Not Quite Great Books: a TV podcast

Back from Athens and Pope-cast respectively, Danielle and John dive into Season 4 of The Americans! They tackle Season 4 Episode 1, “Glanders,” by asking about the emotional and narrative choices that structure the episode. Together, they consider what it means to pick up right after the events of Season 3, the introduction of biological weapons, and of course Philip’s EST-situation and the confro...

Hot Confessor Summer comes to a close as Regan joins John for her final (or not final, Lenny willing?) popely appearance on NQGB. Not only do they discuss the plot and character apotheoses in the finale, they also ask the divine questions of the series as a whole. Did Lenny experience character growth? Is this show a melodrama? What is Paolo Sorrentino doing with the final flourish of the show? Wh...

Regan and John return for a truly remarkable episode of TV, The Young Pope episode nine. A long conversation about Gutierrez and Kurtweil discusses how the show is using but reworking conventional TV genres and tropes, Gutierrez's ministry, how the superb one-episode characters of David, Rose (the fan 'kiss'!), Freddy, and Pete shed light on Bernardo and on the show as a whole. There's much more t...

Is Episode Eight of The Young Pope indulging in or satirizing colonialism? Your trusty shepherds Regan and John think it is (way more) the former and explain why as they discuss this extra-strange episode. They also talk through Lenny's grief-filled ennui jag -- complete with submerged pool prayer -- and smiting down of Sister Antonia in one of the show's most affecting scenes. There is still plen...

Regan and John continue #HotConfessorSummer with episode 7 of The Young Pope. [Important character's] death leads the show and this podcast to consider how the show engages both the finitude and fragility of human existence, from Andrew's guilt to Lenny's Parent Quest to the scheming of Mary and the wannabe Lenny replacements. We also have football jerseys, spicy saints, a new pinnacle in Hot Prie...

Gird yourself for miracles as John and Regan are joined by their colleague (and Italian politics expert, among many other skills) Lucia Manzi to discuss The Young Pope, Episode Six. Lucia's knowledge illumines the (Holy or not) spirit of the pod by putting Lenny's meeting with the Italian Prime Minister in the context of the Church's relationship to Italian politics and culture. Is Lenny an effect...

Put on your finest tiara and reddest gloves and join Regan and John as they discuss The Young Pope Episode Five. They rightfully focus on what one of your hosts (guess who) calls one of the greatest TV scenes ever with Lenny's address to the cardinals, as Lenny would have it no other way. Can the audience both identify with Lenny's existential sadness and despise his speech? How do Esther and Voie...

Amy and John are back with the next installment of The One Percent series here on the NQGB, covering Billions Season 4, Episode 1. After dispensing with the villain origin story of this episode, they figure out whether this shallow show has anything interesting to say about capitalism, power, and gender. From the favors money can't buy to the worst dialogue written to an inexplicable John Malkovic...

Welcome to Total Cinema, Baby, a Not Quite Great Books production! Danielle and John are BACK recounting their epic weekend partaking in the Barbenheimer cinema experience, and adding the latest Mission: Impossible to the mix for good measure. Join your hosts as they reunite to take in the cinema event of the summer. They set the scenes of their viewing experiences and the Big Picture -inspired or...

You Must, You Must, You Must listen to this episode: Regan and John return for another Young Pope episode, taking this opportunity to focus on bodies and power in this episode and in Catholicism more broadly, as Esther becomes a central character of the show. This episode also helps us focus on how we emotionally relate -- and how Paolo Sorretino might expect his audience to relate -- to the psych...

Regan and John are back for more Young Pope as they try to lift up God's weight through the magic of podcasting and the help of...*checks notes*...a stuffed deer? They puzzle through the ways that different members of Curia respond to Lenny's faith (or lackthereof) and wrestle with their own faith, wonder whether absence is indeed presence, and map out this episode's politicking. There's still ple...

Amy Schiller joins John for the first in our *podcast voice* limited series, The One Percent, where we take seriously and frivolously shows that depict the lifestyles and political economy of the one percent (and adjacent). First up: The White Lotus, Season 1 Episode 4, "Recentering."  Amy and John dive into the show's depiction of wealth, virtue, and self-soothing; explore Amy's Kitty/Shane-stann...

Kangaroos and severe speeches and emotional turmoil, oh my! John and summer 2023 co-host Regan are back for the second episode of Young Pope. They consider kangaroos and motherhood (seriously), Lenny's self-conflict as it plays out in his "invisible Pope" proclamation and remarkable address to the crowd of St. Peter's Square, Catholicism's relation to sex and the body, Voiello's attempts at charit...

