Over the course of its seven seasons, The Golden Girls had 25 million viewers and earned 68 Emmy nominations. Each of the girls, Rue McClanahan (Blanche Devereaux), Bea Arthur (Dorothy Zbornak), Estelle Getty (Sophia Petrillo) and Betty White (Rose Nylund) won Emmy's for their performances and more than three decades later, the show is still in syndication. All to say, the show was popular! Beloved friend of the pod and The Golden Girls super fan, Marshall Watson (he/him), joins Hannah and Marce...
Nov 26, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Welcome back to Material Concerns! In this episode, Marcelle and Hannah answer your questions. They talk phone games, the Witch, Please team as different types of witches, genre conventions and Twin Peaks! As a reminder, for just $5 USD/month you'll get part two, our extensive backlog, ad-free episodes, and oh so much more! *** Music Credits: “Shopping Mall”: by Jay Arner and Jessica Delisle ©2020 Used by permission. All rights reserved. As recorded by Auto Syndicate on the album “Bongo Dance”. ...
Nov 12, 2024•28 min•Season 2Ep. 3
In honor of spooky season, we bring you an episode about the beloved cult classic, Twin Peaks! This show from Mark Frost and David Lynch, starring Kyle MacLachlan , is widely understood as one of the most influential television series ever! And yet it its original run began April 1990 and ended just fourteen months later in June 1991. In this episode, Marcelle explores why this show, that began as a hit, fell in ratings so quickly. Hannah and Marcelle then discuss the power of cult followings an...
Oct 29, 2024•53 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Today we’re dropping a bonus conversation into your feed featuring Adrian Angus, a dear friend of Marcelle's who passed away unexpectedly in September. This bonus episode was originally released as a Patreon perk back in March 2021. At the time, our flagship show was Witch, Please, a scholarly podcast about the Harry Potter world and this bonus accompanied our Book three episode about The Prison Industrial Complex with guest Mercedes Eng — which you can listen to wherever you get your podcasts. ...
Oct 19, 2024•23 min
Thank you for your questions about dopamine, dinosaurs and cats! In part one of this Material Concerns episode, we also launch a new segment called "Make It Make Sense" where Hannah and Marcelle rely on no research to guess why certain things are popular! Thanks for your suggestions via Instagram! As a reminder, for just $5 USD/month you'll get part two, our extensive backlog, ad-free episodes, and oh so much more! *** Music Credits: “Shopping Mall”: by Jay Arner and Jessica Delisle ©2020 Used b...
Oct 15, 2024•33 min•Season 2Ep. 2
For this episode, we're joined by Jesse Meadows (they/them) to discuss the most zeitgeist-y neurotransmitter around: dopamine! Have you been targeted Instagram Reels and Tik Toks about increasing your dopamine levels or managing ADHD through pleasure abstinence? Well that may have more to do with tech bros, billionaires and health capitalism than you think! Tune in for a conversation about pseudo-science, "hedonic Calvinism," eugenics, Big Pharma, manipulative algorithms and more! Check out Jess...
Oct 01, 2024•1 hr 11 min•Season 2Ep. 2
You had so many great questions about Hannah's forthcoming book, Clever Girl and our Jurassic Park episode all about spectacle —and we answer a lot of them in part one of this Material Concerns episode! As a reminder, for just $5 USD/month you'll get part two, our extensive backlog, ad-free episodes, and oh so much more! *** Music Credits: “Shopping Mall”: by Jay Arner and Jessica Delisle ©2020 Used by permission. All rights reserved. As recorded by Auto Syndicate on the album “Bongo Dance”. Hos...
Sep 17, 2024•31 min•Season 2Ep. 1
In this episode, Hannah and Marcelle discuss what made Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park (1993) the ultimate CGI summer blockbuster, the history of American spectacle, and the monstrosity of the movie's out-of-control lady dinosaurs! Hannah leads this episode and if you're left wanting more, we have great news: their forthcoming book, Clever Girl: Jurassic Park , is available for preorder right now! Clever Girl "is a smart and incisive exploration of everyone’s favorite dinosaur movie and the fem...
Sep 03, 2024•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 1
We continue our summer slowdown with a new Material Concerns episode once again featuring answers to YOUR questions. Marcelle is in Ontario for a family TRIP (not a vacation because kids are present!!) and Hannah is recovering from travels east! In this episode, they answer your hard hitting questions like "why is your team so hot!!!!?" Part two of this conversation will be available at all our tiers on Patreon on Thursday! For just $5 USD/month you'll get to hear Marcelle and Hannah discuss mor...
Aug 20, 2024•21 min
We're so thrilled to be joined by the incredible Karrmen Crey (she/her) for this episode about FX's coming-of-age dramedy, Reservation Dogs! Released via Hulu from 2021-2023, this show is notable not only for its rich storytelling and beloved protagonists (shoutout to Bear, Cheese, Elora, and Willie Jack!), but also for its entirely Indigenous creative team from the creators to the cast and crew. In this episode, Marcelle (who is a huge fan of the show) offers some insight into how Reservation D...
