Twice As Bright, Half As Long

Ian and Dave wade through two more episodes of Automan. In "Flashes and Ashes," Walter tries to prove an old friend wasn't corrupt and finds himself pitched against a suave Internal Affairs officer looking to become the next District Attorney. In "The Biggest Game in Town," LA comes under attack from a group of hackers. Walter and Automan must stop their acts of sabotage and track them down. They also discuss the possibility of Automan taking place in the same fictional universe as Robocop, more throwaway lines that open up all sorts of philosophical questions about the nature of Automan's sentience, and are taken aback by a police captain's use of a very British mild obscenity.

Dave and Ian are back with another two episodes of Automan. In "Ship in the Night," Walter and Automan travel to a Caribbean island to investigate the disappearances of several wealthy businessmen. In "Unreasonable Facsimile," Automan accidentally assimilates a soap opera and wants to fall in love. When he meets a woman connected with Walter's latest case, he thinks he has found love, but this brings up many philosophical questions about Automan's level of sentience. Are his emotions real or the result of an algorithm? If he is truly capable of feelings and autonomous thought, does that make him a lifeform and if that is the case does that mean that Walter is exploiting him for personal gain? Don't expect any of these questions to be answered though, as the story is more focused on making a profit for sub-standard helicopter parts. Dave tries out a new dramatic sound effect and institutes "briefcase full of money watch," while Ian shares the timespan during which he watched Eastenders and shares his hatred of

After surviving the extended pilot, Ian and Dave start their viewing of Automan as an episodic series. In "Staying Alive While Running a High Flashdance Fever," the police are trying to locate a kidnapped informant who is trying to implicate a well-respected judge in a corruption scandal. Also, Automan dances a bit. In "The Great Pretender," after a delivery of paper for printing money is hijacked, Walter and Automan seek to flush out the prime suspect behind it by aggressively targeting his other rackets. Finding themselves at the center of a mob power struggle, have Walter and "Mr. Otto" bitten off more than they can chew? They also discuss the show messing with its own ground rules, is Walter actually a jerk, and what exactly is Roxy's job in the police department?

After an unexpected break that was Dave's fault, Dave and Ian are back with their firs show of 2020: Automan from 1983. They are joined by Dan Toland to talk about the pilot episode, where nerdy police computer expert Walter Nebicher creates a sentient hologram called Automan in order to fight crime. Walter and Automan are soon put to the test when Walter's colleague, Lt. Jack Curtis, goes missing while investigating the disappearance of several scientists. The trail will lead them to Switzerland, where Patrick Macnee is up to no good. On the way they discuss how much Switzerland looks in no way like California, debate how many people Automan kills along the way, and ponder on whether it is possible to waste the talent of Doug McClure.

Ian and Dave see out 2019 with the last two episodes of Crazyhead. In "Downward Facing Dog," Raquel goes on a date with Harry while Amy tries to warn her about the vision of Harry attacking her. It soon becomes clear that Harry is not telling the whole truth. In "Beaver with a Chainsaw," it is Halloween night and all of Callum's plans are coming to fruition. The gates of Hell are about to be thrown wide open, and the only people standing in his way are Amy and Jake. They also discuss the series as a whole, what they would have liked from a second season, and name their series MVPs. Then they welcome Statistician Ian to let them know how they are going to be kicking off 2020!

Dave and Ian return for another two episodes of Crazyhead. In "Shave the Cat," Suzanne has returned from the dead and isn't the woman she used to be. Raquel, Amy, and Jake take her somewhere remote in search of a cure cure, and Raquel makes a new friend while searching for a phone signal. In "Penguin or Cow," Amy and Raquel confront Mercy while trying to find the kidnapped Suzanne. She is being held captive by Callum who intends to use her to take Amy out of the picture once and for all. They also discuss the correct posture to adopt if you ever see Ian in a pet shop, and discover that their previous edition has caught the attention of one of the cast's mothers.

