The Companion Pod: The OC

The fourth episode of The OC has yet another big bash. This time it's a Debutant ball that creates all sorts of drama and we're also introduced to a brand new, incredible character - Anna! 

Jimmy Cooper is outed as thief, Ryan is officially a Cohen, and Seth has the upper hand on Summer. Tiff does some debutant research and we find out how long it would take to sail to Tahiti. In other words, it's just another day in Orange County.

The Cohens can’t quit Ryan Atwood. In episode two, Seth and Marissa keep Ryan hidden away in his an abandoned, unfinished model home owned by Seth’s mom. Ryan and Marissa find they have some things in common even though they come from different sides of the track. Marissa’s boyfriend Luke gets suspicious and confronts Ryan, causing even bigger problems for Ryan and the Cohens.

Join us as we watch the hit 2003 show The OC! 

In this podcast, we will use various segments to discuss the plot, characters, loopholes, ridiculous drama, and more!

The Premier brings us into the Cohen household. Sandy, a public defender, is representing Ryan Atwood, who was caught stealing a car with his brother. Sandy brings Ryan to his home because he has nowhere else to go. Ryan, an outsider from Chino, is welcomed with open arms by Sandy's son Seth. By his wife is less excited about hosting Ryan. A fashion show brings all the major characters together and gives us a sense of just how wealthy every one. But is anyone really happy? Only time will tell.

Sean and Tiff discuss the season finale and After the Final Rose three hour marathon from Monday night. We're relieved it's all over and try to figure out what went wrong along with what is wrong with The Bachelor franchise in general. We liked Emmanuel Acho's work as the substitute teacher and lamented that the show is stuck in the past and unable to really move forward. 

We wrap up the podcast trying to figure out what we want to talk about going forward. This show has been exhausting and we're on the lookout for something more enjoyable to talk about. We each nominate one TV show as a possible subject for podcasts starting in May. 

It's Hometown Week: Remote Edition. We have bike riding, zoom class, off-roading, sky-diving, and Canada 101. We pick our favorite hometown activities while wondering if they are all actually hometown dates. Tiff proclaims how much she would need to be paid to skydive which sends on a tangent about our collective fear of heights. Then we move on to discuss the families, Serena P.'s exit, and Matt James' strange performance. 

It would be impossible to talk about The Bachelor this week and not touch on the real time drama that's going on around the show. Chris Harrison has "stepped away" and Rachael K., one of the finalists, is under the white hot spotlight for some controversial social media posts and bad choices in college partying - attending a forbidden "Old South" party at an Antebellum home.

Then we get to the episode and talk about the appalling treatment of Heather when she finally meets the remaining women before she's ultimately sent home by Matt. The dates this week were not our favorite, and Serena P. agreed with us. The group date didn't have an activity, and there was no explanation as to why we went straight to the evening portion. Stunt car drifting left us confused about Jessinia's driving skill, but it didn't impress Matt enough to keep her around. Tiff and I come up with two dates to replace all the bad dates we've watched over and over during the recent seasons.

This episode started with 11 women and ended with 4. Women went home in all sorts of ways, and after this week, Matt has narrowed his group of love hunters from 38 to 4. 

The ghost of hometowns looms large as Matt James narrows down his options while the producers just keep adding women. Heather and Tyler C. show up, one of them was not invited. The show is doing some serious recycling, going so far as repeating a bowling date from Ari's season that Tiff remembered (trigger warning... we talk about Crystal's poor behavior from Ari's bowling date). Before Matt sends Katie home, she gets to see Tyler C. in his underwear and has one more insane argument with another love hunter. We wrap up this pod by power ranking the women by their likelihood of winning from 10 to 1 which leads to a discussion about possible Bachelorette leads and the diversity among these final 10 women. 

What an episode! A villain finally goes home, and that's in the first 15 minutes! Matt still has some toxic ooze to clean up. We talk about the Dylan AMA on Twitter at the top of the episode before getting into Victoria and Anna's departures, the cliche Pretty Woman date that Rachel has with Matt, the farming group date, and Kit's one-on-one. As we make our way through the pod we wonder what we actually know about Matt, if he's actually here to get engaged, the conflict resolution that seems to be more and more prevalent on the show, and why Matt feels the need to play RA/Dorm parent/Dean of Students to a group of grown women. 

