S3 EP.14: Torreto T’s – A Review of The Fast Franchise pt.5

The guys (Kareem, Ken, and Pat) are joined by guests Kasey (@kaseydrolow) to conclude their review of Fast and Furious and Fast Five. Tangents Torreto collectables, the Brazilian Batcave, code switching DEA agent, and more.

Show Notes

The Fast and Furious movies have gone through several cast changes and genre evolutions over the last decade and a half, but one thing has remained the same: Dom’s necklace. The silver cross first worn by Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) in 2001’s The Fast and the Furious has taken on a greater significance with every new film. A symbol of his love for Letty, and a constant reminder that Dom is the Jesus figure of his crew, the necklace (custom-made for the films, per costume designer Sanja Hays) plays a key role in the events of the eighth movie The Fate of the Furious (in theaters now). Here, we trace the evolution of Dom’s necklace from flashy accessory to unofficial cast member.

Warning: This post contains spoilers for every ‘Fast and Furious’ film to date.

—The necklace makes its debut when Dominic, an auto mechanic secretly running a crime ring, challenges Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker), an undercover cop, to a quarter-mile race in Los Angeles in 2001’s The Fast and the Furious. Dom wears it in just that one scene with a black sleeveless t-shirt, later to become a signature look.

Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) in ‘The Fast and the Furious’ (Photo: Universal/YouTube)

—Dom and his crew move to the Dominican Republic, where they’re living undercover at the start of Fast & Furious (2009). Unbeknownst to the audience until 2015’s Furious 7, Dom privately marries longtime girlfriend Letty Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez) while they’re in the Caribbean. In lieu of a ring, he wraps the necklace around their hands.

—During a traditional “Our fuel tanker heist went really well!” celebration in the Dominican Republic during Fast & Furious, Dom learns that the police are closing in on his crew. For Letty’s protection, he decides to leave her…with the necklace wrapped around a pile of cash on the bedside table.

Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) in ‘Fast & Furious’ (Photo: Universal/YouTube)

—With Dom gone, Letty returns to Los Angeles and works on restoring Dom’s 1970 Dodge Charger (which crashed dramatically during the climax of the first film). She hangs the necklace from the rearview mirror. Dom finds it there after he learns of Letty’s “death.” The necklace remains a car ornament for the rest of Fast & Furious, except when Dom is fidgeting with it (as he does during a rendezvous with Gisele Yashar, played by Gal Gadot, who leads him to Letty’s murderer).

—At the start of 2011’s Fast Five, fugitive-from-the-law Dom makes his grand entrance wearing the cross with a black muscle tee. It stays put when Dom takes a flying leap off a bridge into a river and survives: our first indication that the cross may have quasi-supernatural powers of protection.

Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) in ‘Fast Five’ (Photo: Everett)

—With Dom and his crew hiding out in Rio de Janeiro, the Diplomatic Security Service, led by agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and police officer Elena Neves (Elsa Pataky), stages a raid on their neighborhood. Dom escapes, but Elena finds his necklace on the ground. Later, Dom (still a wanted fugitive!) breaks into Elena’s home and pulls his cross from her neck. “I don’t understand. Why come here? Why risk it all for 20 dollars worth of silver?” she asks. “’Cause it’s worth it,” he replies. Elena — who, like Dom, lost the love of her life — lets him walk out the door. Dom wears the cross for the rest of Fast Five, and is still wearing it in the final scenes, when he and Elena move to a hideout in the Canary Islands.

credit: Gwynne Watkins

EP.120 – Jimmy Olsen's Manosphere Problem – A Review of James Gunn's Superman pt.4 – Tangential Giants Podcast

The Tangential Giants return to finally wrap up their review of James Gunn’s Superman, and somehow, the last stretch of the movie gives them even more chaos to chew on. Kareem, Ken, Pat, and guest Tim dive straight into Jimmy Olsen’s full-blown Manosphere spiral, because apparently, even in the DCU, no one is safe from a podcast algorithm gone rogue.From there, the crew takes a hard look at the new Kents, who are depicted as so financially underwater that even Smallville’s cows are probably judging them. Then comes Lex Luthor’s army of Musk-like minions, a collection of tech bros who look like they’d unionize only to demand more stock options in exchange for less dignity.And of course, the episode wouldn’t be complete without discussing this new foul-mouthed Supergirl, who arrives like a cosmic warning label and immediately starts cussing out anyone within a five-mile radius. The Giants try to make sense of it all, but naturally end up wandering into philosophical detours, comic book lore debates, and at least one argument about whether Jimmy Olsen needs therapy or a firmware update.If you enjoy superhero analysis mixed with unhinged tangents, this is the perfect finale to the Superman review saga.#tangentialgiants #superman #jamesgunn #supergirl #jimmyolsen #LexLuthor #dcu #dcuniverse #supermanmovie #comicbookmovies #nerdpodcast #popculturepodcast #dccomics #moviediscussions #superherotalk #podcastlife #dcfans