In this episode, Anastasia and Megan discuss Katherine Arden's underrated 2017 fantasy, The Bear and the Nightingale. Your hosts look at aspects of Russian folklore and the repercussions when Christianity comes to rural medieval Russia. They discuss characters acting from a place of curiosity vs. a place of fear, the interplay between free will and fate, alongside control and acceptance, and finally the community's role in redemption.

Digressions include Chef Boyardee, The Office, and foreshadowing the sequels.