Content warning: Discussions of suicide and sexual assault throughout this episode.

Yellowjackets might be taking a break, but The Watchers doesn't quit. Jodie and Andrea are using the off-season break to share the movies that made them the kind of people who were destined to be obsessed with a show like Yellowjackets. Jodie kicks it off with her first pick, the 1989 black comedy, Heathers, written by Daniel Waters, directed by Michael Lehmann, and starring 80s icons Winona Ryder, Christian Slater, and plenty of other familiar faces. We don’t treat this like a typical recap podcast. We do break the movie down, but we’re much more interested in what it has to say about its cultural context, how it informed the teen movie genre moving forward, and what reflecting on it in 2023 tells us about our current cultural moment. Of course, we talk about the fashion and language of the movie because it’s Heathers. How can you not? 

Mentioned in the episode:

Heathers: An oral history - Adam Markovitz

Next week, we’re watching Andrea’s first pick, the 1996 horror movie classic, Scream (Written by Kevin Williamson, Directed by Wes Craven). Here’s where you can watch it: Paramount Plus, Amazon, Apple TV.

If you're reading this, that means you've probably got your podcatcher of choice open right now. It would be SO helpful if you gave our little new show a follow. If you like what you hear, you could even leave us a review. ☺️

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The Watchers on Twitter and Instagram (@WatchersPodNJ)

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Jodie on Twitter (@jodiemim) and Instagram (@jodie_mim)

Our sister show, New Jersey Is the World, on Twitter (@njistheworld) and Instagram (@newjerseyistheworld)

Thanks to Kitzy (@heykitzy) for the use of our theme song, "No Book Club."

We’re back, baby! This season of Yellowjackets might be over, but The Watchers isn’t quitting! we’re going to keep sharing our favorite shows and movies with each other and with you. After watching a bunch of TV and thinking about all of the movies that matter to us, Andrea and Jodie have decided what we’re talking about next week. In this episode, we do a little Yellowjackets check-in, we give a light review of a few shows we’ve been watching, and we let you know what movie we’re going to watch next week, so you can watch it and come back on Tuesday for our conversation about a movie that feels like a spiritual influence on Yellowjackets. It’s one we’ve spent a lot of time referencing in our episodes, so far, even though one of us has never seen before. Check below if you want to know what we’re watching before you listen to this episode. 

Thanks so much for sticking with us in the off-season! We’re really excited to keep chatting with you all.

Mentioned in this episode:

- This conversation between Melanie Lynskey and Natasha Lyonne for Variety.

- Silo

- From

- The Bear

- Alone

- You can watch next week’s movie in a few places. Here are all of them.

If you're reading this, that means you've probably got your podcatcher of choice open right now. It would be SO helpful if you gave our little new show a follow. If you like what you hear, you could even leave us a review. ☺️

Follow:

The Watchers on Twitter and Instagram (@WatchersPodNJ)

Andrea on Twitter and Instagram (@AQAndreaQ)

Jodie on Twitter (@jodiemim) and Instagram (@jodie_mim)

Our sister show, New Jersey Is the World, on Twitter (@njistheworld) and Instagram (@newjerseyistheworld)

Thanks to Kitzy (@heykitzy) for the use of our theme song, "No Book Club."

Now that season two of Yellowjackets has been over for a week, and Andrea and Jodie have had some time to digest it, we're back to unpack all the nitty-gritty details of season 2. We return to that controversial Nat scene–what we still don't love about it, what's started to make some sense with a little more time to think about it, and what it might mean for season 3. We trace our main characters' arcs from "Friends, Romans, Countrymen" to "Storytelling." We also talk about the tricky work of portraying mental illness ethically and responsibility on screen.

And of course we dig into all the fun stuff: needle drops, class superlatives, and, of course, the Jersey of it all.

