TBTL #4624 “You Stieged The Landing!”

Date: December 22, 2025
Hosts: Luke Burbank & Andrew Walsh

Episode Overview

In this Monday edition of TBTL, Luke and Andrew meander through their classic blend of candy discourse, petty social media squabbles, and comedic nostalgia, all while daringly promising to tackle a long-awaited “top five” list, which—predictably—gets waylaid by delightful digressions. From examining free candy in podcasting gear shipments, to the saga of duplicated viral jokes, to a crowdsourced list of movies that are (allegedly) better than the books, the episode epitomizes TBTL’s uniquely unhurried and affectionate banter.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Candy, Adulthood, and Freebies (00:00–10:00)

• Andrew narrates his new candy stash:
  Andrew opens with a minute-long riff on drumming patterns before revealing he's eating from a bowl of free candy received from Sweetwater (a company known for including candy with orders).
• Luke’s Sweetwater connection:
  Luke mentions Sweetwater is both a music equipment supplier and also, humorously, the name of his old neighbor’s band—a band that he once mocked on-air.
• Detailed rundown of candies:
  The duo review various classic candies (peppermints, Dad’s Root Beer barrels, Laffy Taffy, Double Bubble, Bit-O-Honey), with deep nostalgia and judgment:
  • Bit-O-Honey’s reputation:
    Andrew: “It seemed so much from my youth, like a grandpa kind of thing.” (07:33)
    Luke: “Miss me with any candy that’s honey flavored?” (08:20)
• Generational candy preferences:
  Conversation drifts to why certain candies (like Bit-O-Honey) feel outdated, compared to chocolates and “newer” treats.

Social Media “Viral Theft” and SeaTac’s Legendary Sign (10:00–21:00)

• Luke recounts his Buc-ee’s post and the toothless creativity of giving a baby born in a Buc-ee’s the nickname “Little Bucky”:
  “That nickname is not very creative at all... Maybe their strong suit isn’t creative nicknaming of the baby.” (11:12)

• Andrew discovers Luke stole his SeaTac visual gag:
  Both hosts, months apart, posted the same photo of a “Do Not Lean On Barrier” sign at the Seattle airport, making near-identical jokes about how cool the icon looks.

  • Andrew:
    “You literally made the same joke I did... you try—you saw me go viral and you got jealous...” (15:08)

  • Luke (laughing):
    “I was karmically rewarded with a total failure because it only has 22 likes. The hive mind realized... they decided they were not going to reward me.” (15:31)

• Listener engagement:
  Andrew notes his version got retweeted by Emily Nussbaum and went quasi-viral, while Luke bemoans getting only one comment—albeit a prized emoji from longtime listener Cinder.

Airport Automation & Employee Moments (17:53–20:43)

• Luke’s story about bag drop automation:
  Luke vents about the creeping self-service at the Alaska Airlines bag drop, joking about being “trained” for robot replacement. He recounts a fist-bump moment with employee Armando:
  • Luke:
    “I go, we need more Armandos and less robots. And he goes, hell yeah, man. And we fist bumped.” (20:41)

Top Five Segment: “Movies That Are Better Than the Book” (30:01–44:43)

Submitted by Listener Aaron in Olympia, via her five-year-old

List:

1. Fight Club
2. The Prestige
3. Casino Royale
4. Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
5. A Walk to Remember

Host Reactions and Commentary

• A Walk to Remember (31:04):
  Andrew and Luke grasp at plot and genre details—Mandy Moore is identified; Nicholas Sparks’ works are discussed as “almost written for screen.”

  • Luke:
    “It feels like stuff that is almost written for the screen as it’s being written as a book.” (32:26)

• Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (34:41):
  Andrew has read the book and seen the movie, saying the film adds excitement to the otherwise “removed” and coffee-obsessed tone of the book.

• Casino Royale (36:59):
  Hosts banter about the Daniel Craig reboot versus the campy Peter Sellers 1967 version; Luke critiques its poker game logic.

• The Prestige (39:02):
  Brief confusion over the plot, then marveling at movie poster trends and Michael Caine impressions:

  • Andrew:
    “People of our taste and age cannot say Michael Caine without slipping into that.” (39:19)

• Fight Club (41:20):
  Both hosts praise the movie’s twist and the use of the Pixies’ “Where Is My Mind?” in the finale.

  • Luke:
    “My memory is... it goes from that kind of moment of realization to... 'Where Is My Mind' and just being like, that is a killer song to end this movie with.” (43:20)
  • Andrew:
    “This will be their introduction—the honesty—to the Pixies. Might have been mine a little bit.” (43:34)

Nominees and Reversals

• Luke adds “The Shining” (44:11):
  Luke claims Kubrick’s film vastly outshines Stephen King’s book (despite not having read it), supported by Andrew, who laments King’s taste in adaptations.

• Andrew adds “Gangster Squad”—book better than movie (45:59):
  A rare reversal, as Andrew notes a book adaptation (by director Ruben Fleischer) is much worse than the source.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “I appreciate that... This is a whole new level of nerd.”
  — Luke Burbank (01:07)

• On viral posts:

  • “I had that thing that happens every maybe once in a lifetime for me... And then, like a day later, a whole bunch of, like, kind of furry accounts were retweeting it.”
    — Andrew Walsh (13:22)

• “I cannot believe this stuff is on the radio. This is what our youth is being subjected to.”
  — Andrew Walsh (00:52)

• “If we do one thing tomorrow, we’ll be getting to the candy list.”
  — Luke Burbank (47:18)

Important Timestamps

• 00:00–10:00: Candy breakdown, Sweetwater story, childhood nostalgia
• 10:00–21:00: Viral social media gags, “Do Not Lean” sign saga, listener feedback
• 17:53–20:43: Airport self-service and employee camaraderie anecdote
• 30:01–44:43: Top Five “Movies Better Than the Book” list and breakdown
• 41:20–44:43: “Fight Club” and the impact of a killer soundtrack
• 44:11–46:29: Bonus: “The Shining” and “Gangster Squad” adaptations

Tone & Style

True to TBTL tradition, the episode is meandering, affectionate, and self-deprecating, characterized by friendly ribbing, tangents about 2000s nostalgia, and affectionate geek-outs. List segments are approached less as definitive rankings and more as conversation starters with plenty of detours.

Summary

This episode of TBTL delivers exactly what long-time listeners treasure: whimsical digressions, candy-fueled nostalgia, friendly rivalry over social media hijinks, and a crowdsourced top five list that launches a debate about book vs. movie superiority. As always, Luke and Andrew’s relaxed, joke-laden banter ensures that the promised candy ranking is pushed—yet again—to another day.