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FH Mini 54 - Happy Belated Mother's Day
Transcript
Elliott Kalan
[0:00]
Hello and welcome to the Flophouse.
[0:06]
My name is Elliot Kalin and I'm joined tonight.
[0:10]
It's nighttime where we're doing this and it's daytime where you are possibly.
[0:14]
Look out the window.
[0:14]
Night has fallen just through the power of my voice.
[0:17]
Deal with it.
[0:18]
But I'm joined tonight by...
Dan McCoy
[0:19]
Dan McCoy, who's, you know, you could have just not made any prediction about the time of day.
Stuart Wellington
[0:26]
And Stuart Wellington.
[0:27]
And it's nighttime where I'm at, too.
Dan McCoy
[0:30]
Yeah, it's true.
[0:31]
It's nighttime where all three of us are at currently.
Elliott Kalan
[0:34]
And it's now nighttime where you, the listener, are.
[0:37]
Close your eyes unless you're driving and imagine that it is a deep dark night, the witching hour,
[0:43]
when spooks and spirits and ghouls and ghosts come out of the graveyard because it's time to celebrate a belated Mother's Day.
[0:53]
Oh, no.
[0:54]
That's right, everybody.
[0:55]
It was Mother's Day a week ago and we're going to be doing some mom talk about moms at the movies.
[1:00]
But first, Dan, why don't we have a mom fun drive?
[1:03]
I'm sorry, max fun drive update.
[1:05]
How did things go a week ago when max fun drive ended and where are we in terms of rewards for our listeners?
Dan McCoy
[1:12]
You know what?
[1:13]
It went really well.
[1:15]
It went really well.
[1:17]
We smashed the first goal.
Elliott Kalan
[1:22]
Like we were the phantom smashing evil.
[1:24]
Yeah.
[1:24]
Or did he slam it?
[1:25]
He slammed evil.
[1:27]
I'm sorry.
[1:27]
Dan, can you go back and say we slammed the first reward level?
Stuart Wellington
[1:30]
Elliot, can you pen a letter to Billy Zane to apologize?
Elliott Kalan
[1:34]
I'll do that.
[1:35]
Dear Mr. Zane, I take pen in hand to apologize for misremembering the slogan to your hit film, The Phantom.
Dan McCoy
[1:41]
But, you know, so we're going to be sending out.
[1:44]
It'll be to a total of 30 listeners who were new, upgrading, boosting this time around.
[1:53]
We'll get those names from people.
[1:57]
And, you know, people at the max fun.
Elliott Kalan
[1:59]
As opposed to going to a cave and asking a bear for the names.
[2:03]
We're going to ask the heavens for who.
[2:06]
Here, let me look into my scrying pool, Dan.
[2:09]
And hopefully the spirits of the waters will give us the names.
Dan McCoy
[2:12]
We're going to find those names and we're going to use a randomizer to pick 30 people.
[2:17]
10 of whom will get signed copies of Elliot's Maniac of New York comic.
[2:23]
10 from Stu.
[2:25]
I believe there was swag of some kind.
[2:28]
Swag was promised.
Elliott Kalan
[2:29]
Swag will be delivered.
Dan McCoy
[2:32]
And then for me, I will.
Elliott Kalan
[2:33]
The S in swag stands for Stuart and the W stands for Wellington.
Dan McCoy
[2:36]
I will get in contact.
Elliott Kalan
[2:37]
Stuart Wellington audience gifts.
[2:39]
Swag.
Dan McCoy
[2:40]
Yeah.
[2:40]
I will get in contact with those members and be like, hey, what favorite movies do you want me to draw something from?
Elliott Kalan
[2:49]
They're probably going to want to get drawings of the pregnancy scene in Sonic the Hedgehog, the movie.
Dan McCoy
[2:53]
They all picked cheeky for some reason.
[2:57]
I mean, I could do it.
[3:00]
But anyway, so we also, you know what?
[3:05]
We fell just a tiny bit short of the country bears, but it was within, it was 61 short.
[3:15]
We're just going to do it, guys.
[3:18]
We're not going to be dicks about it.
[3:20]
We came so close.
[3:22]
We're going to do the country bears commentary.
Elliott Kalan
[3:25]
If I learned anything from being a parent, it's that you set limits and then you allow your children to blast through those limits and you reward them anyway.
[3:32]
So let's do it.
Dan McCoy
[3:33]
The thing is, you know, whatever.
[3:35]
It's been a very tough several years.
[3:39]
The fact that we did as well in this drive.
[3:42]
Thank you so much during a difficult time.
[3:45]
Like, I just, you know, yeah.
[3:48]
Thank you for being a friend.
[3:51]
Travel down the road and back again.
[3:53]
Thank you for also the pledges and to return to say you're welcome and thank you, we will, to our Italian listeners, we're going to do this country bears commentary.
[4:09]
It may not be right off.
[4:12]
We haven't figured out when we're going to schedule it, but before the end of this.
[4:16]
It's not going to be for a little while.
[4:18]
Before the end of this calendar year, after this pledge drive, we will do the country bears commentary.
Stuart Wellington
[4:23]
Hey, I just want to jump in and apologize if you guys are, for all of you that are watching at home, and if I look a little confused, it's because my cat Meatball has the zoomies right now.
[4:34]
It is adorable because he chirps while he's doing it like a little bird, but he's not accomplishing much.
[4:41]
Like, where is he going to go?
Dan McCoy
[4:43]
Well, to put your mind at ease, there's no one watching.
[4:48]
But I dressed up!
[4:49]
Why did I dress up?
[4:50]
Well, you are wearing a, what appears to be maybe a velvet sort of smoking jacket.
[4:57]
It's a robe.
[4:58]
What's underneath it?
[4:59]
Nothing.
[5:00]
It's a robe, okay.
[5:01]
It's a robe in the smoking jacket style.
[5:03]
Let us be clear to, I am not doing a bit right now.
[5:07]
No, no.
Elliott Kalan
[5:07]
Stuart is showing, it's big Hugh Hefner vibes at his house.
[5:11]
Yeah, it's sort of a maroon robe with a black.
[5:14]
Yeah, respectfully Hugh Hefner, yeah.
[5:16]
Yeah.
[5:18]
Anyway.
[5:19]
Before we get off the MaxFunDrive entirely, I also want to say thank you, everybody.
[5:22]
And I will say, one of the best things about this year's MaxFunDrive was, I heard a lot from listeners who, in the past, didn't feel like they had the means to support us.
[5:31]
And now we're like, I got a job where I can pledge.
[5:33]
That was the best part of it, was hearing about all these listeners who are feeling more financially secure and have employment that they're happy about.
[5:41]
And that was a wonderful, not predicted side benefit of MaxFunDrive.
Dan McCoy
[5:46]
No, that is a very nice message that we sort of get inadvertently as part of the way things are set up.
[5:52]
It's like, oh yeah, great.
[5:53]
Like, I'm glad that so many people seem to like, I don't know, things are looking up.
Elliott Kalan
[5:58]
I hope.
[5:58]
Yeah.
[5:58]
I hope for folks.
[5:59]
Hopefully.
[6:00]
I mean, what it also tells me is we have to cultivate more of a billionaire audience.
[6:03]
So, Elon, if you're listening, well, I still don't like you.
[6:09]
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[6:09]
Please listen.
[6:10]
Put the phone down.
[6:10]
If you're listening, please stop it.
Stuart Wellington
[6:12]
They can start listening.
[6:13]
Listen to something else.
[6:14]
And then I could trick them into walking into this guillotine I have set up.
Dan McCoy
[6:18]
Oh, God.
[6:19]
What?
[6:19]
I mean, now you're threatening a public figure.
[6:22]
Billionaires?
[6:24]
I don't know that legally it's.
[6:26]
I'm not threatening anything.
[6:27]
I've just set up a guillotine.
Elliott Kalan
[6:30]
He's right.
[6:31]
Legally, you can chop the head off a billionaire.
[6:33]
It's in the legal code.
[6:35]
Thomas Jefferson put it in there.
