Never the Twins Shall Meet

45 – He’s Gotta Die Ten More Times!

This week, we’re back to talk about Bong Joon Ho’s recent science fiction dark comedy, Mickey-17. It stars Robert Pattinson as Mickey Barnes, a disposable employee sent on a space expedition where he dies and is recloned again and again. Topics of discussion include the film’s satirical commentary on capitalism, some fascinating acting choices from the cast, and ugly-cute aliens. Lulu also tries not to bring up Twilight a lot and kind of fails.

Media mentioned:

• The Wheel of Time (TV series)
• The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan
• The Notorious Virtues by Alwyn Hamilton
• Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
• The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
• Episode 36 – The Ballad of Cabbages and Coursework
• All the Bad Apples by Moïra Fowley-Doyle
• Widows dir. Steve McQueen
• Mickey-7 by Edward Ashton
• Snowpiercer dir. Bong Joon Ho
• Parasite dir. Bong Joon Ho
• Mad Max: Fury dir. George Miller
• Fargo dir. Ethan and Joel Coen
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire dir. Mike Newell
• The Boy and the Heron dir. Hayao Miyazaki
• Twilight (film franchise)
• High Life dir. Claire Denis
• Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker dir. JJ Abrams
• Poor Things dir. Yorgos Lanthimos
• The Incredible Hulk dir. Louis Leterrier
• Black Panther dir. Ryan Coogler
• Hereditary dir. Ari Aster
• Hearts Beat Loud dir. Brett Haley
• Minari dir. Isaac Lee Chung
• The Borgias (TV show)
• The Count of Monte Cristo dir. Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de La Patellière
• A Streetcar Named Desire (2023 production)
• Firebrand dir. Karim Aïnouz
• Severance (TV series)
• Dune 2 dir. Denis Villenueve 
• Okja dir. Bong Joon Ho
• Beowulf
• Blade Runner dir. Ridley Scott
• Fire Island dir. Andrew Ahn
• Episode 27 – More Pride and Less Prejudice

Content warnings: discussions of death, human experimentation, and evil capitalism

44 – Literary Death Match

This week, we’ve decided to be arbitrarily competitive! Tune in to listen to us discuss the literary death match we’ve decided to embark on in the month of May, plus how our reading has gone so far in 2025. Will our podcast survive this competition? Only time will tell!

 

Media Mentioned

• Cracked Spines (podcast)
• Woodworking by Emily St. James
• The Death I Gave Him by Em X. Liu
• Hamlet by William Shakespeare
• The Maid and the Crocodile by Jordan Ifueko
• Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko
• Metal From Heaven by august clarke
• Sick Kids in Love by Hannah Moskowitz
• Headliners by Lucy Parker
• A Bloomy Head by J. Winifred Butterworth
• Personal Attention Roleplay by H. Felix Chau Bradley
• The Lesser Dead by Christopher Buehlman
• AMC’s Interview With the Vampire
• Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley
• Projections by S.E. Porter
• The Indian Card by Carrie Lowry Schuettpelz
• I Like to Watch by Emily Nussbaum
• True Detective
• The Bluestockings by Susanna Gibson
• Shakespeare’s Sisters by Ramie Targoff
• The History of Sound by Ben Shattuck
• The History of Sound dir. Oliver Hermanus (upcoming film)
• Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang
• The Hummingbird Killer by Finn Longman
• Captain America: The Winter Soldier dir. Anthony Russo and Joe Russo
• Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad
• Monsters We Defy by Leslye Penelopee
• Sinners dir. Ryan Coogler
• A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft
• Evocation by S.T. Gibson
• A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson
• An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson
• Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake
• What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher
• Mexican by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
• Cosmo Sheldrake (musician)

43 – A Belated Bookish Retrospective

This week, we’re back with a definitely-on-time episode about our favorite books of 2024! Tune in for spine-chilling horror, characters that consume us, compelling nonfiction, and much more. 

