Podcast Summary: The Watch (The Ringer)

Episode: Oscar Nominations, ‘Sentimental Value’ Is Sensational, and Screenwriting in the Double-Screen Era. Plus, ‘The Pitt’ S2E3

Date: January 23, 2026
Hosts: Chris Ryan & Andy Greenwald

Episode Overview

In this episode, longtime friends and pop culture obsessives Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald dive deep into the 2026 Oscar nominations, with special focus on the acclaimed film Sentimental Value. They also discuss the evolving craft of screenwriting in the streaming (and double-screen) era, riff on recent industry news and sports, and break down the latest episode of the medical drama The Pitt (Season 2, Episode 3). The conversation is lively, self-aware, and peppered with banter, cultural references, and inside jokes.

Major Discussion Points & Insights

1. Oscar Nominations 2026: Reactions & Snubs

• A Strong Year for Film
  Both hosts agree that this year's nominations reflect a high-quality crop across categories, with Chris noting “It was a good year for movies. And it's an exciting movie. Oscars.” (08:24).
• Best Picture Nominees
  Discussed films include Sinners (16 nominations), One Battle After Another, Hamnet, F1, Marty Supreme, Begonia, Frankenstein, Train Dreams, Secret Agent, and Sentimental Value.
• Sentimental Value receives particular praise for its artistic achievement and breadth of nominations.
• Surprising Snubs
  They mention Miles Catton not being nominated for Sinners despite a strong child actor performance (26:52), and some category surprises including Chase Infinity's lead submission in One Battle After Another (27:07).

2. Deep Dive: Sentimental Value

• A “Total Masterpiece” (12:49)
  Andy is effusive: “My main takeaway… Sentimental Value is in my mind, a total masterpiece.”
  • Both hosts discuss director Joachim Trier’s style (“Yokim” vs. “Joachim”), his interest in faces and emotional realism, and his evolution as a filmmaker following fatherhood.
  • Chris notes the film’s European flavor and how it contrasts with blockbuster storytelling: “When I watch something that is a 2 hour and 15 minute study of a family coming to terms with old wounds… I'm like, oh, yeah, like that's real life.” (15:14)
  • Andy: “I loved the experience of watching both [big American movies]… then I watched this and I was alive, like to see a movie that is about people, the fullness of people.” (16:18)
• Themes and Endings
  • Discussion about the “meeting point” at the end of Sentimental Value—an ambiguous, hopeful reconciliation between sisters.
  • Chris: “I kind of long for a movie to be like. That's not how it works.” (19:10), pushing against neat resolution.
• Performance Shout-Outs
  Andy celebrates the nominations for Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgård, and Rose Byrne, (“I've been there. Yeah, I've done. You know, I watch Physical. You know, we didn't even talk about it always, but I watched it.” 20:05).

3. Inside Awards Season: The Industry & The Campaign

• Oscars Machinery
  Discussion of “guilds,” industry screenings, and the politics behind landing nominations (20:33–22:26).
• Best Original Screenplay
  Andy and Chris debate how the “tip of the cap” screenplay Oscar tends to go to the boldest or most original work (Blue Moon, Sentimental Value, Sinners are top contenders—24:43).
• Predictions
  Andy’s predictions:
  • Best Adapted: One Battle After Another
  • Best Original Screenplay: Sentimental Value
  • Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
  • Picture: Sinners (28:39)

4. Modern Screenwriting in the Double-Screen Era

• Matt Damon on Netflix & Screenwriting
  Chris summarizes a Damon interview, highlighting how streaming platforms now shape writing:
  • “They want you to have something grabby in the first opening moments… so that people don't click out of it.” (38:03)
  • Frequent reiteration of plot because of “phone distraction” culture.
• Andy’s Perspective as a Writer
  Andy expands: “Number one most annoying trend… start with something incredibly exciting and then, say, five, six months earlier.” (40:14)
  • He notes how this alters narrative structure, pacing, and even the intent of pilot episodes.
  • “They are hyper, hyper focused on the first three minutes more than anything else.” (41:52)
• Natural vs. Engineered Openings
  Chris: “There are plenty of things that movies and television shows that open with something big… but has some of that, like, why is this show opening with what should be the highlight?” (42:26)

