Afleveringen
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Danielle and John are back together, and to transition out of (brat?) summer and into another fall of teaching and The Americans podcasting, they reunited to perform a silly, cringe AF, ultra-frivolous exercise. After receiving a crucial Producer Amy primer, they power rank The Americans characters to determine who is the most Brat. Surprises abound. Because that is somehow not enough, they also place characters on the meme Kamala Harris political alignment chart. Who just fell out of a coconut tree? Your hosts? Tune in and find out.
We also managed to shoehorn in some Oasis chatter, and if you stick around to the end, you'll find out two crucial pieces of news about the NQGB plans for The Americans S5!
Check out the NQGB twitter feed for the final rankings and alignment if you find this extremely-well-planned episode somewhat hard to follow.
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[spoilers ahead in episode description]
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It's the end of an era as Regan and John expire in their earthly Popecasting, even as they ascend into Popecasting heaven, hopefully on a beach with a Papal Speedo-ed Lenny Belardo. This is a revelation (or is Revelation...) filled episode, and we cover it all: the Catholic fanaticism and holy war discourse that are giving Crusades, John Brannox's surprising and maybe surprisingly touching Angelus address to the crowds, Lenny's own address to the crowds, the resolution (?) of the terrorism plotlines this season. What about that closing montage -- too easy? Just right? Who is or are the hero(es) and antihero(es) of this show? How did Lenny become a hostage negotiator? Is Bauer God? Is Voiello a true neutral? Can we have all of our intense conversations on the Sistine Chapel set?
All your fave segments are back for one last rodeo, and because it's the last episode of the Popeverse, Regan and John also indulge in a one-time only End of an Era segment, featuring New/Young Pope coconut-pilled memes, a conversation about magical realism and genre, and a reflection on their relationships to Catholicism and to each other.
Take us aloft as we proverbially crowdsurf the holy listenership of NQGB Popecasting. Set us down in the Pietà pose. Hot Confessor Summer is forever.
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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New Pope and this podcast alike return to their old obsessions for this Penultimate Popeverse Popecast. The touching Vatican state funeral for [redacted for spoiler reasons] provokes a deep dialogue on Voiello, Giorlamo, Franco, the funeral mass, suffering, and love. Other things we obsess about? Sofia-JP3 intimacy, Lenny-Voiello scenes, the Papal Bowflex, fit checks, Joan Didion, Lenin, and everyone’s favorite loquacious rapscallion/God, Bauer.
Miraculously, this episode also includes Regan embracing her role as the foremost theologian of our time as she performs a baller doctrinal excursus on the crucial question of whether transubstantiation can happen through Zoom.
Come, listener, be the third member of our very own terrible trio.
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Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
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[Major ep. 7 spoilers in this episode description]
Pope, saint, miracle worker, messiah, christ, antichrist, revenant, which best applies to resurrected Lenny Belardo?! And which apply to your dear hosts?! Regan and John plot out this and many other papal conundrums as they discuss LENNY BACK. Lenny’s return breaks the show, and we explore the new primary setting of the Venetian manor in this episode, new questions about the Church, and, most importantly, a new opening credits sequence featuring the Glowing Papal Speedo (Lenny’s job is beach). Much like Lenny can’t quite figure out his role in the lives of his hosts Ewa and Helmar and their son Eric, we try to figure out WTF this show is doing with disability.
Somehow this TV episode also contains one of the most strikingly somber and beautiful scenes ever, and this podcast episode includes literary references galore, plagiarism chat, celebration over the way the show’s lighting, Pietà time, Edward Said, and so much more.
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This episode of TV is a whole ordeal (non-derogatory, we think), and your hosts attempt to chart a godly course through the instability and chaos of it all. Leopold Essence’s (what a name) cryptic bug and Sofia’s spy mission-slash-dislocation set off the whole episode: the violence, the scheming, the response (or lack thereof) to the scheming, and the Pope’s risky interview. Esther’s storyline is itself full of chaos and violence (in multiple forms), with Regan and John talking out their reactions to and analyses of these scenes and WTF this show is doing with its approach to disability. Lurking around all of this? Coma Lenny, the ultimate chaos agent.
