From The World Of John Wick: Ballerina And What's Making Us Happy

Summary

Pop Culture Happy Hour: In-Depth Discussion on "Ballerina" and Exploring What Makes Us Happy

Released on June 6, 2025

Introduction

In this episode of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour, host Aisha Harris and her panel of pop culture aficionados delve into the latest John Wick spin-off, Ballerina, starring Ana de Armas. Joined by Waylon Wong, co-host of NPR's Daily Economics podcast The Indicator from Planet Money, cultural critic Jeff Yang, author of The Movies That Made Asian America, and Trevel Anderson, journalist and host of the new podcast Black Queer Canon, the panel offers a comprehensive analysis of the film's impact on the franchise and its place in contemporary pop culture.

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1. Ballerina: A Fresh Spin on the John Wick Universe

Ballerina introduces Ana de Armas as Eve, a ballerina-turned-assassin navigating the treacherous international criminal underworld to avenge her father's murder. The film intertwines new characters with familiar faces like Keanu Reeves, Angelica Huston, and Ian McShane, maintaining continuity within the John Wick saga.

Jeff Yang praises the film's "propulsive" action, stating, "This movie, it's really propulsive. The action really, really delivers" (02:20). He appreciates the return to the franchise's signature elements, such as the Hotel Continental and the intricate fight choreography, while delighting in nostalgic details like pneumatic tubes.

Trevel Anderson echoes the sentiment, highlighting the film's high-octane pacing: "It's high action from the very beginning, and you're going, going, going. I don't need the deeply emotional drama acting bits that they try to, you know, put in between all of the action scenes" (03:07). She emphasizes that Ballerina offers exactly what fans seek—intense action without being bogged down by excessive lore.

Waylon Wong adds, "This is why we go to the movies. It was fun and I'm very glad that Keanu Reeves is actually in this more than we all thought he would be" (14:58). He appreciates the film as an entertaining spectacle, despite some reservations about its contribution to the broader franchise narrative.

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2. Ana de Armas: Carving Her Space in Action Cinema

The casting of Ana de Armas as the lead in Ballerina sparked discussions about her ability to stand toe-to-toe with Keanu Reeves in an iconic role. Waylon Wong expresses mixed feelings: "She looks great, she's very athletic, but for me, it wasn't working. And I'm curious, like, does she feel like a worthy addition to the action hero canon?" (05:35).

Jeff Yang defends de Armas, noting the challenges she faces being compared to Reeves: "She has the kind of misfortune of being compared to Keanu Reeves in this incredibly iconic role. Right. I mean, that's so hard to live up to. And I personally really liked her." (07:06). He appreciates her performance, particularly her believable stunt work, though he questions whether she can sustain her own standalone franchise.

Trevel Anderson remains optimistic about de Armas's potential: "I did think she did a good job at it. You know, I believed most of the stunts. You know what I mean? Yeah. I don't know if she can carry her own sub franchise like Keanu Reeves does, but I didn't hate it." (06:36). She acknowledges the possibility of future spin-offs centered around her character, highlighting the diversity and depth she brings to the role.

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3. Expanding the John Wick Universe: Future Spin-offs and Diversity

The panel discusses the potential for expanding the John Wick universe through additional spin-offs. Trevel Anderson is enthusiastic about exploring other characters, suggesting, "There is so much potential with this franchise to give us a different character, a different movie, you know, every year, if they wanted to, I'd watch them." (13:57). She envisions a future where diverse backgrounds and cultures are further represented, aligning with the franchise's global and inclusive ethos.

Jeff Yang echoes this enthusiasm, expressing a desire for the series to continue evolving: "I wanted Ana de Armas to show us something new. Right. Like show us a different take on the born to be an assassin story." (12:07). He hopes future installments will offer fresh narratives and character motivations that differentiate them from previous entries.

Waylon Wong highlights the importance of maintaining the franchise's signature action while introducing innovative elements: "I liked that there's, like a little bit of subversion where there's one scene where we just, like, cut to the aftermath. We don't actually see what happened." (09:46). This balance, according to him, keeps the series engaging and superior to many other action movies.