[6:37]
As long as you don't do it yourself, you just set up the guillotine and they stumble into
[6:41]
it like some kind of French farce that's a French Revolution farce.
Dan McCoy
[6:45]
Inspector Clouseau sort of figure.
Elliott Kalan
[6:47]
What if they did a bedroom door slamming French farce, but it's set during the French
[6:52]
Revolution, so instead of door slams, it's a guillotine chopping people's heads off.
[6:56]
People are just kind of jumping into the wrong guillotine.
Dan McCoy
[6:58]
Yeah, people just leave a room and go into a guillotine, I guess.
[7:02]
I guess you lose the cast over the quick.
[7:03]
Sounds like a real house.
[7:04]
You need a very large cast for something like that.
Stuart Wellington
[7:07]
Kind of sounds like the house from 13 Ghosts.
[7:10]
Oh, yeah.
[7:12]
Hey, Elliot, remember 13 Ghosts?
[7:15]
Yeah.
[7:16]
I do remember 13 Ghosts.
[7:16]
That old house that went out of F. Murray Abraham's house was made out of glass?
[7:21]
Yep.
[7:22]
And that like writing on all the glass?
Dan McCoy
[7:24]
Now, is that what the glass house the movie is about?
[7:27]
Is it about F. Murray Abraham's house?
[7:29]
Yes.
Stuart Wellington
[7:29]
And Lili Sobieski has to go live there.
[7:31]
And then Stone Skarsgård.
[7:34]
With F. Murray Abraham?
Elliott Kalan
[7:35]
Yeah.
[7:38]
So guys, have you ever played the game Fuck, Marry Abraham?
[7:41]
That's when you get three names and you just say, who are you going to F?
[7:45]
Who are you going to marry?
[7:47]
And who are you going to Abraham?
Dan McCoy
[7:48]
Which in this case is kill.
[7:50]
Well, it's pretend that you're going to kill.
[7:52]
But then God says at the end, no, it's fine.
[7:55]
Don't worry about it.
[7:55]
God says, psych.
[7:56]
You don't have to do it.
[7:57]
Your son's fine.
[7:58]
God says, it's fine.
[7:59]
You can do a country bear thing.
[8:00]
For the rest of your life.
[8:02]
Your relationship with your child has been ruined.
[8:05]
Yeah.
[8:06]
Any sense of trust is gone.
Elliott Kalan
[8:09]
Anyway, Ali, you had a concept.
[8:10]
Back in biblical times, dads and sons didn't have good relationships.
[8:13]
Okay.
[8:14]
We're supposed to now.
[8:14]
So we've had a lot of fun tonight.
[8:17]
We've talked about a lot of great things.
[8:18]
Yeah.
[8:19]
And it's time to get to the serious part of the episode.
[8:22]
Okay, guys.
[8:24]
I'm behind – I'm at the wheel this time.
[8:28]
And it's not a car wheel.
[8:29]
We're on a ship.
[8:30]
So it thinks you might get a little rocky and you might get a little seasick.
[8:34]
Because we're going to play a little game tonight that I don't think you're going to enjoy very much.
[8:39]
But maybe you will.
[8:39]
I don't know.
[8:40]
A lot of times we've done games where we have to identify things, where we have to guess titles for things,
[8:45]
or whether Eric Roberts is in a movie or not.
[8:48]
I wanted to indulge a different part of your brain than just a rote trivia memory.
[8:53]
And I'm going to bring us to a debating game.
[8:57]
That's right.
[8:58]
You two are about to engage in a series of debates on the subject of moms.
[9:02]
That's right.
[9:03]
It's everyone's favorite debating game, Mansplain, the debating game for white cishet upper class nerds.
[9:09]
And it's a special Mother's Day mom versus mom edition.
[9:12]
So here's how it goes.
[9:14]
You two will be debating each other in a series of rounds.
[9:17]
Choosing between two moms from the movies, you're going to debate which mom is the better mom.
[9:22]
Why should I choose that mom as my mom?
[9:25]
And so there's going to be a number of categories.
[9:29]
You're going to take turns being the one who chooses first, which mom you're going to argue the case of.
[9:34]
We're going to do this classic debating style.
[9:37]
The person who chooses will get one minute for your opening statement.
[9:39]
Your opponent will get one minute for his rebuttal.
[9:41]
And then the person who chose will get 30 seconds for their counter rebuttal.
[9:45]
I may also let the clock run longer if I feel like it or if I forget how much time has gone by.
[9:50]
Perfect.
Elliott Kalan
[9:50]
Okay.
[9:51]
And points are going to be awarded by me on a painstakingly arbitrary manner.
[9:57]
So don't worry.
[9:59]
This is a high level of forensics and just random choice.
[10:04]
So let's begin with the first round of this mom versus mom edition of Mansplain, the debating game for white, cis, head, upper class nerds.
[10:11]
So, okay.
[10:13]
This is the first round.
[10:15]
Dan, you get to choose which side you're taking first because I imagine you are more nervous than Stuart.
[10:21]
This first round is supportive single suburban moms in the movies.
[10:27]
Who would you like to argue the case of there being a better mom?
[10:29]
Patricia Arquette in Boyhood.
[10:31]
That's right.
[10:31]
The woman who spent over a decade of her life having to hang out with Richard Linkletter for weekends at a time to be in a movie about a kid who, to be honest, is not that special a kid.
[10:41]
Or would you rather argue the case of Dee Wallace who has to put up with a wrinkly alien hiding in her child's bedroom closet?
[10:48]
Would you like to argue in favor of The Mom in Boyhood or The Mom in E.T.?
Dan McCoy
[10:52]
I'm going to go with Dee Wallace, Elliot.
Elliott Kalan
[10:55]
Okay.
[10:55]
Could have seen that coming.
[10:56]
So, Stuart, you'll be arguing the case of Patricia Arquette in Boyhood, Academy Award winning performance.
[11:00]
The movie, of course, lost Best Picture to Birdman, perhaps the second most forgotten Best Picture winner of the last 20 years.
[11:07]
What a fucking turd.
[11:08]
The first most forgotten Best Picture winner of the last 20 years, of course, The Artist, a movie I routinely forget existed.
[11:14]
It won Best Picture.
[11:15]
All right.
[11:15]
So, Dan, that's neither here nor there.
[11:18]
Let's go.
[11:19]
Your minute starts now.
[11:20]
Tell me, why is Dee Wallace the better mom in E.T.?
[11:23]
And go.
Dan McCoy
[11:24]
You know, there's an extraterrestrial in her home.
[11:29]
And she doesn't react with sort of the panic of a woman who wonders, maybe this has brought interdimensional otherworldly viruses, like diseases into my house.
[11:44]
Instead, she's worried only for the safety of her children and for that lovable scamp E.T.
[11:52]
And, you know, this may be extraterrestrial, but of course, Dee Wallace.
[11:57]
That's okay.
[11:57]
Also, E.T.
[11:58]
Yeah.
[11:58]
Dee Wallace.
[12:00]
He's the extraterrestrial extraterrestrial.
[12:01]
Yeah.
[12:02]
Also, did a bang-up job protecting her son from that rabid St. Bernard.
[12:08]
Not so much in the book.
[12:10]
In the book, she didn't do so well.
[12:12]
But you know what?
[12:13]
That book character was not Dee Wallace.
Elliott Kalan
[12:15]
In the book of E.T., you're saying?
[12:17]
Yeah.
[12:17]
Only in the movie.
Dan McCoy
[12:18]
Yeah.
[12:18]
Neither in the book of E.T. or in Cujo, did they say.
Elliott Kalan
[12:24]
Oh, sorry, Dan.
[12:24]
You said the word Cujo just as the minute ran out, so I can't give you points for that part.
[12:28]
As far as I know, you think that the book of E.T. had an angry dog in it.
[12:33]
So you'll get your points for that.
[12:37]
Stu, it's your turn.
[12:38]
You have one minute to tell me why Patricia Arquette in Boyhood is the better mom.
[12:44]
And go.
[12:45]
What is time?
Stuart Wellington
[12:48]
Time is a thing that is ever marching onward.
