Casually Obsessed

Casually Obsessed

By Chelsee BergenSociety & Culture
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Casually Obsessed episodes

  • Big Casually Obsessed News

    Casually Obsessed is getting an email newsletter! Every week I'll be sending out an essay about a piece of pop culture I can't stop thinking about.

    If one of the things you like about the podcast is hearing  the nitty-gritty things someone loves about a piece of pop culture, I think you're going to love the newsletter. Similarly, if you want the deep dive *feeling* of the podcast but in a shorter format, the newsletter will be perfect for that.

    You can subscribe at buttondown.email/casuallyobsessed or by going to www.casuallyobsessedpodcast.com and hitting the 'newsletter' button. 

    I'll be sending out the first essay on Monday, August 2nd and then every week after that.

    If you want to get some behind the scenes on why I decided to launch this newsletter, check out this blog post (https://casuallyobsessedpodcast.com/casually-obsessed-newsletter).

    Please help support Casually Obsessed by signing up for the newsletter and then let me know what you think!

    3 min
  • Sarah Dessen and the magic of the early internet
    We’re talking about the prolific YA author, Sarah Dessen!
    Dessen published her first novel in 1996 and as of 2019 has published 14* novels (*in the intro to this episode I mistakenly say 20- apologies!). She’s won numerous awards for her work, had two of her novels combined into the film How to Deal, and in 2019 Netflix purchased the rights to adapt 3 of her novels (This Lullaby, Along for the Ride, and Once and for All) into films. // This podcast is produced by Chelsee Bergen. The theme music is ‘I Dunno’ by grapes.
    1 hr 24 min
  • Harley Quinn, Birds of Prey, and a Fantabulous Emancipation
    We're talking about Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn! 
    A few things we discuss in the episode:
    The incredible costume design, especially for Harley; 
    Comic book movies more broadly (we have some notes);
    Confusion around why people don't just move out of Gotham city!
    Bisexuality; 
    Misogyny (it's the villain); 
    Violence (there's a lot of it)
    This episode is a special cross over with The Bi Pod, a podcast about all things bisexual. You can find episodes of The Bi Pod at thebipod.com.
    You can find the show notes for this episode at casuallyobsessedpodcast.com/harley-quinn. You can find the show on Instagram @casuallyobsessedpodcast.
    This podcast is produced by Chelsee Bergen. The theme music is 'I Dunno' by grapes.
    1 hr 41 min
  • Orphan Black Part 2: Who gets forgiven?

    We're back with more Orphan Black talk! In part two of this two-part conversation we go deep on a few characters and dig into the themes of the show. 

    Some things we talk about in the episode are:

    • Why can we forgive Helena but not Rachel?
    • Bioethics and corporate interests
    • What's the deal with Paul?
    • The Castor clones & whether the ends justify the means
    • Tatiana Maslany & Ari Millen
    • The importance of Felix

      • You can find the show notes for this episode at casuallyobsessedpodcast.com/orphan-black. You can find the show on Instagram @casuallyobsessedpodcast. 

      This podcast is produced by Chelsee Bergen. The theme music is 'I Dunno' by grapes.

      1 hr 19 min
    • Orphan Black Part 1: Don't Say The C Word

      We're talking about our favorite biological identicals and the people who love, created, and try to murder them! Returning guest Julian Lejbman helps me dissect the BBC America sci-f thriller Orphan Black. 

      A few things we discuss in the episode are: 

      • What we tell people who haven't seen Orphan Black before when we pitch the show to them;
      • How Orphan Black transforms over time;
      • Alison's existential crisis about being a clone;
      • Factions within factions within factions (there were almost too many factions);
      • Who's your favorite clone? ;
      • Moral relativism and the doctors who practice it;
      • Sarah Manning is bad at doing the right thing but she's really trying;
      • What makes a maternal clone?

        • This episode is part 1 of a 2-part conversation. This first part is light on spoilers so it shouldn't ruin anything if you haven't seen the show or have only seen parts. Part 2 will be out on December 21st. 

        You can find the show notes for this episodes at casuallyobsessedpodcast.com/orphan-black. You can find the show on Instagram @casuallyobsessedpodcast.

        Like the show? Please subscribe to it so you never miss an episode, and then share it with a friend! 

        Casually Obsessed is produced by Chelsee Bergen. The theme music is 'I Dunno' by Grapes. 

