Tori Preston
@torionic.bsky.social
Managing Editor @Pajiba / co-host Podjiba podcast / still requires more chainsaws
Wrote a bit about coercion, free will, and how the hive mind doesn’t have all the power in Pluribus.
How ‘Pluribus’ Upends the Power Dynamics of the Apocalypse
How ‘Pluribus’ Upends the Power Dynamics of the Apocalypse
By now, you probably know what Vince Gilligan's mysterious new series Pluribus is all about (and if you don't, Dustin wrote a handy explainer yesterday). In a nutshell, an alien virus infects the entire population of Earth, linking everyone's consciousness...
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www.pajiba.com
November 11, 2025 at 9:06 PM
Wrote a bit about coercion, free will, and how the hive mind doesn’t have all the power in Pluribus.
Reposted by Tori Preston
'I Love LA,' 'The Lowdown,' 'Down Cemetery Road,' And More On Podjiba!
'I Love LA,' 'The Lowdown,' 'Down Cemetery Road,' And More On Podjiba!
Wood Talk is back! That's right, for those of you who have been waiting for our important segment highlighting the ongoing wood stacking and burning adventures of Dustin and Tori, it's finally cold enough to be relevant again! Although this...
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www.pajiba.com
November 5, 2025 at 5:13 PM
'I Love LA,' 'The Lowdown,' 'Down Cemetery Road,' And More On Podjiba!
It was a good night for voters- even fictional ones
'The Lowdown’ Finale Was the Perfect Election Night Chaser
'The Lowdown’ Finale Was the Perfect Election Night Chaser
When Zohran Mamdani delivered his victory speech after winning the mayoral race in New York City last night, he made a point to thank "those so often forgotten by the politics of our city... Yemeni bodega owners and Mexican abuelas,...
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www.pajiba.com
November 5, 2025 at 9:02 PM
It was a good night for voters- even fictional ones
He’s fine! And considering the pessimism around his casting, “fine” is a win!
Two Reasons Why Liam Hemsworth’s Substitution Works In ‘The Witcher’ Season 4
Two Reasons Why Liam Hemsworth’s Substitution Works In ‘The Witcher’ Season 4
Like a rubbernecker eyeing a crash on the side of the highway, I'll admit there was no way I wouldn't be tuning in to the latest season of Netflix's The Witcher. Sure, I like the show - and the novels,...
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www.pajiba.com
November 3, 2025 at 9:14 PM
He’s fine! And considering the pessimism around his casting, “fine” is a win!
I was quoted by one of my favorite writers, on one of my favorite outlets. Today was a good day.
James Gunn is few critics’ idea of a respectable auteur, but his work at Warner Bros.’s DC Studios (and Disney’s Marvel before that) is more consistently progressive, if not utopian, than any other comic-book material being put out today.
James Gunn’s American Project
James Gunn is few critics’ idea of a respectable auteur, but his work at Warner Bros.’s DC Studios (and Disney’s Marvel before that) is more consistently progressive, if not utopian, than any other comic-book material being put out today.
www.vulture.com
October 31, 2025 at 2:20 PM
I was quoted by one of my favorite writers, on one of my favorite outlets. Today was a good day.
Oh hey! I was quoted in a fantastic piece by Matt Zoller Seitz on Vulture!
I am a puddle now. I am goo.
www.vulture.com/article/jame...
I am a puddle now. I am goo.
www.vulture.com/article/jame...
October 31, 2025 at 2:12 PM
Oh hey! I was quoted in a fantastic piece by Matt Zoller Seitz on Vulture!
I am a puddle now. I am goo.
www.vulture.com/article/jame...
I am a puddle now. I am goo.
www.vulture.com/article/jame...
Only one episode left and I’m even LESS sure how this story is going to wrap up.
