The Running Man

Heavy topics:A loner young man who becomes radicalized, you know, for a change“We are doomed to repeat the mistakes of previous generations” is maybe what Stephen was going for, but....This is a 1 to 1 metaphor about addictionThe lighter side:This book is what’s the phrase *checks notes* EXTREMELY GAYChristine did nothing wrongA lil smoochAn exciting new flavor of overbearing mother and bumbling dadLillie makes the Best Freud JokeRecommendations:Songs about evil and/or dangerous transportation that simply slap: Satan is My Motor by CAKE, Survival Car by Fountains of Wayne, Bat Out of Hell by MeatloafSupernatural episode “Route 666” aka RACIST TRUCKQueer Theory in 80s and 90s Action Movies video essay by Renegade Cutvideo essay by Renegade CutAny of the Tim Burton directed or produced Batman moviesGone Home video gameFollow us on twitter: @Listen_StephenEmail us: [email protected] the show at: patreon.com/listenstephenFollow Margot on Twitter: @whattehfoxtrotOur intro song is by Lena Orsa

Heavy topics:We really, really, REALLY hate Ben RichardsWhoooo boy there is so much racism and misogyny hereSex work is just a part of this world and is totally unremarkable unless my wife does itA man’s sense of self and ego are more important than anything else in his lifeThe YMCA basement scene! No thanks!The lighter side:Stephen King's Beard From When He Was Going Through ItThe explosives thing is real dumbWe had to read the word pudenda with our very own eyeballsRecommendations:Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick, Bright: The Apotheosis of Lazy World Building video essay by Lindsay Ellis, The Hunger Games by Suzanne CollinsFollow us on twitter: @Listen_StephenEmail us: [email protected] the show at: patreon.com/listenstephenFollow Margot on Twitter: @whattehfoxtrotOur intro song is by Lena Orsa

Heavy topics:Get in loser, we’re getting existentially traumatizedDisplacement of griefTHE. LEECHES!Teddy’s anger and his relationship with his dadStud City has some… troubling implicationsThe lighter side:Real 1960s childhood sad boi hoursGordie, you and Chris are absolutely in love and you’re so fucking valid.Hemingway and Faulkner… you wish my dudeWhat do we have to do to get invited to this damn secret society?“If this woman giving birth in my taxi had been screaming hysterically instead of breathing weirdly, I wouldn’t have crashed the car.” Sure my dude.David’s wife sure is… there…Recommendations:Eighth Grade, Over the Garden Wall tv mini-series, Harry Potter series, Wuthering Heights or any other gothic Romance, Crimson Peak, any Sherlock Holmes novel.Follow us on twitter: @Listen_StephenEmail us: [email protected] the show at: patreon.com/listenstephenFollow Margot on Twitter: @whattehfoxtrotOur intro song is by Lena Orsa

Heavy topics:Red is not a sympathetic narrator, he is a barely remorseful murdererThe horror and failure of the American prison systemNazis, the Holocaust, and the deaths of millionsTodd and Dussander’s toxic relationship ruined them bothThe lighter side:In which we learn why Margot hates Adam SandlerEVERYONE is doing crime in this prison, can you believeFellas, is it gay to break your parole and run away to Mexico to run a hotel with your friend whose companionship helped you cope with prison?In which we meet Stephen’s worst parents everTodd is a unit. Absolutely in awe at the size of this terrible lad.Dussander is old and gross, Todd is mad about it, and we laugh at him for it.Recommendations:Orange is the New Black, Exhibit A (both on Netflix)The Lord of the Rings by JRR TolkienWell I guess SOMEBODY had to read Trigger Warning video by Jenny NicholsonWhat Happened After My 13-Year-Old Son Joined the Alt-Right from the WashingtonianFollow us on twitter: @Listen_StephenEmail us: [email protected] the show at: patreon.com/listenstephenFollow Margot on Twitter: @whattehfoxtrotOur intro song is by Lena Orsa

In which we discuss the most overdone costumes and offer alternatives, give you some ideas for pair costumes that AREN'T the Grady twins, and tell you the funniest, sexiest, and of course the scariest costumes of all.Follow us on twitter: @Listen_StephenEmail us: [email protected] the show at: patreon.com/listenstephenFollow Margot on Twitter: @whattehfoxtrotOur intro song is by Lena Orsa