Make sure to stick around for the segments, where we love and scorn Voiello, ponder New Pope as Coen Brothers-meet-horror movie, use cockroach metaphors from the show to critique mission work, learn about actress Kiruna Stamell’s versatility IRL, celebrate Saint Drogo, and more. We have an all-timer of The Cave for you as well: an Aquinas banger that sets John off plus Regan shouts out a NQGB fave in TheoryShip.
Not to mention, one of your hosts reveals themself to be a bit of a monarchist. Wild stuff.
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Hop in the Popemobile for a journey to the Vatican catacombs, Lourdes, the power of “no”, the power of Sharon Stone, and the inner workings of the collective mind of your hosts Regan and John. If the show is going to openly present narrative as a theme, there is no doubt we will run with it: if religion is a major narrative, what does that mean for the status of the church? Isn’t it fun to make a minor TV narrative about a major narrative of religion? How are Sofia and JP3 trying to shift the narrative in this episode? What narrative work do Lenny’s comatose breathing patterns and Esther’s late night dash do?
Your hosts also imagine a Pope-Chappel Roan-Charli XCX meet-up, discuss Nickelodeon spooky shows, guffaw at the idea of a Saussure second-date book club, and ponder John Brannox’s gin of choice in relation to this hilarious and gorgeously-made episode of TV.
Set your frequency to NQGB and tune in to this ep.
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We didn’t blackmail you into listening to this episode (we think), but we do frame our discussion about John Paul III, Voiello, Spaletta, and the machinations within the Vatican around the idea of blackmail. Does this culminate in considering whether Catholic dogma is inherently a form of blackmail. You (and Nietzsche) already knew that it does. The final scene between Pope JP3 and Gutiérrez may offer a (semi-depraved, in true Popeverse fashion) counterpoint about the reciprocal exchange of vulnerability, however.
Regan and John also discuss NUNS ON STRIKE in the main discussion, Catholica, and The Cave because it couldn’t be contained to one part of the episode, Sofia’s presence in this episode and this season, Esther and the madonna/whore complex, godly skiing, and, naturally, The Hobbit trilogy.
Changed our minds, now we’re blackmailing you into listening – tap play *now*.
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John and Regan have some reservations about Episode Three of The New Pope. Not included in those questions?: millipedes are godly – on that there is no doubt. This may be a plot-mover more than a great episode of TV, but such venal sins have never stopped NQGB before.
There is exploration of more than just millipedes in this episode, however. Your humble hosts tackle the new Pope’s three speeches, how parent-driven self-abnegation paired with a sense of grandiosity brings John Brannox and Lenny Belardo together, and, yes, the skeezy men and problematic depictions of disability circling around Esther in this episode. The segments find us querying nun politics before we lust after plum overcoats, celebrate patron saint trivia, and assign NQGB impresario Danielle Hanley’s 2022 article on choral politics to characters on the show.
Grab your silver pope hammer and turn on this ep.
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Regan and John lay about the English manor of their collective mind as they journey with Team Vatican Dream Blunt Rotation to Sir John Brannox’s estate. Mysteries, Lenny apparitions, purple suits, white rooms, mysterious boxes, and depression abound. Can the dream team convince Sir John to become Pope? What do the different characters project onto Lenny? Have we broken new ground in the cravat + guyliner space? What is the Middle Way? Can your trusty hosts shoehorn in a Saltburn reference?
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Popecast without a Hot Confessor Summer check-in, replete this week with Sofia’s kinky marriage and the increasingly sexed-up opening credits at Club Cloister. This and more if you join us in the NQGB conspiracy lair of this episode.
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PopeCast aka Hot Confessor Summer is BACK on Not Quite Great Books! Regan and John are reunited to begin their pilgrimage through The New Pope, the follow-up mini-series to their blessed The Young Pope.
Lenny may be the structuring absence of this episode and this season of TV, but there is plenty to ponder. After your hosts reflect on their interactions with Catholicism since last summer, they explore the relation of corruption and piety, what the cardinals seek from god and the pope, Silvio Orlando’s Lindsay Lohan turn, the wealth of the Church, and our queen Strega Nona (among other items).
