Estradiol Illusions

The Pon Farr is one of the weirder aspects of Star Trek lore, making it a natural topic for Estradiol Illusions to explore! Join host Ian Thomas Malone and specials guests Johnny Kolasinksi and Dr. Jackson Vane from Hi Everybody - a Bad Medicine Podcast, as well as Dr. Courtney Nicholas and Dr. Greg Winter for a wide-ranging discussion all about everyone's favorite Vulcan mating ritual. What would...

Why does Mando wear a mustache? Join Ian as she spends most of the episode pondering the show's existential questions (mostly kidding!), like why Boba Fett spent much of Chapter 15 hiding. Mayfeld returns, bringing American interventionism into the equation, territory that Star Wars hasn't quite presented as something its audience should worry about with regard to the New Republic.  No Grogu this...

Hop aboard your reindeer and be sure to watch out for the Miser brothers, because we are taking a journey down to Southtown. Join Ian and very special guest Barbara "Bibble" Malone as they break down the seminal holiday favorite The Year Without a Santa Claus. Santa may have wanted a year off, but a certain pink-bowed girl had other plans. We'd have a blue Christmas without this holiday classic! ...

Rudolph with your nose so bright, won't you guide my sleigh tonight? Such is the question Santa posed, after committing acts of intolerable cruelty against the poor young reindeer merely because he was born different. Transgender people have heard this story before. The TV special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer reinforces casual bigotry. Its Santa is a giant asshole. Santa & Coach Comet can go str...

Holiday themed TTTE & Chill! Join Ian & Tarabelle for a trip to the Island of Sodor for a bunch of snowy shenanigans. Percy's driver abandons him on a siding to be covered in ice, while Skarloey's crew roughs it out inside the igloo. Why didn't Terence get to come to Mrs. Kyndly's Christmas party? How is he supposed to watch over her house? All of that and more! This tape covers the following epis...

Grab your jetpack and your Sarlacc pit, Boba Fett is back! The long-awaited return of everyone's favorite tertiary bounty hunter lived up to the hype. Temuera Morrison was absolutely superb. Ian provides some context for Boba Fett's popularity, including his debut in the beloved Star Wars Holiday Special. Mando might not be very good at watching his son, but at least Grogu has darksaber to keep hi...

Grab your popcorn and your membership card, because we're making tonight a Blockbuster Night! We are so thrilled to host Sandi Harding, manager of the final Blockbuster store open in the world, located in Bend, Oregon, and Taylor Morden and Zeke Kamm, director & writer/producer of the fabulous new documentary The Last Blockbuster to the show. Sandi shares plenty of great insights as to why her Blo...

We are delighted to continue our holiday coverage with a panel discussion on a Boston holiday staple: The Slutcracker, joined by creator/artistic director Vanessa White, performer Jolie LaVie, stage crew Rae Mansfield & makeup artist Sparklle T. Due to covid restrictions, The Slutcracker will make its on-screen debut with Slutcracker: The Movie, available now. Vanessa and the Slutcracker talent sh...

100th episode of Estradiol Illusions! We dive into what Ian thought was the best episode of The Mandalorian ever, steeped in Star Wars' lore. Ahsoka Tano's live-action debut was flawless. Baby Yoda's name reveal, not so much. Do we have to call him Grogu? Ian doesn't want to.  Thank you everyone for following us these for 100 episodes. Here's to another hundred! Ian's written review: https://ianth...

We are delighted to welcome iconic transgender actress Candis Cayne to the show. Candis has appeared on such shows as The Magicians, Grey's Anatomy & Dirty Sexy Money. Candis recently starred in the new holiday film I Hate New Year's, which comes out December 4th on VOD.  Candis talks about about storied career and the evolution of trans representation on screen, as well as her new role in I Hate...

Episode four takes us back to Nevarro, the pile of rocks not named Tatooine or Jakku. While Baby Yoda munches on space macarons, Mando, Greef, and Cara Dune seek to blow up the Imperial Remnant's lava base. Prequel fan favorite midichlorians return, evoking nostalgia for Jar Jar Binks. Join ITM as she breaks down an uneven episode that pulled itself together right as the action started. Halfway th...

Today we are joined by Dr. Mark Nelson, one of the eight original scientists who lived inside Biosphere 2 for two years in the early 90s. The events of Biosphere 2 were chronicled in the excellent documentary Spaceship Earth (available on Hulu), one of Ian's favorites from Sundance. Dr. Nelson talks at length about his experiences inside Biosphere 2, as well as many of the discoveries they made al...