[12:51]
Patricia Arquette knows this all too well in the movie Boyhood.
[12:55]
Let me explain it to you.
[12:57]
She has this child.
[12:58]
The child is with her quite a bit.
[13:01]
She has multiple partners, some of whom are drunks.
[13:06]
And Ethan Hawke is like always hanging around.
[13:08]
And I was wondering, in The Northman, do you think Ethan Hawke had like a muscle suit on?
[13:14]
Because he looked kind of bulky, but I don't think he looks that bulky in real life.
[13:18]
That's a good question I just asked.
[13:20]
So the other thing is Patricia Arquette is great.
[13:26]
Didn't she speak to ghosts on a TV show?
[13:28]
And she was in Lost Highway.
[13:30]
What a picture.
[13:31]
So what I'm trying to explain is Cujo.
[13:42]
And I think that's it.
[13:43]
That's a minute, right?
[13:45]
Yep.
[13:45]
That's a minute.
[13:47]
Strong start.
Elliott Kalan
[13:48]
You kind of lost your way a little bit in the middle there.
[13:50]
Dan, now it's – okay.
[13:52]
This is the final round of the first round.
[13:54]
Dan, you have 30 seconds to have your counter-rebuttal to whatever it is.
[13:59]
Stu just said – okay.
Dan McCoy
[14:01]
And go.
[14:03]
I'm glad that Stu brought up both Cujo and Lost Highway because while Dee Wallace was protecting her child from within a car,
[14:13]
do you want a mother who's going to get you lost on the highway?
[14:17]
Possibly you're on your way to Disney World.
[14:20]
It's delaying.
[14:21]
By the time you get there, there's no time for any of the good rides.
[14:26]
You're just going to have to get on, I don't know, the teacup one.
[14:29]
And if you stand in line long enough, you'll probably get on It's a Small World.
[14:34]
And that's not a full day.
[14:36]
Okay.
Elliott Kalan
[14:36]
That's the end of your counter-rebuttal.
[14:38]
I mean, it was strong, but I like the teacup ride.
[14:41]
So unfortunately, that hurts you a little bit.
[14:43]
Sorry.
[14:44]
Know your audience.
[14:45]
Looking at the first round, our final scores, I'm going to say that Dan is slightly in the lead.
[14:52]
Okay.
[14:52]
Fair.
[14:53]
Dan has three points.
[14:54]
Stuart has one point.
[14:57]
Dan, I wish you would have had a higher score if you could have gotten Cujo in during that first statement.
[15:02]
But unfortunately, it was just a little too late, so I'm not sure you've seen ET.
[15:06]
But some of the other things you said really rang true, and I like the way you turned Lost Highway around.
[15:11]
Stu, I loved your opening on that argument, and then you kind of forgot what you were talking about.
[15:18]
That's why you only got the one point.
[15:19]
Okay, so now it's round two.
[15:23]
Okay, round two.
[15:25]
So this time, Stuart gets to choose his side, and this is a different kind of round.
[15:29]
This is, again, still about moms.
[15:31]
These are supportive moms.
[15:32]
This is the category of badass protector moms.
[15:37]
These are the moms who are willing to hurt somebody to help their child.
[15:42]
Real mama bears.
[15:43]
And in this case, you get to choose between Sarah Connor and the Queen Alien.
[15:48]
Who are you going to argue the case of as the best mom?
Stuart Wellington
[15:52]
Two James Cameron joints.
[15:56]
I mean, I'm going to do Sarah Connor.
Elliott Kalan
[15:59]
Okay, that's great.
[16:00]
So, Dan, you'll be arguing the case of the Queen Alien as a better mom than Sarah Connor.
[16:05]
Yeah.
[16:05]
And, Stuart, your first statement.
[16:08]
You have one minute starts now.
Stuart Wellington
[16:10]
Okay, so Sarah Connor, like, started off as a waitress.
[16:13]
So already she's got these great multitasking skills.
[16:16]
She works real hard.
[16:18]
She loves her kid.
[16:19]
And then she doesn't have a kid yet because all of a sudden this dude from the future named Michael Bean shows up,
[16:24]
and he puts a baby in her, and it's like, what?
[16:27]
That baby's going to be the king of the future?
[16:30]
And his name's going to be John Connor, which I don't know if you know that.
[16:33]
There was another guy named with a JC initial, and he had some pretty wild ideas.
[16:40]
And so Sarah Connor then lost her baby, made a bunch of friends, but then she got super fucking ripped for part two.
[16:50]
I mean, what?
[16:51]
Check out those shoulders and arms.
[16:53]
It's nuts.
[16:54]
And then she broke free, and, you know, things were a little bit rocky at first, but they got along great.
[16:59]
And you know what?
[16:59]
They beat a T-1000.
[17:01]
So thumbs up to Sarah Connor.
[17:05]
Some additional elements about Sarah Connor is that she's been –
[17:09]
I'm sorry.
Elliott Kalan
[17:09]
That's all the time you have.
[17:11]
I apologize.
[17:11]
You've run out of time.
[17:13]
I do want to hear those, so save them for your counter rebuttal maybe.
[17:16]
I'm really disappointed you didn't start with, what is time, since it's a time travel movie?
[17:21]
But you're doing great.
[17:23]
You're doing great.
[17:24]
A lot of plot summary in there, but that's good.
[17:26]
That's fine.
[17:27]
Dan, okay, now it's your turn.
[17:29]
You have one minute to tell me why is the queen alien a better mom than Sarah Connor, and go.
Dan McCoy
[17:35]
First off, is there a measure of a mother better than, of course, quantity of offspring?
[17:46]
Size of brood.
[17:50]
Boy, does the queen alien have it when it comes to number of children compared to Sarah Connor.
[17:58]
Only managed the one before Kyle Reese was killed.
[18:02]
Number two, you know, it's an alien.
[18:08]
You know, people say the xenomorphs are, you know, loveless creatures,
[18:14]
but this alien was willing as an act of revenge to hitch a ride on a spaceship up into space
[18:20]
and attack Ripley and murder a bystanding android, a synthetic, as they prefer to be called, if I recall.
[18:31]
Very tolerant.
[18:32]
I appreciate that.
[18:34]
And that's your minute.
Elliott Kalan
[18:36]
That's your minute.
[18:36]
Thank you.
[18:37]
You made a compelling argument, a compelling, somewhat insulting to most mothers who aren't the queen alien argument.
[18:44]
Stuart, you now have 30 seconds to rebut Dan's rebuttal.
[18:49]
This is a re-rebut.
[18:51]
And give me the Sarah Connor argument.
[18:53]
Go.
Stuart Wellington
[18:54]
You say size of brood.
[18:57]
Well, what if we were talking about the mother of all of humanity?
[19:02]
Because that's what she gives the future by birthing John Connor.
[19:06]
A boy who she raised, troubled teen, but she gave him the life skills he needs to teach a robot how to say cool-ass shit and give a thumbs up.
[19:17]
Does the queen alien teach anybody anything?
[19:20]
No, all she does is scream, shoot out her little tongue mouth, and then get killed.
[19:26]
Sarah Connor, not killed.
Elliott Kalan
[19:29]
Okay, good.
[19:29]
I'm glad you finished that thought.
[19:32]
I'll let you finish that thought.
[19:33]
Guys, another great round, I got to say.
[19:36]
So telling up the scores now at the end of that round, Stuart actually has a – oh, no, I'm sorry.
[19:43]
It's tied up.
[19:44]
It's tied up is what I meant to say.
[19:46]
Stuart doesn't have a lead.
[19:47]
It's tied up though.
[19:48]
Sorry, I was doing the scores as I was talking.
[19:51]
But that's – hey, it's a tie game.
[19:53]
It's literally anyone's game.
[19:55]
And we've got another round before we take a commercial break.
[19:57]
This next round, Dan gets to choose who he's going to argue first, which – oh, good thing because this is right up Dan's alley.
[20:05]
It's the sexy moms category.
[20:07]
Sexy moms of the movies.
[20:09]
Dan, will you argue the case of Morticia Adams from the Adams family films or Leah Thompson in Back to the Future?
[20:16]
Morticia Adams can't keep her hands off her husband.
[20:18]
Leah Thompson can't keep her hands off her son.
[20:21]
Which – who are you going to argue is the better mom?
[20:26]
I'm going to argue for Leah Thompson.
[20:29]
I'm not surprised at all.
[20:30]
So, Stuart, you'll be arguing in favor of Morticia Adams.
[20:33]
Dan, your opening statement, you have one minute again, starts now.
[20:37]
Look, you all know me.
Dan McCoy
[20:40]
I'm pervizoid number one.
[20:42]
I'm an innocent pervizoid.
[20:45]
I'm not going to cause you any trouble.
[20:46]
But I'm your friend on the other side of these headphones who is not afraid to say kind of gross things.
[20:57]
And I'm going to tell you, a lot of people seem to enjoy your taboo porn.
[21:05]
And Back to the Future was way out of the curve when it came to slamming that into the mainstream.
[21:15]
So, if you want to cover all elements of this great – what am I doing, guys?
[21:24]
I don't even –
[21:25]
You haven't said much about her as a mother.
[21:28]
She's pretty good once the pass gets fixed, you know?
[21:34]
Like, early on, she seems kind of, you know, beaten down by life.
[21:39]
I don't think that's her fault.
[21:41]
You know, her husband is a layabout.
[21:43]
And Dan, that's your minute.
[21:44]
Okay.
[21:45]
Wow.
Elliott Kalan
[21:45]
What a mess of an argument.
[21:47]
Stuart, you're going to have to try hard not to win this one.
[21:50]
So, this is –
[21:51]
God, I'm me.
[21:54]
I have to admit, Dan, you did kind of walk into the guillotine I set up for you there.
[21:58]
So, thank you for being true to form.
[22:01]
Now, Stuart, yes.
Dan McCoy
[22:02]
Look, I'll drive into the skid.
Elliott Kalan
[22:04]
Stuart, let's – yeah, you have one minute.
[22:07]
It sounds like you're already revving up.
[22:08]
Tell me about Morticia Adams.
[22:09]
Why is she the better of the two sexy moms?
Stuart Wellington
[22:13]
Well, she's always, like, lounging around and stuff.
[22:16]
And yet, at the same time, she gives her kids plenty of space to learn and be children and do their own fucking thing, right?
[22:26]
She and Gomez are always dancing, catching roses and teeth.
[22:30]
There's always close-ups on her eyes that are lit very well.
[22:34]
Yeah, she's really great.
[22:36]
And, you know, I don't know.
[22:42]
Like, you know, right?
[22:47]
You know what I mean, right?
[22:51]
Come on.
[22:52]
You might need more specifics in this argument.
[22:54]
No, wait a minute.
[22:56]
But, you know, it's like – you know, right?
Elliott Kalan
[23:01]
You still have ten more seconds.
[23:02]
Okay.
[23:05]
I'm trying to run out the clock.
[23:07]
In conclusion, you know, right?
[23:13]
Okay.
[23:13]
And that is your rebuttal.
[23:15]
I said you're going to have to work hard, and you did.
[23:18]
So –
Dan McCoy
[23:18]
I think I'm going to win this one on redirect because here's what I got to say.
Elliott Kalan
[23:23]
Okay.
[23:24]
And go.
Dan McCoy
[23:26]
Well, you know, my learned colleague's argument, the last half of it, was just basically kind of a retread of his wait, what, come on bit, which is a classic bit.
[23:36]
But it has little salience on the matter.
[23:39]
And also, are we to believe – like, half of his arguments are just describing the films that these characters appear in.
[23:46]
Like, is the mark of a great mother that she has her eyes lit really well?
[23:52]
I don't know.
[23:53]
Not in real life.
[23:54]
I mean, obviously also not in real life.
[23:56]
Pull up.
[23:57]
Pull up.
[23:57]
Pull up.
[23:57]
Go back and pass.
[23:58]
Abort.
[23:58]
Abort.
[23:58]
No, no, wait.
Elliott Kalan
[23:59]
Hold on.
[24:00]
Okay.
[24:00]
And that's your time.
[24:02]
So you really went after his argument.
[24:05]
I mean, you didn't really back up your thoughts about the future.
[24:09]
But that's okay.
[24:10]
It's debate.
[24:11]
Sometimes debate is more about tearing down your opponent.
[24:13]
Yeah.
[24:14]
So this is – so that round did not go the way I thought it would in a lot of ways.
[24:20]
But telling up the points, Dan takes a slight lead.
[24:24]
We are now at six to five, Dan, in terms of points.
[24:28]
That's a surprise.
[24:31]
Stuart lost a lot of points, but he just kind of stopped arguing to do a bit.
[24:36]
So let's take –
[24:37]
You know what?
[24:38]
I think you both –
[24:38]
Worth it.
[24:40]
Yeah.
[24:40]
I can see that your debate engines are overheating and there's steam coming out.
[24:44]
So why don't we take a break for a short sponsor moment.
[24:47]
Dan, who's our sponsor on this special episode of the Flop House?
Dan McCoy
[24:51]
I don't know whether they want to be associated with this particular episode.
[24:55]
But our sponsor is Kitty Poo Club.
[24:59]
Now, look, I'm a cat person.
[25:02]
Many folks may have seen that I have two cats or the household has two cats, Audrey and I.
[25:09]
Archie and Panda.
[25:11]
And we love those cats, but that does not mean that we love having a litter box in our home.
[25:19]
You know, you don't really enjoy dealing with what's basically a box full of excrement on a regular basis.
[25:28]
But Kitty Poo Club takes care of some of the more unpleasant parts of cat ownership.
[25:33]
So you can just love your furry friend.
[25:37]
And every month, they deliver an affordable and recyclable litter box that's prefilled with the litter of your choice.
[25:44]
When the month is up, you can just recycle the used litter box and Kitty Poo Club will automatically deliver a new one to you.
[25:50]
And you can easily customize your subscription at any time.
[25:54]
You can add toys, treats, accessories, whatever will make you and your kitty happy.
[25:59]
I said it before.
[26:00]
I'll say it again.
[26:02]
You know, like I don't have kids around.
[26:05]
So if I want to buy a toy, it's going to be for the cat.
[26:08]
I like to see the cat play with the toys and be happy.
[26:16]
Kitty Poo Club has that too.
[26:19]
And right now, Kitty Poo Club is offering an awesome discount on your first litter box order and free shipping when you set up auto ship.
[26:27]
Just go to www.kittypooclub.com to save on your first auto ship order of litter boxes with free shipping.
[26:37]
And be sure to let them know the Flophouse sent you after you check out.
[26:42]
That's kittypooclub.com.
[26:45]
That's in the copy, but it makes it sound like we're threatening Kitty Poo Club.
[26:49]
The Flophouse sent you.
[26:51]
Bam, pow, bam, some chill music for you.
Stuart Wellington
[26:54]
Hey, it's me, Colin Farrell, the penguin.
[26:56]
Tell them the Flophouse sent you.
[27:01]
That's my the penguin as played by Colin Farrell impression.
Elliott Kalan
[27:05]
That's a good impression.
[27:06]
That's a great impression.
Stuart Wellington
[27:07]
Hey, you guys, it's me, the penguin.
[27:13]
I gotta say, I just love the way that Colin Farrell made up his mind that he was like,
[27:25]
I don't care how short the scene is in, if I'm gonna have to put on all this fucking shit,
[27:29]
I'm gonna make the most out of any line I deliver.
Dan McCoy
[27:33]
He was having fun in that movie.
Elliott Kalan
[27:35]
You gotta have fun.
[27:36]
When you're in a Batman movie, why not have fun?
[27:38]
Yeah, you just gotta have fun.
[27:38]
You're in a movie about a guy who dresses like a bat and beats the crap out of people.
[27:41]
So, have some fun.
Stuart Wellington
[27:42]
Yeah, have some fun.
S4
[27:48]
Thank you so much to everyone who participated in this year's MaxFunDrive.
[27:51]
If you're a member who wants to purchase additional patches,
[27:54]
our annual shop is now live.
