Mortal Kombat II and What’s Making Us Happy

Summary

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Pop Culture Happy Hour — “Mortal Kombat II and What’s Making Us Happy”

Date: May 8, 2026
Panel: Stephen Thompson (Host), Jordan Morris (Guest, podcaster/comic writer), Ronald Young Jr. (Guest, film/TV critic)

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Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the latest franchise entry, Mortal Kombat II, discussing its appeal, audience, and how it stacks up in the realm of video game adaptations. The panel—Stephen, Jordan, and Ronald—explores for whom the movie works (and doesn’t), what kind of fun it delivers, and why, despite its flaws, it might just be a blast for the right fans. The second half features the recurring “What’s Making Us Happy” segment, sharing each host’s current pop culture joys and recommendations.

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Key Discussion Points

What’s Mortal Kombat II All About?

[00:21–02:25]

• Stephen sets up Mortal Kombat II as a hyper-violent, lore-heavy spectacle involving fan-favorite fighters, “an amulet everyone wants,” and “fighting on top of fighting on top of fighting.”
• Jordan quips that he wanted to be introduced with a full echo effect on his name—setting the goofy, tongue-in-cheek tone the episode keeps for the movie.

Jordan Morris: Target Audience and Fan Service

[02:40–04:08]

• “I regret to inform you that this movie absolutely whips butt. And I loved every single second of it.” — Jordan Morris [02:40]
• Jordan is the ideal audience—he’s played all the games and relishes the Easter eggs, references, and music cues. For non-fans, he’s less sure: “If you’re a huge martial arts fan, there’s a lot of great fight choreography…it’s a good option.” [03:07]
• The movie’s absurdity—“a zombie with a magic hat”—marks the line for interest: “If you think that sounds cool, you’ll like the movie.” [03:31]

Ronald Young Jr.: Enjoying the Fun, Not the Story

[04:09–05:20]

• Ronald finds this sequel an improvement over the 2021 reboot (“way better,” but didn’t like the first). He appreciates the communal enjoyment more than the film itself:
  • “Listening to the target audience tell me that they liked it is enough for me to justify its existence…make 100 of these.” [04:24]
• On logic: “If you think about it for even just a little bit…this movie makes no sense. But also the game really doesn’t make any sense.” [04:55]
• Jordan’s solution: “Don’t think about it.” [05:08]

Stephen Thompson: Movie as Pure Fan Service

[05:25–07:16]

• Stephen, a non-gamer, didn’t get lost (the lore is reducible to background noise):
  • “All that kind of portentous lore about different realms is being fed to me by Charlie Brown’s teacher. Not only am I not, like, processing it, I am not hearing it. It is just wah, wah, wah…” [06:33]
• The film’s true pulse: “there’s literally a scoreboard in the sky that tells you how the movie is progressing.” [07:04]
• Feels almost like watching a game playthrough, as opposed to a traditional movie.

The Role of Johnny Cage and the Movie’s Self Awareness

[07:33–10:21]

• The movie has an element of meta-self-awareness, especially via Johnny Cage (Karl Urban), who sends up the washed-up ‘90s action hero trope.
  • “It’s kind of like having its cake and eating it too, where it’s like commenting on these silly movies while being a silly movie.” — Stephen Thompson [08:42]
• Urban’s comedic timing earns praise; his “direct to DVD” movie catchphrases (“It’s Showtime!” “You should have sent more guys!”) amuse the panel. [09:10]
• Comparison to Mario: The movie doesn’t over-explain. “The guy shoots fire out of his hands because that’s what the guy does.” — Jordan Morris [10:21]

Tone Balance and Emotional Stakes

[10:41–12:52]

• Ronald praises Urban’s acting, noting the relief from his recent villainous roles.
• Critique: The movie’s narrative focus is fuzzy—“Is this Kitana’s story or is this Johnny Cage’s story?…I felt like because I was watching both, it drew away from me caring about them.” [11:29]
• Stakes are low due to frequent “zombification”—“if you’re gonna zombify people after they die, then I don’t know how much I care about their origins.” [11:50]
• Jordan: Less soap opera, more decapitation! “You could be using this real estate to chop off more heads.” [12:40]

The Joy of Silliness and Physicality

[12:52–14:10]

• The real fun is in the film’s “scoreboard in the sky” and relentless fights.
• While most of the cast are there for "martial arts skills and hotness," Karl Urban stands out as an “audience surrogate.” [13:49]
• Panel agrees: these movies don’t need serious emotional beats; they thrive on violence and humor.

