It all boils down to family and dysfunction this week on Taking It Down. Blaine begins with his weekly thoughts on 'Presumed Innocent' which will have spoilers (1:18).

Adam and Donovan join to talk about the dragon warfare and political drama of the fourth episode of 'House of the Dragon,' titled "The Red Dragon and the Gold" (5:15).

In the second segment, they discuss episodes five through eight of the new, third season of 'The Bear' which is streaming on Hulu (32:25).

This week, Blaine recommends 'Presumed Innocent' on Apple TV+ with no spoilers (1:57) before getting into the specifics of what makes it worth watching (4:37).

Once Adam and Donovan join, they reveal some random TV they normally don't discuss on the podcast (11:43) before the entire crew dig into the third episode of 'House of the Dragon,' titled "The Burning Mill" (14:58).

After a break, Donovan and Blaine unpack the first four episodes of 'The Bear,' including all the fear on the screen that simmers (37:19).

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It's a stellar episode this week as Blaine welcomes any new listeners, of which there are several these days (0:01). Plus, there's the newsletter, and Blaine explains why it exists (0:51) as well as what's new in the store (1:54).

Apple TV+ cancels 'The Big Door Prize' and he explains why that's both sad and worrisome (2:13). Blaine previews next week (3:28) before getting into the week of TV with co-hosts Adam and Donovan, and that includes a bad Biden performance (4:21).

Adam and Blaine discuss 'Bodkin' from Netflix in general (5:28) before spoiling their final thoughts on the series as a whole (8:31). Then everyone chimes in on 'House of the Dragon' and its second episode in broad terms (17:49) before diving into the spoilers of that episode (20:39).

Blaine and Donovan reflect on what may be to come from this season of 'The Bear' without any spoilers (37:27). Then they give overall opinions on 'Dark Matter' from Apple TV+ (40:32) before discussing specifics of the great finale (44:27).

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It's a bonus episode this week! For episode 201, Blaine Duncan begins with a few odd stats with the podcast (1:43) before giving very brief and non-spoiler thoughts the Netflix show 'Eric' (2:19) and the Apple TV+ series 'Presumed Innocent,' which could be the show of the summer (3:17). And since he's had time to wrap up '3 Body Problem' on Netflix, he offers his final thoughts without spoilers on how the show worked for him overall (6:36).

The conversation then transitions to a discussion about the Netflix movie 'Hit Man' (11:43) where the crew discuss if it is worth your time without spoilers (11:43). The hosts provide their opinions on another Netflix series, 'Bodkin,' which followers a podcaster and a mystery as well as themes of identity, true crime, and small-town dynamics (15:29). The timestamp for spoiling only the first four episodes begin a little later (15:29).

From there, it's brief ideas on 'Presumed Innocent' and why its so fun as Blaine tries to convince the guys to watch it with his own preview (31:02). Then it's 'Dark Matter' with no reveals (32:35) until they transition to all spoilers with the Apple TV+ show: it is a high-quality, thrilling sci-fi show that successfully balances big questions with exciting storytelling (34:00).

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It is Episode 200!

Blaine offers some background of The Alabama Take and the podcast (2:56) and a preview (5:56). When Donovan and Adam join, the hosts reflect on their journey with Taking It Down (7:18).

Then it's one of their favorite segments in quite some time: listener questions (9:31)! With listeners' help, they discuss other media (10:12), TV shows they enjoy despite being unpopular (16:18), their favorite moments from the podcast (22:45), the best part about having a podcast (27:40), Ethel Cain and her music (28:34), their favorite series since beginning (29:20), the recent final of 'The Challenge: All Stars' (32:16), if they've changed opinions now (32:56), the best episode they've ever produced (37:16), what they got right through the years (38:46), the definition of done up real good (41:38), and bread (42:50).

Then they briefly review the Star Wars series 'The Acolyte' on Disney+ with no spoilers (43:56) before diving into spoilers for the first episode of 'House of the Dragon' (47:29).

This week, Taking it Down begins with some thoughts on the next episode, which will be the 200th of the podcast (1:26)! How can you get in on the action?

After that, Blaine gives final thoughts on 'Sugar' from Apple TV+ with no spoilers now that it has ended its run (2:08) as well as a check-in with no spoilers on 'Under the Bridge,' which is nearing its final installment (3:51). After everyone joins the show, the question is, how do we feel now that Bob Dylan is 83 (6:02)? It's TV talk from there. The crew begin talking about 'Dark Matter' and its first two episodes without spoilers before breaking down some specifics of what makes it a good show (9:36). After the break, it's the documentary now on Netflix titled 'Butterfly in the Sky: The Story of Reading Rainbow,' which has the crew reminiscing on both 'Reading Rainbow' and poignant stories on reading itself (23:05). You won't want to miss the ending.

This week, Blaine checks in on 'Manhunt' from Apple TV+ (1:23) before pondering why people are missing 'The Big Door Prize' (3:15).

When the entire crew joins, they toss ideas for the upcoming 200th episode (7:16) before discussing the depth of the ideas in 'Dark Matter' as well as non-spoiler thoughts on the show itself from Apple TV+ (9:38). After that, they decide how they feel about the announcement of two more seasons of 'Shōgun' (20:30).

After the break, Blaine and Donovan discuss episodes four and five of the HBO series 'The Sympathizer': was it purposefully without intention? (28:20).

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Blaine flies solo this week, but not without a lot to say. This week's episode begins with some of the latest from The Alabama Take (0:16) before he gives brief and non-spoiler thoughts on the fourth episode of 'The Sympathizer' (1:15). He ponders the news on 'Shōgun' (1:44), recommends 'Dark Matter' on Apple TV+ (2:53), and explains what '3 Body Problem' needs to do if he's to continue its path (3:56).

The big topic, though, is spoilers: they should be handled with care and respect for the creators and viewers, and Blaine uses a particular one at the culture site Vulture and author Kathryn VanArendonk (4:46). It will leave you fired up or feeling sorry for the critic. You can judge!

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