Pop DNA

In the finale of our The Office series and of our regular season, we look at the show's ties to popular media that came both before and after.Erin did a deep dive into the history of the mockumentary, and you won't believe what the first one was!We also discuss some well-known mockumentary films, like This is Spinal Tap and Best in Show, and works that use mockumentary elements, such as When Harry Met Sally and Arrested Development.Then we explore the stylistic impact of The Office on subsequent American comedy, touching on shows like Parks and Recreation, Superstore, Abbott Elementary, and, somehow, Game of Thrones.This episode also contains our final Finer Things Club meeting discussing Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt, plus what we are currently watching/reading/listening to. For Rhonda, it was lots of Hunger Games.Come back in May for a bonus episode and a couple rereleases of our Summer Theatre Program from 2021!Follow on Instagram, but don't expect too much. :/

In part four of our discussion of The Office, we dive in to the various romance storylines the show featured, and how we feel about them!From the classic sitcom "will-they-or-won't-they" tension between Jim and Pam, to Michael and Holly's second chance romance, to the hilariously toxic relationship between Kelly and Ryan, there's a little something for everyone. (Erin's personal favorite is, of course, Dwangela.)Our exploration veers into a series of hot takes on romance novel tropes like enemies to lovers, mutual pining, and love triangles, and you know how Rhonda feels about love triangles (she thinks they're good, actually).We also look at how the romances on The Office compare to love stories in other sitcoms, like New Girl, How I Met Your Mother, Abbott Elementary, and Friends. And this episode features our Finer Things Club discussion of the book Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden.Our next episode is our last planned installment of our Office discussion, so be sure not to miss it! Follow us on Instagram, but don't expect too much.

“Do I need to be liked? Absolutely not. I like to be liked. I enjoy being liked. I have to be liked. But it's not like this compulsive need to be liked, like my need to be praised.” –Michael ScottLikeability plays a huge role in how characters on The Office relate to one another, and how we as the audience perceive them. Discuss!This episode also features our second Finer Things Club meeting, in which we talk about the novel The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende and Rhonda learns how effective her SEO was in her blog post about it.Further Reading:Isabel Allende's interview with the LA TimesThe science behind our need to be liked from American Psychological AssociationHow wanting to be liked gets you rejected from Psychology TodayRhonda's blog post about all the books mentioned on The Office

Despite its undercurrent of warmth and optimism, The Office (US) went to some pretty dystopian places in its explorations of the workplace--which were really just reflections of the boring dystopia of our reality.In this episode, we look at how The Office fits within the context of Workplace Dystopian media, works such as Superstore, Office Space, Sorry to Bother You, and Silicon Valley. We also place The Office head-to-head with the most popular workplace dystopia on TV right now, Severance. Our discussion delves into how corporate companies like Dunder Mifflin and Lumon, and those in other workplace dystopian media, use tactics like Diversity Day or "waffle parties" to present a veneer of benevolence to distract workers from how terrible their jobs actually are.But, you know, in a fun way.We also introduce our new segment for this series: The Finer Things Club! We discuss E. M. Forster's novel A Room with a View. It's very exclusive.Further Reading:Corporate Erin on TikTokDefining a Boring DystopiaComparing the workplaces in The Office and Severance

If you've ever listened to us trade The Office references on the pod and thought, "why don't they just talk about The Office already?" this new series is for you!In your orientation packet, you'll find an overview of our thoughts on the American series in comparison with the original British version, and a quiz to discover which characters we are. We also go over a preview of the topics we plan to discuss in the coming episodes, including, but not limited to:Race, gender, class, and the dystopia of capitalism in The Office, but, like, in a fun wayThe Office in the context of other workplace media such as Office Space, Superstore, and Sorry to Bother YouThe show's examination of success, achievement, and happiness as defined by individual charactersRomantic relationships over the course of The Office's nine seasons, and how they compare to romances in other sitcomsThe Office's afterlife in pop culture

Our yearly tradition of discussing our favorite movies and TV, plus a little music and books, is back! We had every intention of talking about Wickiator/Glicked, but there's really no story there. There's Wicked, which we talked about for far longer than we intended because we had so many thoughts, and then there's Gladiator, which... was a movie. We also talked about some common themes we noticed in the media we were drawn to in the past year, plus a few pieces that were just a little disappointing. Things we talked about: Wicked Part 1 Gladiator II The Substance The Watchers Laid Bad Sisters We Are Lady Parts My Old Ass Lisa Frankenstein Monkey Man Mr. and Mrs. Smith Mean Girls Pride and Prejudice in Space AfrAId St. Denis Medical Is She Really Going Out With Him? How to End a Love Story The Third Gilmore Girl The Bright Sword Things we loved but didn't have time to talk about because we spent so long talking about Wicked: Thelma Your Monster Nightbitch Trap English Teacher My Lady Jane The Acolyte Nobody Wants This Fallout Agatha All Along Sense and Sensibility Dune Part 2 Next time we will finally wrap up our A Song of Ice and Fire series, and beginning in February we'll have a shiny new mystery topic to discuss! Follow us on Instagram! Read Rhonda's Lisa Frankenstein essay!

