Back on the Block

Season 3 starts strong, especially when focused on the Syd-Michael-Kimberly-Jane mess. Jo makes a mature decision, and is banished from the rest of the episode as a result. We also ponder why Laura Leighton is in the opening credits but not Marcia Cross, and ponder the use of a certain verb.

A jumbo episode deserves a jumbo podcast! We do a deep dive into the Season 2 finale. Listen to us praise the many cliffhangers and explain why we think Matt has the most game.

We talk about the series finale of The Originals and check in on Preacher, The Affair, and Sharp Objects. Plus theatre reviews of Twelfth Night in Central Park and The New One.

Storylines accelerate as we gear up for the season 2 finale next week! We find out if Jo’s okay, see the aftermath of Amanda’s conference room kiss, watch Syd’s latest source of income go bust, and catch on to Kimberly’s tricks. Plus: drunk Billy.

We look backwards and forwards as we discuss the latest entries in the reboot pool, and talk about the Go-Go’s musical “Head Over Heels,” a recent Boy George and Culture club concert, the play “The House That Will Not Stand,” and the musical “This Ain’t No Disco.”

Things are not looking great for Sydney as Kimberly and newly freed Lauren Etheridge wreak havoc on her plans. Meanwhile, Chas pulls a total Chas at D&D, which only adds to Allison’s laundry list of woes. Also, Jo continues to make bad choices.

We shower love on Eighth Grade and Nanette and then talk about the role gender plays in film criticism. We run deep y’all! We also talk about gender effects in Smokey Joe’s Café and Straight White Men. Plus: a review of The Originalist.

This might be the show’s most famous episode! We examine Kimberly’s return on “The Bitch is Back” from all sides. And we talk about how the return of a different prime time soap queen wasn’t sudsy enough.

The new Whitney doc and a Johnny Depp article lead us to talking about the fault in our stars (and not the book). We also talk about why playwrights are bucking basic plot conventions in “Fire in Dreamland” and “Mary Page Marlowe,” and praise the new all-Yiddish “Fiddler on the Roof.”

Some dumb things happen (Allison and Dr. Feelgood). Some weird things happen (Peeping Ted is back!). But something so wonderful also happens on this episode – just wait, y’all!