S6E2 "Home": ToB Breakdown

Daniel D'Souza May 2, 2016

Season 6 Episode 2 continues with the fast pace that episode one introduced and, in true Game of Thrones fashion, incites more questions than it answers, although it answers some pretty big ones. Julian and Dan sit down for a full breakdown of the events, their potential outcomes, and some wild speculation over where these story lines might take us next.

Bran dreams of his home, while Cersei is held prisoner in her own, the loyalist's hold their ground at Castle Black, Tyrion braves the dragonpit, Ramsay assumes power in the North, Sansa and Theon part ways, Balon Greyjoy is surprised by a rude homecoming, and the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch comes home at last.

S6E1 "The Red Woman": ToB Breakdown

Julian Meush April 25, 2016

It's Game of Thrones season once again, and this year's premiere episode happily lines up with the Tower of Babble's third birthday! Julian and Daniel sit down to quickly get up to date and lay out some expectations before jumping into one of Game of Thrones' best season openers yet.

This episode picks up almost immediately where last season ended and catches us up with Jon's remaining brothers at Castle Black, the aftermath of the battle for Winterfell and Sansa and Theon/Reek's escape, Jaime returning to King's Landing, as well as turmoil in both Dorne and Meereen, Daenerys' long walk to Vaes Dothrak, and a little Red Woman magic to give the episode its name.

Happy Anniversary ToB fans! Thanks for listening!

S5E10 "Mother's Mercy": ToB Breakdown

Julian Meush June 17, 2015

It has come to that time once again, another season finale for Game of Thrones. Season five has seen its ups and downs but the tenth episode really left us with a sour taste in our mouths. Julian and Daniel sit down to discuss all the major plot points this week as well as give our take on what we think might come in season six. The show left enough loose ends that the speculating and theorizing for the next ten months will be excruciating. Last but not least, we delve deep into the major event that concluded the season and talk about how it effected us as viewers (or in Daniel's case, a reader) and whether it was the right note to end a season on.

S5E9 "The Dance of Dragons": ToB Breakdown

Julian Meush June 10, 2015

Julian and Daniel sit down to discuss the penultimate episode of the season. Typically Game of Thrones saves some big moments for their ninth episodes but did they do enough to top last weeks snowy showdown beyond the wall?

S5E8 "Hardhome": ToB Breakdown

Julian Meush June 1, 2015

Tyrion and Jorrah make their case to Dany, Arya becomes someone else, Sansa learns a secret, the Boltons strategize, Cersei is asked to confess and Jon arrives to Hardhome just in time to face off against the army of the dead.

S5E7 "The Gift": ToB Breakdown

Julian Meush May 28, 2015

This week Jon leaves for Hardhome, Sam grieves a death of a friend, Stannis weighs a tough decision, Sansa asks for help, Bron and Jamie are caged, Jorrah and Tyrion reach their destination, Dani indures the fighting pits, Ollena and Littlefinger do some more scheming and Cersei gets some comunpance.

S5E6 "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken": ToB Breakdown

Julian Meush May 19, 2015

Game of Thrones brought some controversy this week, and as is typically the case with any controversy, made for a great discussion. Julian and Daniel sit down to discuss all the outrage and vitriol as well as the rest of the events of the episode, which included; Arya delving deeper into the world of the Faceless Men, Tyrion and Jorrah running into a bit more trouble, Jamie and Bronn reaching Myrcella, Cersei's schemes in Kings Landing and Sansa's wedding in Winterfell.

S5E5 "Kill the Boy": ToB Breakdown

Julian Meush May 12, 2015

This week Julian and Daniel discuss how Daenerys' deals with the attack on Grey Worm and Ser Barristan, Jon's plans for the Wildlings, Stannis finally leaving Castle Black, Sana's old/new home and Jorrah and Tyrion's voyage into Old Valeria

S5E4 "Sons of the Harpy": ToB Breakdown

Julian Meush May 5, 2015

This week Daniel and Julian discuss Cersei's power grabbing, Tommon's innocence, Jon's temptations, Stannis' humanity, Bronn and Jamie's voyage to Dorne and unrest in Meereen. Some popular fan theories are also discussed (in a non-spoiler fashion of course) and much more in the weeks Game of Thrones: Tower of Babble Breakdown.

