Not Quite Great Books: a TV podcast

19. Loki 1x3, ”Lamentis”

After many (!) episodes, John and Danielle finally record from the same room together! Recorded live from the Innovation Garage, your hosts discuss Episode 3 of Loki, “Lamentis.” They consider what makes a Loki a Loki, take the episode and themselves a little too seriously, and also wonder if Sylvie is ACAB. Danielle Marvelsplains and John triumphs in this week’s Easter Egg Hunt. Plato makes his second appearance in the Cave, and Danielle smuggles in some bonus Cave-adjacent content through Euripides’ Trojan Women and what it might take to survive an apocalypse.
 
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18. The Americans 2x2, ”Cardinal”

Still reeling from the big swings of last week’s episode, Danielle and John take on Season 2 Episode 2 of The Americans, “Cardinal”. They discuss the various relationships they encounter in this episode - from Philip and Fred, to Nina and Arkadii, and of course, Elizabeth and her kids - thinking together about the episode’s role after last week’s intensity. They are joined by Foucault in the cave for a deeper dive into Elizabeth’s paranoia. But don’t worry, it’s not all serious: there is also a lot of 80s love this week!
 
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17. Loki 1x2, ”The Variant”

John and Danielle are back for Episode 2 of Loki, “The Variant.” Danielle Marvelsplains what it means to hide in an apocalypse, and your hosts debate what counts as a joke and how/whether goats are funny, while also thinking a little about gender, temporality, and company towns. John offers an impressive gloss of Agamben in the Cave, and takes on a new round of Easter Egg Hunt. If The Americans is a show made for both of your hosts, Loki shows us where they diverge from one another, but that is part of the fun!
 
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16. The Americans 2x1, ”Comrades”

John and Danielle are back with a new set of takes on The Americans Season 2 Episode 1, “Comrades”. They confront the episode’s swing to brutality, the swift entry and exit of some friends from work, plus Paige’s heightened suspicions. They also dig into spycraft, deer imagery, and Philip’s glow-up. Season 2 quite literally kicks off with a bang.
 
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15. Loki 1x1, ”Glorious Purpose”

Summer is here and so is a new series deep dive on NQGB! John and Danielle shift gears, and tackle the Disney+ series, Loki. Danielle is in the driver’s seat this time around, with John riding shotgun as resident MCU-noob. After watching Episode 1, “Glorious Purpose,” they discuss who might be the audience for a show like this (is it John? Jury’s out) and introduce a few new segments: Marvelsplaining, Easter Egg Hunt, and Politics & the MCU, and bring back a few of their faves from their Americans run (Glas, Minor Char of the Week, and of course, the Cave). A palate cleanser as the summer gets into full swing.
 
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14. A Grand Theory of Taste

Danielle and John take a break from episode-by-episode reviews to indulge some metanarrative about their respective (and surprisingly divergent) tastes in TV and film. Taking off from John’s proposed grand unifying theory, they explore aesthetic excess, escapism in film and TV, spectacle, fandom, IP, “prestige TV,” and beautiful terror. Along the way, they touch on a number of shows/universes: in order, Devs, Severance, The Terror, The Young Pope, The Americans and spy fiction, Station Eleven, the MCU, Star Wars, Atlanta, and A Song of Ice and Fire and Game of Thrones. 
Links to items we discuss: 
Cut to Black, a podcast by Gretchen Felker-Martin and Sean T. Collins and John’s primary referent for TV criticism and aesthetics
“Black Panther Is Not the Movie We Deserve,” by Christopher Lebron
 
Music by Lesfm from Pixabay

13. The Americans 1x13, ”The Colonel,” with Jon Keller

Strap in, friends! John and Danielle have called on fellow Americans connoisseur Jon Keller to dissect the season 1 finale, “The Colonel.” Together, they discuss what to make of Philip and Elizabeth’s quarrel, Claudia, Nina, and shoddy spy tactics before Keller regales our hosts with some personal anecdotes about Lev Gorn’s (Arkady) gym habits. This wild ride should not be missed!
 
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12. Americans 1x12, ”The Oath”

In the penultimate episode of Season 1 of The Americans, Danielle and John tackle the multiple oaths that take place in “The Oath”. They marvel at Clark and Martha’s nuptials and Nina’s heel turn (or was Stan the heel all along?), and chat about how oaths unite these two sets of events. Wig check returns, and your hosts meet Freud in the cave. Come for the spycraft, stay for the abundant 80s references!
 
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11. The Americans 1x11, ”Covert War”

John and Danielle are back for Season 1 Episode 11 of The Americans, “Covert War”. Tensions run high between Elizabeth and Claudia, and your hosts are HERE FOR IT. Interpersonal strife parallels geopolitical tensions, and John and Danielle get into it all. Danielle raises some concerns about Claudia in this week’s Danielle Dossier, and John celebrates the quirkiness of Arkady.
 
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10. The Americans 1x10, ”Only You”

Join Danielle and John as they discuss Season 1 Episode 10 of The Americans, “Only You”. This episode really ratchets up the stakes, and John and Danielle are along for the ride! They discuss the parallels between Gregory, Claudia, and even touch on Stan’s drunk monologue before considering how this episode fits into the season as a whole. And, for some reason John questionably raises the possibility of Stan-Philip homoerotic desire. Finally, they meet Medea in the Cave - listen in to see how a murderous mother links up to this ep of The Americans!
 
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