Not Quite Great Books: a TV podcast

75. The Hepta-Pod: Arrival and "Story of Your Life," with Desiree Weber and Sid Simpson

We're receiving a transmission [static] The Americans podcasting interrupted [static] some heptapods have arrived for this hepta-pod(cast) [static] our favorite political-science-fiction enthusiasts Desiree Weber and Sid Simpson join John to break down this developing story. 
Join us as we discuss the 1998 novella "Story of Your Life" by Ted Chiang and the 2016 film Arrival (dir. Denis Villeneuve) that is based on the novel. After a genre-defining consideration of sci fi and politics, we turn to the novella and film to consider their engagement with language, the impossibility of storytelling, tragedy, free will and determinism, causality, teleology, time, the adaptation choices from novella to film, and much more. Many of our usual segments return, replete with Christopher Nolan gags, jokes about being very on brand, cinematic shout-outs, and the most literal Cave we have yet encountered. 
Spoilers for both the novella the film in this episode. 
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Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
 

74. The Americans 4x4, ”Chloramphenicol”

Reeling from the Glanders exposure, your hosts are quarantined and tackle The Americans 4x4, “Chloramphenicol.” Together, after addressing Nina’s shocking demise, John and Danielle question what happens when Philip and Elizabeth are stuck - physically and emotionally -  in quarantine. They take on Elizabeth’s hallucinatory dreams, the conversations between Philip and William, and then turn to consider what happens to others, like Paige and Martha, when they are absent. Danielle contemplates Paige’s loose lips and Martha’s always already impending death in the Dossier. It’s not all heavy - William’s got jokes, Philip’s got scruff, and there is some serious 80s nostalgia with answering machines, pay phones, and office romances. It’s still PLATO SZN here, and no ep of NQGB is complete without some solid TheoryShips: Berlant, Agamben and Honig all make an appearance before the episode comes to a close. Come for the quarantine, stay for the theory connections!
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Music by Lesfm from Pixabay

73. The Americans 4x3, ”Experimental Prototype City of Tomorrow”

Back for another unhinged journey into the world of The Americans, John and Danielle take on Season 4 Episode 3, “Experimental Prototype City of Tomorrow,” which Danielle only just now learned is what the acronym EPCOT stands for - oof. Your hosts consider the link between spying and MLMs (multi-level marketing schemes), with a few (just a few) digressions for good measure. John offers a Galaxy-brain EPCOT take that is sure to make your head spin while Danielle reverse-laments the non-death of Pastor Tim, who has evolved from Victorian ghost to Victorian ghost cockroach. There is yet another weird dream sequence in this episode, and not only is Claudia back, but so is Mail Robot! Your hosts leave no proverbial stone unturned with this one. They return to the Cave for the next installment of PLATO SZN as well as a surprise TheoryShip from John. 
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Music by Lesfm from Pixabay

72. Saltburn, with Regan Levitte

It’s a Christmas miracle of abundance and debauchery! Danielle joins John and Regan Levitte (of NQGB Young Pope podcasting fame) to dig into the aesthetic feast contained in Emerald Fennel’s Saltburn. In this spoiler-filled episode, your three hosts traverse the labyrinth-like film in all of its absurdity, nostalgia-bombs, and bathtub antics. They contemplate what this movie is about, consider the beautiful cinematography and the tremendous acting, and of course, rank the most sicko mode scenes before recommending some double features. They cap off their discussion with a trip into the Cave, where it is still PLATO SZN, and a few banger TheoryShips before heading out. This episode is equal parts Danielle finally embracing her inner hater, John waxing poetically about aesthetic choices, and Regan basking in the millennial nostalgia that is this film. 
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Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
 

71.The Americans 4x2, ”Pastor Tim”

Uh-oh. An entire episode named after Pastor Tim? Is this Danielle’s literal nightmare? Maybe. Oh well, back at it, Danielle (begrudgingly) and John dig into The Americans Season 4 Episode 2, “Pastor Tim.” Framing their discussion around truth-telling, they consider Nina’s arc, Paige’s honesty, and Philip’s own moments of clarity. In the Dossier, Danielle introduces her conspiracy theory about Glanders, which John (as usual) ‘no-comments’ - stay tuned for Glanders check-ins in later episodes. We are treated to our second weird dream sequence of the season, and it’s the return of PLATO SZN in the Cave, with the added bonus of some creative TheoryShips too. Don’t worry, it’s not ALL business - this ep has an extensive digression about the ‘Tainted Love’ needle drop (spoilers for the movie Coneheads - a classic!), among (many) other rabbit holes. Enjoy!
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Music by Lesfm from Pixabay

