Apex Mountain · 1:12:40
Potatoes and botany
Bill Simmons: The Bourne period was preferred as Damon’s true apex.
Potatoes were declared an apex case for the film.
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34:32
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1:28:37
The Rewatchables ·
The Martian
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Who won the movie
Matt Damon
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“That Guy” Award
Benedict Wong
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Overacting Award
Donald Glover
The Neil McCauley “A Book about Metals” Award for Best Line from the Movie · 1:19:20
“Mark Watney, space pirate” led a group of favorite sarcastic and mission-planning lines.
Watney’s legal reasoning for calling himself a space pirate was the opening favorite.
Cast
Selected cast credits · Film reference
Matt Damon
Dr. Mark Watney
Jessica Chastain
Commander Melissa Lewis
Chiwetel Ejiofor
Vincent Kapoor
Kristen Wiig
Annie Montrose
Jeff Daniels
Theodore "Teddy" Sanders
Michael Peña
Major Rick Martinez
Sean Bean
Mitch Henderson
Kate Mara
Beth Johanssen
Sebastian Stan
Dr. Chris Beck
Aksel Hennie
Dr. Alex Vogel
Everything from the episode
In the order the hosts got to it. Open a row for the discussion.
34:32
Most Rewatchable Scene
No consensus: the rescue, Rich Purnell explanation, early farming/problem-solving, and the Starman montage were the l...
No consensus: the rescue, Rich Purnell explanation, early farming/problem-solving, and the Starman montage were the leading choices.
In the discussion (11)
Approx. transcript time · 00:34:32Read transcript
- The opening storm was praised for beginning the plot immediately. — Bill Simmons
- Watney blowing himself up and deadpanning about the excess oxygen was nominated. — Bill Simmons
- Watney establishing text contact with NASA was nominated. — Bill Simmons
- The potato farm exploding was nominated as a heartbreaking reversal. — Bill Simmons
- The David Bowie “Starman” montage was nominated for making an obvious song choice work.
- The final rescue was nominated for sustaining suspense even though Watney’s survival was expected. — Chris Ryan
- The reunion was criticized for ending too abruptly and omitting a needed moment between Watney and Lewis.
- Watney’s final solve-one-problem-at-a-time speech was praised as the movie’s lesson.
- The Rich Purnell stapler demonstration was selected by one host.
- The early water-making, farming, and rationing sequence was selected by another host as the movie’s soul.
- The rescue was selected by another host.
53:26
What’s Aged the Best?
The title, potatoes, disco motif, move away from 3D, self-surgery, mission-control celebration, Sean Bean, and resign...
The title, potatoes, disco motif, move away from 3D, self-surgery, mission-control celebration, Sean Bean, and resignation trope
In the discussion (8)
Approx. transcript time · 00:53:26Read transcript
- The simple title “The Martian” was praised. — Bill Simmons
- Watney’s potato garden using Martian soil, crew waste, rocket-fuel water, and unused potatoes was praised. — Bill Simmons
- Commander Lewis’s love of 1970s disco was praised as a comic wrinkle that could easily have failed. — Bill Simmons
- The film was treated as evidence that audiences preferred conventional 2D releases over the 3D push. — Bill Simmons
- Watney’s self-surgery was called the film’s tensest and most effective sequence.
- The mission-control celebration after contact with Watney was praised as an effective recurring movie device.
- Sean Bean’s character was praised for risking his career to back the Hermes crew.
- The movie convention where a principled official resigns after insubordination was praised.
59:12
What’s Aged the Worst?
U.S.–China cooperation, Golden Globes category fraud, some casting choices, government transparency, public attention...
U.S.–China cooperation, Golden Globes category fraud, some casting choices, government transparency, public attention, unchanged cable news, and Teddy’s press manner
In the discussion (8)
Approx. transcript time · 00:59:12Read transcript
- U.S.–China cooperation felt newly implausible to the panel in 2020. — Bill Simmons
- The film’s Golden Globe win as a Musical or Comedy was cited as category fraud that helped force rule changes. — Bill Simmons
- Sebastian Stan’s tiny role was criticized as a waste of an actor who became more prominent later.