Check your Christmas ornaments, there might be important documents inside! Please enjoy this regifted episode from 2019 about the Netflix Christmas Cinematic Universe, specifically A Christmas Prince. ORIGINAL DESCRIPTION: Honestly, this episode was a long time coming. A Christmas Prince is rich in cultural influences, from the lives and loves of historical real-life royals, to classic fairy tales, to... investigative journalism, I guess? We also discuss other vitally important topics, like the dystopian alternate universe in which the movies take place and the cultural relevance of Volvos. (Volvo is not a sponsor of Pop DNA.) Our commentary for Netflix's The Knight Before Christmas is free on our Patreon page! Patreon.com/popdna Happy Holidays!

We have another regifted episode for you this week! We couldn't choose between our two Narnia episodes, so we're regifting both! This episode from December of 2022 touches on gender and violence, and how children experience fear and danger in fantasy worlds, all themes we explored in our A Song of Ice and Fire discussions. This one is perfect for if you want to dive a little deeper into another perspective on those ideas. We have one more regifted episode for you, so look for that on Christmas Day! (Or listen to it the day after, we don't care.) And join us in January for our Best of 2024 Bonus! Follow on Instagram for very infrequent supplementary content, memes and cat pics. ORIGINAL DESCRIPTION: As we wrap up our final Narnia episode we're asking the big questions: Was C. S. Lewis sexist? Or can we draw any feminist or female-empowerment messages from his work? What does feminism even look like in the context of a fantasy world where children go into battle with talking animals? We also look specifically at The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe as a World War 2 story, exploring the story an as allegory for what was happening in the "real" world at the time it takes place. And of course we took a quiz to find out which Pevensie kids we are, and you can take it ⁠here⁠. Check out ⁠The Feminine Ethos in C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia⁠ by Monika Hilder.

Happy December! We are taking a much-needed break to enjoy the holiday season, but thought we'd take the opportunity to revisit some of our previous episodes this month. It's Regifting Time! This episode from our Chronicles of Narnia series in December of 2022 explores the topics of magic, magic systems, and prophecy in fantasy fiction and Narnia's relationship with other fantasy classics. It's a perfect coda for some of our A Song of Ice and Fire discussions. Join us the rest of December for more regifted episodes, and come back in January for our Best of 2024 Bonus! Find us on Instagram for memes and sporadic updates. ORIGINAL DESCRIPTION: This week on our Narnia journey we are diving in to all things magic. We discuss the differences between hard and soft magic systems, how magic is expressed in the world of Narnia, and how it compares to the magic in other fictional worlds. We also look at Narnia as a touchstone of fantasy fiction, its relationship with Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, and its influence on modern fantasy works like Star Wars and Lev Grossman's book series The Magicians.

Why do so many fantasy stories center on the protagonist fulfilling a "Chosen One" prophecy? We don't really answer that this week, but we do talk about the undercurrent of prophecy in Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, the "Song of Ice and Fire" that this universe is named for. We also look briefly at how specifically Chosen One prophecies are present in many of our favorite fantasy works, and how prophecy is often tied to religion, and we explore some of the major religions of Westeros. We also open with our favorite segment, Wig Watch! Go to our Instagram to see the wigs we talk about. Further Reading: Major Religions explained George R. R. Martin interview Context for the prophecy in House of the Dragon

In Westeros, when you're here, you're family. Oh, wait, that's The Olive Garden. But we're talking about families this week, and, like most things in Westeros, being part of a family is generally not a great time for anyone in this world. Certainly not as fun as having dinner at The Olive Garden. We look specifically at the Targaryen family and some possible historical inspirations for this mythical dynasty. The blonde dragon people share some interesting similarities with the Egyptian Pharoahs and the Ptolemeic dynasty, as well as the infamously inbred Habsburgs. Just how inbred were the Habsburgs? Surprisingly, not as much as the Targaryens, and we have a geneticist's Tweet to prove it. Then we look at families on more of relational level, discussing the psychology concept of attachment theory as it relates to our favorite Westerosi families. Does anyone in this world have a secure attachment style? You are probably not surprised to hear that the answer is no. We also of course have another installment of Wig Watch for you (see the wigs discussed on our Instagram), and we've got some recommendations in What Are We Watchin'. Join us next time to talk about politics and religion, yay! Further Reading: Historical connections to the Targaryens Real royal families and House of the Dragon How inbred is Daenerys Targaryen? Attachment Theory explained Remember that sweet 85-year-old food critic in North Dakota who wrote a positive review of the new The Olive Garden in her town?

