Fake Geek Girls - A Critical Look at Pop Culture

Insert your favorite catchphrase here, because we’re talking about Letterkenny, the hit Canadian comedy show featuring hicks, skids, hockey players, and more jokes per second than one person can possibly comprehend. We’re talking about small towns, masculinity, and the boundaries between good humor and bad taste.  Some Sources You Might Find Interesting: Men in Place: Trans Masculinity...

We’ve got horror movies. We’ve got a discussion about the meaning of self care. We’ve got Natasha Lyonne season. What more could you ask for from what we’ve been up to? What Missy’s Been Up To: Reading The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo Watching The Menu Mary and the Witch’s Flower What Merri’s Been Up To: Watching I...

We’re tackling one of the world’s most quotable movies—Mean Girls, which brought us wonders like ‘fetch,’ Glen Coco, and Rachel McAdams’ incredible pronunciation of the word ‘disgusting.’ Join us as we discuss the pressures of girlhood, the source and manifestation of meanness, and whether this film’s feminist values are all they’re cracked up...

It’s been a minute, so we’re back with a longer-than-usual What We’ve Been Up to episode! Join us as we talk about killer robots, Cher’s ethereal beauty, and becoming a househusband. What Missy’s Been Up To: Watching Moonstruck Jojo Rabbit Poker Face (episode one) Broadcast News Reading The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty Hell Phone by Benji Nate Imagined Communiti...

This week, we’re tackling Neil Gaiman’s 2001 novel American Gods, and its TV adaptation! What’s so American about it? What’s so godlike about it? And is the adaptation worth it? S o m e S o u r c e s Y o u M i g h t F i n d I n t e r e s t i n g : Neil Gaiman’s American Gods: A Postmodern Epic for America by Susan Gorman Folklore, Intertextuality and the Folkloresque...

After an unexpected absence, we’re back! What have we been up to in these long weeks away? What Missy’s Been Up To: Reading That Full Moon Feeling by Ashely Robin Franklin Lest I Know Your Weakness by Taylor Ramage Watching The Banshees of Inisherin Love Island USA (season one) Too Hot to Handle (season one) The Science of Sleep Glass Onion Playing Get in the Car, Loser! What Merri&#82...

Welcome to another WWBUT, in which we discuss dubious interpretations of the word “fun,” the tragedy of this season of The Great British Bake-Off, and Missy does an increasingly stressed-out speedrun of her feelings on Squid Game.  What Missy’s Been Up To: Reading Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo Watching The Twilight Zone Sonic the Hedgehog Derry Girls Season 3 Squid Game What...

We’re taking a closer look at Russian Doll, the Netflix original series about how not to die, and later, how to live. In the process, we talk about a few of our favorite themes: mental health, gender, the importance of community, and how envious Missy is of Natasha Lyonne’s hair.  Warning: Due to the events of the show, our episode includes discussions of antisemitism in history,...

After a brief absence brought to you by Missy’s harrowing weekend without internet, we’re back to talk about dreamy romances, eye-candy visuals, and good puzzle boxes.  What Missy’s Been Up To: Reading Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir Watching Heathers the Musical Emma. Listening to Song Exploder What Merri’s Been Up To: Watching All Hallow’s Eve Maniac Little Devil...

It’s a sick, sad world out there, so we’re turning to Daria, the 1997 animated series following a sardonic and cynical heroine who validated the alienation of an entire generation of teenagers. But which generation? And is it cynicism or pessimism? We’re taking a closer look to find out. Note: This episode was dangerously close to being too long, so we had to cut some things we&#...

After a brief break, we’re back with some book recs, some thoughts on movies, and the least spoiler-filled review of Werewolf By Night you can imagine.  Warning: Though there’s nothing explicit, there are two times in this episode when we briefly discuss sexual assault in films—during the conversation about Halloween Ends (in reference to the Rob Zombie Halloween films), and to th...

It’s the most wonderful time of the year—the season of pumpkins, hot apple cider, and witches. We’re taking a closer look at Practical Magic, both the cult classic film and the novel by Alice Hoffman, thinking about waves of feminism, the history of witchcraft, and more.  Warning: Contains discussion of intimate partner violence and assault in the context of the story. Some Sources You...

We’re back to our regular schedule and therefore more normal-sized WWBUTs. Naturally, this means talking about art, beautiful faces, and pin mommies.  What Missy’s Been Up To: Watching What We Do in the Shadows Season 4 My Kid Could Paint That Men in Black International What Merri’s Been Up To: Reading Ice Breakers by Hannah Grace  Watching Speed Hellraiser  Our We...

