Ep 70: Fictional deaths (that broke you)

As everyone relaxes into the holiday period, the PMG set the panel an emotional subject to debate. List the top 3 "fictional deaths that broke you", and was then heard chuckling as they hung up the red phone that is the only link to the PMG's office.

Gareth has already admitted to regularly enjoying a good cry at emotional tv/film storylines, Andy's jovial persona might well mask a soft centre, but what on earth makes Martin go a little misty eyed in the world of fiction?

Let us know if you agree/disagree with the panel's choices via our social portals on X, Instagram, BlueSky or use our dedicated e mail address thepick3show@gmail.com

Transcript

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Three men with three decades of separation debate three tough choices every week. This is the Pick Three Show. Welcome to another episode of the fastest growing podcast in the Pick Three Media Group Stable. A fair description and metaphor since the team comprises a workhorse, a prancing pony, and a donkey. That was PMG's joke, by the way. I did not I did not write that. You know. He thought it's he struck, she thought that was hilarious. But anyway, every week the Pickmaster General challenges his or her panel to debate, disagree, and frequently deride their choices to the topic selected. With three decades of separation between the panelists, it is rare that we don't have a lively discussion. But as we always say, there are no wrong choices, just poorly thought out opinions. With Gareth previously declaring that he likes nothing better than putting on a good tearjerker just to watch your partner get emotional, the PMG challenged us to select our top three fictional deaths that hit us hard and we struggled to get over. With the task set, it was down to me, as usual, to access a venue that would assist the panel focus on the discussion at hand whilst feeling somewhat tearful. Where better than the home of Ulster Rugby, formerly known as Ravenhill, where dedicated fans over many years have had their hopes and dreams dashed and many tears have been shed. Morning, gentlemen. I'm presuming like me you have experienced some heartbreak in this venue. Not really. I'm like, I'm not a big going to watch Ulster playing rugby, are you? I was there last year, very enjoyable. What, once? Last year. Just once. Last year I was here, but as a kid, I was here multiple times. But it wouldn't be my cup of tea, Martin, like yourself. No, I think I I passed uh away from I did not pass away, that's not dreadful. I changed my allegiance from watching rugby to more to watching ice hockey over recent years due to the involvement with the Belfast Giants, which are a very successful and winning franchise, which I like to talk about, rather than uh the disappointments that have followed Ulster Rugby since their European, their lone European cup win. How many years ago, Nike? I I went to the semi-final one against Harlequins, but it was at Harlequins, I think. At the stoop. Or was it Twickenham? I don't know. Yeah, Twickenham Stoop, probably. No idea. It's going back into the mists of time. Yeah, long time ago. And I'm so much older than you boys, I have more mists to go back through to try and remember things. I would say I would say I love international rugby, six nations, incredible club rugby. Nah. Doesn't really do it for you. Oh no for me. Like decent day out, don't get me wrong, but I'd actually say Belfast Jance over the last few years, probably more enjoyable. But here, let's get back to this here. Well, we're frothing at the mouth. Absolutely. Not only frothing at the mouth, but somebody's putting plusifs into my microphone. So, gentlemen, raise your microphones a little bit uh up above your mouth. What are plusives? Plusives are those sounds that you hear. And I'm hearing them in my ears at the moment. And I'm going, I can't quite work out who it's from yet, but I suspect it's him. No, so absolutely frothing at the mouth this one here. All these I have watched films or TV or fictional. If they were listed as fictional deaths that hit you hard. He's done the Isle of Lord of the Rings book. I are fictional deaths. Two TV one movies. I don't know movies. Yours are all movies. I've seen multiple times because I've watched them with you know my partner, with the kids. Oh, there's nothing. And whenever you know what's coming, you can still we look across and you can see the eyes. Can we just say to our listeners, because uh from our listener feedback, I got some great choices of movies I've never seen that probably won't watch now because they've ruined it with a fictional deaths. Oh no. Well, but there is a spoiler alert going out. However, a lot of the stuff I'm going to talk about has been around for years. Yeah. And if you have not watched it, read it, seen it, understood it, been talked to about it, I am sorry. There is a potential for spoiler alert. If you don't want to listen, listeners, now is the time just to give us a like, a subscribe, and get out of the programme for today. But if not, we're going to start Gareth, who is frothing at the mouth as he says. He actually is. He is. Do you think he's got rabies? I don't know. Actually, it could be one of his picks. Which goes well into my first, it's not Kujou. So it's not the horror film because it wasn't sad to see Kujo die. Uh, but my first one is a dog death. Oh no, it's dog death. I bet you I know which one it is, but we'll let you say Gareth. You're many of them, so it is like it's dog's life, whatever. I'm not a massive dog fan or whatever, but Marley and me. It's a sorry. And I you know someone, I did watch it with a hangover which brought it down even more. Anxiety through the roof. Awful. Marley, we Labrador? I think it was Labrador. Yeah, Golden Labrador grows up Jennifer Aniston, Owen Wilson, uh, groupie story. Marley goes through everything. Marriages, breakups, kids, you know, knows how to join whenever the kid arrives, etc. But like all good stories, Marley had to die. Sorry. Very sad. All good stories. All good stories, the dog has to die. Sorry. But I mean the And it was sad. And I'm not a massive dog fan. I was just gonna ask you. Apparently not, you let the dog die and you thought it was great. I know, I didn't think it was great, I just thought