He's just Jon and he's enough! (Jonough?) This week we're talking about men in Westeros, exploring how masculinity is constructed in the world of Game of Thrones. Questions we discuss include: How do medieval European ideals of masculinity inform this world's gender expectations? What is the relationship between violence and masculinity, or perceived masculinity? How do family systems and relationships perpetuate masculine ideals in Game of Thrones? Why is Daemon Targaryen Just Ken? We also have two more wigs to discuss in our favorite new segment, Wig Watch! See photos of the wigs on our Instagram. Further Reading: Violence and Masculinity in Medieval France paper Masculinity and Disability in Game of Thrones paper Targaryen men perform "I'm Just Ken" HotD season 2 finale recap #gameofthrones #asongoficeandfire #imjustken

In part two of our series discussing Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, we look at how women navigate the world of Westeros. Questions we explore include: How do women gain, lose, and use power in this world? How does power relate to femininity? How are the expected gender roles of Westerosi society shaped by the realities of the world? Characters we discuss include Cersei Lannister, Daenerys Targaryen, Catelyn Stark, Sansa Stark, Rhaenyra Targaryen, Alicent Hightower, and Rhaenys Targaryen. We also introduce a new segment for this series: Wig Watch! Join us on Instagram to see the wigs we discuss, and maybe some other things. Further Reading: The Dangers of Growing Up on Westeros House of the Dragon and GirlBoss Feminism We'll be back in two weeks to talk about the relationship between violence and masculinity in A Song of Ice and Fire, and how Daemon Targaryen is Just Ken.

Welcome back! We're riding our dragons to King's Landing for a six-part series on A Song of Ice and Fire and all its connected works, including the TV series Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon. This week, we're just getting our feet wet with a look at our first introductions to George R. R. Martin's work, our thoughts on the main ideas of the series, and an overview of Martin's cited influences, including the English Wars of the Roses and the Accursed Kings series of historical novels. Plus we take quizzes to find out which Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon characters we are, which you can take here and here. With this episode we launch not just a new series and new season, but a brand new format for the show. Episodes will now come out every other week, and we're spending three months in this world, so get comfy!

We wrap up our summer book-to-screen club series with the science fiction classic that inadvertently sparked a thousand sandworm popcorn bucket memes. Our discussion topics include Dune's influence on and connections to other staples of the science fiction and fantasy genres such as Star Wars, Wheel of Time, and A Song of Ice and Fire; how the recent Villeneuve films interpret certain aspects of the story and characters; and how the book explores girlhood (because it actually kinda does). ALSO: Rhonda goes on a rant about the stupidity of spoiler culture, and Erin makes a convincing case for Castaway as a comfort movie. And we probably spend a little too much time talking about Katy Perry, but seriously, what is she doing??? We will be back in September with a new format for a new season! Follow on Instagram for memes and infrequent announcements pertinent to listeners of this podcast.

Continuing our discussions of classic American novels, this week we read Alice Walker's The Color Purple! We talk about how the novel explores girlhood and relationships between women, the Black experience in the early 20th century, and finding the joy in life even through darkness. We also look at the 1985 and 2023 films and the stage musical, and how these adaptations interpreted the themes and characters from the book. Segments also include our pop music recommendations and What Are We Watchin' Join us next time for a discussion of Frank Herbert's Dune! Follow on Instagram too if you want. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pop-dna-podcast/message

Welcome to our 2024 Summer Series! This summer we decided to read some classic American novels with recent film adaptations, and we're starting with Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. We talk about our personal experiences with the novel, how we see this work in the context of American literature, and how the 1994 and 2019 film adaptations explore the book's themes. We also answer the age-old question: are you a Meg, Jo, Beth, or Amy? Join us next time for a discussion of Alice Walker's The Color Purple! Follow us on Instagram for very infrequent and halfhearted posts. Theme song: Swings and Roundabouts by Hey Pluto --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pop-dna-podcast/message

For Rhonda's Birthday Bonus we're talking COWBOY CARTER and THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT. Why are both of these albums' titles styled in all caps? Our conversation explores our initial reactions to and top five tracks from each album, as well as some interesting parallels between these two bodies of work. How does Beyoncé break genre boundaries on COWBOY CARTER? How does Taylor explore her relationship with art and fame on THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT? And how do both albums further the cultural discussion of women driving their own narratives? We also talk about the bigger picture of women in pop music beyond Tay and Bey, and the current pop moment embodied in artists like Chappell Roan, Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, and Miley Cyrus. Oh, and we also definitely talk about Kendrick and Drake. Listen to our Women in Pop playlist here. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pop-dna-podcast/message

If you thought we were going to let it slide that Depression Barbie's comfort show is the 1995 BBC Pride and Prejudice, you thought wrong. We're digging in to some possible literary inspirations and parallels for the Barbie movie, looking specifically at Christian/Catholic creation theology and how much Greta Gerwig may have been influenced by the work of Jane Austen. We also talk about who we would choose if we could recast Ken, and follow up with a coda to our discussion of gender dynamics in Barbie Land from last week. Further Reading: Barbie Land as Garden of Eden Rolling Stone Greta Gerwig Interview For updates on Rhonda's book, follow here Pop DNA is taking a brief break, and we will be back in early May with a Bonus Episode! Stay tuned! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pop-dna-podcast/message

