Entertainment
Hulu Survival Thriller Comedy Is A Hilarious Take On Hunting Humans For Sport
By Robert Scucci
| Published
Has a friend ever told you a story so unhinged that you simply couldn’t believe anything they were telling you? Jake Johnson’s Self Reliance, a Hulu Original, takes this simple notion and takes you on a wild ride involving the dark web, a twisted manhunt involving celebrity impersonators who are out for blood, a family full of incredulous non-believers, and such a high-level of off-the-wall humor that you won’t know which end is up until you muscle through this frenetic psychological thriller comedy. Constantly making you guess whether its characters are living in the real world or some kind of elaborate work of fiction within its fiction, Self Reliance is subversive, surreal, and plays games with your mind while never losing its footing on solid ground.
Tommy’s Impossible Situation
Self Reliance wastes no time establishing its conflict when Tommy (Jake Johnson) is approached by a limo that happens to be chauffeuring Andy Samberg (playing himself) around town. Andy, who is simply being paid to be a messenger due to a lack of gainful employment, asks Tommy if he wants to participate in an adventure that he knows nothing about, but will gladly transport him to if he’s up for the challenge. Naturally, Tommy, who’s clearly bored with his current situation, hops into the limo without thinking twice.
Tommy learns that he’s been watched and vetted by unknown spectators, and he’s asked to participate in a reality TV show with the following simple premise: if he can survive for 30 days while people are trying to hunt him down and kill him, he’ll win a million dollars.
After asking a series of probing questions, Tommy agrees to participate in the game because he thinks he found a loophole in the gameplay that could work to his advantage. The loophole in Self Reliance suggests that Tommy cannot be killed if he’s in close proximity to other people because it could put their lives at risk, which is against the game’s rules – especially if any of these other people aren’t even participating in the game.
Tommy’s Descent Into Madness
At first, Tommy thinks he’s going to win an easy million dollars, and before Self Reliance kicks into high gear he fills his family in on what’s happening to him so they can help him along on this adventure. To his horror, Tommy’s mother, Laurie (Nancy Lenehan), as well as his sisters, Amy (Mary Holland) and Mary (Emily Hampshire), won’t participate in the madness because they don’t believe a word that’s coming out of his mouth … and why would they?
Desperate to prove that he’s not disassociating from reality, and that there is actually a million dollar prize on the line, Tommy hires a homeless man named James (Biff Wiff) – or is it Walter? – to follow him wherever he goes so he can go about his life without having to constantly look over his shoulder. Additionally, Tommy puts out an ad on Craigslist, hoping that some lonely stranger would like to spend all of their time with him, giving him even better odds to win the game. Thankfully, he meets Maddy (Anna Kendrick), who’s also playing the game, and agrees to spend all of her time with him so they could both survive and receive their payout.
As Self Reliance progresses through its second and third acts, information comes to light about Tommy’s past, giving you reason to believe that he’s making everything up in his head as a means to avoid coping with his past failed relationship with his girlfriend, Theresa (Natalie Morales), and his abandonment issues that stem from his father leaving when he was just a child.
Tommy certainly seems like he’s losing his marbles when he wakes up at night surrounded by a bunch of “production ninjas” who give him clues on how to complete the game. During Tommy’s waking hours, he’s attacked by avatars of Michael Jackson, Ellen DeGeneres, and has a run-in with his estranged father, who was coaxed into participating in the game by Wayne Brady of all people. Not knowing which end is up anymore, Tommy sticks to his guns and continues playing, even though it all seems like everything that’s going on may very well be a figment of his imagination.
Delightfully Deranged And Aggressively Askew
Self Reliance isn’t a movie that has a lot of camera tricks or special effects as it messes with your perspective. Packed to the gills with misdirects, so many strange things happen to Tommy that you feel like you’re going crazy alongside him as he tries to navigate through the dubiously titled gameshow, DOG (an acronym for Delusions of Grandeur).