it was very sad. Obviously, a wee tear came to the eyes. I've said to you many times I would love to get a dog, and Nicole's logic is I don't want to have to explain the kids in like five, six, seven years about the death of a dog. My kids were devastated whenever their dog died. Oh, devastated. You watching the death of Marley in the film with a hangover? Oh, horrible. That must have been rough. Oh, Martin. Oh, Martin. Oh, he's got he's been dying to get that out. So have you seen Marley and me? Uh no, I've never seen them. Oh but I've heard so much about it. Show it to the kids at this weekend, Andy. It sounds like it's one it's one of those things I watch. Well, I've heard about and I've thought, I sort of know what happens, but I love dogs and I sort of want yeah. Is it worth oh Andy? It's a story funny, everything. And Owen Wilson obviously is a great actor. I like Owen Wilson. Yes. But I'm gonna pick Andy up on something. There's an episode quite some time ago where Andy told a story about how he hated dogs. As a kid. How they scared him, how the poodle they're they're the most aggressive type. Well, to be fair, Martin has said about getting a dog. Yeah, but that's only because bonzo, that's true, the cremated catfish that was boiled alive when we had to get him out of the house. The burning building. But I mean, the reality is there's a big difference to maintaining bonzo the catfish and throwing a bit of food in every day. To looking after a dog. Have you ever had dogs? No. You've got cats, haven't you? We do have two cats. And uh, to be honest, I think they're special needs cats. They have never learnt properly. I mean, since we moved house, they haven't actually been allowed in the house. They're now roam-free and have some outdoor space. They must love that. And well, they are having a ball. Oh, yeah. They seem to be. The local wildlife is dying in droves. We have they have collected a whole pile. Oh, have they? Oh, yes. That's good, actually. That's a oh yes. I love that. There's a vague possibility one of my cats is a serial killer. Oh no. But anyway. Have you seen Marley and me? Yes, many years ago, I think the kids were a bit younger. It was one of those movies that you you get in for a family movie on a Sunday night. Not always realizing. You thought maybe Marley was just going to pull the family together. Not actually do the old bit I know. And they get it on weekend, kids all on the sofa together, right? You and your big chair, and just watch the chaos. Do you know what? I'm actually tempted because Lily has a hatred of dogs. Yeah, oh I like a hatred. We were watching something about Orlando last week about this crocodile that killed 50 dogs around the uh the Tampa area, the capture brought to the Gatorland. Was it was it not more likely to be an alligator rather than a crocodile? Yes, sorry, it was a gator, so they brought the Gatorland back to you. But I'd say to Lily, would you want to go to Gatorland? I said, Oh, I'll definitely be there. That guy's killed 50 dogs, my hero. Well, get her on to that there, Lord. Having said that, I read a story last week about a uh a family in the States who were suing the management company for a development that their their mother lived in, and she was killed by an alligator whilst on the property, and they have sued over the basis that the developer hadn't put enough protections in place to protect the residents. Probably be paid out by that, I'm sure. I'm pretty sure they'll they'll get a payout. Yeah, yeah. Number three for you, Andy. It'll take a while though, it'll not be snappy. I was just about to say there's a snappy joke coming. Number three for me, it's a quite a recent one. So if any of our listeners are going to watch The Last of Us, I would turn off now. Yeah. Last of Us, great show, but Joe Miller, have you seen The Last of Us, Martin? No, it it veers towards zombie terrence territory. I'm not a fan. My two sons have both watched it and love it, and I know the death you're about to talk about. Yeah, so whenever I I'd recommend it from a load of people who love the video game, have never played the video game. First season, very good. Lots of zombies coming out, apocalypse type thing. Technically, not zombies, they're just the infected. Some of them are zombie type creatures. Yeah. But it it's uh I'd probably pass to your judgment on orcs and zombies more than mine on this. Yeah, no. I'm more I'm more of a it has ruined the flow there. Go on. Sorry. Season two starts, and the death, you're like, oh, I'm gonna get away from this. Killed by these mercenaries. The worst part about this death isn't the death itself, which is quite brutal, it's the show then just goes into a nose die. It does. The lead character is then this sort of 18-19-year-old girl, yeah. And she's just the writing just goes. Yeah, I agree with you on that. It was I I really enjoyed the first series of it. I thought this was fantastic. That death happened, boom. He's a good actor as well. What's his name? Oh, um, he was in Narcos, yeah. I forget his name. Uh mustache. Yes, also in um Game of Thrones as the Viper. Yes, yeah. Oh, why how can you not remember his name? Gee, what was his name? But very good. So you haven't seen it? No, I haven't watched any of it. I mean I've listened to a number of the reviews on it and certainly. I would stay away, Martin, if I'm honest. Yeah. Because I invested the whole second series going. It has to turn, it has to turn. And it didn't? Didn't turn once. And actually, there's a third, they've delayed the film of the third season because Pedro Pascal. But yeah, it was just an unexpected death, and you're like, Oh, I'm really into this. The series is going to be great. And you thought he would come back. Oh, yeah, 100%. You were thought there's definitely an angle here where it was just it wasn't the proper death or something. Oh, true. But yeah, it was pivotal on the downfall of that show as well. So one of the reasons that you could say it broke it a good TV show ruined by one death. It does, yeah. Season one excellent as well. There's one episode in season one. Oh, brilliant. Oh, yeah, there's there's an episode in season one that was described by some TV critics as possibly the best episode of television of all the time. I'd agree. Yeah. But there's a lot of