Mortal Kombat: Who's Your Fighter?

[14:21–16:19]

• Stephen quizzes the group: Who’s your Mortal Kombat main?
  • Jordan: Johnny Cage (loves the distance fireballs)
  • Ronald: Scorpion (“Get over here!”), inspired by childhood memories. [15:17]
  • Stephen: Always the “tankiest brute” or the most obscure fighter (“fall off things” in Smash Bros).

Final Thoughts and Banter

[16:12–16:29]

• Despite living on separate coasts, the group jokes about a future in-person Mortal Kombat showdown at “Lamppost Pizza.”

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What’s Making Us Happy This Week

[17:59–22:41]

Jordan Morris [18:06]

• Recommendation: Royals (comic book series)
  • Supernatural heist/comedy about psychic brothers cheating at poker in Seoul, Korea.
  • “Fun, funny, and the brother relationship at the center does have some, like, real emotional weight…it’s just been a home run so far.” [18:44]

Ronald Young Jr. [19:29]

• Recommendation: Your Friends and Neighbors Season 2 (Apple TV+)
  • “Desperate Housewives…but a modern retelling including more perspective from the dudes.” [20:34]
  • Praises ensemble arcs and weekly pacing; recommends giving it a shot even if under the radar.

Stephen Thompson [21:04]

• Recommendation: Dancing on the Wall (album), by Muna
  • “Every once in a while, a piece of music just straight up dictates the mindset that I take into summertime … This is gonna be the summer I finally step outside.” [22:16]
  • Planning to soundtrack his summer barbecues, Pride parties, and outdoor hangs with the record.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Jordan Morris:

  • “This movie absolutely whips butt. And I loved every single second of it.” [02:40]
  • “This movie features a zombie with a magic hat. When I say that, are you like, oh, cool. Or are you like, no, thanks? That’s a pretty good indication as to whether or not you should see the movie.” [03:31]
  • “I've got a solution to that. Don't think about it.” [05:08]
  • “You could be using this real estate to chop off more heads.” [12:40]

• Ronald Young Jr.:

  • “Listening to the target audience tell me that they liked it is enough for me to justify its existence…make 100 of these.” [04:24]
  • “If you think about it for even just a little bit…this movie makes no sense. But also the game really doesn’t make any sense.” [04:55]
  • “If you’re gonna zombify people after they die, then I don’t know how much I care about their origins.” [11:50]

• Stephen Thompson:

  • “All that kind of portentous lore about different realms is being fed to me by Charlie Brown’s teacher. Not only am I not, like, processing it, I am not hearing it. It is just wah, wah, wah…” [06:33]
  • “It’s kind of like having its cake and eating it too, where it’s like commenting on these silly movies while being a silly movie.” [08:42]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:21–02:25 — Introduction to Mortal Kombat II
• 02:40–04:08 — Jordan’s full-throated endorsement
• 04:09–05:20 — Ronald on audience vs. movie quality
• 05:25–07:16 — Stephen on lore, accessibility, and movie structure
• 07:33–10:21 — Johnny Cage, meta-humor, and genre comparisons
• 10:41–12:52 — Who’s the protagonist, emotional stakes, and tone critique
• 14:21–16:19 — Favorite fighters and gaming memories
• 17:59–22:41 — “What’s Making Us Happy” recommendations

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Conclusion

This episode offers a lively, knowing, and affectionate take on Mortal Kombat II as both movie and franchise spectacle. The panel’s consensus: If you love Mortal Kombat, or you enjoy high-energy martial arts fantasy laced with humor and gore, this movie is for you. If not, skip it—but either way, the panelists bring a cheerfully critical, deeply knowledgeable perspective that makes the episode worth a listen for anyone plugged into pop culture.

