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In this engaging podcast, a dad and his two sons explore their personal interests while rating a variety of alcoholic beverages. They dive into discussions about nerd and geek culture, travel experiences, and an array of intriguing topics that pique their curiosity. Join them for a fun and lighthearted conversation filled with laughter, insights, and, of course, plenty of drink reviews!
2, 1. Great. Hello, and welcome back to episode 3 of the 3 hamster boys podcast. I've, of course, am Alexander Krisek. To my right is Nick Krisek, my brother, and to my left is Jeff Krisek, my father.
Alexander:Yes. We are all Kriseks.
Jeff:And we're gonna try again Yeah. To record this podcast.
Nick:3 hamsters episode 3. 3 is the magic number. Yeah. 3 is the
Jeff:magic number.
Nick:Yeah. That's what I'm hoping.
Jeff:That's what Schoolhouse Rock said.
Nick:Yeah. It
Jeff:is a magic number.
Alexander:It's true.
Jeff:Yes. It is. And so that's what Dayla Soul said also.
Alexander:Yeah. Well, actually, Skull House Rock is a is a good kind of jumping point here. Mhmm. Speaking of things that teach you lessons. Yeah.
Alexander:Before episode 1, we did heroes. Episode 2, we did villains. So we thought it was kind of appropriate to round out the hero's journey as it were that we're undertaking to talk about mentors that we love in media. So that can be film, books, comics, anime, really anything. Mongo, whatever.
Alexander:Webtoons even. Whatever. Any media.
Nick:Any media. Yeah. Yeah. Any form of storytelling that catches your heart. Yeah.
Nick:Your your heart,
Alexander:your eyes. So Nick, what do we got going on here? 1st, I see some half filled glasses in front of us.
Nick:Of course, we have alcohol before us. This week we are drinking gin, from a local distillery called Vitae. I believe that's what it's called. Fancy. We we actually got to talk with, some of the members of the, the people who who run the distillery, at a food show that we went to.
Nick:Yeah. And we tried a variety of their spirits, their offerings, and, they they advertise a
Jeff:very
Nick:modern, gin. So I'm excited. We're not drinking gin purely. It's not usually recommended. So we're drinking a gin and tonic which I feel like is like the classic way to to experience gin.
Nick:Yeah. I'm I'm curious. I haven't tried any of these cocktails. Oh. Unlike the the last time where I had to formulate.
Jeff:Well, no doubt but I think neither none of us are really big gin drinkers. No. It's really, an exotic or you do
Nick:My my go to we'll talk. My go to cocktail
Jeff:is gin. That's right. Drink.
Nick:But other than that, no, I don't drink gin.
Alexander:Yeah. Alright. Alright. Let's go. I I feel like this is a treat.
Alexander:Normally, I think both of you tried the drink before I do. Yeah. So now we all get to try it together. That is a gin drink.
Nick:It is a gin drink. Yeah. It's it's very potent. You can feel it in the throat, but I definitely think that the, tonic water, cuts it pretty pretty well.
Jeff:Yeah. I think the minerality of the tonic water really kind of enhances and enhances the flavor without really while still toning down the alcohol taste to it.
Nick:Yeah. This will be a very boozy episode. Just Yeah. At well, the other ones were Yeah. Those ones were boozy.
Nick:Whilst crafting these cocktails, I put a lot of alcohol. But that's for the future. Yeah. Otherwise, I think
Jeff:this is
Nick:That's what I'm talking about. It's very sippable. It's not something I can go go, you know, chug down. Right. But let's Yeah.
Nick:Yeah. Back to the theme.
Alexander:Yeah. Let's let's talk about mentors. I think before in the last couple episodes, we really laid some ground rules for what we considered a hero or what we considered a villain. And already talking with you 2. I think mentor is a very loose kind of concept here.
Alexander:Dad, what is your kind of definition of a mentor?
Jeff:Well, so I think for me a mentor is someone that helps the hear hero or protagonist on their journey. So it doesn't always mean someone, and you'll see that 2 of my choices are not really teachers. Mhmm. They're they're people that help with the journey and really aren't teachers, but they they make the hero or protagonist continue their journey when right when they think that they can't. And so I think that for me, a mentor is more of that person who's sitting beside you and make helping you go the whole trap.
Jeff:Yeah.
Alexander:I like that. I will say I think 2 of mine are protagonists to which I consider mentors. So, yeah. It'll be interesting. But alright.
Alexander:Yeah. Let's go ahead and hear your your first Take
Nick:it off.
Alexander:Your first mentor.
Jeff:Okay. So my first mentor is very unconventional. It's, Mushu the dragon. Oh. From Mulan?
Jeff:Mulan the cartoon. So once again, you know, a lot of people go, what? Are they are they a sidekick? But I think that the dragon kind of, the way he interacts with the ancient family. The the the the family of the past and how he says, look, she's the chosen one.
Jeff:She can do this journey, and he's always sitting there beside her. Now she probably gets very little guidance from him. Yeah. But I think that he also but but he still says, you can do this or you can do that. Or I think his interaction with the with the family, the the traditional family, and her being this very nontraditional role is critical for her success.
Alexander:Like the the spirits and
Jeff:the ancestors. The the the ancestors are, it's a girl. She can't do this. The generals, oh, it's a girl. She can't do this.
Jeff:Right? And the whole time he's there next to her with that journey.
Alexander:So in this case, the mentor isn't necessarily like teaching a lesson. He's more of like the hype man in your corner. Exactly.
Jeff:And and the character by Eddie Murphy is more of a hype man.
Nick:I I definitely agree it's, unconventional. I I didn't think of Mushu at all. But I I kind of agree with you. It is that, like, it's that it's that, like, silent guide or like that, it it's it's not someone that, will will tell you the right way. Yeah.
Nick:It's just someone that, like, reassures you that your way is correct. Yeah. And I I think that is very empowering for, like, the character.
