It’s a film made up entirely of pop culture Easter eggs, centred around a literal Easter egg hunt and released on Easter weekend eight years ago, so we thought it would be fitting to give you a little Easter 2026 treat and release our episode on READY PLAYER ONE a week early. But we’re not heading into the Oasis alone: we’re joined by Em, the fab host of Verbal Diorama, to wade (Watts) through the smorgasbord of references, the film’s long road to realisation and its ultimate message about the real world vs. the virtual one. A playful instance of Spielberg pondering the darker side of his generational impact, or a soulless piece of garbage designed to validate the stunting of our minds? Can it be two things? Plug in and find out!

You can follow Em on Instagram at @empoweredstuff. You can follow Verbal Diorama at @verbaldiorama and listen wherever you get your podcasts.

Follow the podcast on Twitter, Bluesky and Instagram and be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss an episode! Get in touch with us either via socials or email rambinaboutamblin@gmail.com.

Ramblin is created and produced by Andrew Gaudion and Joshua Glenn. A special thanks as always to Emily Tatham for the artwork, and Robert J. Hunter-Clayton & Greg Sheffield for the theme music.