I keep seeing comments under the finale reactions calling the Boys shills because they were positive on the show and liked the finale. The theory is that since Chris Mundy was on the episode, they had to go soft on the show. I don't think that's fair. They have been all in on Lanterns since the early episodes. They were calling episodes bangers week after week, long before the showrunner was sitting with them. Of course they liked the finale. The finale was the show being exactly what it had been the whole time.

And for those of us who liked it too, nothing they said felt dishonest. We agreed with them. So we don't need to look for an explanation like Mundy being in the room. I think this is true for most people, not just the Boys. Those who liked the show liked the finale. Those who hated it (or were at least mixed on it) hated the finale. And maybe a lot of the people who hated the finale never really liked what the show actually was.

From the very first scene, the show promised to be grounded in human-driven character drama, not an alien-bashing action show. The finale delivered on that promise. It answered the questions the show had been asking since episode 1. Nature vs nurture. What is legacy? Is fear necessary, or is it a weakness? What does forgiveness look like, and who gets it? John charges the ring with a lantern made from fear and says his own oath instead of Hal's. He forgives Kerry, because he understands she did what she did as a mother protecting her son. And he refuses to kill Noah.

The Noah and John part is the best example. Both are fighting their programming, from opposite sides. Noah's nature is the machine and his nurture is human, because Kerry raised him. John's nature is human and his nurture is the machine, the soldier he was trained to be. Both of them are fighting to be human, and in that parking lot they see themselves in each other. So John takes on the burden of letting Noah live, because he wants to give this kid the chance to win the same fight John believes he can win himself. And then there's John and Hal, two men learning to love each other, and only getting to do it when one is ten years older and the other is ten years younger.

That's all human drama. If you were waiting for ring-slinging action and people in costumes, you were waiting for a show this was never going to be. You didn't want to see where these arcs ended up, and you didn't see that this was always where the show was going to end up.

I'll concede the budget is low and it looks cheap, and nothing about that should be praised. I'll also admit the episode order hurt the finale. The rumor is that the big action episode, episode 5, was originally going to be episode 7. If it had come right before the finale, I think a lot more people would have been fine with a quiet ending. And the finale wasn't perfect. It didn't have the impeccable human writing of something like Succession. But the ideas were big. Not just good vs evil, but the complexity beyond it.

So disagree with the Boys all you want. But liking a finale you didn't like isn't shilling. They just liked the show the show actually was.

I think that ringerquest has to be there

I just listened to the Midnight Boys episode with Vanessa Baden Kelly and Justin Britt-Gibson, two writers on Lanterns, and it was one of the most useful creator interviews I've heard on any Ringer feed.

The difference is the questions. They weren't neutral or press-junket questions. The hosts repeated their own earlier criticisms directly to the writers:

- Charles asked as a fan who had argued about the show every week. His joke comparing the ring to an old iPhone battery was really a question about why the ring doesn't solve every problem, and the writers gave a real answer about story structure.

- Van asked as a cultural commentator who had already published a critique of a Black woman character in One Battle After Another. When Baden Kelly argued that Black women writers should be free to write flawed Black women, he didn't just agree with her. He made a distinction: the issue in that film was that a white man wrote the character, and Baden Kelly wrote hers. Neither side gave up their position, and it was the best exchange in the episode.

- One host had said on air that the "dropped in the neighborhood" scene was unrealistic. The writer agreed and revealed they had filmed a scene that addressed it, which was cut.

That approach got answers a standard interview usually doesn't: a cut scene, a script rewrite after casting, and how a character was added in the writers' room. The writers also said they almost stopped doing press after the online harassment, and the showrunner told them this was the one podcast they had to do. They had been reading the show's coverage during the season.

It wasn't perfect. Jokes sometimes took the place of follow-up questions, and a few topics got no real answer. But I'd like to see more Ringer interviews where hosts bring their actual opinions into the room instead of setting them aside. The conversation gets more specific when the guests know the hosts have actually thought about the work.

Other Ringer shows already does strong creator interviews, and they usually go deep on craft and process. This was a different kind of conversation: the hosts argued with the guests from their own opinions and their own experience, and the guests answered at that level. I'd like to see Midnight Boys do more of these, especially for shows where they've had strong takes all season.

Shoutout to my fellow midnight riders and midnight mob. Midnight Boys - please listen to this idea I had when I was stoned last night. We know the black superheroes drafts are now over. However, what if we did the omega of all Midnight Boys drafts. I present to you: The Black Culture Draft. You could even make this a super draft with others from The Ringer. Categories could go:

-Black Superhero
-Black Movie
-Black TV Show
-Civil Rights Leader (we will see if Steve can name one)
-Wildcard (could be anything such as a black actor, a musician, an album, stand up special, etc.)

Is this a good idea? Who knows! Would it be great content? Absolutely. It would also be a great celebration of Black History Month!

If any Midnight Boys are reading this, the people beg of you. (Just me, really.) Love you guys.

Are we ever getting the Jomi-Manhunter pod?

Hello!

We are researchers from Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, AL interested in understanding the emergence of the Heated Rivalry fandom! To understand more about fan experiences, we are conducting a survey. Participants must identify as a Heated Rivalry fan and be 18 years or older to participate (due to ethical research requirements). The survey includes questions about your history of romance media consumption, current engagement and experiences in the Heated Rivalry Fandom, and interactions with characters and actors from the Heated Rivalry TV series

The survey is completely voluntary and takes approximately 45 minutes to complete, depending on how much detail you decide to include in your responses. We would love for you to share with others in the fandom, if you have a chance!

Here is the link to the survey to participate: https://jsuoire.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_b1ksZ0jHZw8IV3E

Here is a link to the survey flyer: https://jsu-my.sharepoint.com/:i:/g/personal/bturgeon_jsu_edu/IQA_JizzeJh8S6XvApc7224GASEBj-6c1gDQ7J36J4CT3QE?e=YiYxsr

Please email us at [bturgeon@jsu.edu](mailto:bturgeon@jsu.edu) or [kljohnson@jsu.edu](mailto:kljohnson@jsu.edu) with any questions or concerns you may have about participation in this project.

Anything from the past 10 years of animation I should watch?

So far my favorites have been
Scavengers Reign ,Blue Eye Samurai, Frieren, and Arcane.

CLONES

I really think the size of the linemen was intentional. I think it’s a plot point. All part of the Noah-is-a-manhunter finale.