Is Tommy actually participating in the most dangerous game for a life-changing amount of money? Or is his family right to assume that he needs serious psychiatric help because he’s lost his grip on reality?
One thing that I know for certain is that you’ll be left guessing while you laugh harder than you have any right two while watching everything unfold in Self Reliance, which is streaming on Hulu right now.
Entertainment
The Bears Gary cliffhanger explained: What just happened to Richie?
There’s only one thing more shocking than The Bear dropping surprise episode “Gary,” and that’s the ending of the episode itself.
Written by The Bear stars Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Jon Bernthal, “Gary” flashes back to a work trip Richie (Moss-Bachrach) and Mikey (Bernthal) once took to Gary, Indiana. Their worst impulses soon derail their mission, culminating in Mikey drunkenly (and publicly) dressing down Richie’s penchant for fucking up, and Richie missing the birth of his daughter.
The entire episode takes place long before The Bear Season 1, except for one somber coda that could have massive repercussions for The Bear Season 5. “Gary”s final scene cuts from Richie and Mikey sitting in Mikey’s car to Richie sitting alone in his car in the present day. He stares at his empty passenger seat, reminiscing about Mikey. Then, as he pulls forward into an intersection, another car careens straight into him. Cue the credits, along with my incredulous yell, “Did Richie just die?”
So, did Richie really just die in The Bear?
Ebon Moss-Bachrach in “The Bear.”
Credit: FX
Here’s the thing: The Bear probably isn’t going to kill off Richie, one of its most beloved leads, during a surprise episode that dropped between seasons. Especially not when the show is gearing up for its fifth and final installment. However, Richie’s car crash could be the major event that sets Season 5 in motion.
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At the end of Season 4, Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) quit The Bear, choosing to step away from the kitchen in the hopes of healing himself. He turned full control of the restaurant over to Sydney (Ayo Edebiri), along with Richie and Natalie (Abby Elliott). What does Carmy’s upcoming journey of self-discovery look like? Even he’s not sure. He just knows it should take place far, far away from the stressful environment of any restaurant kitchen. That includes his family, both work and blood-related.
But you know what could bring Carmy back into the fold in Season 5? A need to be there for an injured Richie, and to support the rest of the reeling restaurant staff. Basically, the end of “Gary” appears to be a bridge to the start of Season 5, and the catalyst that will reunite Carmy with the people he walked away from in Season 4.
It’s a bit of a bizarre move on The Bear‘s end, in no small part because a car-crash cliffhanger sends the show skidding into soap territory. But it’s also a strange choice heading into Season 5. Why relegate such a key incident to a standalone episode, instead of keep it as part of the season itself? Plus, in tacking such a shocking moment onto the end of “Gary,” the episode loses some of its power. Instead of leaving viewers contemplating Mikey and Richie’s dynamic, they’re left with the WTF factor of the car crash and questions about what’s next. There’s no meditation on The Bear‘s past, just a collision with its future.
“Gary” is now streaming on Hulu. The Bear Season 5 premieres this June on Hulu.
Entertainment
Pennsylvania is suing Character.AI for allegedly practicing medicine without a license
Pennsylvania has taken the unusual step of suing an AI company for practicing medicine without a license.
In a lawsuit filed May 1, the state is targeting Character.AI after an investigator found a chatbot on the platform posing as a licensed psychiatrist and providing what the state characterizes as medical advice.
According to the complaint, filed by the Pennsylvania Department of State and State Board of Medicine, a Professional Conduct Investigator for the state created a free account on Character.AI and searched for psychiatric characters. He selected one called “Emilie,” described on the platform as a “Doctor of psychiatry.”
The investigator told Emilie he had been feeling sad, empty, tired, and unmotivated. The chatbot mentioned depression and offered to conduct an assessment to determine whether medication might help.
When pressed on whether she was licensed in Pennsylvania, Emilie said she was and even provided a specific license number. The state checked and found that the number doesn’t exist.
