Everybody Loves Steve Blog
Season 2, Episode 2 Blog Notes (Aired 5/19/202)
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Everybody Loves Steve Blog Notes
Join your favorite mad podcasters on their first foray into the Marvel Universe with Captain America: The First Avenger. None of the gang were Captain America fans before seeing the film, but after watching…well…they loved Steve and his alter ego. Come for discussions about Red Skull’s anti-union stance and whether mad scientists are just a little perturbed, and stay for a special rendition of the Hail Hydra salute. We could do this all day.
Commentary Segment
Daniel, Ben and Tanya began by discussing the major themes of Captain America: The First Avenger. Daniel described it as being “in your face”, but none of the gang minded this fact. We think most readers would agree with our assessment that the film drives home the fact that, as Daniel put it “true heroism isn’t about strength, it’s about character”. Tanya noted that Captain America also had an incredible amount of empathy and original thinking, which set him apart from the other characters in the film.
They then transitioned their discussion to the story arc of the film. Daniel recounted Steve’s initial journey of repeated attempts to join the army and failing, until catching the eye of Dr Erskine. Tanya loved the dialogue between the two, particularly the line “I don’t like bullies”.
Ben added that part of Steve’s makeup is that he didn’t want to kill people and that Erskine is the underappreciated hero of the whole Captain America universe.
Daniel talked about the effects used in Steve’s transformation and broke down how they were used to achieve his before and after. Tanya felt that they were very well done and Ben was not able to spot how they did it, and that’s saying a lot.
Take a peek at how they did it!
Once Steve became Captain America, instead of fighting he was enlisted as a propaganda tool in the USO tour. Tanya talked about how she was always fascinated by the use of propaganda. They also discussed the World’s Fair scene and Howard Stark. Daniel commented that Stark’s failed flying car was a “total Elon Musk moment”. Tanya described the fair as a total Easter Egg fest. Speaking of Easter Eggs, let’s talk about that Tesseract, shall we? Daniel identified it as the McGuffin of the film, and emphasized that they did a great job with all the hidden goodies and that he always catches more upon additional watches.. Ben described them as “subtle but effective tie-ins and foreshadowing of other films”.
Daniel also loved the dance scene that established the friendship between Steve and Bucky, but wished that could have explored it a little further, which he described as one of the few and only flaws in the film.
He also loved that Peggy Carter wasn’t a helpless damsel, but a “fucking badass who was capable and commending. She could have easily been Captain America if not for being a woman in that time period”. He also recommended catching Marvel What If? On Disney+, where they explore Carter as Captain America—he called it brilliant and worth a watch.
They then went on to discuss all the tropes in the film. It was awash with them to be sure, but trust us, it’s not a bad thing! Just a few that were discussed were the skinny wimp, adorkable, chaste hero, action girl, mad scientist and ace pilot.
They also discussed the trope of the battle-hardened sergeant, which of course led to a conversation about Tommy Lee Jones. Daniel raved that there is nothing he has been in that he hasn’t liked and that he loved him in The Fugitive.
Tanya mentioned that Howard Stark had a Howard Hughes-y vibe. This led to a discussion about the character of the…um…character. Daniel observed how the dynamic between Howard and Steve was driven by Peggy. Ben was not a Stark fan (at least not of the Howard one). He saw him as a “superficial womanizing jerk” who saw women only as objects of desire. Maybe eventually he will tell us how he really feels.
Daniel felt that Stark didn’t really have time for women. Tanya did not get that vibe and was not offended by him, viewing it as a part of his personality, and didn’t equate appreciating beautiful women to being an asshole to them.
Was there anything in the film that they could have done without? Daniel was not a fan of the montage where Captain America was “winning, winning, winning”, and felt that it was a bit of a stretch. He noted that the serum made him physically stronger, but did it also give him the skills? Ben also noticed this sequence, but it didn’t bother him and conjectured that there are probably “fifteen different explanations as to why” on the internet. Always willing to suspend her disbelief, Tanya didn’t even consider the disconnect of the scene. Ben had a pretty serious beef with the scene where the Valkyrie (or as he affectionately called it the “super science jet”) takes off and Colonel Phillips keeps the car from flying over the cliff. It’s against the laws of physics he tells you!
Tanya was not a fan of the double fisted Hail Hydra salute. She felt that it turned them into leather clad cheerleaders and took away from the ominous nature of the organization. Ben said that it was the most absurd salute he’d seen in his life and “that includes Monty Python”.
Discussing the masked cheerleader army led the gang to spend some time contrasting Red Skull and Captain America. Daniel mentioned the trope of the faceless enemy, which led Tanya to talk about how this underpinned their opposite approaches to how they viewed people (human value vs. expendability).
