Jeff Cook, Sean Palmer, and Movie Mike Yager dive into Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest—part revolution thriller, part political satire, part mirror held to 2025 America. We wrestle with the film’s big swings: the “Christmas Adventurers” as villains, whether satire trivializes white supremacy, how Black women’s bodies and sacrifices are depicted, the generational handoff at the end, and the perennial “Does art owe us a way forward—or just a clear-eyed look at now?”

Along the way: DiCaprio vs. Penn, the robe discourse (!), why Sensei Sergio quietly steals the movie, and a spicy sidebar on who gets to make “unprofitable” art in Hollywood.

Listen order tip: If you haven’t seen the film, pause after the intro and circle back—this one works best post-screening.

Chapter Marks (HH:MM)

00:00 Cold open & mea/wea-culpa

02:05 Spoiler warning & quick plot frame

06:40 First takes: form vs. meaning

13:10 The “Christmas Adventurers” problem (satire or trivialization?)

22:45 Power, sex, and Lockjaw

32:00 Pería, Willa, and the generational handoff

42:10 Sensei Sergio & small-scale courage

50:05 “Art owes us what?” (mirror vs. map)

58:20 Industry/box-office inequities

1:05:10 Closing thoughts + streaming recs

Streaming Recs from the episode

Adolescence (Netflix) — one-shot storytelling that stings

The Death of Stalin (Hulu) — political satire with teeth

Punch-Drunk Love (Criterion) & Phantom Thread (Netflix) — PTA context pair

Point Break (original) — Friday-night fun

Alien: Earth — Episode 5 for a self-contained banger

Schindler’s List — rewatch notes for our present

New York (Rick Burns doc) — race, power, and a city’s soul

Dexter: Resurrection — “top-tier Dexter” comfort chaos

Join the conversation

What did One Battle After Another get right—or miss entirely? Drop your take (and your favorite scene) in the comments. We’ll read a few on the next episode.

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