About the show

Two Hundred a Day is a podcast by Nathan D. Paoletta and Epidiah Ravachol. We are exploring the intensely weird and interesting world of the 70s TV detective show The Rockford Files. In each episode of Two Hundred a Day, we watch an episode, recap and review it as fans of the show, and tease out specific elements that hold lessons for writers, gamers and anyone else interested in making better stories.

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Episodes

  • Episode 73: Resurrection in Black & White

    July 26th, 2020  |  1 hr 30 mins
    1970s, 70s, boat chase, james garner, jim rockford, math, oreos, p.i, rockford files, russ mayberry, television, tv

    Nathan and Eppy talk about S2E8 Resurrection in Black & White. Jim is hired by a magazine reporter named Susan to help clear the name of a man who's been in jail for 6 years for a murder he says he didn't commit. The case is pretty cold, but with Jim and Susan's powers combined they manage to figure out what happened and track down the culprits - in a motorboat, no less! We really enjoyed this episode, especially the chemistry between Jim and Susan and the nuanced character work woven into their story. Plus, we get to talk about director Russ Mayberry, as this is his last appearance on our show!

  • Episode 72: Dwarf in a Helium Hat

    June 28th, 2020  |  1 hr 23 mins
    1970s, 70s, fruit cart, james garner, jim rockford, jimbo like bimbo, p.i, rockford files, romanov, television, tv, wrong number

    Nathan and Eppy get a look at the wild party scene of 70s LA in S4E17 Dwarf in a Helium Hat. Jim gets a threatening phone call, but to the wrong number! His conscience can't let this sit, and in trying to track down Jay Rockfelt to warn him of the impending danger, he gets dragged in to a life-and-death situation with a jersey mobster who just wants to be taken seriously. Though this one has a bit of a thing plot, it's a fun episode with some particularly amazing dialogue!

  • Episode 71: Black Lives Matter (A Plus Expenses Special)

    June 14th, 2020  |  1 hr 5 mins
    1970s, 70s, black lives matter, james garner, jim rockford, p.i, plus expenses, rockford files, television, tv

    Black Lives Matter. We support the ongoing uprisings against police brutality in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, and we wanted to both reflect on what this means for us and talk to our audience directly about how you can help. We start the conversation with our standard Plus Expenses-style check-in, and transition about half an hour in to talking about the protests and what we're currently grappling with as next steps towards a future without police.

  • Episode 70: Coulter City Wildcat

    May 31st, 2020  |  1 hr 33 mins
    1970s, 70s, country beef, james garner, jim rockford, oil, p.i, rockford files, television, tv, want to see my bunker

    Nathan and Eppy go wildcatting with Jim and Rocky in S3E6 Coulter City Wildcat. Rocky is forced to sign over the mineral rights to a oil lease he won in a lottery he's been playing, and Jim is determined to find out why his dad was roughed up and what scam is at the heart of the matter. They take a road trip to Coulter City to unravel a stubborn mystery, and we have a great time riding along with them in their efforts. While we found the mechanics of the plot to be little obscure, this is a hell of a fun episode overall!

  • Episode 69: The Hawaiian Headache

    April 26th, 2020  |  1 hr 26 mins
    1970s, 70s, aloha-ha-ha-ha, be a tiger, hawaii, hound dog, james garner, jim rockford, p.i, ping-pong diplomacy, rockford files, television, tv

    Nathan and Eppy take a sun-soaked trip to S6E8 The Hawaiian Headache. Jim and Rocky won a trip to Hawaii! Jim doesn't get to enjoy a minute of it before being brought into an issue of national security by an old Korean War sergeant. Things go from bad to worse as he juggles a missing agent, a briefcase with $10K, gangsters and a murder charge. A silly episode, without much mystery to speak of but a lot of good gags!

  • Episode 68: Star Trek DS9 - Badda-Bing, Badda-Bang

    April 1st, 2020  |  1 hr 7 mins
    1970s, 70s, ds9, james garner, jim rockford, p.i, rockford files, star trek, stretch, television, too many guys named paulie, tv, vegas, vic fontaine
  • Episode 67: Malibu Madness - Round 2!