Aug 06, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 22
Welcome back to another Material Concerns episode! We recorded this episode live for all our Patreon supporters so you'll notice there's a slightly different vibe; namely, Coach is on mic! We talk theory, past episodes, what's making our hearts flutter these days, and more. If you want more, tune into Part II, all about the second half of Bridgerton Season Three, through our Patreon. Become a paid supporter at any tier and you'll get access to the video and to the audio! We'll be back in two wee...
Jul 23, 2024•30 min
Have you ever been to a Tupperware party? Or perhaps a Pure Romance party? Avon? Then you may be familiar with pyramid schemes! In this episode, Marcelle guides Hannah through the history of Tupperware parties and their rising popularity post WWII. She then offers some Lauren Berlant theory (which always makes for a good episode!!); specifically, their concept of "cruel optimism." If that sounds familiar, it's because we first visited this theory in our Queer Eye episode. Enjoy the episode and b...
Jul 09, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 21
We continue our summer slowdown with a new Material Concerns episode featuring answers to YOUR questions. As a reminder, we're still releasing episodes every two weeks, but every other episode will be a Material Concerns episode; an unscripted, more casual conversation between Marcelle and Hannah. In this episode, they talk about how Dirty Dancing, summer camp, Bridgerton, the female gaze and so much more. If you enjoy the episode, head over to Patreon.com/ohwitchplease for Part II! The rest of ...
Jun 25, 2024•32 min
In this episode, we're talking about the HBO series The Last of Us, which was adapted from the popular video game of the same name! If you like the show, zombie content, playing video games, or thinking about how art gets transcoded across mediums, then this episode is for you! AND if you don't know what transcoding means, then this episode will really knock your socks off because Marcelle does a great job defining the word — as well as adaptation itself! Together, Hannah and Marcelle consider t...
Jun 11, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 20
We're starting a summer slowdown! That means we're still releasing episodes every two weeks, but every other episode will be a Material Concerns episode; an unscripted, more casual conversation between Marcelle and Hannah. They'll talk about how they're doing, what they're up to, research they didn't get to in "regular" episodes, content they're consuming and more! In this Material Concerns episode they give personal updates and chat about the other shows we have going on at Witch, Please Produc...
May 28, 2024•35 min
In this episode, Marcelle and Hannah are joined by Andrea Warner (she/her), the author of The Time of My Life , an exploration of Dirty Dancing as a deeply feminist film. We begin with a conversation about sexy films that made our younger selves all hot and bothered before heading into the segment "Why This? Why Now?" Hannah guides us through the difficulty that writer and producer Eleanor Bergstein faced in getting this movie made and distributed. We talk Reagan, Roe v. Wade, and nostalgia for ...
May 14, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 19
Witch Please Productions is on Spring Break, so we're taking the opportunity to re-introduce you to Gender Playground, a podcast co-hosted by Marcelle Kosman and Raimi Marx about the joys of gender-affirming care for kids. This show launched to our Patreon last year and through patron support, we were able to launch it to the public in February of this year! We're dropping Episode 5 into your feed: Plans, Trans, and Autonomy. In this episode, Marcelle and Raimi discuss “transition.” We begin wit...
Apr 30, 2024•46 min
Material Girls is on Spring Break! But don't fret! We unlocked an episode of Making Worlds, our Patreon-exclusive video podcast hosted by Hannah McGregor. Making Worlds is dedicated to the liberatory possibilities of other worlds! In each episode Hannah speaks with a guest (or two) about a sci-fi, fantasy, speculative fiction, or magical realism text that has changed the way they view the world. In this episode, Hannah talks with scholars (and friends) Lucia Lorenzi (she/they), and Clare Mulcahy...
Apr 16, 2024•48 min
Like the serious academics they are, Hannah and Marcelle not only researched Disney in academic journals, they also went to the happiest place on earth! They made custom Theodor Adorno t-shirts, scooped Marcelle's eight-year-old and Gender Playground co-host, Raimi Marx, and wen on their way! In this bonus episode, they answer your questions about the experience. Sharing one mic, Raimi, Marcelle and Hannah talk about managing expectations, capitalism's hold on joy, the relationship between surre...
Apr 09, 2024•28 min•Season 1Ep. 18
What drove Hannah and Marcelle to go to Disneyland? And what is with all the rainbow Mickey ears? And where does pinkwashing end and real change begin? Tune into this episode about the happiest place on earth to find out! In this episode, Marcelle leads Hannah through a history of the term pinkwashing. She then draws on an article by Karine Duplan called “Pinkwashing Policies or Insider Activism? Allyship in the LGBTIQ+ Governance–Activism Nexus,” to better understand what leads to making public...
