own art…” — Travis (23:24)
  “Maybe like a little QR code...it says, yeah, I'm crying about my book again. Scan to pre order.” — Justin (25:27)

• On the ease of reaction content:

  “We just barely misreact.” — Justin (20:43)
  “Everyone has discovered it is a lot more fun to just watch TV shows and talk about them.” — Justin (18:09)

• On bewildering fast food PR:

  "Where do you think your market is? ... We need it here." — Travis (43:26, on Taco Bell)
  "You gotta stop announcing shit gang, without explaining how it's gonna work." — Griffin (52:20)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 02:22–18:41: Main discussion of Man vs. Baby trailer, franchise speculation, and media analysis
• 17:33–22:37: Reflections on content creation vs. “react” content culture
• 22:41–31:10: Listener question about crying writers & kindness anecdote
• 41:36–53:10: Munch Squad (Taco Bell Baja Blast Pie, Hardee’s Tender Bender Lock-in)
• 53:15–54:59: Influencer/“Mr. Beast” jokes, surreal online economics

Tone & Style

The episode is classic MBMBaM: fast-paced, riff-centric, and affectionate in its sarcasm. The siblings bounce seamlessly from intricate pop-culture parody to sincere advice and then into entirely imagined alternate realities. Their tone alternates between fraternal mockery, genuine affection (for each other and for the weird corners of media they explore), and an ever-present willingness to dissect the absurdities of modern life.

For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

• The episode is an extended riff on pop culture’s increasingly bizarre media franchises, internet “react” trends, and the boldness (sometimes bordering on cynicism) of modern marketing.
• It features a thorough comedic breakdown of Man vs. Baby, musings on the grind and allure of online creation, and thoughtful, funny advice for writers (and anyone feeling a little out of place in public).
• The Munch Squad segment is a highlight — not for serious foodies but for fans of marketing absurdity and the brothers’ deft ability to spin even the oddest press release into comedy gold.
• You’ll leave with one burning question: Just how many Rowan Atkinsons could exist in one cinematic universe? And, what would happen at a Tender Bender lock-in?

(Summary created from the original transcript—quotes and timestamps preserved for authenticity; advertising, intros, and outros omitted.)