Pop Junction

This one’s worth listening to for the episode title payoff alone. Steve Sanders, we see you.

We may throw around the word “formative” a lot on this pod, but damn if this show wasn’t formative as hell. From 50s/60s nostalgia to early 90s beauty standards, this is the OG Beverly Hills 90210. 

*cue bodaciously dramatic guitar riff*

We talk at length about Brandon Walsh being the WORST, and we finally have it out about our separate paths re: Grey’s Anatomy. 

RIP Shannen Doherty and Luke Perry ❤️‍🔥

EDITED BY Sophia Betz 🎧

If you watch Jersey Shore ironically, please skip this episode altogether. 

Thank you.

EDITED BY Sophia Betz 🎧

Ruh roh, we’re getting scholarly again! What makes a 90s teen movie? We dive into a *hard* definition and the tropes of the genre–and try to anoint a 90s teen movie MVP 🏅

Plus: the gorgeous campiness of She’s All That, Kids (1995) being a horror film, Taylor Vaughan being #gayorigins, the parallels between Stifler and Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, and the underrated comedic stylings of Marley Shelton.

Also: high school jobs, S2 of Yellowjackets, we go off on a maaaaajor Kid-n-Play tangent, and our Leo in Basketball Diaries impression makes another appearance (sorryyyyy).

EDITED BY Sophia Betz 🎧

Let us take you on a journey, a wide sweeping journey of the top things in pop culture that made us feel gay. From Denise Huxtable to Rayanne Graff, these are the people, the characters, and the moments that were sexually formative for us. 

Word to the wise: you don’t marry your number one. 

Also: who knew Ferris Bueller’s Day Off would make both of our lists–FOR DIFFERENT REASONS?? Feast your eyes! 

https://tinyurl.com/m2pp6mex

EDITED BY Sophia Betz 🎧

Join us as we find the points of connection between these two wackadoodle rap comedies from the early aughts. Has anyone ever talked about either of these films in such an elevated way? Welcome to Poppers J, y’all. 

EDITED BY Sophia Betz 🎧

Welcome to our Eras tour! Professor Mia Howard takes us through the seven distinct eras of Saved by the Bell. 

That’s it. That’s the episode. 

EDITED BY Sophia Betz 🎧

The year was 1998. After making a name for themselves across the pond, a boy band for a new era of boy bands came back to the States (specifically Orlando) and tore up our hearts–especially one man and his, dare we say, “thug appeal.” That man? The true lead singer of *NSYNC: JC Chasez. 

Yes we WILL be talking mad smack about JT (and maaaaybe delving into some of our wackadoodle theories about the JT/JC of it all, STAY WITH US! Don’t back away!). …We’re definitely getting sued. 

Also: buying concert tickets from strangers in AOL chat rooms, and the mysterious disappearance of USB-C lightning cables.

EDITED BY Sophia Betz 🎧

To get the full experience of this episode, you may want to have these YouTube clips handy:

https://youtu.be/_ZcmuKsyvzg?si=flGHdK7rfFRrASgd&t=183

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJSYmnPilbA

https://youtu.be/TC2MyQS7Oh4?si=ojp0UdJg7LN5wihn 

https://youtu.be/n-2C2wOFavc?si=3oqrflIphjV6qGQ9&t=157

https://youtu.be/z7Lwc-E5bbU?si=P8bORkMpqYN3avsp 

https://youtu.be/hohGkdoI9Ck?si=Hpgn2E8AGGOPttN2&t=140

https://youtu.be/Nyqi2e0AIzM?si=a84ynb0yJ8ivtGxL

SURPRISE, beetches! After two and a half years, we're back for another round of episodes -- because we just couldn't quit without addressing some of our all-time faves. ✨

Welcome to one of the BEST romcoms of all time, the blueprint for enemies-to-lovers fan fiction, the one we've quoted in damn near every episode of this pod: The Cutting Edge. We lament how this movie gave us the most unrealistic expectations for what adult life would look like (...if you're hosting a black tie New Year's party with a live band, let us know). 

Also: The Substance, our complicated relationship with photos of ourselves, and the potency of Sabrina (1995)!!

EDITED BY Sophia Betz 🎧

THIS IS IT. OUR FINAL EPISODE. You might even say, “This afternoon is my final skate.” And we did. Which led us to a 10-15 minute discussion of The Cutting Edge, which we somehow missed covering in this podcast despite it being mentioned nearly every other episode. 

Then it’s onto the main event: the downright bonkerstown high camp child actor superthriller The Good Son. Which begs the inevitable question, are the heteros doomed to never appreciate films like this? And: can we talk about the name Susan?

We share what this here podcast has given us both over the last three years, and what’s next for Mia and Caitlin. We love you all, and thank you for listening!

(AND LISTEN ALL THE WAY TO THE END FOR AN EASTER EGG)

For our penultimate ep, we are all over the map, bro. Join us in our journey back to the most hormonal era of our lives as we rewatch the Karate Kid/Home Alone mash-up that was 3 Ninjas. Colt gives major Atreyu vibes, and Grandpa’s name is MAURY? ...No wait, it’s Mori.

But before we talk 3 Ninjas, we talk about sunsetting this here pod, how the children don’t know yet but they’ll know eventually (more makeup deep dives, WOW we are truly MIRED in beauty culture), SLAM BOOKS, the importance of Alicia Keys in the Gangsta Lovin’ music video, and trips to the video store.