This week, we’re cracking open Pokémon packs—Knives learns the “correct” way to do it. We discover that only some of us actually did our homework, question how certain drummers have never heard some of the biggest songs ever made. Plus, we discuss rumored new Pokémon in *Winds and Waves* and discuss TV shows and movies ratings. Come for the Pokémon pulls; stay for the rapidly aging music fans.

Nintendo finally gave us a Direct, so naturally we had opinions. This week we break down the biggest announcements, dive into why tower defense games are so addicting, debate the representation of redheads in movies and TV, and try to explain what directors actually do behind the camera. Then we go completely off the rails by imagining a world where humans could control the elements—and discussing all the ways we'd inevitably ruin civilization with those powers. As always, we sprinkle in plenty of random tangents, laughs, and side conversations along the way. Buckle up, because this episode goes everywhere.

This week, the pre-show became the show.

Before we officially kicked things off, we found ourselves in a debate that was too good to cut, so we kept the cameras rolling and rolled with it. From there, we dive into Pokémon cards, the ongoing headache of scalpers, nightmare neighbors, and what the New York Knicks winning did to the city of New York.

We also chat about local card shops, tournament culture, and float the idea of opening Pokémon packs live on the podcast. Whether that's a great new segment or a terrible financial decision... we'll let future us figure that out.

Sometimes the best conversations happen before the intro. This is one of those episodes.