For this week’s episode, we’re trying something a little different: a grab bag! We had three topics we wanted to cover — our reactions to this week’s elections, Lily Allen’s buzzy divorce album, and the deeply unpleasant “Selling Sunset” S9 reunion — so we chatted about all three.

First: We all needed a shot in the arm, and the off-year election gave it to us good and hard. Tuesday’s elections were a Democratic rout, with candidates from 34-year-old Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani to bland liberal Mikie Sherrill romping to victory with eye-popping margins. Abigail Spanberger won easily in the VA gubernatorial race, as did the rest of the Democratic ticket. But Dems also notched massive wins in state legislature races and in ballot measures, notably California’s Prop 50 (which backs Gavin Newsom’s retaliatory redistricting plan). They flipped two state utility board seats in Georgia and won a campaign to retain three Democratic state Supreme Court justices in Pennsylvania. Moms for Liberty candidates lost almost every contested school board race. We discuss the unfamiliar feeling of hope and the importance of channeling it into the fight ahead, as well as our (cautious) takeaways from how this election cycle played out.

Second: Lily Allen’s “West End Girl” has dominated the cultural conversation since it hit the airwaves — and we, too, have been enjoying our sonic trip from the West End to the “Pussy Palace.” The raw and diaristic album tells the story, inspired by the breakdown of Allen’s marriage to David Harbour, of a woman whose husband asks for an open marriage while she’s across the ocean, performing in a play in London. While she’s wracked with jealousy and anxiety about their new arrangement, he bends and breaks their rules; the infidelity destroys her, though she tries to get her own back by also taking advantage of the open relationship. Ultimately, the marriage falls apart.

The gruesome details, which Allen has coyly hinted may or may not be entirely factual, are delivered in candy-sweet melodies that only make her rage more pointed. We discuss our reactions to the music, the dark story it tells, Lily Allen as a public figure with a troubled history of her own, and the popularity of confessional pop music.

Third: The “Selling Sunset” reunion made a dark season even darker. Nicole refused to properly apologize for bringing up Chrishell’s late parents. Chrishell revealed more about the offensive language she’d witnessed and experienced from Emma’s on-and-off manchild boyfriend Blake, but was dogpiled by the rest of the cast for failing to be sufficiently supportive of Emma. Mary offered a limited apology to Chelsea for overreacting to the flower arrangement Chelsea sent her, but the depth of the racist subtext to the interaction was never addressed. And with Chrishell and Chelsea seemingly isolated from the rest of the group, it’s impossible to ignore how undercurrents of bigotry have shaped the social dynamic of the office. Will this season be the last we watch? We discuss this, along with the ins and outs of the reunion.

Hope you enjoy! xo

If you liked reading this, click the ❤️ button on this post so more people can discover it on Patreon!

Give us feedback or suggest a topic for the pod • Subscribe • Request a free subscription

Our favorite stiletto-wearing, drama-producing, luxury real estate agents are back, baby! Season 9 of “Selling Sunset” premiered on Netflix on Oct. 29., and it faces the difficult task of balancing petty grievances between modelesque agents at The Oppenheim Group with a genuine mass tragedy — the 2025 Los Angeles Wildfires.

The first few episodes of the season are a return to form. Nicole and Chrishell are feuding. Mary and Chelsea are feuding. Bre and Chelsea are feuding. And Emma’s dating a 27-year-old real estate heir who has NEVER EATEN A FRUIT OR VEGETABLE! There’s a lot of feuding! And a very alarming manchild!

And then the wildfires break out, and the city of Los Angeles — and certainly the real estate industry — is thrown into crisis. “Selling Sunset” is more frothy intrigue than hard-hitting documentary, but the show does its best to thread the needle. Some of the most affecting scenes of the season are when we meet real women who had to flee their homes during the fires, and ended up losing everything.

In this episode, we discuss the shifting dynamics of the office, the cracks that are beginning to show in the Chrishell-Emma best friendship, Mary’s unraveling, and Nicole’s last hurrah. Hope you enjoy! Xo

If you liked reading this, click the ❤️ button on this post so more people can discover it on Patreon!

