Raven On: A Pop Culture Podcast

This week Nat & Stu drag Dan from the Smart Enough to Know Better podcast down to their level as they have a romp about The Void in the penultimate episode of Loki. The team all agree it was a belter of an episode in terms of character, comedy and some fricking hilarious easter eggs (Thanos Copter!) Natalie comes up with what she thinks is a very clever prediction for whom the Big Bad might actual...

Nat & Stu are once again joined by guest Greg Wah from the Smart Enough to Know Better podcast to discuss an overabundance of pruning and self-passion in episode four of Loki. Has Loki found his true love in himself? Will we see Mobius on a jet ski eventually? How proud is Nat of herself being right about the TimeKeepers? And how giggly can Stu and Greg get about those surprise guests at the very...

It's a villainous buddy adventure bottle episode this week, and Nat & Stu are joined by Greg from the Smart Enough to Know Better podcast to break it down. Loki has found himself - and herself, or maybe not? - on the doomed planet Lamentis-1. In a fit of irony nobody saw coming, Loki and Sylvie have 12 hours to recharge a TemPad and establish a shaky truce so they get off the rock before it's obli...

Things get a little bit SAUCY on this episode of Raven On Loki, which Stu describes as "surprisingly blue". He and Nat get into the Battalingus controversy rocking the comics world, 70s-era weird cartoon porn 'Fritz the Cat', the erotic sounds of cash registers and Sex and the City's pansexual foretelling. Somewhere in there they also discuss episode 2 of "Loki", which, you know, was pretty fun! E...

They're back, and they're low-key excited! Nat & Stu dive into the multiverse, or at least, multiverse-adjacent, in the first episode of the new Marvel Disney+ show "Loki". They discuss the Tom Hiddleston's wonderful acting despite his greasy hair, try their best Owen Wilson accents, and talk about the heavy-lifting this exposition dump episode does. Enjoy!

Good lord, it's finally here - the long overdue Falcon and the Winter Soldier season finale recap wrap-up! This podcast was recorded just days after the final episode of "The Wild Stallion and the Sexy Guy" dropped - but you can blame Natalie's stupid face and busy schedule for not getting the edit finished on time! Nat & Stu wrap up the final episode, it's good points and flaws, starting of cours...

They're back, and they're... OK? about the penultimate episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (aka Wild Stallion and the Sexy Guy). Both Nat & Stu are sad at what seems to be Zemo's departure from the series, but excited about the potential for Sam to realise the role of Cap from next week. There's an interesting chat about Marvel trying to have its cake and eat it too when it comes to thorn...

There's gonna be CAPsequences, baby, because John Walker did a Bad Thing and also Natalie is trying to invent a new word. That's right, it's time for another Wild Stallion and the Sexy Guy instalment, with Stuart Layt riding shotgun to discuss John Walker's move into superserum territory, the arrival of the Wakandans, Zemo remaining awesome and Sharon really probably is the Power Broker. There's a...

It's time for TEAM ZEMO, baby! The debut of the dishy Daniel Bruhl in ep3 of FAWS dominates the discussions between hosts Nat & Stu this weekend, and with good reason - he is incredibly awesome. Stu argues that the split second cut of him dancing in Madripoor is probably in the Top Five MCU moments. There's lengthy chats about how Zemo can walk out of a prison sentence straight back into the crimi...

The chocolate-voiced mountain god that is Stuart Layt may be a touch croaky this week, but nothing will stop him and Natalie getting their Wild Stallion and the Sexy Guy chat on! This week, our two beautiful heroes share the screen for the first time; parachuting into Germany for a mission that reveals the presence of super soldiers; then grappling with demons big and small, including Bucky's rese...

Welcome one and all to the debut Raven On podcast for "Wild Stallion and The Sexy Guy"! Yes, it's Marvel's second MCU-set TV show, which Natalie misnamed in a WandaVision ep a few weeks' back. But she's back with trusty co-host Stu to delve into what's been happening with Sam and Bucky as they negotiate life post-Blip. Key takeaways from this episode include whether or not you can smash a flag, wh...

Stu is back, fighting fit, and ready to get into the nitty-gritty of the WandaVision season finale. The pair discuss the pressure that was put on this series after Covid bumped it up to be first on the Marvel Stage 4 slate, and how that didn't necessarily match the relatively simple tale of grief it was trying to tell. But there's also some disappointments, such as the lack of consequences for Wan...