S5E3 "High Sparrow": ToB Breakdown

Daniel D'Souza April 27, 2015

The Bolton's arrive in their new home, Arya sweeps the floor, Cersei meets the High Sparrow, Jon faces his first challenge as Lord Commander, Arya sweeps the floor, Margaery enjoys her new power, Littlefinger forms a new allaince, Tyrion reaches Volantis... and Arya sweeps the floor.

May 27, 2026

SSSW - The Mandalorian and Grogu

It's hard to believe it's been so long since the last Star Wars movie hit theatres. After years of announcements, failed projects, and even a change in leadership at Lucasfilm, the first movie in nearly a decade is a follow-up to the first ever live action Star Wars show. Maybe that's fitting for a new era, under new management. The film itself is a fast paced, action-packed, adventure that hails back to the old serials that George Lucas loved. While it is certainly a fun time at the movies, with exciting set-pieces, characters inclusions from across the lore, all of which set on planets with diverse biomes (i.e. some of the things Star Wars does best). Unfortunately, the movie lacks compelling stakes, character depth (where's Din's arc?), much of any plot to speak of, or even a sense of real "importance" - and while that may be a bit intangible, it prompts the question: why was THIS movie the first to bring Star Wars back to feature films in almost a decade? Julian and Rachel try to answer that question and dive deep into all the nerdy details.

May 6, 2026

SSSW - Maul: Shadow Lord - Chapter 9 & 10 / Season Finale

There it is, folks - the season finale to the latest creation from Lucasfilm Animation. It was certainly gorgeous to look at, with the new painterly stylings, and there was no shortage of thrilling action to sink your teeth into, nor did they skimp on the stakes. But while the season started off on a welcomed unfamiliar foot, by the end of this season, and certainly in these final two episodes, the hallmarks of what we've come to know from Star Wars animation showed their head. Early on, the admitted inspirations from films such as 'Heat' and 'The Dark Knight', provided a needed grit to a show which was ostensibly following a villain. This provided the show with a fresh personality - distinguishing itself from it's predecessors in animation. Unfortunately, the creatives couldn't seem to maintain that tone, as by this two-part season finale the old tropes and predictable beats of 'Clone Wars' rose into prominence. And while the appearance of a certain fan favourite character adds some very cool action, the unoriginality from a narrative perspective robbed the final moments of the needed pathos and drama required to land the plane in the most satisfying of ways.

April 30, 2026

SSSW - Maul: Shadow Lord - Chapter 7 & 8

There's two of them now?! With the arrival of another Inquisitor things really start to escalate on Janyx. We see Maul at his lowest since probably his spider-leg days (he goes on a self-guided therapy session/vision quest that results in something quite inspiring actually!), providing us a deeper understanding of his motivations, beyond simply "revenge!". Meanwhile, Devon continues to be the most interesting character on the show as she takes two steps forward, one step back, flirting with the dark side (though bonus points for the slick ride she acquires for their getaway). On the action side, the show continues to bring the goods, with dynamic, large scale battles (heavy on LAATs which is always a treat), intimate lightsaber combat, and a special shout out to the speeder chase this week that included a new Star Wars techno track (get outta here Niamos!), which combined for a chef's kiss of a sequence. The finale is next week, dropping on Star Wars Day (May the 4th), so stay tuned to see how much the show wants to tie up and how much it wants to leave dangling ahead of season 2!

April 25, 2026

Episode 205 - CinemaCon 2026 + News Roundup

It's been a minute since Matt and Julian sat down to cover the latest in film and TV news. Some might say it's been dearly missed. Well wait no more folks because this week it's all news and nothing but the news so help me god! If the last few weeks (months?) of stories weren't enough, CinemaCon 2026 also just concluded which had it's own news deluge. The guys unpack it all (well most of it anyway)! Of utmost priority is the news of Michael B Jordan and Austin Butler's reboot of 'Miami Vice', which is close to Matt's heart. Plus 'Spaceballs 2' gets a title and release date, trailers for 'Dune 3', 'Clayface' and 'Street Fighter' all surprise (in a good way), and a new 'Lord of the Rings' movie is announced (and you won't guess who's writing it!). Plus, a 'Game of Thrones' movie, more 'Transformers' and is 'Avatar' over? All this and so much more on this week's Tower of Babble Podcast!