We are back from a long, semi-unplanned hiatus, but don't worry, there's still plenty more Barbie to talk about! This week we look at how both Barbie Land and Stereotypical Barbie's perspective in the film explore gender and femininity. How does Barbie Land fit into the context of women-dominated societies in other fictional works? How does Barbie as a film both defy and uphold patriarchal beauty standards? And how does Barbie as a character help us as women and feminine people explore how we can define femininity and identity for ourselves? Further Reading: Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman The Power by Naomi Alderman Ritual of Proof by Dara Joy Sci-Fi Movies About All-Female Planets Have a Hidden Agenda -- video essay from Slate Barbietopia and Feminist Futures: Next Steps on the Heroine's Journey -- essay by Ivana Milojević What ‘Barbie' teaches us about the beauty of growing old -- article by Steve Lopez Justice for Weird Barbie -- article by Natalie Michie Books to Read After Watching Barbie -- post by Rhonda Does anyone want to run our Instagram account? lmk --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pop-dna-podcast/message

Hi Barbies! We have sooooo much to talk about in this three-parter, so we squished some background discussion of fashion dolls and the cultural mythos of Barbie into this first episode. We also have some thoughts on the Barbenheimer phenomenon, the Barbie movie as a capitalist product, and our own experiences playing with Barbies as children. Then we give a brief overview of some other topics we want to dive into in our next two episodes and take a quiz to find out which Barbies we are (but, as happens quite often, the quiz was wrong). This month we're talking about: Feminist Utopias, Matriarchies, and Inverted Patriarchies in Fiction Aging, Gender, and Sexuality as Explored in Barbie Weird Barbie and Queerness Parallels with the Works of Jane Austen, Because You Didn't Think Rhonda Was Just Going to Ignore that Depression Barbie's Comfort Show is the 1995 Pride and Prejudice Miniseries, Did You??? and more Follow us on Instagram I guess but don't expect too much. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pop-dna-podcast/message

What was supposed to be a fun and light chat about video games this week turned into a philosophical discussion of free will as a player of video games, and how this illusion of choice translates into the choices (or lack thereof) of characters in the TV series of The Last Of Us, especially in terms of gendered actions and decision-making. It's still fun, though, we promise! Further Exploration: GamerGate coverage by Aja Romano Tropes vs. Women in Video Games video series by Anita Sarkeesian Playing As/Against Violent Women paper by Stefan Schubert Our episode on femininity and power in fantasy media Our episode on The Chronicles of Narnia where we discuss Susan and Lucy not fighting in the battle Vulture piece on patriarchy in the world of TLOU --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pop-dna-podcast/message

This week we are getting apocalyptic! We talk about why we as humans seem to be fascinated with the fall of civilization or even of humanity itself. From the ancient epic of Gilgamesh to several separate HBO shows, our literature and culture are full of stories about humans at the end of the world. How does The Last of Us explore the human significance of the apocalypse? And what other works of apocalyptic and zombie fiction can we discuss to contextualize what TLOU might be trying to say about humanity? Works we discuss include: The Epic of Gilgamesh Revenant myths and legends The Last Man by Mary Shelley 1984 by George Orwell Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (and the HBO series) The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (and the Hulu series) Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith The Girl With All The Gifts by M. R. Carey Severance by Ling Ma Follow us on Instagram for more about the literature and commentary we reference. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pop-dna-podcast/message

Welcome to our first regular episode of 2024! We're kicking the year off with a discussion of the (maybe?) zombie show that everyone was talking about in early 2023. This week we talk about our first experiences with the world of The Last of Us, discuss the question of whether or not this is in fact a zombie show, and take a quiz to find out which character we are. Then we introduce the ideas we want to explore more in-depth in the next two episodes, such as: Adapting video games for other media Gender and the male gaze in video games Why we love apocalyptic stories How other works have explored zombies (or zombie-like creatures) ... and more Take the quiz here. Follow us on Instagram if that's the sort of thing you like to do. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pop-dna-podcast/message

It's a new year, which means it's time for us to talk about our favorite movies and TV (plus a little theater and music) of 2023! We also discuss how the Hollywood strikes affected how we view media, and how the theme of girlhood seemed to be a throughline in a lot of the media we loved this past year. We talk about a few of our disappointments as well, and then look ahead to what we're excited for in 2024. 2023 Stuff We Talk About: Barbie M3GAN The Little Mermaid Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret Succession The Bear Ted Lasso The Last of Us Shrinking Theatre Camp Polite Society Quiz Lady The Buccaneers Somebody I Used to Know Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story You People The Artful Dodger Merrily We Roll Along Lessons in Chemistry The Fall of the House of Usher The Mandalorian Ahsoka Renfield Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny A Haunting in Venice Follow us on Instagram for sporadic memes and book recs, and join us next time for our first regular episode of the year! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pop-dna-podcast/message