Give us feedback or suggest a topic for the pod • Subscribe • Request a free

The first season of “Nobody Wants This” was, fortunately for a show with that title, a smash hit. Based on the life of show creator Erin Foster, who converted to Judaism for her now-husband, the show followed the unlikely interfaith love story between unfiltered podcaster Joanne (Kristin Bell) and hot rabbi Noah (nerdy millennial women’s fantasy boyfriend, Adam Brody). In the process, we and some other critics believed, the show fell into replicating some nasty stereotypes about Jewish women, while positioning Joanne and her sister Morgan (Justine Lupe) as the blonde shiksa goddesses of every onscreen Jewish man’s dreams. But hey, at least the central couple shared banter, chemistry, and a searing first kiss that left its audience weak in the knees!

Recapturing the magic of Joanne and Noah’s meet-cute is a tall order for season 2. And while the season does get a lot right — fleshing out some of the ensemble characters, exploring a flaw or two in the almost too-perfect Noah — it seems to have been too tall of an order to fulfill. “Nobody Wants This” spends the entire season taking us in what feels like a perfect circle, rehashing the same fundamental conflict between Noah and Joanne: she doesn’t want to convert, and if she doesn’t, being in a relationship with her is damaging to his rabbinical reputation. In the repeated argument and tabling of the argument and reintroduction of the argument, the sizzle of their spark is a bit dampened. What’s more, Joanne’s resistance to truly considering conversion only underscores how mismatched they seem, how much he seems to be willing to sacrifice for her without receiving much in return. The struggle to like, or even enjoy hating, our heroine remains real — and that’s a real issue for a rom-com.

At least, in developing side characters like Noah’s sister-in-law Esther (Jackie Tohn) (and, sadly, mostly dispensing with his mother Bina (Tovah Feldshuh)), season 2 of “Nobody Wants This” dials back the cartoonish stereotypes of Jewish women and offers a more three-dimensional, sympathetic portrayal. But the walking-back and course-correcting of certain plots strains credulity — after a season of seeming sexually hypnotized by Morgan, Noah’s brother Sasha (Timothy Simons) is now a sincere wife guy who views Morgan as Just A Friend!!! — and results in a season that feels more like table-setting for next time around.

In this episode, we discuss the major plot points that stood out to us from this season, including the reveal that Noah really is such a Good Boyfriend that he actually becomes a Bad Boyfriend, Sasha’s attempts to reignite the spark with Esther, Morgan’s horrifying romance with her therapist, and Noah’s new job at a Reform temple so laissez-faire about, well, Judaism that it verges on the offensive. We also discuss the revealing (dare we say, telling?) Hollywood Reporter deep dive on the messy making of season 1, and we get into how the showrunners and creator have reacted to the criticisms of season 1’s portrayal of Jewish women — and how those portrayals has shifted in season 2. Hope you enjoy! xo

If you liked reading this, click the ❤️ button on this post so more people can discover it on Patreon!

Give us feedback or suggest a topic for the pod • Subscribe • Request a free

Diane Keaton was one of those rare public figures who seemed to collapse the space between celebrity and the rest of us. She was relatable, ethereal, warm, effervescent. She was magic in corporeal form.

That’s probably why for so many of us the news of her passing hit especially hard. Maybe you first met her as the unbearably charming Annie Hall in “Annie Hall,” or mom extraordinaire Nina Banks in “Father of the Bride,” or as reformed doormat Annie in “First Wives Club,” or as yuppie girlboss J.C. Wiatt. Regardless, you probably fell in love with her through the screen.

As Rhonda Garelick wrote of Keaton in a tribute for the New York Times: “In seeming so authentic and unfettered — both physically and personally — Ms. Keaton felt like a reminder of those promises [of 1970s feminism], like a rare bird soaring in from bygone days when progress and growing freedoms for women seemed inevitable.”

