It’s the eighth edition Mind Meld! And if you thought there couldn’t possibly be another set of categories our group of contestants could (mostly) agree on, then you’d be wrong! And being wrong in this game is not the right thing to do.

Mind Meld 8

Tony Sindelar and Kathy Campbell with Jean MacDonald, Shelly Brisbin, Erika Ensign, Jason Snell and Lex Friedman

The Dog & Pony crew is back! Bruldish, Crucible, Elavor, Imra, Lina, and the whole menagerie kick off the season with a drawbridge that’s just a bridge, a really charming rat, some sweeping in the dark, and a real mist opportunity.

Dog & Pony Show VII, Part 1

Tony Sindelar with Aleen Simms, Dan Moren, Erika Ensign, Jane Ritt and Mikah Sargent

Huzzah! Dan is back and we’re back on the X-Men beat. This week we cover an eclectic set of mid-season episodes. A fun Tron-Romp, some trippy malevolent force thing, and a simply stunning and terrific episode on Genosha.

Dan Moren, John Moltz and Guy English

The Bad Batch comes to an end, and your Star Wars pals Dan, Kat, and Tony are here to see it off in style. We discuss zillo beasts roaming wild, the keys to evil base real estate, and Wrecker’s Fish Shack, as we bid adieu to our clone family…for now?

s3e15.jpg" width="600" alt="The Bad Batch, Season 3, Episode 15">

Lucasfilm

Dan Moren, Tony Sindelar and K Benesh

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Put on your mouse ears and step into the TARDIS! We’re discussing the return (rebirth? regeneration?) of “Doctor Who” in 2024, this time on Disney+ (and the BBC). It’s a new era with an old showrunner. How did the 2023 specials hit us, where should curious viewers start watching, and what are our hopes for the coming season?

"Doctor Who" anticipation

Jason Snell with Erika Ensign, Steven Schapansky, Annette Wierstra and Kelly Guimont

Nevada Day Part 1 defied our expectations… which meant we got our hopes up for Nevada Day Part 2. Will the light mix of casual homophobia, causal racism, and heavy belief beggaring win us over this time around? Or will we find more joy in discussing the correct pronunciation of Nevada? At least Lex has Brian, and Brian has Lex. And you’ve got both of us. Join us: We’re Sorkin’ In It together.

Lex Friedman and Brian Warren

What’s more Star Trek than violating the Prime Directive? This week’s “Discovery” episode feels familiar in a very good way. Jason defends Captain Burnham in imaginary Prime Directive court, but Judge Scott is not hearing it. Also, we spend a surprising amount of time wondering about how replicated food works. We blame Culber’s abuela.

Scott McNulty and Jason Snell

James Thomson, the systems.co.uk">developer behind PCalc and Dice by PCalc (and other things), joins Scott to discuss "alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Genesis_(episode)">Genesis" (TNG S7E19). Topics include the many similarities between James and Neil Diamond, Blockbuster Video, and dubious science in this episode.

Scott McNulty with James Thomson

With Dan away for the week John and Guy fumble their way through a brief look at whats on deck in superhero land.

Dan Moren, John Moltz and Guy English

In the final episode of The Price of Beauty, the adventurers take the battle to the hags…when they aren’t repeatedly pulling Townley from the abyss.

Candlekeep - The Price of Beauty, Part 7

Tony Sindelar with Aleen Simms, Annette Wierstra, James Thomson, Mikah Sargent and Monty Ashley