it which is very, as the kids say this day, mid. Yeah. To be honest, it's not something I'm going to watch, and I am aware, but I think you're right, based on what I've heard, is that the death created a slump in the overall story arc. Whether they can recover it, I'm not quite sure. I'm not sure. No, and actually, one of the reasons you'll like this, Martin, and I loved the first season was there's a load of good creatures come out, and the creatures are terrified. Yeah. Second season, not as many creatures, more psychological. Yeah. But you see, a lot of those video games that people used to have on those sort of ones that were like that, there was a lot of dark corridor work. Yeah. You know, where you were uh going down dark corridors with doors at either side, and you weren't just sure of what's going to be there. And but after a while that does become tedious. Oh yeah. Your your attention span lowers as well. I d I tried to watch um the second season of Fallout. I'd watched the first season of Fallout and quite enjoyed it, which is another video game adaptation, and it was glacially slow. Oh, really? Yeah, and I really haven't gone back to yet watch what actually happens. I'm vaguely intrigued, but I'm not enthused, which is a different thing. Number three for you, Martin? Number three for me was Fred Weasley. Fred Weasley died during the Battle of Hogwarts whilst fighting alongside his brother Percy. Now, Percy was one of those characters that nobody really liked on the way through, and Percy had finally shown a bit of a redemption arc. Who's Ron Weasley? Well, Ron is the brother of Fred and his twin brother George. But it's uh Fred Weasley dies in an explosion just after Percy had finally told a joke and they laughed together. Oh. And then then he died. In the book, it's really emotional. Yeah. Because that's the original medium in which I read it, Gareth. I know, but does it bring it bring a tear to your eyes? It made me stop and go, oh no, they I don't believe they've done that. That's but then watch it in the movie, and it's the they don't focus on his death in the movie, they focus on the reaction of the key characters finding out that Fred has died, and that is heartbreaking. I did read it. I know I did read it. I read it. I would love watching the heartbreaking, but you don't get in tears, you'd have enough for you though. Lily is obsessed with Harry Potter, and she she listened to one of our podcasts recently, and he mentioned Harry Potter. She's like, I like Martin. I like Martin. I was like, you have to, yeah, I said you have to listen to some other ones to counteract that. You actually have to meet him. Yeah, that's what I like. It's an acquired taste, listeners. If you get the opportunity to meet the pick three panel, I will be the one you like least. That's whenever we do you know the big shows where you meet the meet the podcast. We come out, there's a round of applause, he comes out. Do you know that sort of reaction? It's a bit like Gareth sitting on the sofa and waiting for the tears to flow and feeling good about himself. I would go, somebody has to be. Simon Cowell is the biggest star on the panel, but he gets booed. Boo. Yeah, that I'd argue even better. People people take his opinion more seriously, and I think that's what happens here at the Pick Three show. Sorry, so anyway. Percy Weasley. No, Fred. Fred Weasley. Fred died. But George, his twin brother, went on to marry Angelina Johnson and they named their son Fred in honor of his twin brother. So you what does that not stand up? Just tug at your heartstrings. So you mentioned that the movies don't do a good job of it compared to book? No, I think the book actually, you know, you were at that point, you didn't know it was going to happen. Whereas by the time I watched the movie, I knew it was going to happen. So the way they did it in the movie was they focused on the reaction of the key characters finding out because at the end of the Battle of Hogwarts, they're all semi-joyous that they've survived all of this and everything, and then they start to find out the cost of the victory. Yeah. And so they go and and unfortunately, Fred is one of the casualties. Yeah, okay. Good. And don't forget, Ron, his brother, is also Harry's best mate. So, you know, it was a tough time. Now I've got a great angle when Lil Lily wants to watch all the Harry Potter before we go on holiday in the summer. And I'll say, look, I can't know Lily, he's told me that Fred Weasley dies, it's ruined it for me. Oh, that's it. So I will be the bad guy. Exactly. Alright, you're number two, Gareth. Number two, a relatively unknown film, but I have seen four times. Uh it's a rom-com, a bit of drama in it, actors in it, uh, Domal Gleason and Bill Nye, and it's called About Time. Okay. It's an excellent movie. Absolutely brilliant movie. Premise of it basically is the son on his 18th birthday. I think his father tells him that he can go back and change time. So there are a lot of funny moments, a lot of dramatic moments in it, a lot of sad moments in it, but there is a very sad moment in the end where Bill Nye, probably the classic actor for that role. I couldn't think of a better actor for that role. He dies and the guy can't go back in time. Oh, jeez. Wild on me. What an absolute classic film. Between the three of us, was it tears shit? Oh, yeah, definitely. Not because he cry the first time, he cried the second time, the third time, and the third time. Do you know why? You know, you know, like my father died quite young. You know, from a uh from a father-son perspective. So I'd say to a lot of people who have the father-son aspect, it is really good. I can see Martin thinking of it now, actually. It's very sad. So it is, Andy, and for you whose father's still alive, yeah. I think it's it's a great movie for you. Um have you never seen it though? Never seen it. Oh, and they it's a never seen it. It's a great, great movie. I mean, I got a little bit of gentle stick from both of you boys when we did our episode about if you could go back to a historical event. And I said, Well, I'd like to go back to VE night, and I knew the exact place in the exact tree I could send because I would see my dad on the mall. Oh, yeah. And those are those things that you start to think about much more when