It may seem improbable that one of the most influential ill-fated queer love stories of generations happened in Wyoming. But the vistas, the silence, the things unsaid - made it the perfect place for Brokeback Mountain.

Not just at the height of Ang Lee's directorial power (though John enjoys another of his movie's quite a bit more), with a cast of many actors still going strong - Brokeback Mountain is the sort of movie to redefine several genres while making sense in the compendium of American pop culture history (especially westerns).

We didn't know how to quit it, so we had to make an episode about it. Be warned though, the movie itself is harrowing and brutal in spots, so whatever trigger warning you need - the movie is real and honest and violent at points.

You've probably lived your whole life seeing It's A Wonderful Life during the winter holidays. It's a schmaltzy movie about a man who a town rallies around with some edges of a raw psyche where Jimmy Stewart really does explore the darker side of post-war America (this episode is explicit because of the darker themes).

But it's not about the movie. It's about how it wormed its way into pop culture and especially tv pop culture. In this season finale, John and Magnus examine three episodes heavily influenced by It's A Wonderful Life

Season 5 of Boy Meets World's "A Very Topanga Christmas"

Season 8 of Family Matters "Father Time"

and Season 2 of Growing Pains "The Kid"

to examine how sitcoms use both the holidays and familiar film tropes as shorthand to tell moral tales with no wiggle rooms that sometimes miss the mark of their own message.

So grab your favorite holiday beverage, tune in, and try not to cringe too hard when John means to say It's a Wonderful Life and starts to say It's A Small World instead. There was a lot of eggnog imbibed during the recording of this episode- so thank you for your patience.

For the longest time, it was the second highest grossing holiday film ever. An adaptation of an adaptation with a high list comedic powerhouse at its helm and Ron Howard in the directing chair, The Grinch 2000 could've fallen flat on its face.

But as John and Magnus discuss, it is a rather complex tale about power, othering, consumerism, and even the trauma that goes along with being insightful. From great casting (even outside of the Grinchian makeup chair) to thoughtful live action techniques to the joy of Christine Baranski's Martha May Whovier - the Grinch is a classic that could be on rotation year round.

And it's a fever dream John and Magnus wouldn't have any other way.

Hi! My name is American Ken and my job is podcast. This is my co-host, British Ken whose job is also podcast. We're here today to talk to you about the Barbie movie.

From its philosophical underpinning to both its hilarity and tragedy to just a couple of moments that bugged us slightly. We are Ken and Ken and we love pop culture! And horses.

This episode is marked explicit because American Ken goes on a bit of a rant about Earring Magic Ken and how screen accurate they *should've* been.

Looking towards Christmas and the bridge between a night of terror/holiness (depending on when you stop watching the Night on Bald Mountain Fantasia sequence) - John and Magnus decided to talk about films with a large cultural impact and thus a conversation about the world of Nightmare Before Christmas was born. From now annual Hollywood Bowl romps to a variety of dvd/bluray/4K options. From cosplay to Haunted Mansion overlays - Nightmare Before Christmas is possibly the most protected yet merchandised, most occult and yet most moralistic of its stop motion ventures, and its certainly one of the most celebrated on its sleeper hits.

But how far does the culture go? What questions about who we are and how we live and what we celebrate does it ask? And will the Long Live the Pumpkin Queen sequel book be at least as good as the Nightmare Kingdom Heart Levels? Are the adults in Nightmare an homage to the original Muppet Babies cartoon? All these questions and thoughts (and more!) on another episode to warm your heart. Long Live the Pumpkin King!

Since nothing is spookier than change, John and Magnus decided that the best way to spook the listeners is to switch up the format of Everything is Gay a bit (every now and then).

In this format change, Body of Work is all about one actor and the work we've both known them for while also learning a few new things about them.

Combing through the career of eccentric horror actor Matthew Lillard, John and Magnus get to look back on a career that includes Shakespeare, punks in SLC, mysteries on Scooby Doo islands (both live action and cartoon), iconic 90s slashers, as well as the impossible basement of the 13 Ghosts house.

It turns out, in one way or another, we're all fans of Matthew Lillard. Whether we want to be or not.

Are you in love with found footage horror films? Or were you once upon a time? Then join John and Magnus through a trip down memory lane. Or perhaps memory present.

John begins with a bit of history of the found footage film, starting with a very famous and mostly somewhat still banned film from Italy. And then skip to 1999's very popular and one of the first Internet led successes with The Blair Witch Project. And while there are many other found footages between then and now - Magnus interjects with found footage video games he really loves like the Backrooms.

Along with suggestions, John finishes the episode strong with one of his favorite new found footage recommendations - the slick and still ongoing Hell House series (with a shoutout to Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum from Korea and the V/H/S series). Which leaves John with his favorite finale question: Which found footage horror film is your fave?

15 years is an eternity in television. It is very rarely reached in dark American fantasy. And yet, that is what Supernatural did. A show about brothers criss-crossing the country and fighting monsters of the week. And then demons.

And then angels.

And then one very special angel.

It's time to talk about Destiel - the couple that almost were, never were, were definitely canon, couldn't possibly be, were the most aching slow burn subtext of the century - and it was all made/not made possible by acting, writing, production staff, fan service, bitterness against fans, and several remarkable episodes and outside relationships that changed the way some fantasy viewers saw masculinity and the search for self.

How did John and Magnus keep this discussion about Dean Winchester and Castiel to under two hours? No idea. But here are the results!

Every now and then, it's nice to refresh the voices you hear talking about what you love. In the case of our Halloween kick off, and since there's nothing spookier than change, John invited their friend Elizabeth on to talk about 1985's Clue.

A movie that took time to become an iconic classic. A movie you've seen on tv, on dvd, on streaming services. A movie you've quoted endlessly with your friends probably. So what is there left to say? What is there left to uncover? Can you spend a whole podcast episode just reminiscing about why you like a thing?

The answers may surprise you and to make a long podcast short (too late!) listen in and find out as Elizabeth and John discuss Clue! Let's Shake, Rattle, and Roll!

This franchise was a revolution but perhaps it was almost too much. It changed the way fans looked at indie horror and grabbed onto the imagination of thousands that dug through its codes and previews and games looking for clues. It was something fresh and new and frightening. It was jump scares and changing posters and a feeling of being trapped.

But as John and Magnus discuss, for all the good of the start of Five Nights at Freddys, it does have a few warts. From its title character being little more than a helper role as the series moved on to insight about the Afton family actually making Spring Trap much less frightening to if its movement from horror with a sci-fi twist to sci-fi with a horror twist was maybe not as interesting and beneficial as first thought-

It's Five Nights at Freddys. Nine games plus, countless books, more merch than you could shake a stick at. And somehow still compelling. Still something to talk about and dream (nightmare) about. For better or worst, it changed the landscape of neohorror and we're still very enthralled.