Summary
Overview
A How Did This Get Made Last Looks episode where Paul Scheer reviews listener feedback on The Christmas Tree, chats with Jason Mantzoukas about their recent tour and entertainment recommendations, and welcomes former engineer Devin Bryant to discuss his new album Blame It on My Zodiac.
Listener Corrections and Omissions on The Christmas Tree
Paul dives into listener feedback about The Christmas Tree movie, featuring creative theories and observations that were missed during the main episode. Listeners point out animation errors, inconsistencies, and offer wild theories about the orphans possibly being controlled by a hive mind connected to the tree itself. The segment showcases the community's keen eye for detail and creative interpretations of this bizarre animated film.
- Old Man Pappy theorizes the orphans share a single hive mind controlled by the tree Miss Hopewell, making them thralls through parasitic spores or ancient magic
- Joe Tangelo questions why Mrs. Mavilda specifically asked for an electric chainsaw but the man brought a gas-powered one
- Sean McBee points out egregious animation errors including a shot where the camera rig was knocked off kilter, revealing the animation cell stand
- Ben from Virginia highlights a darkly funny line where a child tells another praying child: 'Santa's not going to hear you. Nobody's going to hear you. Miracles don't happen'
- John Steele wins the segment by solving Mrs. Mavilda's first name mystery - her full name is Bavilda Mavilda, based on other characters calling her 'Bavilda' during card games
" Santa's not going to hear you. Nobody's going to hear you. Miracles don't happen. "
" Are they aliens? Possessed? under some sort of hypnosis, all possible, but I think the key to their strange connection is Miss Hopewell. I believe the tree is the matriarch of this hive, and through parasitic spores or some ancient magic, has turned the orphans into thralls. "
Tour Recap and Comedy Recommendations
Paul and Jason reflect on their recent Philadelphia and New York live shows, shouting out longtime audience member Morgan who traveled back to Philly for the performance. They discuss their marathon Blank Check podcast episode about The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, celebrating David Sims' increasingly frustrated reactions to their three-hour-plus recording session. The conversation highlights the special energy of live recordings and cross-podcast collaborations.
- Morgan, a beloved longtime audience member, came back to Philadelphia specifically for the How Did This Get Made show
- They recorded a nearly four-hour Blank Check episode on The Ballad of Buster Scruggs with Griffin Newman and David Sims
- David Sims became increasingly agitated during the recording because they kept delaying the official start of the episode
- The Coen Brothers series on Blank Check is described as one of the podcast's greatest runs
" There is nothing more fun, I will say, especially this time when the four of us got to be in the room. I love being in the room. Than watching David get more and more agitated and frustrated in a such delightfully fun and funny way. "
📚 4 more sections below
Sign up to unlock the complete summary with all insights, key points, and quotes
Get this summary + all future How Did This Get Made? episodes in your inbox
100% Free • Unsubscribe Anytime
Sign up now and we'll send you the complete summary of this episode, plus get notified when new How Did This Get Made? episodes are released—delivered straight to your inbox within minutes.