Jeff:Well, I think that in real life the journey you take is not all is almost never gonna be will take this path. It's always people around you that are, you know, just helping you say, look, you can make the right decisions and whatever. So I think that for me, that's it's always been most important that there's someone saying there's no wrong decision. It's a decision you're making, then you live with it. You do the consequences of it, and you just keep going.
Nick:Yeah. And so I like that.
Alexander:Yeah. Very fun, unconventional. I like toys.
Jeff:I like it.
Alexander:I like it. It's a good good way to to kick us off. Alright. Nick, what do we got?
Nick:I think I'm doing the exact opposite.
Jeff:Okay. I
Nick:think my first one is a little on the nose. Okay. As a mentor and or teacher. Okay. I'm doing a character from assassination classroom, AKA Koro Sensei.
Nick:Yeah. Which is a yellow tentacled man who can travel at Mach 25, and has, like, blown up, like, half the moon. Yeah. And has, set the government to exterminate him. He has told the government, you need to kill me.
Nick:And the government responded by, trying to and then giving him a classroom of students that are all tasked with killing him.
Alexander:Wow. Oh, yeah. You haven't seen
Jeff:this yet. I have not seen this yet. Once again, animes to me are the most unique form of media because there is no limit to what they can do. Every time that you guys show me an anime, I'm always like, what a creative way of looking at this. And you're not constrained by the physical ability of the actors or whatever.
Jeff:Yeah. Because it's a cartoon, you can do pretty much anything you want. It's part
Alexander:of the reason why I really don't like seeing anime go to live action
Jeff:That's true. Because it just doesn't work.
Nick:But yeah. Koro Sensei, he is, kind of a jerk in the beginning from like your perspective. He's like very arrogant. Uh-huh. And he in like on purpose he's he's seen as like unkillable.
Nick:Right? It's like
Jeff:Well, he did take half the moon away.
Nick:Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. He he's a genuine threat.
Alexander:But he he also like thwarts any sort of assassination attempt to kill him. Like, He just like dodges bullets or it like disarms anyone who runs up on him. Like
Nick:Yeah. But his later intentions, you you see it clearer, that he he wants to teach. He wants to pass on knowledge. He wants to really the classroom that he's given is basically seen as, like, this failure. They're they are, from a school that's, like, super, like, pretentious.
Nick:So pretentious that they need to have this, like, lower class that's, like, far away from the campus, run down, 0 funding. They have bad teachers. They're always seen as the bad kids. They're, like, the example never to be. Oh.
Nick:So Kurosensei, like, takes these kids who are, like, seen as like basically dead end, worthless. There there is no, like, path for them. And and he sees all of their strengths and weaknesses, and with this like, mock speed, he teaches all of them individually during class.
Jeff:Oh, okay. Because he can go so fast.
Alexander:Yeah. This is something that you can't really do in in live action, but like in anime, it's like the after images of him like running around the classroom so quickly. He's like in every student's desk, but it's also kind of like an after image because he was running around.
Nick:And and the whole show he's just a very, like, supportive and guidance, teacher. He's, like, so responsible and no matter what the students go through or troubles, he's always there to be, like, a very, like, like, strong anchor for them. He's like so reliable even though he knows that they're trying to kill him. So good. But yeah, I I really love him.
Nick:I think he's such a great character and and
Jeff:It's such an ironic mentor also. It's a very different kind of
Nick:culture.
Alexander:Yeah. Yeah.
Nick:It it there's like so many different dynamics, that happen, which I I think is great. And I think he he lives up to to this sort of role that he is given and and wants. Alright. What you got?
Alexander:What you got? I like it. I for my first mentor, I'm also gonna go with a teacher. I think I went in a little bit of a different route, but, still, I would, kinda think a mentor here, but, professor Keating from Dead Poets Society.
Nick:Woah. I thought about that. Yeah.
Jeff:It's such a a unique and different role for Rob Robin Wright.
Alexander:That movie messed me up.
Jeff:Yeah. I mean, it's it's no doubt it's a sad movie.
Alexander:I was sobbing on the plane. But, yeah, I I think in, like, in this movie, Robin Williams is playing this kind of weird, wacky, kind of out there professor at this very strict boys school, and he's kind of teaching these kids how to think for themselves, act for themselves. The big message in the movie is carpe diem seize the day. Really take advantage of the life that you have, and that hit me really hard.
Jeff:Just like Jack Black and Scilla Brock. Right? Yeah. Exactly. It's the same message.
Jeff:Same message. Same message.
Alexander:But I I love it from the unorthodox teaching method of, like, getting the students to stand up on the desks and shout out these lines, these these first, poetry, or like literally eating the first couple of pages of their textbook. Just this weird unorthodox way to get these kids from being like we have to follow everything by the book to like let's be weird. Let's be out there. Let's think about how we can observe the world in a different manner. And, I think, obviously, Robin Williams performance, like, brings so much.
Jeff:It's I know a lot of people look at him as a comedic actor, but there's so many roles that are so powerful when he's not a comedic actor. And, and so I think that I think that's part of the the strength in the movie was him playing that part. Because he just he just he hit it right on the head with the right amount of goofiness, the right amount of sense of, just, empathy for the kids. Yeah. Because, I mean, I think that's the biggest thing was is he he throughout the throughout the movie, it's like, I know the struggles you're going through.
Jeff:He's really empathetic for what they're going through.
Nick:So Yeah. Because he he was a student there.
Jeff:Yeah.
Nick:Right? And I think, additionally to carpe diem, it's it's like seeing art for more than just an analytical sense
Alexander:Right.
Nick:Which I I think resonated with me a tad bit more. Yeah. But like I think the message is still there. But it's seeing all of it, like, his students, like, embrace art for just expression and feeling instead of like, oh, this is the correct way
Alexander:Right.
Nick:For for poetry to be good. Right? Like there's a mathematical formula for a good
Jeff:poem. Mhmm. Yeah. This is this is why I did not do good in English. Any of my levels
Alexander:I didn't do too good.
