Tell 'Em Steve-Dave! #664: Hermaphroditic Butterfly — Feb 2, 2026
Main Theme / Purpose:
A classic TSD episode blending banter, winter doldrum blues, inside jokes, and behind-the-scenes tales, with a heavy focus on convention stories, comic culture, personal mishaps, and the fun-loving group dynamic that TSD fans love. Special guests and a competitive “Con Stories” game drive much of the conversation, revealing new confessions and keeping the tone mischievous, self-deprecating, and authentic.
Table of Contents
- The Power of Ming Chen's Return & Q's Latest Triumph
- Winter Woes and Mental Health Check-In
- Impractical Jokers Success & Q's Jericho Podcast Appearance
- On Grief, Loss, and Remembering Beloved Pets
- The Great “VC Box” Communication Breakdown
- Legal vs. Illegal Streaming Debate & Morality
- Tech Talk: AI, Security, and Outdated Skills
- Sam Raimi’s New Movie: Send Help (and Piracy Angst)
- Listener Q&A: Jimmy the Hair Guy and Postal Shenanigans
- The Great Convention Game: “Con Stories”
- Closing Moments: PSA on Sage-Inspired Scams
The Power of Ming Chen's Return & Q's Latest Triumph
[02:35]
- The full house: Q (Brian Quinn), Walt, Bry, Ming Chen, fan-favorite Get 'em (“newly rehabbed”), and special guest appear.
- Ming’s recent return is credited with rejuvenating the group, especially Q:
“Today was the first day I woke up and didn’t feel like blowing my brains out... Then I see Ming...” (B, 03:30)
- The crew discusses their nearly 30-year friendship, with Ming and Q marveling at how quickly time passes:
“I love you longer than I’ve loved Key West, actually.” (B, 04:24)
Winter Woes and Mental Health Check-In
[03:30]
- Q and the crew bond over hating the brutal winter. Q admits it's grinding him down:
“To walk in here and then to see Ming...I’m supercharged for the weekend now.” (B, 03:30)
- “It’s the darkness, the dreariness...” Q describes seasonal depression and attempted warm-weather getaways, none successful (all rainy) (B, 03:55).
Impractical Jokers Success & Q's Jericho Podcast Appearance
[05:33]
- Q reveals IJ’s current season is experiencing “biggest episodes ever,” especially in the prized 25–54 demographic.
- Ratings success is mystifying even to the network:
“Nobody knows why. Network’s like, we don’t know what’s going on, but let’s just roll with it.” (B, 05:50)
- Jericho Podcast: Q grilled for not plugging TSD. The group jokes about cross-promotion and Jericho’s wrestling/nerd bona fides:
“You know, you can’t mention everything...” (B, 08:38) “He might be the best ever on a mic in terms of talking shit...” (B, 11:22-11:37)
On Grief, Loss, and Remembering Beloved Pets
[12:43]
- Bry opens up about the death of Princess Mitch the cat and community support.
- Q reflects on still thinking of his cat, Benjamin, every day—talking to his ashes, displaying his photos:
“It’s not even something I have to think about. I think about him every day.” (B, 13:04)
- Walt ponders headstone epitaphs and self-mythologizing (“Never was a bad word said about him”—not true, but “who’s going to argue with a stone?” (C, 14:33))
The Great “VC Box” Communication Breakdown
[19:07]
- Walt details a comically botched arrangement where Get'em shows up at Walt’s house, naps for an hour in the (freezing) car, instead of knocking or texting.
- Miscommunication analyzed: Was Walt’s text ("I'll be in at 2:30") misleading? Did Get'em over-assume and under-clarify?
- Hilarious forensic text parsing ensues:
“Sleeping in the driveway is an odd choice.” (B, 30:08)
- Walt loses “moral superiority” by installing a gray-market streaming box, rationalizes:
“I’ve been morally superior for so many decades, it’s got me nothing.” (A, 20:16)
- Get’em gets the last word:
“I was just sitting there and then I got tired and I fell asleep.” (E, 25:14)
- Loose consensus: mutual fault; more miscommunication than malice.
Legal vs. Illegal Streaming Debate & Morality
[33:04]
- VC box enables Walt to watch nearly anything, leading to cracks about slowly abandoning ethics:
“I know you want to be morally superior... or be able to watch Mary Tyler Moore... It got me nothing.” (A, 20:16)
- Q playfully scolds Walt for pirating movies:
“He deserves respect. He deserves your money.” (B, 38:43)
Tech Talk: AI, Security, and Outdated Skills
[47:47]
- Walt’s house is now a “digital titanium shield,” featuring VPNs, firewalls, and “Tommy Lincoln's Electronic Fortress.”
- Ming admits he’s fallen behind tech trends, can't keep up with AI/website templating anymore:
“Are you still computer savvy or have those days long gone?” (B, 47:47) “Passed him by a long time ago.” (A, 47:51)
- Brief discussion on AI replacing programmers:
“It’s all prompts now.” (D, 50:38) “The genie’s out of the bottle.” (B/E, 51:14–51:19)
- Walt predicts an AI reckoning “somebody will put the genie back in the bottle.” (A, 51:23)
Sam Raimi’s "Send Help," Streaming Piracy & Cinema
[34:44]
- High praise for Sam Raimi’s new movie Send Help. Q saw it alone in a theater:
“Sam Raimi is always first-day filmmaker for me, man. Not my favorite ever, but it’s Sam Raimi... The car’s in there somewhere. It’s great.” (B, 34:44)
- Mockery for Hollywood’s attempts to “uglify” attractive actresses:
“They put glasses on her—like Michelle Pfeiffer in Batman Returns; are you kidding me?” (B, 35:41)
- The group jests about pirating first-run movies via VC boxes and Walt’s (partial) guilt:
“If you do that, tell me, because I’ll buy a ticket.” (B, 36:52)
Listener Q&A: Jimmy the Hair Guy and Postal Shenanigans
[52:32]
- "Jimmy the Hair Guy” does public Q&As at work (post office), fueling a side-discussion on government employment, workarounds, and “excuse cards” for special privileges.