This week's Bachelor episode didn't provide all that much intrigue. Five new women were introduced which got us thinking about what other Bachelor Curveballs have happened in past seasons, so we take a walk down memory lane and revisit other times when things didn't go as planned. We couldn't not talk about the newest rumor in the house and how Anna decided to handle the entire situation. She handled it very poorly. We also couldn't not talk about Victoria and the fact that she's 27 years old; in other words, she old enough to know better. We wrap up trying to figure out which contestants could possibly be Bachelorette leads. The pickings are slim.

Tension and toxicity abound in the second episode of The Bachelor... if you ask Victoria. If you ask anyone else, things are pretty normal and Victoria just needs to leave. We start this podcast with a 15 minute fashion breakdown by Tiff. Then we get into production getting in all the hits: hot tubs, flying machines, fireworks, wedding shoots. We wrap up talking about Matt's performance on the first two episodes and then talking about some of the women that found the camera for one reason or another this week.

After a long two week lay-off from the Bachelor franchise, we're all swooning over Matt James. In this episode we talk about our first impression of Matt and the themes that appeared in his highlight package and discussion with his mom and Chris Harrison. Then we run through the entrances that stood out to us, the Queen Victoria conundrum, and our front-runners.

It's almost time for hometown dates, so the stakes have been raised... big time. Tiff and Sean break down the many faces of Tayshia in this particular episode: she's stone-faced, awkward, supportive, mad, and anxious. Bennett's story arch isn't quite over yet, while Riley and Ben share some personal information with Tayshia.  

Tayshia is crushing it as the Bachelorette. JoJo is the substitute teacher as Chris Harrison leaves La Quinta to help his son move into college. The dates intensify, so this week we go discuss each man individually, picking apart their performance on the episode while Tiff tries to remember which one is Spencer. 

Tiff and Sean talk about Tayshia's fantastic start as the Bachelorette. She plays by the rules, but holds the line when guys try to push the limits. Chasen and Ed get sucked into the drama, which ends in a fight club type set-up that Ed bails out on. Bennett doesn't represent Harvard well at the start of the episode and then, like every freaking Harvard grad, things turn around for Bennett. We wrap up talking about the wrestling group date as and the appearance (and disappearance) of Noah's mustache. They finish up running through the remaining guys and offering brief thoughts on each of them. 

The Bachelorette has been broken, and Chris Harrison is here to fix it. On this episode of The Random Division, Tiff and Sean talk about the heavy lifting Chris Harrison has had to go at the La Quinta. Has he played much golf, or is he too busy playing father, brother, friend, and producer? We also discuss Clare's assertion that Claire and Dale didn't connect on social media before meeting on the show and how the Non-Dale's react to the fast pace of the show. Finally, we have Tayshia next week and predictably, all the guys show up for the next babe ABC is ready to roll out, and we are ready for Tayshia!

In the second episode of Clare's undoubtedly short season, we see the gaps that exist in the Bachelorette world when there are no helicopters, cliffs, celebrity cameos, concerts, or crowds. The dates lacked energy, and need the guys to strip, unpack deep childhood issues, and throw on a blindfold for a quick awkward hug. Tiff and Sean dig through the episode and really just hope we're not talking for much longer about Clare and can get on to Tayshia.

After a few months away from the mic, we decided we need to share our new favorite dating show with you all. Labor Of Love on Fox has a bunch of stuff we really like and enjoy, some of it stands in direct contrast to The Bachelor franchise and it's a breath of fresh air. We share our favorite things about the show (5:18). Then, to whet your appetite, we talk about the 15 men on the show (29:50).

To catch up on the first three episodes on Hulu. It airs on Friday nights on Fox. 

We’re at the business end of the season. Peter goes to four hometowns and only meets three families. Before we jump into each visit, Tiff and Sean hit up some Bachelor gossip and adjacent news, including some Bachelor franchise break-ups, a production conspiracy theory, and some other social media buzz.