Transcript

[A]

This message comes from Starz. With Amadeus, starring Will Sharp and Paul Bettany, comes the new Starz original series Amadeus Experience. A tale of genius, jealousy and rivalry. Amadeus. Watch the series premiere only on Starz and the Stars app.

[B]

The ultra violent video game franchise Mortal Kombat has spun off into movies, comic books, a TV show, and more and more. Now the latest sequel brings back more of the unforgettable characters you might have grown up eviscerating. I'm Stephen Thompson. Joining me today on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour is Jordan Morris. He's a podcaster and co writer of the Marvel comic series the Amazing Spiderversity. Hey, Jordan.

[C]

Hi. And just real quick, I told your producer that for this episode I wanted to be introduced as Jordan Morris.

[B]

Jordan.

[C]

So anyways, if you just want to take that again or we can do it in post if you want to.

[B]

If anyone, like really like, starts to lose an argument in this conversation, I will as host, be obligated to yell, finish him. Also with us is Ronald Young Jr. He's the host of the film and television review podcast, Leaving the theater. Hey, Ronald.

[D]

Hello, Stephen. I'm normal.

[B]

So trying to summarize, a movie like Mortal Kombat 2 can take you in some very different directions. You could go on and on about the lore of the Outworld and the earthrealm and the epic battles that determine who might rule various real realms, which doesn't even begin to touch on the various fighters and their backstories and fighting styles. But you could also sum up Mortal Kombat 2 in like 3. There is fighting because there is fighting on top of fighting on top of fighting, with finishing moves that evoke memories of the Final Destination movies. The stakes for all of this very bloody fighting are extremely high. And also there's an amulet. Everyone wants the amulet. As a movie franchise. Mortal Kombat was rebooted in 2021 when it became a era streaming hit. So now we've got Mortal Kombat 2, which centers the action on Katana, a warrior princess played by Adeline Rudolph and the washed up action star, Johnny Cage, played by Carl Urban.

[C]

Listen, I'm warning you. I got a Saturn Award for best fight in a feature film, so don't mess with me.

[B]

So you've got your battles for the fate of the world. You've got your comic relief, you've got your spirit realms, and you've got so much, much fan service. The new film is in theaters now. Jordan, I'm going to start with you. What did you Think of Mortal Kombat 2.

[C]

I regret to inform you that this movie absolutely whips butt. And I loved every single second of it. I could see the poster now. Mortal Kombat 2. Whips butt. NPR, NPR. I am the target audience for this. The Mortal Kombat games were huge when I was a kid. You know, I've played every version. I play them now. They're still cranking them out. This is a collection of Easter eggs and references and music cues that I got. And I loved every second of it. I totally had a blast. If you haven't played the games or the games mean nothing to you, should you see this movie? I would say probably not. I think if you're a huge martial arts fan, there's a lot of great fight choreography in this. So, you know, if you love martial arts movies and you're like, local indie theater is not showing an old Jackie Chan movie. I think this is a good option.

[D]

But.

[C]

Yeah, but I think this is the litmus test here. This movie features a zombie with a magic hat. When I say that, are you like, oh, cool. Or are you like, no, thanks. That's a pretty good indication as to whether or not you should see the movie.

[B]

Is the zombie with a magic hat a playable character? Right, if you ask that, yes.

[C]

Exactly. So, you know, I think you will know pretty quick as to whether or not this movie is for you. But I think if you're curious, I think if, you know, if you love seeing all your old buddies, Kung Lao and Shao, Kahn, Katana and Baraka, if these names mean something to you, I think you're going to have a pretty good time in this movie.

[B]

All right. How about you, Ronald?