Ian and Dave are back reviewing their most recent series to date: 2016 UK show Crazyhead. In "A Very Trippy Horse," Amy is a woman who works in a bowling alley and is dealing with her mental health. One day her world is turned upside down when she meets Raquel, who tells her that the things that she can see aren't hallucinations, demons are real, and they can both see them. In "A Pine Fresh Scent," Amy and Raquel have to deal with the fallout from an exorcism, and the demons send a problem solver to take out their one demon ally. They invent the "Jake Gauge" to track the likeability of one character, and Old Man Wilson shakes his fist at the kids.

Dave and Ian return to discuss what they have been up to while they were away, catch up on feedback in the inbox, and get Statistician Ian to unveil the next show that they will be covering.

Dave and Ian conclude their re-watch of Firefly. In "The Message," Mal and Zoe are sent the corpse of an old war comrade that isn't as dead as he first appears to be. In "Heart of Gold" an old friend of Inara's asks for help to protect one of her employees from a local landowner. And, in "Objects in Space," as the crew debate as to the best course of action to deal with an increasingly erratic River, Serenity is infiltrated by a bounty hunter looking to take in the Tams. They go on to discuss the series as a whole, and outline their plans for the next few months as they take a little summer break. Trigger Warning: Due to the events depicted in these episodes, there is an unavoidable discussion on threats of sexual violence as a storytelling device.

Ian and Dave are back for three more episodes of Firefly. In "Ariel" Simon hires the crew to help him and River break into an advanced hospital to scan River's brain. In "War Stories" Wash and Zoe's marital difficulties lead to Wash joining Mal on a drop, only for them to both be captured by a vengeful Niska. In "Trash" Mal comes across Saffron during a smuggling job and she offers to let them in on a profitable heist if they can put aside their past. One episode fails the Probert Test, they sing the praises of Alan Tudyk, and invite speculation about Ian's fetish.

Dave and Ian cover another three episodes of Firefly. In "Our Mrs. Reynolds" the crew of Serenity defends a settlement from bandits, and after their work is done Mal discovers that he has been given a wife in lieu of payment who may be more than she appears. In "Jaynestown" a simple smuggling job becomes more complicated when the crew realizes the town they are planning to sneak the goods through idolizes Janye as a folk hero. In "Out of Gas" Serenity becomes stranded when a part malfunctions, and while Mal struggles to stay alive / repair the ship he recalls how he met each of his crew. They muse on character introductions, enjoy Robin Hood parallels, and Ian develops The Probert Test.

Ian and Dave continue to make their way through Firefly. In "Bushwacked," the crew of Serenity stumbles across a derelict ship that has been attacked by Reavers. Their salvage operation is interrupted by a lone survivor and an Alliance cruiser. In "Shindig," Mal has to negotiate his way through high society in order to strike a deal to smuggle cargo, and finds himself in a fencing duel to the death with one of Inara's clients. And in "Safe" the crew deliver their cargo, but Book is shot when the deal goes south and Simon and River are kidnapped by a village that needs a doctor. Ian continues to struggle with names, Dave disagrees with Wikipedia over what the Tam's father should be called, and they receive feedback from the Orgs with a difference.

Dave and Ian kick off 2019 with a new show: Joss Whedon's Firefly. In "Serenity," Captain Malcolm Reynolds and the crew of his ship, Serenity, struggle to scrape a living. After they are nearly caught while pulling an illegal salvage operation, Mal is forced to trade the goods on a remote moon with someone who shot him last time they met. Things are made even more complex when several of the ship's passengers turn out to be more than they seem. In "The Train Job," Mal agrees to pull a heist for a very dangerous gangster, but after having pulled it off finds that he can't handover the goods because it's much-needed medication. They also commit to making the character of Jayne sound more British, and Ian finds himself unable to distinguish between River Tam and Summer Glau.

Ian and Dave are, once again, joined by Dan Toland, and together they examine the 1986 unsold pilot I-Man. When single father and taxi driver Jeffery Wilder helps rescue people from a traffic accident, he unwittingly breathes in space gas that was being transported by NASA. The gas gives Jeffery the ability to instantly heal from any injury. So, naturally, he is offered a job working for the government and is sent to stop an insane billionaire from holding the country to ransom with stolen laser weaponry. They also discuss well-dressed henchmen, an unexpected Star Trek connection that doesn't involve Scott Bakula, and Dave and Dan are reduced to tears of laughter at the fate of a raccoon.

