Hugging And Learning

Chelsea Marcantel and Andrew Grigg
  • 4.8 (34)
  • ARTS

Join Chelsea and Andrew as they re-watch the classic Very Special Episodes of TV sitcoms from the 70s, 80s, and 90s that we loved as kids, and explore what they have to say to us as adults.

  1. Thank You For Making Me Feel Wanted (“The Paul Lynde Halloween Special”)

    10/31/2021 · BONUS

    Thank You For Making Me Feel Wanted (“The Paul Lynde Halloween Special”)

    Like a mummy, or a vampire, or a ghost, or any number of monsters that rise from the dead at Halloween — WE’RE BACK!!! It’s Chelsea and Andy’s favorite time of year, and we couldn’t resist getting together for an impromptu surprise episode, specially for those of you who forgot to unsubscribe. Join us as we deep-dive into the cursed nonsense that is The Paul Lynde Halloween Special variety show. We’ve got witches, we’ve got truckers, we’ve got disco, we’ve got special guest appearances from everybody from Betty White to KISS. It’s bananapants and we wish it had never happened, but it did. Join us, please, so you can help us prevent this haunting event from ever happening again. Show: THE PAUL LYNDE HALLOWEEN SPECIAL (ABC) Air Date: October 29, 1976 Special Guest Stars: Margaret Hamilton, Billie Hayes, Billy Barty, Tim Conway, Roz “Pinky Tuscaderoh” Kelly, Betty White, Florence Henderson, KISS, Donny Osmond, Marie Osmond Find it: on Amazon Prime Video ($3.99 to rent) Snacks: Brach's Harvest Corn Hershey's Vampire Kisses Anela Cookies Aloinka Cookies Skillet S'mores (recipe) Further Reading: The groovy, goofy Paul Lynde Halloween Special could only have existed in the 1970s | MeTV.com The Paul Lynde Halloween Special | Wikipedia Wrong on every level’: Woman’s review of Brach’s Turkey Dinner Candy Corn goes viral | Today.com Disco Demolition Night | You’re Wrong About (Podcast) Bing Crosby & David Bowie – “The Little Drummer Boy (Peace On Earth)”

    2h 4m
  2. The Most Special Episode: Part 2 (“Diff’rent Strokes” S05E17)

    12/04/2020

    The Most Special Episode: Part 2 (“Diff’rent Strokes” S05E17)

    We’ve come to the end of the rainbow, friends and colleagues. It’s been a fantastic 101-episode-long ride, and we’re so happy that you came along. Before we ride off into the sunset (jk, it’s a pandemic, we never leave our apartments), we’d like to wrassle one last VSE with you — part two of the accurséd BICYCLE MAN. It’s got all the icky feelings and inappropriate jokes of part one, with 200% more police detectives. Come along. Show: DIFF’RENT STROKES \\ “The Bicycle Man,” Season 5, Episode 16 Air Date: February 5, 1983 Find it: Hulu or Amazon Prime Video with the Starz add-on Snack: Maple Walnut Shortbread from Archer Farms Further Reading: A “very special” Diff’rent Strokes that’s terrifying for all the wrong reasons | The AV Club Child Sexual Abuse: 6 Stages of Grooming | Oprah.com Preventing Sexual Abuse At Summer Camp: Five Tips for Parents

    1h 6m
  3. The Most Special Episode, Part 1 (“Diff’rent Strokes” S5E16)

    11/27/2020

    The Most Special Episode, Part 1 (“Diff’rent Strokes” S5E16)

    The time has finally come. In this most cursed year of this darkest timeline, we must re-watch and re-evaluate one of the most cursed VSEs of all time. The one that started it all — which is apt, because after 100 episodes, we have nearly come to the end of the Hugging & Learning rainbow. Join Chelsea, Andrew, and Miles for the penultimate episode of our podcast, as we evaluate what, if anything, we have to learn from this bone-chilling tv artifact today. Show: DIFF’RENT STROKES \\ “The Bicycle Man,” Season 5, Episode 16 Air Date: February 5, 1983 Find it: Hulu or Amazon Prime Video with the Starz add-on Snack: Camel Balls gum (Thanks, Josh!) Further Reading: A “very special” Diff’rent Strokes that’s terrifying for all the wrong reasons | The AV Club Child Sexual Abuse: 6 Stages of Grooming | Oprah.com Preventing Sexual Abuse At Summer Camp: Five Tips for Parents

    1 hr
  4. Emotional Rollycoaster: Part 2 (“Desperate Lives”)

    11/06/2020

    Emotional Rollycoaster: Part 2 (“Desperate Lives”)

    “Welcome to Hamilton High, where all the students major in drugs!” H&L is back with a real classic of the “Just Say No” genre. We’ve got an earnest protagonist, we’ve got grade-A freakouts, we’ve got future Oscar winners judo-kicking out of second-story windows. Will CARING SO MUCH triumph over indifference, drugs, and swimming? Or will yet another suburban teen succumb to his poorly-defined life pressures and terrible taste in friends? Join us to find out! Show: DESPERATE LIVES \\ CBS TV Movie Air Date: March 3, 1982 Special Guest Stars: Future Oscar Winner Helen Hunt Dr. Joyce Brothers Rick Springfield Find it: parts of it are on YouTube Snack: Brach’s Candy Corn Pumpkins Trader Joe’s PB&J Snack Duo Further Reading: Effects and Dangers of PCP Use DESPERATE LIVES: Say No To Drugs, Say Yes to Overblown Message Movies | Schlockmania