Your favorite segments are back, some staying the same (Pope-pourri, Regan Rectory, Aquinas SZN in The Cave), while others adapt to the times (stay tuned for the replacement for Hot Priest Rating). Also back? This bizarre and wondrous and horny and contemplative show, and your hosts are here to work through it all.
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Time for a check-in! John and Danielle look back on Season 4 of The Americans in its entirety! They dig into some of the big themes from the season, from Glanders, to Paige’s spy development, to the changes in Philip and Elizabeth’s relationship. With the help of previous guest Mike Rensink, they tackle all the different deaths and departures that occurred throughout the season, and John makes a game out of it for Danielle. Of course, they go through the biggest Ls from the Dossier, but touch on the wins too. It wouldn’t be a NQGB ep without Danielle complaining about Pastor Tim’s seeming immortality. And, for good measure, your hosts do some meta convo on the production of the show and throw in one final Plato SZN in The Cave.
Somehow there was also House of the Dragon (light spoilers for S2E1) and Game of Thrones chat, a Marx jaunt (more explicable), and a wide-ranging convo on storytelling arcs considering TV as an industry.
It’s a fun one!
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Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
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While William battles the Lassa virus, Danielle and John contend with the season 4 finale, “Persona Non Grata.” They consider the episode through the lens of endings that lack resolution, digging into the relationships between Philip and Elizabeth, Paige and her parents, as well as the state of affairs with the FBI, Arkadii, and of course, William. Danielle logs a number of losses (and one key win) in the Dossier, and offers some Season 5 predictions. In Glas, your hosts check in with Oleg, chat about Mischa, and John comments on the architecture and filmmaking regarding the quarantine room. After a quick jaunt to Borrowed Nostalgia to log the 80s references, your hosts head to the Cave to complete Plato SZN by turning to the Phaedo. They then wrap up the season with a round of TheoryShips. Join us as we pour one out for William and toast to Season 4!
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Danielle and John are back once again, and not only do they have questions about The Americans S4E12, "A Roy Rogers in Franconia," they have questions about questions. What happens in the aftermath of William's questions about his duty, Paige's questions about Elizabeth, and Oleg's questions about the USSR, and how do those questions reorient other characters? As we delve into these matters (and much more), there's still plenty of time to discuss first-kiss fish lips, a surprising Oleg-David Byrne connection, Dossier conspiracies, and (naturally) Plato SZN.
Sorry for the delay on this episode! The Americans Season 4 finale episode coming your way on June 6.
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Danielle and John are joined by one of John’s best friends, Jordan Cass, to chat all things The Americans 4x11, “Dinner for Seven.” Jordan proves himself to be an impressively prepared co-host, and helps guide us through the key points in this episode around various characters’ experiences of guilt. Together, your three hosts consider how guilt informs Elizabeth’s decisions, relationships with Pastor Tim and Alice, as well as the interaction between Stan and Oleg. In the Dossier, Danielle touches on Gabriel’s sex life, and Jordan and John ask a few leading questions. Jordan offers his insights about Paige’s character development in Glas before your hosts run through some silly stuff and camera angles. PLATO SZN returns to the Republic before a solid set of TheoryShips from all three co-hosts. Come for Jordan’s awesome insights, stay for Danielle’s complaints about how Pastor Tim is still not a ghost. Enjoy!
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Despite its name, this is not an episode about the Lollipop guild - it's The Americans 4x10, “Munchkins.” John and Danielle work through the different plot elements through the lens of entrapment: Stan & Aderholt, Alice & the Jennings, Elizabeth & Don, Gaad & the Munchkins. Danielle laments how Pastor Tim was snatched from his impending death and your hosts laud Keri Russel’s ‘are you kidding me’ face, which makes many-an-appearance this week. In Glas, they chat about Oleg and Tatiana (after Danielle makes a Dossier prediction), and touch on the significance of Kimmy’s return. In Borrowed Nostalgia, they analyze Alice’s fashion choices, Henry’s walkman, and Paige’s coffee choices. It’s still PLATO SZN, but this time your hosts turn to the Phaedo for some fitting insights about death from our favorite Platonic main character, Socrates. Come to this ep for the discussion of the bumbling Russian trio, stay for John’s TheoryShip of Honig to both Paige and Reagan!