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4. What's Making Us Happy: Book, Games, and Shows

Transitioning from film discussions, the panel shares personal recommendations that bring joy to their lives.

• Jeff Yang recommends Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaughey, a gripping mystery thriller set on a remote Antarctic island. He describes it as "an immersive, gripping, interesting novel... exploring parenthood and grief for the climate." (17:25).

• Trevel Anderson suggests We Now Belong to Ourselves by Ariane Edmonds, a compelling narrative about her great-great-grandfather who established a black-owned newspaper in Los Angeles. She emphasizes its importance in preserving and sharing Black history: "having these ways that we can still preserve this history and share it with our communities is deeply important." (18:37).

• Waylon Wong introduces Farms Race, a new board game that blends elements of Catan and Risk with influences from George Orwell's Animal Farm. He describes it as a playful yet competitive game where players control power-hungry farm animals: "It's fun. It might cause fights because... you are encouraged to fight each other a lot." (21:26).

• Trevel Anderson shares her enjoyment of the Korean drama Tastefully Yours on Netflix, highlighting its blend of humor, whimsy, and engaging characters: "It's delicious food and hot people, or vice versa... It is definitely worth watching." (20:27).

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Conclusion

The episode concludes with the panel reflecting on the dual nature of Ballerina as both a satisfying addition to the John Wick franchise and a potential springboard for future narratives. While acknowledging some areas where the film may not significantly advance the overarching story, they agree that it delivers the high-octane action and entertainment value that fans crave. The transition to sharing personal sources of happiness offers a delightful glimpse into the hosts' lives, rounding off the episode on a positive and engaging note.

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Notable Quotes

• "This movie, it's really propulsive. The action really, really delivers." — Jeff Yang (02:20)
• "It's high action from the very beginning, and you're going, going, going." — Trevel Anderson (03:07)
• "She has the kind of misfortune of being compared to Keanu Reeves in this incredibly iconic role." — Jeff Yang (07:06)
• "It's so much better than most other action movies." — Waylon Wong (09:46)
• "We all just live in it." — Trevel Anderson (08:33)
• "Having these ways that we can still preserve this history and share it with our communities is deeply important." — Trevel Anderson (18:37)

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This summary provides a comprehensive overview of the Pop Culture Happy Hour episode, capturing the panel's insights on Ballerina, discussions on Ana de Armas's role, the potential expansion of the John Wick universe, and personal recommendations that bring joy to the hosts' lives.

Transcript

[Aisha Harris]

Congress is considering a rescissions package from the White House that would claw back more than $1 billion of public media funding. Federal funding for all of public media amounts to about $1.60 per person per year. That helps bring you the news and podcasts you rely on from NPR. Please take a stand for public media [e-mail].

[Waylon Wong]

John Wick's back, baby. And it's in a spin off where Ana de Armas plays a ballerina turned assassin. She makes her way through the international criminal underworld and crosses paths with some new and familiar faces, including the one and only Keanu Reeves. I'm Aisha Harris and today we're talking about Ballerina on Pop Culture Happy Hour from npr. Joining me today is Waylon Wong. She's the co host of NPR's Daily Economics podcast, the Indicator from Planet Money. How Hello, Waylon. Hello.

[Jeff Yang]

Great to be back.

[Waylon Wong]

Great to have you. Also with us is Jeff Yang. He's a cultural critic and author of the golden the Movies that Made Asian America. Hey, Jeff.

[Trevel Anderson]

Hey, Aisha.

[Waylon Wong]

Great to have you here as well. And rounding out our panel is journalist and host of the new podcast Black Queer Canon, Trevel Anderson. Hello, Trevel. Hi. Hi. Hi. So excited. We have an assassin's row of a panel here. It's going to be fun. It's going to be fun. So look, Ballerina. It's a John Wick movie. It takes place during the events of John Wick Chapter 3, Parabellum. Ana de Armas plays Eve, a trained assassin of a crime syndicate and she's on a personal mission to avenge her dad's murder. Keanu Reeves isn't the only cast member returning to the franchise. Angelica Houston and Ian McShane are here, too. Ballerina is in theaters now. Waylon, I'm going to start with you. How how did you feel about Ballerina? How are we feeling about Ana de Armas?

