Podcast Summary: The Watch — “The American Revolution,” “Industry” S4 Trailer, “Pluribus” E4, and “Landman” S2E2

Hosts: Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald (aka Sandy)
Date: November 24, 2025
Main Topics: Ken Burns’s American Revolution, the Industry S4 trailer, Pluribus Ep4, and Landman S2E2

Episode Overview

This pre-Thanksgiving episode feels like “a feast” according to the hosts, as Chris and Andy navigate a packed docket: pop culture banter, current TV obsessions, and signature, digressive humor. The episode bounces from existential analysis of Eagles football fandom to deep explorations of Ken Burns’s lasting influence, thoughtful breakdowns of Pluribus and Landman, and speculation about new TV trailers. The chemistry between hosts, affectionately needling each other as longtime friends, creates a warm and lively backdrop.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Football Fandom, Life, and Vibes (01:40–09:00)

• Eagles Football & Emotional Calibration:
  • Andy and Chris briefly bemoan the “obviously fake 8–2" Eagles season and the emotional distortions of sustained team success.
  • Andy: “Most football seasons, for most teams, involve just kind of losing to the Saints sometimes...We have this very bizarre run where we are 10 and 1 essentially every year, and then either completely collapse or make it to the Super Bowl.” (06:02)
• Thanksgiving Scheduling and TV Habits:
  • With the show off Thursday, future episodes will pivot to end-of-year content, with anticipation for Fallout and Stranger Things S5.

2. Stranger Things, Beatles Anthology, & Event TV (09:00–10:32)

• Stranger Things’ Cultural Gravity:
  • Despite Andy’s kids bypassing the show, Chris notes its omnipresence with store activations and international branding.
• Beatles Anthology:
  • Chris admits he’s “up to my brim in Beatles at this point,” skipping the new anthology, hinting at pop culture saturation.

3. Ken Burns’ The American Revolution: Personal and Cultural Reverberations (10:32–22:14)

• Nostalgia and Gravitas:

  • Chris describes watching four hours of the new Burns doc, experiencing sensory time-travel:

    “As soon as Peter Coyote’s voice comes on and he says name of year...I felt it wasn’t even goosebumps. It was like I was transported back…” (11:29)

• Voice Cast Revelations:

  • Chris details an all-star cast: Josh Brolin as George Washington, Paul Giamatti as John Adams, Claire Danes, Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, Leslie Odom Jr. (“back playing all British people”) and even Joe Keery as a fifer.
  • Andy (deadpan): “Is Joe Keery playing Johnny Greenwood on fife better or worse than Johnny Greenwood opening with Planet Telex at the O2 arena this weekend?” (13:43)

• Burns’s Thematic Depth:

  • The hosts praise how the show handles the contradictions of the founding fathers:

    “They go to great lengths to explain mostly how...what a bunch of crazy hypocrites...” (14:37)

  • Peter Coyote’s narration is lauded—“Peter Coyote, 84 years young, just still grinding out 12 hours of DOC vio.” (15:01)

• Power Ranking the Ken Burns Docs:

  • Andy: “All the big three: Civil War, baseball and jazz. My three passions to this day.” (15:34)
  • Recent favorites have shifted: “Jazz has overtaken baseball.” (16:05)

• Ken Burns Dream Projects:

  • Andy pitches a doc on “female painters in the post-WWII era” and 1950s American culture; Chris wants the Roaring Twenties explored documentary-style.
  • Chris:

    “When you watch American Revolution ...he is able to build up to Jefferson writing the Declaration of Independence as if it was the cliffhanger of a great epic…” (20:02)

• Meta Sequel Jokes:

  • Joking about a “Meet Me in the Bathroom”–style doc on early 2000s NYC music, with Chris narrating as the new Peter Coyote.

4. Trailer Talk: Industry Season 4 & Yellowstone Spinoff (22:14–29:30)

• Industry S4 Teaser:
  • Chris and Andy are thrilled by the “beautiful” and “rich” visuals, the teased focus on Harper and Yasmin, and the showrunners’ creative growth.
  • Andy:

    “They are taking the show into a different visual landscape. It’s more baroque...there are scenes that look straight out of Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette...” (24:08)

  • Andy appreciates “shows that find their purpose as they go.”
• Why Marshals (Yellowstone Spinoff):
  • Chris discusses the procedural vibe for the CBS spinoff and the challenges of “good guys who do bad things” (28:17); both hosts lightly mock the ever-present Sheridan helicopters.

5. Pluribus Episode 4 Review (31:41–43:41)

• Narrative Strength & Logical Progression:
  • Chris highlights Alison Tallock’s writing, with a plot focusing on Carol’s drive to construct her own narrative amidst chaos.
  • Andy:

    “I thought this was the strongest episode since the pilot...” (32:52) “The logic that is the hallmark of all Vince Gilligan shows: if not this, then that...” (32:53)

• Meta Underpinnings & Writerly Self-Reflection:
  • Carol is used to explore writer anxiety; Andy draws connections to creator Vince Gilligan’s own career arc:

    “Famously, the ‘that’s what the money is for’ speech was Matt Weiner’s...relationship with [David Chase]” (37:01) “Vince Gilligan...making his main character a writer...a writer who is churning out the same thing over and over again...” (37:30)

• Tone Shifts and Stakes:
  • The episode deftly merges humor (“Hi, Carol!”) with real menace as the hive mind exerts force.
  • Chris: “It’s really funny...every time anyone says ‘Hi Carol’, I laugh.” (35:22)
• AI Anxiety:
  • The doominess of collective intelligence and losing individual agency returns; the show plays with wish fulfillment and horror.
  • Andy: “One of the show’s strongest episodes in terms of ‘boy, AI is a nightmare.’”
• Crafty Story Choices:
  • The foregrounding of Carol’s “writer” identity, her questions, and her flawed attempts with truth serum add character depth and propel the plot.
  • Noted cameos: Albuquerque mayor Tim Keller and actor Jeff Heller.

