Pop DNA

Rhonda Watts and Erin O'Loughlin
  • 5.0 (9)
  • TV & FILM
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
Pop DNA

Pop DNA traces the roots of your favorite pop culture works. We're Erin and Rhonda, and we are big old nerds. We love dissecting our favorite movies, TV shows, and more, and we're really into how literature, history, and culture have impacted the works we consume. We explore connections across mediums, from the classic novels we see reflected in our favorite horror movies, to the politics in superhero franchises, to the influence of Shakespeare in, like, literally everything. There are also bad jokes. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram!

  1. JAN 6 · BONUS

    BONUS: The Best of 2024!

    Our yearly tradition of discussing our favorite movies and TV, plus a little music and books, is back! We had every intention of talking about Wickiator/Glicked, but there's really no story there. There's Wicked, which we talked about for far longer than we intended because we had so many thoughts, and then there's Gladiator, which... was a movie. We also talked about some common themes we noticed in the media we were drawn to in the past year, plus a few pieces that were just a little disappointing. Things we talked about: Wicked Part 1 Gladiator II The Substance The Watchers Laid Bad Sisters We Are Lady Parts My Old Ass Lisa Frankenstein Monkey Man Mr. and Mrs. Smith Mean Girls Pride and Prejudice in Space AfrAId St. Denis Medical Is She Really Going Out With Him? How to End a Love Story The Third Gilmore Girl The Bright Sword Things we loved but didn’t have time to talk about because we spent so long talking about Wicked: Thelma Your Monster Nightbitch Trap English Teacher My Lady Jane The Acolyte Nobody Wants This Fallout Agatha All Along Sense and Sensibility Dune Part 2 Next time we will finally wrap up our A Song of Ice and Fire series, and beginning in February we'll have a shiny new mystery topic to discuss! Follow us on Instagram! Read Rhonda's Lisa Frankenstein essay!

    1h 51m

  2. 12/25/2024

    REGIFTING! A Christmas Prince

    Check your Christmas ornaments, there might be important documents inside! Please enjoy this regifted episode from 2019 about the Netflix Christmas Cinematic Universe, specifically A Christmas Prince. ORIGINAL DESCRIPTION: Honestly, this episode was a long time coming. A Christmas Prince is rich in cultural influences, from the lives and loves of historical real-life royals, to classic fairy tales, to... investigative journalism, I guess? We also discuss other vitally important topics, like the dystopian alternate universe in which the movies take place and the cultural relevance of Volvos. (Volvo is not a sponsor of Pop DNA.) Our commentary for Netflix's The Knight Before Christmas is free on our Patreon page! Patreon.com/popdna Happy Holidays!

    1h 44m

  3. 12/11/2024

    REGIFTING! The Chronicles of Narnia: Battles are Ugly When Women Fight

    We have another regifted episode for you this week! We couldn't choose between our two Narnia episodes, so we're regifting both! This episode from December of 2022 touches on gender and violence, and how children experience fear and danger in fantasy worlds, all themes we explored in our A Song of Ice and Fire discussions. This one is perfect for if you want to dive a little deeper into another perspective on those ideas. We have one more regifted episode for you, so look for that on Christmas Day! (Or listen to it the day after, we don't care.) And join us in January for our Best of 2024 Bonus! Follow on Instagram for very infrequent supplementary content, memes and cat pics. ORIGINAL DESCRIPTION: As we wrap up our final Narnia episode we're asking the big questions: Was C. S. Lewis sexist? Or can we draw any feminist or female-empowerment messages from his work? What does feminism even look like in the context of a fantasy world where children go into battle with talking animals? We also look specifically at The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe as a World War 2 story, exploring the story an as allegory for what was happening in the "real" world at the time it takes place. And of course we took a quiz to find out which Pevensie kids we are, and you can take it ⁠here⁠. Check out ⁠The Feminine Ethos in C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia⁠ by Monika Hilder.

    1h 11m

  4. 12/04/2024

    REGIFTING! The Chronicles of Narnia: Deeper Magic from Before the Dawn of TIme

    Happy December! We are taking a much-needed break to enjoy the holiday season, but thought we'd take the opportunity to revisit some of our previous episodes this month. It's Regifting Time! This episode from our Chronicles of Narnia series in December of 2022 explores the topics of magic, magic systems, and prophecy in fantasy fiction and Narnia's relationship with other fantasy classics. It's a perfect coda for some of our A Song of Ice and Fire discussions. Join us the rest of December for more regifted episodes, and come back in January for our Best of 2024 Bonus! Find us on Instagram for memes and sporadic updates. ORIGINAL DESCRIPTION: This week on our Narnia journey we are diving in to all things magic. We discuss the differences between hard and soft magic systems, how magic is expressed in the world of Narnia, and how it compares to the magic in other fictional worlds. We also look at Narnia as a touchstone of fantasy fiction, its relationship with Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, and its influence on modern fantasy works like Star Wars and Lev Grossman's book series The Magicians.