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Danielle and John are back to discuss The Americans 4x9, “The Day After.” They call on their Gen-X expert, Jon Keller, to weigh in on the titular TV special and its general significance. They dig into the challenges posed by obligation, thinking about obligations to self, others, and the nation as they structure the lives and decisions of Elizabeth, William, Philip, and Paige throughout the ep. In the Dossier, Danielle claims victory about some of her latest predictions. In Glas, your hosts are excited that racquetball has finally returned to the screen. They also evaluate Elizabeth’s spycraft techniques while on her babysitting adventure, and rate the best outfits of the episode. Danielle forces some variety into PLATO SZN, which leads your hosts to dive into the Laws before offering some solid TheoryShips to close out the episode.
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Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
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Buckle up, folks! This week, John and Danielle dig into The Americans S4E8, “The Magic of David Copperfield V: The Statue of Liberty Disappears.” Through the lens of consolidation, they consider the beautiful, silent opening scene of the episode, Martha’s departure, and the ensuing inner turmoil for Philip, challenges for Elizabeth (including an EST visit), and the clash with Paige. They also tackle Gabriel’s course-correct, TV magic, and EST as an MLM. With Martha gone, it’s time to turn to a new subject in the Dossier: Oleg and Tatiana! In Borrowed Nostalgia, your hosts call out the beer bottles, needle drops, and movie theater antics. Back to PLATO SZN in the Cave, but this time with a new dialogue: Plato’s Euthyphro (otherwise known as Danielle’s least favorite dialogue even though she suggested it!). Come for their serious look at the aftermath of the Martha mission, but stay for their chatter about fashion, movies, and of course, the FBI’s favorite sad boi, Stan and his beer run.
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Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
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In their discussion of The Americans 4x7, “Travel Agents,” John and Danielle come face-to-face with the age-old question (at least for this show…) is the FBI good or bad at its job? And, on top of that, what about the KGB? They marvel at the parallel searches for Martha following her escape, happenings at the respective home bases, as well as the tensions between Philip and his two (?) leading ladies. Danielle reveals a new suspicion and a new worry in the Dossier, and in Borrowed Nostalgia, your hosts shut up and play the hits when they remark on phone booths and how this wouldn’t be possible today (if it ain’t broke and whatnot). They don’t miss the opportunity to chat about the freezer rat or Borscht, and they crown Joan their Minor Character of the Week. PLATO SZN is in full swing in the Cave, including a bonus Theataetus TheoryShip from Danielle. Come for the deep dive into this missing persons search, stay for the demands to show Hans onscreen!
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Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
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Ohhh wow. Things finally come to a head as Danielle and John discuss The Americans S4E6, “The Rat.” They follow the arc of the episode, remarking on Martha’s farewell to her apartment, the tension at the safe house, the FBI discovery, the literal rat, and Martha’s escape. Don’t worry, your hosts don’t miss a chance to draw parallels between the sex scenes between Martha and Philip and Philip and Elizabeth, nor does Danielle miss a chance to lament the continued survival of Martha. They express some Borrowed Nostalgia for the TODAY show, tofu, broaches, and sexism at the FBI. They crown the titular Rat this ep’s Minor Character of the Week before another installment of PLATO SZN. There is some intense rat theorizing, questions about Elizabeth’s cooking, the inspired development of a new NQGB business idea, and even a reappraisal of William in light of recent developments.
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Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
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John and Danielle are joined once again by the incomparable Lilly Goren to dig into The Americans 4x5, “Clark’s Place.” Together, they talk about the table-setting that happens throughout this episode, considering the emotional turmoil of Paige, Martha, and Philip. They take stock of Martha’s pill-popping, Philip’s conversation with Stan, and of course, the “priest” they bring to Pastor Tim. Don’t worry, your hosts also dissect the intense sex scene that closes the ep before heading into the segments. In the Dossier, Danielle voices some skepticism about Elizabeth’s promise to Philip, and in Glas, your hosts gush over Noah Emmerich’s directing and Gabriel’s weird behavior, among other juicy tidbits. Lilly joins in for a rousing rendition of PLATO SZN, and all three offer some TheoryShips to close out the ep. Enjoy!
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