Jeff:Because every time that I've read something, I saw something very different than what my English teacher wanted me to see. Yeah. You know? And so I think that, I that's why it struck with me is because for all of the classes you take in high school, especially the academic ones, there's a way that they want you to think about literature. How it's written and how it's and, you you know, there's a there's a movie called Back to School with Rodney Dangerfield in it.
Jeff:It's a comedy. And his English teacher says, I know you didn't write this story Didn't write this paper because there's no way that that you understand what Kurt Vonnegut was saying. The very next scene is this guy who's rich, Ronnie Dangerfield, turns and says, okay, Kurt Vonnegut. I'm not paying you your money. You didn't write the right story for me.
Jeff:So I I mean, I think it's it's one of those things where there's a the idea of expression is just important. Yeah. Personal expression.
Nick:Yeah. And then, like, artist interpretation and viewer interpretation. I think I think art, as we just saw Yeah. You said carpe diem. Like, the seize the day really resonated with you the most for that.
Nick:Yeah. But then like the freedom of expression Freedom
Alexander:of expression, yeah.
Nick:Resonated with me more. That's already just the same exact thing what we're talking about. Exactly. That's a that's a I really like that one. That's a that's a really good one.
Jeff:I do like that one too. Alright.
Nick:Alright. First break.
Jeff:1st break? We'll be
Nick:right back.
Jeff:Switch out the drinks.
Nick:Nice. You guys are getting good at that.
Alexander:Alright. We return. On to drink number 2. Nick, what do we have in front of us?
Nick:So we have a French gimlet, Gimlet. Oh, you know the French. Do we have
Jeff:to raise our pinky when we drink it?
Nick:I thought that's English.
Alexander:Yeah. Isn't that British?
Nick:We're not drinking tea. We're binge
Jeff:gin, so it's English.
Nick:Okay. Yeah, absolutely. In the spirit of it, I looked up many many recipes for a gimlet. This one is very very simple. It is just gin, elderflower liqueur, and lime juice.
Alexander:Okay.
Nick:It should be refreshing, but we'll see.
Alexander:Should be refreshing, should have taste like alcohol.
Nick:Yeah. Once again have not tried this. So I'm excited going in blind. Yeah. Alright.
Nick:Cheers. Cheers.
Alexander:I taste the gin, first and then I think everything else kind of hits me later. The elder, the elder, the elder flower, elder berry
Nick:really hit flower. Elder flower really hits later.
Jeff:Yeah. I mean, I can taste the the floral notes on my tongue after everything fades away. Yeah. The lime is more just a sensation.
Nick:Yeah. It's it's still hitting the back of my throat. Yeah.
Jeff:So so This
Alexander:is good. I like this thing.
Jeff:I do like it too, but it's kind of like a Martini where it's like 2 shots of booze with another half shot of booze. Right. Yeah. This is this is just, boozy.
Nick:A martini wasn't in the Potential for a cocktail. I just felt that it wasn't flashy enough.
Jeff:Well, we were joking about is that the first one was clear. Now this one is less than clear.
Nick:Yeah. It's not really gonna change for the last one. Yeah. I don't think so.
Alexander:Alright, Nick. We have gone through our first round of mentors. A lot of great choices, honestly. Yeah.
Jeff:And I
Alexander:think a good diversity here. So what do you have for number 2?
Nick:So number 2, I'm going with a very classic. This was like my instinctual. Okay. Like, boom. This is this is the mentor that, I saw growing up and, like, could could resonate with a lot.
Nick:Okay. Just because just because you see him so much, and he's, like, such a great mentor. It is master Splinter from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. And splinter has been done a huge variety of ways. Yeah.
Nick:But like pretty consistently, he's one of those teachers that feel so, like, otherworldly wise. Mhmm. He's, like, one of those characters where you're, like, he's right again. Yeah. The turtle's messed up.
Nick:He's there to to to fix it, to solve them to solve, like, any issues and to remedy any of the, like, conflict or
Jeff:So in my mind, he's a fatherly kind of mentor.
Nick:Absolutely. Yeah.
Jeff:You know? And that that's that's that's kind of what I would think of as a traditional mentor or as a fatherly figure that's leading them, especially when it's 4 young kids that are growing. I mean, the whole concept is that they're teenagers. And so they just want to do their own thing.
Nick:Yeah. I I think as the the parental figure for these like they're they're not his children. Right? Right. But he raised them as his own.
Nick:Even though he's a rat now, and they're weird turtle guys. I think it's such an interesting dynamic, and he really serves a lot of the narratives just as, like, a really, like, consistently wise and, like powerful. Because because like whenever you see Shredder, like actually or sorry not Shredder.
Jeff:No. It's
Nick:Shredder. Yeah. We're not Shredder. Splinter, like go out or do stuff. He's like always like so so in control of everything.
Nick:Yeah. And then like we go into him assigning the weapons to the turtles. I
Jeff:love
Nick:the weapon theory of Ninja Turtles, just because I think he he put so much thought into it. Quickly briefly.
Alexander:Yeah. Yeah. Talk about the weapon theory, because I I love hearing you talk about this.
Nick:So the weapon theory, the turtles are given weapons opposite to their personalities. Right. So to begin with the leader, Leonardo. Right? He is very compassionate.
Nick:He he is seen as the leader. He's he's given the role as the leader. Right? He is compassionate. He's kind.
Nick:He usually tries to speak before anything else. He's usually the most reserved also in the fact of, like, taking action. So he's given blades.
Jeff:Mhmm.
Nick:Basically, the one thing that can kill the easiest. So he has to be the most mindful of how of how he operates these weapons. Following that is our hothead, Rafael, who is very rash, prone to aggression, usually actions before words, and and act now, think later sort of thing. And he's given the size, which are defensive weapons. They're meant for catching weapons, catching blades.
Nick:They're they're meant for holding people down. They're they're not meant for any actual brutal attacks.
Jeff:Right.
Nick:So he he's taught to learn that. We have Michelangelo, which you'd think, oh, nunchucks. He's crazy. Nunchucks are crazy. But it's it's the regard that he his mind is always going somewhere else, and you have to be yeah.