[D]

Okay, so I think this movie is way better than the first one that came out in 2021. However, I don't think the first one was very good. So that does not bode well for my opinion on this one. I didn't like it, the movie itself that much. However, Jordan sitting in the theater and listen to everyone else enjoy, it was a really good time. And listening to the target audience tell me that they liked it is enough for me to justify its existence and to say, make 100 of these. I hope they make a billion dollars. Because for all the quibbles that we'll get into that I have with it, I have no issue with a movie like this existing because at times when it was fun, it was fun. But if you think about it for even just a little bit, just like one slight second, you start to realize two things. One, this movie makes no sense, but also the game really doesn't make any sense. And it was really just about gathering with your friends and having a good time on your Super Nintendo, Jordan. That's true. It was about hanging out with your friends, eating snacks and having a good time.

[C]

I've got a solution to that. Don't think about it.

[D]

Just don't.

[C]

Just don't do it and you're fine.

[D]

Fair point. Yeah. It's going to be fun for people who like it, and Jordan is evidence of that.

[B]

But.

[D]

But if you have no connection to this franchise, I don't see how you'll end up liking this movie.

[B]

Right. I don't think there has been a clearer example in recent memory of a film where I can really kind of determine from talking to a person whether they should go see this movie. Like, there is a very clear subset of the moviegoing audience that should go see this movie, and there is a very clear subset of the moviegoing audience that should not bother. And for me, like, I came in, I did not really play Mortal Kombat. The original game came out when I was 20. I had just kind of gotten out of my smash TV phase and not really into another video gaming phase. I just kind of stepped away from video games for a long time. I really kind of was only dimly aware of Mortal Kombat from a few catchphrases, from a few characters who I mostly knew from characteristics more than backstory or name. So it's like the Flame Fist guy.

[D]

Ah, Old Flame Fist. Yeah.

[C]

Right.

[B]

I was talking to my partner about this last night, having no idea that she had ever played these games. And she was like, well, tell me about the movie. And I was like, well, you know, there's like this washed up action star. Oh, Johnny Cage, you know, Come on, Stephen. Right, exactly. And so I'm not necessarily coming into these films with the backstory already uploaded into my brain. And so for me, was I lost? No, I was not lost. These films are fairly easy to follow in part because all that kind of portentous lore about different realms is being fed to me by Charlie Brown's teacher. Not only am I not, like, processing it, I am not hearing it. It is just wah, wah, wah, wah, wah, wah, wah, wah, wah, wah. But then you get to these, like, incredibly bloody battles and, like, there's literally a scoreboard in the sky that tells you how the movie is progressing. All it really needed was, like, an actual line of, like, with, like, a score and, like, the little health meter. The health.

[D]

Right.

[C]

You know, the characters have their extra projected in the sky at some point. I was just waiting for someone to say, like, well, we can get an extra one if we collect 100 coins.

[D]

I would have been here for it. Honestly, I would have been here for it.

[C]

Sure.

[B]

And at the same time, I mean, we talked about this a little bit. We kind of reconvened our fan service panel from Super Mario Galaxy for this conversation. There is an element of this film that feels a little bit like a playthrough where it feels a little bit like you're watching a video game. And if that is not necessarily your bag, but if it wasn't your bag, you're probably not going to see Mortal Kombat 2. And so I did appreciate in this film kind of, as opposed to, I think some of the other films in this series, not just the 2021 film, but the films from the 90s, there is this sense, I think, a little bit more of like they're going for a certain amount of meta self awareness here and kind of creating a little bit of a permission structure for some of the sillier and more portentous stuff. Some of the really, really clunky dialogue. And one of the ways that they kind of get you to that point is Johnny Cage character played by Carl Urban, who is very silly. He is a washed up action star, which gives you a chance to kind of set the film's vibe in that like silly direct to video, early 90s cop action genre.

[D]

Steven Seagal.

[B]

Steven Seagal, yeah. Like so it's. It's kind of like having its cake and eating it too, where it's like commenting on these silly movies while being a silly movie. For me, it was constantly straddling the line of like, is this corny on purpose?

[C]

I will say that I really liked the Karl Urban character, Johnny Cage. I think they did a good job. Does he have the greatest American accent in the world?

