She's Gotta Have It!

Happy Wednesday! Today we are bringing you our conversation about American Pie with Mary Margaret Scrimger, who is a writer and a performer with a focus in Circus Arts. We discuss such topics as sexual education (and the lack thereof), the pornifiation of the script, sexual vocabulary, women's role as gatekeepers, the ways that can make women reactionary rather than pro-active, and how damn important it is to listen to what women say they want.

Content Warning: Language gets hella EXPLICIT in this ep! This ep may not be suitable for sensitive ears.

WELCOME BACK, LISTENERS. We've missed you! Today we are bringing you our conversation about Lucifer Season 2, Episode 11, with our guest Anya Sagan. We discuss such topics as James Bond tropes, Casanova, pick up artists, techniques of seduction, and the beautiful magic of asking women what they really want, and really truly just listening to what they say.

Today we bring you our discussion of Twelve Angry Men Inside Amy Schumer with special guest Leslie Barton! We discuss such topics as what people actually find attractive versus what society endorses as attractive, who has the power to decide who counts as hot, gendered double standards, how sexy Jeff Goldblum is, the performative power of this parody, the timeless philosophical question of whether we exist if men aren't looking at us, dildo anxieties, and so much more!

Today we bring you our discussion of Season 1, Episode 1 of Workin' Moms! We are not even moms, and we LOVE THIS SHOW. Our guest Emily Gillespie joins us to talk about such topics as boobs, breastfeeding anxiety, the shame around abortion, the dominant 'ideal' of motherhood, post-partum depression, the ways women are reduced to their biology (and how transphobic that is), parenting advice, parenting shame, the second shift, and SO MUCH MORE.

Today we bring you our discussion of Fleabag Season 2, Episode 6, with special guest Kayla Wiebe! Our discussion spans A LOT and includes such topics as the beauty of solo shows, our frustration with the detached ways we often hear love described, our many feelings about the confessional scene from episode 4, our love of Nadia Bolz-Weber, getting kicked out of confirmation class, the concept of redemption, and what we think about the narrator's claim that this series is 'a love story.'

SPOILER ALERT: We sometimes speak freely about the series, so it's worth watching the full first season before listening to our discussion.

Today we bring you our discussion of Fleabag Season 2, Episode 5, which includes such topics as our love of dance, themes of faith, redemption, confessions, and scapegoats (in a hilariously naive and rudimentary way), and in which we ask: aren't we all really BOTH sinners and saints? Watch out because things get THEOLOGICAL up in here for a while. (In a fun way, obvs.)

SPOILER ALERT: We sometimes speak freely about the series, so it's worth watching the full first season before listening to our discussion.

Today we bring you our discussion of Ridley Scott's 1979 film Alien with special guest Jon Greenaway! We discuss SO MANY INTERESTING THINGS such as our nerdy love of Terry Eagleton, the horrors of capitalism, the material conditions underpinning the plot of the film, Ripley's savvy suspicion as a woman, the alien's subversion of the male/female binary, and the capacity of horror to address contemporary cultural anxieties.

By the end of this podcast, both Lisas are keen to explore more horror, which is a testament to the persuasive power of this incredible conversation.

Today we bring you our discussion of Fleabag Season 2, Episode 4, which includes such topics as soothing structures in the face of unlimited choices, some people's easy kindness and how beautiful yet frustrating it can be, the unique ethical significance of faith, and some limitations of therapy.

SPOILER ALERT: We sometimes speak freely about the series, so it's worth watching the full first season before listening to our discussion.

Today we bring you our discussion of Fleabag Season 2, Episode 3, which includes such topics as the de-feminization of the business world, compulsions for control, discomforting effects of humour, knowing what you DON'T want, and the satisfying symmetry of recognition and surprise.

SPOILER ALERT: We sometimes speak freely about the series, so it's worth watching the full first season before listening to our discussion.

