EPISODE 38: Funky Cold Messina

PROMPTS: Black, 1350, Fire

In this episode of Curated by Chance, things get dark—literally and historically—as Lauren takes us on a deep dive into the Black Death, while Neal brings the dad-movie heat with a Clint Eastwood thriller that simmers with guilt, glory, and Secret Service showdowns.

Lauren unpacks the devastating second wave of the bubonic plague that ravaged Europe in the mid-1300s, touching on its impact on global populations, religious structures, art, medicine, and even nursery rhymes (ring around the rosie just got darker). She explores how the plague may have helped birth the Renaissance, inspired deeply weird fashion (plague doctor masks, anyone?), and led to history’s earliest known version of quarantine.

Then Neal talks In the Line of Fire (1993), a political thriller starring Clint Eastwood as a guilt-ridden Secret Service agent and John Malkovich as a creepy would-be assassin. From moody jazz scenes and rooftop chases to wooden guns and visual effects that predate Forrest Gump, Neal makes the case for why this underrated dad movie deserves a second look—and maybe a burrata on top.

Lauren's Topic:

The Black Death (1346-1353)

Neal's Topic:

In The Line of Fire (1993)

Directed by Wolfgang Petersen

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