Dave and Ian conclude their coverage of Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) with the final two episodes. In "The Glorious Buntranek," Jeff and Marty's old secretary is in trouble, so Jeff and Jeanie travel to Eastern Europe to help her find her lost child who has been taken by a cult. In "Two Can Play That Game," an old school friend of Jeff asks for help when he believes that his father may not be dead. and Wyvern sends Marty to a spectral seaside resort to heal his connection with Jeff. They also discuss what they would have liked from a third series, defend the nation of Latvia, name their MVPs for the series, and Statistician Ian returns to tell them what they will be watching next.

Ian and Dave cover another two episodes of Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased). In "Painkillers," Jeff and Jeanie are sent undercover by the government to investigate the enigmatic Colonel Anger who has discovered a pain delaying drug that Wyvern says could cause chaos for the spirit world. In "Marshall and Snellgrove," Jeff and Jeanie get a high paying case but discover that their client's brother has hired the rival detectives who work in their building. When one of their rivals is killed, Marty must help him avoid the spectral authorities until they can solve his murder. They also discuss subgenres of Buckaroo and discovery why Dave is podcasting from his bed.

Dave and Ian begin series two of Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased). In "Whatever Possessed You," Jeff still has no memory of Marty being a ghost as he and Jeanie are called in to investigate a series of strange deaths in a hotel. Wyvern says that the time has come for Marty to reunite with Jeff, and together they face the spirits looking to escape the hotel. In "Revenge of the Bog People" an ex-partner of Jeff comes back into his life asking him to reopen the investigation into her missing father, and Marty is tasked with taming a wayward ghost called Nesbit. And in "O Happy Isle," Jeff and Jeanie investigate the death of a young man on a remote Scottish island and stumble across a conspiracy to control the planet's population. They also discuss the improvements in series two and welcome a guest appearance of one of Ian's favorite TABHAL actors.

Ian and Dave convene at Ian's swinging bachelor pad to discuss another three episodes of Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased). In "Paranoia," Jeff and Jeanie are hired by Douglas Milton, a man who has written a book of possibly shocking revelations because he believes someone wants to kill him and he is not wrong. In "A Blast from the Past," Marty graduates as a ghost and gains access to Limbo, but soon finds himself in danger from the ghost of a London gangster who wants revenge on Marty's dad. In "A Man of Substance," what begins as a missing person case in the sleepy village of Haydel Roxstead turns out to have major supernatural implications as everyone can see and hear Marty. They go to war with wasps, examine Marty's kill count, and are reunited with Roj Blake.

For the first time in their long and illustrious partnership, Dave and Ian record together in the same room as they begin watching a new show: Randall and Hopkirk. In "Drop Dead," private detectives Jeff Randall and Marty Hopkirk are hired by an artist to protect his wife from herself, but when Marty is seemingly killed by her he comes back as a ghost, visible only to Jeff, in order to solve his own murder. In "Mental Apparition Disorder," Jeff is checked into a therapy center after telling Marty's finance, Jeanie, that Marty is a ghost. Meanwhile Marty is trained to be a ghost by the mysterious Mr. Wyvern. Finally, in "The Best Years of Your Death," Jeanie's nephew tells her something sinister is going on at his boarding school, so she and Jeff go undercover to discover the truth, and Wyvern teaches Marty possession. They make lots of Doctor Who connections, ask if Steven Berkov is locked in a cupboard, and Dave has an unfortunate chair incident.

Ian and Dave watch the final two episodes of Wonderfalls. In "Totem Mole," Jaye and Sharon find themselves involved in the politics of a local Native American community via an old rival of Sharon, and Jaye tries not to become their new spiritual leader thanks to a totem pole. In "Caged Bird," planned celebrations for Darren and Karen's anniversary are interrupted when a bank robber takes the staff of Wonderfalls and Sharon hostage. They talk about the show and pick their MVPs, Dave gets annoyed by terrible TV first aid and overused TV plots, and Statistician Ian is summoned from the netherworld to let you know what show will be covered next.