For the full list of media mentioned in this episode, visit our website neverthetwinsshallmeet.com

Content warnings:

• Mentions of suicidal ideation (24:30-27:00)
• Mentions of slavery and racism (34:00-39:30)
• Mentions of cancer (1:00:00:30-1:02:00)
• Mentions of murder and slavery (1:03:30-1:08:55)
• Mentions of fascism and transphobia (1:15:30–1:20:35)
• Mentions of Nazi Germany (1:46:33-1:47:30)
• Mentions of antisemitism (1:51:50-1:52:20)

42 – Spooky Season Part 2: A Literary Extravaganza

Coming to you several months late, this week’s episode is a round-up of all the horror and generally spooky literature that we read in the month of October. Topics of discussion include female rage in the gothic genre, the blending of real history and supernatural horror, and how most college campus elevators are probably haunted. 

 

Content warnings: discussions of domestic abuse, serial killers, and the AIDs epidemic

 

Media mentioned

• The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door by H.G. Parry
• Upright (TV show)
• Woodworking by Emily St. James
• Severance (TV show)
• Episode 40 – Spooky Season Special
• Episode 41 – There’s No Place Like Rome
• Take All of Us by Natalie Leif
• The Girl With All the Gifts by M.R. Carey
• Love Will Tear Us Apart by Alaya Dawn Johnson
• Delicious Monsters by Liselle Sambury
• The House That Whispers by Lin Thompson
• Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
• Here in the Night by Rebecca Turkewitz
• American Ghoul by Michelle McGill-Vargas
• The September House by Carissa Orlando
• Haunt Sweet Home by Sarah Pinsker
• “Where Oaken Hearts Do Gather” by Sarah Pinsker
• Don’t Let the Forest In by C.G. Drews
• “The V*mpire” by P.H. Lee at reactor.com
• Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
• Dracula by Bram Stoker
• The Path of Thorns by A.G. Slatter
• All the Murmuring Bones by A.G. Slatter
• Red X by David Demchuk
• Witch by Jen Silverman

41 – There's No Place Like Rome

Happy New Year! We’re starting 2025 off with our longest episode yet, discussing the two Hollywood blockbuster behemoths of fall 2024: Wicked: Part 1 and Gladiator II. Topics of discussion include stage-to-screen adaptations, lesbian subtext, costume design, the perils of sequels, and a significant amount of complaining about historical inaccuracies. Spoilers abound for both movies, as well as the entirety of Wicked the musical and, randomly, Stranger Things season four. Our review of Wicked takes up the first half of the podcast while our discussion of Gladiator II starts at the 1:12:46 mark.

Media Mentioned:

• The Gentlemen on Netflix
• Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe
• Cursebreakers by Madeline Nakamura
• Anna and the Apocalypse dir. John McPhail
• The Outrun dir. Nora Fingscheidt
• Bird dir. Andrea Arnold
• The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
• Wicked by Gregory Maguire
• The Divergent movies
• West Side Story dir. Stephen Spielberg
• Widows dir. Steve McQueen
• Victorious (TV show)
• Bridgerton
• Crashing (TV show)
• The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy
• The Fall dir. Tarsem Singh
• Everything Everywhere All at Once dir. Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert
• Kaos (TV show)
• Eragon by Christopher Paolini
• Thistlefoot by Gennarose Nethercott
• Gladiator dir. Ridley Scott
• A Quiet Place: Day One dir. Michael Sarnoski
• Normal People (2020)
• All of Us Strangers dir. Andrew Haigh
• Aftersun dir. Charlotte Wells
• The Last of Us (TV show)
• The Mandalorian
• Much Ado About Nothing dir. Kenneth Brannagh
• Stranger Things
• The Fear Street Trilogy
• Episode 34–Saltblah
• House of the Dragon (2022–)
• A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum by Emma Southon
• A Rome of One’s Own by Emma Southon
• Macbeth by William Shakespeare
• “It Was an Enormous Task: Gladiator II’s Costume Designers on Outfitting Ridley Scott’s Roman Epic (and Getting Denzel to Wear Those Little Earrings) by Elaina Patton for Vogue
• Napoleon dir. Ridley Scott
• Kingdom of Heaven dir. Ridley Scott

Content Warnings: discussions of slavery, death, violence, homophobia, ableism, colonialism, and fascism.