Nick:You have to be so precise with nunchucks, or else you'll hurt yourself. Yeah. So these weapons sort of force him to to focus on a single thing, and really give him direction. And then finally, Donatello. Donatello is a very he's the thinker.
Nick:He's the the innovator. He is the mastermind. He creates all the gadgets. He he usually, like, creates all the plans. Leonardo comes to him for all of the, you know, ideas.
Nick:He like goes to him. He's the thinker and he's given a stick.
Alexander:So he's got all these gadgets and what does he use?
Nick:Stick. He has a stick. I think it's that's so fun. I I love Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It's my childhood.
Nick:Watching the eighties slash nineties animated series, and then all the cool, like, movies that came out. Maybe not the live action one.
Jeff:I thought you were gonna say the live action.
Alexander:But no ice was in it. Well,
Nick:honestly, I like the I like the
Jeff:The first one was The 1
Nick:and 2 were good. I wasn't that big a fan of the the back in time Yeah. 1. That's fair. And then the new age TMNT, not good.
Nick:Yeah. The the live action I don't I don't know about any of the other series, but I
Alexander:haven't even seen the the newer ones.
Nick:But, yeah. It TMNT, Ninja Turtles grew up on them. They're great. True.
Alexander:The theme song was playing
Jeff:in my head the entire
Nick:time. Exactly. Here's on the half show. Yeah. Durbin.
Alexander:Yeah. I'll go next here. I like that. I think that that's a really, really fun one. I think because we haven't mentioned it yet, we've mentioned, like, teachers, father figures, and kind of sidekicks.
Alexander:I think characters that we haven't really mentioned as mentors are coaches. So I'm gonna throw my hat in the ring here, and I'm going to say that my number 2 pick for mentor is Ted Lasso from the hit series Ted Lasso.
Jeff:Okay. That's a very weird choice.
Alexander:I I yes. You're you're correct.
Jeff:That is.
Alexander:I don't know if either of you have seen Ted Lasso.
Jeff:Nope. I've seen pieces of it.
Alexander:I feel you've seen clips.
Jeff:I've seen clips of it.
Alexander:Basically, the short form of the story is this guy from Kentucky who is coaching d 2 football has been hired to be a Premier League football, like a soccer coach. Football. Yeah. Soccer coach in England for Richmond AFC, and goes over, has no idea how to play soccer, and it's basically about him coaching. But I think the thing about about this character is he is like he's like a warm cup of milk is like this character.
Alexander:Like, he's so goofy. He's so so compassionate. He's like I don't know. He's like the Midwest dad, basically. And, yeah, he's I don't know.
Alexander:He's such a great character where he is imparting imparting lessons on his coat on his on his players, even if they don't really know or that he doesn't know how to play the game. Like for instance, one of his defensive players is getting upset and he pulls him aside and he goes, hey, do you know what the happiest animal in the world is? And his players like, no. What? And Ted's like, it's a goldfish.
Alexander:Why why is it goldfish? Because the goldfish has a 10 second memory. Happens, and then he forgets about it. And it's like those those little snippets that make him such a fun and interesting character. And Besides the whole fish out of water thing, would you Yeah.
Alexander:Yeah. Yeah. He's like he's totally out of his element, but he's, like, he's so nice, and he's so, like, friendly to people that people can't help but, like, like him and, like, talk to him and wanna eventually root for him. There's an episode where a journalist is following him around all day to, like, dig up dirt and say bad things about him because, you know, the club is not doing well. Because, I mean, this guy doesn't know anything about soccer, and ends up writing an article about it.
Alexander:And at the end, he goes, he's gonna fail, but I can't help but root for him at the end of the day.
Jeff:That's a really cool choice.
Nick:That that's a that's a sort of a character, that like the audience also like goes along with and is inspired by them. Where it like it reaches out. Like, not more than just like, the media itself, but like this character alone
Alexander:Yeah. Really
Nick:captures the audience along with the, the other characters.
Alexander:I think the show does a great job too of approaching masculinity in a way of like being vulnerable and, like, showing emotions as well. Ted Lasso is, like, a great example of that in being, like, a vulnerable person at times and willing to talk about his feelings, and unwilling at some points too and kind of addressing those situations as well as talking about, like, Ted having anxiety attacks and things like that. So overall, I think it's a very fun show, very silly, but also Ted being this main character being a mentor for all. Yeah. You're like going with him and you're like, yeah.
Alexander:I'm also learning from this character as I'm going.
Jeff:Yeah. Alright. Now for my number 2 Round two. Yes. What is your 2 sound?
Jeff:My number 2 is once again, it's a it's an odd choice. I'm gonna leave my main mentor as number 1, but my number 2 is Alfred from Batman.
Nick:Oh. Oh.
Jeff:And once again, he is not he's I think he's teaching Bruce Wayne humanity. Mhmm.
Nick:And I
Jeff:think that's what he's mentoring in him. Because Bruce Wayne in in everything, but, like, the the movies part of it is always going to a dark place. He's always in this very dark place. And Alfred is always there going, you know, I always there's so many different characters that have played it, but it's like, they always have and I think, you know, when you Alfred, when you're gonna ever give up on me? Never.
Jeff:I'm never gonna give up on you. And that was the Dark Knight, version of it. But in each one of these roles, he's been there. And, you know, in the old sixties quirky one, the the techno wizard was Alfred, because he ran all the machinery in the bat cave. Yeah.
Jeff:You know? And in different cartoons, he's had different levels of of expertise or abilities where he's been able to interact with bad guys or save Batman or whatever. And I think it's just, it's a role where not like Robin where he's front and center on everything. He's always in the background, but he's always making sure that there's humanity in what Bruce Wayne is and does, you know, so that he doesn't go down a dark place. Because there's a lot of times when you see Batman, he's on the edge of being a bad guy.
Nick:Yeah. Mhmm.