you do lose a parent. Yeah, and you will have your memories of your dad, and anything that triggers that is likely to be very emotional for you. And uh we're delighted that Andy still has uh Big Den. Uh and uh but I think that's because he gets a little bit of time, yeah, you know, just to relax. But it gives you another I think it's good for all father, all sons whose father is still alive as well. I think it it helps a bit of a refocus. Okay. It is brilliant. One of the things it reminded me of is a lot of the things that we used to enjoy doing together that suddenly are not available to you when your parent passes or when they become much older and not capable of doing certain things. So it's a very good uh movie. It's as you say, it's not an overly well-known movie, but I think it's excellent. And the approach to death is odd. But you also see the mistakes. I don't think of it now, yeah, but you also see the mistakes that people make when they can do something like that. Yeah. Okay. So we have an upcoming episode which is about making time stand still. Yeah, yeah. And I suspect that that will also debate some of these types of subjects. Yeah. I had a listener actually message in about this topic to say, is it movies that made did you have to shed a tear? Yeah. And I went, well, that's actually. I took that. I took that. Yeah, no, I love that. And he said there's obviously a spin-off from that other movies that made you upset and some. Yeah. So that's a good that's my techmaster. You're Nicole, Saturday night. By time. You love it. Number two for you. Number two, probably the one of the best series of all time Sopranos. And I'd mention it, so if anyone hasn't watched the Sopranos before, don't watch the pilot, apparently. It's rubbish. Andy says, go to the first episode, you've missed nothing. Um Adriana La Serva dies, and it is a one of those episodes where she's such a big character, and you go, That's that can't happen. That wasn't Roberta DeMatteo was the actress. I think it could be, Martin, yeah. Was he not the Chelsea Fut Buller? No, that was something that was Roberta De Matteo. No, Roberta. But uh the the whole premise, and for our listeners to cover your ears now, she becomes the FBI catcher in drug possession, so to say they've been trying to bring the Sopranos down the crime family for years, and she's her inside way. And then she confides to her fiance, look, the FBI have got me here. We can make a run for it, they can set us up in the safe home and all. He then breaks down and tells Tony, the mob boss, and then within you're sort of going, he won't, he'll find a way to get get her out of it and he'll talk to her. So he sends one of her assistants, right? Sort of to talk to her, and then um it's just a phenomenal episode of her sort of going, Oh, she's told that her fiance's in trouble that he has to take her to, and then execute executed in the woods. And it was one of those spins that you're like, nah, it's not gonna happen, it's not gonna happen, and then boom, it happens, and you're like, What'll I do now? Because there's a whole the FBI were watching her, they were watching the whole thing, so it leads to some really complex things, and there's a big knock on effect to Great Death. I've never seen the Soprano sort of kind of. To her death. Silvio. And Silvio was in real life. Yeah. Bruce Springsteen's guitarist. Steve Van Zant. Yeah. Oh, right. Very good. And actually, so I've I've never been able to look at him the same way. Yeah. There's a great part in it where I actually it was an interview with him last week I listened to, and he went in the cast for a role of one of the mob guys, and they went, Look, you're not perfect for him, but we're gonna write a new new role for you. He went, Look, I don't want to take anyone's job. My wife's an actress, I know what how tough it is. Actors are like, so don't worry about it if I don't get the role. And they were so enamoured by his attitude, they went, No, no, we'll make you a new role. Great guy. We did Bruce Springsteen, Guardians of Vital Vault, released this week, actually. Oh, really? And you didn't realise he's a guitarist and murdered people. I didn't know it was me, it wasn't me putting him forward. He is a phenomenal actor. He's a good actor. What I've seen him in, and he's a good actor. I wouldn't use the term phenomenal. I love him in that role. I'll probably I he just fits perfectly. Did you ever watch Lillehammer? Yes, I did. Lilly Hammer, which was his spin-off, effectively, not quite, but it was almost the same character taken and uh sent to he was being sent to somewhere to be safe because he'd given evidence against the mob, and so he picked Lillehammer in Norway. Oh, wait, wait, wait. What he says, no, it looked good when I saw it on the Olympics, and he gets there and he finds snow everywhere. Snow everywhere, and it's very small, and he's uh basically a Brooklyn gangster. Yeah, no, I that was it's actually the two seasons of it were quite funny. The third season tanked. I watched the first season and it was mildly enjoyable. Yeah, enjoyable. I watched all three seasons, and again, first and second season, it was quite good, and then the third season I kind of thought, nah, it's now hit just stupid and silly. You know, but anyway, no, again, sounds like a a very strong it's it's one of those you've mentioned death that you sort of don't see coming, and you're like, oh that's a surprise. This is one straight away, you're like, can't happen, can't happen. Do you remember in was it Ned Stark in Game of Thrones? Oh yeah, that was that was very early in the episode. Oh, yeah, yeah, a couple of people I Game of Thrones was one of those things I never really got into, as although people would tell me how great it was. Not the best death in Game of Thrones. Best death in Game of Thrones was Joffrey's. Why he was a weak it was absolutely horrendous, but the way he was so dispatched. Was that the poison? Yeah, yeah, that was wild. Yeah, yeah. I I I vaguely remember that thinking that's quite cool, actually. Yeah, it was very, very nasty. But anyway. Your number two, Martin. My number two, prepared to groan, Gareth. Oh, Lord of the Rings. Frodo. Oh, right? Now, not technically a death. Oh, wait, wait, whoa. Ring PMG there. Yep, PMG, PMG will now monitor. Please