- Q worries this could get Jimmy in trouble; speculative jokes about “anti-bullying cards.”
The Great Convention Game: “Con Stories”
[69:18]
(Walt–hosted true-or-false tales about Ming’s wild con years. Others grill Ming, try to spot the lies.)
Notable Stories and Outcomes:
- TRUE: Ming and Mike Zapczyk shared a bed after missing a flight (D, 77:20)
- “We opted to take the fancy [AMC] dinner instead of flying home... only one hotel room available.” (D, 77:25)
- FALSE: Ming went to Walmart with Donnie Most (Ralph Malph from Happy Days)
- FALSE: Photo op fan reveals wife is cheating at con with Power Ranger cosplayer
- FALSE: Ming called handler for toilet paper emergency at con
- FALSE: Comic artists fouled glass tables Jack Nicholson–style at afterparty
- TRUE: Promoter physically assaulted after clients placed next to Ming at a con (D, 107:41)
- TRUE: Woman’s emotional support bird escapes at SDCC—bird recovered after flying into window.
- “Woman started running around crying...her bird escaped. They got it back when it smacked into a window...” (D, 112:02)
- TRUE: Action actor Manu Bennett (Arrow) arrested, missed whole con after drunken assault—Ming and Bry recall it.
- “No judges over the weekend, so he couldn’t appear before the court until Monday. We made fun of him mercilessly.” (D, 116:13)
- TRUE: Ming enabled a Sandlot actor’s legendary drunkenness by buying him Jameson—actor was ejected from the con.
- “He hounded me...stopped at the liquor store...it was the main character from The Sandlot.” (D, 118:12)
- WINNER: Get’em is proclaimed the “human lie detector” of the game.
- “No alcohol. He’s thinking faster than ever. No, that’s dangerous!” (B, 121:38)
Memorable Quotes & Stand-Out Moments
Q on winter depression and Ming’s effect:
“Today was the first day I woke up and didn't feel like blowing my brains out... and then I see Ming.” (B, 03:30)
On lifelong friendships:
“I love you longer than I've loved Key West, actually.” (B, 04:24)
“There's more days behind you than ahead of you.” (Paraphrasing Picard, B, 04:56)
On grief and loss:
“It’s not even something I have to think about... Think about him every day... I still catch myself talking to him.” (B, 13:04)
On sliding morality:
“I’ve been morally superior for so many decades, it’s got me nothing.” (A, 20:16)
On 21+ drinking laws for Down Syndrome adults:
“Where do you draw the line? Should Gidham not be allowed to get alcohol?” (A, 15:52)
On VC box ethic erosion:
“But it’s not even that. Because now ratings aren’t just that. They add in plus one, plus three, then plus seven...” (B, 06:47)
On accidental confessions:
“Sleeping in the driveway is an odd choice.” (B, 30:08)
On convention life:
“At cons, you do make friends very quickly—even in the first ten minutes.” (C, 85:15)
On outmoded tech skills:
“Are you still computer savvy or have those days long gone? Like, technology is surpassing that.” (B, 47:47) “I did. I mean, it's a lot to absorb, you know?” (D, 49:19)
On inappropriate audience questions:
“Who says this doesn’t feel like a... oh my God.” (C, 79:43) “Eat the card.” (Old-school approach to “anti-bullying” cards, B, 53:54)
Closing Moments: PSA on Sage-Inspired Scams
[121:51]
- Walt warns fans: anyone posing as “Sage” and asking for gas money is a scam—she drives a Tesla!
- Get’em: “If you get an email from me asking for gas money, that’s 100% legit... but still don’t give it to me.” (D, 122:19)
Final line:
“Tell ‘em, Steve-Dave.” (A, 122:26)
Summary
Episode #664 encapsulates everything TSD excels at: quick-witted group storytelling, off-beat takes on everyday (and not-so-everyday) mishaps, inside-baseball fandom, gentle ribbing, unexpected empathy, and a commitment to keep it real—even when it means admitting to moral lapses, nap-related misadventures, and the odd con-induced bender. The “Con Stories” game showcases Ming both as myth and everyman, while the group’s chemistry—bolstered by Ming’s return—brings energy to tales both mundane and absurd.
Notable Segments:
- [03:30] – Ming's return, winter blues, and life reflections
- [05:33] – Impractical Jokers’ record ratings & Jericho podcast
- [12:43] – Pet loss, grief, and emotional support
- [19:07–32:00+] – The epic VC box miscommunication
- [33:04, 34:44, 52:32] – Morality, piracy, and tech anxiety
- [69:18–121:34] – The full “Con Stories” game, surprising truths
Tone:
Warm, darkly funny, generous with self-mockery, occasionally touching, and always ready to go for the laugh—no matter how lowbrow or inside-jokey.
For first-timers:
This episode is an especially good jumping-off point for new listeners: It reacquaints you with recurring personalities, inside jokes, and the group’s capacity for both crude hilarity and sudden sincerity.
For long-time ants: Loaded with deep-cut references, callback pay-offs, and as always, new stones unturned.