Join us as we journey into the Dreaming for Episode 182 — The Sandman! We’re taking a closer look at The Sandman Netflix series and its inspiration, the first two complete arcs of The Sandman comic: Preludes and Nocturnes and The Doll’s House. We’re talking about horror, the comics of the 80s, and, naturally, Carl Jung.  Some Sources You Might Find Interesting: The “Outsider...

This extremely long WWBUT is what happens when we take time off for conventions and vacations.  What Missy’s Been Up To: Watching Bodies Bodies Bodies Spice World Nightmare Alley Selling Sunset Beetlejuice the Musical Little Shop of Horrors Reading The Bruising of Qilwa by Naseem Jamnia Bun & Tea #1 All We Can Save, edited by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Katharine K. Wilkinson What M...

We’re taking a look at Sex Education, a Netflix series about teens and adults navigating the tricky world of honest conversation, intimacy, and, naturally, sex. S o m e S o u r c e s Y o u M i g h t F i n d I n t e r e s t i n g : Are We in the Midst of a Rom-Com Renaissance? Yes, But Here’s Why the Next Gen Won’t—And Shouldn’t—Look the Same by Jessica Sager Love through th...

We’re back after a long absence to bring you what we’ve been up to: Emerald City Comic Con edition! We took it pretty easy this year and didn’t do any interviews, but Merri’s got panel summaries, Missy’s got zine recommendations, and we’ve both been reading some thought-provoking books. W h a t M i s s y ‘ s B e e n U p T o : R e a d i n g Pleasure Activis...

We’re back to talk about Good Omens, humanism, destabilizing binaries, and more! Join us on this journey into the 1990 novel by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman and the 2019 series starring David Tennant and Michael Sheen. Some Sources You Might Find Interesting: Straightboyfriend’s excellent Tumblr post   Adapting Revelation by Amy Lea Clemons The Unique Portrayal of the Christian...

Good Omens may be taking up most of our time, but we’re still here to tell you about mediocre movies from 2013, cult-adjacent leaders, and more! Note: We recorded this episode two weeks before Olivia Newton-John’s death, though it’s releasing after. We genuinely apologize if anything we said is hurtful—it was all meant to be lighthearted, but we understand that it might feel diff...

The time of teenage vampires is over. The time of old, deeply uncool vampires with one brain cell to share between them is now. Join us as we discuss What We Do in the Shadows, vampire myth, satire, colonialism, and more.  Some Sources You Might Find Interesting: The Mocking Mockumentary and the Ethics of Irony by Miranda Campbell ‘What We Do in the Shadows’ Boss on Season 2’s Big Mission: Stay Fu...

We return to Missy’s ridiculous movie viewing while Merri, as is tradition, watches some documentaries.  What Missy’s Been Up To: Watching Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent Top Hat Reading Those Who Fight Monsters: Tales of Occult Detectives edited by Justin Gustainis What Merri’s Been Up to: Watching Nightbreed Gaming Wall Street Liste...

We’re taking a look at Pushing Daisies, Bryan Fuller’s 2006 show about a piemaker who can return people from the dead. Join us as we discuss noir, queer narratives, and just how handsome Lee Pace is. Some Sources You Might Find Interesting: A Guide to Film Noir Genre by Roger Ebert  It Took Bryan Fuller 14 Years to Get a Clearly Gay Character on TV by Daniel Reynolds 10 Years Late...

Missy watches a bunch of silly movies, Merri watches stressful things, and we both gush over Fire Island. What Missy’s Been Up To: Watching Fire Island Idle Hands Father of the Bride Now You See Me Reading A Pagan Anti-Capitalist Primer by Alley Valkyrie and Rhyd Wildermuth What Merri’s Been Up To: Watching Crimes of the Future Uncut Gems Obi Wan Reading Muscles and Monsters by Ashley...

Join us as we journey back into The Matrix for part two of our series, this time discussing fatalism, race, and gender in the hit series. M i s t a k e s : Missy actually got Emily St. James’ name wrong two different ways—once was a typo, but she also changed her last name to St. James in January 2022. S o m e S o u r c e s Y o u M i g h t F i n d I n t e r e s t i n g : Kinderdemon’s...

Missy reads a confusing book, Merri watches pure nostalgia, and we both keep talking about Men. What Missy’s Been Up To: Watching Men The Final Girls Reading Acceptance by Jeff Vandermeer Cheek by Jowl by Ursula K. Le Guin What Merri’s Been Up To: Watching Chip ‘n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers Reading The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey Baking Me Crazy by Karla Sorensen  Our Website...