On this week’s Geek Freaks podcast, Frank and Jonathan get you ready for Stranger Things season 5 with a full recap of seasons 1 to 4, plus a Wicked For Good review, new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles live action movie talk, and first impressions of the Sunrise on the Reaping trailer from The Hunger Games universe. If you want a one stop catch up before binging the new Stranger Things episodes, this is the episode to start with.
Thanksgiving Week, Christmas Lights, And A Quick Geek Freaks Update
The episode kicks off with some cozy holiday talk. Jonathan is deep in Thanksgiving prep with family coming over, tables to set, and plenty of cooking ahead. Frank is already stressing about getting the Christmas tree up and making the switch from fall to full holiday mode.
Before jumping into the news, Frank also shares a quick update about the Geek Freaks website. The site has been redesigned to make it cleaner, faster, and better suited for quick news hits and podcast discovery. Patreon supporters are reminded to update their shipping address so they can receive the upcoming holiday swag packs and bundles that are going out soon.
TMNT Live Action Reboot And The Last Ronin Trade Off
First up in the news segment is the new live action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie heading to the big screen. The excitement is mixed with frustration, because it sounds like this reboot is coming at the cost of a live action The Last Ronin adaptation, which many fans see as one of the strongest modern TMNT stories.
Frank and Jonathan dig into a few key points:
- Whether the new TMNT should use CGI or practical suits
- Why The Last Ronin represents the kind of fresh storytelling the franchise needs
- How studios keep choosing safe reboots over new stories in familiar worlds
Jonathan leans toward practical effects and real costumes if the studio is willing to invest in them. Frank points out that the original TMNT movie was a defining moment for a generation, and if a reboot can capture that same tone with upgraded tech and smarter practical work, it could be something special.
Where Game Of Thrones Should Go Next
Next, the conversation shifts to Westeros and the latest talk about more Game of Thrones spinoffs and sequels. Frank and Jonathan treat this less like a news story and more like a writers room session for what actually deserves a follow up.
Some of the big ideas they explore:
- Why Arya heading west of Westeros would make a perfect sequel
- How Jon Snow, Sansa, and Bran’s paths could still be explored without feeling like a retread
- The politics and power vacuum left after the original series, and how a new generation of houses would rise
- Deep cut families like House Manderly and why they deserve more screen time
Frank highlights House Manderly of White Harbor as one of the most interesting “hidden gem” families in the books. They are wealthy, politically savvy, deeply loyal to the Starks, and covered in mermaid imagery and tridents. A spinoff that leans into northern ports, ships, and mermaid sigils out at sea would feel unlike anything we saw in the original show.
They also talk about Dorne, the Martells, and how Pedro Pascal’s Oberyn was just a glimpse of a culture where women hold real power and tradition clashes with the rest of Westeros. There is more than enough material for a grounded, political follow up without redoing the same old Lannister vs Stark setup.
Sunrise On The Reaping And The Hunger Games World
The new trailer for Sunrise on the Reaping gets some time in the spotlight too. Even though Jonathan has not kept up with the most recent films, he still loves the original Hunger Games movies and their sharp contrast between the Capitol and the starving districts.
Frank explains why the new story works:
- It leans hard into that divide between high tech Capitol excess and people barely surviving
- The technology often feels like magic to those living in squalor
- The world building connects back to families like the Everdeens and the long legacy of hunters in District 12
They also talk about how the new prequel sits alongside the earlier spin off and how close Suzanne Collins keeps the films and books to each other. Frank feels like Collins now writes the novels with the adaptations in mind, but in a good way, with cinematic set pieces baked into the storytelling.
Wicked For Good Review: A Musical That Actually Delivers
In the middle of the episode, Frank gives a detailed, spoiler light review of Wicked For Good after seeing it in theaters. Jonathan skipped it because the first Wicked movie just did not hook him, even though he likes musicals in the right context.
Frank breaks down why the sequel landed so well for him:
- The story runs parallel to The Wizard of Oz instead of just leading up to it
- Scenes play out in the gaps around Dorothy’s story, which gives the classic tale a new angle
- Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo put in strong performances, both vocally and emotionally
- Glinda gets much better character development this time and feels like someone you could actually trust with a kingdom
He also talks about the world building choices, the “storybook” visual style, and how the songs push the characters forward rather than just pausing the story. While he admits he is not always a musical guy and sometimes wishes he could fast forward through the longer numbers, he still puts Wicked For Good at a nine or ten out of ten for what it is trying to be.
If you enjoy live action Disney style musicals, Les Mis, or big theatrical productions adapted to film, this is absolutely recommended viewing.
Stranger Things Seasons 1 To 4 Recap To Prep For Season 5
The main event for this Geek Freaks episode is a full Stranger Things recap. Frank and Jonathan walk through every season, remind you of the major plot beats, and highlight the character arcs that still matter heading into season 5.
This recap is designed so you can jump into Stranger Things season 5 without rewatching every episode.
Season 1 – Disappearance In Hawkins
It all starts in 1983 when Will Byers vanishes after a Dungeons and Dragons game with Mike, Lucas, and Dustin. Joyce refuses to accept that he is gone and begins communicating with him through flickering lights in the house, while Hopper starts pulling on the loose threads around Hawkins National Laboratory.
At the same time, a mysterious girl with a shaved head and telekinetic powers, later known as Eleven, appears and becomes part of the boys’ inner circle. The Demogorgon, the Upside Down, and the idea that there is a whole other world just out of sight are introduced here.