monitor, and you will forgive me at the end of all of this. But Frodo, although it's not technically a death, it is assumed as one. Frodo Baggins sails away from the Grey Havens to the Undying Lands, known as Valinor, for those of you that haven't read the book, uh, alongside his uncle Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf the wizard, and the elves. Now he leaves Middleworth because he is permanently scarred by the physical and spiritual wounds from the ring, and he's choosing to seek eternal peace and healing rather than go back to the Shire. Now, the reason that is such an epic moment in the whole thing is they have won the battle. They have reclaimed Middle-earth. The ring has been destroyed, they have been a group, a comradeship, they have been a they've fought together side by side and get back to the Shire. And Frodo says, But I can't stay here any longer. I've got to go, I can't live like this. And the other three are all go, but but we we we started this together, we finished it together. Why? And he goes, Because the pain is too much, and he carried the weight of carrying the ring and uh to Mordor, etc. You see, Gareth, never having read that. Can I ask you a question? Yeah, whenever you are telling that with such animation to Andy and I. Pontifically, you know. I am looking. You have not sold Lord of the Rings to But can I tell you what I'm looking at right now? I'm looking at Headmaster Study, the Headmaster Rectory, the two miscreants, and both of them going, We don't give two stuffs. We can't wait to get out of here and do whatever it is we want. I'll challenge that slightly. I remember going to the cinema to watch The Hobbit, and it was Nicole's mum and dad love the Lord of the Rings series. It's the hobbit. And so Hugh, Nicole's dad was like, Oh, this is gonna be great. Fall on for Lord of the Rings. What do you think of Lord of Rings, Andy? I went, never seen it. He looked at me like I had three heads. So he's like, How will you know what's going on? That would make you Cerberus. Yes, I would the three-headed dog that guards the gates of hell. But I actually enjoyed the Hobbit. Uh, what was the guy, Martin Freeman? Yes, I I know, but that and he was playing uh the original Bilbo with the Pokemon. Would you want this in Brian? The pre-date. I'd say it's probably better than the Lord of the Rings. Now you've just been you see, even your father-in-law has recognised the fact that you are somewhat of an idiot. So do you shed a wee tear whenever you're reading the book? I had an emotional response. Okay, this is your weekend planned. How many hobbits are there? Three? I don't watch the hobbits, watch the Lord of the Rings. Watch the Hobbits. And you think the Hobbit's better, yeah. Yeah, we'll watch the Hobbits. And let's actually do a pick three, our favourite Hobbit movie. Brilliant. Well, pick three. There are three Hobbit movies. Pick three. Do you know it's not going to be very exciting for the listeners? I wonder which one they'll pick, will it be? The disdain in his voice. But the thing about it is, right? This is the advantage of the pick three show and the three decades of separation. When I was getting those sorts of stories and the emotional response to those sort of stories, we didn't have the option of a whole pile of the other things that future generations had. The 20 years that separates me and Andy, he was able to put stuff in on video, he was able to put stuff in on DVD to watch stuff. We weren't. You either read about it or you went to the cinema and saw it because there were none of this stuff on TV. Yeah, yeah. So the the reality of when you have these experiences and when you read things, that's where they resonate so much. Video stores come in then? Video stores didn't really appear until the mid-1980s. You know, like every kid will miss out on an experience of going into a video store. Yeah, 100%. You know, I I loved it. Like we had even before extravision, where you had the Brandsburn filling station and banger, which bizarrely looking back now, you went in, pay for your petrol video section on the wall. Yeah, and then there was the little section out the back, which was run by the boy, what was his name? Blue Ray. Right, okay, my number one. It's a 1979 film. Ricky Schroeder, John Voigt, Faye Dunaway, The Champ. Oh, for goodness sake. The champ. I was one of the first movies that I saw on video, and even have watched it numerous times. Oh my, this nine-year-old boy, because the champ dies in the box matches a boxing film. Okay. And the champ have you never seen it? Never seen it. Oh come on, 1979. It's classic. That's a real thing. John Voigt, Faye Dunaway, and Ricky Schuder. Obviously, the champ has left the kid behind with the mother. Mother's very posh. And the champ goes back to boxing. He likes a bit of a gamble as well. John Voigt act uh does the acting superb. It was his job. It was his job. It goes into the fight, Andy, and he's going, You're the champ, you're the champ. And then at the end, he goes, he obviously gets knocked out and he's dying. He goes, Champ, don't die. And it was Ricky Strouders with break. Andy, I challenge you not to cry whenever you watch that. I'm actually expecting to laugh at that moment. That sounds true. Have you seen it, Martin? I saw it years and years ago, and I thought it was cliched and uh unimpressive. And uh, you know, I I don't know what he's going on about. Andy, classic. It's no fruit waving for uh put it this way whenever I said it to Angela last night. First one for her as well. Oh, really? Interesting. Yeah, yeah, okay. First one for her. The champ. When was the last time you watched it? Probably with the kids about five or six years ago. Okay. Oh, I'll tell you, full boom. It's not really a date movie. It's not really a date movie, but it is a date movie. Is it? I've got it. You're gonna put it in your phone as something that you might actually so you're not gonna watch the three Lord of the Rings movies, but you're gonna watch that piece of garbage. Um I actually think I started watching one of the Lord of the Rings movies, and then about two hours in, where what's actually happening there? Yeah, very dark. It's complicated in the three and a half hours long, so they're complicated and they're tough to follow. So I mean it's