The Wizard of Oz is a quintessentially American story, and over the 120+ years since the novel's release, the tale and its subsequent iterations have reflected the political climate of particular moments in our culture. From its inception as an alleged allegory for the late 19th century Populist movement, to the imagery of early women's suffrage in the witches of Oz, to the echoes of FDR's New Deal and the Great Depression in "Over the Rainbow," to The Wiz's positioning within the Black American experience in the 1970s, and even to how the musical Wicked reflects the flawed third-wave feminism of the 1990s. Further reading: Populist symbolism in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz The Matriarch Behind the Curtain The American dream of "Over the Rainbow" The Wiz as a Black American journey Wicked as a feminist work Follow on Instagram for sporadic and tangentially relevant content. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pop-dna-podcast/message

We're wrapping up 2023 with a look at the beloved 1939 classic musical fantasy film The Wizard of Oz, and its 1900 source novel by L. Frank Baum. This week we give you a wizard's-eye view of the topics we plan to dig into deeper in the next couple episodes. We'll look at the popular theory of the original novel as an allegory for U.S. politics and economics at the turn of the 20th century, as well as the significance of the song "Over the Rainbow" for Americans during the Great Depression. We'll also talk about Judy Garland's experience making the film and in Hollywood in general, as well as both the movie and book's long-lasting and far-reaching impact on American culture as we know it. If we appeared in your Spotify Wrapped this year, we'd like to say thank you, thank you, thank you, sincerely, for all your support. We hope you're having as much fun as we are. Follow us on Instagram for occasional memes, book recs, and cat pics. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pop-dna-podcast/message

Following up on our conversation from last time, this installment in our discussion of The Hunger Games looks at the vulnerability of children in both Panem and the ongoing attacks on Palestine, the troubling parallel between the Capitol citizens of Panem and we in the privileged Western world in our parasocial relationships with those respective children, and how these traumatic events will affect the human psyche and our ways of dealing with vulnerabilities. This is another hard discussion, so again, listen with that in mind, and please continue to call your elected leaders, protest, share and post, and take care of yourselves. Further Reading: Intro to the Palestinian journalists in Gaza More about parentification and vulnerability cycles Helpful guide to calling your members of Congress --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pop-dna-podcast/message

With a new installment of The Hunger Games film franchise hitting theaters this month, we thought this would be the perfect opportunity to revisit the series, and we brought a friend! Jac Frost (known as @jacfrostisreal on TikTok) joins us for an intro to the deep-dive discussions we're planning on the books by Suzanne Collins and their film adaptations. Our conversation focuses on the ways our current world is reflective of Panem, from the ever-growing class and economic divides in our society, to the level of surveillance and control the state already has access to into our everyday lives, to the happening-as-we-speak genocide of Palestinian civilians by the Israeli government and military. This does get pretty heavy, so if you're not in a place to hear it, please take care of yourself, but also contact your elected officials to call for a ceasefire. Find Jac on TikTok and Pop DNA on Instagram. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pop-dna-podcast/message

Happy Halloween! As a coda to our Wednesday series, we decided to watch an iconic movie from our childhoods and talk over it! Tangents include the research Rhonda did about the house in Practical Magic before we visited the town where it was filmed for Galentine's Day, the summer camp Erin worked at one summer that reminded her of Wednesday's summer camp in really uncomfortable ways, and the prolific career of Joan Cusack, among other things. The commentary starts at around 8:50. We've been making this show for five years now and we're so grateful to everyone who has tuned in! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pop-dna-podcast/message

We wrap up our Wednesday series with a deep dive into the character's emotional landscape. The therapy sessions that Wednesday is compelled to attend are not a healthy depiction of mental health care, so let's talk about that! Let's also talk about whether or not romance was really necessary to Wednesday's story (it wasn't), and whether romance storylines in media in general are underappreciated (they are). Come back next week for a spooky Addams Family-themed bonus episode! Further reading: Busting some therapy myths perpetuated by media Therapist reacts to Wednesday's therapist (video) Actors on Actors: Jenna Ortega and Elle Fanning transcript and video Everyone is Beautiful and No One is Horny Follow on Instagram for extra content and memes --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pop-dna-podcast/message

This week we're talking about the ways the titular Wednesday explores her identity throughout the series, from finding other weird kids at Nevermore Academy, to differentiating from the Addams Family ethos. Further Reading: Nevermore Academy website Nevermore filming locations The All Ghouls School on TV Tropes Children's author Chris Priestly on the appeal of the special school in fiction Introduction to Bowen Theory in family therapy Check our Instagram for images we discuss, extra content, memes, and occasional cat photos --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pop-dna-podcast/message

