Not Quite Great Books: a TV podcast

92. The New Pope, Episode Seven

[Major ep. 7 spoilers in this episode description]
Pope, saint, miracle worker, messiah, christ, antichrist, revenant, which best applies to resurrected Lenny Belardo?! And which apply to your dear hosts?! Regan and John plot out this and many other papal conundrums as they discuss LENNY BACK. Lenny’s return breaks the show, and we explore the new primary setting of the Venetian manor in this episode, new questions about the Church, and, most importantly, a new opening credits sequence featuring the Glowing Papal Speedo (Lenny’s job is beach). Much like Lenny can’t quite figure out his role in the lives of his hosts Ewa and Helmar and their son Eric, we try to figure out WTF this show is doing with disability. 
Somehow this TV episode also contains one of the most strikingly somber and beautiful scenes ever, and this podcast episode includes literary references galore, plagiarism chat, celebration over the way the show’s lighting, Pietà time, Edward Said, and so much more.
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Music by Lesfm from Pixabay

91. The New Pope, Episode Six

This episode of TV is a whole ordeal (non-derogatory, we think), and your hosts attempt to chart a godly course through the instability and chaos of it all. Leopold Essence’s (what a name) cryptic bug and Sofia’s spy mission-slash-dislocation set off the whole episode: the violence, the scheming, the response (or lack thereof) to the scheming, and the Pope’s risky interview. Esther’s storyline is itself full of chaos and violence (in multiple forms), with Regan and John talking out their reactions to and analyses of these scenes and WTF this show is doing with its approach to disability. Lurking around all of this? Coma Lenny, the ultimate chaos agent. 
Make sure to stick around for the segments, where we love and scorn Voiello, ponder New Pope as Coen Brothers-meet-horror movie, use cockroach metaphors from the show to critique mission work, learn about actress Kiruna Stamell’s versatility IRL, celebrate Saint Drogo, and more. We have an all-timer of The Cave for you as well: an Aquinas banger that sets John off plus Regan shouts out a NQGB fave in TheoryShip.
Not to mention, one of your hosts reveals themself to be a bit of a monarchist. Wild stuff.
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Music by Lesfm from Pixabay

90. The New Pope, Episode Five

Hop in the Popemobile for a journey to the Vatican catacombs, Lourdes, the power of “no”, the power of Sharon Stone, and the inner workings of the collective mind of your hosts Regan and John. If the show is going to openly present narrative as a theme, there is no doubt we will run with it: if religion is a major narrative, what does that mean for the status of the church? Isn’t it fun to make a minor TV narrative about a major narrative of religion? How are Sofia and JP3 trying to shift the narrative in this episode? What narrative work do Lenny’s comatose breathing patterns and Esther’s late night dash do? 
Your hosts also imagine a Pope-Chappel Roan-Charli XCX meet-up, discuss Nickelodeon spooky shows, guffaw at the idea of a Saussure second-date book club, and ponder John Brannox’s gin of choice in relation to this hilarious and gorgeously-made episode of TV. 
Set your frequency to NQGB and tune in to this ep.
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Music by Lesfm from Pixabay

89. The New Pope, Episode Four

We didn’t blackmail you into listening to this episode (we think), but we do frame our discussion about John Paul III, Voiello, Spaletta, and the machinations within the Vatican around the idea of blackmail. Does this culminate in considering whether Catholic dogma is inherently a form of blackmail. You (and Nietzsche) already knew that it does. The final scene between Pope JP3 and Gutiérrez may offer a (semi-depraved, in true Popeverse fashion) counterpoint about the reciprocal exchange of vulnerability, however. 
Regan and John also discuss NUNS ON STRIKE in the main discussion, Catholica, and The Cave because it couldn’t be contained to one part of the episode, Sofia’s presence in this episode and this season, Esther and the madonna/whore complex, godly skiing, and, naturally, The Hobbit trilogy. 
Changed our minds, now we’re blackmailing you into listening – tap play *now*.
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Music by Lesfm from Pixabay

88. The New Pope, Episode Three

John and Regan have some reservations about Episode Three of The New Pope. Not included in those questions?: millipedes are godly – on that there is no doubt. This may be a plot-mover more than a great episode of TV, but such venal sins have never stopped NQGB before. 
 