probably beyond you. I'll probably read the books then instead. Did you cry in the champ? No. Did Debs? Don't think Debs has ever seen it. I think I probably saw it. Way way back in 1979, Debs and I had only just started dating, so I wasn't going to take her to that sort of movie. Okay, I mean you'll what you'll love it. Number one. This is one from recent well not recent, I've watched it recently again. John Coffey and the Green Mile. Oh, I watched it just three weeks ago. And I think it must be just the way it's a weird one because you know he hasn't committed the crime, but he's telling Tom Hanks, look, just put me out of my misery. Yeah, yeah. Go to the electric chair, and you sort of feel like someone's got away with something here, and then just the whole scene of him on the chair and all fantastic movie. Oh, really good movie. One thing that I advise listeners not to do is I watched it in parts, although it was still brilliant. Yeah, I didn't get completely submerged at when it died, but the first time I did a classic film. That actor who played him as well, yeah, played it perfectly. Yeah, and that was one you sort of went, you brought along on the ride and the whole movie, the writing, and then that happens, and you're sort of in display, nah, they'll he'll find a way to use his sort of supernatural powers to get out of this or something, and he just submits. Yeah. Wow, great. You fan Martin Green Man? Thought it was a good movie. I didn't get into it as much as some others. I think it's um it's played for a certain is it off a Stephen King story? Yeah, I think it is, it is, yeah. Yeah. That's why Stephen King loved those type of things in his episodes. Well, I read a very good article this week in the Financial Times magazine, and it was a lady who took time out from her professorship to go into. I think Stephen King has a library of all his stories on how they developed, etc. Okay, and it actually gave his first book, which I just can't remember, and I I bought it to read going holiday with which I love his short stories. Yeah, yeah. So I do. And a lot of the short stories went on to turn into m uh movies like The Body was Stand By Me. There was lots more I can't just remember. But I love his short stories and how he develops the characters. It you know, superb. Yeah. There was a story from about the mid-1970s of uh a bus somebody who worked for a bus company, and anyway, and two kids. Unfortunately, something happened on the bus, and the the kids in any way he was convicted of effectively causing their death, and he was sent to the electric chair. And um they they took him down and they actually went through and put him in and they fired up the current and nothing happened. So they just cranked it up to the top and tried to electrocute him again, nothing happened. They said, Well, look, we're gonna have to let you go, but at the end of the day, you're just a bad conductor. I just I knew it was coming. I uh I left turn it off in their drove. I'm not surprised. I I don't even think I did that joke particularly justice, but anyway, I was making it up kind of from dredging it over many years ago. Yeah, Gareth and I were we knew the journey we were on. You're number one, Mark. You might have been the two kids. Good choice. Good choice, good film. Yes, uh a good film. You went good choice to just no good good for choice to get possibly in there in the top ten films? Yep. Oh, yeah, really? Surprise? Okay, my number one is the death of Rita Bennett. Do you know who that is, Gareth? No, no idea, no idea. Right. Death hovered over Dexter right from the pilot. Oh, yeah, this is a good one. Dexter taking out other serial killers and occasionally well-meaning cast members who threaten to expose him. Those of you that haven't watched season two won't understand the Sergeant Dokes reference here, but uh Sergeant Dokes maybe didn't make it out of season two. Come on back. Spoiler alert. Anyway, however, the death that hit me hardest was at the end of season four, which in my opinion is probably the strongest season of the entire Dexter run. And this is when Dexter's love interest and the mother of his son, Rita, was murdered by Trinity and before Dexter could get to Trinity. Now, Dexter then got to Trinity, but he did not know, and the season ends. We don't know this, but the season ends with Dexter coming back to his house, and Rita's not where he expects her to be, and he phones and he hears the phone in the bathroom, and he walks into the bathroom, and that's when he finds what has actually occurred. Brittle. That broke me. That it came completely out of left field that that was what had happened. And what was the interesting thing about the Trinity Killer? That Dexter only realized at the very end, the Trinity Killer always did thing in three kills, three specific kills. One was a child, one was a mother, one was a I I think just somebody else who was to protect their family. But what Dexter worked out at the last minute was actually Trinity had always done four kills and nobody ever spotted the other one. And so Dexter at the end of the day uncovered, and there was a scene in that where Dexter saved a child that was getting covered in concrete, buried alive in concrete, and Dexter saved him and Trinity got away, and it's obviously in that time frame Trinity went on. Yes, that was the fourth one that nobody ever knew about because they were buried underground and all the rest of it. It is brand shocking, it is brilliant. It stopped me in my tracks. I sat there watching uh the TV as the credits rolled, absolutely in bed. I need to watch. I I think I only went a couple of seasons. John John Lithgoe isn't it? Yes. It's as scary as Big Higgins, isn't that? And you actually go first episode you see him and you go, he won't be great here. He's like a good comedy actor. And then you go Third Rock from the Sun and then you go, Oh, he's brilliant. He's actually the way he's chilling on this. But at the John Lithgoe. And what what season was he in? Four. Season four of Dexter. Maybe I have seen that. I don't know. You would remember the scene. You could watch season four because you understand the premise of Dexter. Yeah, yeah. You could watch season four as a standalone and be I think. I might actually do that because honestly, if you watch