For today’s mission, our Agents take on The Buccaneers, an Apple TV series that is scandal-laden and somewhat historical. The modern sensibility and soundtrack laid over the historical invasion of rich American debutants into cash-strapped British upper-class society make for an energetic vibe. If you missed it, our Agents recommend catching up before joining us for a good gossip about the collection of characters. In lieu of research, these Agents have chosen to go for wild historical speculations.

Warning! The Director permitted Agent Kirsten to swear and she took advantage so this episode is NSFW.

The Buccaneers

Annette Wierstra with Kirsten Goruk

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Our Agents are back with another Romance in Action mission with Mr. & Mrs. Smith (Part 1). We are starting with the 2005 movie that shows Great Truths Hidden Under the Fantastical. On the surface, this is a movie about two married spies flirting by trying to kill each other. Underneath the fantasy, this movie is about the safety of expressing your feelings and true self to your partner. Grab your hidden stash of weapons, it’s about to get dangerous-metaphorically. Don’t blow up your house, Agents.

This mission includes a bit of a discussion about the Mr. & Mrs. Smith TV show, but we hold on to those thoughts until Mr. & Mrs. Smith (Part 2) comes to a mission near you soon.

Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)

Annette Wierstra with Heather Berberet

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We are back with a classic Romance in Action from 1986: The Big Easy. We have Dennis Quaid practicing the art of seduction with Ellen Barkin amid a murder investigation. With a seedy 80s vibe, they follow a trail of clues that lead them deeper into a corrupt mess in New Orleans. The investigation keeps pulling them apart making us wonder: Will they or won’t they?

The Big Easy

Annette Wierstra with Deborah Stanish and Shelly Brisbin

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Our Director Annette Wierstra interviews playwright and writer Reina Hardy in advance of the release of her Hallmark movie Paging Mr. Darcy. They discuss Jane Austen, conferences, Regency dancing, and casting Austen heroes. They also dive into how one gets into writing a Hallmark movie, the logistics of writing a screenplay, and the experience of having your script come to life.

Paging Mr. Darcy: Writer Interview

Annette Wierstra with Reina Hardy

Reina’s website: www.reinahardy.com

Paging Mr. Darcy trailer

Shitty Boyfriends of Western Literature Essay

Other things we discuss

Jane Austen Society of North America Conferences and Events

Lost in Austen

Among the Janeites: A Journey Through the World of Jane Austen Fandom by Deborah Yaffe

Die for Love by Elizabeth Peters

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I’m freeing my squee about this new podcast on the Incomparable. Drs. Stacy Watnick and Heather Berberet asked me to join them on Free The Squee for their holiday episode about Round and Round, the time loop Hanukkah movie. We loved it. And we are sure you will too.

To get more Free the Squee, subscribe on your favourite podcatcher, or find them on the Incomparable website: https://www.theincomparable.com/fts/

Free the Squee: Round and Round

Heather Berberet and Stacy Watnick with Annette Wierstra

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It’s time for our annual holiday movie marathon. Don your Christmas PJs, gather your festive snacks, and get out the Holiday Bingo Cards. Our Agents watched three Christmas movies of varying quality and enjoyed every minute of it. We watched:

We also discuss other movies we have watched this holiday season:

Join us to find out who made “the stupidest peanut butter cookies I’ve ever seen” and a surprising amount of sports talk.

*Note that we are ending Season 4 here and we will be back for Season 5 in time for Valentine’s Day. *

Annual Christmas Movie Marathon

Annette Wierstra with Erika Ensign, Kirsten Goruk and Steven Schapansky

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It’s time for the holidays! And what better way to celebrate than with the Christmas action movie Long Kiss Goodnight with Geena Davis and Samuel L. Jackson? You might think this movie is the antithesis of a Hallmark holiday movie, but it is the struggle between the two sides of amnesiac Samantha/Charlie. Will she stick with the idyllic small-town family life she created or return to the life of an international spy?

Long Kiss Goodnight

Annette Wierstra with Erika Ensign and Brian Warren

Find Brian on his Sorkin it podcast with a special shout-out to the American President episode.

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For this mission, our Agents discuss Ocean’s 8 as part of our Romance in Action series. How much do we love this all-women heist movie cast? A lot. A lot a lot. Join us as we discuss a fantastic cast of characters, couture fashion, and safe spaces. And of course, we dive right into the romantic tension that underlays this entire film. Bring on the sequel, please.

Ocean's 8

Annette Wierstra with Kirsten Goruk and Heather Berberet

Ocean’s 8 Dress Designers

Sarah Paulson And Cate Blanchett on the Today Show

Anne Hathaway on the Today Show

Heather’s daughter on the [Billie Eilish and Eight Young Activists on Climate Justice, Community, and Radical Hope for Vogue’s January Cover | Vogue]

Annette does Keys to the Golden Vault Heists on Total Party Kill

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We are back with another Romance in Action with a mission in praise of fluff. Ghosted matches up Chris Evans and Ana de Armas again in a spy/not a spy action adventure. We don’t recommend it as a stalkering road map for finding love IRL, but it is full of chases, OTT villains, and a plot that takes us across the globe. If you want a fun escape with pretty people in nice clothes chasing MacGuffins, this movie is about as deep as you need it to be.

Ghosted

Annette Wierstra with Deborah Stanish

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Surprise! We are dropping an extra special episode because we wanted to spend Halloween with you. We’ve got a wonderfully gothic romance for you to read from Uncanny Magazine which will set the perfect seasonal scene. So light some candles, close the doors and windows tight, and join us as we explore Radcliffe Hall by Miyuki Jane Pinckard.

Radcliffe Hall

Annette Wierstra with James Thomson, Shelly Brisbin and Erika Ensign

Read Radcliffe Hall on the Uncanny Magazine website

Is the title a reference to the lesbian author Radclyffe Hall (The Well of Loneliness),

Bitterthorn by Kat Dunn recommended by James

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