Binge Mode: Marvel

The Ringer’s Mallory Rubin and Jason Concepcion discuss seven things they reassessed while binge-watching all 67 episodes of HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones.’

The Ringer’s Mallory Rubin and Jason Concepcion explore the theme of beginnings in ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ (11:33), explain how the Han Solo character originally came about (41:02), rank seven questions they want to see answered in a potential sequel (43:57), and award the champion’s purse to a fierce droid (52:55).

The Ringer’s Mallory Rubin and Jason Concepcion discuss the use of satire in ‘Deadpool 2’ (14:42), explain the origins of the titular character (42:22), list seven notable celebrity cameos in the film (49:02), and award the champion’s purse to Domino (52:39).

The Ringer’s Mallory Rubin and Jason Concepcion explore the theme of sacrifice in Marvel’s ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ (14:52), theorize on how the heroes could make a comeback against Thanos (14:52), list seven of their favorite moments from the blockbuster (53:02), and award the champion’s purse to the villain of the movie (1:07:33). Purchase new 'Binge Mode: Harry Potter' merch at bit.ly/ringershop.

The Ringer’s Mallory Rubin and Jason Concepcion explore the theme of free will in the latter half of ‘Westworld’ Season 1 (22:33), explain the title of the penultimate episode (56:57), celebrate the leader of the hosts’ rebellion (1:02:18), and list seven of the things they're most looking forward to in Season 2 (1:04:08).

The Ringer’s Mallory Rubin and Jason Concepcion examine how Season 1 of ‘Westworld’ explores the concept of consciousness (16:49), explain the theory of bicameralism (51:56), list seven of their favorite hints the showrunners included for audience speculation (55:19), and crown the cocreator of the fictional world (65:30).

The Ringer’s Mallory Rubin and Jason Concepcion debate the pros and cons of virtual reality in ‘Ready Player One’ (9:00), draw parallels to real-life video games (50:35), list seven of their favorite pop culture references in the movie (55:45), and highlight the nostalgia weaved through the story (61:15). For more on ‘Ready Player One,’ check out The Ringer’s coverage here. And pre-order new Ringer merch at http://bit.ly/ringershop.

The Ringer’s Mallory Rubin and Jason Concepcion answer questions submitted by you, the listeners! Topics include: 'Ready Player One,' March Madness, MLB Opening Day, a hypothetical 'Game of Thrones'–'Billions' crossover, and, of course, 'Harry Potter.' For context on Jason’s “lifelong Yankees fandom,” please check out ‘The NBA Fan’s Guide to the World Series’ on Channel 33 from last October (1:02:01—1:07:05) on Apple Podcasts, ART19, or wherever you get your podcasts...

The Ringer’s Mallory Rubin and Jason Concepcion explore how hubris drives the main characters’ actions in Season 2 of the Showtime original series ‘Billions’ (17:50), explain the history behind an iconic New York City restaurant (1:09:57), list seven notable film references in the sophomore season (1:12:55), and crown Axe Cap's star prodigy (1:17:41).

The Ringer’s Mallory Rubin and Jason Concepcion explore how power dynamics define the central characters in Season 1 of the Showtime original series ‘Billions’ (13:22), discuss Bobby Axelrod’s real-life counterpart (1:06:52), rank seven of their favorite lines from Mike “Wags” Wagner (1:10:02), and celebrate the woman caught between the two central adversaries (1:15:33). For the full backstory on Bobby Axelrod’s inspiration, Steve Cohen, read Katie Baker’s piece on The Ringer.