We've gotten so many great suggestions from our listeners for what we should cover in the off-season. We're going to take a couple of weeks to comb through them and see what we think will be the most fun for us to watch and chat about. As soon as we decide, we'll drop a quick little episode in the feed to let you know what's coming up. And obviously no matter what we decide, whenever we get that good bonus Cabin Daddy content (Jodie didn't gloat TOO hard in this episode), our very next episode will be covering that.

Jodie's recommended reading: "The Giant Wistaria" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Thank you all so much for joining us for this first official season of The Watchers podcast. It has been such a joy to watch these wonderfully complicated, cannibalistic Jersey girls with youse. See you in a couple weeks!

If you're reading this, that means you've probably got your podcatcher of choice open right now. It would be SO helpful if you gave our little new show a follow. If you like what you hear, you could even leave us a review. ☺️

Follow:

The Watchers on Twitter and Instagram (@WatchersPodNJ)

Andrea on Twitter and Instagram (@AQAndreaQ)

Jodie on Twitter (@jodiemim) and Instagram (@jodie_mim)

Our sister show, New Jersey Is the World, on Twitter (@njistheworld) and Instagram (@newjerseyistheworld)

Thanks to Kitzy (@heykitzy) for the use of our theme song, "No Book Club."

Jodie and Andrea are back and recapping the gripping Yellowjackets season 2 finale, "Storytelling." From 1996, where our survivors wrestle with the aftermath of their first official hunt, to 2021 where the gang learns that old habits die hard, we're breaking it all down. We know the fan reception to this one has been all over the map, so we also do our best to navigate through the maze of opinions and offer our own analysis of what the final moments of this episode might mean for season 3 of Yellowjackets.

And while this season of Yellowjackets might be over (well, we're still holding out for that Cabin Daddy content), we've got plenty coming your way. We'll be back next week to wrap up season 2 more broadly and let you know what we've got planned for the podcast while we wait for season 3.

If you're reading this, that means you've probably got your podcatcher of choice open right now. It would be SO helpful if you gave our little new show a follow. If you like what you hear, you could even leave us a review. ☺️

Follow:

The Watchers on Twitter and Instagram (@WatchersPodNJ)

Andrea on Twitter an Instagram (@AQAndreaQ)

Jodie on Twitter (@jodiemim) and Instagram (@jodie_mim)

Our sister show, New Jersey Is the World, on Twitter (@njistheworld) and Instagram (@newjerseyistheworld)

Thanks to Kitzy (@heykitzy) for the use of our theme song, "No Book Club."

Jodie and Andrea are back and recapping "It Chooses," the penultimate episode of season two of the Showtime series, Yellowjackets. We know this is a long one, but they gave us SO MUCH to talk about this week.

In 1996, we see the soccer team dealing with the aftermath of Shauna beating Lottie to near-death; we learn more about Javi's drawings, and we finally see the origin of the hunt. In a lot of ways, this is the episode we've all been waiting for–especially Andrea who can't wait to never talk about Chuck Taylors ever again.

In 2021, our Yellowjackets stop being polite and start getting real in the Sharing Shack™; Jeff goes all Winona Ryder for Shauna Kitchenknifehands, and we all fall more deeply in love with Misty's boyfriend, Walter Tattersall.

If you're reading this, that means you've probably got your podcatcher of choice open right now. It would be SO helpful if you gave our little new show a follow. If you like what you hear, you could even leave us a review. ☺️

Follow:

The Watchers on Twitter and Instagram (@WatchersPodNJ)

Andrea on Twitter an Instagram (@AQAndreaQ)

Jodie on Twitter (@jodiemim) and Instagram (@jodie_mim)

Our sister show, New Jersey Is the World, on Twitter (@njistheworld) and Instagram (@newjerseyistheworld)

Thanks to Kitzy (@heykitzy) for the use of our theme song, "No Book Club."

Meet us back here next week for our review of Season 2, Episode 9 of Yellowjackets, "Storytelling."