By the end of the season, Hopper and Joyce reach the Upside Down and rescue Will, while Eleven destroys the Demogorgon at the school and seemingly sacrifices herself in the process. Hawkins looks normal again on the surface, but Will coughing up a slug shows the upside Down is still connected to him.
Season 2 – The Mind Flayer And A Bigger Threat
Season 2 jumps to 1984. Will is back but far from fine. He suffers from visions of a massive shadow creature looming over Hawkins, later known as the Mind Flayer. New characters arrive, like Max and her aggressive stepbrother Billy, while Joyce starts dating Bob Newby and Doctor Owens tries to present a more “friendly” lab that is totally not doing anything suspicious under the town.
Eleven is alive, hiding with Hopper in a cabin in the woods. She struggles with isolation and anger and eventually goes looking for her past. That search leads her to another test subject, Kali (008), and a brief detour into a darker revenge focused life before she realizes she needs to go home.
The Mind Flayer gradually takes over Will, uses him as a spy, and sends demodogs into Hawkins. The season builds to Eleven closing the gate beneath the lab while the others fight to save Will by turning up the heat and forcing the Mind Flayer out of him. The Snowball Dance ending gives a moment of peace, even though the Mind Flayer is still watching from the Upside Down.
Season 3 – The Starcourt Mall And Billy’s Sacrifice
Season 3 is set in the summer of 1985 and leans into mall culture with Starcourt as the new heart of Hawkins. The kids are growing up. Mike and Eleven are together, Lucas and Max are a thing, and Will is desperately trying to keep the DnD party from falling apart.
Under Starcourt, the Russians are secretly trying to reopen a gate to the Upside Down. Dustin intercepts a coded transmission and teams up with Steve, Robin, and Erica to uncover the underground base. Meanwhile, infected rats and residents are being pulled into a new fleshy version of the Mind Flayer, with Billy as its main puppet.
All the storylines collide in the Starcourt Mall finale. Billy gets a last moment of clarity and sacrifices himself to protect Eleven and the kids. Joyce destroys the machine that is keeping the gate open, and Hopper appears to die in the blast. The Byers family leaves Hawkins with Eleven in tow, and everything feels broken but complete.
Until that mid credits scene in a Soviet prison hints that Hopper might still be alive.
Season 4 – Vecna’s Curse And Hawkins On The Edge
Season 4 is the darkest and most ambitious season so far. It splits into three main tracks:
- Hawkins and the curse of Vecna
- Eleven in California and the Nina Project
- Hopper’s survival and imprisonment in Russia
In Hawkins, teenagers start dying in horrific, supernatural ways, beginning with Chrissy Cunningham in Eddie Munson’s trailer. The town blames Eddie and the Hellfire Club, leaning into a full satanic panic, while the kids figure out that a powerful being named Vecna is targeting teens with trauma and guilt.
Max becomes one of his next victims and gives the show one of its most iconic moments when she escapes Vecna’s grip while “Running Up That Hill” blasts through her headphones. The gang traces Vecna back to the Creel house and the massacre tied to Victor Creel.
Out west, Eleven is powerless, bullied, and eventually pulled into the Nina Project to regain her abilities. There she remembers that “Friendly Orderly” at the lab was actually Henry Creel, 001, who slaughtered the other kids before Eleven pushed him into the Upside Down, where he became Vecna.
In Russia, Hopper is very much alive, stuck in a brutal prison where Demogorgons are being used as weapons. Joyce and Murray head overseas, team up with a smuggler, and help free Hopper while also damaging some of the Upside Down creatures the Soviets have been experimenting on.
The season ends with a full scale offensive on Vecna. Max, Lucas, and Erica act as bait. Nancy, Steve, and Robin attack his physical body in the Upside Down. Dustin and Eddie pull off a heavy metal distraction with “Master of Puppets.” Eddie dies protecting Dustin, Vecna is badly damaged but not gone, and Max is left in a coma with her mind unreachable.
Hawkins is literally cracking open. Ash falls from the sky, the fields are dying, and the Upside Down is bleeding into the real world. It feels like a true “before and after” moment, setting up an endgame level final season.
Growing Up With Hawkins And Why The Nostalgia Still Hits
Frank and Jonathan close out the Stranger Things segment talking about why the show continues to work so well. It is not just the monsters or the 80s setting. It is the way the kids were introduced as relatively blank slates that feel like real people you could have gone to school with.
The friendships, the awkward first crushes, the bickering over DnD, and that feeling of hanging out at the mall with ten dollars in your pocket all ground the supernatural story in something real. It has the energy of classic Stephen King stories and movies like The Goonies without feeling like a hollow imitation.
They also touch on how the cast aging with the story might actually help season 5. The stakes are higher, the world is falling apart, and it makes sense that these characters are no longer children.
What We Are Watching Next
To wrap things up, the hosts share what they are watching and what they recommend:
- Rewatch Stranger Things or at least hit your favorite season before season 5
- Keep an eye on Welcome to Derry if you are into Stephen King’s shared universe feel
- Check out shows like Make Some Noise if you enjoy sharp improv that feels like magic when it all clicks
The overall vibe is simple. This episode is meant to be your prep kit. Between Wicked For Good, Sunrise on the Reaping, TMNT talk, and a full Stranger Things recap, you will be in a good spot before the next wave of genre TV and movies hits.
If you want, I can also spin this into a shorter “episode guide” version for your site that links directly to the audio, but this version is tuned for readability and search so people looking for a Stranger Things season 5 prep recap can find it easily.
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