I'm a Pod Person Now

Interrupting my TV commentary to talk about some podcasts I've been loving

My TV consumption hasn’t been 100% giving this week. I’ve hit the middle of season two of Vanderpump Rules and I’m already loathing how each season will likely feature the SUR gang at Pride and an inappropriate photo shoot of the cast (get back to cheating on each other!). And not to brag but I am VERY close to finally finishing Succession season 3. I’d just like to say that I thought I was being kinda rude in saying watching Succession is like eating your vegetables, and then I watched an entire episode devoted to potential Republican candidates. (It was redeemed by a chaotic dick pic that upends a meeting).

I’m not sold on Swarm but I am fascinated by it?

As promised, I have been watching more Swarm—but TBH, I’ve only watched the first two episodes, and I’m not totally sure I’m gonna keep going. It’s not to say I dislike it, but the show’s grimy tone and sense of dread makes me feel a little heavier than say, a New Girl rerun about Schmidt hating spiders. I will say the pilot surprised me in how much I liked the storytelling: It paints a neat little origin story of nascent serial killer Dre, with the necessary blocks to build empathy for her. It’s such a contained story it could almost stand alone, but oh yeah, this is a show ostensibly about stan culture.

It’s not doing a good job of that, which is fine. I can imagine being able to sell this show in the room by saying it would explore dangerous hive-minded fan culture thru the lens of a young female murderer. But you had me at female murderer! The function of the Beyoncé-like pop star Ni’Jah in the first episode is simply to unify two young women who grew up together. Then (trying not to be super spoiler-y), the first death of the show is so traumatizing that when you witness the first kill of the show, you kinda think he had it coming. Oh, and yes, I totally buy into this theory about Marissa and Dre.

When the second episode picks up years later, her next kill happens with very little buildup other than Dre being annoyed. Then the next immediate kill is like Dre shrugging her shoulders. The motivation for her first murder is so clear and (at least in her head) justified, but now we’ve just jumped ahead to a time when she kills for fun, or maybe just convenience. That’s honestly not that fun to watch—the second episode should be continuing the journey of Dre’s mental state and how she becomes full-on lady Ted Bundy. Contrast the second episode’s first two kills with the final kill in the same ep, which has actual cause and effect and well-used irony, plus some unexpected comedy. There’s good stuff here, I just don’t know if I can stick around (I’m lying because I want to see Billie Eilish doing NXIVM).

Welcome to my podcast era

Anyway! I have not been disappointed by my podcast consumption lately, so that’s more what I want to talk about—and recommend, of course.

I’m taking a buffet approach of podcasts and listening to one here and there, not necessarily committing to new ones and their whole catalogue, with the exception of Keep It and Every Outfit, which I do listen to religiously. BTW, I recommend those if you love pop culture (both) and if you also love Sex and the City and fashion (the latter). Here are some bites and specific eps I’ve been into recently:

Alison Roman on Armchair Expert: I dip in and out of Dax Shepard’s podcast, but I wanted to hear this one as someone who’s loved Roman’s recipes and been fascinated with her in general. Yes, they discuss her 2020 cancellation—the conversations around the concept tend to be annoying, but it’s interesting to hear her approach since then (finally, a person who has learned how and when they should shut the fuck up!). The way she says “Does she know what I did?” when learning about co-host Monica Padman’s fandom has not left my brain this week.

Poog: I lied, I am not taking a buffet approach to all my new podcasts, for I now worship at the altar of Poog. Rec’d by my friend Molly, I’ve gotten sucked in to the enigmatic conversations of comedians Kate Berlant and Jacqueline Novak and enjoy the nonlinear format (it’s not haha-funny necessarily, unless we’re talking about the ad reads, which are incredible). Recommended if you need girlfriends obsessed with wellness and therapy. If you’re already into it, reach out to me so we can make a reso at Jar.

Work Appropriate: After Anne Helen Peterson’s Layoff Brain unlocked some career-related revelations, I sought out her podcast. It’s all work-focused, which TBH, I easily fill up on and that’s not even because I’m not working rn, so I dip in and out. I recently enjoyed this episode with Maya Lau about salary transparency, which led me to…

Other People’s Pockets: Lau hosts her own pod, where she and guests speak openly about the most taboo topic: how much money people make. This episode with Cord Jefferson is enthralling not only to learn that he went from a broke Gawker writer to a multimillion dollar-earning TV writer but how little he bought for himself in lean times (men living alone are weird).

Etc.: My friend Laura sent me Maintenance Phase about French Women Don’t Get Fat and I’m definitely hooked on the charismatic hosts and going to listen to more eps; Forever 35 referenced writing podcast Don’t Wait to Write, and the freelancing advice and writing prompts are great for fellow writers, and next I have queued up Cathy Heller’s podcast with Julia Cameron (she of The Artist’s Way fame). Tell me what else I should be listening to, please!