Pop Junction

IT’S THE SEASON FINALE OF OUR POD, Y’ALL!

Insecure ended the day after Christmas, and we’re still not over it. We have a rich discussion of the final season (with a heavy emphasis on that whiplash-inducing finale), the Molly of it all, and what the show meant to us on the whole. 

Our *super* special guest this week is Chris Sewell! Chris has an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership & Policy and an illustrious career in EdTech–but he also has a recreational Ph.D. in all things pop culture, and he happens to be a classmate of ours from junior high. Despite all that Insecure has given to Black audiences, Chris is not letting it off the hook today!

Plus: Mia’s predictions for 2022. 

RIP Betty White. We hoped this day would never come. 

We have our FIRST guest! Welcome to PJ our dear friend, junior high AND high school classmate, and renowned My So-Called Life expert, Logan Cooper. Logan comes to our discussion with Media Studies Professor-level incisiveness about this beloved cult classic and mid-90s time capsule. We throw fisticuffs over Rayanne Graff, discuss our own respective Catalanos (and Krakows!), and Logan explains why Sharon Cherski is the colorful backpack–no, knapsack–of the show, metaphorically. We also tell the epic tale of the night we all went out to a Chippendale’s show senior year.

Now if you’ll excuse us, we’re gonna go smoke some DOOBIES. We’ll see you in 2022!

An Oral History of MSCL: https://www.elle.com/culture/movies-tv/a40594/my-so-called-life-cast-interviews/

Nothing’s better than friends! The theme song told us so. In this ep, we cover the 1990 TV adaptation of the iconic Baby-Sitters Club YA book series–and Mia shares an embarrassing origin story of her pop culture addiction. We also check in on our current Insecure feelings (only four episodes left!) and Caitlin reports back on House of Gucci. 

And of course, Mia gives us the latest on all things Kim Kardashian/Pete Davidson, AKA Kimmy/Petey, AKA Ketey.

If you’re an Xennial like us, Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle was crucial viewing and probably shaped your sense of humor in college (well, that and the GI Joe PSAs). What starts as an ode to the genre-smashing Jersey road trip buddy stoner comedy (queer romance) quickly devolves into a John Cho hornfest. Can you blame us, though? We rank all three films in the H+K trilogy, we get into another Big Nail Discussion, and Caitlin finally remembers to put our Patreon plug at the top of the ep. We love being on top of shit this time of year!

Class is in session. Professor Mia Lynn Howard is here to teach you all about The Neve Campbell School of Acting and its origins during the filming of 90s drama Party of Five. Caitlin features as “Acting Expert” and (highly skeptical) Neve Campbell Doppelganger. Listeners, you will be quizzed next Friday.

SING IT: Wiiiiiiild horseeeeees! 

We intended to do a full month of spooky eps, but life (and the culture) got in the way. Today we get into all things Chappelle‘s latest special from the unique perspective of two queer uber Chappelle fans (though that title may have to be revised). But our main event is the 1996 Seattle grunge monsterpiece, Fear--AKA Marky Mark fingerbangs Reese Witherspoon on a rollercoaster. Or was it a ferris wheel? Get ready for an unnecessarily deep dive into Mark Wahlberg‘s career trajectory and his adolescent hate crimes. Woof. Alyssa Milano is #gayorigins, and Kal Penn is officially queer brethren. Mazel tov, Kal & Josh!

We’ve titled this episode in the style of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy--because this shit is serious! It’s also a reliable Google search term for one of Mia’s Top Ten Most Iconic Fresh Prince Moments. 

It’s damn near impossible to fully honor the super goofy, delightfully savage The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. French Prince? Fresh Prints? French Prints. BUT! We try to capture why FP still remains a go-to comfort watch for the both of us--and why it still has us truly laughing our asses off. 

Also: part one of what will undoubtedly turn into a six-part Brooklyn Manicures Deep Dive. 

This incredibly long and at times arduous AF road has finally come to an end, listeners. We’re in the final, shark-hurtling season of The L Word. We discuss our theories on who really killed Jenny Schecter--and rank all the seasons from best to worst. 

Shout-out to: Lucy Lawless as the sexy investigator, Elizabeth Berkeley AKA Jessie Spano AKA Bette’s former college roommate AKA tan goddess AKA professional pool sex gymnast of Showgirls fame, and the actor who plays Deputy Doug Witter on Dawson’s Creek--all of whom make an appearance in this shitshow.

WE DID IT, JOE!

We’re in the homestretch, y’all. But before we tackle Season 5 of The L Word, we talk very sincerely about the redemption arc of Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino and debate the basicness of his wife Laurens (SUNY alum friends, take cover). And as promised, we engage in a soulful and at times extremely hippie dippie visioning exercise for the year ahead. 

Then it’s on to SEASON 5, AKA the season where The L Word took a page from the book of QAF and finally embraced gym and nightlife vibes.

Retribution is in order. Listeners, please chime in: what should Caitlin make Mia watch now that she sat through ALL SIX SEASONS OF THIS GAY NONSENSE?

Oh, and happy Virgo season, y’all. Fellow Virgos pls @ us, thx.

On this episode, we’re addressing ALL the existential questions: How long does a midlife crisis last? A year? Fifteen? And more importantly, is it time to take on a sugar baby? When are you too old to BE a sugar baby? 

On the bright side, we have reached Season 4 of The L Word. Enter Captain Tasha motherfucking Williams. Enter Papi, AKA the Rico Suave of this sapphic fictional world. And cue Jenny Schecter fully coming into her sociopathy! God bless!