(14:30) Then they jump into the hometowns and discuss them in the order they were filmed (not how they were shown on the show). They begin with Madison’s date in Auburn. Peter misses a half-court shot by a mile, Bruce Pearl shows up, Sir Charles Barkley leaves a jumbotron message, and Madison shows off her ball-handling skills. At the dinner, the family shares kind thoughts about Madison in a family tradition that we rather liked. Peter gets challenged by Madison’s father about his true feelings for Madison. Sean and Tiff get the heebie-jeebies when Madison’s dad mentions her “purity.”

(34:00) Victoria was next, and it wasn’t great. The day date goes swimmingly. A jaunt on the beach and an old-time photo shoot on the boardwalk look like a lot of fun and it feels like Victoria might be turning a corner. A concert by someone that Victoria didn’t date caps off the day, with a very peculiar, yet hilarious, song choice by Hunter Hayes. But an ex-girlfriend of Peter’s shows up and warns him about Victoria. Everything spirals out of control from there.

(01:04:00) Hannah Ann is next, Knoxville is a great time for Peter. They throw some axes and split some wood to prepare Peter to meet Hannah Ann’s lumberjack father. Peter gets what he needs out of this date after the train wreck with Victoria: complete validation from a women.

(01:14:20) Iowa is the final stop for Peter, and Kelsey brings him to a vineyard to crush grapes and blend wines. Peter begs for validation from her while they sip wine. Kelsey’s family is lovely. Kelsey is all in and willing to get her heart broken and pick up the pieces if she has to. She will…

(01:22:06) They wrap up with a theme song for each of the girls sent in from IG followers.

It seems as if every week brings the drama and Peter continues to pour gasoline on the flames. This week, it looked like he might have righted the ship by sending Alayah home right away. However, when Tammy breaks the Golden Rule (don't speak about other women in the house) the flames rise again. Tiff thinks all the women are liars in their own special way. Kelsey is pissed she can't get a 1-on-1 every single week. After a 3 hour episode, Shiann leaves the literally wounded Peter with one last message: Don't trust some of the women in the house. 

To wrap up Season 2 of The Random Division, we talk about the events and people that shaped the decade. We jog our memories about the earliest parts of the decade: LeBron’s decision, Tiger’s scandal, Kanye vs. Matt Lauer, Chilean miners, and more. Then they discuss the most influential people of the decade (20:27). They wrap up by talking about some of their own personal highlights of the decade and talking about some possible New Year Resolutions.

Tiff gives Sean the week off and charges on with her best friend Lindsay to talk about one of their favorites things: musicals! “Hamilton” wasn’t the only musical that came out this decade. Tiff and Linds talk about the shows they saw together (and their intermission snacks), the Tony Award winners (10:50), and general trends in the musical theater. Then they rank their three favorite shows they saw together (31:30) before jumping into ranking their favorite shows of the decade, along with some honorable mentions (36:17). They wrap up with their favorite cast albums (1:12:30) where Tiff has to work through her SpongeBob SquarePants bias in real-time.

Follow us on Instagram: @TheRandomDivision 

Have some thought? Send us a voicemail on Anchor: https://anchor.fm/therandomdivision/message

Sean and Tiff discuss the music of the 2010s. Has the quality of albums deteriorated over the last decade? Remember when you’d get CDs handed to you on a New York street? Well, it’s still a thing, and those artists need a new marketing strategy. How do people even listen to CDs anymore? Now we have so many ways to listen to and discover new music, some of it is passive and some active. Who were some of the best artists of the decade? Who were some disappointments? Have other listening options like audiobooks and podcasts changed our listening habits? If you want to get straight to their top five albums of the decade it starts at the 24:45 mark.

Technology has changed a lot this decade. Phones are more powerful, there's an app for everything, home speakers are listening, data is being mined, and the robots are coming. In this episode, we wax poetic about our youths and the tech that mattered to us. Then we head down a meandering path talking about the developments in various tech, how it's changed our lives, and what drives us crazy about it. Join us for this  time capsule as we wrap our heads around the end of the decade. 

Follow us on Instagram: TheRandom Division

Send us an email: TheRandomDivisionPod@gmail.com

We're back for Season 2 of our podcast. We talked at you about the Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise. We're taking a break from all that and looking back at the last decade. A new episode will drop every Friday where Tiff and I talk about the last ten years.