The complaint also states Emilie claimed she attended medical school at Imperial College London, has practiced for seven years, and holds a full specialty registration in psychiatry with the General Medical Council in the UK.
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In a similar case, 404 Media reported last year that Instagram AI chatbots were pretending to be licensed therapists, even inventing license numbers when prompted for credentials by the user.
Pennsylvania is seeking an injunction ordering Character.AI to stop allowing its platform to engage in the unlawful practice of medicine. The company has more than 20 million monthly active users worldwide and hosts more than 18 million user-created chatbot characters, according to the complaint.
In an email to Mashable, a Character.AI spokesperson declined to comment on the lawsuit. Further, they added that “our highest priority is the safety and well-being of our users. The user-created Characters on our site are fictional and intended for entertainment and roleplaying.”
The spokesperson added that the company “prioritizes responsible product development and has robust internal reviews and red-teaming processes in place to assess relevant features.”
A much bigger legal battle looms over AI health
The Pennsylvania lawsuit lands in the middle of an already messy legal debate over what AI is actually allowed to tell you — and whether any of it is even admissible in court.
As Mashable’s Chase DiBenedetto reported, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has publicly advocated for “AI privilege,” arguing that chatbot conversations should be afforded the same legal protections as conversations with a therapist or an attorney. Courts have so far been split, with two federal judges reaching opposite conclusions on the question within weeks of each other earlier this year.
The stakes are high on both sides. Legal experts warn that sweeping AI privilege protections could effectively shield companies from accountability, making it harder to subpoena chat logs and internal records when something goes wrong. Meanwhile, health AI is booming — $1.4 billion flowed into healthcare-specific generative AI in 2025 alone, according to Menlo Ventures — and much of it operates outside of HIPAA protections.
Pennsylvania is one of several states to have introduced an AI Health bill this year, following a trend of states that aren’t waiting for Washington to act.
Entertainment
How to watch Bayern Munich vs. PSG online for free
TL;DR: Live stream Bayern Munich vs. PSG in the Champions League for free on RTÉ Player. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
Bayern Munich vs. PSG would have made an amazing Champions League final, but we should be happy that we’re getting two matchups between these electric teams. The first leg finished 5-4 to PSG. We’re not expecting the same again, because that was probably one of the best games of all time. If we get half that level of entertainment in the second leg, we’ll be delighted.
Expect more of the same from the likes of Michael Olise and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia as these teams battle it out for a spot in the showpiece event. The winner will meet Arsenal at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest.
If you want to watch Bayern Munich vs. PSG in the Champions League from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.
When is Bayern Munich vs. PSG?
Bayern Munich vs. PSG in the Champions League kicks off at 3 p.m. ET on May 6. This fixture takes place at the Allianz Arena.
How to watch Bayern Munich vs. PSG for free
Bayern Munich vs. PSG is available to live stream for free on RTÉ Player.
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RTÉ Player is geo-restricted to Ireland, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Ireland, meaning you can unblock RTÉ Player to stream the Champions League for free from anywhere in the world.
Live stream Bayern Munich vs. PSG for free by following these simple steps:
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Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
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Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
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Open up the app and connect to a server in Ireland
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Visit RTÉ Player
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Watch Bayern Munich vs. PSG for free from anywhere in the world
$12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee)
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access free live streams of the Champions League without actually spending anything. This obviously isn’t a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream Bayern Munich vs. PSG (plus more Champions League fixtures) before recovering your investment.
If you want to retain permanent access to the best free streaming services from around the world, you’ll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPn for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.
What is the best VPN for RTÉ Player?
ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on RTÉ Player, for a number of reasons:
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Servers in 105 countries including Ireland
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Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
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Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure
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Fast connection speeds free from throttling
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Up to 10 simultaneous connections
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30-day money-back guarantee
A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).
Live stream Bayern Munich vs. PSG in the Champions League for free with ExpressVPN.
The Bears Gary cliffhanger explained: What just happened to Richie?
Pennsylvania is suing Character.AI for allegedly practicing medicine without a license