We're back in Westeros! Delighted to welcome Professor Colm Connaughton from the University of Warwick to discuss a paper he worked on, alongside a team from several universities in the UK & Ireland.   The paper "Narrative structure of A Song of Ice and Fire creates a fictional world with realistic measure of social complexity" dives into the ways George R.R. Martin has crafted such an intricate u...

Big character reveals! Baby Yoda stops eating the last of Frog Lady's eggs! What could be better? Join ITM for a discussion of a vast improvement over last episode. Three episodes in, the plot is finally moving forward! Cozy up with a bowl of octopus chowder and tune in for some Star Wars analysis.  Ian's episode 3 recap: https://ianthomasmalone.com/2020/11/the-mandalorian-season-two-recap-chapter...

We are delighted to welcome actor & musician Sidney Flanigan to the show. Sidney made her acting debut in the spectacular film Never Rarely Sometimes Always at Sundance, one of Ian’s favorites from the festival. Sidney’s band Starjuice just released a new EP “Reminders,” which can be heard of Spotify. Sidney talks about her experiences making Never Rarely as well as the challenges of recording mus...

Today we are delighted to host Aisling Chin-Yee, Chase Joynt & Amos Mac, co-directors and co-writers of the fascinating new documentary No Ordinary Man to the show. The film chronicles the life and legacy of jazz musician Billy Tipton, whose death sparked a media firestorm after it was revealed that he was a transgender man. Aisling, Chase, and Amos share plenty of insights from their experience m...

Chapter 10, "The Passengers" was a bit of a mixed bag. The stellar action sequences were hindered by some pretty abysmal plotting and narrative choices.  Are we supposed to care that Baby Yoda is casually eating the last of Frog Lady's eggs? Join host ITM as she breaks down this peculiar episode. 

Baby Yoda show is back! Join host ITM for an exciting recap of The Mandalorian's second season premiere, full of Tusken Raiders, Deadwood, and the return of fan favorite R5-D4. Is Boba Fett going to be pissed that Raylan Givens borrowed his duds? Did Baby Yoda get enough blue milk? Do Krayt dragons dream of electric sandworms? Make yourself a nice bowl of spice melange and tune in to find out!  Ia...

Looking at you, unenthusiastic voters. Joe Biden is not a great candidate. This "decent" man has decades worth of indecent votes to his name, a shameful legacy that we shouldn't have to revisit in 2020. Alas, here we are. Trump is infinitely worse. It's not even close. LGBTQ rights, reproductive rights, healthcare, and the very future of our nation is at stake. Voting doesn't need to be fun, but y...

We are delighted to welcome Michael Hurst to the show for a wide-ranging discussion of his illustrious career. Michael is best remembered for playing Iolaus on Hercules: The Legendary Journey's & Xena: Warrior Princess, and for his directorial work on shows like Spartacus and Ash vs. Evil Dead. Ian & Michael talk at length about the influence that Hercules has had on the fantasy genre, opening the...

We are delighted to welcome Bradford Thomason and Brett Wittcomb, directors of the new documentary Jasper Mall, to the show. One of Ian's favorites at the Slamdance Film Festival, Jasper Mall charts a year in the life of the eponymous shopping center, struggling to keep up with a changing American retail landscape. Bradford & Brett share many insights from making the film, and the state of brick-a...

We are delighted to welcome author & LGBTQ activist Amanda Jetté Knox to the show for a wide ranging discussion. Amanda shares her thoughts on absurd gender critical talking points such as "lesbian erasure" and "transing children," while providing plenty of insight into the care and concerns that go into raising trans youth alongside a trans partner. Fully embodying the mantra put forth in her app...

Ya boo snubs! Join Ian & Tarabelle for another edition of everyone's favorite Thomas the Tank Engine VHS recap show. James Goes Buzz Buzz introduces the first hand-drawn animation into the show, perhaps opening the doors for its later reliance on CGI. BoCo features prominently, coparenting Bill & Ben with his husband Edward. Gordon spends the night at the harbor, potentially stranding all the pass...

Grab your Switch and your Nook Miles Tickets because we are going island hopping! Join ITM & special guest Natty Strange, comedian, organizer and coauthor of Pokey the Penguin, for a wide-ranging discussion on life in everyone's favorite quasi-capitalistic utopia. Ian & Nat tackle the broader philosophical questions that ACNH. Are Tom Nook & Redd former lovers? Is Isabelle a neoliberal? Why doesn'...

Today we are joined by Heather Reid, cofounder of the iconic 90s duo The Murmurs. Heather talks about her impressive career and life as a lesbian in an era far less receptive to LGBTQ rights. Heather also talks about her recent projects, including a new single "Right Here Right Now," and the musical she's currently working on. A must-listen for 90s rock fans.    Be sure to check out Heather's new...