[27:57]
The proceeds for this year's sale will be going to Trans Lifeline.
[28:00]
Anytime is a good time to donate to Trans Lifeline,
[28:03]
but this year it feels particularly important.
[28:06]
Trans Lifeline is a non-profit for the trans community by the trans community.
[28:11]
We're grateful that with your support,
[28:12]
we'll be able to help Trans Lifeline connect trans folks to the support and resources they need to survive and thrive.
[28:19]
The sale will run until Friday, May 20th.
[28:22]
Folks at the $10 monthly level and above will have access to all of the patches from the drive.
[28:28]
We also have a special network patch starring Nutsy that all members can purchase.
[28:33]
For more information on Trans Lifeline, visit TransLifeline.org.
[28:38]
And for more information on the patches, head to MaximumFun.org.
[28:43]
Patch sale.
S5
[28:43]
Hey, this is Alden Ford.
[28:47]
And Mujan Zofagari.
[28:48]
And we are here with all the other creators of Mission to Zix.
[28:51]
Hello.
[28:51]
Hey.
Elliott Kalan
[28:52]
You're not going to say our names, too?
S6
[28:53]
No, no.
[28:53]
It's a short promo.
[28:55]
Yeah.
[28:55]
I'm going to speed through it.
[28:56]
Now, with the end of our fifth and final season just a few weeks away, we want to say thank you to Maximum Fun and to every single one of you who has listened to and supported Mission to Zix.
S5
[29:06]
Thank you.
[29:07]
And if you haven't checked it out, well, Mission to Zix is an improvised space opera with blockbuster quality sound design, a score performed by an actual 60-piece orchestra, and hilarious guest comedians on every episode.
[29:19]
And as our final episodes air, now is the perfect time to jump on board.
S6
[29:24]
That's Mission to Zix.
[29:25]
Z-Y-X-X on Maximum Fun.
Elliott Kalan
[29:29]
Hey, speaking of fun, it's time to get back to our game.
[29:32]
That's right.
[29:33]
It's time for the second half of Mansplain.
[29:36]
Mom vs. Mom, Mother's Day, belated edition.
[29:38]
Perfect.
[29:39]
And first, before we get to the next round of the debate, I wanted to have a little bonus round and ask each of you a question you can get extra pa-pa-pa points for.
[29:48]
That's right.
[29:48]
Three Ps.
[29:49]
I kind of need this, yeah.
[29:50]
Because those stand for points, points, points.
[29:53]
So here's my question.
[29:55]
Stu, you can go first.
[29:56]
Sure.
[29:56]
Although you are also going to get to choose during the next category.
[29:59]
Stu, what is the plot of the movie about your mom?
[30:03]
And Dan, think about it because the same question is going to be coming right to you.
[30:06]
when Stu is finished.
[30:07]
What is the plot of the movie about your mom?
[30:10]
About my mom.
[30:10]
Your mom.
[30:11]
If you were making a movie about your mom, what's the plot?
Stuart Wellington
[30:13]
Okay.
[30:15]
It would be, I mean, it would probably be some kind of like a heist movie where she and a bunch of, you know, like a team of experts in their own fields have to come together and steal a big old bag full of money that's in a bank vault.
[30:42]
And what's her expertise in this movie?
[30:45]
Well, she was an English teacher.
[30:49]
So she likes Wordle.
[30:52]
So maybe that can be, maybe she's like a, like a, like a, like a, like a cryptomancer or something.
[31:01]
You can like figure out puzzles.
Elliott Kalan
[31:04]
I was going to say maybe the lock is a word based lock rather than a number based lock.
Stuart Wellington
[31:08]
Yeah, that's what I meant.
[31:10]
That's what I said.
[31:11]
Sure.
[31:12]
And what's the title of the movie?
[31:14]
Um, uh, Shelley's big day out.
[31:28]
Okay.
[31:29]
It brings a certain tone to it.
Elliott Kalan
[31:31]
That's not like a crackerjack heist, but you know.
[31:35]
I mean, it's not wrong.
[31:37]
It's going to be a big day.
[31:38]
It is a big day for Shelley.
Dan McCoy
[31:39]
Sort of a 1960s, like swinging London.
[31:43]
Yeah, I can see that.
[31:44]
It could be called Shelley's big day out.
[31:46]
Yeah.
Elliott Kalan
[31:46]
And so, so Dan, you've had some time to think, what's the plot of the movie about your mom?
Dan McCoy
[31:51]
Uh, I think it would be sort of, uh, my, you know, my mother was, uh, well, is, um, still living, but she was when she was still working.
[32:02]
She was a librarian.
[32:03]
She was a librarian.
Dan McCoy
[32:03]
She was a librarian.
[32:04]
She was retired now.
[32:04]
She was a public librarian and then a librarian for the college in my hometown.
[32:10]
And, um, you know, I think it would be kind of, I mean, like this kind of exists, right?
[32:14]
The librarian, uh, series of, uh, TV movies.
Elliott Kalan
[32:19]
There's a librarian franchise, but it's basically just an Indiana Jones type thing.
Dan McCoy
[32:21]
Well, that's what I was going to be like national treasure, but it's with like library stuff.
[32:26]
But then I'm like, well, that's the librarian movies, uh, which, uh, but like, you know, she's kind of a small, uh, unassuming lady who like, maybe it's more like Yoda at the end of, uh, Phantom at the end of, uh, how well you describe Yoda as unassuming.
Elliott Kalan
[32:46]
I'm saying that she's, he's unassuming until he starts whipping around and doing flips and fighting.
[32:51]
Yeah, I guess you're right.
Dan McCoy
[32:52]
She would be a good Miss Marple style hero, like kind of a cross pollination of like an Indiana Jones style thing, but with like a Miss Marple style, uh, mystery solver at the core.
Elliott Kalan
[33:04]
Okay.
[33:05]
And what's the title?
Dan McCoy
[33:06]
Uh, the, the, the, the, the books at tryst.
Elliott Kalan
[33:16]
I love it.
[33:18]
I love it.
[33:19]
That's great.
[33:20]
Yeah.
[33:21]
That sounds good.
[33:22]
My, now, of course my, and just to answer the question for me, my mom is also a librarian, but in my movie, she can change to take the form of a rabbit.
[33:29]
Uh, and it's called lady rabbit super spy.
[33:32]
So she's a spy in the form of rabbit.
[33:33]
The thing is being a rabbit is a lot, makes it more difficult to be a spy.
[33:37]
So it's actually a challenge she has to overcome.
Dan McCoy
[33:39]
It's just kind of a spy in disguise.
Stuart Wellington
[33:41]
You would say it's like how a Benicula, despite being a vampire,
[33:45]
it doesn't have that good of a time because it's also a bunny.
Elliott Kalan
[33:49]
Exactly.
[33:50]
Very much so.
[33:51]
So I'm going to give each of you two bonus points for that.
[33:53]
You guys did great.
[33:53]
That was fantastic.
[33:54]
Now it's time for the next.
[33:55]
How many did you give yourself?
[33:57]
Uh, as the, as the host, I gave myself 10,000 points.
[34:00]
Awesome.
[34:01]
Way in the lead.
[34:02]
But right now, so the scores are now Dan eight, Stu seven.
[34:05]
Still very close.
[34:06]
And we've got neck and neck.
[34:07]
Yeah.
[34:08]
We've got at least two more rounds of debate.
[34:10]
I'll let you wonder how many there are.
[34:12]
Uh, so Stu, you're going to choose on this one.
[34:15]
This next category, this is a little, it's a sensitive topic.
[34:18]
This is the category moms who died during the movie.
[34:21]
And Stu, you're going to choose who's the better mom.
[34:24]
Shmi Skywalker or Bambi's mom.
[34:28]
And you get to choose which one you're going to argue in favor of.
[34:35]
I'm going to.
[34:36]
Of course.
[34:37]
Yeah.
[34:37]
I, I gotta, I gotta argue for Shmi.
[34:41]
Okay.
[34:41]
Shmi Skywalker, mother of Darth Vader.
[34:43]
And Dan, so you'll be arguing the case of Bambi's mom, mom of Bambi, the deer.