Ben brought up Schmidt’s line “use up the strength they have left, there are always more workers”. Daniel opined that the Red Skull is anti-union. They also discussed how Captain America served as an origin story for Hydra as well, which Daniel said hints at a much larger universe at play. Ben talked about Red Skull’s “death” scene and how it got him hook line and sinker. Daniel said that it was a satisfying revelation and the universe is filled with easter egg payoffs, to which Tanya remarked that it was a good show of respect for the fans.
The next subject on the docket was some of the pivotal moments in the film. Daniel kicked things off with the death of Dr. Erskine—insert Ben “I’m not crying you’re crying”. Daniel points to the dying in my arms trope and Ben thought it was a great vehicle to make the serum unavailable to anyone else. Tanya noted that it left Steve without a father figure and forced him to find his own way. Daniel gave us a critical heads up—”do not be adorable or sympathetic or you will die”. Consider yourself warned! They also discussed Steve’s “death” scene. Daniel described the moment when Steve’s plane went down and he was making a date with Peggy as “heart wrenching to watch” and an exercise in unrequited love. That scene led to Steve waking up in the hospital with the baseball game playing in the background. Ben pointed out that the fact that Steve knew that the game was staged cued the audience in on just how smart he was. Daniel thought that one of the best sequences in the film was Steve in Times Square. Ben added that it worked seamlessly and agreed that it was an exceptional way to bring Steve into the future. Tanya appreciated the fact that it built anticipation for what was coming next. Daniel also loved seeing Nick Fury and that the “I had a date” line pointed to what a huge sacrifice Steve had to make and that it wasn’t necessarily a happy ending.
What were their favorite moments, you ask? Well, we have answers. Tanya’s favorite scene was in the factory when Captain America and Red Skull were separated by the fallen bridge. She loved that Red Skull embraced his villainous self and that it perfectly set up the struggle between the two of them. Daniel heaped some praise on Hugo Weaving and agreed that it was a visually stunning scene. Ben found it hard to choose just one scene, but he was particularly moved by what many would consider to be a throwaway moment. He felt the scene where Dum Dum Dugan was put in prison and he says “one of these days I’m gonna have a stick of my own” was a “powerful display of positive mindset in difficult circumstances”, while Daniel approved of the token Irish character. Daniel’s favorite scene was the “death” of Bucky (there sure are a lot of “deaths” in this film!). He felt the scene vas very well done and that it added another layer of nuance to Captain America because he could not save his friend despite his strength.
Segment: Hey, I Know That Dude
Neal McDonough was the subject of this segment. Tanya called him ubiquitous, having guested on several huge shows. She noted that he had a very distinctive look with specific features. Daniel talked about their shared Irish descent—they even share a family history from the same county in Ireland! Ben remembered him from Band of Brothers and the DC series Arrow. However, his favorite thing that McDonough has acted in was the Tin Man miniseries, an alternate retelling of the Wizard of Oz.
Tanya remembered him best from Ravenous and Minority Report. Daniel also remembered him from Minority Report and noted that for someone with such a distinctive look it was amazing that he could be such a chameleon.
We would also be remiss if we didn’t mention the Harry Potter tie-ins for Ben. Ben recognized a “very particular sort of grumpiness” in the church keeper. He was of course played by David Bradley (that’s Mr. Filch to you!). He also noted that Dr. Zola, played by Toby Jones, was the voice of everyone’s favorite house elf Dobby—talk about a chameleon!
Segment: Let’s Get to Poppin’
Ben- 5 -Captain America: The First Avenger is one of Ben’s two favorite films. From the story to the acting to the cinematography, there was nothing he didn’t like about it. Oh, and he also wants that car!
Tanya- 4.5 -This was Tanya’s favorite Marvel movie and nothing felt forced, however she didn’t have the same emotional connection with it as her 5 pop films.
Daniel- 5 -One of Daniel’s top five Marvel ventures, his opinion of Captain America was turned around by this film. He called it perfect in almost every way and loved the idea of strength through character and not through brawn.
Captain America: The First Avenger is available to stream on Disney +.
If you would like your own copy, you can order it here.
Podcast Episode Details:
Written, recorded and edited by Daniel Hendrix
Intro Script by Daniel Hendrix and Tanya Holstrom
Performed by Daniel Hendrix, Ben Wilson and Tanya Holstrom
Blog Notes and Entry by Tanya Holstrom
Popped Intro Music: Spooky-Funk-Instrumental
Voice Over Introduction by Glenn Thayer
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