5. The Pitt S2E3 Recap & Review (56:39–68:43)

• Praise for Narrative Construction
  Andy: "I am so in awe of the maestro level Lydia Tár-esque conducting that they are doing… just in terms of building” (57:21)
• Character, Structure & Realism
  • The balance of case-of-the-week stories and longer arcs.
  • Highlighted cases: misjudged child abuse (autoimmune disease), the Tree of Life shooting survivor’s scene with Perla, the ongoing storyline of Robbie and his evolution.
  • Chris: “I thought that this was just a lovely character moment. I think they are doing a really good job with Robbie…” (60:47)
  • Noted: Noah Wylie both stars and writes certain episodes which brings an “earnestness” (62:24)
• Show’s Social Commentary
  • Not overtly political, but subtly critical of healthcare system logistics (insurance-induced patient transfers, staffing, etc.)
  • “Sad to say anything about good people trying to help in an overloaded system is by definition political.” (67:13)

6. TV Sampling & International Recommendations

• Drops of God Season 2
  Andy recommends this international wine drama for its “pleasant international cooperation vibe,” specificity, and unique stakes (49:43–54:21).

7. Sports Banter & Pop Culture

• Ongoing bits about sports obsessions (Eagles OC talk, Phillies, Mets, Dodgers, etc.), the meaning of “sentimental trade value,” and fleeting passions in both sports and pop culture (69:01–72:42).
• Meta-commentary on texting styles and relationships vs. “public personas” (33:12–36:46).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Sentimental Value’s impact
  Andy: "There wasn't a single moment in watching this movie that I wasn't riveted and thrilled and delighted and laughing. Like it's, it's funny, it's human, it's emotional and it's just a great film." (17:23)
• On Streaming & Screenwriting Pressure
  Andy: “We have created a generation of helicopter executives who do their job the way parents behave on the playgrounds of Highland park, you know, like, the children cannot be left out of your sight for one second unless they do something dangerous.” (40:14)
• On Cultural Tastes
  Chris: “I have to like, reset my brain that there's not like a transactional thing happening or a, like an end point to this or something like that, you know?” (15:14)
• Meta Self-Deprecation
  Chris, on old blogs: “I would have called an entire blog post that and 17 people would have read it.” (01:31)
• On Double-Screening
  Chris: “I actually can't look at the Athletic to see if we've hired an OC because, like, I'll miss the entire point of the scene.” (39:28)
• On the Joy of Watching Sports
  Andy: “It's pretty fun watching sports when you don't care. I know you always like to pick someone to root for and I probably inevitably.” (72:02)

Key Timestamps

| Time | Segment / Topic | |------------|---------------------------------------------------------| | 01:12 | Main show intro/banter begins | | 07:22 | Andy’s late-night film catch-up and Oscar goals | | 08:24 | 2026 Oscar nominations discussion starts | | 12:49 | Sentimental Value named a “total masterpiece” | | 17:03 | Andy on emotional resonance of the film | | 24:43 | Best Original Screenplay Oscar race discussion | | 38:03 | Matt Damon on streaming and "grabby" openings | | 40:14 | Andy on pilot structure and industry notes | | 56:39 | The Pitt S2E3 recap/review starts | | 57:21 | Praise for show’s narrative construction | | 60:47 | Robbie character arc discussion | | 67:13 | Healthcare system/insurance as subtle social commentary | | 72:19 | Outro: sports obsessions, closing banter |

Overall Vibe & Final Thoughts

This episode is a dense, playful, and thoughtful exploration of how movies and TV are made and watched in 2026, filtered through the warm, reflexively self-aware lens of two careers’ worth of pop culture chatter. The hosts move deftly from nerd-out territory (Oscar stats, screenwriting technique) to heartfelt observations about art, storytelling, and everyday life—on and off the double screen.