6. Landman Season 2, Episode 2 Breakdown (43:41–60:09)

• Character Arcs & Relationships:
  • Chris praises the generational drama and the emotional nuances, especially the Tommy/Cooper/TJ storyline:

    “The Cooper, Tommy, TJ stuff...was a very good corrective...I thought Sam Elliott, Jacob Laughlin, and Billy Bob were...pretty close to awesome in this episode.” (45:09)

  • Andy: “There was a beautiful moment in front of a sunset when I was just looking at the screen and I was like, this is working for me. There’s three generations of men, two of whom are in the same generation, but it is no less effective.” (45:54)
• Plot Course Corrections and Pacing:
  • The hosts laugh at how Landman pivots storylines abruptly, often embracing soap-operatic or outlandish beats: cartel complications, abrupt heel turns.
  • Andy: “[The show can] twice in an episode just steer out of a ditch of its own making.” (46:38)
• Dialogue and Masculinity Satire:
  • A standout moment is Tommy’s fatherly advice:

    “Do you want me to tell you how to deal with a woman?” (50:03)
    The hosts expected something “from the Andrew Tate playbook”, but instead: “She just said, you got to listen to her. I did not have that on my list of potential responses.” (51:06)

• Legal and Power Play Satire:
  • Rebecca Falcone’s power walks and bag placement become a recurring in-joke.
  • Andy: “...none of that matters because what they’ve done is they’ve cast an actor to play Rebecca, who I don’t think has ever held a bag before.” (52:36)
  • Chris: “Has she ever walked into a negotiation...and been like, hey guys, nice to see you. Let's get to the first agenda item...She always walks in and is just like you mewling little babies.” (52:58)
• Meta-casting Easter Egg:
  • Christopher Stanley plays a lawyer—a wink, as he played Henry Francis, Betty Draper’s second husband on Mad Men.
• Sheridan’s Writing Style:
  • The hosts skewer Taylor Sheridan’s refusal to heed logic or TV conventions, particularly with the outlandish nursing home storyline.
  • Andy: “[Taylor Sheridan] just doesn't accept any kind of rational...he creates this scene...but logic and the way planet Earth operates does not give me the opportunity...The play demands it.” (59:55)
• Appetite for More:
  • Chris: “I almost want to watch Landman with you more than I want to watch the Eagles with you.”

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On Ken Burns Docs:

  “These documentaries...have served as this drum beat in the background of my mind throughout my entire life.” —Chris (11:29)

• On Industry S4’s Look:

  “They are taking the show into a different visual landscape. It's more baroque...There are scenes that look straight out of Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette.” —Andy (24:08)

• On Pluribus’s Tone:

  “One of the best things about the show is every time anyone says, ‘Hi, Carol,’ I laugh.” —Andy (35:22)

• On Taylor Sheridan TV:

  “Taylor Sheridan just doesn't accept any kind of rational...The play demands it.” —Andy (59:55)

• On Tommy’s Parenting (Landman):

  “Do you want me to tell you how to deal with a woman?...[He says] you got to listen to her. I did not have that on my list of potential responses.” —Andy (50:03, 51:06)

• Meta TV Satire:

  “Has she ever walked into a negotiation...and been like, hey guys, nice to see you. Let's get to the first agenda item...She always walks in and is just like you mewling little babies.” —Chris (52:58)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:40 – Podcast opens, banter, Eagles talk, sports fandom
• 09:00 – Thanksgiving TV, Stranger Things, Beatles Anthology
• 10:32 – Ken Burns’s American Revolution: nostalgia, cast, legacy
• 17:23 – Dream Ken Burns documentaries
• 22:14 – Industry S4 teaser breakdown
• 25:55 – Why Marshals spinoff, Taylor Sheridan TV universe jokes
• 31:41 – Pluribus Episode 4 deep dive
• 43:41 – Landman S2E2 analysis and character dynamics
• 51:44 – Rebecca Falcone’s lawyering style and meta-casting
• 59:55 – Taylor Sheridan’s writing style and TV antics
• 60:09 – Sign-off, next week’s teasers

Tone & Closing Remarks

The episode exudes signature Watch qualities: intellectual but irreverent, pop culture–savvy, and dense with offbeat asides and inside jokes—particularly aimed at TV tropes, creative personalities, and their own Philadelphia roots. Andy and Chris continue to blend serious cultural criticism with affectionate roasting of the media they love (or hate-watch).

Next week: more on Stranger Things, Landman, and likely further riffs on Ken Burns’s American canon.

Summary by The Watch (listener’s edition)—perfect for catching up, skipping the ads, and staying in on all the inside jokes and in-depth critiques.