[34:46]
Yeah.
[34:47]
Wait a minute.
[34:47]
One is, of course, one, of course, the, the, maybe the most evil man in the galaxy
[34:53]
or second most evil man in the galaxy and the other, a deer.
[34:56]
So, okay, Stuart, you have one minute to argue the case of that Shmi Skywalker is a better
[34:59]
mom than Bambi.
[35:01]
And you begin now.
[35:02]
Balance.
Stuart Wellington
[35:05]
Balance is what the galaxy needs.
[35:08]
And Shmi provides by squirting out Anakin Skywalker.
[35:13]
Losing points for that phrase.
[35:17]
Anakin, uh, Shmi, a single mother raised Anakin, uh, despite.
[35:25]
Good points.
[35:25]
Yeah.
[35:25]
Having to deal with Watto always busting their chops.
[35:30]
She helped.
[35:31]
She gave him enough space and, uh, emotional support that he became, uh, the best pod racer
[35:40]
in the Boonta Eve classic.
[35:43]
Uh, and he then was able to blow up a droid spaceship command ship using those same skills.
[35:51]
Uh, she let him go and train.
[35:54]
Uh, she gave him the space to do that.
[35:56]
She got remarried and then killed by some Tuscan raiders.
[35:59]
But you know what?
[36:00]
Even that helped her son along his path to do what he needed to do, which is cause balance
[36:07]
in the force.
Elliott Kalan
[36:09]
Okay.
[36:10]
That's, that's a great opening statement.
[36:11]
You went a little over in a couple seconds, but that's fine.
[36:13]
Dan, you have your minute now.
[36:15]
I might let you go a little over two just for equal time.
[36:17]
Can you explain why Bambi's mom is actually the better mom of the two moms?
[36:22]
So wait and begin.
Dan McCoy
[36:24]
What is one good mark of parenthood?
[36:27]
It's being there for your child.
[36:30]
Now, Bambi's mom, you may remember her as dying very early, but I want to tell you as someone
[36:36]
who watched Bambi recently, she does not die until the second half of the film.
[36:42]
You are misremembering Bambi.
[36:44]
She is around a surprising amount.
Elliott Kalan
[36:45]
I don't like the attack on the, on the, on the moderator.
[36:48]
I didn't make any games about Bambi's mom.
Dan McCoy
[36:50]
Whereas Smee?
[36:53]
Smee.
[36:53]
Smee, was she, was she around enough?
[36:57]
Do you, if I were to ask 100 people to name 100 Star Wars characters, none of them would
[37:05]
come up with her name.
[37:07]
Whereas everyone feels the void left by Bambi's mom, who was around a surprisingly long time before
[37:14]
she got shot by a hunter.
[37:17]
And that's like, all right, no, that's, you got extra time.
[37:21]
Oh no, sorry.
[37:22]
I was reading your face wrong.
[37:24]
I thought you were, your face said, wrap it up.
[37:28]
No, no, no.
Elliott Kalan
[37:28]
I received, I received a text about work at the, that, because I didn't turn my notifications
[37:33]
off.
[37:33]
It was for me.
[37:33]
That wrapped look on your face.
[37:35]
Yeah.
[37:35]
There's a note from Stuart saying, don't let him win this.
[37:38]
Okay.
[37:39]
Dan?
[37:39]
It's like, hey Elliot, how you doing?
[37:42]
Dan, that was a strong, Dan, that was a strong rebuttal coming on.
[37:46]
You're getting a good second wind, but Stuart, this is your rebut rebuttal.
[37:49]
Tell me, why is Dan wrong?
[37:51]
Why is Shmee Skywalker better?
Stuart Wellington
[37:53]
You have 30 seconds.
[37:54]
So in the public memory, I don't disagree that the average person might not know the name
[38:01]
of Shmee Skywalker, though I'm sure they would recount that Anakin did have a mother.
[38:08]
Now, more people will know that yes, Bambi's mom existed and died, but tell me one person
[38:16]
who knows Bambi's mom's name.
[38:20]
If that person exists and wants to write in, just send it to Dan McCoy, care of the flop house.
Elliott Kalan
[38:28]
And that's your rebuttal.
[38:30]
That was very well said, very well spoken.
[38:33]
And I think we're going to be surprised by the results of this one.
[38:38]
I'm going to, I'm actually going to, let's see.
[38:41]
It's still a close, it's still a close game, but right now, let's see.
[38:47]
Hold on one second.
Dan McCoy
[38:49]
It's so close.
[38:50]
I'll just be looking up Bambi's mom to see if she indeed had a name.
[38:54]
No, no, no.
Elliott Kalan
[38:54]
If you, if you, yeah, look it up.
[38:56]
If she has, if you can produce someone who knows that, produce them now.
[38:59]
But guys, Stu, you've tied it up.
[39:02]
It's not 10 to 10.
[39:03]
That's what it is.
[39:03]
It is the level playing field once again.
[39:06]
Unfortunately, Dan has a big advantage in this next round because he gets to choose who he's
[39:12]
going to argue the case of.
[39:13]
That's right.
[39:14]
This next category, it's scared horror movie mom.
[39:17]
Moms in horror movies or otherwise scary movies that are scared and are scared of things
[39:22]
in the movie.
[39:23]
Dan, will you be arguing the case of Shelley Duvall in The Shining?
[39:27]
Or Tilda Swinton in We Need to Talk About Kevin?
[39:30]
Who would you say is a better mom?
[39:32]
Choose wisely because you'll have to make the case.
[39:35]
I'm going to choose Shelley Duvall.
[39:38]
Okay.
[39:38]
So I have to look on Stuart's faces.
[39:41]
I can't tell if he was dreading that outcome or okay with it.
[39:45]
So Stuart, you'll be arguing the case of Tilda Swinton in We Need to Talk About Kevin.
[39:48]
Sure.
[39:48]
An uphill battle.
[39:49]
Very much an uphill battle.
[39:51]
But being a mom is stressful.
[39:53]
So Dan, your opening statement about the betterness of Shelley Duvall in The Shining begins now
[39:59]
and you have one minute.
Dan McCoy
[40:00]
I will quickly state that everything I have said in this show is facetious to some degree
[40:07]
before saying Shelley Duvall was able to protect her child from a danger whereas Tilda Swinton's
[40:16]
child was the danger.
[40:18]
Now, is that Tilda Swinton's fault?
[40:21]
One could argue one way or another.
[40:24]
That is not this debate's purview.
[40:28]
The purview is which is the better mom?
[40:32]
And considering that Shelley Duvall saves her child from her axe-wielding husband whereas
[40:40]
everyone seems to die otherwise in the other situation, I'm going to go with Ms. Duvall
[40:48]
and her marvelous winter sweaters.
[40:54]
Okay, and you have a couple extra seconds, but you're done?
[40:56]
I've got so much confidence in the efficacy of this argument that I can afford to burn
[41:02]
seconds.
Elliott Kalan
[41:03]
Wow, that confidence, I might be insulted by it, but I also might admire it.
[41:08]
So, you know, that's a dangerous gambit.
[41:10]
But Stuart, now it's your turn.
[41:12]
You have one minute to turn the tables on Dan and explain why Tilda Swinton in We Need
[41:18]
to Talk About Kevin is the better mom.
[41:19]
And your minute starts now.
Stuart Wellington
[41:22]
Experience, enduring love.
[41:27]
These are the qualities of the best mom.
[41:32]
Tilda Swinton, and We Need to Talk About Kevin, despite all of their history, whether it's
[41:39]
crossbow related or other things, still loves her child and still makes an effort to find
[41:48]
some kind of connection with him, even while he's in prison.
[41:53]
And to me, that is a moment of pure, perfect motherly love that even when times are tough,
[42:08]
she still finds room in her heart for her son, who is probably somewhere in Hawaii beating people
[42:14]
up right now.
Elliott Kalan
[42:18]
Very topical.
[42:19]
Stuart, that was a great argument.
[42:21]
Dan, now it's time for your third part.
[42:24]
This is 30 seconds.
