Episode 24 – It’s Almost Worse Hearing Them: Detailing Three Holiday Romance Movies

Rachel and Jen are back just in time for the holiday season! Listen to Jen, a genuine fan of the genre, recount three holiday romance movies she’s watched this year (A Christmas Inheritance, The Holiday Calendar, and Christmas in the Smokies). While Rachel remains in a constant state of horror, they discuss alternative plot points, (un)satisfying romance dynamics, predictable tropes, and Jen’s breakdown over a handsome man.

Episode 23 – Naked for No Reason: A Comparison of Cyrano de Bergerac and Roxanne

Rachel ropes Jen into watching a modernized version of their favorite play of all time. While comparing the 80s movie Roxanne to Cyrano de Bergerac (the play on which it was based), they touch on the perceived shallowness of a female lead, villainous behavior, modernized story beats, and 17th century horn-doggedness.

As always, spoilers to follow for both the play and the movie.

Episode 20 – They Don’t Have Lips!: A Discusson About The Last Hour of Gann by R. Lee Smith

Jen and Rachel return from their hiatus, and are ready to usher in a new era of peace and chillness with a conversation about one of their all-time favorite books, The Last Hour of Gann by R. Lee Smith. They get back into the swing of things by discussing alien romance vs erotic horror, Chekov’s vaccine, alien religion, and #thepatriarchy.

Episode 14 – Literally Nothing About Spiders: A Comparison of the Daddy Long Legs Novel and the Musical Adaptation

Jen and Rachel compare and contrast the 1912 novel Daddy Long Legs by Jean Webster with its 2015 Off-Broadway musical adaptation by the same name. In their discussion, they touch upon the epistolary format, how a character’s portrayal influences readers’ interpretations, Broadway accessibility, and whether Jen’s fave is problematic or not. 

Spoilers ahead for the book, but not quite as many for the musical. Confused as to how that’s possible? Guess you’ll have to listen to find out!   

Episode 13 – He’s A Dragon!: A Conversation About I Am Dragon

Rachel and Jen round out this holiday season with their last episode of the year. While sharing their love for this diamond in the rough, they delve into topics such as handsome Igor, “strong” female heroines, the patriarchy, toxic masculinity, and handsome dragons. Plus, a special surprise for Rachel at the end.

Caution: Here be spoilers… As always, a spoiler warning is included part-way through.

Happy New Year!

Episode 12 – Some Other Fun Anatomy: A Discussion About Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixion

Jen and Rachel prepare for winter by reading an icy sci-fi alien romance novel that they both genuinely love. As they summarize the story, they focus on some of the things that make the book so great such as heroic heroines, respectful heroes, audiobook sex scenes, and of course… blue alien anatomy.

Extra nsfw warning for this episode because of previously mentioned alien anatomy.

Episode 11 – First Sexing: A Conversation About Champion by Fabio

Rachel and Jen venture once more into the world of romance, and discuss a book by Fabio, the pinnacle of all romance heroes. They get distracted by the purpose of fantasy elements, misogynist alpha-hole heroes, Jen’s love of gnomes, the decay of heroine characterization, lust over love, and the classic romance novel formula before circling back around to the most important topic of all… Fabio.

Extra NSFW warning, because romance novel.

Episode 10 – You Don’t Try to Kill Seven-Year-Olds If You’re a Good Person: Analyzing the World of The 10th Kingdom

Jen and Rachel enjoy some nostalgia while discussing something from the early days of their friendship: the NBC mini-series The 10th Kingdom. As they struggle to stay on their topic of world-building, they also diverge into discussions of awesome female villains, the problem with media portrayals of mental illness, and Rachel’s inability to understand how mirrors work.

Like usual, spoilers ahead.

Episode 9 – It Was a Rough Saturday: A Comparison of Rosemary’s Baby and Annabelle

Rachel and Jen celebrate Halloween by comparing two horror movies: the classic Rosemary’s Baby and Blumhouse’s Annabelle. Topics discussed include the isolation of being a housewife, how cinematic framing affects tone, the dismissal of women in the 1960’s, and efficient ways to ruin your friends.

Beware of spooky spoilers. As always, a spoiler warning appears partway through for your convenience. Happy Halloween!

Episode 7 – They’re All Dead, Jen: From Gothic Novels to Crimson Peak

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