[Jeff Yang]

I had a really fun time. I think this movie, it's really propulsive. I think the action really, really delivers. And it's honestly such a pleasure to be back in this world. You've got the Hotel Continental, you've got the switchboard operators, you've got the old fashioned phones, you have the tattoos, you have the pneumatic tubes. I love pneumatic tubes.

[Trevel Anderson]

Me too.

[Jeff Yang]

I wrote pneumatic tubes, exclamation point in my notebook. It's like the only note I took. This movie is also really light on lore, which is good because I don't like a lot of lore and I feel like John Wick. When it tries to do a lot of lore, it kind of gets really let in. I will say that the movie kind of fumbles every opportunity it has for an emotional moment or interesting character development. I found myself kind of like rewriting the script as I was watching it in certain parts, but grading on a curve of what I want from a summer action movie. Very, very satisfying customer.

[Waylon Wong]

Yes, Yes, I like that. Super straightforward. It's literally, you killed my father. I want vengeance. But there can be joys and pleasures in that Treval. How are we feeling about Ballerina?

[Trevel Anderson]

You know, I think propulsive is a great word, right. For all of the John Wick movies. Right. It's high action from the very beginning, and you're going, going, going. I don't need the deeply emotional drama acting bits that they try to, you know, put in between all of the action scenes. I'm really here to see how many ways you can kill a man. You know what I mean? Many, apparently. Right. And that's exactly what I think the movie gives you. It's like exactly what you want. Summertime in the movies. It's a good time. You don't need to have seen the other movies in the John Wick franchise to follow along. I've been saying it's very, you know, Colombiana with Zoe Saldana.

[Waylon Wong]

If you saw that movie, forgot about that.

[Trevel Anderson]

I know. Probably for the best, Aisha, but, you know, a very similar kind of story. Right. But I really enjoyed it. It's such a good time.

[Waylon Wong]

Great, great. Jeff, did you too dance with the ballerina?

[Trevel Anderson]

I was in point throughout. I gotta say, I did enjoy it quite a lot. The blend of murder antics and wild action and kind of almost too on the nose humor that you expect out of the franchise. A character says, may I be frank? Right. And then they sort of cut to the chest and the name tag is frank. Stuff like that. You know, this is the world of John Wick and we've come to expect certain things from it. And I have a little bit of a theory of the case for the franchise. It's like John Wick movies are a horror movie where you're rooting for the serial killer. Right. It's like the big twist here is in Ballerina, the serial killer is also the final girl. Right. With all that entails. She's scrappy and resourceful and she's not like an inevitable murder machine. And I think that's really kind of the movie's strength and weakness.

[Waylon Wong]

Yes. Interesting. I don't want to throw cold water on this conversation, because I'm really glad that you all.

[Trevel Anderson]

You can.

[Waylon Wong]

Yeah, yeah, I know. I was entertained. And I agree with Wayland in that I was absolutely grading on a curve here. It was fun to see it with an audience. It was fun to hear the audience cheer. And this is why. This is one of the reasons we go to the movies. But, you know, this is the kind of movie that I don't know if I'm ever actually going to go back to because as you all were mentioning, there's this lull in the moments where it tries to have this emotional heft. Like the person I was sitting next to while we were watching, it turned to me at the very beginning was like, this is like a 90s action movie. And I love 90s action movies. But the script itself, the dialogue was not. It was giving very. Not just on the nose humor, which I actually enjoy the on the nose humor. It was more than just like the I'll be back. It's not that she doesn't say I'll be back, but it felt very. We're trying to make a new 90s catchphrase here. But to say all that, I do think it's the kind of movie that it doesn't add to the franchise in any meaningful way, but it also doesn't subtract. Like, it's not gonna make me not wanna return to this world again, I guess. I'm curious what you all think of Ana de Armas, like, Chops as an action hero. Because to me, she didn't quite stand out. She looks great, she's very athletic, but for me, it wasn't working. And I'm curious, like, does she feel like a worthy addition to the action hero canon?

