Happy New Year! We’re starting 2025 off with our longest episode yet, discussing the two Hollywood blockbuster behemoths of fall 2024: Wicked: Part 1 and Gladiator II. Topics of discussion include stage-to-screen adaptations, lesbian subtext, costume design, the perils of sequels, and a significant amount of complaining about historical inaccuracies. Spoilers abound for both movies, as well as the entirety of Wicked the musical and, randomly, Stranger Things season four. Our review of Wicked takes up the first half of the podcast while our discussion of Gladiator II starts at the 1:12:46 mark.

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Content Warnings: discussions of slavery, death, violence, homophobia, ableism, colonialism, and fascism.

Happy holidays! Today we’re returning with a seasonally inappropriate episode on Halloween. In the month of October, we challenged ourselves to have a spooky good time and watch some horror movies. Topics include vampires (so many vampires), the joys and terrors of watching scary movies, and the beautiful but terrifyingly haunted nation of Ireland. (Despite the over-eager opening of this episode, we did not get around to discussing horror literature. Stay tuned!)

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This week, we return from our lengthy and unplanned hiatus with the world’s! nichest! episode! That’s right, we’re talking about Among Others by Jo Walton, Ballad by Maggie Stiefvater, and Tam Lin by Pamela Dean, three fantasy novels set on school campuses that blend faerie folklore and coming-of-age stories.  Topics of discussion include how each book puts their own spin on the supernatural and the folkloric, tragically canceled book series, reproductive rights, and where on a college campus you’re most likely to run into a faerie. (And yes, this episode was meant to be released several months ago, as our discussion at the beginning indicates. Oops.)

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• Greta and Valdin by Rebecca K Reilly

Content warnings: discussions of sibling death, parental abuse, a car crash, pregnancy and abortion, suicide, and dubious sexual consent

This week is all about the spooky ancestral homes as we talk about And Don’t Look Back by Rebecca Barrow and All the Dead Lie Down by Kyrie McCauley, two young adult novels about family homes and the dark secrets they hide. Topics include what constitutes a haunted house (does there have to be a literal ghost?), twisty mysteries, and the inherent queerness of the gothic genre.

(Also, as you may have guessed, we did NOT release this episode before traveling internationally despite our optimism about doing so in this recording.)

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• Shogun (2024)

Content Warnings: Discussions of parental death, animal death, domestic abuse, murder, drowning

As always, you can learn more at our website, neverthetwinsshallmeet.com

This week, we’re taking a trip to 1950s Italy as we discuss Patricia Highsmith’s classic thriller The Talented Mr. Ripley and its acclaimed 1999 adaptation directed by Anthony Minghella. Topics of discussion include the novel’s iconic con artist protagonist, the twisty plot, homoerotic subtext, and how Minghella put his own spin on the themes and characters. 

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• Scrapper (2023) dir. Charlotte Regan (note: Lulu was wrong, the lead actress’s name is actually Lola Campbell, not Lola Chambers)

Content Warnings: discussions of antisemitism, racism, murder, violence, homophobia, gaslighting, suicide, and classism.

We’re back this week to talk about the latest Hunger Games movie, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Topics include our relationship with the famous dystopian franchise, how the movie compares to the book, why we find prequels and villain protagonists compelling, and a detour through Enlightenment philosophy.

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• Hannibal (2013-2015)

Content warnings: Discussions of death, violence, hanging, cannibalism and fascism

Happy belated New Year! We return fashionably late with a behemoth of an episode to discuss each of our top 10 books of 2023, a few extra superlatives (scariest book, anyone?), and some reading goals for 2024. Tune in for fantasy fiction, gothic literature, romance novels, unexpected favorites, and only a little bit of human sacrifice. 

(Also, Lulu would like to mention that she forgot to mention Emily Carroll’s works when discussing graphic novels, but they’re all very creepy and amazing. Additionally, we ran out of time for her to discuss poetry, but Native Guard by Natasha Trethewey, The Renunciations by Donika Kelly, and Water & Salt by Lena Khalaf Tuffaha were her favorite books of poetry read last year.)

Content warnings: discussions of slavery (27:47-31:05), domestic abuse (31:06-33:08), and depression/suicidal ideation (58:18-1:03:18)

Our podcast is back, and we’re in our hater era! In this episode, we tackle the infamously divisive 2023 film Saltburn, a psychological thriller directed by Emerald Fennell and starring Barry Keoghan as Oliver Quick, an Oxford scholarship student invited to his wealthy friend’s summer estate, Saltburn, for a summer that takes a dark turn. (Spoiler alert: we didn't like it.) Topics discussed include the film’s muddled class commentary, our hatred of the film’s ending, and it’s intent to shock and upset the viewer. 

Other Media Mentioned:

• Blue Eye Samurai (2023-)

Content Warnings: Discussions of drug overdose, suicide, murder, classism, racism, manipulation, and sexual assault

Also, not actually related to the content of this episode, but if you are an American listener, we would like to invite you to call your representatives and demand a ceasefire in Israel and Palestine. 5calls.org makes it easy to do.  

We’re back for our first episode of the summer! In this one, we take a trip to post-Rome Britain to explore our fascination with a time period that is more myth than history. Going full history nerd, we take a look at three books set in Britain after the withdrawal of Roman imperial powers: Dark Earth by Rebecca Stott, Here Lies Arthur by Philip Reeve, and Sistersong by Lucy Holland. We discuss the possible origin of the King Arthur myth, queer medieval narratives, and the cultural diversity of Britain at this time–as well as wizards, warlords, and murder ballads. 

Other Media Mentioned:

• Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman

Content Warnings:

Discussions of war, death, and body horror

Also 1) apologies for the distant car horn in a few moments and 2) our discussion of Here Lies Arthur involves talking about some characters who present as different genders over the course of the story and so has some varying pronoun usage.

This week, we’ve got a guest on our podcast as author M.K. Lobb drops by to answer our questions about her young adult fantasy novel Seven Faceless Saints. Tune in to hear us discuss the real historical inspiration behind her fantasy world, the joys of writing angsty romance, and the importance of angry female characters. 

Media mentioned

• These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

Content warnings: discussions of war, PTSD, and murder