Last Looks: Circus Island [Jason Edition] w/ Justin Halpern

Jun 26, 2026 · 1h 12m

AI recap

Jason takes over Last Looks with Circus Island follow-ups and Justin Halpern

This preview is based only on the episode notes: with Paul away, Jason leads a Last Looks edition focused on listener Contexts & Opinions about Circus Island. It also features a chat with writer-producer Justin Halpern about his new novel, comedy writing, and a few behind-the-scenes pop culture topics.

This episode looks like a slightly different **Last Looks** format, and that alone may be the draw. Based on the show notes, **Paul is away**, so **Jason takes the mic** for a “Jason Edition” centered on listener responses to the **Circus Island** episode—specifically the segment now called **Contexts & Opinions**. If you enjoy the cleanup, follow-up, and fan-interaction side of the show, this seems built for that, with the added tease of **a call from a performer in the movie**. The second half appears to widen out beyond the film discussion. **Justin Halpern** joins Paul and Jason to talk about his new mystery novel **_Get Lost_**, along with a mix of career and pop-culture conversation. The notes specifically mention **Abbott Elementary**, **Harley Quinn**, the origins of **$#*! My Dad Says**, and a very specific Batman/Catwoman anecdote, suggesting a loose, comedy-heavy interview rather than a narrowly focused promo spot. There are also a couple of extras that may matter if you’re a regular listener: **Jason announces the first movie for the EXTREME SUMMER series** and introduces **a mysterious new segment**. The notes also include a summer playlist and a batch of recommendations from Justin, Paul, and Jason, which hints at a more hangout-style episode than a pure mailbag. If you’re deciding whether to listen, this one seems best suited for fans who like **show lore, listener feedback, and offbeat industry chat** as much as the movie breakdowns themselves.

About this episode

Discord beware—it's a Jason takeover! Paul's away, which means Jason reluctantly takes the mic and responds to all your Contexts & Opinions (formerly Corrections & Omissions) on our Circus Island episode, including a call from a performer in the movie. Then, writer/producer Justin Halpern (Abbot Elementary, Harley Quinn) chats with Paul and Jason about his hilarious new mystery novel <a href="https://cardinal-publishing.com/titles/justin-halpern/get-lost/9781538778043/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Get Lost</a>, why you'll never see Batman go down on Catwoman on the Harley Quinn TV show, the origins of $#*! My Dad Says, and much more. Plus, Jason announces the first movie we'll be covering for our EXTREME SUMMER series before introducing a mysterious brand-new segment. JASON'S SUMMER PLAYLIST: <a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/6Ctt8SZt46m1bC7s581lLQ?si=12f0256e714a4f28" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Rala-Bucho by Antonio Carlos & Jocafi</a> <a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/3bSHBl3PrCEMgX4aBBPlpN?si=78a1b6316e684ab7" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">World of Trouble by The Montvales</a> <a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/6Rqc25SrFPqaa5Y96Hwirw?si=fd0703eb8ffd4e5d" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Love of the Song by Jobi Riccio</a> <a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/5Qz8bTj0BJb8qjtUFIFRPn?si=f855aeb3ec324527" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Remenanuèch by Cocanha</a> <a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/34APgpzbIv9kkd2mM7kHUs?si=e0a5fcc241024c11" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Tau Special by The Movers</a> <a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/4TmnRITTYSRhgY2zmEAJQ3?si=34594b2611814dd0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">I Just Want To Talk To You by Charles Brown & Sleepy Creek</a> <a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/2zcKAgKWEW7ylFX5LwPN4W?si=18a09bbd3708453f" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">T'chuba T'chiba by Dulce Neves</a> <a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/1pcG5AKS1PTa5sz9cBOCLZ?si=426fece05bf64c14" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Get It Up For Love by Ned Doheny</a> <a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/27jm32FyYzyi0Hf39AMm7D?si=e6d1ae2b5a614e98" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Spring Theme by Fabiano do Nascimento & Vittor Santos e Orquestra</a> <a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/2kcgBJrnzl1fDPh1OhieS7?si=16a2c849aaa943ae" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ālibek'agnimi by Tilaye Gebre & Dahlak Band</a> JUSTIN, PAUL, & JASON'S RECS: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbddYji1F8s" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Predator: Killer of Killers</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7gTjnio7oQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Dark Wizard</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urRVZ4SW7WU" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Free Solo</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRpVyzagXLQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Alpinist</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jAzm4a5SLo" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Lorne</a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/220160849-angel-down" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Angel Down by Daniel Kraus</a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/8178.Carl_Hiaasen" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Carl Hiaasen</a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/12940.Elmore_Leonard" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Elmore Leonard</a> • Go to <a href="https://hdtgm.com/">hdtgm.com</a> for tour dates, merch, FAQs, and more • Leave us a voicemail at <a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/hdtgm">speakpipe.com/hdtgm</a> • Submit your Last Looks theme song to us <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/request/7lFHAGvcL9IyJWoTv2eD">here</a> • Join the HDTGM conversation on Discord: <a href="http://discord.gg/hdtgm">discord.gg/hdtgm</a> • Buy merch at <a href="https://howdidthisgetmade.dashery.com/">howdidthisgetmade.dashery.com/</a> • Order Paul’s book about his childhood: <a href="https://www.paulscheer.com/my-book">Joyful Recollections of Trauma</a> • Shop our new hat collection at <a href="https://www.podswag.com/collections/how-did-this-get-made">podswag.com</a> • Paul’s Discord: <a href="http://discord.gg/paulscheer">discord.gg/paulscheer</a> • Paul’s YouTube page: <a href="http://youtube.com/paulscheer">youtube.com/paulscheer</a> • Follow Paul on Letterboxd: <a href="http://letterboxd.com/paulscheer/">letterboxd.com/paulscheer</a> • Subscribe to Enter The Dark Web w/ Paul & Rob Huebel: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@enterthedarkweb">youtube.com/@enterthedarkweb</a> • Listen to Unspooled with Paul & Amy Nicholson: <a href="https://www.unspooledpodcast.com/">unspooledpodcast.com</a> • Listen to The Deep Dive with June & Jessica St. Clair: <a href="http://www.thedeepdiveacademy.com/podcast">thedeepdiveacademy.com/podcast</a> • Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/hdtgm">@hdtgm</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/paulscheer/">@paulscheer</a>, & <a href="https://www.instagram.com/junediane/">@junediane</a> • Twitter: <a href="https://x.com/HDTGM">@hdtgm</a>, <a href="https://x.com/paulscheer">@paulscheer</a>, & <a href="https://x.com/MsJuneDiane">msjunediane</a> • Jason is not on social media • Episode transcripts available at <a href="https://how-did-this-get-made.simplecast.com/episodes">how-did-this-get-made.simplecast.com/episodes</a>Get access to all the podcasts you love, music channels and radio shows with the SiriusXM App! 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