Wednesday is both a piece of Addams Family media and a Tim Burton work, so we're looking at the intersection of those two origins. We take a trip down memory lane to look at how Wednesday and the rest of her family have been portrayed in various media over the decades, from the original 1930s comics by Charles Addams, all the way up to its current iteration in the Wednesday Netflix series. Then we talk about Tim Burton's aesthetic influences, distinct style of storytelling, and how he brought those things to Wednesday. Further Reading: The Smithsonian Mag's Cultural History of the Addams Family (from 2019, so pre-Wednesday) More about the Addams Family Musical Vox piece on Tim Burton's distinct visual style and influences Hollywood Reporter article on Tim Burton's bringing his vision to Wednesday Find images we discussed, plus the occasional meme, on Instagram --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pop-dna-podcast/message

It's full-on Spooky Season at Pop DNA and we're celebrating with a discussion of our favorite spooky teen, Wednesday Addams! In part 1 of this series, we talk about some of our initial thoughts on the Netflix show Wednesday, our relationships with the Addams Family franchise, and how we feel Wednesday fits into this 85-year legacy. We also take the quiz to find out which character we are, which you can take here, and then get into a quick overview of other topics we're planning to deep-dive this month. We'll look at previous iterations of the Addams characters, from the original comic strips, to the 1960s TV series, to the 1990s movies we Millennials grew up watching. We'll also discuss Wednesday as a Tim Burton work, framing the show as a whole through his signature aesthetic and directorial style. Plus much more! Follow on Instagram for supplementary content, memes, and cat photos. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pop-dna-podcast/message

We wrap up our series on Abbott Elementary with some thoughts on how the show pays homage and stands out from older network sitcoms, Quinta Brunson's inspirations for the series, and a more lighthearted look at teaching and the veteran teachers who have shaped all of our lives. Further Reading: Abbott's "Revitalization" of the network sitcom Quinta Brunson on Abbott's "cool factor" The real teachers that inspired Abbott Report on penalties for teachers who break contracts Study on why teachers leave, and why they stay Mr. Reed music video - "Welcome to the 4th Grade" Come back next week for part 1 of our series on the Netflix show Wednesday! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pop-dna-podcast/message

This week we're digging into some of our favorite characters on Abbott Elementary! We take a look at our favorite terrible boss Ava, with a psychological analysis of supervisor-employee relationship patterns, and how Ava's management style stacks up to other fictional bosses like Michael Scott or Don Draper. Then we explore Janine and Barbara's unique found family mother-daughter dynamic, a type of relationship we don't often see in media, despite the many "reluctant father figure/teen girl daughter figure" duos that seem to be everywhere in pop culture. Further Reading: 10 Terrible Bosses from Movies and TV Psychologist breaks down boss-employee relationships in media The dubious Milgram Shock Experiment The equally sus Stanford Prison Experiment 7 Times Barbara was a Mom to Janine --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pop-dna-podcast/message

This week we look at how Abbott Elementary reflects popular opinions on the public education system, and how it portrays the experience of teaching as a profession. We also dip into the hot-button issue of charter schools, looking at a more nuanced discussion of this debate than we see presented on the show. Further Reading: Social media creators Honest Teacher Vibes, Mrs. Call's Campers, and Teacher Tales of Miss Smith give firsthand accounts of teaching in public schools Real Seattle area teachers give their thoughts on Abbott Elementary The New Yorker article on Abbott's charter school storyline Last Week Tonight episode on charter schools Documentary The Lottery Podcast episode by Dr. Nadia Lopez on the charter school debate --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pop-dna-podcast/message

Happy Season 6 to Pop DNA! To kick off September we're going back to school to talk about Abbott Elementary! To set the stage for this four-part series, and the whole podcast for the foreseeable future, we discuss the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, how they affect Abbott Elementary, and why we should all be aware of the issues involved. We also take a quiz to find out which characters we are, which you can take here, and give a brief preview of the other topics we plan to explore in this series. We'll look at how the show discusses public education from a few different angles, Abbott's origin story and unique success as a network sitcom in a streaming world, and deep dives into our favorite characters and relationships. Further Reading: The latest news we have (as of the time of recording) on negotiations for WGA Vox article breaking down the issues at stake in the strikes Interview with writer/producer Brittani Nichols Sheryl Lee Ralph and Lisa Ann Walter striking in Philadelphia Join us on Instagram for sporadic memes and book and cat content. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pop-dna-podcast/message

To celebrate Erin's (slightly belated) birthday we're deep diving into the most perfect television show ever created that also has a character named Bus Rat. Questions we discuss: What does the character of the camera represent within the narrative? What does the final scene of the series tell us about Fleabag's relationships with her loved ones, herself, and whatever the camera represents? Why don't any of Fleabag's boyfriends have actual names? Are we in our Fleabag era? We also tell you about our favorite things we recently watched, including two screenings of Barbie, and take a quiz to find out which Fleabag characters we are. Take the quiz here. Further reading: The Female Gaze in Fleabag Phoebe Waller-Bridge interview Fleabag and Insecure video essay We're taking it easy for August and this will be the only episode we release this month. We'll be back in September to go back to school and discuss Abbott Elementary! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pop-dna-podcast/message