- Kristen Wiig’s comic screen persona made her difficult for some hosts to accept as the NASA press official.
- NASA and the government appeared implausibly candid about bad news and internal decisions. — Chris Ryan
- The world’s sustained public attention to one astronaut seemed optimistic.
- Cable news appearing unchanged in 2035 felt implausible.
- Teddy’s blunt press conferences felt oddly cold.
1:05:11
Casting What-Ifs
Cate Blanchett as Commander Lewis; keep Jessica Chastain
Cate Blanchett as Commander Lewis; keep Jessica Chastain
In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:05:11Read transcript
- Blanchett was the original choice for Commander Lewis. — Bill Simmons
- The hosts liked Chastain in the finished role. — Bill Simmons
1:05:46
The Joey Pants “That Guy” Award
Benedict Wong
Benedict Wong
In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:05:46Read transcript
- One host knew Wong primarily as the actor from The Martian. — Bill Simmons
- Others identified Doctor Strange as his more familiar association. — Bill Simmons
1:07:01
The Ruffalo / Hanna / Rubinek / Partridge Overacting Award
Donald Glover
Donald Glover
In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:07:01Read transcript
- Glover’s coffee-deprived calculations and abrupt physicality were cited. — Bill Simmons
1:07:47
The Dion Waiters Award for Best Heat Check Performance
Donald Glover also won the heat-check award for his concentrated Rich Purnell scenes.
Donald Glover also won the heat-check award for his concentrated Rich Purnell scenes.
In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:07:47Read transcript
- The panel explicitly noted the rare double win with overacting. — Bill Simmons
1:08:46
Recasting Couch
Carrie Washington or Kate Winslet for Kristen Wiig; Ed Harris as Teddy
Carrie Washington or Kate Winslet for Kristen Wiig; Ed Harris as Teddy
In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 01:08:46Read transcript
- Kerry Washington was proposed for the public-relations role. — Van Lathan
- Kate Winslet’s Steve Jobs performance made her another proposal for the PR role. — Bill Simmons
- Kate Winslet was also proposed as Commander Lewis. — Bill Simmons
- Tom Hanks was proposed for Teddy. — Bill Simmons
- Jeff Bridges was proposed for Teddy.
- Tommy Lee Jones was proposed for Teddy.
- Ed Harris was proposed as the best Teddy replacement because he supplied the desired Pat Riley quality.
1:11:46
Half-Assed Internet Research
Research covered Jordan/Hungary locations, NASA assistance, Damon’s five-week solo shoot, staged potato growth, and t...
Research covered Jordan/Hungary locations, NASA assistance, Damon’s five-week solo shoot, staged potato growth, and the 2035 setting.
In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 01:11:46Read transcript
- The Mars exteriors were filmed in Jordan. — Bill Simmons
- Soundstage work was filmed in Hungary. — Bill Simmons
- NASA assisted with science and technology. — Bill Simmons
- Damon filmed his solo material for five weeks. — Bill Simmons
- The production maintained real potatoes at multiple growth stages. — Bill Simmons
- Andy Weir placed the story in 2035. — Bill Simmons
1:12:40
Apex Mountain
Potatoes and botany
Potatoes and botany
In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:12:40Read transcript
- The Bourne period was preferred as Damon’s true apex. — Bill Simmons
- Potatoes were declared an apex case for the film.
- Botany was declared an apex case for the film.
- Total Recall beat The Martian as Mars’s apex. — Chris Ryan
1:15:04
Picking Nits
Toxic Martian soil, impossible storm force, Watney’s weight loss, the hard-to-follow gravity-assist plan, and surpris...