The two of us were struck by how genuinely sad we were when we learned over last weekend that Keaton had passed away at the age of 79. We knew that we wanted to use this week’s Rich Text episode to explore what she and her work meant to us. We contemplated rewatching a beloved movie of hers to discuss, and then realized that both of us had the same gap in our Diane Keaton knowledge: 1987’s “Baby Boom.”

“Baby Boom” follows yuppie self-described “Tiger Lady” J.C. Wiatt. She’s married to her high-powered job, having four-minute sex with her live-in boyfriend Steven (Harold Ramis), and gunning for partner at her firm. A wrench is thrown into her carefully constructed plans when she ends up saddled with a (very cute) baby after her distant cousin dies and designates her as the guardian. Hijinks — so many hijinks — ensue. She and Steven break up, she ends up mommy-tracked at her patriarchal office, and eventually she buys a Vermont estate on a whim and moves to the country, where she meets a very handsome veterinarian (Sam Shepard), and she manages to launch a multimillion-dollar business of artisanal baby food within approximately six months.

In a 2020 Vulture interview, Keaton spoke warmly about the experience of making “Baby Boom” and her adoration of J.C. Wiatt. “I love the woman I was playing,” she said. “I mean, it was fun. And let’s not forget Sam Shepard. Let’s not forget him … because wow. [Laughs loudly.] That was really fun too.”

Watching the 1987 film in 2025, we found that after nearly 40 years, the themes still resonate. Women are still navigating inequities in the workforce, and negotiating the motherhood penalty, and contending with the allure of the cottagecore fantasy. And for all of “Baby Boom’s” imperfections — including some fairly egregious plot holes — Keaton’s performance stands the test of time.

So cheers to you, Diane. We’re so glad that your work gets to live forever.

“Why Diane Keaton’s Death Hits Harder,” Rhonda Garelick, NYT

“A Delightful Conversation with Diane Keaton,” Rachel Handler, Vulture

“FEMINIST HEROINES; Women As Victims,” Charles Shyer & Nancy Meyers, NYT

“FILM VIEW; Are Feminist Heroines An Endangered Species?,” Caryn James, NYT

“Putting Down The Independent Working Woman,” Chicago Tribune

“Film Review: Satire That Lowers The ‘Baby Boom,’” Kevin Thomas, LA Times

If you liked reading this, click the ❤️ button on this post so more people can discover it on Patreon!

Give us feedback or suggest a topic for the pod • Subscribe • Request a free subscription

Just when you thought she hadn’t even left yet, Taylor Swift is back again with yet another album, complete with a color-based theme (orange), theatrically released music video, and multiple vinyl variants. “The Life of a Showgirl," which dropped October 3rd, is her third fully new album in four years; between 2019 and 2025, she has released at least one new or rerecorded album every year. Like any savvy creative in the influencer era, Swift knows the importance of feeding the beast with an unceasing flood of new content!

Sure, her primary medium is confessional pop hits, not a curated Instagram grid. But Swift’s business model — the frequent drops, the mining of her personal life for intriguing material, the outsized parasocial relationship between her and her fans (in which she is positioned both as aspirational and, increasingly implausibly, as relatable), and the harnessing of backlash, outrage cycles, and “haters” to fuel her career — is almost perfectly optimized for an influencer-based attention economy. She’s figured out how to make sure we pay attention to her. And pay attention we did.

So what did we think of “TLOAS,” and what did we think of the discourse around it? Is it badly written and hollow? Is it boring because it’s about being happy and in love? Is it full of half-baked, ripped-off songs? Is it mean-spirited, petty, and punching down at less famous women? Are there too many old memes in it? Is she a tradwife now? Is it a needless album, born of greed, without a single bop to be found? Is it a misunderstood instant classic?

