The first time you do anything is complex — the first time you have sex, the first time you learn your boyfriend’s real name, the first time you’re low-key slut-shamed by the boarding school friends you are too old to still be living with in your 20s. Will Natalie navigate the choppy waters of this new life phase with grace and strength? Will Jo voice a value judgement on her friend’s decisions? Will the origins of this random Australian child ever be made known to us? Tune in to find out!
Y’all… did you know the Netflix SHE-RA reboot is like, really really awesome?! This week, we’re back on Etheria for a way more nuanced plot and character discussion than we’ve ever had about this world. It’s almost like this show isn’t a half-hour commercial for toys! Join Chelsea, Andrew, Adora, and the other Princesses of Power (one of whom is Friend of the Pod Vella Lovell) as we do some actual learning in this time of virtual hugging.
Figuring out if most VSEs of DIFF’RENT STROKES did more harm or more good, requires a degree in advanced mathematics. This one is no exception. Did we learn something about street buskers with epilepsy? Sure. But at what societal cost? All this and more will be pondered at length.
Ah, THE OFFICE. So loveable. So quotable. So still finding its footing in this episode (but that’s a great thing!). Come along with three perennial OFFICE re-watchers as we join the ultimate fan of hugging and foe of learning — Michael Scott — and the rest of our heart’s coworkers on Diversity Training Day. Buckle up.
Welcome to Bonanza City, where a group of 40 children will be allowed to form their own society — as long as it adheres exactly to the perameters the producers have laid out for them. In the early days of reality TV, it was quite literally the Wild West, and no one knows that better than the parents who signed the waivers that absolved CBS of responsiblity should their children actually die. Strap in, because this is gonna be a MEGASODE. It’s sinister as hell here in Kid Nation, and we all have a lot to learn.
If you were going to spend an hour this week listening to Hugging and Learning, we’d like to encourage you to listen/subscribe to one of these comedy/pop culture podcasts instead.
It’s 1991, PSA and VSEs are all the rage, but one show dares to be different: EERIE, INDIANA — TWIN PEAKS for TWEENS. If you remember this show (which ran for a single season and was a nearly-perfect ratings bomb), you probably remember it fondly. Join Chelsea, Andrew, and Very Special Guest Allie Fireel as we plumb the depths of this smart, layered show to arrive at a unanimous conclusion: NBC was not ready.
We hate to break it to you, but if your childhood recollections of Gordon Shumway include character traits like “loveable,” “caring,” or “friendly,” you might want to rewatch ALF. Preferably with a good snack or a stiff drink close at hand. Join your hosts, Ronald Reagan (not really), Harry Shearer (yes really) and a very callus and unfeeling extraterrestrial as we debate nuclear disarmament and the addition of a second phone line as equally-weighted issues in the life of the Tanner family.
Can mythical anthropomorphic bears have sensitive, consent-filled filled relationships with the visually impared? Don’t get your hopes up. Join Chelsea, Andrew, Miles, Tummi Gummi, Duke Igthorn, and (Ka)Trina the shepherdess on an adventure where we learn a lot about self-sufficiency and nothing at all about sensitivity.
This episode has it all: accidental wife-punching, a small drug overdose, thirty-five glorious seconds of verbal gymnastics, the Mary Tyler More Physical Comedy Spetacular — and that’s BEFORE we get to the special message about prescription drug abuse! They don’t make ’em like this anymore, folks. Come on in (and look out for that ottoman)!