Inchworm

Jenny and Ted discuss Tangle 6.8. Episode Notes: Jenny was right about Alec!! Will Taylor sell her soul for the ferry? Jenny loves Coil........as a character Coil is making all his promises contingent on practicality, not virtue How much respect does Taylor have for the existing government, really? The heroes are already unelected leaders... how else are civics different in this world? Ah, th...

Jenny and Ted discuss Tangle 6.7. Episode Notes: Jenny might call it a wreck-tangle, Ted might call it a cutscene We learn that the Undersiders couldn’t have won on their own… …and should focus up, especially when Tattletale is down Jenny walks us through the play by play of how she experienced all these reveals We don’t really know anything more about the Travelers, but we do now see why they’ve...

Jenny and Ted discuss Tangle 6.6. Episode Notes: This was so satisfying; we’re so happy Taylor with the witty banter! Armsmaster is quickly rising as our main antagonist Taylor's bugs are gonna go viral Thank goodness Armsmaster is both competent and unlikeable Does Armsmaster have technological assistance in keeping his cool? Does psychic shielding imply there are psychics, actually? The Undersid...

Jenny and Ted discuss Tangle 6.5. Episode Notes: Will the heroes finally apprehend Skitter? Couldn’t happen when Armsmaster has this much hubris Armsmaster did his homework and we like to see it An embarrassment of embarrassment The tension comes not from whether the foam will work but when their luck will run out The suspense is getting to Jenny, but she can’t talk herself into thinking they’ll a...

Jenny and Ted discuss Tangle 6.4. Episode Notes: The plan? Jenny loves to (not) see it even though it’s a bad idea Does the narrative demand Taylor lose this one? What if we really want her to win again anyway? Before we do any analysis, Jenny pitches a pun-based strategy: Waiters Undersiders We dig into the villainous nature of “embarrass them” Jenny introduces us to the boss: Bruce Whyne It’s ch...

Jenny and Ted discuss Tangle 6.3. Episode Notes: There's awkwardness! And sexual tension! We anticipate seeing why Taylor will stall on turning in the Undersiders The shit that's going down: Kaiser's gang and/or Bakuda? This caseworker knows how to wield her power Weird that Taylor doesn't connect the dots between Brian's apartment and his ill-gotten gains... ...or between Brian's future and her p...

Jenny and Ted discuss Tangle 6.2. Episode Notes: Jenny proves Lisa’s point up top: it’s hard to be into a guy when you’ve seen his worst qualities Nothing against Brian, but he’s too obvious (again, ironic!) Jenny is mistrustful of Lisa If we can trust Lisa, is her power affecting her potential relationships or is she mostly just young? The eponymous bead Conveniently, Taylor has already ruled out...

Jenny and Ted discuss Tangle 6.1. Episode Notes: They descend into the darkness...but only literally, right? Brian makes Taylor talk like Buffy SomeBug is cute and all, but what happened to our beautiful WolfSpider?? Lisa doesn't know why the Travelers are here and neither do we Lisa... so knowledgeable and yet so naive If this is an unprecedented level of cooperation, what will the new normal loo...

Jenny and Ted discuss Hive 5.x. Episode Notes: A “classic” interlude with guest host and “inchworm grandma” Claire! This interlude is so rich in theme Faultline founded this found family piece by piece More like Gregor the GOAT!!!! We see a level of maturity in Gregor and Faultline that’s lacking (for obvious reasons) in the Undersiders Faultline’s Paradox: the mercenary with a mission? Alas, the...

Jenny and Ted discuss Hive 5.10. Episode Notes: A new ship has entered the harbor Do roaches have standby mode? We're calling it: Taylor's going to become Bitch's person Shipping aside, isn't WolfSpider the most interesting interpersonal relationship on the Undersiders right now? Hang on, why hasn't Lisa tried to communicate better with Bitch? Taylor's power expanded her brain... or something! Sub...

Jenny and Ted discuss Hive 5.9. Episode Notes: Is this the best chapter so far?? A well executed and more importantly incredibly cool use of power synergy Jenny’s first thought about what Taylor was going to do to Lung may surprise you What’s the difference between a villain and a brutally utilitarian hero? Does Taylor know how this will look to others? Does she care? Checking in on Jenny’s curren...

Jenny and Ted discuss Hive 5.8. Episode Notes: Bugs doing stuff. Bugs doing stuff better than ever! Speculation about Taylor’s power and its effects Taylor takes stock and takes command What’s really motivating her? Tactics? Morals? Excellence? Taylor can’t reveal her motives to Bitch and may not even be revealing them to herself all the time Maybe Taylor would have had more luck communicating wit...

Jenny and Ted discuss Hive 5.7. Episode Notes: What well-described combat this is! Excellent layering of action Ted makes a great point about show don't tell even if Jenny doesn't realize it at the time The way in which Oni Lee’s power is like Taylor’s Coil's soldiers are no joke. Neither are guns All these villains are pretty heroic -- thanks in part to Taylor What is Labyrinth's power if not hal...