[42:25]
Tell me why Stuart's wrong and why you are still right that Shelley Duvall is the best of these
[42:30]
two horror movie moms.
Dan McCoy
[42:33]
Shelley Duvall, in addition to being windy, of course, in The Shining, had fairytale theater.
[42:42]
Now, are they the same person?
[42:45]
People can argue this.
[42:47]
Scientists have not been able to come to consensus.
[42:51]
But what could be better as a mom than to have your own fairytale theater where all of the
[42:59]
great folktales come to life before your eyes for your amusement and edification as a child?
Elliott Kalan
[43:07]
Strong argument.
[43:08]
Strong argument.
[43:09]
Telling up the points, though.
[43:11]
I've got to say, Stuart really knocked it out of the park.
[43:14]
The true test of a mother is to maintain love for their child regardless of what happens
[43:19]
with the child.
[43:20]
Stuart, that was an excellent argument, excellent gambit.
[43:23]
By all outward signs, Shelley Duvall is a much better mother in that she saves a child
[43:28]
rather than creating a monster.
[43:30]
But, you know, the true measure of a mom is whether she still loves her monster.
[43:34]
So, Stuart takes the lead on that one.
[43:37]
The score is now 14 to 13, Stuart in the lead, but only by one point.
[43:42]
And hold on a second.
[43:44]
Did you just hear that didgeridoo sound effect?
[43:46]
Alex, put in a didgeridoo sound effect there.
[43:54]
Wow.
[43:54]
Did you just hear that didgeridoo sound effect?
[43:56]
I just did, yeah.
[43:57]
Yeah.
[43:58]
That means it's time for Scared Horror Movie Mom Australian Edition.
[44:02]
That's right, guys.
[44:03]
So, Stuart, you get to choose.
[44:05]
And this is actually going to be our final debate.
[44:07]
Okay.
[44:08]
Final main debate.
[44:10]
We will have a bonus round right afterwards.
[44:11]
Our final main debate.
[44:12]
Stuart, will you choose to argue the case of Toni Collette in Hereditary
[44:16]
or Essie Davis in The Babadook?
[44:19]
Who is the better mom?
[44:21]
Toni Collette in Hereditary, Essie Davis in The Babadook.
[44:23]
Again, this is Scared Horror Movie Mom Australian Edition.
[44:26]
Who will you take the side of?
Stuart Wellington
[44:29]
Oh, man.
[44:31]
Gotta go with Toni Collette in Hereditary.
Elliott Kalan
[44:35]
Okay.
[44:35]
So, Dan, you'll be arguing the case that Essie Davis in The Babadook is the better mom,
[44:39]
but not until Stuart has made his opening statement.
[44:41]
Stuart, tell me why Toni Collette in Hereditary is the better mom starting now.
[44:46]
You have one minute.
Stuart Wellington
[44:47]
I mean, look where she comes from.
[44:50]
Her mother was a Paimon-worshipping cultist who set all the dominoes up that eventually fall,
[44:58]
and then we are left with this kid being, you know, with a demon inside him,
[45:03]
and his little sister's head's been knocked off, and it's gross.
Elliott Kalan
[45:06]
Now, not making a strong case so far.
Stuart Wellington
[45:09]
What I will say is a true test of a mother is the ability to fly around and climb on walls and Klingon things and set Gabriel Byrne on fire,
[45:16]
and you can't tell me otherwise.
[45:18]
She can fly.
[45:18]
She can do it all.
[45:19]
She can cut off her own head.
[45:20]
You know what?
[45:21]
That doesn't stop her.
[45:22]
She's still a mom, baby.
Elliott Kalan
[45:26]
Was that the full argument?
[45:27]
You have like 20 seconds left.
Stuart Wellington
[45:28]
Oh, man.
[45:29]
I'm only going to mess it up if I keep talking.
Elliott Kalan
[45:32]
Okay.
[45:33]
Well, then that's – I guess we'll prematurely end that.
[45:35]
See, maybe I can tack that on to your rebuttal to Dan's rebuttal.
[45:39]
I admire, yeah, the confidence of you guys just burning time at the end.
[45:42]
So, Dan, it's your turn.
[45:43]
You heard his argument.
[45:46]
Don't leave anything on the table.
[45:47]
There's a final – there's a bonus round after this, but you don't have to worry about it too much.
[45:50]
So tell me, why is Essie Davis in The Babadook a better mom than Tony Klett in Hereditary?
Dan McCoy
[45:55]
You have one minute.
[45:55]
Well, motherhood is both a real and vital thing and it is a greater metaphor that we love in society.
[46:05]
And so let's look at these movies on the metaphorical level.
[46:09]
Hereditary, the message it's telling us is that evil is somehow endemic to a certain family,
[46:18]
that it gets passed along through the generations.
[46:20]
Is this a message that we want?
[46:22]
Whereas The Babadook tells us that even though love is difficult and stressful and that we may encounter dark emotional times,
[46:32]
the only way we can live is to make friends with our dark emotions,
[46:37]
which is a far better emotional lesson to be drawn than some sort of bloodline curse.
[46:48]
And in conclusion, The Babadook, of course, is an icon to us all.
Elliott Kalan
[46:56]
Okay.
[46:57]
I mean it's a strong argument in favor of the movie.
[47:00]
You failed to tell me much about the mom, but I'll give you a point for some of that stuff.
[47:08]
So, Stuart, now you can rebut that rebuttal.
[47:10]
Tell me why is Dan wrong?
[47:12]
Why is Toni Collette the better mom?
[47:15]
You've already enumerated her superpowers, which is pretty impressive.
[47:19]
But what else is there about her?
Stuart Wellington
[47:21]
And you have 30 seconds.
[47:23]
Okay.
[47:25]
We're just going to talk about sheer difficulty here.
[47:28]
Because Essie Davis has one super annoying kid that she has to try and keep control over.
[47:34]
Toni Collette has two.
[47:35]
She's got one kid that won't stop eating nuts, like quit it.
[47:39]
What are you doing?
[47:40]
You're allergic.
[47:41]
And then you have another kid who keeps smashing his head on dust, freaking out because he's got a demon in him.
[47:46]
That's two kids.
[47:47]
That's double the number of difficult kids.
Elliott Kalan
[47:53]
The math works out.
[47:54]
The math checks out on that one.
[47:56]
Yeah.
[47:57]
And, okay, so we've got – I think I know my scores on that one.
[48:00]
But before we go to the final scores, before I reveal them, it's time for, uh-oh, another final bonus round.
[48:08]
That's right, everybody.
[48:09]
We've talked a lot about moms.
[48:10]
Now let's talk about what is the definition of a mom.
[48:13]
So this, I want you to debate real quick.
[48:15]
This is a lightning round debate where I just want you guys to spit out your arguments real fast to each other.
[48:20]
And you can go multiple rounds.
[48:21]
You don't have to worry about the time.
[48:22]
But keep it short to like a couple sentences each.
[48:25]
Just pass it back and forth.
[48:26]
Here is the final bonus round.
[48:29]
Mr. Mom, honorary mom.
[48:32]
Now I flipped a coin.
[48:34]
Dan taking the pro position.
[48:36]
Yes, he is a mom.
[48:37]
And Stuart taking the con position.
[48:39]
No.
[48:40]
So resolved.
[48:41]
Mr. Mom is a mom.
[48:42]
Dan taking pro and Stu taking con.
[48:45]
And, Dan, you'll go first because your box is above Stu's on my screen.
Dan McCoy
[48:52]
Since ginger is a construct and mom is a word for a nurturer, who is the better nurturer than Michael Keaton, America's wild man, you know, figuring out how to change a diaper, doing some sort of shenanigans probably.
[49:14]
It's been a long time since I've seen Mr. Mom.
[49:17]
It may seem like it's, you know, outdated, you know, gender stereotypes is what it's playing on.
[49:23]
And it is.
[49:24]
But it's flipping them.
[49:25]
It's flipping them in the name of moving forward and showing that we all can be nurturers, including Mr. Mom.
Elliott Kalan
[49:32]
Okay, Stu.
[49:33]
Why tell him why he's wrong?