[Trevel Anderson]

I mean.

[Waylon Wong]

There'S a lot of cocked heads here happening, you know?

[Trevel Anderson]

Is her casting, like, super pivotal to the story? No. Could somebody else have done what she does? Probably. But I did think she did a good job at it. You know, I believed most of the stunts. You know what I mean? Yeah. I don't know if she can carry her own sub franchise like Keanu Reeves does, but I didn't hate it. You know what I mean?

[Waylon Wong]

Yeah, yeah. That's fair.

[Jeff Yang]

I mean, she has the kind of misfortune of being compared to Keanu Reeves in this incredibly iconic role. Right. I mean, that's so hard to live up to. And I personally really liked her. Like, her hair's so shiny. I liked it when she fought with the ice skates.

[Waylon Wong]

Yeah, the ice skates were. That was fun.

[Unknown]

Yes, yes.

[Jeff Yang]

That was Incredible. The movie, I feel like at times has this vote of low to no confidence in Ana De Armas as the protagonist. Because we all know that Keanu Reeves is in this movie as John Wick. That's in the trailer, so it's not a spoiler.

[Waylon Wong]

And.

[Jeff Yang]

And he gets a sequence where he's fighting all by himself. The action completely leaves Ana De Armis behind. And we're just watching Keanu Reeves doing his John Wick thing. And I thought to myself, like, why did they put this in? Like, this is supposed to be her movie? And then I'm like, did they just feel like, oh, people won't be dialed into this movie if we don't give them a Keanu solo sequence? But to me, I thought it was. Does this just mean, like, they thought that she couldn't carry the movie on her own, but by then we're almost at the end of the movie, so I'm like, well, we've been following her the whole time. It's fine, guys, Just let her do her thing.

[Trevel Anderson]

I mean, there was a lot of conversation, I think, early on among fans of the franchise as to whether or not Ballerina was going to include, like, a significant cameo by Keanu Reeves. And in fact, John Wick plays a pretty significant kind of inciting role in this.

[Waylon Wong]

I wouldn't even say it's a cameo. They've been kind of throwing it out there as a cameo, but it feels like a second or like a tertiary role. Tertiary, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Trevel Anderson]

But when Keanu's on screen, he's like the only thing you want to look at. And that's saying a lot because Anna De Armas is not hard to look at. Right? But there is this moment, right, where Angelica Huston's character says, and what if I send someone, someone capable, and you know who that is right at that moment? You know that, yeah, this is the world of John Wick. We all just live in it. And I kind of appreciate that. One of the ways they're trying to do something different here is kind of hammered in that sort of on the nose thing. This is about fight like a girl, right? We hear this as dialogue in the movie. It's a final song. Fight like a girl. Evanescence.

[Waylon Wong]

Oh, that was Evanescence. I was wondering.

[Trevel Anderson]

But I do think that that actually does change some of what is going on in the movie in terms of how she fights. In particular, Anand Armas fights with a lot of stuff which is like Equalizer, like force multiplier type stuff. Grenades and flamethrowers. And it's a different world. I kind of dug it.

[Waylon Wong]

I think for me, it started off kind of rote. Oh, it was very rote with the action sequences. And I was waiting for, like, what makes this different from other movies? Because that's, to me, the John Wick. Its signature. Besides John Wick himself, Keanu Reeves is the fight scenes. Anytime you watch one, you're just reminded of how so many other especially American made movies. Action movies just pale in comparison. They're not as interesting with the choreography, they're not as creative, and they're not. The camera movement isn't as great. I like that there's, like a little bit of subversion where there's one scene where we just, like, cut to the aftermath. We don't actually see what happened. And so she's like walking through and pulling knives out as she's leaving the place. And I just. I loved those little touches. And that, to me, was what made me be like, oh, this is fun. This is finding the John Wickness again in a way that made me appreciate that this franchise, even when I'm not as invested in it, it still does things so much better than most other action movies.