this season, you would want to watch them all. And you would go now, as you've alluded to in other shows, it's probably the peak of all the Dexter series. I I would go if you want to watch Dexter and Peak Dexter, watch seasons one, two, and four. Okay, right. You can stop there. I've done definitely one two, I must actually go into four then. Good because three is actually a significant come down. Yeah, we bet. And but four is electric from start to finish. The way every season has the bad guy in it, and you sort of see early who the bad guy is. Martin summed that up perfectly. He gets the bad guy. Yeah. And you're like, oh Bryant. And in these days, you'd be looking, and I remember at the time, go, Oh, still five minutes left on this. What's he gonna do? And then you're going, that's exactly what he's gonna do. Goes home and sees Rita, the actress, the nicest lady, the way she portrayed her. Yeah, lovely, motherly lady, and all. That's what made it even harder. Yes. Uh that one hurt. Yeah, that was one of the ones that really hurt. Okay, listener feedback, I have only one because I was late to it last night. Uh Angela came up with number three, Bobby Ewing. Yeah, okay. Hang on a second. Your entire listener feedback. Yeah, I was I was recording. I was recording Guardians of Final Vault last night. Well, I I mean again, we all have to multitask into the factory does a whole lot of things. That's why I didn't get doing it. So Bobby Ewing, Marley, and Marley and me and the champ. Oh, for goodness sake, it's like the same list. Did you make your list up of what she told you? Are you not doing what you're told? Nothing in from BJ Cheevers. No. I was late sending the email to tell you to one of your other co-hosts in Footsteps of Giants, Ron Metz Pack. Let's back up a second. Ron is a contributor. Don't give him co-hosts. His contract runs out in the summer, doesn't it? Ron got us to work hard before he gets another contract. So Death's All Real, he's written down here. What? Yeah, he's he's gone rogue. Freddie Mercury. Oh, for goodness sake. Parents were big Queen fans. Sean Locke, possibly one of the funny things comedians, and then number one, Robin Williams. Oh, right, he's gone a different way. He's gone a completely different thing. It said fictional deaths. And I resent that after. Johnny sent in Arthur Fowler. Oh wow. Obi-Wan Kenobi. Arthur Fowler, did he not just die in his chair? I have no idea. I'm not sure. And Pauline found him just sitting in the room. I know, but it was sad to see him die. It's hardly the top ten, you know, top walls big at the time. Number one, Neil McCaulay. Sorry. Who's Neil McCaulay? So you can't just read stuff out. Of course, our listeners give our feedback. I'm gonna Google this as we speak. Yeah, who is Neil Macaulay? Right, Martin Hugo while he's Googling us. He is a film character, career criminal, series of heists in Chicago, oh, and Michael Mann's Heat. Ah right, okay. Okay. Alright, that would be fine. By the way, I'd like to give an honourable mention before I give my listener feedback. An honourable mention from season five of The Wire. No, I know you guys haven't actually and so I'm not going to say it, but those of you that know know who I'm talking about in season five of The Wire. It is one of those deaths that is completely shocking. And again, it's this thing, it's complete and it does not happen in any way, shape, or form in the way you would expect that character to meet his end or her end. Okay. And let's go with his end because that's anyway. Okay, yeah, yeah. Right. Listener picks. Anne McKissick, who uh knows this is the pick three show, has actually even visited the studio of the pick three show. Gave me about six. Oh, right, okay. Six, she said Bambi's Mom. Oh yeah. That was tough. Dobby, the house elf in Harry Potter. That was Saving Harry Potter from a dagger thrown by Bella something or other. Bellatrix. Bellatrix. That's right. Don't worry. Thanks. Uh the death of Jon Snow in Game of Thrones, only to be resurrected at the start of the next season. For those of you that haven't watched, you can rest easy. Hans Solo, his death was pretty tough to watch. Old Yeller, which I think is the original American version of Marley and me, because Old Yeller was a dog. And then she said the Red Wedding, which was so shocking. The deaths were so shocking at the Red Wedding in Game of Thrones that uh uh it took her by surprise. Ben sent in three. One I'm only gonna read because two others will get us cancelled. Uh, number two is Vera Duckworth. Alright. Uh one that hasn't come in is the boy in the striped pajamas. No, it hasn't come in at that. That hasn't come in. Remember the wee boy at the end? Yeah, but that's that's horrendous. And it was horrendous. Uh Pete sent in It's bringing the whole mood down. I don't know. This is an entertainment show. It's hard. Oh, it did it hit really hard. In fact, for those of you watching in black and white, Gareth is actually sitting across the stand here at Raven Hill. Have you seen it? Nope. I think are you cold because you're shivering something? Uh Pete sent in Tyrone Lannister, the sheriff of of Nottingham, Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves. One of the most overwrought deaths of all time. General Frank Francis X. Hummel is his number three. Francis X. Hummel. No, how's who's Hummel? I have no idea. Oh. General Hummel. Yeah. I wonder if that's from The Rock. Oh yeah, he loves he loves The Rock. Is that not the bad guy? The boy who was on The Rock, who was commanding. Yeah. Credged that one up. He did. Corrin sent in Mr. Jingles in the Green Mile in brackets, both deaths. Sirius Black, he's put down. Harry Potter. And then he's put Dizzy Starship Trooper. It's a long time since I've seen Starship Troopers. Yeah, it's going back a bit. Thomas sent in Iron Man in Endgame. Avengers Endgame, Robert Downey Jr. Yeah, it was about time. Yeah, that's sort of Thomas also sent in Marley. Marley and me. And then Tom Hanks and Save it Private Ryan. Captain John Miller. Yeah. Tough one to watch. That's again one of the great movies. I've only ever watched it once. I don't think I could have ever sat through it a second time. Patty sent Christopher Montesante and The Sopranos. So Christopher Tony showed that Tony wasn't redeemable. Macaulay