Death Wish

In this episode, the girls prepare for death by reflecting on everything they’ve learned in season one. Good news: we’re making Season 2.  Slightly inconvenient news : you’ll have to wait for it.  The solution? We launched a Death Wish Substack! Same vibe, different medium to grapple with all the big, weird, funny questions we have about death. Subscribe at substack.com/@thedeathwishpodcast. Text...

In this episode, the girls prepare for death by considering Do Not Resuscitate orders. We recommend: Caitlin: the 1964 vintage horror film, The Masque of the Red Death Kaylin: the protest song, Coffin for a Head of State, by Fela Kuti Kris: the November 2025 BBC coverage of the Thai woman who was nearly cremated alive Megan: the Guardian article, Incredible story of Irish labourer buried alive in...

In this episode, the girls prepare for death with some preliminary funeral plans. We recommend : Caitlin : The Golden Girls: S5.E7, “Not Another Monday”, aired Nov 11, 1989 for how it tackles Medical Assistance in Dying  Kaylin : the classic, gothic novel, Wuthering Heights , specifically the scene where a grieving Heathcliff exhumes his lover, Cathy’s, corpse  Kris : The X-Files; S1.E13 “Beyond t...

In this episode, the girls prepare for death by getting into mourning traditions. We recommend: Caitlin : the 2025 book, Morbidly Curious: A Scientist Explains Why We Can't Look Away by Coltan Scrivner, PhD Kaylin : the 2025 FX/Hulu series, Dying for Sex, for its complex depiction of a woman’s final months of life Kris : the 2025 HBO series, The Pitt, for its trauma-informed storytelling abou...

In this episode the girls prepare for death by considering “sustainable” body disposal practices. We recommend: Caitlin: the Apple TV series, Pluribus for depicting body disposal labor Kaylin: the 2019 film, The Lighthouse, and Peacock’s Pokerface season 2 episode 2 for knowing cremated remains are pulverised bones Kris: The Pitt season 2 for continuing to raise DNR awareness, and Netflix’s His an...

We're not dead yet! Just taking a break for the holidays. Listen to this bonus episode for media recommendations to fulfill all your wildest death wishes for the holiday season. We recommend: Strange Houses (book by Uketsu, translated from Japanese) Tonight Show clip with Matthew Rhys on Welsh New Year’s Day tradition Cannonball with Wesley Morris podcast episode on D’Angelo and the Power of...

In this episode the girls prepare for death by weighing the tradeoffs of caskets v. cremation. We recommend : Caitlin : the original 1922 film, Nosferatu, and the I Think You Should Leave sketch, CornCob TV’s Coffin Flop (season 2, episode 1) Kaylin : the 1992 film, Death Becomes Her, for its look at corpse upkeep Kris : the Apple TV series, Shrinking, for its message on processing grief Megan : t...

In this episode the girls prepare for death by considering various deathbed rituals. We recommend: Caitlin: the Netflix TV series, Bojack Horseman, and the internet discourse around the death of the United Healthcare CEO Kaylin: the Oct. 1, 2024 episode of the podcast Good on Paper to learn about organ donation Kris: the FX TV series, Say Nothing, about The Troubles in Northern Ireland Megan: the...

In this episode the girls prepare for death by exploring the tradition of Swedish death cleaning. **Listeners have reported a slight audio issue on episode 3 that has given us a death wish. Please accept our many apologies. We’ll do better next time! We recommend Caitlin : the TV series, Chucky (2021-2024) Kaylin : Rachel Bloom’s Netflix special, Death, Let Me Do My Special (2024) Kris : the TV sh...

In this episode the girls prepare for death by taking a look at Medical Aid in Dying and its impact on vulnerable communities. We recommend Caitlin: the Turkish comedy series, Gibi, and the film, Alien: Romulus (2024) Kaylin: the K-drama, Crash Landing on You (2019) Kris: the dead girl murder mystery series, The Perfect Couple (2024), and Marvel series, WandaVision (2021) Megan: the writings of Li...

In this episode the girls prepare for death by grappling with what it is medically, and how that has shifted throughout the centuries. We recommend  Caitlin: the album Death Consciousness (2008) by Have a Nice Life Kaylin: WikiHow Article Collection on Death  Kris: the TV series, Six Feet Under (2001-2005) Megan: the film, The Nun (2018) We referenced Bondeson, J. (2001). Buried alive: The terrify...