John is joined by summer guest co-host Regan Levitte to worship at the altar of 2016's The Young Pope, which NQGB is covering this summer before returning to The Americans. Covering the first episode, they discuss the show's approach to Catholicism (and excavate their own lapsed Catholicism), examine the dream sequences, assess Lenny Belardo as the titular young Pope and Jude Law as Lenny Belardo,...

After a whirlwind end to Season 3 of The Americans, Danielle and John pause to reflect on the season. What has changed about the show this season? Why did critics view this season as the one where The Americans reached its highest (Platonic?) form? How good is Danielle at the Dossier? Tune in as we discuss these, other pressing S3 questions, and somehow end up discussing Homeland, all before wishi...

We end this season with a BANGER. Your hosts are joined once more by their good friend, the ‘Lev Gorn Whisperer’, Jon Keller . Together, they discuss The Americans Season 3 Episode 13, “March 8, 1983.” Inspired by Philip’s newfound EST-thusiasm, John, Danielle, and Jon frame the discussion using the relationship between the body and the truth. This offers a window into Philip’s general disposition...

The drama just keeps escalating this season! Taking on the penultimate episode, John and Danielle consider The Americans Season 3 Episode 12, “I am Abassin Zadran.” There’s nowhere else to start but with Martha and Clark, but of course your hosts have to check in on Paige, since she’s acting out following the big reveal. In Glas, John and Danielle get into the choices around Abassin Zadran, and pi...

John and Danielle are back on their own this week to contemplate the world through the eyes of Anton Baklanov. Together, they dig into The Americans Season 3 Episode 11, “One Day in the Life of Anton Baklanov.” They really start at square one, with John explaining the framing device to a none-the-wiser Danielle, and then they ask how using Anton as a lens impacts their takeaways from the ep itself...

WOW, what an episode! John and Danielle call in the reinforcements to help them dissect Season 3 Episode 10 of The Americans, “Stingers.” Your hosts are joined once more by the illustrious Lilly Goren to discuss ALL things Paige, from the reveal to Philip and Elizabeth’s responses to Paige’s reaction as it unfolds over the next day. Together, they unpack the timely drop-in from Stan, and start to...

“Do mail robots dream of electric sheep?” Do they ‘mangia’? Do they feel Philip probe their deepest depths to plant a bug? All great questions. This week, John and Danielle tackle Season 3 Episode 9 of The Americans, “Do Mail Robots Dream of Electric Sheep?” touching on Elizabeth’s shocking honesty with Betty, Hans’ CHOICES, and the showdown between Philip and Gabriel. In the Dossier, Danielle flo...

This week, your hosts consider the role of interrogation as they analyze The Americans Season 3 Episode 8, “Divestment.” They contemplate the formal interrogations of Walter Taffet, and make their way to the violent interrogation of Eugene Ventor and Todd, also touching on the interrogations by Paige and of Nina. They consider how racism structures Taffet’s questions to Aderholt in his interrogati...

WOW. There’s a lot to unpack in The Americans Season 3 Episode 7, “Walter Taffet,” but your hosts are up for the challenge. After she gets over her shock, John helps Danielle contemplate the implications of the bug, its discovery, and everything it puts into circulation. They chat Martha, marveling over the acting choices and story beats, from the bathroom scene to the sweep to the exchange with C...

Oh boy, lots of baptism/bible/church talk in this episode - for Season 3 Episode 6 of The Americans, “Born Again,” Danielle and John are back on their own, and focused on the theme of new beginnings and rebirth as it weaves its way through this intense episode of TV. After unpacking the baptism scene (including Danielle’s questions about Buddy Christ), your hosts consider the parallel conversation...

For The Americans Season 3 Episode 5, “Salang Pass,” your hosts John and Danielle are joined by faithful Listener Mike, author of the much-beloved and incredibly useful Dossier excel sheet. Together, these three tackle the myriad and complicated questions of children that animate this episode, from Martha’s adoption-obsession, to Philip’s moral quandary over Kimmy and the questionable parallels to...

Danielle and John talk about The Americans Season 3 Episode 4, ‘Dimebag’. Together, they consider the role of truth and deception, and how these shape the dynamics in this week’s episode. They highlight the role of manipulation - of others and of oneself - across multiple characters, focusing on the rising tensions between Philip, Elizabeth and Paige, as well as Stan, Nina, and even Kimmy. Don’t w...