Jeff:You know? And I think the only thing that prevents him from taking that extra step, even though he does take the extra step a couple times, is Alfred bringing him back, you know. And it's weird because it's it's in this posh environment of being rich. But Alfred never uses that as a tool for making sure he knows what humanity is. And so I think that that's I think that's the other part of mentoring is that, you joke about some of these anime's where the the main character has unlimited power.
Jeff:Mhmm. And one of the things that they always Yeah. Think about one punch and things like that where, you know, where where these characters have unlimited power, but they need that humanity piece in order to progress in their journey. And that's what I've heard does for Batman.
Nick:I agree. I think Batman similarly takes the role of, like, a parent a lot of times, especially in the beginning. But, yeah, I I think a lot of times Alfred is there to I I think humanity is definitely the right word for it. To be like, hey, it's okay to lose, to fall, to get to get hurt. Yeah.
Nick:And like, he also is like, you don't have to do it alone. And I think he he really is this character that, gives Bruce Wayne the the ability to look weak, but in a good way. Like in like in a positive way. Right? Like I think if it was just Bruce, he would be dead.
Nick:Yeah. He would be dead. Because nothing would stop him. Yeah. Yeah.
Nick:He would just keep going
Jeff:and keep going and keep going without thinking about how he's interacting with all those people. Because I agree. I mean, one of the things I was looking at, like you said, is the protagonist as a mentor. If you look at Batman, he's really mentoring Robin also.
Nick:Yeah. Yeah.
Jeff:Or whichever version of Robin.
Alexander:Whatever Robin. It's still Robin. Yeah.
Nick:Starts off as Robin.
Jeff:Or or or even Batgirl or Catwoman. There's there's mentoring in all of that pieces.
Alexander:Man, I'd argue Catwoman's kinda mentoring.
Jeff:Yeah. Yeah. Well, that's a different thing. But, you know, I think that, in order for him to do that, he has to have the humanity part of it.
Nick:Yeah. Mhmm.
Jeff:And so that that's always why I picked it.
Nick:I I like to think that Bruce tries to emulate Alfred when he's talking to any of the Robins. Yeah. Yeah. Which is probably accurate. Because he's not emanating like Raj, Al Gore, or anything.
Jeff:Yeah. Yeah.
Nick:Like he
Alexander:he has
Nick:to have that from like a certain place. Yeah. Albert's very good. I like that. Yeah.
Nick:I like that a little.
Jeff:Once again, it's a different choice.
Nick:Yeah. No. I agree. Yeah.
Alexander:Alright. Well, now to break number 2 and drink number 3 after this.
Jeff:We'll be right
Nick:back.
Alexander:Alright. And here we are for our 3rd and final drink. And, of course, our 3rd and final mentor. I don't know about you all, but I have not been going in any order for any of these lists. It's just been whatever kinda hits my mind here.
Alexander:I feel like you kind of have an order in mind when you're going down.
Jeff:I do. I mean, I think that, I have who I think is my best mentor in my mind
Alexander:Mhmm. And
Jeff:I make that number 1.
Alexander:Yeah.
Jeff:And then I try to count down from there. You know? And because I I don't think so Mushu is probably not the strongest mentor that you you Yeah.
Nick:Yeah. You can say.
Jeff:But it was so it's a person that I thought was a mentor type that I thought was interesting.
Alexander:Yeah.
Jeff:Number 2 is yeah. I think it's a mentor, but it's really a different kind of mentor. Mhmm. And my number one choice is gonna be what I think is a traditional mentor role.
Nick:I I think I I think 3 is like the oddball Yeah. For for mine, and then like 1 and 2 are like interchangeable.
Jeff:Yeah.
Nick:It's it's how I feel.
Alexander:I just I feel like I just whatever is on my mind. Nick, what are we drinking?
Nick:So, to to, round us out on the cocktails, this is my go to cocktail. If I don't know what what to get or, any of the cocktails at a bar underwhelming for the house specials, this this is my go to. This is my comfort drink, which is a Tom Collins. Which is basically, it's a gin sour.
Jeff:Okay.
Nick:It's very refreshing, and it's just like easy to drink.
Alexander:Easier than
Jeff:the other 2? Easy to hope. Those 2 are pretty easy.
Nick:Yeah. Alright. Cheers.
Alexander:Yeah. You're right. Yep.
Jeff:It's easy to drink. Yeah.
Nick:It's a very refreshing drink, and it like it's not overpowering of the gin, but it's like very there and it's still refreshing.
Jeff:I'm just I'm I'm never been a real gin fan. Yeah. The the pine needle taste is not something that, you know, I don't like chewing on an air freshener.
Alexander:Okay. But I feel like this out of all the drinks has the least
Jeff:It does. It has it does have the least, but, I just I think that in general, I I'm very a gin drink would probably be the lowest on my trust. Now, once again, I'm a Scotch whiskey guy.
Nick:Yeah. Yeah.
Jeff:So that's a very different flavor profile.
Nick:Yeah.
Jeff:You know, where, you know, for for me, if scotch and whiskey is up here, then you're going rum next, and then you're going probably it's like if it's mezcal. And you also have kind of the the burning of vodka, and and gin is a derivative of vodka.
Alexander:Yeah. Yeah.
Jeff:So and so that's where I kind of maybe vodka is below gin because it has less flavor or no flavor.
Alexander:But I feel like it's what makes it versatile. Yeah.
Jeff:No. No. I mean, yeah. I think
Nick:Vodka is basically the tofu of alcohol. Yeah. Exactly. I like that. Really revolting tofu.
Jeff:It's actually it's more of the soybean because everything else is made from it. Right. You know, or that or corn mash. It's kinda crazy how much corn mash is used in things, where it's just a pure corn alcohol that's the basis of it. So basically, vodka is a potato alcohol base, and you have corn mash, and then you you can also have some other ones.
Jeff:Yeah.
Alexander:Yeah. Well, speaking of corn mash of mentors here, I I think my number one mentor is really kind of, I think, one of those mentors that if you grew up in our time, really have seen a lot of, Slightly older, slight slightly slightly slightly younger as well. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Alexander:Well, yeah. I feel like late nineties, early 2000, if you ever watched. And I'm gonna say it. I'm turning into, like, the Avatar Last Airbender guy because I did Azula last week Yeah. For for villains.