Apr 02, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 18
We're thrilled to be joined by Anne Helen Petersen for this episode about the popularity of athleisure! If you don't already know, Anne Helen Petersen (she/her) is the incredible writer, journalist and recovering academic behind the beloved newsletter Culture Study. She is the host of a brand new podcast of the same name and the author of four books, most recently Out of the Office: The Big Problem and Bigger Promise of Working From Home (co-written with Charlie Warzel) and Can’t Even: How Mille...
Mar 19, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 17
For this episode, we're joined by the incredible Karen Tongson, Professor of Gender & Sexuality Studies, English, and American Studies & Ethnicity at the University of Southern California. She is the author of Why Karen Carpenter Matters and Relocations: Queer Suburban Imaginaries . Her newest book, normporn: Queer Viewers and the TV That Soothes Us provides theory for this episode about the beloved TV show, Gilmore Girls. We begin with a discussion of the early 2000s postfeminist Bush e...
Mar 05, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Remember about fifteen years ago when we all went a little nuts for sweet potato fries? What was going on there? Well it turns out, that beloved appetizer was more than a tasty treat circa 2007. In this episode, Marcelle leads Hannah through research about the “orange-flesh sweetpotato” and its relationship to GMOs, cash crops, fat phobia and food imperialism. She pulls on the work of Joe Kobuthi for an analysis of food systems that informs her understanding of the sweet potato's zeitgeist-y mom...
Feb 20, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 15
Do you play D&D? Do you have a friend who does, but you don't totally *get* what it is? Did you see the recent film Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves and think "wow, that role playing game went MAINSTREAM!?" Then this episode is sure to satisfy your curiosity about this zeitgeisty game! Hannah, who herself plays D&D, leads Marcelle through a history of the tabletop role-playing game created by Dave Arneson and Gary Gygax, tracing its origins all the way to Dungeons & Dragons ...
Feb 06, 2024•1 hr 11 min•Season 1Ep. 14
There was so much more to say about Wonka and Twilight. In Part I of this bonus episode (aka a 'Material Concern' episode), we talk about fatphobia in children's literature, the "representation" of indigeneity in Stephanie Meyer's the Twilight Saga, and so much more. If you enjoy this episode, head over to Patreon.com/ohwitchplease for Part II! The rest of the conversation is available at all our tiers. For just $5 USD/month you'll have access to the rest of this conversation, all the bonus perk...
Jan 30, 2024•37 min•Season 1Ep. 13
Are you Team Edward or Team Jacob or some secret third option?** Marcelle asks this question only at the very end of the episode, and you know why? Because there is so much more to discuss when it comes to Stephanie Meyer's Twilight. And who better to dig into this novel's plot and place in pop culture than Jackson Bird (he/him) who, over fifteen years ago, was a Twi-hard. If you frequent fan spaces, you might know Jackson through his previous work with Harry Potter Alliance or his very popular ...
Jan 23, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 13
We're so excited to announce that our new show, Making Worlds , begins January 25th! This video podcast, hosted by Hannah McGregor (maybe you know them?!?), will be released monthly via our Patreon. In each 30ish-minute episode, a guest will bring Hannah a text that has helped them imagine the liberatory possibilities of another world. We’re talking sci-fi, fantasy and speculative fiction! Hot!!!! Our first episode? Why it simply had to be about Our Flag Means Death! What says liberatory possibi...
Jan 16, 2024•4 min
In this week's episode, we're joined by the incredible Leena Norms (she/her) to talk about Timothée Chalamet's latest venture: Wonka. This holiday blockbuster from director Paul King (Paddington, Paddington 2) made many people on the internet cringe even before it's release in mid December. It was notably in the *discourse* through memes and tweets that suggested Kylie Jenner perhaps got 'the ick' from Timmy's performance. The good news is that Marcelle, Hannah and Leena went to go see the movie...
Jan 09, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Witch, Please Productions is on break for the holidays! Of course we still wanted to put some fun content out while we’re away from our computers, so we recorded a holiday bonus that features Gaby, Zoe, Hannah, Marcelle and Coach mostly speaking over one another while they attempt to play Material Pursuit — a game of trivia that Marcelle created by pulling on content from Material Girls and our previous show, Witch, Please. If you want to listen to the whole thing, you can! For free! Just head t...
Dec 26, 2023•2 min
One of Marcelle's favorite books is The Night Circus, so she decided to be brave and do an entire episode about the best-selling fantasy novel by Erin Morgenstern. Why brave? Well because sometimes it's hard to think critically about something you love! We all know that. ;) This episode, Marcelle leads us through a quick chat about how the book was set up for success in 2011, followed by some theory about reading ecosystems from Book Was There: Reading in Electronic Times by Andrew Piper. And th...
Dec 12, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 11