Land Grabs Abound on This Week's ‘The Lowdown’
Land Grabs Abound on This Week's ‘The Lowdown’
Nobody beat up Lee this week, but the penultimate episode of The Lowdown does end with Lee staring down the barrels of a few automatic rifles, in a white power church full of ex-cons, so I guess that's something! Something...
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www.pajiba.com
October 29, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Only one episode left and I’m even LESS sure how this story is going to wrap up.
Reposted by Tori Preston
Is It Bad 'Alien: Earth' Hasn't Been Renewed for Season 2 Yet?
Is It Bad 'Alien: Earth' Hasn't Been Renewed for Season 2 Yet?
Alien: Earth dropped its game-changing season finale back in late September, and as of this writing, Disney has very noticeably not renewed the show for Season 2 despite a crazy strong presence on the streaming charts. More importantly, how do...
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www.pajiba.com
October 28, 2025 at 9:01 PM
Is It Bad 'Alien: Earth' Hasn't Been Renewed for Season 2 Yet?
Fell down a rabbit hole after watching a trailer for the Peacock documentary about the longest-running SNL writer and realizing it’s the bubbles guy from The Chair Company! (You probably already knew that)
Your Favorite Comedians Love Jim Downey (and You Do, Too)
Your Favorite Comedians Love Jim Downey (and You Do, Too)
Earlier this month, Peacock released a special documentary about a special guy: Jim Downey, the longest-running writer to ever work for Saturday Night Live. Now, this is not a review of Downey Wrote That, simply because watching it requires a...
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www.pajiba.com
October 28, 2025 at 7:09 PM
Fell down a rabbit hole after watching a trailer for the Peacock documentary about the longest-running SNL writer and realizing it’s the bubbles guy from The Chair Company! (You probably already knew that)
A kid with chainsaw arms rides a shark into battle against the girl he likes, who is a bomb (literally). Not for new audiences but if you’re a fan of the show or manga, it’s a blast
The Review-Proof ‘Chainsaw Man—The Movie: Reze Arc’ Is a Wild Ride (If You Know What You’re Getting Into)
The Review-Proof ‘Chainsaw Man—The Movie: Reze Arc’ Is a Wild Ride (If You Know What You’re Getting Into)
Chainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc topped the US box office this weekend, bringing in over $17 million and raising its worldwide total to $108 million. The movie is an R-rated adaptation of the manga series of the same...
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www.pajiba.com
October 27, 2025 at 7:42 PM
A kid with chainsaw arms rides a shark into battle against the girl he likes, who is a bomb (literally). Not for new audiences but if you’re a fan of the show or manga, it’s a blast
The real gut-punch was seeing Graham Greene, obvs
Who’s Beating Up Lee in ‘The Lowdown’ This Week? Kyle MacLachlan in a Cowboy Hat!
Who’s Beating Up Lee in ‘The Lowdown’ This Week? Kyle MacLachlan in a Cowboy Hat!
This week's episode - "Old Indian Trick" - picked up right where last week's left off, with Lee meeting Donald Washberg in that gazebo outside the cop kegger. Was it finally time for Kyle MacLachlan to go full Black Lodge?...
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www.pajiba.com
October 22, 2025 at 11:15 PM
The real gut-punch was seeing Graham Greene, obvs
Ansari couldn’t come up with a convincing reason for his character to give up easy money in “Good Fortune” and maybe thats why he didn’t turn down Riyadh either.
Review: Still Wondering Why Aziz Ansari Performed at the Riyadh Comedy Festival? Watch ‘Good Fortune’
Review: Still Wondering Why Aziz Ansari Performed at the Riyadh Comedy Festival? Watch ‘Good Fortune’
Can money buy happiness? We all know we should say "no" - that there is more to life than whatever luxuries money can afford, and that deep fulfillment comes from things money can't buy, like our relationships with our loved...
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www.pajiba.com
October 20, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Ansari couldn’t come up with a convincing reason for his character to give up easy money in “Good Fortune” and maybe thats why he didn’t turn down Riyadh either.
