After watching the finale of “Cruel Summer,” Freeform’s twisty-turny summer teen soap, we had THOUGHTS. So naturally, we decided to podcast about them. And then, due to some technical difficulties, the entire file was lost, so we decided to podcast about them again. Here is the fruit of our labors. (Warning: This episode is VERY spoiler-y, and contains discussions of sexual abuse, grooming and suicide.)

Our conversation gets into the big twists of episodes 9 and 10, the complicated nature of depicting grooming, gaping plot holes, skin suits, and how we feel about where Kate and Jeanette ended up in the final moments of the finale.

Happy Friday and happy listening!

We’ve been reading…

A searing deep-dive by our former colleague Jess Schulberg on the story of Kip Kinkel and the battle over juvenile life without parole. -Emma and Claire

This NYTimes investigation into the reality of what it was like to work at New York City’s only Amazon fulfillment center during the pandemic — and what it says about the culture and labor practices that billionaire Jeff Bezos is building. -Emma

We’ve been listening to…

“HiberNation,” our friend Mallika Rao’s gorgeous new podcast about what happens when we sleep. Mallika is a brilliant journalist, insightful critic, and matchless conversation-haver, and the first episode, about why people sleep with their partners (despite it being harder to actually get good sleep that way), left me in floods of tears. -Claire

“To Live And Die In LA” season 2. There are some very real issues with the true crime genre of podcasting, and yet I can’t stop listening to this one. -Emma

We’ve been buying…

The new Hill House summer drop. The Nap Dress brand has done it again with its expanded apparel collection and I will be living in fun prints and smocking all summer long. (If you wanna check it out, here is a discount code. And no, this is still not an ad. I am just a genuine enthusiast lol.) -Emma

Same, and this is why we’re always accidentally matching on Zoom. -Claire

We’ve been watching…

“Starstruck,” a short, sweet lil rom-com structured series on HBO Max about a woman who has a one-night-stand on New Year’s Eve and realizes afterwards that the guy is a giant movie star. -Emma

The finale of “Hacks.” I know I’ve recommended this show before, but it has really stuck with me. If you haven’t yet watched the HBO Max show, get on it right now. You can binge the whole thing straight through. -Emma