[49:34]
Why is Mr. Mom not a mom?
Stuart Wellington
[49:39]
He's not a mom because he is so much more.
[49:42]
He is the alpha.
[49:43]
He is the omega.
[49:44]
He's the beginning of the story.
[49:46]
He's the end of the story.
[49:47]
He is everything all at once.
[49:50]
He is the child.
[49:51]
He is the parent.
[49:52]
He is the grandparent.
[49:53]
He is the son creating life.
[49:56]
He is more than a mom.
Elliott Kalan
[49:59]
Okay, Dan, tell him, you each get one more round, Dan.
[50:04]
Bro.
[50:04]
I mean, you both kind of said that he is a mom.
[50:06]
But Dan, so tell me, are you against Stu?
Dan McCoy
[50:10]
I guess he's just a mom is what you're arguing and not the all things.
[50:13]
Checkmate.
[50:14]
If something is all things, then it is also a mom.
[50:17]
And Stuart has already admitted that Michael Keaton in Mr. Mom is everything.
[50:25]
And thus, I mean, he's a multiplicity, if you will.
[50:28]
He is a good mom, a bad mom, a mom that doesn't know what the name of the other moms are.
[50:36]
You know, read the paper this morning.
[50:39]
You know, see the stories about the Birdman and the Batman.
[50:45]
Keep tying in.
Elliott Kalan
[50:46]
Put a spotlight on.
[50:47]
Give me more Michael Keaton titles.
[50:49]
I love it.
[50:50]
I heard spotlight.
[50:51]
That was good.
[50:52]
Throw some more in.
Dan McCoy
[50:53]
Drink a little Beetlejuice and say, gung ho.
[50:56]
He's cleaning sober now.
[51:00]
You know, because Batman returns.
[51:02]
Guys, he leaves, but he comes back just like a mom.
Elliott Kalan
[51:08]
Okay.
[51:08]
Stu, do you have any more Michael Keaton titles that Dan didn't mention that you want to get out there?
Stuart Wellington
[51:13]
In addition to being your creator, Michael Keaton is also a destroyer.
[51:17]
And I ask you this.
[51:18]
Can a mom truly be a destroyer?
[51:20]
I don't think so.
[51:21]
He has created a home.
[51:23]
He destroys the home.
[51:24]
When the washing machine goes crazy.
[51:27]
Yeah.
[51:30]
It becomes a money pit.
[51:32]
Wait, was he in the money pit?
[51:33]
No, that's Tom Hanks.
Elliott Kalan
[51:35]
That's a Tom Hanks movie.
[51:36]
All right.
[51:36]
So that's the end of that bonus round.
[51:39]
Well, Dan got that point.
[51:40]
Which means, oh, guys, you're going to get mad at me.
[51:45]
It's a tie.
[51:46]
16 points to 16 points.
[51:48]
You have totally tied.
[51:50]
You are equally amazing debaters, master debaters, if you will.
[51:54]
And I hope everyone listening can salute these two master debaters who have showed us such a wonderful, wonderful example of master debating tonight.
[52:04]
The saddest thing is that I didn't think of it until just now.
Dan McCoy
[52:08]
Or else I would have tied it in earlier.
[52:10]
No, no, no.
[52:11]
I am.
[52:13]
This is the best of all possible outcomes.
[52:15]
I share the victory and the defeat with my friend Stuart.
[52:19]
You should both be very proud.
Stuart Wellington
[52:20]
The best outcome would be Dan, my greatest hater, defeating me.
[52:24]
So I then grind harder and better.
[52:26]
So I become the best debater in all the land.
[52:28]
Oh, yeah.
Elliott Kalan
[52:29]
Well, keep working at it because I've got a feeling that Mansplain, the game of mansplaining debate between two men, you guys,
[52:36]
will return at some later date should I think of a theme for it.
[52:42]
Thank you so much for joining us.
[52:43]
So, Dan and Stuart, you've shared the joy, the pride, the shame, and the glory of being debaters tonight.
[52:50]
And I want to thank you listening to this at home or wherever you are.
[52:54]
Open your eyes now.
[52:54]
It's no longer night.
[52:56]
The bright sun, the bright light of a sunshiny day is shining to the windows.
[53:00]
And now you've been reinvigorated by this burst of intellectual combat, this analytical post and reposting, this war of cerebellums that we've heard tonight.
[53:15]
But it's not night where you are.
[53:17]
Now it's day.
[53:18]
We've heard today.
[53:20]
And with that behind us, motivating us, how can we not make it through the fog of the modern into the promise of tomorrow?
[53:29]
Drive into the garage.
Dan McCoy
[53:31]
Just pull the car off and park it.
Elliott Kalan
[53:35]
And so I want to thank you for listening.
[53:37]
I want to thank the Maximum Fun Network, to which we are a member of.
[53:39]
Please listen to other Maximum Fun shows.
[53:41]
They have a lot of very good ones.
[53:42]
I'd like to thank our producer and editor, Alex.
[53:46]
Dan, what's his – how do you spell his handle, Howell Dottie?
Dan McCoy
[53:50]
Howell Dottie.
[53:51]
It's H-O and the word well.
[53:54]
And Dottie is D-A-W-D-Y, I believe.
[54:00]
I believe you're –
[54:01]
Wait, maybe there might be another W in there.
[54:03]
It's good enough.
Elliott Kalan
[54:03]
It's good enough.
[54:03]
They'll figure it out.
[54:04]
Nice work.
[54:05]
Thank you, Alex.
[54:06]
I hope you put that didgeridoo sound in earlier when I asked you to.
[54:09]
I want to thank Dan and Stuart for being my contestants.
[54:13]
You can find us online at theflophousepod on Twitter.
[54:17]
And I guess there's a Facebook group and stuff.
[54:20]
And there's – Dan, what's our website?
Dan McCoy
[54:21]
It's flophousepodcast.com.
Elliott Kalan
[54:24]
Please join us next week as we will be talking about a movie.
[54:27]
And then the week after that, as we have another mini.
[54:29]
And the week after that, as we have another movie.
[54:31]
Ad infinitum.
[54:32]
Until the end of the universe.
[54:33]
And the big crunch when the Big Bang reverses and everything goes back into being a tiny particle.
[54:38]
Thank you very much.
[54:39]
I've been Elliot Kalin.
[54:40]
I've been Dan McCoy.
[54:42]
And I'm still Stuart Wellington.
[54:44]
Saying good debating to you.
Dan McCoy
[54:49]
I don't know about that.
Elliott Kalan
[54:55]
It's ironic.
Stuart Wellington
[54:55]
That's the irony of it.
[54:57]
Yeah.
[54:57]
Don't you think?
[54:58]
Oh, Alanis.
[55:00]
Call her up.
[55:01]
Talking about Canadians.
[55:03]
She's the new Guinness Book of Records.
Elliott Kalan
[55:05]
She's the Guinness Book of Ironic Records.
[55:07]
Guinness Book of Ironic Records.
[55:09]
Guinness Book of Ironic Records.
[55:11]
Iranis Alanis.
[55:13]
That's the Latin name for it.
[55:15]
It's Iranis Alanis.
[55:16]
It's an ancient tome about what is and what is not ironic.
[55:20]
Let me crack open my copy of the Iranis Alanis.
[55:24]
And I open it up and ghosts float out saying, spoons, thousand forks, rain on wedding day.
[55:31]
Blow this ironic dust off of here.
Dan McCoy
[55:34]
The Alana Namicon.
Elliott Kalan
[55:37]
The Alana Namicon tells you what things to put in your hand when the other one is in your pocket.
[55:42]
So that you can summon demons.
[55:45]
Qua to Alanis Nicktu.
[55:48]
This ironic thing is that you shouldn't ought to know these dark secrets.
[55:54]
MaximumFun.org.
Dan McCoy
[55:56]
Comedy and culture.
[55:57]
Artist owned.
[55:59]
Audience supported.
Description
Elliott surprises Dan and Stu with a series of impromptu debate prompts, forcing his co-hosts to argue for the cinema mothers they'd most like to have as moms.
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