40 – Spooky Season Special

Happy holidays! Today we’re returning with a seasonally inappropriate episode on Halloween. In the month of October, we challenged ourselves to have a spooky good time and watch some horror movies. Topics include vampires (so many vampires), the joys and terrors of watching scary movies, and the beautiful but terrifyingly haunted nation of Ireland. (Despite the over-eager opening of this episode, we did not get around to discussing horror literature. Stay tuned!)

 

Media mentioned:

• Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
• Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
• The Dangerous Kingdom of Love by Neil Blackmore
• Arcane (2021-2024)
• The Poppy War trilogy by RF Kuang
• High Life dir. Claire Denis
• The Moth Diaries dir. Mary Harron
• Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan LeFanu
• Dracula by Bram Stoker
• Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
• Marina and the Diamonds
• American Psycho dir. Mary Harron
• Last Voyage of the Demeter dir. André Øvredal
• Dracula Daily (internet phenomenon)
• Renfield dir. Christ McKay
• The Company of Wolves dir. Neil Jordan
• Interview With the Vampire dir. Neil Jordan
• The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter
• Labyrinth dir. Jim Henson
• Byzantium dir. Neil Jordan
• Pride and Prejudice and Zombies dir. Burr Steers
• Maleficent dir. Robert Stromberg
• Elementary (2012-2019)
• Only Lovers Left Alive dir. Jim Jarmusch
• What We Do in the Shadows
• Belle dir. Amma Asante
• All You Need is Death dir. Paul Duane
• Lankum (band)
• Beetlejuice dir. Tim Burton
• Beetlejuice Beetlejuice dir. Tim Burton
• Coraline dir. Henry Selick
• The Nightmare Before Christmas dir. Henry Selick
• Wendell and Wild dir. Henry Selick
• Now You See Me dir. Louis Leterrier
• Dumbo dir. Tim Burton
• Wednesday (2022-)
• Mamma Mia dir. Phyllida Lloyd
• Chloe and Jame dir. Drew Burnett Gregory
• Psycho dir. Alfred Hitchcock
• The Silence of the Lambs dir. Jonathan Demme
• Jennifer’s Body dir. Karyn Kusama
• Oddity dir. Damian McCarthy
• Dracula dir. Todd Browning
• Nosferatu dir. Robert Eggers
• The Vourdalak dir. Adrien Beau
• The Family of the Vourdalak by Aleksey Tolstoy
• BBC Trignometry

39 – Homework is Due Monday, Please Ignore the Faeries

This week, we return from our lengthy and unplanned hiatus with the world’s! nichest! episode! That’s right, we’re talking about Among Others by Jo Walton, Ballad by Maggie Stiefvater, and Tam Lin by Pamela Dean, three fantasy novels set on school campuses that blend faerie folklore and coming-of-age stories.  Topics of discussion include how each book puts their own spin on the supernatural and the folkloric, tragically canceled book series, reproductive rights, and where on a college campus you’re most likely to run into a faerie. (And yes, this episode was meant to be released several months ago, as our discussion at the beginning indicates. Oops.)

Other media mentioned

• Greta and Valdin by Rebecca K Reilly
• La Chimera dir. Alica Rohrwacher
• Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John le Carre
• Challengers dir. Luca Guadagnino
• Dead Boy Detectives (Netflix show)
• You Let Me In by Camilla Bruce (creepy faerie book Lulu couldn’t remember the name of)
• The Wicker King by K. Ancrum
• Aye and Gomorrah by Samuel R. Delany
• Catwings by Ursula K. Le Guin
• The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater
• Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
• The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
• Chime by franny billingsley
• The Hounds of Ulster by Maggie Stiefvater
• Apotheosis (concept, not katabasis)
• A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin
• StarCrossed by elizabeth bunce
• The Oracles of Delphi Keep by Victoria Laurie
• How to Train Your Dragon 
• Lord of the Rings (film & books)
• Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones
• A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
• An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson

Content warnings: discussions of sibling death, parental abuse, a car crash, pregnancy and abortion, suicide, and dubious sexual consent

38 - This Old (Possibly Haunted??) House

This week is all about the spooky ancestral homes as we talk about And Don’t Look Back by Rebecca Barrow and All the Dead Lie Down by Kyrie McCauley, two young adult novels about family homes and the dark secrets they hide. Topics include what constitutes a haunted house (does there have to be a literal ghost?), twisty mysteries, and the inherent queerness of the gothic genre.

(Also, as you may have guessed, we did NOT release this episode before traveling internationally despite our optimism about doing so in this recording.)

Media Mentioned:

• Shogun (2024)
• Dungeon Meshi
• The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri
• Our Hideous Progeny by C.E. McGill
• Burning Girls and Other Stories by Veronica Schanoes
• Tramps (2016) dir. Adam Leon
• Bad Things Happen Here by Rebecca Barrow
• Episode 26: Bad Things at the Beach
• The Girls I’ve Been by Tess Sharpe
• The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
• Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
• Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
• Episode 18: Reduce Reuse Reanimate

Content Warnings: Discussions of parental death, animal death, domestic abuse, murder, drowning

As always, you can learn more at our website, neverthetwinsshallmeet.com

37 – The Worst Italian Vacation Ever

This week, we’re taking a trip to 1950s Italy as we discuss Patricia Highsmith’s classic thriller The Talented Mr. Ripley and its acclaimed 1999 adaptation directed by Anthony Minghella. Topics of discussion include the novel’s iconic con artist protagonist, the twisty plot, homoerotic subtext, and how Minghella put his own spin on the themes and characters. 

Media Mentioned

• Scrapper (2023) dir. Charlotte Regan (note: Lulu was wrong, the lead actress’s name is actually Lola Campbell, not Lola Chambers)
• Aftersun (2022) dir. Charlotte Wells
• The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow
• Dune by Frank Herbert
• The Artful Dodger (2023), starring Thomas Brodie-Sangster, David Thewliss, and Maia Mitchell
• Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
• Saltburn (2023) dir. Emerald Fennell
• Do Revenge (2022)
• These Violent Delights by Micah Nemerever
• The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
• “Patricia Highsmith” by Richard Brooks for the Guardian
• The Bourne Identity movies
• Nimona by N.D. Stevenson
• Sorry to Bother You (2018) dir. Boots Riley
• The Celluloid Closet (1995) dir. Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman
• Hannibal (2013-2015)
• King Arthur: Legend of the Sword dir. Guy Ritchie
• Ripley (upcoming Netflix show)
• BBC Sherlock
• And Don’t Look Back by Rebecca Barrow
• All the Dead Lie Down by Kyrie McCauley

Content Warnings: discussions of antisemitism, racism, murder, violence, homophobia, gaslighting, suicide, and classism.

36 – The Ballad of Cabbages and Coursework

We’re back this week to talk about the latest Hunger Games movie, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Topics include our relationship with the famous dystopian franchise, how the movie compares to the book, why we find prequels and villain protagonists compelling, and a detour through Enlightenment philosophy.

Other Media Mentioned:

• Hannibal (2013-2015)
• The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
• Gods of the Wyrdwood by R.J. Barker
• Anatomy of a Fall dir. Justine Triet
• A Murder at the End of the World (2023)
• True Detective: Night Country
• We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian
• Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins
• Coriolanus by William Shakespeare
• West Side Story (2021) dir. Steven Spielberg
• Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes
• Second Treatise of Government by John Locke
• The Social Contract by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
• Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
• “Silver Springs” by Fleetwood Mac
• Wicked (2024) dir. John M. Chu
• Saltburn (2023) dir. Emerald Fennell 

Content warnings: Discussions of death, violence, hanging, cannibalism and fascism