    1h 1m

  5. 11/13/2024

    A Song of Ice and Fire: The Chosen One Problem

    Why do so many fantasy stories center on the protagonist fulfilling a "Chosen One" prophecy? We don't really answer that this week, but we do talk about the undercurrent of prophecy in Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, the "Song of Ice and Fire" that this universe is named for. We also look briefly at how specifically Chosen One prophecies are present in many of our favorite fantasy works, and how prophecy is often tied to religion, and we explore some of the major religions of Westeros. We also open with our favorite segment, Wig Watch! Go to our Instagram to see the wigs we talk about. Further Reading: Major Religions explained George R. R. Martin interview Context for the prophecy in House of the Dragon

    1h 9m

  6. 10/30/2024

    A Song of Ice and Fire: in da clurb, we all fam

    In Westeros, when you're here, you're family. Oh, wait, that's The Olive Garden. But we're talking about families this week, and, like most things in Westeros, being part of a family is generally not a great time for anyone in this world. Certainly not as fun as having dinner at The Olive Garden. We look specifically at the Targaryen family and some possible historical inspirations for this mythical dynasty. The blonde dragon people share some interesting similarities with the Egyptian Pharoahs and the Ptolemeic dynasty, as well as the infamously inbred Habsburgs. Just how inbred were the Habsburgs? Surprisingly, not as much as the Targaryens, and we have a geneticist's Tweet to prove it. Then we look at families on more of relational level, discussing the psychology concept of attachment theory as it relates to our favorite Westerosi families. Does anyone in this world have a secure attachment style? You are probably not surprised to hear that the answer is no. We also of course have another installment of Wig Watch for you (see the wigs discussed on our Instagram), and we've got some recommendations in What Are We Watchin'. Join us next time to talk about politics and religion, yay! Further Reading: Historical connections to the Targaryens Real royal families and House of the Dragon How inbred is Daenerys Targaryen? Attachment Theory explained Remember that sweet 85-year-old food critic in North Dakota who wrote a positive review of the new The Olive Garden in her town?

    1h 13m

  7. 10/09/2024

    A Song of Ice and Fire: I'm Just Jon

    He's just Jon and he's enough! (Jonough?) This week we're talking about men in Westeros, exploring how masculinity is constructed in the world of Game of Thrones. Questions we discuss include: How do medieval European ideals of masculinity inform this world's gender expectations? What is the relationship between violence and masculinity, or perceived masculinity? How do family systems and relationships perpetuate masculine ideals in Game of Thrones? Why is Daemon Targaryen Just Ken? We also have two more wigs to discuss in our favorite new segment, Wig Watch! See photos of the wigs on our Instagram. Further Reading: Violence and Masculinity in Medieval France paper Masculinity and Disability in Game of Thrones paper Targaryen men perform "I'm Just Ken" HotD season 2 finale recap #gameofthrones #asongoficeandfire #imjustken

    1h 13m

  8. 09/25/2024

    A Song of Ice and Fire: Maiden, Mother, #GirlBoss

    In part two of our series discussing Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, we look at how women navigate the world of Westeros. Questions we explore include: How do women gain, lose, and use power in this world? How does power relate to femininity? How are the expected gender roles of Westerosi society shaped by the realities of the world? Characters we discuss include Cersei Lannister, Daenerys Targaryen, Catelyn Stark, Sansa Stark, Rhaenyra Targaryen, Alicent Hightower, and Rhaenys Targaryen. We also introduce a new segment for this series: Wig Watch! Join us on Instagram to see the wigs we discuss, and maybe some other things. Further Reading: The Dangers of Growing Up on Westeros House of the Dragon and GirlBoss Feminism We'll be back in two weeks to talk about the relationship between violence and masculinity in A Song of Ice and Fire, and how Daemon Targaryen is Just Ken.

    1h 9m
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

Pop DNA traces the roots of your favorite pop culture works. We're Erin and Rhonda, and we are big old nerds. We love dissecting our favorite movies, TV shows, and more, and we're really into how literature, history, and culture have impacted the works we consume. We explore connections across mediums, from the classic novels we see reflected in our favorite horror movies, to the politics in superhero franchises, to the influence of Shakespeare in, like, literally everything. There are also bad jokes. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram!

Information

  • Creator
    Rhonda Watts and Erin O'Loughlin
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2025
  • Episodes
    192
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Rhonda Watts and Erin O'Loughlin
  • Show Website
    Pop DNA

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