Alexander:But I'm gonna do it again, and you can't stop me, because Avatar the Last Airbender has one of the best mentors of all time. And that, of course, is uncle Iroh. Mhmm. If you thought that he would escape this list, you were wrong.
Nick:Zero chance. Yeah. We were competing.
Alexander:Was one of us was gonna mention it. I I'm just the one to today who get who gets to talk about uncle Iroh.
Nick:You're the herald of uncle Iroh.
Alexander:Exactly. A phenomenal character. Really, not only does he have his own redemption arc from being like a fire lord lackey into, like, the grandfather figure that we all wanted to have, become such a a parent and a father figure for Zuko is so kind to literally every person he talks with offering advice or tea or both to characters like Toph when she's feeling a bit lost and, out of their way. I feel like any character that kind of like strays or doesn't really know what they're doing or what they should be doing, end up finding uncle Iroh at some point and hearing his wisdom, and ending end up coming back into with greater knowledge.
Jeff:Plus he's a boss.
Nick:Oh. Yeah.
Jeff:Oh, yeah. He's a beast. He he
Alexander:he is awesome.
Jeff:Yeah. I mean that that's the other thing is that not only is he this really fatherly figure, he's a boss in the thing, you know. When he's in that jail and he's like Oh my god. Beefing up. Sorry.
Jeff:If you haven't seen it, it's it's it really is regardless of the live action ones the cartoon is really great to watch.
Nick:He's the dragon of pick a cardinal direction. I don't remember. East west, one of those. East or West, I think.
Alexander:I don't remember. Yeah. He's a dragon of something. Yeah.
Nick:He he's awesome. Oh, my gosh. Yeah. I mean, he's like the he's like the epitome. I mean, like, when we were like, oh, Mentors.
Nick:He's like one of the first names that
Alexander:just came
Nick:out of our mouths. Just because, like, I think he's he's comparable to Splinter, and the feeling that, like, he he guides, like, many many people, and he always feels like he's, like, never really shocked or surprised. Or, like, he always has like the solution, like sort of tucked away. But like he doesn't he wants to see the growth. He wants people to find their own paths.
Nick:Yes.
Alexander:I think that that's so what makes him so impactful as a character too. Maybe straying a little bit away from him being a mentor, but, like, when Zuko chooses the wrong option, you can see uncle Iroh, like, wincing. Like, he knows that, like, that's the wrong thing.
Jeff:But he's always there.
Alexander:But he's always there. Yeah. Even even when Zuko chooses the wrong option, uncle Iroh is still there. He's still following him. Still there as a safety net.
Alexander:Because like you said, he wants to impart wisdom, but he also wants to make sure that people are learning by making those mistakes. If we can't fall and we can't, you know, pick ourselves up, I feel like we're not learning as much. Kind of similar to Alfred in that sense, he's the safety net for Zuko, in the fact that, like, he wants Zuko to learn for himself to impart some of the words that uncle Iroh is saying to him, but also to understand that he can make those mistakes and he's afforded to make those mistakes because uncle Iroh is there to catch him, to help him back.
Jeff:Well, not only that, but he has lived through those mistakes.
Nick:Right. Yeah.
Jeff:Yeah. I think that that's also important. You know, as you and once again, going back to Alfred, there's a backstory there. Yeah. You know, that in order for these characters to be meaningful, they can't be pure.
Jeff:Yeah. Right? They they have they have to have that fault that that part of them that where they've had to learn in that journey also.
Nick:Yeah. Absolutely.
Alexander:And uncle Iroh is no saint. Yeah. You know, complicit in the Fire Lord's war Yeah. Was a general kill a lot of people, but also, you know, having lost his son, he really does become that character that has that kind of darker past that that riddled jaded past that has really helped him make his decisions. And like I said, kind of that redemption arc that he has through the show.
Nick:Yeah. It's sort of the idea that after his son dies, he's like, what is all this pedigree?
Alexander:Yeah. What is this for?
Nick:What what is all of this like prestige that I'm getting? Like, I get all these titles. I get all this land. I'm still losing my family. You know, and I think when he realizes that he he looks at his family different, I think he sees you go differently, and I think he's he's such a great such a great character.
Jeff:Well, no. I got Such a great He is such a great foil to be parallel to the story.
Nick:Yeah. Mhmm.
Jeff:You know, that's what that's what I always see is that although we're watching Aang and his journey, this parallel path that he's taking is really important to enhance Aang's journey.
Alexander:He's the, stop and smell the roses character.
Jeff:Yeah.
Nick:Like Carvedium?
Jeff:Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Again, the next carvedium.
Alexander:Right? But but no. For real, he just wants to, like, drink tea and and play, was it White Lotus?
Nick:No. He plays the White Lotus.
Alexander:Yeah. Oh, what does he play? Whatever the board game that they play. He just wants to play a board game, drink some tea, talk, swap stories, and, like, Zuko is like, I must find the avatar. Pie show.
Nick:Yeah. You're right. Pie show. That's what it is.
Alexander:Yeah. Alright. I guess we'll go with the dad next.
Jeff:Alright. So for me as a person that graduated in the eighties. Yeah. I knew that was
Nick:a long time ago. Graduated in Say graduated?
Jeff:Graduated high school in the eighties. High school?
Nick:I thought you're gonna say college. No.
Jeff:No. I I didn't I didn't graduate college until the 2000 oh, 1999. I was a slow learner. But anyways, one of the great stories was Karate Kid. And taking nothing from Jackie Chan in the remake Yeah.
Jeff:What? But Pat Morita as Miyagi was just remarkable.
Alexander:We do love Jackie Chan in this household. I just
Jeff:wanna throw it out here. But If there's a movie with Jackie Chan or, Bruce Willis, we're all sitting down and watching.
Alexander:Yeah. Yeah. Exactly.
