This is the “Squid Game” recap you’ve been waiting for: the perspective of two women so squeamish they probably missed, at a conservative estimate, 15% of this ultraviolent show because they were covering the screen with their hands and whispering “no no no no no no no noooooo whyyyy.”

But whatever! The violent parts aren’t important, right? The important thing is that we know what this show is about: capitalism, wealth inequality, the myth of meritocracy, ugly Americans, and nice cops who restore your faith in humanity.

In this episode, we discuss all this and more. Let the games begin!

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We’ve been watching…

“Love Life” season 2! Which I am enjoying significantly more than season 1. (Though it is by no means perfect.) We will probably have to podcast about it, as two rom-com lovers. -Emma

I have also been watching “Love Life” season 2, and it is better… but there’s still something about the whole concept that doesn’t seem to work for me. The portentous voiceover? The gloomy aesthetic? The way we only get to know our leads as unsatisfied lovers? So much to ruminate on as the season continues. -Claire

We’ve been reading…

Don’t laugh — I’m finally finishing “Great Circle” by Maggie Shipstead. Long books are back, baby.

On a darker note, Insider’s horrifying investigation of Barstool founder Dave Portnoy’s (recent) history of seeking out teenagers for very rough, coercive sex. Being an unapologetic misogynist is sort of his brand, so it remains to be seen whether this will do anything more than burnish it, but the details are deeply distressing. -Claire

We’ve been listening to…

“Fallen Angel,” an investigative podcast from journalists Vanessa Grigoriadis and Justine Harman into the rise and fall of Victoria’s Secret. Fascinating, especially if you are also a member of the microgeneration that spent afternoons at the mall browsing through drawers of lacy thongs. -Emma

I think my podcasts are making me anxious (?!?) so I’ve been trying to get back into music (has anyone heard of this?). Highlights: putting on Brendan Benson’s “Cold Hands, Warm Heart” and delighting my toddler into starting a dance party; cooking chickpea stew with a glass of wine and the Wet album “Still Run” in my earbuds. -Claire

We’ve been buying…

I’ve been on the hunt for a soft, layer-able, cute, cream-colored quarter-zip sweater, and I *finally* found one — at a reasonable price point! — from Quince. -Emma

This is so humiliating (in addition to the humiliation of doing product recs on a post about “Squid Game”) but I got influenced by Serena P. to buy a hand/jewelry soap called Radiance Wash from Shinery. It reportedly keeps her giant rock from Grocery Store Joe shiny, and now it (actually) keeps my perpetually filthy wedding set shiny.

The heart-wrenching origin story: the founder tried to clean her ring with “luxury hotel soap” before her wedding and it didn’t work. “I got married with a cloudy film on my ring. I was devastated.” May no one else ever suffer this way again. -Claire

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