    1h 26m
  5. Ep 098: Emotional Rollycoaster: Part 1 (“Desperate Lives”)

    10/31/2020

    Ep 098: Emotional Rollycoaster: Part 1 (“Desperate Lives”)

    “Welcome to Hamilton High, where all the students major in drugs!” H&L is back with a real classic of the “Just Say No” genre. We’ve got an earnest protagonist, we’ve got grade-A freakouts, we’ve got future Oscar winners judo-kicking out of second-story windows. Will CARING SO MUCH triumph over indifference, drugs, and swimming? Or will yet another suburban teen succumb to his poorly-defined life pressures and terrible taste in friends? Join us to find out! Show: DESPERATE LIVES \\ CBS TV Movie Air Date: March 3, 1982 Special Guest Stars: Future Oscar Winner Helen Hunt Dr. Joyce Brothers Rick Springfield Find it: parts of it are on YouTube Snack: Brach’s Candy Corn Pumpkins Trader Joe’s PB&J Snack Duo Further Reading: Effects and Dangers of PCP Use DESPERATE LIVES: Say No To Drugs, Say Yes to Overblown Message Movies | Schlockmania

    1h 12m
  6. Momchiatrist and the Conference of Secrets (“The Day My Kid Went Punk”)

    08/21/2020

    Momchiatrist and the Conference of Secrets (“The Day My Kid Went Punk”)

    Won’t someone please hug Terry? The boy moves like a ghost through his own life; in the words of his own sister, “he’s just kinda there.” When Terry goes punk, it’s not so much a rebellion as an inevitability. But, wait! What does this mean for Mom’s big anti-punker conference?! Is this actually an afterschool special FOR MOMS?? Join Chelsea, Andrew, long-suffering Terry, some of The Weirz, and the psychiatrist from Space Jam as we try to decipher what, if anything, we can learn from an afterschool special about the waning days of punk. Show: ABC Afterschool Specials \\ “The Day My Kid Went Punk,” Season 16, Episode 3 Air Date: October 23, 1987 Find it: on YouTube Snack: Whittaker’s Chocolate Bar (Thanks, Josh!) Further Reading: “Afterschool Specials” | You’re Wrong About Podcast ABC Afterschool Special | Wikipedia

    1h 23m
  7. Murder, She Twote (“Whodunnit?” S01E01)

    08/14/2020

    Murder, She Twote (“Whodunnit?” S01E01)

    What’s the only thing more fun that a lighthearted came of Clue with friends? Only a high-stakes reality TV version of the game that strangers take way too seriously! Come with us on a journey back to 2013, when ABC turned a half-built mansion into CSI: Beverly Hills, at almost unfathomable cost and with mediocre results. The game… is murder! But somehow, as always, it all comes back to Melora Hardin. Show: WHODUNNIT? \\ “High Voltage,” Season 1, Episode 1 Air Date: June 23, 2013 Find it: on ABC.com Snack: Jampler! (jam sampler) from Trade Street Jam Co. Further Reading: Whodunnit? | Wikipedia Rue Manor | Reddit Viewers feared contestants actually died on ABC’s ‘Whodunnit?’ 8 Surprising Facts About ABC’s “Whodunnit” Whodunnit: all your questions answered | Reality Blurred

    1h 14m
  8. Saved By the Cowbell (“Hey Dude” S3E11)

    08/07/2020

    Saved By the Cowbell (“Hey Dude” S3E11)

    It’s a little wild and a little strange that this is our first HEY DUDE episode. And it’s a doozy of a debut — this is the LOST episode of the beloved Nickelodeon show. “Lost,” you say? Imagine if Sam Shepard wrote most of an episode of this light teen comedy, and you’ll soon figure out why. Join us for a deep dive into the fraught interpersonal relationships of the adult children of alcoholics, and also stinky feet jokes. Show: HEY DUDE \\ “Melody’s Brother” Season 3, Episode 11 Air Date: June 15, 1990 Find it: Good luck finding this episode! The rest of the series is on Amazon Prime Video. Snack: Zach and Zoe Sweet Bee Farm Wildflower Honey with Ginger Root Further Reading: Melody’s Brother | Hey Dude Reviewed Hey Dude: Melody’s Brother (My White Whale) | The Very Special Blog

    59 min
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4.8
out of 5
34 Ratings

About

Join Chelsea and Andrew as they re-watch the classic Very Special Episodes of TV sitcoms from the 70s, 80s, and 90s that we loved as kids, and explore what they have to say to us as adults.

Information

  • Creator
    Chelsea Marcantel and Andrew Grigg
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2021
  • Episodes
    102
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Show Website
    Hugging And Learning