Jodie and Andrea are back to recap "Burial," the seventh episode of season two of the Showtime series, Yellowjackets. In 2021, Lottie gets the band back together, and they spend some time getting in touch with themselves. Self Care. Guidance. Forage. Renew. In 1996, Misty organizes a search party, Ben cleans up nice, and Shauna . . . well, that's the first rule of Fight Club isn't it? We also bring you another installment of Tawny's Jersey Accent Appreciation AND we take a trip to Andrea's Lost Corner.

If you're reading this, that means you've probably got your podcatcher of choice open right now. It would be SO helpful if you gave our little new show a follow. If you like what you hear, you could even leave us a review. ☺️

Follow:

The Watchers on Twitter and Instagram (@WatchersPodNJ)

Andrea on Twitter an Instagram (@AQAndreaQ)

Jodie on Twitter (@jodiemim) and Instagram (@jodie_mim)

Our sister show, New Jersey Is the World, on Twitter (@njistheworld) and Instagram (@newjerseyistheworld)

Thanks to Kitzy (@heykitzy) for the use of our theme song, "No Book Club."

Meet us back here next week for our review of Season 2, Episode 8 of Yellowjackets, "It Chooses."

CW: We discuss the events of Shauna's pregnancy and birth directly in this episode. If you want to avoid that conversation, we saved it for the second half of the episode, so you can stop listening once we finish our recap of 2021.

"Qui," the episode of Yelllowjackets that we've all been waiting or is finally here. The birth of Shauna's Wilderness Baby. Jodie and Andrea break down all the lead up to the resolution, including Misty's lacking midwife skills, Akilah's tiny assistant, and the Rosemary's Baby of it all.

In 2021, it appears that all roads lead to Lottie, as we see the rest of our survivors making their way to her intentional community/cult, where Nat and Misty are already local celebrities.

If you're reading this, that means you've probably got your podcatcher of choice open right now. It would be SO helpful if you gave our little new show a follow. If you like what you hear, you could even leave us a review. ☺️

Follow:

The Watchers on Twitter and Instagram (@WatchersPodNJ)

Andrea on Twitter an Instagram (@AQAndreaQ)

Jodie on Twitter (@jodiemim) and Instagram (@jodie_mim)

Our sister show, New Jersey Is the World, on Twitter (@njistheworld) and Instagram (@newjerseyistheworld)

Thanks to Kitzy (@heykitzy) for the use of our theme song, "No Book Club."

Meet us back here next week for our review of Season 2, Episode 7 of Yellowjackets, "Burial."

Today's episode comes with a few disclaimers and content warnings.

1. Rosemary's Baby is a film directed by Roman Polanski, who was convicted of statutory rape in 1977.
2. The film depicts scenes of rape, gaslighting, and medical trauma, all of which we discuss in this episode.
3. We do talk about the upcoming episode of Yellowjackets directly, separate from Rosemary's Baby, at the end of this episode. If you want to skip the movie discussion, our Yellowjackets chat picks up at 1:10:35.

Since Yellowjackets is off this week, Jodie and Andrea decided to watch a movie that has been referenced (at least visually) in Yellowjackets and which we thought might share some themes with what we assume is coming in episode 6. Neither of us had seen the movie before this week, nor did we know very much about it before we picked it, and we were somehow both totally right and totally wrong.

You don't need to have watched Rosemary's Baby to listen to this episode, but we do discuss the plot in depth, so if you've never seen it, but want to, now might be a good time!

Jodie and I talk about The Watcher a lot in this episode. Pretty much every single time we call it The Watchers. Sorry.

Recommended in this episode:

Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper"

The Waves Podcast - "The Inherent Fear in Being a Woman"

Yellowjackets will be back this week with a new episode, and so will we! Join us on Tuesday May, 9th for our discussion of "Qui."