Show just went full Rez Dogs and I love it
Who’s Beating up Lee in ‘The Lowdown’ This Week? Peter Dinklage!
Who’s Beating up Lee in ‘The Lowdown’ This Week? Peter Dinklage!
Boy oh boy, for a second there I thought this would be another episode where Lee gets by unscathed, but then Peter Dinklage punched him in the junk and saved my entire recap conceit. To be fair, though, that physical...
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www.pajiba.com
October 15, 2025 at 9:02 PM
Show just went full Rez Dogs and I love it
This Is the Movie that Rachel McAdams Deserves
She reteams with Sam Raimi in an original film!
www.pajiba.com
October 14, 2025 at 6:04 PM
Someday Hamish Linklater is going to get cast as Jesse Watters and i will be so so TORN
October 14, 2025 at 4:36 PM
Someday Hamish Linklater is going to get cast as Jesse Watters and i will be so so TORN
Reposted by Tori Preston
from me -- a profile of Jafar Panahi, a filmmaker whose work has perfectly met our age of surveillance and interrogation and asks the imperative question of: Who are we, and what comes next? IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT = masterpiece, imo.
Since his 2010 imprisonment, the director has been in an endless game of chicken with the Iranian regime. In his defiant new film, ‘It Was Just an Accident,’ a group of Iranians consider killing the man who tortured them in prison.
Jafar Panahi’s Cinematic Rebellions
Since his 2010 imprisonment, the director has been in an endless game of chicken with the Iranian regime. In his defiant new film, ‘It Was Just an Accident,’ a group of Iranians consider killing the man who tortured them in prison.
www.vulture.com
October 14, 2025 at 1:08 PM
from me -- a profile of Jafar Panahi, a filmmaker whose work has perfectly met our age of surveillance and interrogation and asks the imperative question of: Who are we, and what comes next? IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT = masterpiece, imo.
As someone who historically enjoys recoiling in my seat and watching through my fingers as Tim Robinson napalms his fictional life, I’m already entirely in the bag for this one.
‘The Chair Company’ Review: Tim Robinson and the Mystery of the Bad Customer Service
‘The Chair Company’ Review: Tim Robinson and the Mystery of the Bad Customer Service
It's hard to say whether HBO's The Chair Company is an evolution of Tim Robinson's particular brand of absurdist comedy, or just a perfect distillation of it. You can trace the roots of his new HBO series straight back to...
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www.pajiba.com
October 13, 2025 at 2:31 PM
As someone who historically enjoys recoiling in my seat and watching through my fingers as Tim Robinson napalms his fictional life, I’m already entirely in the bag for this one.
The way Lee and Betty Jo flirt and you’re never quite sure who is playing who only to realize that actually neither of them are, they’re just complex people having a mutually beneficial nice time together? 🤌
Recap: Lee Gets Smashed in All Kinds of Ways in This Week’s ‘The Lowdown’
Recap: Lee Gets Smashed in All Kinds of Ways in This Week’s ‘The Lowdown’
Wouldn't you know, as soon as I decide to do a fun game about who's beating up Lee in The Lowdown each week, along comes an episode where he doesn't get his face smashed in at all. I mean, he...
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www.pajiba.com
October 8, 2025 at 4:03 PM
The way Lee and Betty Jo flirt and you’re never quite sure who is playing who only to realize that actually neither of them are, they’re just complex people having a mutually beneficial nice time together? 🤌
I always enjoy this show, the third season is still good, and you know what? There’s more room for an American version of Alice in Borderland than Squid Game.
Spoilers: ‘Alice In Borderland’ Season Three Goes Full ‘Squid Game’ in Its Last Act
Spoilers: ‘Alice In Borderland’ Season Three Goes Full ‘Squid Game’ in Its Last Act
Netflix's Alice In Borderland returned for its third (and final?) season after a three-year hiatus, and that's fine because this season doesn't require a detailed memory of the previous installments. Seasons one and two adapted the manga of the same...