[B]

Eh, he does not.

[C]

But I thought it was really funny. I really liked because he is supposed to be a Steven Seagal or a Chuck Norris or one of these types of guys who's washed up and they show some clips from his like probably direct to DVD action movies. And he has two catchphrases. One of them is it's Showtime. And the other one is you should have sent more guys. So yeah, I think this movie gets what it is. I think that it is so similar to the Super Mario movie in a lot of ways. You know, despite one of them having multiple decapitations.

[B]

I mean, when I say the gore is like Final Destination. I mean, there are some grisly kills in this movie.

[C]

Someone already dying and then further mutilating their body for no good reason other than it looks cool, like Super Mario. When they set out to make this movie, they didn't ask themselves, but what if the Mortal Kombat games happened in real life? They asked, what are the fun things about these games and how can we put them on screen? The logic of the Mario movie is so great because it's just like, Mario gets big when he gets a mushroom. We don't need to explain it. People know that. And this movie is just like the guy shoots fire out of his hands because that's what the guy does.

[B]

Cause that's what that guy does, right?

[C]

And yeah, and all the kind of crazier stuff. You know, there's probably a bad studio note version where they go into the Physiology of Fire guy's hands and stuff like that. But it understands that the game is fun because people shoot fire out of their hands. So let's have that in the movie. And yeah, and that, I think, is the more fun choice.

[D]

I agree with you. Just a note about Karl Urban. I've recently been watching a lot of him in the Boys. And I hate him, hate him so much as Butcher. And the boys hate him, hate him to the point where I started to wonder, do I even like Karl Urban? And then watching this reminded me that he's acting and he's a fairly good actor as well. You know what I mean? And I say fairly good, tongue in cheek. I think he's a great actor. And I think watching him kind of endeared me to him a little bit more. Cause I started to remember all of the other roles in which I liked him in. I remember that he has a whole spectrum of roles. He's so fun in this film. He's very funny. They give him a lot to do. But the one drawback I would say is this movie seems to be confused about who the star of the movie is. At some point, I'm thinking, is this Kitana's story or is this Johnny Cage's story?

[B]

I mean, it's both.

[D]

It kind of is. But at some point, I think towards the end and the climax of the film, I remember watching it and thinking, am I watching a Johnny Cage coming of age story or am I watching a Katana coming of age story? And I felt like because I was watching both, it drew away from me caring about them. But then also because the stakes are so low, you Know what I mean? Meeting.

[B]

Oh, the stakes are so low.

[D]

If you're gonna zombify people after they die, then I don't know how much I care about their origins in that way. So I'm glad they didn't go deeper into that. They just basically say, washed up actor. Here's Donny Cage. Let's go. And I'm fine with that, Steven. I think you're right in terms of the parts of it that seem like they're wink, wink to the audience. Kind of like tongue in cheek or. I said that was Sharknado. Y Sharknado is in on the bit. Sharknado was 100% in on the bit. There was a few times with this movie where I was thinking, I don't think that you're actually in on the bit. Just a few, like. Like you said, shaggy elements of dialogue, strange story beats. If you're going to be fun and ridiculous, I'm totally good with that. But if you're also trying to give me an emotional story, then I always wouldn't be like, all right, guys, come on, man. I don't need any emotion from Kidnapp.

[C]

You could be using this real estate to chop off more heads.

[D]

Perfect, Jordan. Yes, exactly that.

[C]

Yes. We don't need hear about Katana's daddy issues. She could be chopping off people's heads.

[D]

Correct. Why aren't you chopping off more heads, Katana?

[B]

Yeah, right. Spare me the emotional beats. A film like this is never going to get the emotional beats right. But I think it is very, very smart that they leaven this film with a certain amount of silliness and that they leaven this film with a few jokes. And I think the jokes are a little. I don't know if it was punched up at some point, but I think the jokes surrounding Johnny Cage generally work so much better than the extremely serious kind of stentorian dialogue about the fate of the universe. And so, like, if anything, they could have gone. Little silliness. But when you talk about who's the star of this story, the star of the story, honestly, is the, like, little scorecard in the sky. Baraka, you know, the star of the story is. There is fighting.

