S2 Ep5 - Blurring the Lines Between Good & Evil

What happened to the clear distinction between good and evil?

In this episode, we begin with a family movie night and a trip back to the 1990s as we watch the original Mortal Kombat with our youngest son. To him, it was hilarious. The special effects were dated, the acting was over-the-top, and the dialogue was every bit as cheesy as you'd expect. But somewhere between the laughter and the eye rolls, we stumbled upon something interesting.

For all its flaws, the movie knew exactly who the heroes were and who the villains were.

There was no confusion. No moral ambiguity. No hidden agenda. Just an old-fashioned battle between good and evil.

That observation launches us into a larger discussion about storytelling, culture, and the way our society increasingly struggles to define right and wrong.

From The Matrix and Neo's awakening to the truth, to Highway to Heaven with Michael Landon and Victor French simply trying to help people while serving their heavenly Boss, we reflect on stories that weren't necessarily theologically perfect, but still understood the importance of virtue, sacrifice, redemption, and standing against evil.

We even revisit some wonderfully cheesy classics, including a memorable werewolf episode from Highway to Heaven and films like I Was a Teenage Werewolf, where the audience knew exactly who they should root for and why.

Along the way, we compare beloved stories such as The Chronicles of Narnia, The Book of Eli, and The Devil's Advocate—all stories that present a clear conflict between light and darkness, truth and deception, good and evil.

But then something changed.

We discuss how modern storytelling increasingly seeks to reinterpret villains by providing sympathetic backstories and alternative perspectives. One example is Disney's Maleficent, which transformed one of animation's most iconic villains into a misunderstood victim, challenging audiences to reconsider everything they thought they knew about the character.

Is this greater understanding and nuance? Or have we become uncomfortable with the idea that evil actually exists?

Join us as we discuss nostalgia, classic movies, moral clarity, modern storytelling, and why the battle between good and evil may be more relevant today than ever before.

Because when a culture loses its ability to identify darkness, it becomes much harder to recognize the light.