Culkin and My Girl. Why it was traumatizing. Oh no. And then number one, Hank from Breaking Bad. Yes. You just started to like Hank. I actually always liked Hank. You would have. Because Hank was, and his wife is, you know, is a petty thief. Yeah. And he's not noticing that his brother-in-law is running a drug empire. But apart from that, but I mean Hank had the magnificent scene in about the third. No, in the in the third season or something, wasn't it, with the Mexican twins? Yeah. In the car park. Yeah. That was dunking television. I I would love to watch Break a Bad again, but my memories of the first season were quite slow at times. I think you'd watch it and you'd watch it slightly differently now because you know the arc. Yeah, yeah. Which you didn't know back then. But it got better and better there. Oh, it was. But that moment where Hank is in the desert and Walter still hasn't worked out what's going to happen, and Hank just says, There's no way out of this for me. Yeah. I'm definitely. And they go, No, no, no, I've got I've done a deal. No, you haven't. I was watching the gentleman uh series on Netflix again. I just watched it again. The actor in that is Gus. Oh, Gus French, yeah, yeah. Gus Freng, yeah. He's Bryant. Now his death was good as well. Oh, it was Bryant? It was it was a brilliant death rather than a you know breaking. Actually, another episode. Deaths at which you cheered. Yeah, yeah, it's a great one. Well, actually, Deaths at which you cheered. Right. My my final couple of listener uh picks were uh Courtney Thompson, uh who said Marley from Marley and Me, uh Derek Shepherd from Grey's Anatomy. Oh yeah. I'm presuming that was some sort of a heart throb that maybe shouldn't have, and Dobby from Harry Potter. Oh right. Again, I know Courtney's age demographic, and therefore these would be I could understand these being very important. And finally, Ashley Parks, the death of President David Palmer, who I think was in 2024. Yeah, 24, yeah. I can't remember the exact basis of how he died, but I do know that uh uh Jack had to uh do some work to try and arrest the file. A worse one was Tony, probably, wasn't it? You're talking the wrong man on this. Remember Tony Almeida? Oh yes. I am or was there one that there was definitely someone who gave themselves up to be killed? I can't remember anyway. Anyway, right. Um Ashley then said Maximus Decimus Meridius in Gladiator, and then he said his number one, and the one that for a certain age group will always be the death that matters. Mufasa. The Lion King. And you know, he is absolutely right. I took my kids to see that in the cinema, and I know I maybe wiped a smaller. No, it didn't I actually saw last role. Well, we're gonna say E.T. E.T., yeah. Yes. Listen, folks, if you want to watch ET with your kids at the weekend, they'll be fine. He doesn't die. But he does go home. Yeah, yes. You know, so be aware that uh, you know, unless you want your kids bowling their eyes out on the sofa, which apparently is Gareth's preferred basis on which to treat people who sit in the sofa and watch movies or TV. I'm looking forward to hearing Andy's watching the full The Champ, Marley and me, and about time. About time, would you you'd put a preference at the top of those for? Oh. Oh aye. For you and the cole, yeah. Sorry, we we've identified that both of us have uh emotional triggers. Do you actually have an emotional trigger? Uh do you do you do things get to you? Do you have a a a soft center? I would say I mean, obviously you have a softish center around that that's you could be like that. I actually can't laugh at the moment due to a rib injury, so I've been quite uh sedate here. Oh yeah, certainly. How did you enjoy a rib? For our listeners, it involved a wall in Port Rush. Did you try to jump over it? Well, I tried to jump onto it, which I did, let the record show my objective was 100%. Achieved, but then I fell back, like someone cutting a tree down in the woods, landed on my back, and actually at the time went that doesn't feel good. Jumped up and was like, oh, it's a bit sore. Got out of bed the next morning and it was horrific. Can you just talk the listeners through the thought process that made you want to jump up on the wall? Just give us a rough time frame of the time of the evening and which establishments you had visited prior to attempting to jump onto this wall. So if you're in the harbour bar in Port Rush, you walk up the little hill past the remote, you're in the one-way traffic system, there's a couple of houses there, and there's a little wall. Jumped up. Probably about seven o'clock on Saturday evening. Oh dear. Yeah. And three days later, it's still not great. Well, it's only three days. If you've done a proper rib injury, you'll hurt for weeks. Thank you for that. Whatever you do, don't sneeze. Sneezing is the thing that takes you by surprise. I was laughing because I've broke ribs before and coughing was the worst thing ever. I'm sitting in this podcast studio or at Ravenhill thinking to myself, I don't have to cough. That's the first time ever. You want to. Yeah, you really won't cough now. No, I won't cough what's going on. You can break a couple of his ribs. Maybe he's healnuts. Oh, there you go. Listeners, there you go. We've had a bit of a cheery run round the deaths that broke us today. And uh obviously our listeners, there were a number that resonated with them. They've come back with their own selections. For those of you like BJ, who uh achievers who uh meant to use the email but then didn't on this occasion, the email address, Gareth, is pick three show at thepick3 show at gmail.com. And is that Garethsmail.com or is it just gmail.com? I don't I don't like to boast about that. Okay. Fair enough. So anyway, keep sending us your suggestions. We'll be back with another interesting topic. Well, interesting to the Pickmaster General uh to discuss it in the next while. But until then, on behalf of the podcast, my name is Martin. My name is Gareth. And my name's Andy. That's a very subdued Andy a little bit. Yeah, it is. Gareth, can you help him down the steps out of Ravenhill? Whatever you do, don't let him fall again. There's a wee wall at the bottom, don't let him jump up on it. Whatever you do. Anyway, listeners, we'll see you all again very soon.