Jenny and Ted discuss Hive 5.6. Episode Notes: Taylor’s got her groove* back! (*bugs) And she’s SO COOL and innovative Newter enters the gladiatorial shipping arena and looks pretty great He also seems like a powerful cape, so why did he end up with Faultline? Or… are the heroes just total failures at recruitment? Jenny and Ted can’t agree whether the average Newter would even want to work for the...

Jenny and Ted discuss Hive 5.5. Episode Notes: Why doesn't Coil's gang have a name? Who's going to betray this villain alliance first, and how soon? Also, what are they attacking, exactly? We learn that the helmet makes the Grue Action is better than inaction, even when it hurts Brian, buddy, you really shouldn't be giving advice on dealing with Bitch On the other hand, maybe Taylor should be givi...

Jenny and Ted discuss Hive 5.4. Episode Notes: Jenny’s worst chapter When school is everything Will any institution in Worm do better than Taylor’s high school? Perhaps worst of all, these failings are so grounded and real Does Alan achieve Emma-levels of bullying in this chapter, or merely Taylor-levels of planning and strategy? Does Madison achieve any levels of strength or relevance at all? No,...

Jenny and Ted discuss Hive 5.3. Episode Notes: Jenny thinks this could be the worst chapter of Worm for her, but just wait one episode! The world of Worm has a state-sanctioned violence problem ACAB (all capes, especially Shadow Stalker, are bastards) Taylor, don't become a cop! What if this chapter is a microcosm of the novel and Jenny's gonna be this mad the whole time?? Theories on Emma the sup...

Jenny and Ted and Tanner discuss Hive 5.2. Episode Notes: Welcome to guest host Moose/Tanner! Tanner immediately justifies the existence of the Inchworm podcast. It was worth it!! Wait, Taylor is actually the heart of the group?? Rachel and Taylor are the most moral Undersiders Brian probably shouldn’t get a dog, or at least one that he has to train Has Grue already made up his mind about Bitch? G...

Jenny and Ted discuss Hive 5.1. Episode Notes: Jenny is a predictive genius No virtue signaling among villains Even villains want someone to look down on The cost of doing business in this town is being willing to sit down with Nazis Do the other villains at the table know that Grue is black? The Undersiders: not so under anymore! New ship just dropped: SmugLine Tattletale reveals a perfectionist...

Jenny and Ted discuss Shell 4.x. Episode Notes: We celebrate the craft behind the goodest narrative voice Whether Rachel is nice, kind, or good How Brutus is like our toddler (other than not being a murderer) How big is Rachel’s rescue operation? The Lesson (poor kid) Dogs is simpler than people “Alpha” dogs and “alpha” Brian The various ways we could read Rachel’s behavior The secret of Rachel’s...

Jenny and Ted discuss Shell 4.11. Episode Notes: The interlude placement discourse heats up The agonizing tension of Taylor finally having people but not people she can keep It's not as simple as good people and bad people! Maybe putting villains into prison isn't a good solution to the world's problems Consequences are so darn hard to predict, even of your own actions! What if the bugs...are a me...

Jenny and Ted discuss Shell 4.10. Episode Notes: It’s our first altered mental state chapter and it’s a great one Ted immediately derails the summary (Sorry Jenny!) Whatever happens next, this feels like a deeply earned victory Bakuda’s only held back by her personality Toe rings as classic misdirection How Taylor must look to Bakuda The amount of strength it takes for Taylor to take that lucky sh...

Jenny and Ted discuss Shell 4.9. Episode Notes: Introducing our new protagonist: Angelica Worm No jk we think it's a pain bomb Returning segment “Ted reads a page from Worm” So much SomeBug (a real ship name we didn’t just make up) Does Brian think of Taylor as a sister, a dog, or something more?? We expose the boss's duplicity Unless there's a secret civilian leader of the ABB Deflating Bakuda Gr...

Jenny and Ted discuss Shell 4.8. Episode Notes: Bakuda: actually a monster! But do we smell an uprising? Tattletale's so good at taunting, people think it's part of her power The only thing they have to fear is… bombs in their heads. Yikes.  Bakuda is omg so random So Bakuda's a cape and a genius? Come on, pick one! Would other villains in Brockton Bay care about the possibility of blowing up...

Jenny and Ted discuss Shell 4.7. Episode Notes: Where did Bakuda learn to play chess and why is she so good at it? Elite planning or just Leet planning? Ted gets to be a Bakuda fanboy for just one teeny tiny moment In the Metal Gear Solid games, Bakuda’s codenames would be Bomber Mantis, Fatwoman, and The Bomb Does E88 make it easier for the ABB to exploit people? It’ll get worse before it gets be...