Death Wish

10. Season Finale

In this episode, the girls prepare for death by reflecting on everything they’ve learned in season one. Good news: we’re making Season 2.  Slightly inconvenient news: you’ll have to wait for it.  The solution? We launched a Death Wish Substack! Same vibe, different medium to grapple with all the big, weird, funny questions we have about death. Subscribe at substack.com/@thedeathwishpodcast. [https://substack.com/@thedeathwishpodcast] Text us to let us know what you think of the episode! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2550859/open_sms] Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/thedeathwishpodcast?igsh=dWJ5and4YXJudDQ0&utm_source=qr] and Substack [https://substack.com/@thedeathwishpodcast]for more.

9. Do Not Resuscitate Orders

In this episode, the girls prepare for death by considering Do Not Resuscitate orders. We recommend: Caitlin: the 1964 vintage horror film, The Masque of the Red Death Kaylin: the protest song, Coffin for a Head of State, by Fela Kuti Kris: the November 2025 BBC coverage [https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgq0jzw5n2o]of the Thai woman who was nearly cremated alive Megan: the Guardian article, Incredible story of Irish labourer buried alive in coffin for 61 days told in new documentary [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/17/incredible-story-of-irish-labourer-buried-alive-in-coffin-for-61-days-told-in-new-documentary], about the Irish language film, Buried Alive We referenced: * Doctors Saved Her Life. She Didn’t Want Them To. [https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/26/well/patients-dnr-orders-ignored.html] * Overview of Legal and Ethical Issues in Health Care [https://www.merckmanuals.com/home/fundamentals/legal-and-ethical-issues/overview-of-legal-and-ethical-issues-in-health-care?_gl=1*11go76j*_up*MQ..*_ga*OTUzOTcyNDkxLjE3NzE5NDQzODE.*_ga_CJ792HFYYC*czE3NzE5NDQzODAkbzEkZzAkdDE3NzE5NDQzODAkajYwJGwwJGgw] * Variation Found Among Hospitals in Carrying out DNR Orders [https://www.bu.edu/sph/news/articles/2017/variation-found-among-hospitals-in-carrying-out-dnr-orders/] * Patients with do-not-resuscitate orders have worse outcomes, higher death rates, study finds [https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/hospitals/dnr-patients-have-worse-outcomes-higher-death-rates-study-finds] * Hospital DNR Orders – WTF (Why They Failed) [https://geripal.org/hospital-dnr-orders-wtf-why-they-failed/] * Can a DNR be Revoked by Family? What You Need to Know [https://trustandwill.com/learn/can-a-dnr-be-revoked-by-family] * What Does a Do-Not-Resuscitate (DNR) Order Mean and Why Are They Used? [https://www.goodrx.com/health-topic/end-of-life/dnr-order-do-not-resuscitate?srsltid=AfmBOorc7E_07JAUFeskzkQjljEN0G9IWsqReCoKIkdZT1WGDuHqFcQ6] Text us to let us know what you think of the episode! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2550859/open_sms] Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/thedeathwishpodcast?igsh=dWJ5and4YXJudDQ0&utm_source=qr] and Substack [https://substack.com/@thedeathwishpodcast]for more.

8. Your Dream Funeral

In this episode, the girls prepare for death with some preliminary funeral plans. We recommend: Caitlin: The Golden Girls: S5.E7, “Not Another Monday”, aired Nov 11, 1989 for how it tackles Medical Assistance in Dying  Kaylin: the classic, gothic novel, Wuthering Heights, specifically the scene where a grieving Heathcliff exhumes his lover, Cathy’s, corpse  Kris: The X-Files; S1.E13 “Beyond the Sea,” and how that episode depicts grief  Megan: the 2001 novel, Year of Wonders, by Geraldine Brooks, for its portrayal of an English town in 1666 touched by mass death We referenced: After. (n.d.). Memorial service vs. funeral: What’s the difference?https://www.after.com/articles/memorial-service-vs-funeral [https://www.after.com/articles/memorial-service-vs-funeral] Dignity Memorial. (n.d.). Trends in celebration-of-life planning.https://www.dignitymemorial.com/memorial-services/planning-a-celebration-of-life/trends [https://www.dignitymemorial.com/memorial-services/planning-a-celebration-of-life/trends] Order of the Good Death. (n.d.). History of the death positive movement.https://www.orderofthegooddeath.com/history-of-death-positive-movement/ [https://www.orderofthegooddeath.com/history-of-death-positive-movement/] Wildflower Funeral Concepts. (2026, January 8). 9 ways the funeral industry is changing in 2026 and beyond.https://www.wildflowerfuneralconcepts.com/post/9-ways-the-funeral-industry-is-changing-in-2026-and-beyond [https://www.wildflowerfuneralconcepts.com/post/9-ways-the-funeral-industry-is-changing-in-2026-and-beyond] CNBC Select. (2025, February 20). How much does a funeral cost?https://www.cnbc.com/select/how-much-does-funeral-cost [https://www.cnbc.com/select/how-much-does-funeral-cost/]/ Text us to let us know what you think of the episode! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2550859/open_sms] Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/thedeathwishpodcast?igsh=dWJ5and4YXJudDQ0&utm_source=qr] and Substack [https://substack.com/@thedeathwishpodcast]for more.

