Jane Austen once referred to small towns as "a neighborhood of voluntary spies," and she easily could have been talking about Stars Hollow, Connecticut.

This week we're diving in to the similarities between the writing of Jane Austen and Amy Sherman Palladino, from their explorations of class conflict, to their portrayals of the interior lives of women, to, of course, their small town settings and how these microcosms of society inform their characters' stories.

We also look at the element of both Austen and ASP's work that seems to get the most attention: the romantic relationships. How does Gilmore Girls use the romances to develop its characters? And is there really a healthy romantic relationship on the show? (Spoiler: not really)

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We're kicking off Season 5 with a return to the town of Stars Hollow!

Long time listeners may already know that our second episode EVER was about Gilmore Girls (though we don't recommend listening to it, it sounds pretty terrible). So we thought it was long past time to return and talk about everything we missed!

In part 1, we talk about some general thoughts about the original run of the series and A Year in the Life, how our relationship with the show has changed over the years, and some favorite episodes and moments. 

We also give an overview of the other topics we plan to delve into in this series, from pop culture connections and creator Amy Sherman Palladino's other works, to a psychological look at how the show portrays various romantic relationships, to its positioning as a literary successor to the works of Jane Austen, plus more! It's gonna be a great month!

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It's Erin's birthday! For her Birthday Bonus she has brought us a selection of women's stories in media that all take place in New York City in the first few decades of the 20th century, from Funny Girl, to Brooklyn, to The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. 

What throughlines do we find in these women's journeys? How does the setting of New York City become an integral part of these stories? What can these media works tell us about the era in which they portray, and what can they tell us about our current time?

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Today's international film pick is both the first film ever shot in Saudi Arabia and the first ever film made by a Saudi woman, director Haifaa al-Mansour's Wadjda. We talk about the film's symbolism and imagery, its genius use of American pop culture, and the big feelings we felt watching this story of a young girl fighting to express herself in a place that wants her to stay quiet.

Read the Hollywood Reporter article we referenced, and this great review from Bitch Media.

Join us all summer for the international films we've been meaning to see! And follow on Instagram for more content and our Summer Book Club picks!

We're back with another international film pick, this time with the Japanese classic My Neighbor Totoro! We discuss our previous experience with Miyazaki films, how we feel this movie compares and contrasts with American children's cinema, and how to claim Catbus plushies as a tax write-off.

Join us all summer for the international films we've been meaning to see! And follow on Instagram for more content and our Summer Book Club picks!

We're kicking off our Summer International Film Festival with a visit to a whimsical, fantasy version of Paris with our friend Amélie. We discuss our cultural awareness of the 2001 film prior to us watching it just this past week, our thoughts on the aesthetics, themes, and storytelling of the movie, and even get in a few jabs at Emily in Paris, as one does. 

Join us all summer for the international films we've been meaning to see! And follow on Instagram for more content and our Summer Book Club picks!

We saw the Bob's Burgers movie! And we're gonna tawk abowt it!

We dive into our initial thoughts on the movie, favorite moments, and the nods and in-jokes of the series we noticed. Then we get into some interesting (and some not so interesting) fan theories about the show. To top it off, we reveal the characters BuzzFeed says we are, but BuzzFeed is incorrect.

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Butts, Butts, Butts!

This week we're talking about how Bob's Burgers explores the experiences of puberty through Tina's stories, and how we as adult viewers decompress about our own adolescent experiences through this show and other media, like Pen15, Mean Girls, and My Big Fat Greek Wedding (no, it's not puberty, but it is coming-of-age!).

We also look a little bit into the ways Bob's Burgers explores and expresses gender and sexuality through a few characters, and talk about how the show can do better at portraying people of marginalized genders.

Mashable article about the show's portrayal of its only Black trans character, Marshmallow.

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This week we look at how Bob's Burgers explores the classic coming of age story through each of the Belcher kids. We also get literary with a dive into the episode "The Gayle Tales," discussing the show's and the characters' relationships with literature.

Blog post on the four stages of coming of age. Article on the literary-ness of Bob's Burgers.

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In anticipation of the new movie coming out at the end of this month, we're discussing our favorite animated family, the Belchers of Bob's Burgers! This week we give a rundown of all the different topics we want to dive into. From the show's literary sensibilities, to its explorations of adolescence and coming-of-age stories, to the interesting meta-commentary on fandoms and fan theories. 

We also talk about our favorite guest stars on the show, and which Belchers we personally identify with most. Grab a stool at the counter and join us for Bob's Burgers!

Check out this list of notable guest stars.

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