History Harpies: Pop Culture, Past and Present

Yes, He Is Eddie Murphy, Dammit! (Ft. Boomerang, Bowfinger, and Dolemite Is My Name)

In a fun-size episode, Lauren and Christine wear red leather suits and get out their diplomas from the Velvet Jones School of Technology while discussing the versatile career of genius Eddie Murphy.

Yes, Pop Culture Invented Friend Groups (Ft. Love is Blind, The Big Chill, and St Elmo’s Fire)

Lauren and Christine honor “girl code,” map out love triangles and quadrangles, and book a big table for brunch as they consider the recent-ish popularity of friend groups in pop culture. And they marvel at the size of Rob Lowe’s saxophone.

No, Cathy and Heathcliff Aren’t Hollywood’s First Mad Lovers (Ft. Wuthering Heights, Body Heat, & 9 1/2 Weeks)

Lauren and Christine sweat, sigh, and gasp as they consider passionate, obsessive, madly-in-love couples with unhappy endings. They make bad choices, but at least they look gorgeous!

No, Rob Reiner Didn’t Invent Rom-Coms, But He Perfected Them (Ft. When Harry Met Sally, The Sure Thing, and It Happened One Night)

Lauren and Christine take a road trip, sing show tunes, and bicker as they revisit two classic rom-coms directed by Rob Reiner, and the one directed by Frank Capra that started it all. And we’ll have what she’s having.

Yes, Rebels Are Always On the Run (Ft. One Battle After Another, North By Northwest, and Running on Empty)

Lauren and Christine change their names, color their hair, and get fake IDs as they discuss Hollywood’s long love for mistaken identities, new identities, and criminals on the run. And they imagine the what-could-have-been of the remarkable River Phoenix (R.I.P.). Book recommendations: Natalie Zemon Davis, The Return of Martin Guerre Tom Engelhardt, The End of Victory Culture: Cold War America and the Disillusioning of a Generation