    March 29th, 2020  |  2 hrs 11 mins
    1970s, 70s, bees die of loneliness, champions, james garner, jim rockford, long, malibu madness, p.i, rockford files, rockfordishness, television, tournament, tv

    It's the second half of the Malibu Madness Tournament! We crown category winners, regional champions and then get to the big cheese, the inaugural Malibu Madness Champion! We had a lot of fun doing this, and hope you enjoy it too. Check out patreon.com/twohundredaday to see the brackets and follow along!

  • Episode 66: Malibu Madness - Round 1!

    March 19th, 2020  |  2 hrs 38 mins
    1970s, 70s, james garner, jim rockford, long, malibu madness, p.i, rockford files, rockfordishness, television, tournament, tv

    We're taking the occasion of being about half-way through the series to talk about what makes this show so great - through the lens of a March-Madness-style bracketed tournament! There's a lot to talk about, as we go through 64 of our favorite villains, car chases, pieces of dialogue, episodes, and more. Our next episode will feature the crowning of our inaugural Malibu Madness Champion! Enjoy!

  • Episode 65: The Man Who Saw the Alligators

    February 23rd, 2020  |  1 hr 37 mins
    1970s, 70s, anthony boy, david chase, ginger beef, james garner, jim rockford, mob, p.i, rockford files, television, tv

    Nathan and Eppy talk about the second "Anthony Boy" Gagglio episode, S05E17 The Man Who Saw the Alligators. Last seen with a police bullet in his gut at the end of Season 3's To Protect and Serve, Anthony Boy is out of jail and seeking revenge on the man he blames for his problems: Jim Rockford. Jim, dealing with oral surgery and an IRS audit, doesn't know what's coming. This 90-minute episode is another compelling David Chase portrait of obsession, and we really have a lot to say both about the technique and all of the amazing details as we follow Tony's journey into darkness.

  • Episode 64: A Plus Expenses Special

    February 9th, 2020  |  1 hr 6 mins
    1970s, 70s, banacek, james garner, jim rockford, malibu madness, p.i, plus expenses, rockford files, television, tv

    Time for a state of the podcast episode! We're using the first half of the episode to update our listeners on some of our life events before going back in time to talk about those events before they happened on the Plus Expenses episode that goes out to all of our Patreon backers. This includes Eppy's visit to Chicago, Nathan's post-mortem on a recent Kickstarter project, and our thoughts on the show Banacek. Plus, we introduce an upcoming March event: MALIBU MADNESS!

  • Episode 63: To Protect and Serve (Two-Part Episode)

    January 26th, 2020  |  1 hr 41 mins
    1970s, 70s, james garner, jim rockford, p.i, police buff, rockford files, shoefly, television, tv, you call this a pizza?

    Nathan and Eppy talk about a remarkable two-parter from Season 3, To Protect and Serve. Jim is hired to find a run-away bride from New York, but that quickly becomes the background to the drama stemming from the interference of a police "buff" named Lianne who's fallen for Dennis. Ultimately a character study of the obsessive Lianne, this David Chase-written story balances all of our familiar characters with the her narrative focus, as well as introducing a new foe for Jim in the character of hit man "Anthony Boy" Gagglio - more about him in our next episode. Highly recommended!

  • Episode 62: Sticks and Stones May Break Your Bones, But Waterbury Will Bury You

    December 29th, 2019  |  1 hr 27 mins
    1970s, 70s, blazing saddles, cleavon little, james garner, jim rockford, p.i, rockford files, television, tv, wooden nickel

    Nathan and Eppy talk about the long-titled S3E13 Sticks and Stones Will Break Your Bones, But Waterbury Will Bury You. Jim comes back from vacation to learn that fellow PIs are losing their licenses through a series of set-ups. He teams up with a crack squad of motormouths to figure out what's going on, who's behind it, and why the private security firm Waterbury wants to do this in the first place. It's a fun David Chase-penned romp with that lovely Rockford Files stiffening of fantastic character play from guests Cleavon Little, Simon Oakland and Val Bisoglio.