ICYMI, we presented at Virtual JaneCon! Here's the audio from our talk, "Jane Austen: Queen of Comedy." We dive into Austen's influence in modern TV comedy, from parody and satire on shows like Succession and Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23, to the striking comedic parallels between Sense and Sensibility and Schitt's Creek! View our slide deck here. Watch this in video format on our YouTube channel here. Learn more about Virtual JaneCon here. Thanks to the organizers of Virtual JaneCon for including us in this year's program! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pop-dna-podcast/message

We're wrapping up our Summer "Camp" series with a loving look at two science fiction/space opera movies that are really historical romances in space! Topics of discussion include Eddie Redmayne's love of character voices (and also how he auditioned for the role of Kylo Ren!); the fact that Star Wars has always been a little bit stupid, which is part of its charm; and how the lavish costumes in both movies really accentuate the fact that they are both historical romances in space, because if there's one thing about a historical romance, it's gonna have gowns. Further Reading: Eddie Redmayne on his weird voice in Jupiter Ascending and his audition for Kylo Ren Reviews and discussions of Jupiter Ascending from Vogue, RogerEbert.com, and Decider Reviews and discussions of Attack of the Clones from the LA Times (2002 review), StarWars.com (behind the scenes look at costumes), and Tor.com (discussing the romance) Follow us on Instagram for more content, including a costume comparison and sci-fi romance book recs! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pop-dna-podcast/message

In this meta horror commentary edition of Summer "Camp" we are talking about The Blackening and The Cabin in the Woods! Discussion points include how The Cabin in the Woods has aged over the past decade-plus and how we feel about its messaging now, The Blackening's unexpected hopefulness and positioning within both the meta-horror and the Black film spaces, and how both films take a classic, even cliched, horror premise and turn it on its head. We also talk about this particular type of horror setting and why it's so pervasive in the genre, as well as our favorite types of horror settings. And of course, we spend way too long talking about the things we've been watching, but this time we have two weeks to catch you up on! Further Reading: Postmodern nihilism in The Cabin in the Woods Variety interview with DeWayne Perkins The Blackening review Horror references in The Cabin in the Woods Join us for our final Summer "Camp" episode on Jupiter Ascending and Attack of the Clones! Follow us on Instagram if you dare. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pop-dna-podcast/message

CONTENT WARNING: this episode contains discussions, though NOT graphic descriptions, of sexual assault and violence against women, rape and rape culture, trauma, and women's loss of bodily autonomy as portrayed and commented upon in these films. If these topics will not be a good experience for you to hear about, please take care of yourself and skip this episode. We'll see you next time! We're calling this the "feminist body horror" edition of Summer "Camp" and looking at two modern classics within this subgenre: 2009's Jennifer's Body and 2007's Teeth. We look at the parallels between these two films, both in their commentary on women's bodily and sexual agency within patriarchal culture in the movies themselves, and in how the films were received and perceived by pop culture audiences. We also looked into the mythos of the "vagina dentata," the archetype explored in Teeth, and into how Jennifer's Body star Megan Fox was treated by the media and culture at large in the years surrounding the release of the film, and we are here to talk all about these topics and more! Further Reading: Reassessing Jennifer's Body in the wake of #MeToo (article from 2018) Video + transcript of the 2019 conversation with Megan Fox and Diablo Cody Academic article on the cultural context of Teeth (PDF) Exploring "vagina dentata" mythos around the world Queer Movie Night podcast episode on Jennifer's Body The Whorrors podcast episode on Teeth Follow on Instagram for some occasional supplementary content and memes. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pop-dna-podcast/message

Welcome "camp"ers to Pop DNA Summer "Camp"! To kick off our summer series all about our favorite campy movies, we first give a brief explainer of what we mean by "camp." We quote Susan Sontag and it's very professional. Then we look at two movies that portray creepy sentient dolls that turn murderous, the original 1988 classic Child's Play and the instant classic that sparked a million memes, M3GAN. Further Reading: Sontag's original essay "Notes on 'Camp'" M3GAN director on the comparisons between the two films Why M3GAN is a queer icon Discussion of Child's Play in context of 1980s horror films Follow us on Instagram to find out what our next double feature will be, and join us all June and July for more Summer "Camp"! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pop-dna-podcast/message

