The Watchers

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.

It’s time to strap on your skates, trade your five hundred dollar jacket in for an old bum’s trenchcoat, and, for the love of god, please don’t date a highschooler. Andrea made Jodie watch the 1987 generation squeeze flick, Hiding Out, and they are both struggling with that fact. Hiding Out is a mostly pleasant, sometimes funny movie that gives Jon Cryer the chance to be sort of charming, but it also asks you to root 29-year-old Andrew’s relationship with his 17-year-old classmate, Ryan (played by the delightful Annabeth Gish). It’s complicated. We’re conflicted. We also talk a lot about Jersey, a little about roller skating, and Andrea uncovers something deep in her psyche that, honestly, she’s still dealing with right now as she writes these episode notes.

For next week, Jodie picked the movie she has been most wanting to cover since we started covering movies on The Watchers, 1990’s Pump Up the Volume. It’s a coming-of-age high school comedy-drama starring Christian Slater and featuring an incredible soundtrack. You can’t stream this one on any of the regular services (probably because of that incredible soundtrack), BUT you can watch it for free in two different places. Pick whichever suits your preference.

• In a seamless, 20 part playlist on Youtube
• In full, through the Internet Archive

Here’s the article Jodie recommended: Inside The Rink, the Iconic Roller Skating Hot Spot That Ruled North Jersey in the ’80s and ’90s by Amy Kuperinsky

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."

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.

This week, Jodie helped Andrea cross the last remaining movie off her John Hughes list with the 1987 teen highschool romance, Some Kind of Wonderful. The two talk about the ways in which this movie is a gender-swapped Pretty in Pink and why it wasn’t easy to root for Watts and Keith OR Keith and Amanda to end up together. They discuss all of the gender stuff in this movie, and there’s a lot of it. More importantly than all of that though, they talk about the movie’s incredibly lovable punk, Duncan. And they discover that there are two kinds of people in this world, those of us who love the Molly Ringwald half of Hughes’ ouvre and those of us who are really just here for John Candy. 

From the episode:

“The Art of Perception: Some Kind of Wonderful” 

Gender Spiral’s recent interview with our fav, Liv Hewson

Next week, we’ve got another 1987 movie set in a high school. Strap on your skates, and do your best to outrun the mob because we’re watching Andrea’s pick, Jon Cryer and Keith Coogan’s Hiding Out. You can watch it in 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 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."

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.

This week, Andrea introduced Jodie to one of her favorite black comedies of all time, the 1992 Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawn, Bruce Willis triple-hander, Death Becomes Her. It's as funny as it is macabre and as close to a cartoon as a live action movie can be, unless you count Who Framed Roger Rabbit, which, like this movie, was also directed by Robert Zemeckis. Jodie and Andrea talk about what makes this movie such a blast to watch, but they also talk about how watching it in your 30s and 40s makes some of the jokes land a little differently. You know, more like a shovel to the head that smashes your face down into your neck all weird like you're straight up Bugs Bunny.

Mentioned in this episode:

"The Gloriously Queer Afterlife of Death Becomes Her"

"Isabella Rossellini Answers Every Question We Have About Death Becomes Her"

"Depth Becomes Her"

Next week, we’re watching Jodie's pick, 1987's Some Kind of Wonderful. It's a John Hughes (written, not directed) movie starring Lea Thompson and Mary Stuart Masterson. What more do you want?

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."

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.

This week, Jodie grabbed Andrea by bangs (and pulled us all up from the depths of Radio Flyer despair) to introduce her to the absolute romp that is the 1985 comedy dance romance, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. Starring Sarah Jessica Parker and Helen Hunt, this delightful little movie provided some much-needed relief from our last two movies, which, we'll admit, included a surprising amount of child abuse. We talk about the tropes that populate this genre of movie and Jodie argues Girls Just Wanna Have Fun is a dance movie pioneer. We discuss our love for Helen Hunt and her very cool hats. Jodie talks about her love of dance, and Andrea talks about her love of Bruce Springsteen. This is honestly a pretty silly episode. We had a lot of fun. Hope you have fun listening!

Mentioned in this episode:

"31 Years Later, Girls Just Want To Have Fun is a Ridiculous Dance Party"

"America’s Love for TV Dance Shows Has Long History"

"Dancing in the Dark" music video

Next week, we’re watching Andrea’s pick, the 1992 black comedy, Death Becomes Her. You can rent it in a few different places or watch it free with ads on Amazon Prime.

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."

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.

CW: Radio Flyer depicts child and animal abuse. Both of which we discuss throughout this episode.

Just in case you’ve been having too much fun watching movies with us, Andrea has decided to bring everyone down by making us watch her favorite movie about childhood trauma, the 1992 Richard Donner film, Radio Flyer. We talk about memory versus reality, the power of childhood imagination, how this movie fails to handle either successfully and why that might be. 

Referenced in this episode:

“The Giant Buffalo of Rick Lazzarini's Character Shop”

“Random Ramblings: The Radio Flyer Conundrum”

“What happened to Bobby?...What happened to Bobby?...”

Next week, we’re watching Jodie’s pick, the 1985 comedy dance romance, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. You can stream it for free on Tubi or with an Amazon Prime account. 

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."

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.

Fair is fair! And this week, it was Jodie's turn to pick a movie that Andrea hasn't seen. She chose the 1985 teen drama, The Legend of Billie Jean, starring Helen and Christian Slater (no relation). Billie Jean and her brother Binx are two siblings who end up on the run after fighting back against a teenage bully and his father. Andrea and Jodie talk about movies with iconic haircuts, teenagers versus adults, rejecting the male gaze, class dynamics, the significance of pop icons like Madonna and Taylor Swift for young women, the commodification of the female body, and a ton more. This admittedly kind of ridiculous movie led to some serious conversations that we did not anticipate. We'd love to hear what you all thought of the movie!

Next week, Andrea's back in the pilot's seat, and we're watching Radio Flyer, another movie about young people fighting back against adults, starring Watchers favorite Elijah Wood in one of his earliest roles. This one is darker and definitely more intense than The Legend of Billie Jean, but it's also beautiful and moving, and it will probably make you cry. Content warning for child abuse and alcoholism.

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."

CW: Beyond all of the warnings that apply to Scream, we also talk about real world violence against women and violence in schools.

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.

This week, Andrea tasked Jodie and our listeners with watching the 1996 horror movie, Scream. Directed by horror icon Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson, Scream is a movie we're sure most of you have already seen, but it's also one that is part of Andrea's DNA. We talk about what the movie did for the horror genre, what it says about the high school experience, the inherent (confirmed) queerness of two of the characters in the movie, Rose McGowan's tiny eyebrows and Matthew Lillard's giant shirts.

Referenced in the episode:

• The cast of Yellowjackets at Paleyfest
• "‘Scream’ Screenwriter Kevin Williamson Confirms Billy and Stu’s Queer-Coded Relationship Was Based on Real Gay Killers"
• “How ‘Scream’ Explored the Exploitative Nature of the Nightly News”

Recommended in this episode:

• Josh Ruben, in general. His movies Scare Me and Werewolves Within, in particular
• Somebody, Somewhere

Next week, we’re watching Jodie’s second pick, the 1985 teen action movie The Legend of Billie Jean. Here’s where you can watch it.

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."

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. ☺️

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."

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."