[Trevel Anderson]

When she presses the open button on the elevator to go back for one last night.

[Waylon Wong]

Yes.

[Trevel Anderson]

That's like a Hong Kong action movie to me.

[Waylon Wong]

You know, I'm curious what you thought about the way that this movie also incorporates the other characters from this franchise. It's not just Keanu Reeves, but as we said, we see Ian McShane, we also get Lance Reddick, who as the concierge at the Continental. It's very, very brief, but it was very nice to see him there because he was able to finish filming before he passed in 2023. I think the way it kind of. It nods to the John Wick franchise, that mostly worked for me, and I appreciated it. Would you want to see more spinoffs in this world?

[Trevel Anderson]

Absolutely, yes. A couple movies ago, I wanted the Halle Berry movies.

Yes.

You know, I wanted them to spin her off.

[Jeff Yang]

Oh, yeah, that would have been good.

[Trevel Anderson]

Because she's got dynamism. Okay. You want to watch her on screen do all of the things? At least I do. There's so much potential with this franchise to give us a different character, a different movie, you know, every year, if they wanted to, I'd watch them. As long as the action, you know, stays where it is. Cause I think that is the thing that draws people in. But I would absolutely watch, you know, 12 more of these, for sure.

[Jeff Yang]

I think that for me, I am very invested in this franchise. I really like it. I want to see any future movies, try to do something a little bit different, story wise. Cause I think I wanted Ana de Armas to show us something new. Right. Like show us a different take on the born to be an assassin story. And the fact that she is motivated by the same primal desire for vengeance as John Wick. The way that, you know, she fights like a girl. So she's trained to fight differently than John Wick. I was hoping they would even do more with that. Right. Where it would show her maybe being a more canny, strategic, long term thinker. She thinks on her feet, her twinkle toes very well. But again, that's something we've seen before from John Wick. So if they do make more of these, I want her to maybe have a slightly different motivation or a slightly different journey than what we've already seen.

[Waylon Wong]

Well, I also just wanted a little bit more like ballerina in the fighting.

[Trevel Anderson]

I mean, ballet fou.

[Waylon Wong]

Yeah, right. Like I was expecting it to be.

[Jeff Yang]

I wanted this to be in conversation with like center stage.

[Waylon Wong]

Yes.

[Trevel Anderson]

Thank you.

[Waylon Wong]

Center stage. Save the last dance.

[Trevel Anderson]

Save the last dance.

[Jeff Yang]

Come on. The Red Shoes.

[Waylon Wong]

I needed that. Like Julia Stiles dancing while also kicking off.

[Jeff Yang]

Absolutely.

[Waylon Wong]

That's what I want.

[Jeff Yang]

Yeah, she's just trying to get into Juilliard, you know, with her hip hop ballads.

[Waylon Wong]

Yes. There's like one moment where she's in that like giant. Because of course there's always the obligatory mega club fight sequence in one of these John Wick movies. Those are my favorite things about this. And like this is a mega club that's like ice themed.

[Jeff Yang]

Ice Capades.

[Waylon Wong]

Ice Capades, yeah. And so she like at one point she tendus around like rondajohns around behind her foot. But that's like. That was the closest it got. I was like, what? I wanted more ballerina.

[Jeff Yang]

Yeah. It was just like a little tease.

[Trevel Anderson]

I wanted more to the larger idea of this being a franchise I want to see more of. I kind of just dig the idea of movies where you kind of zoom into somebody in the background and say, hey, this person has a story too. Let's tell this person's story. And the natural spinoff and I think they're gonna do it is Donnie Yen's character, right?

[Waylon Wong]

Yes. He was in the fourth one, right, John? Yes. Yeah.

[Trevel Anderson]

The vibe of the world of John Wick, it is so global. It is international and intercontinental as it were. By definition that there are all these characters who are kind of, again, populated in this space and they're all very different. Diversity is inherent in the franchise. These are all third culture kids where the culture is murder, you know, so it's like we can zoom in on anybody and there's probably kind of something interesting.

