35 Years Apart

In this week's episode, Madeline tries to explain both how to play Dungeons & Dragons, and the appeal of it. Marta throws in some information about Mahjong and gets a craving for Diet Coke and potato chips with onion dip.

In this week's episode Marta and Madeline discuss the Harry Potter industrial complex and JK Rowling's problematic Twitter account. Are Madeline and Hermione the same person? Is Marta really party Slytherin?

On this week's episode, Madeline and Marta start off talking about the new musical dramedy, Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist. Then, they take a detour and talk about musicals in general, Madeline's experience in theater, and theater education.

In this week's episode, Madeline and Marta discuss the classic American novel, The Great Gatsby. Spoiler alert, one of them really, really hates it.

In this week's episode Madeline & Marta discuss the Hulu holiday movie, The Happiest Season and the evolution of queer stories in movies. Then, they get distracted and take a detour through the world of Friends.

In this week's episode, Marta & Madeline continue their exploration of all things little with a discussion of the HBO show "Little Fires Everywhere," based on the 2017 novel by Celeste Ng of the same name. The show is basically all about motherhood, and Marta uses that as an excuse to get Madeline to tell her that she's a good mother.

In this week's episode, Madeline & Marta dissect the juggernaut that is The Disney Channel. The Blocks focus on the shows and movies meant primarily for a "tween" audience. Can two smart women be Disney fans and still have some things they'd like to discuss, yes, yes they can. Some of the Works Discussed Teen Beach Movie High School Musical Lemonade Mouth Austin & Alley Girl Meets World/Boy Meets World Liv & Maddie Jessie/Bunk'd

In this week's episode, Marta and Madeline decide to skip reviewing and instead compare notes and thoughts about slang terms, products, and concepts from their respective generations.

Well, we've brought it up several times so we decided we should finally dig in and deal with the box of ridiculousness that is the now-departed TV show, Pretty Little Liars. The show ran from 2010-2017 and just got crazier and crazier as it went. But, it did have some good lessons like "Don't sleep with your teacher" and "Try not to kill people." As always, lots of spoilers.

Marta is a little obsessed with the Little House on the Prairie books. She has dragged Madeline (and the rest of the family) to multiple historical sites. In this episode, she finds out if her early indoctrination of Madeline paid off. Along the way, Madeline and Marta try to discuss whether or not the books are racist, and what it means if they are. Books Discussed The Little House Books - Laura Ingalls Wilder (1932-1942) All of a Kind Family - Sydney Taylor (1951) Peter Pan - James Barrie (1902) Winnie the Pooh - A.A. Milne (1926)

In this week's episode we talk about the FX show Pose and the evolution of gay rights and trans awareness. We sing a little bit of Madonna and Marta explains 1980s style drag shows and what it felt like to come of age during the AIDS crisis to Madeline. Strangely, for once we don't really talk about any other TV shows, books or movies.

On this week's episode, Madeline and Marta discuss the movie Booksmart, a pro-gay, feminist, raunchy coming of age story. They both love this story of two super-smart teenage girls who clearly respect, love, and support each other. The lack of slut-shaming, fat-shaming, homophobia and other stereotypes makes the movie a unique entry into the teen comedy genre. Along the way, the Block women come back to the subject of sibling incest and other inappropriate relationships. They try once again to describe why generation after generation of teen girls seem drawn to those types of stories. Works Discussed in This Episode Booksmart (2019) Pretty Little Liars (2010-2017) Flowers in the Attic - V.C. Andrews (1979) Edgar Allan Poe

In this week's episode, Madeline (now 17) and Marta (still 52) talk about the 1970 Judy Blume classic, Are You There God, It's Me Margaret. Marta and Madeline both read the book in middle school, and had such different reactions to it that it eventually spurred this show. While discussing the book, Marta and Madeline hit on religion, inter-marriage, and sexuality. Also, Marta sings the song from her middle school sorority. Yes, you read that correctly. As always, there are spoilers. Works Discussed in This Episode Are You There God, It's Me Margaret - Judy Blume, 1970 Bye Bye Birdie (1960 - play, 1963- film) Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, Superfudge, and other Judy Blume books The works of Beverly Cleary

In this week's episode, Madeline and Marta discuss the Netflix show, The Haunting of Bly Manor. Based loosely on the 1898 novel Turn of the Screw, by Henry James, Bly Manor looks at love, death, and guilt through the lens of a ghost story. The action takes place in the 1980s. As a teen of the 80s, Marta is thrilled by the fashion in the show and even more thrilled that Madeline is adopting some of it. We also finally find a love story of which Madeline approves. As always, spoilers abound. Works Discussed in This Episode: The Haunting of Bly Manor (Netflix, 2020) The Haunting of Hill House (Netflix, 2018 ) The Turn of the Screw (Henry James, 1898) Westworld (HBO, 2016-2019) (we also briefly return to Jane Eyre and Umbrella Academy)

Marta and Madeline talk about the streaming show, The Umbrella Academy based on the comic books by Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance. Is the show sexist and anti-semitic, or maybe just a little silly? Is incest ever ok? Is being homophobic worse than killing someone? Will Marta ever convince Madeline that romance does not automatically ruin a story? Tune in for the answers to these and other important questions. As always, spoilers abound. Works Discussed: The Umbrella Academy (Netflix, 2019, 2020) Gerard Way's The Umbrella Academy (Dark Horse, 2007-2013) Jane Eyre (20th Century Fox, 1943) Meet Me in St. Louis (MGM, 1944)

This week, Marta describes the plot of Jane Eyre and explains why it was so revolutionary for her. Madeline explains why she isn't quite as in love with the novel as her mother is. On the way, they talk about the recent Netflix show Queen's Gambit and how stories about plucky orphans have changed over the decades. As always, there are spoilers. Works Discussed: Jane Eyre- Charlotte Bronte Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte Wide Sargasso Sea - Jean Rhys Queen's Gambit (Netflix, 2020) The Snake Pit (20th Century Fox, 1948)