[C]

Yeah. It is so great to have Karl Urban here because he is a star, he is a good actor, he can deliver a joke. He is funny. I would say that most of the cast has been because of their martial arts skills and hotness.

[B]

Sure.

[C]

And that is a fine reason to cast somebody in a movie like this.

[B]

I'm not.

[C]

It is very Fun to watch them fight and be hot.

[B]

Yes, agreed.

[C]

But it is nice to have a Karl Urban there who can kind of, you know, deliver some of that expository dialogue, who can nail some of these

[B]

jokes pretty hard and serve as an audience surrogate.

[C]

Of course. Yeah, totally.

[B]

Because, like, really, he's like, just a guy.

[C]

He's just a guy.

[B]

You know, he has martial arts training, but he doesn't have powers. He doesn't shoot flame from his fists. I had one more question that I wanted to ask y' all. As, like, you both have played Mortal Kombat, right?

[C]

Yes, yesterday.

[B]

In fact,

[D]

Jordan's like, I'm playing right now.

[C]

Actually, I have another screen open in our zoom, and I am currently.

[B]

Because I feel like there is. This is a useful litmus test, right? Like, choose your fighter. Who is your Mortal Kombat fighter? And what do you think that says about you?

[C]

Oh, wow.

[B]

Or maybe you tell me your fighter and I'll try to tell you what it says about you.

[D]

I like both versions.

[C]

I like this. Honestly, I do use Johnny Cage whenever he is available in these games. I like him. And, you know, in addition to being an everyman, he also has a lot of, you know, fireball moves which help keep distance between you and the opponent. Steven, that's so important. These games are about distance.

[B]

That's key.

[C]

But, yeah, I will say I am a Johnny Cage guy. Baraka In Mortal Kombat 2, obviously, you know, maybe she doesn't get a ton to do in this. Always good to see Sonya Blade. Always good to see Sonya Blade.

[B]

How about you, Ronald?

[D]

I'll keep it short. Scorpion, get over here. All day. I remember the. I fell in love with Scorpion because one of my neighbors, I watched him play through the entire game, and he mastered the get over here. Started doing it to one with four arms whose name I never remember talking about.

[C]

Goro.

[D]

Yes, Goro. I remember he's get over here. Goro. And beating the game. It was amazing to watch. So Scorpion all day for me.

[B]

Nice. As I said, I have not really played the Mortal Kombat games. My trick in fighting games typically is to pick the kind of tankiest brute smart and then just, like, get in close and wail on people. That is kind of your button mashiest approach. And that has what has typically worked for me, unless I'm playing Super Smash Bros, in which case my tendency is to pick the most obscure character and then fall off of things. So good strategy.

[D]

I like both strategies. That's why you fight on the ground.

[C]

Always keep them guessing.

[B]

The three of us, at some point in our lives, we live on separate coasts, but at some point, the three of us are gonna get together and wail on each other in Mortal Kombat.

[C]

Heck yeah. Okay, we're gonna meet at Lamppost Pizza, where I went after all my T

[B]

ball games in 1993. Can't wait.

[D]

I'm there.

[B]

All right. Well, one day y' all will beat the hell out of me in this game. Up next, what is making us happy this week?

[E]

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[B]

Now it's time for our favorite segment of this week and every week. What is making us happy this week? Jordan Morris Hit me.

[C]

Yeah. I am gonna talk about a new comic book series that you can pick up at your local comic shop. This is Royals. It is a really, really cool kind of supernatural heist comic from two great creators. Derek Kirk Kim is the writer and Jacob Perez does the art. It is the story of two kind of mismatched brothers. You have kind of a more introverted one and then you have a cool, handsome popular guy and they have a psychic connection and they use that psychic connection to cheat at poker. So they enter all these high stakes poker games and use the psychic connection to cheat and this, as you might imagine, gets them wrapped up in some mafia stuff. It is so funny. It is so fun to look at. It has these kind of beautiful, cartoony, expressive characters. It is set in Seoul, South Korea. So it has this, like, great setting. And, yeah, I'm just having a blast with it. I think if you are someone who doesn't read a ton of comics, this is a great one to jump into. Yeah. But I think also if you are a regular comics reader, this is a blast. This is a very fun flavor. Yeah, it's fun, it's funny. And also, the brother relationship at the center does have some, like, real emotional weight. So it is like, it's just been a home run so far. I think two issues are out now, so. Yeah, check out royals at your local comic book shop.

