Hazel & Katniss & Harry & Starr

For the first week of Scary Season 2026, Brenna and Joe venture to Quebec to discuss Ariane Louis-Seize's YA vampire coming of age rom-com Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person (2023) which is the best title we've ever seen.

The film is utterly delightful, anchored by two revelatory lead performances (we're particularly smitten with Félix-Antoine Bénard's Paul) and features a fresh take on vampires.

Plus: a loft to die for; vibrant supporting characters; and one stunning musical moment.

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

> Brenna: @brennacgray

> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)

Have a mail bag question? Email us at [email protected]  

Theme music: Rewind Kid "Rhythm Revolution" 

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Brenna and Joe respond to mail from listeners Jorge - who makes a pitch for Skins Series 4 & 5 - and Eliza - an(other) actual teenage listener!

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

> Brenna: @brennacgray

> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)

Have a mail bag question? Email us at [email protected]

Theme music: Rewind Kid "Rhythm Revolution"

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Brenna and Joe return to rom com territory with Finding Emily (2026).

Starring podcasts regulars Angourie Rice and Minnie Driver, the film is your typical "boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy meets another girl trying to find the first girl."

And yet...by virtue of great casting, an awareness of the subgenre's tropes, and a predominantly female focus, this is an utter delight!

Plus: more fun credits!

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

> Brenna: @brennacgray

> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)

Have a mail bag question? Email us at [email protected]  

Theme music: Rewind Kid "Rhythm Revolution" 

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Thanks to listener Chloe, Brenna and Joe check out George Jacques' Sunny Dancer (2026) which stars Bella Ramsey and Neil Patrick Harris.

The cast is great, though the film relies a little too heavily on montage and familiar (cancer kid) tropes. Then comes the disastrous ending that torpedos all of the movie's goodwill. Can we forgive the unearned emotional manipulation?

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

> Brenna: @brennacgray

> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)

Have a mail bag question? Email us at [email protected]  

Theme music: Rewind Kid "Rhythm Revolution" 

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Listener Foxy writes in to describe their experience with Skins series and make a possible recommendation about coverage if Brenna and Joe decide to take another stab at the series.

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

> Brenna: @brennacgray

> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)

Have a mail bag question? Email us at [email protected]  

Theme music: Rewind Kid "Rhythm Revolution" 

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Brenna and Joe circle back on Hayley Kiyoko's Girls Like Girls to check out the 2026 film.

We're disappointed. Great chemistry between the two leads and music video visual aesthetic don't make up for even less character development than the book!

Plus: Zach Braff; losing backstories; and pondering the changes in the queer female media landscape over the last ~10 years

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

> Brenna: @brennacgray

> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)

Have a mail bag question? Email us at [email protected]  

Theme music: Rewind Kid "Rhythm Revolution"

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Following our episode on The Song of the Lioness, we immediately heard from 'Tea, Books & Chocolate' as well as Emma who wrote in to reassure us about the subversive nature of the rest of the quartet, new love interests, and how the series intersects with queerness in unexpected ways.

Plus: an apology from Joe and a reassurance that we will continue with plans to read Book 3!

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

> Brenna: @brennacgray

> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)

Have a mail bag question? Email us at [email protected]  

Theme music: Rewind Kid "Rhythm Revolution" 

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Brenna and Joe catch up on Prime's Legally Blonde prequel with season one of Elle.

Starring a perfectly cast Lexi Minetree, we have a lot of pros and cons with the series. The model is not binge-friendly and the relationships are inconsistent across episodes.

Plus: Tom Everett Scott as Elle's dad; needle drops; a final James Van Der Beek performance; and disagreement about the love triangle

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

> Brenna: @brennacgray

> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)

Have a mail bag question? Email us at [email protected]  

Theme music: Rewind Kid "Rhythm Revolution"!

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Skins series three ends by sidelining most of its characters in order to focus on the Effy, Freddie, and Cook love triangle and WE DON'T CARE!

Plus: Cook's extremely predictable father; a granny race; the grimness of the finale; and we finally figure out what's missing from/wrong with this season.

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

> Brenna: @brennacgray

> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)

Have a mail bag question? Email us at [email protected]  

Theme music: Rewind Kid "Rhythm Revolution" 

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Brenna and Joe return to discuss 1984's In the Hand of the Goddess, book two of Tamora Pierce's The Song of the Lioness.

This is an interesting one because the book is much more YA than MA (Alanna is having sex!) and also jumps around in time.

Plus: wrapping up Duke Roger; a plot detail stolen by Veronica Roth for Divergent; and our fears about where the quadrilogy may go

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

> Brenna: @brennacgray

> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)

Have a mail bag question? Email us at [email protected] 

Theme music: Rewind Kid "Rhythm Revolution" 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.