The Popculty Podcast

With the pandemic wreaking havoc on our collective sanity, what better time to talk about mental health representation in media! Licensed Social Worker and friend of the show Megan Wykhuis is back to lay out the Seven Big Bad Mental Illness Tropes that movies/TV just can't get enough of. Then we go hard on some classic but problematic faves, Hollywood's misguided obsession with "crazy"/violent white men, and the most irresponsible show ever to air (can you guess?)!
Next time, for contrast, we'll rave about our favorite *positive* portrayals of mental illness (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend! The Magicians! My Mad Fat Diary!) and debate a few that are...er, complicated.
What are some of your favorite shows/movies/characters dealing with mental illness or addiction? Let me know and we might share your thoughts in the next episode! Tweet @popculty, or send a voice memo/email to [email protected].
CONTENT WARNING: Discussion of mental illness throughout, some discussion of addiction (~00:40:30 - 00:46:30), brief mentions of sexual assault, brief mentions of mass/school shootings, moderate-heavy discussion of suicide/self-harm (~00:57:30 - 01:10:00).
If you are in crisis, please reach out to one of the support organizations below:

• NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) helpline: 800-950-NAMI
• RAINN (Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network) Sexual Assault Hotline: 800-656-HOPE
• SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) National Helpline: 1-800-662-HELP

References:

• From 'Split' to 'Psycho': Why Cinema Fails Dissociative Identity Disorder - The Guardian
• Mind Over Pop Culture: 'Fatal Attraction' - Mental Health America
• Glenn Close Regrets How 'Fatal Attraction' Portrayed Mental Illness - The Mercury News
• Release of '13 Reasons Why' Associated with Increase in Youth Suicide Rates - NIH (National Institutes of Health)

Follow Popculty on Tumblr, Twitter, and Instagram for all the news and commentary on the underrepresented pop culture you care about!

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One year ago, the Jessica Jones series finale brought the entire Marvel/Netflix Universe to an end. In the final part of this retrospective, SJ and Bethany break down the highs (Hellcat!) and lows (#TrishWalkerDeservedBetter) of the third season. We put our backgrounds in criminology and sociology to use, looking at the history of women's anger/violence and why TV just can't seem to let powerful female characters live (*ahemGoT*). Author Reuben “Tihi” Hayslett returns to weigh in on the show's lasting impact for survivors of abuse.
TRIGGER WARNING: Some discussion of abuse.
If you need help, please reach out to the National Domestic Violence Hotline:

• @ndvh on Twitter
• CALL 1-800-799-7233
• TTY 1-800-787-3224
• chat: thehotline.org

Thank you again to Reuben “Tihi” Hayslett for sharing his story with us. Read his essay, We Don’t Need Another Hero: How Netflix’s Jessica Jones Saved My Life, and his collection of short stories, Dark Corners.

References:
Marvel's Jessica Jones Directed by Krysten Ritter - Netflix behind-the-scenes video
Rachael Taylor Deals with Trish Walker's Inner Demons in Marvel's Jessica Jones - interview
Credits:
Jessica Jones main title written by Sean Callery; cover performed by L'Orchestra Cinematique. Check out more of their awesome covers on Youtube and their album Geek Tunes.
All series clips property of Marvel and ABC Studios.
Logo by Max Badger.
Follow Popculty on Tumblr, Twitter, and Instagram for all the news and commentary on the underrepresented pop culture you care about!

Support the show

Follow Popculty on Tumblr, Twitter and Instagram, and watch video episodes on our brand-new Youtube channel!

After a little unplanned hiatus, Popculty is BACK with Part 2 of our Halloween crossover event! Friend of the pod and Spooky & Gay co-host Carver Casey joins me once again to slice and dice Ari Aster's second film, Midsommar-- the one we actually liked (mostly)! Is it a 'good for her' movie? Cult propaganda? A surprisingly cathartic exploration of grief? We've got thoughts! Plus, side-trips into final girls, the dark history of dance marathons, and of course, Florence Pugh supremacy.
Carver's horror recs:
Next of Kin (1982) dir. Tony Williams
12-Hour Shift (2020) dir. Brea Grant
Pet (2016) dir. Carles Torrens [TW: Not for the squeamish!]
SJ's horror recs:
Evil (4 seasons, Paramount+)
Dead Ringers (1 season, Amazon Prime)
The Last of Us (1 season, HBO/Max)
Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022) dir. Halina Reijn
Fear Street trilogy (2021) dir. Leigh Janiak
References:

• Midsommar, except it's just Dani looking at Christian like he's the shittiest boyfriend ever, set to Wii music
• Florence Pugh on the Off Menu podcast
• The Grim, Depression-Era Origins of Dance Marathons - Atlas Obscura
• Atlas Obscura podcast: Hargaberget

Follow Carver on TikTok.

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Follow Popculty on Tumblr, Twitter and Instagram, and watch video episodes on our brand-new Youtube channel!

It's a two-part Halloween crossover event! Carver Casey of the Spooky & Gay with Carver & Jay podcast joins me to talk personal histories of horror and whether the films of A24 auteur darling Ari Aster are all they're cracked up to be. In this episode, we turn our queer lens on Hereditary - Transmasculine allegory or transphobic trash? Listen to find out where we land, and join us next week for Part 2, when we tackle his follow-up folk horror classic Midsommar!
Article discussed: Trans Horror Stories and Society's Fear of the Transmasculine Body - Sasha Geffen (Them.)
Women-Directed Horror Recs:

• Raw (2016) dir. Julia Ducournau
• Good Manners/As Boas Maneiras (2017) dir. Juliana Rojas & Marco Dutra
• A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night (2014) dir. Ana Lily Amirpour
• Carmilla (2019) dir. Emily Harris
• Fear Street trilogy (2021) dir. Leigh Janiak [ Netflix]
• The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020) [Netflix]
• Lovecraft Country (2020) [HBO Max]
• Brand New Cherry Flavor (2021) [Netflix]
• Evil (2019 - ) [Paramount+]

Follow Carver on Twitter and TikTok.
Spooky synth outro music by Ross Bugden.

Support the show

Follow Popculty on Tumblr, Twitter and Instagram, and watch video episodes on our brand-new Youtube channel!

In the very first episode of the Popculty Podcast, get acquainted with your host, SJ, and the kinds of topics we'll cover on this show. Then geek out with me as we re-cap all the big announcements from Comic-Con 2019, featuring an all-star lineup of female superheroes, villains, and Terminators!
Follow Popculty on Tumblr, Twitter, and Instagram for all the news and commentary on the underrepresented pop culture you care about!
Logo by Max Badger.

Support the show

Follow Popculty on Tumblr, Twitter and Instagram, and watch video episodes on our brand-new Youtube channel!