Toxic Martian soil, impossible storm force, Watney’s weight loss, the hard-to-follow gravity-assist plan, and surprisingly effective tarp/duct tape
In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 01:15:04Read transcript
- Later findings that Martian soil is toxic undermine the potato premise. — Bill Simmons
- Andy Weir acknowledged that Mars’s thin atmosphere makes the opening storm physically impossible. — Bill Simmons
- A body double supplied Watney’s extreme emaciation. — Bill Simmons
- The gravity-assist plan remained hard to follow and seemed oddly undiscovered by everyone else.
- Tarp and duct tape seemed implausibly sufficient for Mars and space.
1:19:20
The Neil McCauley “A Book about Metals” Award for Best Line from the Movie
“Mark Watney, space pirate” led a group of favorite sarcastic and mission-planning lines.
“Mark Watney, space pirate” led a group of favorite sarcastic and mission-planning lines.
In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 01:19:20Read transcript
- Watney’s legal reasoning for calling himself a space pirate was the opening favorite.
- “In your face, Neil Armstrong” was nominated.
- “Here’s the rub” was nominated.
- The Chiwetel Ejiofor exchange about getting Watney home alive was nominated.
- Sean Bean’s “he hasn’t told you the bad part yet” was nominated.
- The Project Elrond joke was nominated.
1:21:36
Sequel, Prequel, Limited Series, or All-Black Remake
No ten-episode remake
No ten-episode remake
In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:21:36Read transcript
- The panel emphatically did not want the movie serialized. — Bill Simmons
1:21:36
Probably Unanswerable Questions
Watney’s missing family, post-return romantic life, sexuality, character backstory, death-free sci-fi, 2035 CNN, astr...
Watney’s missing family, post-return romantic life, sexuality, character backstory, death-free sci-fi, 2035 CNN, astronaut marriages, and his exact time on Mars
In the discussion (8)
Approx. transcript time · 01:21:36Read transcript
- Where was Watney’s family? — Van Lathan
- What romantic relationship, if any, awaited Watney after his return? — Van Lathan
- Was Watney’s sexuality deliberately left unspecified?
- Was the absence of character backstory a flaw or a strength?
- Is this the only consequential science-fiction movie in which nobody dies? — Bill Simmons
- Would CNN still look the same in 2035? — Bill Simmons
- How often do astronaut marriages survive the demands of the work?
- Watney spent 568 sols, about 578 Earth days, on Mars. — Bill Simmons
1:28:37
Who Won the Movie?
Matt Damon
In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:28:37Read transcript
- The panel immediately converged on Damon as the movie’s winner. — Bill Simmons
More from the conversation
The opening debate tested whether The Martian was the most entertaining science-fiction or space movie against T2, Alien/Aliens, Apollo 13, Star Wars, and others.
Approx. transcript time · 00:02:07Read transcript
The film was praised as a standalone blockbuster about competence, problem-solving, science, teamwork, and Obama-era institutional optimism.
Approx. transcript time · 00:04:58Read transcript
The hosts explored which stars could carry Watney’s one-person camera performance and which actors would fail at its light, confident tone.
Approx. transcript time · 00:08:57Read transcript
A lengthy Damon-versus-DiCaprio comparison distinguished Damon’s ensemble, franchise, and regular-guy range from DiCaprio’s high-prestige star vehicles.
Approx. transcript time · 00:15:29Read transcript
Ridley Scott’s five-decade run and his ability to fill deep casts with actors near breakout moments were praised.
Approx. transcript time · 00:22:30Read transcript
The 2016 Oscars, the film’s feel-good no-death structure, box office, and home/theatrical appeal were discussed.
Approx. transcript time · 00:27:59Read transcript
The rescue’s technical suspense was praised, but the post-rescue reunion and psychological aftermath were judged too abbreviated.
Approx. transcript time · 00:44:05Read transcript
Mentions across The Rewatchables
Double Feature
Apollo 13
The Rewatchables · aired August 25, 2026
First Man, Gravity, The Martian and Rocky IV
Approx. transcript time · 01:47:37Read transcript
Source 1