Badlands Story Hour Ep. 116: Everything Everywhere All at Once

In this mind-bending episode of Badlands Story Hour, Burning Bright and Chris Paul dive deep into the Oscar-winning multiverse epic Everything Everywhere All at Once, unpacking its frenetic chaos, cultural subtext, and the profoundly human themes buried beneath its absurdist surface. Despite initial skepticism, mocking what they assumed to be another Hollywood morality lecture wrapped in wokewash, the hosts find themselves surprised by the film’s emotional core and moralist message.

They dissect the film's commentary on nihilism, family breakdown, systemic dysfunction, and the desperate search for meaning in a collapsing world. Michelle Yeoh’s Evelyn is a tragic heroine who finds redemption not through superhero powers but through compassion, presence, and the quiet strength of choosing love over despair. Chris and Burning explore how Evelyn’s immigrant experience and generational trauma mirror cultural clashes between East and West, modernity and tradition, duty and individuality.

The discussion turns philosophical and personal, with reflections on multiverse theory, the illusion of infinite choice, and the spiritual consequences of postmodern storytelling. From Waymond’s underestimated wisdom to Joy’s doomer spiral, the film becomes a lens through which the hosts examine relationships, regret, and the modern obsession with alternate paths and lost potential.

With humor, insight, and just enough sarcasm, Story Hour transforms what could have been a Hollywood write-off into a meaningful meditation on what it means to truly matter. The verdict? “The universe may be a bagel, but there’s still something worth fighting for in the center.”

Next week’s pick: The Apprentice, a film about Trump’s early years with Roy Cohn. Tune in for a very different kind of multiverse.