7. Mourning Rituals

In this episode, the girls prepare for death by getting into mourning traditions. We recommend: Caitlin: the 2025 book, Morbidly Curious: A Scientist Explains Why We Can't Look Away by Coltan Scrivner, PhD Kaylin: the 2025 FX/Hulu series, Dying for Sex, for its complex depiction of a woman’s final months of life Kris: the 2025 HBO series, The Pitt, for its trauma-informed storytelling about death in an ER Megan: the 2024 spy thriller series, Day of the Jackal, which made her root for an assassin We referenced: Forget me not – revealing Victorian… | National Trust for Scotland [https://www.nts.org.uk/stories/forget-me-not-revealing-victorian-mourning-customs] How rituals around Irish deaths, wakes and funerals have changed [https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2023/0118/1346067-ireland-death-rituals-funerals-wakes/] 7 Unique Burial Rituals Across the World | Britannica [https://www.britannica.com/list/7-unique-burial-rituals-across-the-world] Funeral practices and beliefs about the afterlife in South and Southeast Asia | Pew Research Center [https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2023/09/12/funeral-practices-and-beliefs-about-the-afterlife/] Text us to let us know what you think of the episode! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2550859/open_sms] Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/thedeathwishpodcast?igsh=dWJ5and4YXJudDQ0&utm_source=qr] and Substack [https://substack.com/@thedeathwishpodcast]for more.

6. Final Disposition: Part 2

In this episode the girls prepare for death by considering “sustainable” body disposal practices. We recommend: Caitlin: the Apple TV series, Pluribus for depicting body disposal labor Kaylin: the 2019 film, The Lighthouse, and Peacock’s Pokerface season 2 episode 2 for knowing cremated remains are pulverised bones Kris: The Pitt season 2 for continuing to raise DNR awareness, and Netflix’s His and Hers Megan: the Netflix series, Derry Girls for the Irish wake scene We referenced: * https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/jul/09/greener-way-to-go-eco-friendly-way-dispose-of-body-burial-cremation [https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/jul/09/greener-way-to-go-eco-friendly-way-dispose-of-body-burial-cremation] * https://recompose.life/ [https://recompose.life/] * https://www.webmd.com/balance/what-is-human-composting [https://www.webmd.com/balance/what-is-human-composting]  * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_composting [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_composting]  * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_American_Way_of_Death [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_American_Way_of_Death] * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Promession [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Promession] * https://earthfuneral.com/resources/sky-burials-eco-friendly-funerals/ [https://earthfuneral.com/resources/sky-burials-eco-friendly-funerals/] * https://www.conservationburialalliance.org/ [https://www.conservationburialalliance.org/] * http://www.naturaldeath.org.uk/index.php?page=find-a-natural-burial-site [http://www.naturaldeath.org.uk/index.php?page=find-a-natural-burial-site] * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burial_at_sea [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burial_at_sea] * https://www.epa.gov/marine-protection-permitting/burial-sea#instructions [https://www.epa.gov/marine-protection-permitting/burial-sea#instructions] * https://resomation.com/ [https://resomation.com/] * https://ncceh.ca/resources/evidence-reviews/alternative-disposition-services-green-burial-alkaline-hydrolysis-and [https://ncceh.ca/resources/evidence-reviews/alternative-disposition-services-green-burial-alkaline-hydrolysis-and] * https://curious.earth/blog/sustainable-green-burials/ [https://curious.earth/blog/sustainable-green-burials/] * https://www.eternalreefs.com/ [https://www.eternalreefs.com/] * https://www.eternalreefs.com/the-eternal-reefs-story/ [https://www.eternalreefs.com/the-eternal-reefs-story/] * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_cremation [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_cremation] * https://www.greenmatters.com/p/eco-friendly-burial-methods [https://www.greenmatters.com/p/eco-friendly-burial-methods] * https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1126630/ [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1126630/] * https://funerals.org/get-help/green-options/ [https://funerals.org/get-help/green-options/] * https://www.interraburial.com/ecological-burial-options [https://www.interraburial.com/ecological-burial-options] * https://davidsuzuki.org/living-green/green-end-of-life-options/ [https://davidsuzuki.org/living-green/green-end-of-life-options/] * https://returnhome.com/what-are-the-different-types-of-eco-friendly-burials/ Text us to let us know what you think of the episode! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2550859/open_sms] Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/thedeathwishpodcast?igsh=dWJ5and4YXJudDQ0&utm_source=qr] and Substack [https://substack.com/@thedeathwishpodcast]for more.