Sean and Tiff wrap up the Bachelor in Paradise season by planning a dinner party. They create their guest list from the 36 cast members that graced the beach with their presence. They discuss what a "Clue" themed dinner party might look like. Who would take the lead? Whose death would we investigate? How would Wells or Chris Harrison be used? Sean shares his favorite party game (make sure to write it down) and they discuss what type of food they might serve.

While watching episodes 9 and 10, Tiff and Sean start to see shades of not just high school, but middle school behavior. Bickering on the beach, crying, tips on getting a first kiss, and voice cracks all make appearances this week.  Sean and Tiff discuss the new phenomenon of social media apologies regarding Paradise Behavior, Blake's lightning strike moment when we realizes his one true love has been on the beach the whole time, and Tayshia's role in many of the plots these past couple weeks. At the end, Tiffany drops an incredible off the cuff "Blake" System, in the spirit of Alway Sunny in Philadelphia's "Dennis" System episode.  

Sean and Tiff talk about episodes 7 and 8 of Bachelor in Paradise. Tiff defends John Paul Jones while Tahzjuan can't handle the heat. Dean chooses his van over the Birthday Girl, Caelynn. The wedding between Goose and Krystal launches us into the final act of Bachelor in Paradise as Clay and Nicole, Caelynn and Connor, JPJ and Derek all get shoved into drama. Blake is a sad sack and Tiff reminds us all that these people have only been on the beach for 11 days. 

Have questions or comments for Sean and Tiff? Shoot us an email TheRandomDivisionPod@gmail.com

Sean and Tiff talk about the couples on the beach. But first they talk about the five guys going home and the fight between Jordan and Christian. Next, they question how ABC has handled the Demi-Derek situation. Then move through the other couples in paradise and wonder which ones will hold up to the end. They wrap up with a Kristina-Caitlin debate after Caitlin pulls Kristina aside for a little chit-chat. 

Sean and Tiff talk about the third and fourth episodes of Bachelor in Paradise:

Monday's Episode (00:00-39:20): The first rose ceremony, Jordan's detective work and righteousness, Big Mike's arrival, Caelynn's Chameleon  Act, Katie's meltdown, and the Blake Love Triangle.

Tuesday's Episode (39:20-1:19:00): More of the Blake Love Triangle, Cam is a sad sack, Dean's mustache arrives, Clay tries not to be protective, JPJ's dramatic debut, The Nicole Love Pinata.  

Sean and Tiff dive into the first two episodes of Bachelor in Paradise. They introduce the listeners to each of the contestants in alphabetical order. Some get a lot of time (Blake, Caelynn, Kristina, Hannah G...) others get a sliver of time (Hot Sauce Jane, Katie, and Kevin).  

Sean and Tiff talk about the role of parents on Hannah's season of the Bachelorette.: Jed's parents coldness makes more sense after knowing he was actually dating someone else. Hannah's parents' reaction to Jed's profession in comparison to how they treat Tyler and his cliches. Then they discuss how the show highlighted the challenges of dating as a 24 year-old. They wrap up with a quick discussion about the next Bachelor and share their picks for themes songs for Hannah, Tyler, Jed, and Peter. It's worth sticking around to the end! Sean and Tiff picked the same song for Jed!

Sean and Tiff discuss the Men Tell All episode which kicked off with Luke P. finally being eradicated. They talk about Luke P.'s time on the hot seat, his hypocrisy, and facing the other guys and Hannah, The John Paul Jones show made complete with chicken nuggets and hair cuts. Mike J.'s push to be the next Bachelor. And much more! Join us!

Sean and Tiff discuss the fantasy suite episode of The Bachelorette.

Peter and Tyler C. (00:00-23:09): These men have opposite experiences. The Windmill makes its premier. Peter opens up and Tyler is the most respectful man in Hannah's dating history,

Jed (23:09-39:37): Still fuming from Luke's inclusion in the show, Jed confronts Hannah during their "culture date." They work through it and Jed continues moving up the ranks.

Luke P. (39:37-END): In an incredible flame out, Luke decides to "talk about sex" and puts his foot in his mouth multiple times. His true colors shine through. Somewhere Luke S. is laughing because he knew Karma was coming for Luke P.