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www.pajiba.com
October 7, 2025 at 8:38 PM
I always enjoy this show, the third season is still good, and you know what? There’s more room for an American version of Alice in Borderland than Squid Game.
I maintain that Doctor Odyssey was propaganda for Disney cruises because otherwise all you hear about cruises is exploding toilets and norovirus outbreaks.
Almost 100 people came down with norovirus aboard a Royal Caribbean ship amid a 13-day voyage, the CDC reported this week.
Norovirus Outbreak Sickens Nearly 100 on Royal Caribbean Cruise
Four crew members and 94 passengers came down with norovirus while sailing from San Diego to Miami.
nyti.ms
October 2, 2025 at 6:36 PM
I maintain that Doctor Odyssey was propaganda for Disney cruises because otherwise all you hear about cruises is exploding toilets and norovirus outbreaks.
Much like Reservation Dogs, every episode of The Lowdown is its best episode until the next one comes along.
Recap: Who's Beating up Lee in 'The Lowdown' This Week? Poachers!
Recap: Who's Beating up Lee in 'The Lowdown' This Week? Poachers!
After last week's frenzied two-part premiere, The Lowdown is finally settling into its natural storytelling pace. Episode three, titled "Dinosaur Memories," focuses almost exclusively on Lee's hunt for Dale Washberg's missing paperback mysteries. When Lee was blackballed from the Washberg...
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www.pajiba.com
October 1, 2025 at 2:56 PM
Much like Reservation Dogs, every episode of The Lowdown is its best episode until the next one comes along.
Reposted by Tori Preston
'The Lowdown,' 'Survivor,' 'Alien: Earth,' And More On Podjiba!
'The Lowdown,' 'Survivor,' 'Alien: Earth,' And More On Podjiba!
First up: Survivor is back, which means it's time for our winner picks that definitely will prove to be the perfect final three for the season! I think you will find that our selections are wholly unsurprising, if you listen...
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www.pajiba.com
October 1, 2025 at 2:27 PM
'The Lowdown,' 'Survivor,' 'Alien: Earth,' And More On Podjiba!
Reposted by Tori Preston
Like @torionic.bsky.social I've got a fever, and the only prescription is more eyeball.
Recap: The ‘Alien: Earth’ Finale Needed More Eyeball
Recap: The ‘Alien: Earth’ Finale Needed More Eyeball
From the very first episode, a common critique of Alien: Earth has been that it's all rather obvious. So when I tell you that the season finale is titled "The Real Monsters," I can assure you that it's not talking...
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www.pajiba.com
September 24, 2025 at 9:32 PM
Like @torionic.bsky.social I've got a fever, and the only prescription is more eyeball.
Kicking the Eyeblobby can down the road to next season… if there IS a next season
Recap: The ‘Alien: Earth’ Finale Needed More Eyeball
Recap: The ‘Alien: Earth’ Finale Needed More Eyeball
From the very first episode, a common critique of Alien: Earth has been that it's all rather obvious. So when I tell you that the season finale is titled "The Real Monsters," I can assure you that it's not talking...
Read more...
www.pajiba.com
September 24, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Kicking the Eyeblobby can down the road to next season… if there IS a next season
Reposted by Tori Preston
ALIEN: EARTH did what I once considered impossible: turned me into someone defending PROMETHEUS and ALIEN: COVENANT as actually, kind of good, and it's annoying that the series ignored their lore while also sort of copying their themes? spoilers, at @vulture.com:
www.vulture.com/article/alie...
www.vulture.com/article/alie...
September 24, 2025 at 1:23 PM
ALIEN: EARTH did what I once considered impossible: turned me into someone defending PROMETHEUS and ALIEN: COVENANT as actually, kind of good, and it's annoying that the series ignored their lore while also sort of copying their themes? spoilers, at @vulture.com:
www.vulture.com/article/alie...
www.vulture.com/article/alie...