Ep. 114: Second Acts: The Waiting to X-Hale Finale

I've been dreaming of this very journey for a few years. I turned 40 during COVID and was hit with speed bump after speed bump. Situations I have never anticipated experiencing and in some cases it will be my first time sharing it with you.    Once you've lived through a pandemic as I have, you see things differently, your appreciation for life hits differently and your tolerance for BS plummets… I want to navigate those twists and turns with you and stray off the beaten path just for the thrill of it. Through the chaos, expect a touch of wit and snark, the kind that's earned from years of figuring it out.     Just for W2X listeners I'm offering an opportunity for you to get the full breadth of my journey forward. Learn more at tangentisland.com how you can get exclusive access to my companion show, Tangent Island: Staying Afloat and video episodes of the main show.     Tangent Island drops every Monday and launches officially in January 2024.   In the meantime follow the show feed on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, me on Instagram @wynter and the show @tangentisland   

It’s the final episode, and there are tears shed, and personal revelations made as Karen and Wynter contemplate their favorite “second acts” in popular culture. Amidst it all, Wynter also discusses her new project dropping in January, and Karen shares a couple of lines from her new book Normporn. Plus, a glimpse at Apple TV+’s The Supermodel, and Todd Haynes’ latest, May/December. What’s the last NUO-LINGO ever? And what did each of our hosts choose as their final songs? We’re going to miss all of you, and thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your support.

In our penultimate episode, Wynter and Karen prepare for the end by reflecting on their favorite series finales including Mad Men, Six Feet Under, The Good Place and The Americans among others. Before they do, Karen insists on one more discussion about a pop culture controversy: Julianna Marguilles’ condescending comments told from her perspective “as someone who plays a lesbian journalist” on TV. Our team LOVES Squid Game: The Challenge, which is their new problematic fave. Plus, NUO-LINGO is unlocked for the last 2 episodes and butch/femme songs of the week.

This week we present our second "best of" episode featuring a collection of the lovely guests we've had over the years. You'll hear Guy Branham & Margaret Wappler make their first appearance since the end of Pop Rocket (3:28), Kathy Valentine talk about the L.A. punk scene and feminism (15:27), Kevin Smith talk about working with his daughter (24:37), June Diane Raphael give her take on Clueless (34:09), Bob Odenkirk talk about Mr. Show and using comedy to expose homophobia (49:21), Renee Bever and Tavia Nyong'o talk about blackness in horror cinema (55:48) and Sandra Bernhard gives her thoughts about fighting on the internet.    To get early access to releases and bonus content weekly, please subscribe to our patreon at patreon.com/waitingtoxhale  

We present our first "best of" episode featuring clips or topics that were ahead of the curve. From the prediction of the Cocaine Bear movie, the ahead of her time Queen Latifah and Wynter's discovery of TUBI to darker predictions of COVID conspiracy theories and political unrest, we look back on what we got right.   Episodes featured:   Ep. 6: What the Wild Things Teach Us: Cocaine Bear vs. Meth Gator Ep. 10: On Becoming Kirstin Dunst: 1990s KD vs. 2000s KD Ep. 13: All Hail the Queen (Latifah, not that other lady): Cleo vs. Khadijah Ep. 22: Hostless with the Mostest - Oscars 2020 Ep. 26: “What Movie Am I In?!?”  Our Brave New World of Outbreaks and De-Extinction Ep. 31: Conspiracy Theories Ep. 53:  Written in the Stars w/ Amanda Yates Garcia, the Oracle of L.A.   To get early access to releases and bonus content weekly, please subscribe to our patreon at patreon.com/waitingtoxhale

Wynter flies solo again as she discusses her favorite natural disaster movies as Hurricane Hilary is set to bring the rain to SoCal. She shares her thoughts on guilty pleasures she’s indulging like Baywatch Nights and getting rid of cable. and what she thinks is the unlikely song of the summer which is a throwback to the eurodance era of the 90s.   To get early access to releases and bonus content weekly, please subscribe to our patreon at patreon.com/waitingtoxhale

Wynter flies solo as she discusses Gen X grief in the wake of Sinead O’Connor and Paul “Pee Wee Herman” Reuben's deaths. She shares her thoughts Greta Gerwig’s Barbie success,  the Lizzo controversy, and recommends a British show that depicts Hollywood post-#MeToo. Plus her dedication to a popular Seattle radio station that’s been turning out her favorite greatest hits all week.   To get early access to releases and bonus content please subscribe to our patreon at patreon.com/waitingtoxhale

It’s the hottest summer on record, so Karen and Wynter take it upon themselves to discuss the pop culture that’s bringing all the heat,  from Barbenheimer opening weekend, to Mission Impossible and the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. Before all that, Wynter rants about the erosion of travel etiquette, while Karen prepares for her return to Oz with a look at Deadloch, a lesbionic Aussie murder mystery that its writers originally called “Funny Broadchurch.” Plus, songs of the week from (you guessed it), Australia, and Japan.   To get early access to releases and bonus content weekly, please subscribe to our patreon at patreon.com/waitingtoxhale

Wynter and KT have so much to chew on this week, including the scramble for social media life-rafts after Twitter. Wynter tells us all about the new Meta platform, Threads, while KT documents her various false starts and efforts at making a go of it on Bluesky. The two dish deep on the 2nd season of Hulu’s The Bear, and ask the question, “Fishes” or “Forks?,” all while heaping praise on Ayo Edibiri’s contributions to heartwarming BLERD representation.They also share their feelings about season two of And Just Like That…. Plus two songs of the week from Le Tigre and Otoboke Beaver.   To get early access to releases and bonus content please subscribe to our patreon at patreon.com/waitingtoxhale

Wynter is back and we have an episode filled with SPOILER ALERTS for both the season finale of Dave and all of Black Mirror, season 6. Which of Streamberry’s eps do we love, or…not so much? KT has an action alert for the LGBTQ+ community, as the GenX 1990s activist organization Queer Nation revs back up in Los Angeles to fight the ‘phobes. Plus, Japanese yacht rock and our undisputed song of the summer.   To get early access to releases and bonus content subscribe to our patreon at: patreon.com/waitingtoxhale