If you're reading this, that means you've probably got your podcatcher of choice open right now. It would be SO helpful if you gave our little new show a follow. If you like what you hear, you could even leave us a review. ☺️

Follow:

The Watchers on Twitter and Instagram (@WatchersPodNJ)

Andrea on Twitter an Instagram (@AQAndreaQ)

Jodie on Twitter (@jodiemim) and Instagram (@jodie_mim)

Our sister show, New Jersey Is the World, on Twitter (@njistheworld) and Instagram (@newjerseyistheworld)

Thanks to Kitzy (@heykitzy) for the use of our theme song, "No Book Club."

This week, The Watchers are recapping and reviewing season 2, episode 5 of the Showtime series Yellowjackets, "Two Truths and a Lie."

This is a meaty one, folks! In 1996, we cover everything from Lottie's morning mindfulness group to Misty and Crystal's little spat, to Shauna's impending arrival. In 2021, we're playing road trip games with Walter and Misty, going on a stakeout with the finest law enforcement New Jersey has to offer, and hanging with our favorite video store owner. We also cover a couple of our individual pet theories about what Shauna might be delivering into the world.

The short story we reference and highly recommend in this episode is "It Worked for Jonah," by the thoughtful and hilarious Sara Benincasa.

As discussed in the episode, Yellowjackets is off next week, but The Watchers will be here. We're going to be talking about Rosemary's Baby. You can stream it from a few different places.

If you're reading this, that means you've probably got your podcatcher of choice open right now. It would be SO helpful if you gave our little new show a follow. If you like what you hear, you could even leave us a review. ☺️

Follow:

The Watchers on Twitter and Instagram (@WatchersPodNJ)

Andrea on Twitter an Instagram (@AQAndreaQ)

Jodie on Twitter (@jodiemim) and Instagram (@jodie_mim)

Our sister show, New Jersey Is the World, on Twitter (@njistheworld) and Instagram (@newjerseyistheworld)

Thanks to Kitzy (@heykitzy) for the use of our theme song, "No Book Club."

This week, The Watchers are recapping and reviewing season 2, episode 4 of the Showtime series Yellowjackets, "Old Wounds."

Andrea and Jodie welcome their first guest, the lovely and hilarious Josh Gondelman! Josh is a writer and comedian who has worked on shows like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. He also served as the head writer and executive producer on Desus and Mero. He’s the author of Nice Try: Stories of Best Intentions and Mixed Results, and last year, his debut comedy special, People Pleaser was produced by Comedy Dynamics, which means you can watch it just about anywhere. (You should, because it’s wonderful and so, so funny.) He’s also, most importantly for our purposes, a Yellowjackets fan.

We talk with Josh about Yellowjackets' balancing of comedy and drama, sitting with show's ambiguity, why the horror and gore isn't so bad even if you're a squeamish person, and of course, everything that went down this week in 1996 and 2021.

Watch Josh's debut comedy special People Pleaser.

You can catch Josh on the road. He's hitting just about everywhere in the United States this year.

Pick up Nice Try: Stories of Best Intentions and Mixed Results. You can read the essay we referenced at the beginning of the episode here.

Follow Josh on Twitter and Instagram, and sign up for his fantastic newsletter.

Get tickets for the Screaming Females livestream Andrea mentioned at the end of the episode here. They're New Jersey's greatest band.

If you're reading this, that means you've probably got your podcatcher of choice open right now. It would be SO helpful if you gave our little new show a follow. If you like what you hear, you could even leave us a review. ☺️

Follow:

The Watchers on Twitter and Instagram (@WatchersPodNJ)

Andrea on Twitter an Instagram (@AQAndreaQ)

Jodie on Twitter (@jodiemim) and Instagram (@jodie_mim)

Our sister show, New Jersey Is the World, on Twitter (@njistheworld) and Instagram (@newjerseyistheworld)

Thanks to Kitzy (@heykitzy) for the use of our theme song, "No Book Club."

Meet us back here next week for our review of Season 2, Episode 5 of Yellowjackets, "Two Truths and a Lie."