While You Were Scrolling...

While You Were Scrolling, we were Watching: Sister Wives S17 - Recap & Review

For this mini topic, we each answer Glennon Doyle's question, "what is the truest most beautiful story about your life that you can imagine?" Some resolutions sneak in as we describe, to the best of our abilities, our hopes and dreams - but ultimately we divulge a little bit of ourselves.

We have reached the end of Season 3! And will be taking a break from our "Girlfriends Talking Girlfriends" series to usher in some new content we are excited about. Stay tuned! Now, for this podcast episode:

William is being used as a confidant by all the Girlfriends' men. We discuss how (heterosexual) men choose to listen to other men before, after, or rather than trusting the word of women.

Mya is now sexually liberated, and sets her sights on Toni's brother, despite the objections of Toni's mother. We talk about our own feelings towards being protective of our siblings when it comes to their romantic interests.

Lynn is still struggling with Sivad's celibacy, and admits that she clings to his poetry as a respite for sexual intimacy. We talk about how these two are completely wrong for each other, and until honesty prevails, they will both never truly be satisfied.

Joan is still jealous of Toni's wedding, and uses her struggling relationship with Ellis as both an excuse to abandon Toni, as well as an outlet for her frustrations with the situation. We talk about how toxic Joan's relationships, with Toni and Ellis, are when the focus is not on her and her needs. 

Toni is confronted with her fear of marrying for love and the reality that no one and nothing will ever be as perfect as one would hope, but it can still work out. We talk about how refreshing it was to see Toni be something other than shallow, but how her prerequisites can limit her in the long-term. As we will soon see.

The POCcorn podcast reviews films created, directed and/or starring People of Color. Each show uses four questions to describe our thoughts on the film, plus one POCcorn moment we simply MUST discuss in detail.

In this episode, we discuss Happy New Year and select the "Finale Dance" scene as our POCcorn moment. To start the New Year, we wanted a light, fun, quality film to kick us off. We got that and more in this 3 hour epic comedy. With its many, many slow-mo scenes and downright foolishness, this film pushed the envelope on how outrageous it could be and warmed our hearts at the exact same time. Not to mention the musical numbers were outstanding. Listen in!

The POCcorn podcast reviews films created, directed and/or starring People of Color. Each show uses four questions to describe our thoughts on the film, plus one POCcorn moment we simply MUST discuss in detail.

In this episode, we discuss Strange World and select the "truce" scene between Ethan Clade and Splat as our POCcorn moment. Another animation with no clear villain in sight, this film explores the complexities of a multi-generational family, a collection of diverse lifestyles, countless opinions, and one world forced to host them all. Sparked by our enjoyment of the film, we talk parenting, enlightenment, survival and learning to thrive in the environment you are placed in. Listen in!

In our obligatory year-end retrospective, we talk about our highlights and areas of growth. Along the way we once again advocate for therapy and really doing self-care that is restorative. 

We have changed our format just a bit by discussing THREE "Girlfriends" episodes in one; and plan to move forward with this as we hurdle through the many more seasons to go. Here's what we covered:

Episode 22 reveals Toni's mother as a recovering alcoholic, and sheds light on the estrangement between Toni and her oldest sister. We talk about substance abuse and the different ways it can handled. Especially when those experiencing it are also dealing with the trauma it's wrought.

Episode 23 delves into a mental disorder as well as a physical illness with Lynn discovering her mother is bipolar while producing a documentary on AIDS patients. Lynn is shaken by this news as she fears she has the disorder as well. Meanwhile, Maya makes a move to leave Joan's side to become William's secretary, as the position would come with a raise and more benefits. We reveal how we have our own fears of taking on our parent's negative traits and express our appreciation in Maya for being her own advocate - even to oppose her best friend.

In this episode, we discuss Avatar: The Way of Water and select both the "underwater montage" and the "Tulkun" scenes as our POCcorn moments. After being enamored by the first Avatar film, we discuss how the sequel has lived up to its predecessor in more ways than one. The visuals were stunning, the story was captivating, and the impact was grounding. BUT we also discuss the many controversies surrounding the film, including the internal conflict we have felt regarding cultural appropriation, insensitivity, selective ignorance, and insulting the very native and indigenous peoples the film draws inspiration from. This review highlights the awe the film evokes, without ignoring the flaws that have occurred along the way. Listen in and hear our take on The Way of the Water.

Episode 19 is an episode that stuck with most of us since our first viewings as teenagers. The girlfriends are confronted with the AIDS epidemic as their friend, Reesie, from college reveals that she has been diagnosed with the disease. Shocked, saddened and scared, the girlfriends are confronted with the their own fears once Reesie cuts herself in Joan's kitchen and attempts to convince everyone that they are not in danger now that her blood is exposed. We discuss our feelings on this episode when we first experienced it, versus our views now as educated adults who are currently dealing with a COVID pandemic and more.

Episode 20 centers around Maya feeling lonely as a single woman when all of her friends are in relationships. She uses her new relationship status to guilt trip them all into spending time clubbing with her, which ultimately leads them to the club she and Darnell use to frequent. Maya inadvertently runs into Darnell and his new girlfriend, who we discover has met Jabari. This messy interaction brings up the question of when its okay (if ever) to have your child meet a new partner without the co-parent's knowledge.

Listen in as we delve into these very adult situations.  

The POCcorn podcast reviews films created, directed and/or starring People of Color. Each show uses four questions to describe our thoughts on the film, plus one POCcorn moment we simply MUST discuss in detail.

In this episode, we discuss Ponyo and select the "reunion" scene between Fujimoto and Gran Mamare as our POCcorn moment. This film is a classic Studio Ghibli creation. Inspired by the original Little Mermaid fairy tale, the story takes us on a child's journey as he and his family goes through a (un)natural disaster. With magic, nature, love and yearning being the forefront of this tale, we learn that a child's sense of wonder and curiosity is all one needs to thrive. Listen in!