We listened to the album a few (dozen) times, read a few (dozen) reviews and takes, and went through a few (dozen) changes of heart about the songs before recording this. And while we’re not music critics or Swifties, we did wind up with some strong feelings and opinions! In this episode, we discuss our favorite parts of the album, Taylor Swift’s ambitions and influencer-esque savvy, the cringe lyrics (you know which ones), the difficulty of reviewing a Taylor Swift album without reviewing Taylor as a person, the “WI$H LI$T” tradwife discourse, and so much more.

Hope you enjoy! xo

Amanda Petrusich, The New Yorker: “Why Does Taylor Swift Think She’s Cursed?”

Ira Madison III, “She’s Not Your Average Showgirl”

Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone: “Taylor Swift Conquers Her Biggest Stage Ever on ‘The Life of a Showgirl’”

Anna Graca, Pitchfork review

Tyler Foggatt, The New Yorker: “Do We Still Like Taylor Swift When She’s Happy?”

B.D. McClay, The Substack Post

Kelsey McKinney, Defector: “No Good Art Comes From Greed”

New York Times roundtable: “Taylor Swift Keeps Getting Bigger. Can the Music Keep Up?"

If you liked reading this, click the ❤️ button on this post so more people can discover it on Patreon!

Give us feedback or suggest a topic for the pod • Subscribe • Request a free subscription

One of the most fascinating things about watching different editions of “Love Is Blind,” is tracking the regionally-specific cultural differences.

In Denver, the U.S. season currently airing, we have biohacking and tech-enabled wellness clubs used as foreplay. In France, we have unfiltered bluntness. Who knew it was possible to start a relationship by telling a person that you simply don’t like how they look, and end up as the Golden Couple of the season? Paris truly is the city of love.

In this episode, we break down our high-level thoughts on France’s inaugural “Love Is Blind” season, from the pods all the way to the weddings. (So, to state the obvious, we get a little less granular than we usually do.) We discuss the French-specific cultural norms, the incredible fashion (we’d like to raid your closets, Kim and Tatiana), the equal opportunity bad behavior among the men and women, and the couples we really, really hope are still together come reunion day. Hope you enjoy! Xo

If you liked reading this, click the ❤️ button on this post so more people can discover it on Patreon!

Give us feedback or suggest a topic for the pod • Subscribe • Request a free subscription

The shippers can finally lay down their swords, because as we always knew they would, Team Bonrad has emerged victorious.

On Wednesday, the finale of hit teen romance show “The Summer I Turned Pretty” dropped. Fans got to watch Conrad show up in Paris and yearn for Belly all over the city. Their reunion culminates in a very steamy sex scene, a temporary freakout, and a rom-com-worthy chase-after-his-train reconciliation. Cut to an epilogue, where Belly and Conrad arrive at the Cousins beach house, just the two of them.

Meanwhile, our side characters also got their happy endings. Jeremiah connected with his former colleague Denise, Belly’s brother Steven and best friend Taylor are moving to California, and all of the parents seem to have reached a place of peace. Things are (mostly) neatly wrapped up — we do have a movie coming, so not *everything* could be clearly resolved — and the romance in the air of Cousins Beach remains.

And yet… there remain fundamental things about “The Summer I Turned Pretty” that we find a bit hard to swallow. In this episode, we discuss the underlying conservatism of TSITP, the wild Bonrad vs. Jelly shipping wars, the fandom’s allergy to delayed gratification, and why we loved Belly in Paris so much. Hope you enjoy! Xo

If you liked reading this, click the ❤️ button on this post so more people can discover it on Patreon!

Give us feedback or suggest a topic for the pod • Subscribe • Request a free subscription

As professional reality dating show viewers, we were feverish with excitement to watch Netflix’s new rom-com “The Wrong Paris” (brought to you by the director of Lindsay Lohan vehicles “Irish Wish” and “Falling for Christmas).