[Waylon Wong]

Yeah, it sounds like we would all recommend seeing this, seeing this with an enthusiastic crowd because it is that type of movie. This is why we go to the theater, isn't it? Isn't it?

[Jeff Yang]

I feel like you came around on this, Aisha. I feel like you started this conversation feeling a little heh. And then I feel like we persuaded you.

[Trevel Anderson]

We got it.

[Waylon Wong]

I was entertained. And that's the thing. Again, I don't know if I'm going to go back and rewatch this, but you know, it was fun and I'm very glad that Keanu Reeves is actually in this more than we all thought he would be. So, yes, that is how we feel. You should definitely tell us what you think about Ballerina once you've had a chance to check it out. Find us on [e-mail] PCHH and on [e-mail] NPRpopculture we'll have a link to that in our episode description. Up next, what's making us happy this week?

[Aisha Harris]

Public media is facing the most serious threat in its history. Congress is considering a White House proposal that would eliminate federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which helps fund local NPR stations. This move would immediately threaten many stations ability to serve their communities and could force some to close. Take a stand for public media [e-mail].

[Unknown]

Decades ago, Brazilian women made a discovery they could have an abortion without a doctor thanks to a tiny pill. That pill spawned a global movement helping millions of women have safe abortions regardless of the law. Hear that story on the network from NPR's Embedded and Futuro Media. Wherever you get your podcasts.

On the latest Pop Culture Happy Hour monthly bonus episode, we're talking about some of the video games and board games we like to play in our free time. And if you want to hear this episode or other episodes about things like movie theater etiquette or about how we make the show, sign up for Pop Culture Happy Hour Plus. It's a great way to support us and listen to the show sponsor free at the same time. Find out [e-mail] Happy.

[Tonya Moseley]

I'm Tonya Moseley, co host of FRESH AIR. At a time of sound bites and short attention spans, our show is all about the deep dive. We do long form interviews with People behind the best in film, books, tv, music and journalism. Here our guests open up about their process and their lives in ways you've never heard before. Listen to the FRESH AIR podcast from NPR and whyy.

[Waylon Wong]

And now it's time for our favorite segment of this week and every week, what's making us happy? Waylon, tell us what is making you happy this week?

[Jeff Yang]

I recently finished a wonderful novel. It's called Wild Dark shore by Charlotte McConaughey. It takes place on a remote island near Antarctica where there's a scientific research station and a seed vault, which is based on a real life seed vault. It's a repository of plant seeds that civilization is hanging onto in case we have to rebuild after some cataclysmic event. And there is a widower who is the caretaker of this island. He lives in the lighthouse with his three. And one day a woman washes up on shore and the action unfolds from there. And it's just such an immersive, gripping, interesting novel. It's a great mystery thriller that has this deep, deep emotional core that explores parenthood and grief and not just grief for loved ones that have passed on, but grief for the climate. And so all these things come together in the most satisfying, interesting way. I've been telling everyone about it, including the Trader Joe's cashier. And that is Wild Dark shore by Charlotte McConaughey.

[Waylon Wong]

Thank you so much, Waylon. Appreciate that. Trevel, what is making you happy this week?

[Trevel Anderson]

So I also have a book recommendation for you all this week, summer reading. Okay. Come on to the reader, girlies. So the book I want to recommend is called We Now Belong to Ourselves. It's written by Arianne Edmonds, and it is the story of her great great grandfather who was born enslaved, gained his freedom and eventually started a black owned newspaper here in Los Angeles called the Liberator. And she has dived into her family's personal archive, dived into the archive of this black owned newspaper that doesn't exist anymore. And she's telling a really interesting story about what black Los Angeles life looks like. She has entries written by her great great grandfather. There's, there's one in particular in which he's talking about the folks on the plantation that he was born on, learning about the Emancipation Proclamation, learning that they had their freedom. And it's such a beautiful thing to, to read, you know, actual lived experience, experience in that particular way. And, you know, considering what's happening, you know, sociopolitically in our country right now, having these ways that we can still preserve this history and share it with our communities is deeply important. So everyone should check out. We now belong to ourselves. J.L. edmonds. The Black Press and Black Citizenship in America by Ariane Edmonds.