Oh no! She's recast Stu! With poor Stu out with illness, Natalie has recruited Greg Wah from the "Smart Enough To Know Better" podcast to examine the penultimate episode of WandaVision. As Agatha takes Wanda on a flashback "tour of sadness", there's much to dissect including how and when Wanda had witchy powers, their boosting by Loki's mindstone, and Wanda's grief powering the whole hex and the r...

Nat & Stu crack on with the gleeful and delightfully witchy reveal that ends this episode, and the implications it has for the remainder of the series. After Pietro and now Agatha, are there more reveals to come? Your pontificating pair of co-hosts then delve into the Modern Family/The Office-style theming of this sitcom episode, complete with talking heads on camera; Darcy and Vision's cute MCU r...

It's Halloween in WestView, and time for Wanda, Vision and Pietro to don their cheesiest costumes to celebrate. Join Nat & Stu as they dive into the spooktacular tribute to "Malcolm in the Middle", complete with boys talking to camera even as they discover their powers, and Unky Pietro trying to work out what's happening with Wanda. There's also a small Joss Whedon sidebar in which Natalie rejoice...

WOW! What an ending! So much changed in just a few seconds! Except Natalie has no idea why that is, so it's up to Walking Wiki Stu to fill in the gaps on why this episode of WandaVision has big ramifications for the show itself AND the MCU. Your hosts are face to face this week, and get very excited about the gaps being filled in Wanda's story, and to a lesser extent, Vision's head. Enjoy!

It's a big episode 4 as WandaVision starts to let us in on the secrets behind the retro sitcom love-fest. Nat & Stu delve into the backstory of Monica Rambeau (pronounced "Rambo" apparently), as well as talk through the super cute FBI agent Jimmy Woo, whose surname Natalie mispells (she didn't realise at the time). Plus there's some meta Full House chat. Also a massive shout out to Natalie's Patre...

Nat & Stu are back with the third instalment of "WandaVision", aka the super speedy baby delivery 1970s homage! Be warned, there's a bit of an intense discussion of childbirth straight up, so maybe skip eating while you're listening. But then there's a fun chat about the increasing kookiness of Wanda's powers and the show's use of metaphor and real world elements. Enjoy!

Get ready for some retro superhero fun, as your favourite (wow, big claim there) podcasters are back with a look at the first two episodes of Marvel's "WandaVision". Nat & Stu wax lyrical about the glorious pastiches of 50s and 60s sitcoms, while trying to figure out what darker mysteries lie beneath.

Happy 2021, everybody! Finally, 2020 is over and we can start afresh and positive... oh wait, there's a Doctor Who festive special to dissect. Dan & Greg from the Smart Enough to Know Better podcast join Nat & Stu to forensically examine "Revolution of the Daleks", which compared to some previous episodes of this era, is... fine. Except when you start to get into it. Then things get VERY. SHOUTY....

The James Bond Retrospective comes to a climax (for now) as Nat & Stu grab some notebooks and compile a bunch of "Best of" lists from the 25 films they've watched in this, the year of Covid-19. The pair also take the opportunity to list some magic moments from the movies, as well as some less than ideal ones. Also, they bag out Spectre again because, seriously, what was WITH that whole thing? Than...

The writing's on the wall for Nat & Stu as they finally rewatch and review "Spectre", the 24th Eon Bond film and one that Nat has not seen since loathing it in the cinema in 2015. Is it better than she remembers? Did she just dream up that whole "Blofeld is Bond's weird stepbrother" angle? No? Well, then, you can probably expect some ranting. Stu has some good points to make too, often more cohere...

Ahead of their Spectre podcast, Nat & Stu got together to talk about the death of Sean Connery. This includes a discussion of Connery's misogynistic behaviour and comments about women, and how social media responds to celebrity deaths and so-called "problematic faves". Also there's a great yarn about Connery calling out director Brett Ratner for being a fraud. You can also read Natalie's reflectio...

Let the SKY FAAAAAALLLLLL as Adele's rounded tones welcome us to the 50th year of Bond onscreen and the 23rd Bond film, Skyfall. Nat & Stu are joined by Brisbane journalist and fellow Bond tragic Alison Sandy to pick over the now old & busted bones of Britain's premier secret agent, who apparently is nearing the scrapheap despite only just getting his Double-O status. The trio get down and dirty w...

For the first time in Bond history - a sequel! Nat and Stu are joined once more by the encyclopedic brain of Tom Salinsky (from Best Pick Pod) to discuss Daniel Craig's second outing as the super spy. And it's a strange beast, with lots of super fast choppy editing, weirdly underwritten characters (especially the women) and plot threads left dangling in the breeze like so many unfurled-until-the-l...