[B]

Wonderful. Thank you. Jordan Morris. Ronald Young, Jr. What's making you happy this week, buddy?

[D]

Oh, man. It's your friends and Neighbors Season 2 on Apple TV, which I know for some people is probably going to be a surprising take because I don't know how much buzz this show is getting, even though it got renewed for a third season ahead of its second season. I remember watching the first season and I believe I had to review it. And I remember thinking this show was okay, but then for some reason, I couldn't stop watching it. I finished the whole first season. Season two comes and I'm thinking, oh, I gotta see what's happening to Jon Hamm's Andrew Cooper, who's a wealthy guy who loses his job that starts robbing houses. That's the entry point to the whole series. You think that being the premise, that it's going to end up just more closely following Coop most of the show, but because the show has kind of expanded to include everyone that lives in the neighborhood, everyone that's in his social circle, most of them are getting these kind of cool arcs and a lot more fleshed out character development. And I started thinking, I was like, what is this show pinging for me? And I realized it's p. Desperate Housewives. It's Desperate Housewives, but almost like a modern retelling from the perspective of the dudes or including more perspective from the dudes, because there's a lot of perspective from the women in this show as well. So I'm really enjoying it and I enjoy watching it, not binging it one episode at a time. I look forward to watching it that hour a week, every week. So your Friends and neighbors available on Apple tv. Just give it a chance.

[B]

Nice. Thank you, Ronald. I'll have to check that out once I'm done watching 50 seasons of surviv.

[D]

You chose that path Steven. I did. I did.

[B]

I have no one to blame but myself. All right. So for the past few weeks, I have been absolutely super served with new music by artists I love. Huge records by Noah Kahn and Casey Musgraves have been refilling the tank where I keep my most tortured feelings. But now I've also got a brand new record full of big, bright, summery joy and a few sharp edges along the way to keep things interesting. It's the first album in four years from one of my favorite bands, Muna. It's out today. It's called Dancing on the Wall and this is the title track. That song has been stuck in my head for the entirety of spring. Every once in a while, a piece of music just straight up dictates the mindset that I take into summertime. Muna's self titled record from four years ago did that for me. And I'm setting an intention right now that Dancing on the Wall is gonna do the same. This is gonna be the summer I finally step outside.

[D]

Let's go. I'll see you out there. Yes.

[B]

I have been hearing great things about the outdoors. I'm gonna rock this record at barbecues, at pride parties, at sweaty summer hangs, at my friends houses. I'm already loving it so much that their new album is called Dancing on the Wall. That is what is making me happy this week. And that brings us to the end of our show. Jordan Morris, Ronald Young, Jr. Thanks so much for being here.

[C]

Oh my gosh. Thanks for having us, Stephen. And when you finally get outside, you're gonna love the breeze. Check out the breeze. That's my little tip to you.

[D]

Thanks for having me, Steven.

[B]

This episode was produced by Hafsa Fathoma and Mike Katsif and edited by our showrunner, Jessica Reid. Hello. Commander provides our theme music. Thank you for listening to Pop Culture Happy Hour from npr. If you're not already following the show, do that right now. I'm Stephen Thompson. We will see you all next week.

[A]

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[E]

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[B]

and the midterms are now less than six months away.

[C]

So the intensity of opposition that's waiting for a lot of these Republican candidates in a general election is very, very high.

[E]

The politics of a wartime economy this week on the NPR Politics podcast.

[B]

Listen on the NPR app or wherever

[E]

you get your podcasts.