Today we bring you our discussion of Easy A, with special guest Clare Blackwood! Our discussion includes such topics as the dearth of sexual education for teens, the aesthetic of sexual experience, performative sexuality, the unfortunate denigration of sex work, how oppression perpetuates itself through the oppressed, the power of direct address, and what even IS the female gaze? (And much, much more!)

Today we bring you our discussion of Hustlers, with guest and friend of the pod Susan Bond. Our discussion includes such topics as hygge (we CANNOT get enough), female mentorship, the evergreen madonna/whore binary, unreliable reliable narrators, female friendship breakups, strippers versus sex workers, and the movie's relationship to capitalism, and much much more!

Today we bring you our discussion of Fleabag Season 2, Episode 2, which includes such topics as irreverent priests, Jesus crushes, celibacy loopholes, emotional clothing choices, therapy mismatches, and how very sexy Andrew Scott is.

APOLOGIES: some of the sound quality in the first half isn't as good as normal; we are only as good on any given day as our internet connection.

SPOILER ALERT: We sometimes speak freely about the series, so it's worth watching the full first season before listening to our discussion.

Today we bring you our very special COTTAGE EDITION of She's Gotta Have It! Our discussion of Fleabag Season 2, Episode 1, includes such things as joy comas, how to define the 'female gaze,'  Roman Catholic priest fantasies we never knew we always wanted, what it means to have faith, and Caryl Churchill-esque dialogue.

SPOILER ALERT: We sometimes speak freely about the series, so it's worth watching the full first season before listening to our discussion.

Today we bring you our discussion of The Bridge, Season 1, Episodes 1 and 2, along with guest Catherine Jenkins.

We discuss such topics as the importance of changing scenery, leather pants, reversing gender stereotypes, the crime drama genre as a means not an end, the trope of refrigerator women, and masculinity and vasectomies.

SPOILER ALERT: We sometimes speak freely about the series, so it's worth watching the full first season before listening to our discussion.

Today we bring you our discussion of Fleabag, Season One, Episode Five. We discuss awkward breast exams, clumsy expressions of love, inappropriate sexual revelations at family luncheons, the de-sexualization of aging women, and period braids.

SPOILER ALERT: We sometimes speak freely about the series, so it's worth watching the full first season before listening to our discussion.

Today we bring you our discussion of Sex and the City! We are joined by guest host Stephanie Avery. We discuss such sexy topics as the horrifying realities of dating in New York City, what power means, how men and women REALLY CAN BE JUST FRIENDS, representations of sex, second-wave feminism, euphemisms for genitalia, and problematic gender binaries.

SPOILER ALERT: We focus on Season One, Episode One, but we also speak freely about the series as a whole.

Today we bring you our discussion of Fleabag, Season One, Episode Four. We discuss owning one's slutiness, vibrators, the hilarious complexity of women's cosmetics, performing non-misogyny, the value of women's careers, and the power and poignancy of voice.

SPOILER ALERT: We speak freely of Season One of Fleabag, so it's worth watching all six amazing episodes before listening to our discussion.

Today we bring you our discussion of Fleabag, Season One, Episode Three. We discuss such things as jogging as insult, feminine body ideals and fragments,  mass sexting, how 'just joking' is a way to avoid accountability, male entitlement, and fresh takes on the first person address.

SPOILER ALERT: We speak freely of Season One of Fleabag, so it's worth watching all six amazing episodes before listening to our discussion.

Today we bring you our discussion of The Americans. We are joined by Marianne Garneau, who completed her PhD in Philosophy from the New School for Social Research. We discuss such things as how rare it is to see a show about marriage, our difficulty following espionage plots, the trope of the Refrigerator Woman, rape as a lazy plot device, 80's aesthetic, pantomiming desire, sexpositions, and so much more!

CONTENT NOTE: We talk about sexual assault and rape in this episode.

SPOILER ALERT: We speak mostly about the early episodes of the series, but there are references to select things down the line.

Today we bring you our discussion of Fleabag, Season One, Episode Two. We discuss such things as the influence of period hormones, sexual performativity versus experience, the theatrics of cat-calls, reversal of gender norms, cruel practical jokes, and the philosophy of laughter.