“The Wrong Paris” stars Miranda Cosgrove as Dawn, a small-town diner waitress and artist from Texas who is, of course, Not Like Other Girls. She doesn’t even watch the huge reality franchise “The Honey Pot,” a show similar to “The Bachelor” but with enormous cash prizes — and a love or money twist at the end. But when she needs money and a plane ticket to Paris for so she can enroll at a French art school, her normie sister convinces her to audition for the newest season, which conveniently happens to be filming in Paris. Dawn gets cast and boards the plane hoping only to pocket the $20k appearance fee paid to each cast member and get eliminated. Unfortunately, it turns out that the plane is heading to Paris, Texas — and the lead has no intention of eliminating her. Hey, he just loves the chase!

This is a rom-com about a woman who tries to scam a reality show and instead falls in love with a man who tries to hold her hostage until he can turn her ‘no’ into a ‘yes.” It’s a rom-com about chintzy metalwork art and high-school-level art criticism. And above all, it’s a rom-com about a reality dating show so poorly produced that it’s hard to imagine how the editors will even string together a season, given that most of the important narrative developments either happen off-screen or are interrupted by producers mid-filming because they’re TOO dramatic.

Along the way, we get some very light parody of “The Bachelor” and “Bachelor”-adjacent shows and a very topical plot twist.

In this episode, we recap the whole movie, try not to get too distracted by the obvious production missteps of the “Honey Pot” crew, and laugh a lot. Maybe this wasn’t “The Wrong Paris” for us, after all! Hope you enjoy. xo

If you liked reading this, click the ❤️ button on this post so more people can discover it on Patreon!

Give us feedback or suggest a topic for the pod • Subscribe • Request a free subscription

The Women sat at their iced-coffee-covered desks, staring into the vast beyond of their computer screens. They couldn’t help but wonder… what did they just watch for the better part of 12 hours, on and off for the last handful of months?

The answer is, of course, the final season of “And Just Like That…” The “Sex and the City” sequel has been polarizing from the jump, generating more discourse than minutes of airtime. And after just three cringey, painful, glorious seasons, it has come to an end.

We admittedly had gotten pretty behind on “AJLT,” due to our Big Summer of reality dating shows. But now that it’s September, we decided that it was time to dedicate the hours to this essential project, binge-watch the episodes we had missed, and dive headfirst into the conversation.

In this episode, we discuss what this season actually got right (quite a bit!), the Aidan of it all, the abysmal series finale, and whether hatred for the show is truly just bound up in hatred of middle-aged women. We hope you enjoy! Xo

“Were Carrie Bradshaw and Her Friends the Last Nice Rich People on TV?,” Ginia Bellafante, NYTimes

“In ‘And Just Like That …’ a Craven Era Took Its Revenge on Youth and Hope and Fun,” Jennifer Weiner, NYTimes

“my (needless) AJLT season 4 pitches,” Samantha Irby, bitches gotta eat!

“‘And Just Like That…’ Is Over Too Soon,” Wesley Morris & Taffy Brodesser-Akner, Cannonball with Wesley Morris podcast

“Misreading Carrie Bradshaw,” Jackson McHenry, Vulture

If you liked reading this, click the ❤️ button on this post so more people can discover it on Patreon!

Give us feedback or suggest a topic for the pod • Subscribe • Request a free subscription

The “Love Is Blind” season 2 reunion landed on Sunday afternoon, and it landed with the force and spectacle of a grand piano pushed out of a tenth-story window. The proverbial ink had barely dried on our glowing recap of last week’s finale — the 10/10 perfect couples, the happy surprise of Billy and Ashleigh — when all our starry visions of marital bliss were extinguished. Well, not all. (There are one or two decent men left in the United Kingdom.) This reunion brought us shocking update after unsurprising-but-still-somehow-shocking update, some Emma Willis tears, and a performance of “you’re a liar” in two-part harmony.

In this episode, we discuss all the couples’ relationship updates, berate ourselves for giving men the benefit of the doubt, speculate about stiff upper lips and missing chips, wonder about spleen-forward parenting, and give one last enemies-to-friends ranking.

If you liked reading this, click the ❤️ button on this post so more people can discover it on Patreon!

Give us feedback or suggest a topic for the pod • Subscribe • Request a free subscription