Heavy topics:Eating disorders, addiction, control, and inertiaEVERYONE in this book is anxious about somethingDonna's maternal transgression is punished by losing her sonHot take: addiction is badThe lighter side:Tad is a sexy lampDog actors are bad at being badKeep your sneeze kink off our podcast, Lillian38 YEARS OLD??? HELLO???Recommendations:Russian Doll tv series, Sawbones episode 160: "Frankenberry Stool," "Stay Sexy and Don't Get Murdered" by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark, and anything written by Carrie Fisher.Follow us on twitter: @Listen_StephenEmail us: [email protected] the show at: patreon.com/listenstephenFollow Margot on Twitter: @whattehfoxtrotOur intro song is by Lena Orsa

Heavy topics:Four and a half years in a coma…. No ThanksStephen’s writing about women, based on the intersection of religious fanaticism and motherhoodThe argument that serial killers are often abuse victims is one put forth by the serial killersNazis, Hitler, Trump, and how to actually create political changeThe lighter side:A fatal hotdog mistakeThe Dead Zone could’ve been more of a Fun Zone“Hell yeah I’d kill Hitler!”Everyone is SUPER down with psychics for some gd reasonSkepticism as the plot demandsRecommendations:  Castle Rock on Hulu, Broadchurch season 1, “Hope Chest” by Garth NixFollow us on twitter: @Listen_StephenEmail us: [email protected] the show at: patreon.com/listenstephenFollow Margot on Twitter: @whattehfoxtrotOur intro song is by Lena Orsa

Heavy topics: There are SO MANY horrible deaths McVries is a problematic fave to put it lightly Stephen brings race into this AGAIN when will he stop. The lighter side: Lillie's Hot Beach Reads™ Raw hamburger?? Hello??? That watermelon sounds so good Jahoobies Don't be a coward, let's be gay. Recommendations: 1984 by George Orwell, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, The Giver by Lois Lowry, and The Maze Runner films. Follow us on twitter: @Listen_Stephen Email us: [email protected] Support the show at: patreon.com/listenstephen Follow Margot on Twitter: @whattehfoxtrot Our intro song is by Lena Orsa

Heavy topics:Stephen does not have a nuanced grasp of how to do Native American representation and we REALLY wish he would stop trying.Charlie's mom gets very murdered. Thanks, we hate it.The monstrous feminine, spooky little girls, and the destruction of the familyThe lighter side:In the battle between the dangers of harboring a psychic fugitive vs the civil liberties of a pontificating man, who will win? (It's the dude of course it's the dude you shouldn't be surprised at this point)Orcs, balrogs, and trolls are DIFFERENTMiss Honey is the absolute bestCarrie and Charlie should be bestiesLITTLE GIRL LIKE HORSERecommendations:Matilda, Killing Eve, Charlie's Angels (2000), and therapy.Follow us on twitter: @Listen_StephenEmail us: [email protected] the show at: patreon.com/listenstephenFollow Margot on Twitter: @whattehfoxtrotOur intro song is by Lena Orsa

Heavy topics: Measles is fucked up, get vaccinated. Nadine’s rape and the wasted potential of her character Tom Cullen is effectively a new character and it is bad Stephen’s addiction issues are really showing The lighter side: Knife fighting in a Denny’s parking lot - The Scientist Way Margot's wife, Dayna Jurgens, is still amazing Levitation = virility??? or something???? Ghost slaps vs corporeal slaps - which has the moral high ground? A family can be four ride-or-die people who aren't related Recommendations: Mean Girls, David Tennant Does A Podcast With..., Someone Who Will Love You in All Your Damaged Glory by Raphael Bob-Waksberg, Bojack Horseman, The Good Place Follow us on twitter: @Listen_Stephen Email us: [email protected] Support the show at: patreon.com/listenstephen Follow Margot on Twitter: @whattehfoxtrot Follow Isabel on Twitter: @IsabelOtt Our intro song is by Lena Orsa