Never the Twins Shall Meet

Description: This week, we’re back to talk about the new novel Grafting by Rylan Hynes, a heartfelt love story about a man who returns home to inherit his family’s apple orchard–and confronts the memory of his boyhood romance with the son of the local Methodist minister. Topics of discussion include rural queer stories, nonlinear narratives, a lot of apple symbolism, and a lengthy tangent about Brokeback Mountain. 

Media Mentioned:

Content Warnings: Discussions of homophobia and domestic abuse.

This week, our podcast is back from the dead (much like a resurrected dinosaur) to discuss our favorite books of 2025. Better late than never! Topics include dubious metaphors about pickles, popular books that lived up to the hype, and the dangers of library discard sales.

Content Warnings: Mentions of the Troubles, parental death, plague, transphobia, drug addiction, slavery, and sexual assault.

Media Mentioned:

This week, we’re back to discuss the post-apocalyptic zombie film 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. Directed by Nia DaCosta, the newest installment in the 28 Days Later franchise explores a quarantined version of England overrun with a rage virus and the dangerous cult that takes root in the lawless environment. Topics of discussion include the film’s portrayal of violence versus kindness, how the film fits into the existing franchise, and Jack O’Connell’s unhinged performance as the villain. 

Content warnings: discussions of fictional violence, death, and cults; brief mention of real-life sexual abuse

Media mentioned:

For our first episode of 2026, we're discussing Heated Rivalry, the horny hockey romance show that recently took the internet by a storm. Topics include the compelling main relationship, our thoughts on the romance genre and book adaptations, and why we think the show was so successful. (And whether tuna melts are disgusting or a normal food.) And no, we did not learn anything more about hockey in preparation for this podcast!

Content Warnings: Discussions of homophobia and racism in professional sports environments. 

Media mentioned:

It may be winter holiday season, but we are still firmly in Halloween mode! Coming a mere month and a half late, it’s our spooky season round-up of all the bloody, bone-chilling, or unnerving books and movies we immersed ourselves in for the month of October. Topics of discussion include how to put a fresh spin on classic horror tropes, the overwhelming number of Stephen King adaptations out this year, and, of course, the perils of evil basements.

Media Mentioned

Content warnings: discussions of murder, death, COVID-19, anti-Asian hate crimes

In this episode, we discuss our summer in terms of movie-going, from big superhero blockbusters to contemplative indie dramas. Topics include our evolving taste in films, the benefit of cheap afternoon matinee tickets, and our weakness for cute animals sidekicks.

Content warnings: mentions of violence and death, racism, alcoholism, sexual assault, and homophobia.

Media Mentioned:

In a shocking departure from our vampire-obsessed podcast, this week we’re talking about zombies! Revisiting Danny Boyle’s cult-class film 28 Days Later, its awful sequel 28 Weeks Later, and the tonally surprising third installment 28 Years Later, we discuss the evolution of zombie media, social commentary in apocalyptic settings, and child protagonists in horror. 

Media mentioned:

Content warnings: discussions of disease, violence, death, suicide, slavery, attempted sexual assault and forced pregnancy, parental abuse, cancer, terminal illness.

In this follow-up episode to our previously announced literary death match competition, we discuss how our month of reading played out. Who won the competition? What were our favorite reads? Will we ever recover from the air of paranoia and competition that infiltrated our household? The answer to these questions and more await!

Media Mentioned:

This week, we’re back to discuss Ryan Coogler’s musical horror film, Sinners. Following a pair of gangster brothers in the 1930s who return home to rural Mississippi to open a juke joint and find themselves facing down a supernatural horror. Blending horror, history, and blues music, it’s a rich and complex film that we also had an absolute blast watching. Topics of discussion include the film’s use of music, its historical setting, use of vampire lore, and recommendations for similar media. 

Content warnings: discussions of segregation, racism, murder, lynching, forced religious conversion

Media Mentioned

This week, we’re back to talk about Bong Joon Ho’s recent science fiction dark comedy, Mickey-17. It stars Robert Pattinson as Mickey Barnes, a disposable employee sent on a space expedition where he dies and is recloned again and again. Topics of discussion include the film’s satirical commentary on capitalism, some fascinating acting choices from the cast, and ugly-cute aliens. Lulu also tries not to bring up Twilight a lot and kind of fails.

Media mentioned:

Content warnings: discussions of death, human experimentation, and evil capitalism