Uncontained Multitudes

For the final episode of the Uncontained Multitudes podcast, we play a fun Jeopardy game where we describe the research done on various plants and animals, symptoms, and common uses for different medicines, then try to guess what medicines they are. You know how Ozempic is made from Gila monster venom? It gets weirder. We end the episode by going over our favorite episodes and moments from two and a half years of podcasting.

Thank you so much to everyone who tuned in. We had a blast every single time we turned on the mic, and we both consider this podcast an invaluable experience in our lives. But for now... in a while, crocodile.

This week, the burnouts do another r/AITA episode, flipping a coin to see who will be forced to defend and prosecute a fresh batch of neurotic Reddit users. Among several stories discussed are a lover's emotional support mashed potatoes, a phone snooper, and a recently postpartum mother's erratic social media behavior.

This week, the burnouts celebrate Pride Month by holding space for the queer stories that fell to the wayside - for good reason. We chose 3 queer figures from history who have had complicated lives, done evil things, and left their mark on history in ways other than being gay icons. We explore the stories of Japanese author Yukio Mishima, disgraced House of Representatives' Republican George Santos, and founder of the British Fascist Party, Rotha Lintorn-Orman. Giving each of them their time in the sun to explore their motives, their morals, and their outcomes. We like our gays evil.

This week, the burnouts return after a month-long hiatus to have a chatty episode about a beautiful period of our great nation's history. The three years that "Club Applebees" existed. We discuss the cultural zeitgeist that prompted an "Applebees nightclub" to exist in the first place, as well as the various failures, both cultural and economic, that led to its downfall.

This week, the burnouts discuss "the vibe shift". Or rather, we ask, "Is it hip to be left wing anymore?" We delve into our theories as to why it was not only possible for Trump to be reelected, but for college students to wear MAGA hats at frat parties without being ostracized. We expand upon our established ideas of the unpopularity and "death" of "woke", and discuss why none of your liberal friends ever seem happy. And finally, we share our theories on where the pendulum will swing next.

This week, the burnouts finally tackle a topic we've teased for years - Mormons. We discuss how their history intertwines closely with the history of the United States, how the Mormon Church has built Utah to be such a bizarre outlier of laws and culture in the United States, and how Mormons are conspicuously influencing us all to be a little bit more Mormon every single day.

This week, the burnouts explore a beautiful, well-written, and relatable coming-of-age story that's near and dear to the host's hearts. Fleabag. We extrapolate its themes of dissociation, feminism, and making horrible decisions in a desperate grasp for self-discovery and understanding. And, having lived and participated in the time of Fleabags culturally imminent popularity ourselves, we discuss in hindsight what it meant to be "in your Fleabag era".

This week, the burnouts have a fun episode where we explore r/AITA. We each selected several stories and then flipped a coin to determine who would be defending which position, forcing ourselves to defend the strangest, most dysfunctional people to ever share their life story on the internet.

This week, the burnouts (with special returning guest Sophie!) tackle Heated Rivalry, and the massive cultural phenomenon it left in its wake. We discuss the depth and purpose of the plot of a smutty gay romance, the depth and purpose of the Gratuitous sex scenes, and what exactly the original purpose and audience of the story itself was intended to be. Finally, we ask the question of whether or not feeding the fujoshis who fetishize these kinds of stories is moving us in the right direction. (WARNING!!! SPOILERS FOR HEATED RIVALRY!!!)

This week, the burnouts, inspired by recent world events, explore the modern historical conquests of the United States to help us give our best guesses as to how we got where we are today. We discuss military fervor, the United States as the world's police force, and the allmight Petroldollar.