4.1: Goldfinger

Four. Season four. Not Playing is back, and this time around we’re delving into a fifty-plus year franchise with its fair share of fans and detractors: James Bond. We’ll be picking the best entry from the tenure of each actor to play the legendary secret agent. To kick it off, we’ll be starting with perhaps the most iconic movie in the franchise: 1964’s Goldfinger, starring future Russian submarine captain Sean Connery. Hot topics include something familiar about the personage of our villain, just how long it takes to paint someone to death, and, the relative wokeness of the James Bond franchise. (Spoiler: Not very.) Programming Note: In addition to this capsule episode, which contains our discussion before and after the film, members can watch along with Lex and Dan in a full-length commentary track, available in the members-only First Class feed. If you’re not already a member, why not sign up? And if you are, now’s a great time to update your membership allocations and maybe throw a little support in the direction of Not Playing. Thanks! Hosts Lex Friedman and Dan Moren.