Summary
Overview
Paul Scheer, Jason Mantzoukas, and June Diane Raphael tackle the baffling 1996 sequel Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace (aka Job's War). The hosts struggle to comprehend this cyberspace thriller that replaces Jeff Fahey with Matt Frewer, features kids living in dystopian subway cars, and presents a dated vision of virtual reality that looks like 90s screensavers. The episode itself faces technical difficulties and recording delays that the hosts jokingly attribute to a curse from Job, the film's antagonist.
Recording Chaos and Opening Energy Crisis
The episode begins with Paul delivering what he considers a clean opening, but Jason and June immediately call him out for sounding defeated and lacking his usual energy. This sparks a meta-conversation about Paul's role as the 'engine' of the podcast and how his low energy has left them all feeling dysregulated. The hosts reveal they're recording during challenging times—just past an attempted coup, dealing with isolation, and June's computer mysteriously dies mid-recording, forcing them to relocate and share equipment.
- Paul delivers an opening he thinks is 'boom, boom, boom' but comes across as defeated, forgetting to say his trademark 'so you know what that means'
- Jason and June express concern that Paul's low energy has dysregulated them, with June saying she was 'looking to you for guidance'
- The hosts reveal they're recording a week past an attempted coup and dealing with pandemic isolation
- June's computer mysteriously shuts down mid-recording with no warning, forcing her and Paul to share equipment in a tiny closet-like room
" I literally thought you were going to cry. I was like, oh, no, all hope is lost. If we lose Paul, let's be honest. Like, it's all over. "
" I am hanging on by a thread. "
Complete Confusion About the Plot
The hosts express total bewilderment about what Lawnmower Man 2 is actually about. Jason admits he doesn't know what the movie is trying to say or what its themes are, comparing it to Ready Player One with its dystopian world where kids escape to cyberspace. Paul struggles to provide even a basic synopsis, noting that Job is in the internet causing problems with government involvement, but the motivations and stakes remain unclear throughout their discussion.
- Jason watched both Lawnmower Man movies and still doesn't know what they're about or what they're trying to say
- The movie seems like it could have been a script for something else that was repurposed, possibly a 'cyberspace Goonies adventure'
- Jason compares it to Ready Player One—kids living in poverty escaping to cyberspace where they can fly and experience adventures
- Paul notes the movie has too many kids and he can't understand why they're all there
" Having now seen Lawnmower Man 1 and Lawnmower Man 2, I don't know what these movies are about. I don't know what they're trying to say. I don't know what the themes of them are. "
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