70. The Americans 4x1, ”Glanders”

Back from Athens and Pope-cast respectively, Danielle and John dive into Season 4 of The Americans! They tackle Season 4 Episode 1, “Glanders,” by asking about the emotional and narrative choices that structure the episode. Together, they consider what it means to pick up right after the events of Season 3, the introduction of biological weapons, and of course Philip’s EST-situation and the confrontation with Stan. Their antics have also returned, alongside these cutting analyses: Danielle doubles down on her Martha-theorizing, and likens Pastor Tim to a Victorian ghost, while John attempts a joke about an all-Plato all-the-time Cave that is subsequently taken way too seriously.
Don’t worry, there’s also plenty of chat about spycraft, bad 80s fits, and Philip’s general mental state. Come for the fit-checks, stay for the deep-dive into Philip and Elizabeth’s relationship!
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This podcast was recorded during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the show being covered here wouldn’t exist. 
Music by Lesfm from Pixabay

69. The Young Pope, Episode Ten

Hot Confessor Summer comes to a close as Regan joins John for her final (or not final, Lenny willing?) popely appearance on NQGB. Not only do they discuss the plot and character apotheoses in the finale, they also ask the divine questions of the series as a whole. Did Lenny experience character growth? Is this show a melodrama? What is Paolo Sorrentino doing with the final flourish of the show? What is the show saying about its characters and our relationship to them? What is the show's perspective on Cathlolicism? Did Regan make a good life decision when agreeing to embark on YP podcasting this summer?! 
There is still plenty (seriously, a lot) of time for commending the acting of Diane Keaton and Javier Camarra, bonus saint names and trivia, the Popes of Xmas Past, Andrew Bird (and, oddly, The Fray), Regan's The New Pope predictions, Papal underwear, and a Proustian-Aquinas blowout in The Cave. 
*podcast app slowly zooms out to encompass the whole earth, fin*
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This podcast was recorded during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the show being covered here wouldn’t exist. 
Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
 

68. The Young Pope, Episode Nine

Regan and John return for a truly remarkable episode of TV, The Young Pope episode nine. A long conversation about Gutierrez and Kurtweil discusses how the show is using but reworking conventional TV genres and tropes, Gutierrez's ministry, how the superb one-episode characters of David, Rose (the fan 'kiss'!), Freddy, and Pete shed light on Bernardo and on the show as a whole. There's much more to think and feel (so many feelings about this ep) through: the Spencer-Lenny abortion debate, Young Lenny's literal miracle, beautiful camerawork in the final Lenny-Spencer scene, and, of course, the revelation of Young Lenny's love letters. The show's ability to pull all these together and run tried and oft-melodramtic tropes through its weirdness gives us Regan and John a chance to talk about their emotional responses to the show and praise its abilities. 
Phew. Still plenty of time for multiple confirmation name proffers, bonus Hot Priest Rating, discussion of the music in the episode, Regan's finale predictions, and some extra-shipping of multiple forms!
CW for this episode for discussions of abuse. 
This podcast was recorded during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the show being covered here wouldn’t exist. 
Music by Lesfm from Pixabay

67. The Young Pope, Episode Eight

Is Episode Eight of The Young Pope indulging in or satirizing colonialism? Your trusty shepherds Regan and John think it is (way more) the former and explain why as they discuss this extra-strange episode. They also talk through Lenny's grief-filled ennui jag -- complete with submerged pool prayer -- and smiting down of Sister Antonia in one of the show's most affecting scenes. There is still plenty of time to cover FEMEN, the looming Kurtwell investigation, kangaroos (RIP), nude mom visions, and yet another apex of Lenny's hot priest rating.
Sex and death, eros and thanatos, name a more iconic duo (you can't). 
This podcast was recorded during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the show being covered here wouldn’t exist. 
Music by Lesfm from Pixabay

66. The Young Pope, Episode Seven

Regan and John continue #HotConfessorSummer with episode 7 of The Young Pope. [Important character's] death leads the show and this podcast to consider how the show engages both the finitude and fragility of human existence, from Andrew's guilt to Lenny's Parent Quest to the scheming of Mary and the wannabe Lenny replacements. We also have football jerseys, spicy saints, a new pinnacle in Hot Priest Rating, 
Did Regan also manage to lead us to consider the mysteries of Faygo and John also manage to shoehorn yet another Vertigo reference? Listeners, they did. All this and more when you give this ol' podcast a listen. 
This podcast was recorded during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the show being covered here wouldn’t exist. 
Music by Lesfm from Pixabay