Not Quite Great Books: a TV podcast

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
 
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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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9. The Americans 1x09, ”Safe House”

Still buzzing from the Hanley Sororal Conspiracy from our last episode, John and Danielle are on their own this week to tackle Season 1 Episode 9 of The Americans, “Safe House”. They ask whether any of the houses are really safe as they dig into the show’s display of bro culture, suffering, and violence. We get our first ‘Danielle Dossier’ case closed - tune in to find out if Danielle’s (conspiracy) theory was right on the money, or just misplaced anxiety! Not to mention, a Cave segment that makes John extremely uncomfortable. 
 
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8. The Americans 1x08, ”Mutually Assured Destruction,” with the Hanley sisters

This week, John and Danielle are joined by some very special guests - plural - Danielle’s sisters: Kaitlin, Becky, and Tori. Our hosts manage to squeeze in some insightful discussion about The Americans S1E8, “Mutually Assured Discussion” with the help of the two-thirds of the Hanley sisters that watched the episode! Tori helps us understand how effective Philip’s wigs actually are, and Kaitlin joins John in silently judging Danielle Dossier. We replace the Cave with Sororal Conspiracy, and hear a ton of embarrassing stories about Danielle from childhood!
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7. The Americans 1x07, ”Duty and Honor”

On their own again this week, Danielle and John dig into The Americans Season 1 Episode 7, “Duty and Honor”. As both Philip and Stan explore extramarital dalliances, our hosts consider what duty and honor mean in a world defined by spying, murky loyalties, and double agents. Don’t worry, they also have travel agent takes for days, and end the episode with a sprinkling of everyone’s favorite Renaissance prince, Niccolo Machiavelli. Plus, a mid-season check-in with some minor concern (or concern-trolling, as the case may be). The podcast equivalent of the travel agent convention of our dreams!
Music by Lesfm from Pixabay

6. The Americans 1x06, ”Trust Me,” with Amy Schiller

John and Danielle are back with their first special guest of the season, their friend Amy Schiller! Together, they dive into The Americans Season 1 Episode 6, “Trust Me”. They take a moment to address the experience of engaging with this show against the contemporary backdrop of the Russian invasion of Ukraine before shifting to talk about the episode’s major themes: trust, violence, and family life. Amy pitches John and Danielle on watching Billions on NQGB’s own version of Shark Tank for TV takes.
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