Ben Affleck's Back & The Rom-Com Renaissance

Josh Gondelman and Sophia Wilson Pelton spiral (gently) into their Roman Empires — from Ben Affleck’s back tattoo to the golden age of romance novels.

What You’ll Hear

The Perfect Sunday: Josh recounts an unreasonably wholesome day of stoop sales, karaoke, and ice cream — proof that friendship is the cure for all existential dread.

Gone Girl and the Hat That Broke Hollywood: A deep dive into Ben Affleck’s refusal to wear a Yankees cap, plus stunt casting, phoenix tattoos, and why David Fincher’s chaos works.

Romance Renaissance: Sophia reveals her obsession with Emily Henry’s connected universe, why “brooding but secretly nice” men always win, and how modern rom-coms might be due for a comeback.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Moving woes & dream apartments

03:00 Josh’s perfect New York day

05:00 Friendship is beautiful

06:00 Gone Girl: the Mets hat myth

09:00 Ben Affleck’s phoenix years

12:00 Gillian Flynn and the art of the twist

15:00 Sophia’s romance reading era

18:00 The Easter eggs of Emily Henry

20:00 Rom-com droughts and hope for the future

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