SPOILER ALERT: We speak freely of Season One of Fleabag, so it's worth watching all six amazing episodes before listening to our discussion.

Today we bring you our discussion of Fleabag, Season One, Episode One. We discuss such things as direct address, the intimate tone of the series and what that allows, the beauty of British passive-aggression, the line between desire and compulsion, and the credentials of Burberry coats.

SPOILER ALERT: We speak freely of Season One of Fleabag, so it's worth watching all six amazing episodes before listening to our discussion.

Today we bring you our discussion of Spike Lee's 1986 film "She's Gotta Have It." Our guest Leah Sweed joins us to talk about such things as why Lee's film inspired the name of our podcast, the feminine gaze and what is it, even (but we're pretty sure Spike Lee achieved it), how to begin to think about the black gaze, Brooklyn architecture, the power of direct address, boundary-setting, sweet sweet studio apartments, and so much more!

CONTENT NOTE: The film includes a rape scene, and it comes up a few times in our discussion.

Today we bring you our discussion of Episode 12 of Californication, "The Last Waltz." In this episode we discuss digestive catharsis, dancing molecules, realizing what you want only AFTER you make the wrong choice, and how to navigate paternalistic protective impulses towards younger women.

Today we bring you our discussion of Episode 11 of Californication, "Turn the Page." In this episode we discuss how to choose a French Press, complicated parent/child dynamics as teenagers assert their agency, Karen's ongoing internal conflict, and Dani's hot leather dress.

Today we bring you our discussion of Episode 10 of Californication, "The Devil's Threesome." In this episode we discuss sour grapes, moralizing about desire (and why we shouldn't), misguided attention-grabbing tactics, and unlikely allyships.

Today we bring you our discussion of Episode 9 of Californication, "Filthy Lucre." In this episode, our conversation ranges from technology anxieties, Hank's presumptuousness and how it sets him up to fail, and several interesting status reversals in which the women come out on top.

Today we bring you our discussion of Episode 8 of Californication, "California Son." In this episode, our conversation ranges from philandering fathers, to the ways Hank uses sex for both avoidance and connection, to how masculinity can be a trap.

Today we bring you our discussion of Episode 7 of Californication, "Girls, Interrupted." Today we discuss awkward threesomes, nipple-clamp fiascos, and how easy it is to write women badly.

Heads up: the audio quality on this one ended up sounding a bit tinny at times - we did register that and rest assured it will be back to our normal audio quality next time! We appreciate your patience in our ongoing journey to figure out this podcasting project.

Today we bring you our discussion of Episode 6 of Californication, "Absinthe Makes The Heart Grow Fonder." Today we talk about Madonnas vs Sexy Surfer Girls, how NOT to do S&M, how close but how far Hank is from the life he wants, and flailing father figures.

Today we bring you our discussion of Episode 5 of Californication, "LOL." Today we talk about tender teenage crushes, the (dangerously) erotic pull of teacher-figures and how easy that is to exploit, the politics of grammar, and how many tacos one person can really eat.

Today we bring you our discussion of Episode 4 of Californication, "Fear and Loathing at the Fundraiser." Today we talk about authenticity, man panties (or "manties"), the harrowing experience of being degraded in public, how hard it is to figure out how to react in the moment, and saviours versus allies.

Here is our discussion of Episode 3 of Californication, "The Whore of Babylon"! Today we continue to talk about young women's sexual agency and vulnerability, male gaze(s), dramatic irony, gazing through rose-coloured glasses, some personal dating revelations, and how our artistic taste reflects something about how we see the world.

Here's our discussion of the first episode of Californication: "Pilot," which also marks the first podcast episode in which we'll be releasing every two weeks (ish)! Today we're talking about our introduction to Hank Moody, male entitlement, taboo fantasies about hot nuns, and is it possible for men to proposition women in non-creepy ways?

Content note: this series, and our conversations about it, include statutory rape.