‘Ballerina’ and Our 10 Burning 'John Wick' Questions
Mal and Jo are back to go through the latest installment in the John Wick universe, ‘Ballerina.’ They discuss the film’s box office results, break down what changed in the extensive reshoots, and talk about the future of the 'John Wick' franchise and whether it can survive without Keanu Reeves. Next, they each come up with five burning questions about ‘Ballerina’ and the rest of the Wickverse.
(00:00) Intro(05:45) Opening snapshot(08:45) Box office results(25:32) What happened during the reshoots?(32:12) Our history with the Wickverse(42:38) Burning questions(43:59) Timeline continuity issues(55:43) Training dogs to attack the crotch(58:33) Is it time for the Continental to change its policies?(01:05:16) Is Evanescence's "Fight Like a Girl" the worst needle drop?(01:10:18) How much of a city in the Wickverse is made up of assassins?(01:15:42) What about the rest of the children at Hallstatt?!(01:17:15) Will the Director and Ruska Roma look to recruit at Hallstatt?(01:24:45) Accent corner with Joanna Robinson(01:28:13) Who put the hit on Eve?(01:39:35) Letter grades and final reaction
Hosts: Mallory Rubin and Joanna RobinsonProducers: Jessie Lopez and John RichterSocial: Jomi AdeniranAdditional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell
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1:45:24
‘Mission: Impossible’ Movie Draft
Mal and Jo are joined by Rob Mahoney for the ‘Mission: Impossible’ movie draft! They’ll be drafting their best Ethan Hunt, two team members, a villain, a MacGuffin, a stunt, and a device/gadget. Later, they also rank the ‘Mission: Impossible’ movies!
(00:00) Intro
(08:21) Rules
(18:39) Mal Pick 1
(21:57) Rob Pick 1
(27:06) Jo Pick 1
(31:00) Jo Pick 2
(33:26) Rob Pick 2
(35:29) Mal Pick 2
(40:06) Mal Pick 3
(43:06) Rob Pick 3
(44:31) Jo Pick 3
(47:26) Jo Pick 4
(50:43) Rob Pick 4
(57:31) Mal Pick 4
(01:01:52) Mal Pick 5
(01:07:11) Rob Pick 5
(01:10:36) Jo Pick 5
(01:12:42) Jo Pick 6
(01:16:44) Rob Pick 6
(01:19:34) Mal Pick 6
(01:23:54) Mal Pick 7
(01:28:55) Rob Pick 7
(01:32:48) Jo Pick 7
(01:37:03) Recap
(01:39:39) Honorable Mentions
(01:46:32) ‘Mission: Impossible’ Rankings
(01:51:16) Outro
Hosts: Mallory Rubin and Joanna Robinson
Guest: Rob Mahoney
Producers: Carlos Chiriboga and John Richter
Social: Jomi Adeniran
Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopal
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1:58:10
'Andor' Showrunner Tony Gilroy on World-Building, the Ideology of 'Andor,' and Characters He'll Miss Writing For
Mal and Jo are joined by ‘Andor’ showrunner Tony Gilroy! They dive into everything from the world-building and ideology of ‘Andor’ to the fate of the Maya Pei Brigade, what’s in Syril’s box, and much more!
(00:00) Intro(05:08) Speeches and Quotes in ‘Andor’(07:16) World-Building in ‘Andor’(10:24) The Sense of Place and Ideology in ‘Andor’(15:30) Balance of Characters(21:15) Power Dynamics and How They Shift(23:32) If You Made ‘Rogue One’ After ‘Andor,’ How Would it Be Different?(25:41) Jyn and Cassian’s Relationship(26:52) Figuring Out Character Retributions(29:42) Luthen and Saw(34:35) Staying in His Five-Year Period(36:40) Taking the Ideas of ‘Andor’ and Moving Beyond It(43:39) Which Characters Will You Miss Writing For?(46:11) Cinta Kaz and Tay Kolma’s Demise(48:00) B2EMO and a Farewell Scene with Cassian(51:57) Budget Restrictions Where They Had to Get Creative(56:56) Lessons to Take from ‘Andor’(01:00:35) Syril’s Private Box and Enza(01:03:04) Did Anyone from the Maya Pei Brigade Survive?
Hosts: Mallory Rubin and Joanna RobinsonGuest: Tony GilroyProducers: Carlos Chiriboga and John RichterSocial: Jomi AdeniranAdditional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopal
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1:10:09
The 2025 Spring Mailbag
From books to ‘Star Wars’ to ‘The Last of Us,’ the House of R mailbag is here. Jo and Mal are here to answer all of your burning questions about the content you love!
(00:00) Intro
(07:09) Book club with the Orioles
(17:39) House of R countdowns
(25:19) R-rated 'Star Wars' movies
(43:49) 'Survivor 50' casting
(52:36) 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' reboot
(57:47) Book recommendations
(01:13:36) Bras and gauze in 'The Last of Us'
(01:21:34) Food options in 'The Last of Us'
(01:29:15) Finale reaction
Hosts: Mallory Rubin and Joanna RobinsonProducers: Jessie Lopez and John RichterSocial: Jomi AdeniranAdditional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopal
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1:44:52
‘Rogue One’ Revisited Through the Lens of ‘Andor’
Mal and Jo are joined by Chris Ryan to talk about how ‘Andor’ has changed their perception of ‘Rogue One.’ Then they dive deep into the movie and talk about each moment and character through the lens of ‘Andor.’
(00:00) Intro
(07:21) Opening snapshot with Chris Ryan
(50:27) Krennic comes for Galen
(01:04:01) Cassian meets Tivik on Kafrene
(01:10:48) Prison break: Jyn Erso
(01:15:23) Taking Jyn to Yavin
(01:23:21) Project: Imperial infighting
(01:35:23) Converging on Jedha
(01:58:07) Saw and Jyn reunite and hear Galen’s message
(02:21:05) A change of heart on Eadu
(02:38:28) A tense flight back to Yavin
(02:42:13) Everyone in a position of power embarrasses themselves
(02:56:36) Our rogues get their name
(03:00:41) The Battle of Scarif
(03:06:48) Cassian and Jyn versus Project Stardust
(03:22:02) Vader chases us to 'A New Hope'
Hosts: Mallory Rubin and Joanna Robinson
Guest: Chris Ryan
Producers: Jonathan Frias and Carlos Chiriboga
Social: Jomi Adeniran
Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopal
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Welcome to ‘House of R,’ where Mallory Rubin and Joanna Robinson explore your favorite fictional universes with their signature Deep Dives into everything from ‘Game of Thrones’ to ‘Star Wars,’ ‘The Lord of the Rings’ to Marvel, and beyond. Whether they’re parsing mythology, story themes, and character arcs or tracing influences across decades of fantasy and sci-fi stories, Jo and Mal will be here weekly with Deep Dives into new nerd culture releases, nostalgic revisitations of their favorite tales in fandom, Tropes Course examinations, Hall of Fame inductions, Hype Meters, drafts, mailbags, watch lists, top moments countdowns, recommendations, and more.