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 Valerie, Richard, and Tatiana bid farewell to 2023, first discussing what it means to see actors and writers alike back to work even as studios continue deleting content for profit (1:00). Sporadic discussions include what to expect from Ghostbusters: Afterlife 2 (7:00), followed by a review of the newest Russell T. Davies' Doctor Who specials (11:00). Next up is the state of Marvel (40:00), specifically looking at Loki season 2 and The Marvels. This leads to a bigger conversation about the box office this year (1:19:00), and then finally our personal favorite (1:32:00) movies, shows, and and books of 2023.

 Valerie, Tatiana, and Richard jump on a Pop a la Carte podcast episode to discuss the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes (0:50), including delays and how executives can be less unreasonable. This eventually dovetails into a discussion about DC movie failures (35:00) such as Black Adam, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, and The Flash. Such a conversation naturally leads to the MCU's latest Phase 5 projects and the state of Fantastic Four (48:00), with a special rant session about Secret Invasion (1:00:00). Next up is the late but great breakdown of the chillest San Diego Comic-Con in recent memory (1:17:35). When it comes to TV reviews, we begin with The Witcher season 3 (1:24:45), then move onto Good Omens season 2 (1:31:00). And then the time comes for Barbenheimer: Barbie (1:41:50), Oppenheimer (1:54:20), and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2:00:00).

Valerie, Tatiana, and Richard kick off this month's Pop a La Carte podcast by discussing TV shows that have just ended (0:45), including Barry, Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Succession, Ted Lasso, and the season finale of Yellowjackets. This leads to a conversation about the artificial cancellation of Netflix shows like Lockwood & Co. (5:45) and Disney joining the burning of creative content for tax write-offs (11:30).Then it's time for a terrible review of MAX's The Idol (23:50) and why in the world HBO gave up on branding, followed by a slightly less terrible review of The Flash series finale (35:00), and collective hopes or fears for The Flash movie (45:00). Movie discussion commences with anticipation for Summer and Fall entries (50:00), such as The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Oppenheimer, Barbie, and Dune Part 2. Then begin the reviews, starting with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (1:02:00) and what James Gunn's writing might mean for Superman: Legacy, as well as mixed reviews for The Little Mermaid and Disney live-action movies in general (1:23:00), and finally the uniformly glowing reviews for Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse (1:28:00).

This month on the Asian Drama Corner of the Pop A La Carte Podcast, Angela and Tatiana introduce (1:00) the dramas we have seen in 2023 thus far. Then we launch into a discussion of one-and-a-half seasons of Alchemy of Souls (8:00) on Netflix and 2 seasons of Island (26:30) on Prime Video. Summer Strike (39:00) gets a whole breakdown, and then we praise Crash Course in Romance (53:30), another romcom with a side of murder. Other dramas discussed include: Chinese drama Love Between Fairy and Devil (1:02:40), Thai drama The Warp Effect (1:11:10), and Korean dramas Love to Hate You (1:28:00), Agency (1:34:00), and The Glory (1:40:00).

 Valerie, Richard, and Tatiana go over James Gunn's DCU plan and their thoughts on every project from Superman: Legacy (1:00) to Swamp Thing (38:00) before sprinkling in MCU news like delay for The Marvels (48:45) and Phase 5 plans. Then, they discuss HBO's scandals with The Idol (54:00).Naturally, that takes the discussion to the shining jewel in Warner Discovery's crown at the moment: The Last of Us (1:01:30). After that, other shows like The Mandalorian (1:08:30), Crash Course in Romance, Yellowjackets, Lockewood & Co. (1:22:00), Endeavor, and Peacock get their moment to shine.Finally, the trio breaks down their takes on Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (1:37:45) and try to rank the Phase 4 films of the MCU.

 Valerie, Tatiana, and Richard reunite to recap one year and look forward to the next. First, we discuss the joys of LA Comic-Con (0:35) before going into the most recent trailers (2:30) such as Barbie and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Naturally, this meant discussing the fabulous Holiday Special as well. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (11:00) also gets a special shoutout for being the most anticipated film in the bunch, as does Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny for having the most concerning title.Mayfair Witches gets a preliminary discussion (27:00), with what is certain to be a debate between book readers and show enthusiasts a la Interview with a Vampire. The DC Comics arm of Warner Bros. gets a more in-depth discussion (38:30) with plenty of speculation about what that means for everyone from Batman to Wonder Woman. Disney, on the other hand, gets the "What Happened With Bob Chapek" treatment (58:00). Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (1:12:00) gets a lengthy discussion, followed by an attempt to understand Netflix's 1899 (1:25:00). But the biggest discussion is saved for Avatar: The Way of Water (1:46:00), so sit back and strap in. Finally, things wrap up with a list of 2022's Top Stores and 2023's Most Anticipated ones!