It’s a race against time, as this episodes tries to identify, diagnose, and provide study solutions to a character with a learning disorder, while making sure we get full B and C plots about uppity preschool teachers and nerds in love. Does it sound like too much for one episode? You wish! This is the 90s — nothing is impossible! Join us for perhaps our first episode of Hugging and Learning that’s actually about LEARNING!
Category: Potpourri
Ep 075: All the Way Awful (“Diff’rent Strokes” S5E08)
Many of the very special episodes we’ve watched thus far have been misguided, off-putting, and tone-deaf — but never has one outright assaulted us before today! Back in 1982, child stars were just disposable puppets and consent was a foreign concept. Give this a listen if you dare, but be forewarned: you’ll become an accessory to this mess as well.
Ep 073: Time Capsule of Bad Ideas (“Diff’rent Strokes” S5E01)
Is it possible to love video games TOO MUCH? This is question we ask ourselves daily, and now we’ll attempt to answer it with the help of a bunch of sitcom writers who seem never to have played one. Join Chelsea, Andy, Miles, Willis, Arnold, and the rest of the Space Suckers as we plumb the depths of arcade-based addiction and platitude-based parenting.
Ep 065: What Has Occurred?? (“What’s Happening!!” S2E18)
What happens if you join a cult, and then find out that it’s a scam? Do you turn the con artists into the authorities? Expose them as frauds? Try to get compensation for all their past victims? HEY HEY HEY — NO! You enact some sitcom justice with the help of a Broadway Star and a lot of what we sure hope isn’t pesticide. Join us as we probe the dark corners of a nature-based cult and the giant curves of a 70s bald cap.
Ep 061: Captain Corelli’s Mandalorian (“Hannah Montana” S02E30)
Well this is a first — Chelsea and Andrew unwittingly watched two different episodes of Hannah Montana! Both of them are about Type 1 Diabetes. Join us on a sugar-fueled adventure through a world of secrets, soul patches, and Disney-Trained Child Actors (TM), where felonies are punchlines, twenty-somethings are tweens, and everyone has an extensive wig collection.
Ep 059: Very Special Effects (“Punky Brewster” S02E06&07)
How scary is TOO scary for children? It’s a question seemingly no one on the set of this infamous episode ever asked. Join Andrew, Chelsea, Miles, Mr. Pieces, Punky, Brandon (for your Emmy consideration) and the rest of the gang as we literal fight our way out of a demon-haunted cave in definitely somewhere close to Chicago and not the coast of California.
Ep 058: Halloween Hypocrisy (“My So-Called Life” S01E09)
Like an angst-seeking missile, Angela Chase has gone from trailing after living phantom Jordan Catalano to actual phantom Nicky Driscoll in this Halloweeniest of episodes. We promise this is not a backdoor pilot for Chelsea’s spinoff MSCL podcast. Probably.
Ep 056: Thanks, Satan! (“Salute Your Shorts” S01E13)
Landfills are overflowing, the ice caps are melting, and the oceans are dying. What’s a 90s kid to do? The bare minimum, as it turns out. Join Chelsea and Andrew as we head back to Camp Ananwanna for litter, lectures, and one truly lame Environmental Party.
Ep 054: Convicted Dracula (“The Cosby Show” S05E16)
It’s time to confront the convicted rapist elephant in the room — Bill Cosby. Can we still watch THE COSBY SHOW and feel okay with ourselves? We’ve been avoiding it for two seasons, but it’s time to face this dracula head-on. Join Andrew, Chelsea, Miles, and Sammy Davis Jr. as we grapple with whether or not it’s ever possible to separate the artist from the art, and what happens when a VSE raises more questions about illiteracy than it answers.
Ep 053: Bonusode #2
Do you miss us?? Andrew, Chelsea, and Miles are here for a Season 2 recap and Q&A to tide you over until Season 3 drops! We’re ranking the eps (both awesome and awful), reminiscing about the guests, and answering your listener questions. Plus, we look ahead to ponder the deepest issue of this program — how do we up our snack game for Season 3?