[Waylon Wong]

Love it. Thank you so much, Trevel. I got my summer reading list started here. Let's go. Jeff, what is making you happy? Is it a book?

[Trevel Anderson]

It is not a book, and I feel it's okay.

[Waylon Wong]

Look, mine's not either. Don't worry.

[Trevel Anderson]

I have been indulging myself in a K drama on Netflix called Tastefully Yours. Basically, it's delicious food and hot people, or vice versa. It involves a rich, spoiled air and a gorgeous out of the way chef who is creating delicious food that he kind of hunts down and initially wants to steal recipes from, but instead steals her heart. So that's the kind of thing you might expect from K drama. And look, you know, it's not going to challenge your brain, but it is funny and has just enough whimsy and slapstick and certainly easy in the eyes folks in the cast that, that it is definitely worth watching. I've been enjoying it quite a lot.

[Waylon Wong]

Awesome. So that's tastefully yours. And where can folks find that on Netflix? Awesome. Thank you, Jeff. I do not have a book. But, you know, sometimes you want to avoid things that might remind you of how bad things are.

[Trevel Anderson]

Absolutely.

[Waylon Wong]

Then other times you just like, dig into it and maybe try and laugh about it. And that is my pick for this week, which is Farms Race, a new ish board game. Basically like Catan meets Risk with an ostensibly heavy influence of George Orwell's Animal Farm.

[Jeff Yang]

Basically two legs bad, four legs good.

[Waylon Wong]

Yeah. Basically like you're playing as these, like, mutated, power hungry farm animals who are seeking to control as much land as possible. It's very cheeky. The design is really beautiful. And basically you're gathering resources, you're building herds, and then it encourages you to nuke the other players as much as possible.

[Trevel Anderson]

Is it herds of humans?

[Waylon Wong]

There are humans involved that you actually have to wipe out first before you can conquer the land. And then you go after each other as the animals.

[Jeff Yang]

So, like, you send the humans to the glue factory.

[Waylon Wong]

Okay.

[Trevel Anderson]

Okay. Is this our future, Aisha?

[Waylon Wong]

It could be.

[Trevel Anderson]

What's going on here?

[Waylon Wong]

It could be. It's fun. It might cause fights because again, you are encouraged to fight each other a lot. But that is what is making me happy this week. It's Farms Race. It's a board game. You can kind of find it wherever you find board games and that is what's making me happy this week. Also, this Sunday in our podcast feed, we'll have another monthly mailbag bonus episode for our Pop Culture Happy Hour. Plus, supporters. What's better, the beach or the pool? We'll be debating chicken wings, drums or flats? I'm a flat girly, you know I prefer that. Yes, give me the flats. Give me the flats. And what are our favorite summer cocktails? We have thoughts on thoughts on thoughts. Sign up for pop culture happy hour [e-mail] happy we'll also have a link in our episode description Whang Jeff Yang, Trebel Anderson, thanks so much for being here and dancing with me around the place. Ballerina. This was fun. Thank you.

[Jeff Yang]

What a blast. Thank you.

[Trevel Anderson]

Thank you.

[Waylon Wong]

This episode was produced by Liz Metzger and Mike Katsif and edited by our showrunner, Jessica Reedy. Hello. Come in. Provides our theme music. Thanks so much for listening to Pop Culture Happy Hour from npr. I'm Aisha Harris. We'll see you all next week.

[Unknown]

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[Jeff Yang]

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[Waylon Wong]

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This week on Consider this, we look into the message underneath Trump's military parade, also the administration's revamped travel ban and how the chaotic new aid operation in Gaza turned deadly. We have reporters everywhere to bring you the stories you care about. Listen now to the Consider this podcast on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.