There is exploration of more than just millipedes in this episode, however. Your humble hosts tackle the new Pope’s three speeches, how parent-driven self-abnegation paired with a sense of grandiosity brings John Brannox and Lenny Belardo together, and, yes, the skeezy men and problematic depictions of disability circling around Esther in this episode. The segments find us querying nun politics before we lust after plum overcoats, celebrate patron saint trivia, and assign NQGB impresario Danielle Hanley’s 2022 article on choral politics to characters on the show. 
 
Grab your silver pope hammer and turn on this ep.
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Music by Lesfm from Pixabay

87. The New Pope, Episode Two

Regan and John lay about the English manor of their collective mind as they journey with Team Vatican Dream Blunt Rotation to Sir John Brannox’s estate. Mysteries, Lenny apparitions, purple suits, white rooms, mysterious boxes, and depression abound. Can the dream team convince Sir John to become Pope? What do the different characters project onto Lenny? Have we broken new ground in the cravat + guyliner space? What is the Middle Way? Can your trusty hosts shoehorn in a Saltburn reference? 
 
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Popecast without a Hot Confessor Summer check-in, replete this week with Sofia’s kinky marriage and the increasingly sexed-up opening credits at Club Cloister. This and more if you join us in the NQGB conspiracy lair of this episode.

86. The New Pope, Episode One

PopeCast aka Hot Confessor Summer is BACK on Not Quite Great Books! Regan and John are reunited to begin their pilgrimage through The New Pope, the follow-up mini-series to their blessed The Young Pope. 
Lenny may be the structuring absence of this episode and this season of TV, but there is plenty to ponder. After your hosts reflect on their interactions with Catholicism since last summer, they explore the relation of corruption and piety, what the cardinals seek from god and the pope, Silvio Orlando’s Lindsay Lohan turn, the wealth of the Church, and our queen Strega Nona (among other items). 
Your favorite segments are back, some staying the same (Pope-pourri, Regan Rectory, Aquinas SZN in The Cave), while others adapt to the times (stay tuned for the replacement for Hot Priest Rating). Also back? This bizarre and wondrous and horny and contemplative show, and your hosts are here to work through it all. 

85. The Americans Season 4 in review

Time for a check-in! John and Danielle look back on Season 4 of The Americans in its entirety! They dig into some of the big themes from the season, from Glanders, to Paige’s spy development, to the changes in Philip and Elizabeth’s relationship. With the help of previous guest Mike Rensink, they tackle all the different deaths and departures that occurred throughout the season, and John makes a game out of it for Danielle. Of course, they go through the biggest Ls from the Dossier, but touch on the wins too. It wouldn’t be a NQGB ep without Danielle complaining about Pastor Tim’s seeming immortality. And, for good measure, your hosts do some meta convo on the production of the show and throw in one final Plato SZN in The Cave. 
Somehow there was also House of the Dragon (light spoilers for S2E1) and Game of Thrones chat, a Marx jaunt (more explicable), and a wide-ranging convo on storytelling arcs considering TV as an industry. 
It’s a fun one!
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Music by Lesfm from Pixabay

84. The Americans 4x13, "Persona Non Grata"

While William battles the Lassa virus, Danielle and John contend with the season 4 finale, “Persona Non Grata.” They consider the episode through the lens of endings that lack resolution, digging into the relationships between Philip and Elizabeth, Paige and her parents, as well as the state of affairs with the FBI, Arkadii, and of course, William. Danielle logs a number of losses (and one key win) in the Dossier, and offers some Season 5 predictions. In Glas, your hosts check in with Oleg, chat about Mischa, and John comments on the architecture and filmmaking regarding the quarantine room. After a quick jaunt to Borrowed Nostalgia to log the 80s references, your hosts head to the Cave to complete Plato SZN by turning to the Phaedo. They then wrap up the season with a round of TheoryShips. Join us as we pour one out for William and toast to Season 4!
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Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
 

83. The Americans 4x12, "A Roy Rogers in Franconia"

Danielle and John are back once again, and not only do they have questions about The Americans S4E12, "A Roy Rogers in Franconia," they have questions about questions. What happens in the aftermath of William's questions about his duty, Paige's questions about Elizabeth, and Oleg's questions about the USSR, and how do those questions reorient other characters? As we delve into these matters (and much more), there's still plenty of time to discuss first-kiss fish lips, a surprising Oleg-David Byrne connection, Dossier conspiracies, and (naturally) Plato SZN. 
Sorry for the delay on this episode! The Americans Season 4 finale episode coming your way on June 6.