Nick:But It's just that movie specifically was a little unfortunate. Yeah.
Jeff:Yeah. But yeah. So I just think because for you guys, you you you didn't know this, but there was a series in the seventies called happy days. And Pat Morita was in that as the cook. Oh.
Jeff:As a in a greasy spoon.
Nick:Okay.
Jeff:And it was this greasy spoon in Milwaukee. Let's go. And it was like Ron Howard, the Fonz, all that was that's what happy days was. And the cook was Pat Morita. So you have this character that's been a supporting character, You know, whenever they need a Japanese character, he was the one that you would get.
Jeff:Right? There's there's a there's characters throughout the sixties seventies that played a majority of the the Asian characters. Right. Right? And so when you saw him in that role, it was a very different role because it was he was a in a car hop as a cook in happy days.
Jeff:The next role that comes out is this role where he's this karate expert. And so it was such a different role now. I I've seen interviews with him where he said I was sore every day, and it was I had to learn so much stuff, but he pulled it off in such a way where you could believe that this older guy and then he also showed something that a lot of Americans don't wanna talk about. He was a of Japanese descent, and he was fighting on the American side against the Japanese.
Alexander:Mhmm.
Jeff:So it's a very so he here's this war hero, but he doesn't get credit for it because during World War 2, there was internship. So there was this conflict with him and how he related to it and how he was gonna be a mentor because he left everything behind in Japan. And so I think that that story really resonated with me because the immigrants it was an immigrant story. It was him being lost and being able to find himself by mentoring, Ralph Macchio?
Nick:Yeah. I think so.
Jeff:Yeah.
Nick:I I I'll take your word for him.
Jeff:I'm terrible with names.
Alexander:I I I'll just support
Nick:you and encourage you.
Jeff:That's Ralph something. Yeah.
Nick:We're all bad at names. Girl Ralph.
Jeff:But anyway, so I think that, that that story just resonated with me because it was just such a re once again, it's a redemption story, not just for the kid who was being bullied. Mhmm. Because the the the the antagonist in this was this white guy from Vietnam that was just sadistic in how he did his training Yeah. Whatever. And so it was really that kind of redemption story where, you know, they didn't they didn't know Pat Morita Miyagi's backstory about being a war hero.
Jeff:Yeah. And so I I just it was one of those things that really touched me, and I just thought it was an incredible story. And it was the and it was one of those parent mentoring ones because once again, Ralph, whatever his name is Yeah. Was from a single mom household. And so he did not have that male figure.
Jeff:And this was so he went to the the Cobra Kai to find that male figure.
Alexander:Mhmm.
Jeff:But that was a sadistic and mean male figure, and Pat Morita was definitely not that.
Alexander:Yeah. Also, like a a lot of lot more, like, war undertones than I kinda thought about. I need to rewatch them. Yeah.
Jeff:That's what I
Alexander:was thinking too.
Jeff:Well, he he has, I think it's a medal of honor he has in his chest.
Alexander:Yeah. And it's not something we talk about a lot, but, like, the Japanese internment camps that America had during World War 2, definitely something to
Nick:What? I mean Yeah. Alright. What kinda
Alexander:I'm not in the stage to talk about this.
Nick:Yeah. So what? Get a few more drinks. We'll talk.
Jeff:Yeah. Yeah.
Alexander:I can't believe
Jeff:you. You already This one's finished years.
Nick:My go to.
Alexander:Well, you you didn't finish any of the other ones, but that one's already gone. I'm halfway through this one. I'm refreshed.
Jeff:Yeah. Yeah.
Nick:I'm feeling refreshed. But, no. Mister Miyagi, I think is so great. Just I think YouTube picked, like, very iconic, like, super iconic, and, like, they're ingrained. Whenever you think of a mentor in media, I think those 2 are like they're like really high up on the list.
Nick:Yeah. And I think for good reason. I think they're such strong characters, not exclusively for the impact they made, but for like the, like nuances that they they impart and share with like it's it's ironically like the smallest moments that really have the biggest impact. Right? Like Iroh sharing tea.
Jeff:Yeah.
Nick:That's like, that's what you think of him. Right? You don't think of his like crazy feats. You think of him sitting down and either paying playing Pai Sho or shrinking tea with you. And then for mister mister Miyagi, you don't think of like all the grueling work of karate.
Nick:You think of the wax on wax off. Right? Like like these like seemingly like menial tasks, but these mentors show wisdom and like guidance with these, like, very mundane, you know, opportunities.
Jeff:I think overall, if you've looked at all 3 of the of the people all 3 episodes that we've done, one of the things that we as a group, because we're all related Yeah.
Alexander:Of course. We are.
Jeff:Is that we don't like the 2 dimensional characters. Yeah. We we want there to be nuance. We want there to be, quirkiness to it. We want it we want it to be, a joy to see, a joy to look at.
Jeff:You know? Because we we want the characters that we follow or pay attention to to be something that's enjoyable and really, unique and different. Yeah. Alright. Your turn.
Jeff:Yeah.
Alexander:I was supposed to say, speaking of unique and different, Nick, what are you ending us on?
Nick:So I'm doing one that boom blindsides. Oh, gosh. Okay. Oh, no. So I felt a little sad not talking about an anime villain.
Nick:Okay. So I feel like I I have to do 2 anime characters to really, cement myself that I know anime. Yeah. Okay. Kinda crazy.
Nick:So I'm doing the epitome of someone you look up to. Oh, gosh. The neither of you are from have seen it.
Alexander:Okay. So you're just out. I thought you were gonna go with like something classic from anime like Master Roshi, and like there's a lot a lot that we can talk about and discuss.
Nick:I I I like those characters for a lot, what they are, but there's one character from an anime, a little anime called Gurren Lagann. Oh, yeah. And the character that I'm talking about is a character named Kamina, and he is this big brother figure, which I think is a dynamic that we haven't engaged on. Of all of them. Kamina, takes the role of a big brother and a guide for the main character Simone.
