ep. 24:

Black and White and Gold-2026 Oscars | chapter 1: Welcome to Black and White and Gold, our Oscars mini series where we discuss the films nominated for this year's Oscars.

Brendan finds it fascinating that Shakespeare is "hunky." Brittany's concerned about Will's cut that never heals. When someone tells you to "touch grass," are they usually saying it with an attitude? The first film we're discussing is Hamnet (2025). It is nominated for Best Film, Director, Lead Actress, Adapted Screenplay, Casting, Costume, Production Design, and Original Score.

P.S. We apparently—in our old age—forgot about fleas being a cause of plague and that lymph nodes also exist in your neck. FYI, a swollen lymph node is called a bubo, hence, bubonic plague. Science and etymology are really great.

You can e-mail us at [email protected]. Website coming soon!

-Music: Brendan and Brittany

-Credits for the movie being reviewed:

• Writer(s): Chloé Zhao, Maggie O'Farrell
• Director(s): Chloé Zhao

Chapters:

(00:00) Express Yourself

(01:50) Film, Theme, Cast + Credits

(04:23 ) The 6-7 Synopses

(13:56) Like, Love, Hate, Can't Believe

(30:48) Plot Discussion: Deep Dive and Film Analysis Starts Here

(40:34) Witches and Their Pointy Nails

(42:05) The Tree Hole

(49:40) Touch Grass

(53:53) Hunky Shredded Shakespeare

(58:48) Shakespeare's Inadequate Descendants

(1:09:00) Shan't Touch Grass Revisited

(1:25:53) Bravery In the In-Between-Place

(1:48:44) Past Life As A Dutch Builder

(1:57:31) Getting Shushed At The Globe

(2:02:29) Final Scenes in Hamlet and Hamnet

(2:07:02) The Brittany Scale

SHOW NOTES:

Sources/Links:

• Hamnet (2025) (IMDb)
• Hamnet (2025) (trailer)
• Josh Safdie & Chloé Zhao | Directors on Directors (via Variety) (clip)
• Halle Berry | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend (clip)
• Outlander | "Wilmington" 'Brianna and Roger Handfast' (TV s4e8) (clip)
• Plague-Symptoms and Causes (Mayo Clinic)
• Mugwort (National Institutes of Health)
• Mad Men "The Doorway, Part 2" (TV s6e2)(2013) (IMDb)(Mad Men Wiki)
• Portrait of Shakespeare (Getty Images)
• The 7 Stages of Grief (info)
• "Bitter" by Palace (Apple Music) (Spotify)(Youtube)
• Shakespeare's Use of Inverted Sentences (Folger Shakespeare Library)
• Jessie Buckley Narrates Hamnet (Audible sample) (Youtube)
• The 98th Academy Awards | 2026 (nominees)

Other Films/TV Shows Mentioned:

• Sweet Magnolias (TV)(2020-) (IMDb)
• Outlander (TV)(2014-2026) (IMDb)
• Gladiator II (2025) (IMDb)
• Restoration Road (TV)(2021-) (IMDb)
• Deadwood (TV)(2004-2006) (IMDb)
• Shakespeare In Love (1998) (IMDb)