        1 hr
      • Star Trek Picard - Part 2: Space Battles and Gaslighting

        Part 2 of our Star Trek: Picard conversation has arrived! Allison and I dig into the characters from the series and the complex Star Trek universe.

        A few things we discuss in the episode are: 

        • Building the ship of fandom while you're flying it
        • Romulans: from mustache twirling villains to sympathetic antagonists?
        • The effects of forming cultures and personalities around fear and trauma
        • Romulans & Vulcans -- same scary eyebrows, different cultural context
        • Is brooding a personality?
        • Don't gaslight people! 

          • You can find the show notes for this episode (and part 1) at casuallyobssedpodcast.com/picard. You can find the show on Instagram @casuallyobsessedpodcast.

          This show is products by Chelsee Bergen and the theme music is 'I dunno' by Grapes. 

          1 hr 22 min
        • Star Trek Picard - Part 1: Don't Buy Into Your Own Hype

          We're boldly going where no man has gone before and talking Star Trek!  Returning guest, Allison Arcos, joins me to talk about the CBS All Access show, Star Trek: Picard.

          Here's a short summary for Picard: 14 years after his retirement from Starfleet, Jean-Luc Picard (Sir Patrick Stewart) is living a quiet life on his vineyard, Chateau Picard. When he is sought out by a mysterious young woman, Dahj (Isa Briones), in need of his help, he soon realizes she may have personal connections to his own past.

          We had so much to say that I split our conversation into two parts. This episode is part one, where we talk about the world of Picard and the setup for the series. We include some details about the show, but this episode is generally spoiler free. We'll go more in depth and more spoiler-y in part two.

          A Few Things We Discuss In The Episode:

          • Being tourists to the universe of Star Trek
          • Picard reckoning with his past
          • Who gets to have an opinion?
          • What makes someone a ‘fan’?
          • The smart people at CBS All Access

            • Anything we mentioned or recommend in this episode will end up in the show notes, which you can find at casuallyobsessedpodcast.com/picard. Casually Obsessed is hosted and produced by Chelsee Bergen. The theme music is 'I Dunno' by grapes. 

            1 hr 4 min
          • Veronica Mars Part 2: We're Not Mad, Just Disappointed

            In the second part of our Veronica Mars conversation we dig into season 4 and the Veronica Mars movie! This is a spoiler-full episode, so if you haven't watched the latest (last?) season of the show we recommend just sticking with part 1 of our conversation. 

            Some things we cover in the episode:

            • Veronica grew up quickly, and then stopping growing at all
            • How does the Veronica Mars movie fit into things?
            • Did Rob Thomas know this would be the final season?
            • You gotta be single to solve crimes, apparently
            • Days of Wine and Roses (or how the season should have ended) 
            • Can you have too much of a good thing?
            • All.The.Feelings.

              • You can find the show notes for this episode at casuallyobsessedpodcast.com/veronica-mars. Once the transcript for this episode is available it will also be available at casuallyobsessedpodcast.com. You can also find the show on instagram @casuallyobsessedpodcast.

              This podcast is produced by Chelsee Bergen. The theme music is 'I dunno' by grapes. 

              1 hr 22 min
            • Veronica Mars Part 1: Rob Thomas Buy Us Drinks
              We’re talking smart mouthed teen detective, Veronica Mars! Bill Friday (poet, baseball enthusiast, noir know-it-all) and I had so much to say that we split this conversation into 2 parts. In this first part, we discuss the first three seasons of the show (we go into season 4 and the movie in part 2). 
              A few things we discuss in the episode:
              • The problem of ‘cinematic’ television
              • The many threads that came together to make Veronica Mars
              • Whether or not we care about mysteries
              • How the show got us hooked by not giving us too much information
              • How Lily Cane lives on after death

                • You can find the show notes for this episode at casuallyobsessedpodcast.com/veronica-mars. You can find the show notes for this episode at casuallyobsessedpodcast.com/veronica-mars-part-1-rob-thomas-buy-us-drinks-transcript

                This show is produced by Chelsee Bergen. The theme music is 'I dunno' by Grapes.

                54 min

              About Casually Obsessed

              From the publisher's feed

              Long form conversations about the pop culture and content we can’t stop thinking about. That book we want everyone to read, that television show we rewatch. A new guest joins each episode to go deep…