On this week's show, Glen and I are joined not only by our producer Jess Gitner, but also by a new face for PCHH: NPR Books editor Petra Mayer, whom you may very well know as much of the voice of our books team on social media.
We start with a discussion of the new Sundance miniseries Top Of The Lake, a crime drama starring Mad Men's Elisabeth Moss and Holly Hunter, directed and written by Jane Campion. The show has some clear cultural antecedents for its unusual tone, as Glen explains, but it's also in part a genre piece, as Petra explains. We talk about the pacing, the acting, and how to best put a drug trip on screen.
Then we return to a topic we last touched on more than two years ago: Pop Culture Punching Bags. Last time, everyone gathered around to have a good contemptuous chortle at my love of college a cappella — what will be our dearly defended properties this time around?
And finally, we end with what's making us happy this week. For Jess, it's a video that might just have made her cry. For Petra, it's a collision between a bunch of her favorite things. Glen splits his happiness between a theatrical adventure he chronicled at his new-ish online home and a book that seems to be there to fulfill a wish he once had. I manage to split my happiness between four things: a book you've heard about from me before, an NPR show you may or may not have heard yet, a ranking that must be seen to be believed, and a sports team that brought something new to an old event.
Find us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter: me, Stephen, Glen, Trey, Jess, Petra, and our esteemed producer emeritus and music director, Mike Katzif.
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