Nick:So Kamina is this arrogant, unstoppable fire. He he is always doing things with gusto. He is never looking back. He's the character that basically ignites the whole story. He's the one who, takes charge and is looking for the future a 100 years ahead.
Nick:He is someone that is, like, an inspiration to everyone around him. And I think he is a mentor because he looks at the main character and he goes, you're coming with me because you are better than me. You just don't know it yet. And I think it's he's this character that has so much energy. He has this, he he always says a quote before he, like, does anything.
Nick:Oh, gosh. Whenever people are like, you can't do that, you can't beat me, and he just goes, you you think I can't beat you? Who the hell do you think I am? Oh, no. And he does stuff.
Nick:He he always succeeds. He's, like, he keeps on winning, and you just can't help but love him, because he's so stupidly arrogant and, like, stupidly positive on on so many, courses. Germlagen, basically, humanity is is earth has died. Mhmm. The entire surface of the world is gone.
Nick:It's it's a desert. And so humanity has retreated underground, trying to find the last scrapes of water. So, like, the the main workforce is miners Oh. And diggers. So the main character has, like, a drill.
Nick:He he keeps drilling. That's all he does.
Alexander:You know, I've seen clips of Groen Lagann, but I've never seen the show itself.
Nick:So Yeah. And so, Kong is like ideas like, we're retaking earth. We are going to reclaim this land. We're we're gonna make it thrive. And he's he's such a strong figure that he's he's, like, left so many ripples on every single character that he's interacted with.
Nick:And he's such a he's such a fire. He he is a burning spirit. And and there is a point where where Simone, the main character, has to pick up the torch that that has been left to him. And and all he's like, I can't do it. I I can never be like him.
Nick:But it's it's this moment where where he just starts trying to act like Kaminah. And that's enough. Like, he he does everything.
Jeff:This foreshadows the what happened to Kamin. Listen. Listen. Not this word picking up.
Nick:Picking up. It it is it's been out for a while. Spoilers, Camino does pass away in a very, very tragic scene that's very emotional, really badass, but,
Alexander:I feel like it's, like, popular. Like, I feel like I've seen clips of it.
Nick:Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Jeff:Yeah.
Nick:Yeah. He yeah. But Kamino, he he's this he's this unshakable fire, but but it's like the brightest stars burn the fastest. Mhmm. Yeah.
Nick:And I think, opposed to your characters or or honestly all of our characters, it's like the finality of this mentor really, like, drives it home a little bit stronger. Where you're like, he's gone and you're like we're like he's like left a void from this fire that he's he's left. And really, he's such a great character. Yeah. That's my number one.
Alexander:That's my number one. I think it goes back to, like, that that safety net or that, like, guiding light that these mentors provide where when they're gone, you're like, what's next? Even if these mentors have been preparing you in their own way of, like, pushing your own path, like trailblazing your own path forward, a lot of times when when that, like, light goes out, you're like, oh, no. What do I do? When in reality, you have those tools or that that mayor main character has those tools to keep going forward.
Jeff:They just
Alexander:didn't realize it.
Jeff:The the the mentor said, I know you're better than me.
Nick:Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Jeff:You know, I think that that is the the mentor I mean, my my mentors, if you look at them, they always go, yeah. That guy is better than me. You know, that that that person is gonna do something greater than whatever I did.
Alexander:And I I feel like that's really relevant to real life because a lot of times when Nick and I work at a summer camp, when we work at the summer camp, a lot of times, I have so much hope for the future because working with these kids, I'm like, dude, these kids are awesome. They get it. They get it. They are incredible. They're so strong.
Alexander:They are in a way, like, better than me. They just don't know it yet, and they don't know how to use that power yet.
Jeff:I I joke about it with their chem my when I went to chemical engineering school after I got out of the Navy. So here I am, 30 years old going to UVA, University of Virginia, chemical engineering school. And I I say the kids around me because they started kindergarten the year that I graduated high school.
Alexander:Oh, my gosh. Yeah.
Nick:Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Alexander:I know that's accurate.
Jeff:And so you you look at this and you think, you know, these these kids are just so much smarter than me and whatever. And you guys have heard the story is that at the end of it, I got an award for the person that least needed to be there. And because whenever they were stuck, because I had no practical experience, I would just say, turn this valve this way, you know, raise this temperature this way. And I think that I knew I mean, I looked around that class and said, I'm the dumbest person in this class. You know, there's no doubt.
Jeff:And these these guys say kids, but these young adults are just so much smarter and more capable than me. And you just realize that and the the best thing that you can do is just say, go free. Go do it. Go go be great. You know?
Jeff:Yeah. Because that's that's that's what they need to do. You know?
Alexander:Well, I'm so excited to find the youth.
Nick:This might have been my favorite episode at
Alexander:this point.
Nick:Yeah. I agree.
Jeff:It was also the hardest one.
Nick:Yeah. It took me a while.
Alexander:Yeah. It did I was looking through a lot. There are a lot of honorable mentions that I was kind of looking through. For sure. And, like, I knew uncle Ira was gonna be on the list, but I didn't really know who else is gonna be on the list.
Alexander:But overall, a very fun episode. Gin, not my favorite drink, but I really did enjoy a lot of these drinks. At this
Nick:point, it's where it's staying in my mouth.
Alexander:Yeah. Yeah. I can't get gin out of my mouth. I'm just tasting juniper berries.
Nick:I wouldn't recommend 3
Jeff:gin drinks
Nick:in Rome.
Alexander:But thank you all so much, and, we'll see you next time. Yeah.
Jeff:We'll also say that hopefully that this time there will be a video.
Nick:Oh, you could see our beautiful faces, baby. 1st time.
Jeff:We'll also do the please subscribe. Yeah. Do the bell. Do all the great stuff. You know what it is.
Jeff:You know what it is. I appreciate it. But we do appreciate you guys watching us. Yeah. Cool.
Jeff:Alright.
Alexander:Alright. Great job. Yep.
Nick:On to the next.
Jeff:Peace. Peace. Yep.
Alexander:Do you mind if I was a little intoxicated?