Wrapping up our Taylor Swift series, we decided to look at Swift's relationship with her fame and her fandom, and how both fit into the broader context of how we talk about famous women. From the way our society likes to mock teen girls and young women and the art they like, to the cycles of public opinion we see around female pop singers like Lizzo, Britney Spears, Beyonce, and Swift herself, we've got a lot of internalized misogyny to unpack. We also look into the psychology of parasocial relationships and the Taylor Swift conspiracy theories that fans were right about. And, yes, we do talk about the Matty Healy thing (briefly). Further Reading: Stop Indiscriminately Hating Things Teenage Girls Like Why Are Teen Girls in Crisis? It's Not Just Social Media Why do we Hate Women's Voices and How I Reclaimed Mine Demographics of Taylor Swift Fandom Psychology of Parasocial Relationships The Karma Album Conspiracy Theory Next week we'll start our summer series, Summer "Camp," with discussions of some of our favorite campy horror films! Follow on Instagram for more. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pop-dna-podcast/message

Did you know that we're kinda theater kids? And also huge literature nerds? And that Taylor Swift is both of those things, too? This week we look at the theatricality of Swift's tour shows, specifically with the set and costume design of the Eras Tour, and how those elements help tell the story. Then we dive into the literary sensibilities of the albums Folklore and Evermore, viewing these works as collections of short stories about, in Swift's own words, a "mythological American town." We also acknowledge the deeply upsetting news of Swift's publicized connection with a certain problematic person, leaving space for how we as fans and consumers of her art can feel about that news and the real harm done to specific communities. We will discuss this further next week. Further Reading: The article we reference at the top of the show Architectural Digest breakdown of Eras Tour set design Swift's interview with Apple Music about writing Folklore Quote about Swift watching Sense and Sensibility while writing Evermore Follow along on Instagram as we attempt to stick with a consistent posting schedule. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pop-dna-podcast/message

This week we're diving in to the evolution of Taylor Swift, and we've got graphs! Over the course of her 17-year career, Swift has evolved as an artist and as a public figure, with distinct "eras" emerging in her music and aesthetic. We take a look at her early career as a teen country music artist, her transition to pop, and her deepening explorations and fine-tuning within both genres to find her current adult artistic voice. Find the timeline and word cloud images we discussed on our Instagram, and maybe hang out a bit. Further reading: Data + statistics on the evolution of Taylor Swift Taylor's code-switching Breakdown of style aesthetics for each era --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pop-dna-podcast/message

We're doing something totally new this month--discussing the works of a musical artist! And who better or more newsworthy to be our inaugural artist but Miss Americana herself, Taylor Swift. In part 1, we talk about the very recent announcement of Speak Now (Taylor's Version), look briefly at our personal connections with Swift's music, and take a very scientific BuzzFeed quiz to find out which Taylor Swift Era we are (but then we both self-identify as different ones). We also give an overview of topics we want to explore in more depth in coming episodes, including: the Swiftie fandom and fan theories the evolution of Taylor's storytelling and performance the literary references of Folklore and Evermore our culture's fraught and complicated relationship with female artists like Swift, Lizzo, and Britney Spears and more... Watch this video from The Take for a great primer on the Taylor Cinematic Universe. Follow us on Instagram for sporadic and sometimes relevant content. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pop-dna-podcast/message

It's Rhonda's Birthday Bonus, so she roped Erin into talking about Twilight! As long-time listeners know, Rhonda is contractually obligated to bring up Twilight at regular intervals, and after this episode her quota will be met for quite some time. In our scholarly and insightful discussion, we talk about every Twilight consumer's burning question: Team Edward or Team Jacob? We also talk about our personal experiences with the books and movies, theorize about what makes the series so compelling to so many, and even (casually) dip into the literary history connected to Twilight. We also acknowledge the problems with the series, including racism against Indigenous people and internalized misogyny, and talk about whether we think the recently-announced TV adaptation will be able to sufficiently address those issues. Further Reading: Hollywood Reporter article announcing the new TV series Rhonda's blog post from 2020 reflecting on the series (links to other posts) A Case Study from Evergreen State College analyzing the Twilight series' portrayal of Indigenous people Post from the Burke Museum at the University of Washington on cultural theft in Twilight The Quileute Nation's official website --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pop-dna-podcast/message

We wrap up our series on A League of Their Own this week by discussing romance! Erin gives us a rundown on the documentary A Secret Love, which chronicles the real-life love story of Rockford Peach Terry Donahue and her lifelong partner Patricia Henschel. Then Rhonda deep-dives into the reference made to Pride and Prejudice in the first episode of the show, and how this reference foreshadows or contextualizes the romance storylines. Further Reading: We also found this article on parallels with another literary reference, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn Follow on Insta and join us next week for Rhonda's Birthday Bonus! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pop-dna-podcast/message

We're continuing our discussion of A League of Their Own with a look inside the real All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) and a few of the real women who played in the league over its 12 seasons. We also analyze how accurately the movie and TV series portrayed the realities of the league. Check out our recommended reading list below for our sources and further background on the history. Recommended Reading: This 2018 Chicago Tribune article offers lots of valuable background The Hidden Queer History Behind A League of Their Own Official League profile of the Rockford Peaches Rockford Peaches official website LA Times profile of Maybelle Blair Follow us on Instagram for our current read-and-watch recommendations. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pop-dna-podcast/message