What Was That, Now?

Loann and Art discuss how the landscape is changing for streaming television and they wonder if the promising period of "peak tv" may already be gone. Things discussed in this episode: Peak TV Is Over, Welcome to Trough TV by Sam Adams (Slate) The Enshittification of TikTok by Cory Doctorow (Wired)

Art and Loann start by talking about how moviegoing has changed since the pandemic, is it back to the way it used to be, or too many people happy with watching stuff at home? ( 01:00 ) Then we discuss this upcoming summer movie season, including which movies we're excited to see on the big and the films we're approaching with skepticism. (35:00)

Loann and Art discuss the success of Everything Everywhere All at Once and the recent wave of multiverse storytelling for the big and small screen. We talk a little about the history of the multiverse in fiction, how it can be used, and how to separate it from other genres and subgenres. Loann's multiverse book recommendations: The Peripheral by Charles Gibson The Doors of Eden by Adrian Tchaikovsky Art's multiverse movie recommendations: Triangle Coherence Other things of interest talked about in this episode: Recursion by Blake Crouch The Sundered World by Michael Moorecock The Man in the High Castle by Phillip K. Dick

Art and Loann are talking about some summer watches and reads. Loann is relieved that Sense8 will have a life beyond the cliffhanger ending of this most recent season, while Art thrills to the women of GLOW - the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling. We talk about how shows and movies deal with the immediate aftermath of the apocalypse as Loann chats about the third season of Fear the Walking Dead and Art contrasts and compares that with the recent film It Comes at Night. And lastly, Art and Loann talk about the books they've been reading this summer. Things discussed in this episode: Sens8 (Netflix series) Sens8 To Receive a Two Hour Finale Special on Netflix - Variety GLOW (Netflix Series) G.L.O.W. - The Story of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (Documentary) Fear the Walking Dead It Comes at Night The Southern Reach Trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer: Book 1 Annihilation Book 2 Authority Book 3 Acceptance Before the Fall by Noah Hawley The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

This week Art and Loann dive into The Handmaid's Tale. Margaret Atwood's novel, published in the 1980's is now a hit series for Hulu starring Elizabeth Moss. We talk about the novel and the adaptation - how they differ, how they are the same, and what the story means to us today. Discussed in this episode: Mary McCarthy's 1996 review of the novel in the The New York Times The Handmaid's Tale is a Warning to Conservative Women - Sarah Jones, New Republic Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood