This Show is Awkward

Full spoiler and content warning: this Banana Fish reunion discussion covers child sexual abuse, sexual violence, exploitation, trauma, murder and death. Michelle and Henrique Couto examine the complete anime and its tragic ending, so finish the series before listening if you want to experience Ash Lynx and Eiji Okumura’s story unspoiled.Michelle drops this almost-reunion onto the This Show is Awkward feed after, by her own cheerful admission, essentially forcing her human friend Henrique to watch Banana Fish. His deliberately brutal summary—"TLDR: glad Ash is dead"—is only the starting point for a much more compassionate argument about why Ash’s fate feels both devastating and, to Henrique, merciful.Together they unpack whether Ash and Eiji’s bond is romantic, platonic or intentionally difficult to label; how Ash’s history of abuse shapes his ideas about trust and intimacy; and whether someone trained to survive through violence could ever imagine a peaceful life. The conversation also revisits Dino Golzine’s control, Blanca’s compromised mentorship, Sing’s place in Eiji’s future, the hosts’ tragic-hero reading and Michelle’s account of creator Akimi Yoshida’s comments about consequences. Along the way, Henrique connects Banana Fish to New York crime stories such as Serpico, Mean Streets and Taxi Driver, while Michelle tests his reading against the manga and the 2018 anime adaptation.This is still Michelle and Henrique, so a serious character study can become an HBO Oz comparison or a joke without warning. They return to Michelle’s vivid image of concrete being poured over the garden of Ash’s spirit, then preserve the original announcement that 86 [Eighty-Six] would be their next anime discussion. It is a thoughtful, argumentative and very personal farewell to Banana Fish.Links Email Michelle: [email protected]

Full spoiler and content warning: Michelle recaps Chainsaw Man Episode 1, "Dog & Chainsaw," from its opening hallway to Makima’s final offer. Expect discussion of blood, dismemberment, body horror, exploitation and zombie violence in this sampler for Michelle Explains Anime, Poorly.Denji is buried under impossible Yakuza debt, selling pieces of his body and hunting devils with Pochita just to keep a roof over his head. Michelle follows his miserable routine through the Tomato Devil job, the cigarette stunt, his coughing fit and the all-important slice of white bread he shares with his chainsaw-dog companion. She also asks the practical question the anime refuses to answer: how is that lonely shack connected to public utilities? Her cat, meanwhile, is sleeping upstairs and contributing exactly nothing.The story turns brutal when the Yakuza betray Denji and reveal their contract with the Zombie Devil. Michelle walks through the stabbing, the dumpster reunion, Pochita and Denji’s new contract and the first full Chainsaw Man transformation. The recap ends with Makima recognizing that Denji is not an ordinary devil and offering him a choice that is caring, controlling and extremely Makima.This is also an animation review. Michelle examines MAPPA’s CG hallway, cars and chainsaw work; the opening theme "KICK BACK" by Kenshi Yonezu; and the ending song "CHAINSAW BLOOD" by Vaundy. She singles out Shinsaku Kozuma and Moaang among the episode’s animators, compares the production with Jujutsu Kaisen and Bocchi the Rock!, and gives the premiere the painstaking, funny scene-by-scene treatment promised in the original notes.LinksEmail Michelle: [email protected]

This 2022 crossover preserves the handoff from This Show is Awkward to Monthly Spooky. Henrique Couto and Michelle thank the Awkward listeners, settle into the crypt and introduce a longer mix of bizarre headlines, horror talk and dark history. It is the first Monthly Spooky episode shared on this feed, not a newly launched show today.The strange-news round begins with a monster-hunting kit assembled by a six-year-old, complete with defenses against vampires, werewolves and witches. Michelle and Henrique also investigate whether spiders fear other spiders, revisit a cluster of sand tiger shark encounters near Long Island, descend into the story of an ancient forest found inside a giant sinkhole in China and meet Nala, the lost dog who slipped into a Tennessee couple’s house and climbed into bed during a storm. These stories are discussed as headlines from the original recording.Centralia, Pennsylvania, supplies the main event. The hosts trace the underground coal-mine fire, competing accounts of how it began, evacuations and eminent-domain battles that emptied most of the town. They remember their own visit to Centralia several years earlier, its cemeteries and the abandoned stretch of Route 61 known as the Graffiti Highway. The episode also explores Centralia’s popular association with Silent Hill without treating that familiar comparison as a settled statement about the game’s single real-world inspiration.There is even more tucked inside: Michelle introduces her WEBTOON Canvas zombie comic At the End of Everything; the hosts react to Rob Zombie’s The Munsters trailer and Jordan Peele’s Nope; and a Reddit "glitch in the matrix" story about a strangely groomed feral cat opens questions about memory, carbon monoxide and parallel worlds. Sharks, vampires, spiders, a town burning belowground and two friends making each other laugh—this is Monthly Spooky finding its voice.LinksWeekly Spooky Email Monthly Spooky: [email protected]

This is the final episode of This Show is Awkward, but it is not the end of Michelle and Henrique Couto podcasting together. After nearly three years and more than one hundred conversations, they explain why the weekly show is closing and look back at the odd little community that gathered around it during quarantine. The original 2022 announcement introduces Monthly Spooky as their next shared format on Weekly Spooky.Before the farewell gets too dignified, real life barges in. Michelle describes the slow process of seeking a Philadelphia home-inspection license, while Henrique shares an update as he waits for Chicano’s veterinary surgery. They talk about exhaustion, work and the practical value of changing a demanding weekly routine into a planned monthly conversation. It is candid without pretending that either host has suddenly become organized.Then the finale takes the only sensible route: an extended detour through shark movies. Henrique tries to convince Michelle to watch Jaws, celebrates the glorious problems of Jaws: The Revenge and sorts out a listener’s confusion between The Last Shark and Burt Reynolds’ Sharky’s Machine. The live chat expands the debate to Sharknado, Alligator and Piranha II: The Spawning, along with a James Cameron and Roger Corman tangent. Swimming pools, freshwater fears, sewers and increasingly questionable survival plans all join the conversation.The ending returns to what matters. Henrique thanks Michelle for sitting down with him more than one hundred times, and both hosts thank the listeners who wrote, chatted and made the show part of their lives. This archived finale preserves a warm goodbye to one title and the beginning of Monthly Spooky—not a breakup, just Michelle and Henrique finding a roomier crypt for the same friendship.LinksWeekly Spooky Email the hosts: [email protected]

Henrique Couto opens with a personal vet update about Chicano, whose new skin tumor had been identified as cancerous. He explains that it appeared on the dog’s leg rather than at the site of an earlier tumor and shares the cautious, encouraging information his veterinarian had given him before a scheduled removal. The update is explicitly Henrique’s experience at the time of recording, not veterinary guidance or a statement about Chicano’s present health. Meanwhile, Michelle tries a new microphone and reacts with exactly the discomfort the original notes promised.From there, the conversation turns to HVAC maintenance. Henrique recounts having his central air cleaned, learning that a dual capacitor might eventually need attention, and planning a furnace check before winter. He and Michelle compare frustrating experiences with service contracts, missed appointments, expensive filters, local repair companies, and the awkward realities of choosing someone to work on a home. Their stories remain first-person anecdotes rather than repair advice.Michelle brings home-inspection stories of her own, including a sandstone foundation that seemed to crumble like sand in her hand. That launches a characteristically winding discussion of basements, split-level houses, flooding, and the wonderfully strange “Pittsburgh toilet”—a toilet sitting openly in a basement. Listener comments keep the detour moving while Michelle and Henrique joke about imaginary lollipop foundations.The lighter sidebars range from the mannequin horror film Tourist Trap and Joe Bob Briggs on Shudder to Danhausen, AEW, new microphones, and the hosts’ pets. Henrique also looks back on Weekly Spooky joining Spreaker Prime and previews ideas that were in development then, including Terrifying and True. It is an unusually candid episode about worrying for a beloved dog, maintaining a house, running small businesses, and leaning on a best friend when the week gets heavy.LinksEmail the hosts: [email protected]

Michelle is back, and Henrique Couto returns from the Joe Bob Briggs Jamboree in Memphis with two very different road-trip stories. Before the horror celebration, a worsening car noise and warning light had him expecting major brake or rotor work. Henrique says his mechanic instead found a bent metal pan beneath the car touching a rotor, moved it back into place, and reported that the brakes and rotors were fine—a rare repair-shop surprise that preserves the original “my car is fine?!” relief.The Jamboree itself was three days of drive-in movies, music, horror personalities, and Mutant-family energy. Henrique recalls landing in a mosh pit with Jonah Ray while Rock ’n’ Roll High School brought the Ramones to the screen; hearing The Lost Boys saxophonist Tim Cappello perform “I Still Believe” and a version of The Last Drive-In theme; and watching John Brennan’s band Bigfeet anchor loose, gleefully unrehearsed stage appearances. Tom Atkins, Danhausen, Dave Sheridan, and an increasingly unimpressed Elvis impersonator all enter the story.The trip also brought a hotel nightmare. Henrique recounts arriving at a budget hotel that felt unsafe, finding damaged furniture, a dirty room, and a mousetrap, then deciding he did not want to spend four nights there. He relocated to the Hilton hosting the event and describes the extra expense, the relief of feeling secure, and the convenience of being on site. These are Henrique’s first-person impressions of that stay; the notes do not identify the property or treat suspected activity around it as verified fact.Michelle fields home-inspection calls during the live show while the friends detour into vegan sausage, road-food mascots, Memphis barbecue spaghetti, and terrible hotels from their younger years. Henrique also acknowledges the worry he carried about a newly discovered growth on Chicano and thanks the people who made the weekend welcoming. The result is part horror-convention recap, part travel misadventure, and part celebration of unexpectedly good car news.LinksEmail the hosts: [email protected]

Henrique Couto and Michelle look back at kids movies that were darker, stranger, and more willing to endanger young characters than much of today’s family entertainment. Henrique starts with Cloak & Dagger (1984), in which a boy’s imaginary secret-agent adventures collide with real spies, a disguised Atari cartridge, gunfire, and consequences that force him to recognize the difference between a game and real violence.Then Henrique absolutely refuses to stop talking about Mio in the Land of Faraway (1987), the childhood fantasy he knew on VHS as The Land of Faraway. A lonely adopted boy reaches a magical kingdom, learns that he is the king’s long-lost son—and therefore might really be a prince—and sets out with his friend Jum-Jum to confront the knight Kato. Christian Bale plays Jum-Jum, while Christopher Lee gives Kato a genuinely frightening presence. Henrique revisits the flying spirit, white horse, invisible cloak, magic sword, stone hearts, and imprisoned children that made the movie unforgettable to him.Michelle answers with One Magic Christmas, the Mary Steenburgen and Harry Dean Stanton holiday fantasy whose bank robbery, family tragedy, and North Pole journey left a powerful impression. The friends also roam through Home by Christmas with Linda Hamilton, The NeverEnding Story, The Monster Squad, WarGames, and Time Bandits, exploring why melancholy, danger, and odd imagery can make childhood viewing memories stick for decades.As if the movies were not chaotic enough, Gigs attacks Michelle’s keyboard during the live stream, knocking out her audio and briefly taking over the broadcast. Henrique turns the technical failure into play-by-play while the chat declares the cat ready for a starring role. Later detours reach the antiwar holiday slasher Uncle Sam, Return of the Living Dead, and Maximum Overdrive, but the heart of the episode remains a funny, affectionate trip through the unsettling kids movies that helped shape the hosts.LinksEmail the hosts: [email protected]

Henrique Couto and Michelle try to beat the heat with cold drinks, air conditioning, and a decisive rematch in the great water-bottle rivalry: after measuring hers by hand, Michelle discovers that both bottles hold forty ounces. The friends compare a brutal recording-era heat wave, humidity, sunburn, and the challenge of staying cool while podcasting. Henrique also gives a personal, encouraging update after Chicano’s veterinary checkups, and the hosts joke about Henwolf policing the space beneath his desk.The main business detour concerns bold SEO scammers and sales calls. Michelle describes callers who claimed a connection to Google, promised first-page placement, and insisted that an opening had to be filled that day. She makes one caller explain the pitch, while Henrique connects it to countdown timers and other fake scarcity sales tactics. Their skepticism is presented as their experience with unsolicited marketing, not as a verified judgment about every SEO service.Michelle also recounts paying for an Angi lead that turned out to be someone seeking a stucco contractor rather than a home inspector. The friends briefly anticipate seeing The Black Phone and discuss how hard Michelle has been working on her website. Because the native transcript ends in the middle of their stucco conversation, these notes cover only the material actually captured and make no inference about the missing remainder.LinksEmail the hosts: [email protected]

Michelle and Henrique face an Ohio Heatwave by debating whose water bottle is bigger, then comparing central air, window units, electric fans and plenty of ice water. They compare the very different ways their homes hold heat, describe pets clustering around the coolest air, and trade survival ideas with the live chat. The result is a funny, practical conversation about humidity, rising electricity costs and knowing when it is finally time to turn on the air conditioner.The main pop-culture discussion turns to Stranger Things Season 4, Part 1. Michelle explains why its dreamlike killings initially felt a little too close to A Nightmare on Elm Street, then shares how the season won her over as the Hawkins and California storylines developed. The hosts talk about Eleven, Dustin and Steve, the challenge of splitting the ensemble across locations, and why the third episode was the point when the new season began to click for them.That horror connection leads Henrique and Michelle back to their own Nightmare on Elm Street marathon. During Michelle’s recovery from shoulder surgery, Henrique arrived with the complete movie set, introduced her to Freddy Krueger and turned A Nightmare on Elm Street 4 into part of an unexpectedly comforting two-day watch session. They also remember Dawn of the Dead, George A. Romero’s Pennsylvania legacy and the strange reality of showing a student the less glamorous office side of independent filmmaking.The conversation closes with Michelle’s home-inspection business, Philadelphia licensing delays and the mysteries of search-engine optimization. They unpack useful keywords, old-school keyword stuffing and why good SEO has to read naturally, before drifting into Judge Dredd, movie impressions and an unlikely Limp Bizkit performance. It is an especially lively installment built around friendship, horror fandom, small-business frustration and keeping cool.LinksEmail the hosts: [email protected]

Michelle and Henrique begin with freelance growing pains: Michelle has completed her first professional condo inspection but still needs reviews and qualified leads, while Henrique reflects on film work, collaboration and the value of making imperfect creative projects before waiting for permission. Their stories connect home inspection, independent filmmaking and podcasting through one practical lesson—people need evidence that you can do the work.Then comes Henrique’s dramatic lifestyle change: a smaller Wallet and a stripped-down key ring. He asks Michelle to display her own everyday carry before explaining why he removed expired cards, spare keys and memberships that did not need to travel everywhere. The decluttering experiment expands into AAA cards, a battery-powered lawn mower, Michelle’s inspection insurance and the funny line between being prepared and carrying an entire filing cabinet in your pocket.Henrique also introduces his new Electro-Voice RE20 microphone, a legendary broadcast model purchased through a carefully calculated no-interest payment plan. That opens another round of microphone collecting, audio quality and gear-acquisition jokes before the episode pivots toward Philadelphia history as the hosts know it: professional wrestling.Michelle receives an energetic education in Extreme Championship Wrestling, better known as ECW, and Philadelphia’s reputation for hardcore wrestling. Henrique explains the city’s wrestling culture, the former ECW Arena and the appeal of performers crashing through tables, leaping from cages and turning dangerous-looking spectacle into a communal event. They watch a compilation, discuss Al Snow and related promotions, and leave Michelle with a vivid—if slightly alarming—portrait of her adopted city.LinksEmail the hosts: [email protected]

Henrique is having an unexpectedly good day after weeks of house-buying anxiety, slow film-business paperwork and overdue distribution statements. He has finished his errands early, his office is finally clean and his latest microphone arm has intensified a serious case of gear-acquisition syndrome. The hosts compare microphones, remember a Star Trek-loving ice-cream man from Henrique’s childhood and welcome British Twitch listener Counselor of War into the conversation.That live exchange turns Ep. 129 into a playful tour of England and the United States. Michelle and Henrique compare Pittsburgh’s bridges with London Bridge and the Channel Tunnel, joke about British cars and European Vacation, and explain why Henrique imagines arriving in England as a minor television celebrity after his family film A Bulldog for Christmas received UK television distribution. They also discuss public-access television franchise fees, infrastructure funding and the gap between paying taxes and seeing roads or bridges maintained.Electric vehicles provide the next transatlantic comparison. Counselor of War describes home charging and quick acceleration, while Henrique explains the range and charging speed that would make an EV practical for his road trips. Michelle brings her home-inspection perspective to older American wiring, grounded outlets and the work required to install a higher-voltage charger. The conversation stays funny even as it touches on electrical safety, gasoline costs and the affordability of switching vehicles.The final stretch moves through Henrique Couto’s Portuguese surname, friendly British teasing and a memorable Florida travel story involving an electric shock, an alligator and a narrowly avoided wedding. Michelle and Henrique compare Miami, West Palm Beach and the rest of Florida before closing a freewheeling discussion about British-American differences, friendship and the strange places a live chat can lead.LinksEmail the hosts: [email protected]

Recorded in May 2022, Henrique Couto and Michelle compare a sudden burst of Ohio heat with the stubbornly cool weather near Philadelphia. The everyday weather check-in opens into a candid conversation about burnout, taking time off and the practical ways people manage long days in extreme temperatures. The occasion is also Michelle’s birthday, complete with listener greetings and Henrique’s attempt to arrange a celebratory dinner from afar.The heart of the episode is an extended discussion of film-set safety. Henrique explains why he believes actors should never be expected to absorb avoidable injuries, how stunt performers assess risk and why even a small production needs clear responsibility for weapons, fire, heat and difficult locations. He recalls a documentary about Kane Hodder and a full-body burn that went wrong, then shares examples from his own low-budget sets involving rubber knives, controlled fire, cooling cloths, shade canopies and the all-important floppy hat.Henrique also recalls getting heat stroke at nineteen and describes how the experience changed his approach as a director. Michelle challenges the ethics of risky stunts, leading both hosts to consider consent, financial pressure and the difference between a trained stunt professional and an ordinary cast or crew member. Their observations reflect personal experience and opinion, not professional medical, occupational-safety or stunt-coordination advice.The conversation still makes room for movies and comedy. Henrique defends Jackass as a surprisingly creative, sentimental celebration of longtime friendship, then reviews Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness through the unmistakable horror style of director Sam Raimi. The hosts also touch on The Northman, The Green Knight and Everything Everywhere All at Once while debating long runtimes, fantasy fatigue and the difference between a bad movie and a movie that simply is not for you.LinksEmail the hosts: [email protected]

Recorded in April 2022, Henrique Couto and Michelle begin with the anxious wait for a beloved pet to come home from a veterinary dental procedure. Michelle’s cat Gigs is under anesthesia, which prompts the friends to compare how their cats and dogs have handled treatment, shaved fur, recovery collars and the expensive cycle of animal care. The conversation captures both the worry of waiting for a call and the absurd humor people use to get through it.The central question is what counts as a one-sided friendship. Henrique describes being accused of ghosting someone even though he had sent the last message and had simply stopped initiating every new conversation. He and Michelle talk about reciprocity, slow replies, emotional labor and the demoralizing discovery that a relationship disappears the moment one person stops doing all the work. Their disagreement is revealing: Henrique wants clearer mutual effort, while Michelle remembers being burned when she tried too hard and learned to pull back.From there, the hosts explore the hidden frustrations of show business. Henrique uses an old circus joke to explain why even exhausting, unglamorous work can be difficult to leave, then discusses the power imbalance between directors and movie stars. Alfred Hitchcock, actors’ backstories and the pressure to keep a production moving lead to a broader conversation about control, creative collaboration and why playing make-believe for a living is rarely as carefree as it sounds.The episode also detours through Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker and televangelism scandals; the tax complications of buying a family home; and the difficulty of turning enormous charitable promises into workable programs. These are personal reactions rather than professional financial or legal advice. Henrique closes with a recommendation for Nicolas Cage’s The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, while Michelle brings the Ice Age setting of the manga Fire Punch into one final, characteristically awkward exchange.LinksEmail the hosts: [email protected]

Recorded in April 2022, Michelle shares a brutal one-two career shock: her primary employer is eliminating her region, while a second company no longer has enough home-inspection work to bring her on. These are business layoffs rather than performance firings, but the emotional result is still destabilizing. Henrique Couto gives her room to be stressed, reminds listeners that she has time to prepare and celebrates the prospect of seeing his best friend build something of her own.Michelle explains why she plans to revive Our Best Home Inspections and work independently. She has already trained as a home inspector and built a website, but needs to restore business infrastructure and reconnect with service partners before seeking clients. The hosts discuss insurance, business cards, networking at open houses and the appeal of setting your own schedule. Their conversation is personal experience, not business, insurance or licensing advice, and it reflects what they understood at the time of recording.Henrique connects Michelle’s transition with his own firing nearly eight years earlier. What starts as a debate over the difference between being fired and being laid off becomes an account of what Henrique describes as workplace retaliation, precarious part-time status, burnout and the terror of suddenly losing income. Listener stories widen the discussion to jobs that consume family time and to the imperfect freedom of self-employment: you may control your day, but taxes, paperwork and insurance still interrupt the fun.Before the career conversation, Henrique enthusiastically explains Project Zomboid, the survival simulation whose players keep inventing new challenges long after release. He describes characters managing food, shelter, mood, carpentry and vehicle repair while creators turn the zombie apocalypse into experiments such as building a house from scratch. That playful obsession balances the heavier news and preserves the episode’s supportive spirit: losing two jobs hurts, but Michelle has a plan, practical skills and a friend loudly insisting she can make it work.LinksEmail the hosts: [email protected]

Recorded in April 2022, Henrique Couto and Michelle confront a major change in Michelle’s working life. Her employment is shifting, and the uncertainty could force her to rely more heavily on self-employment as a home inspector. Henrique sees an overdue opportunity for his best friend to build a business around her fascination with houses; Michelle sees risk, unanswered questions and plenty of ways the plan could fail. Their affectionate disagreement gives the episode its emotional center.The hosts talk through the appeal and fear of working for yourself, the difference between passion and conventional career expectations and the practical value of controlling your own schedule. Henrique remembers crying after he lost his last traditional job and argues that responsibility can become empowering when no one else is coming to rescue you. Michelle pushes back against easy optimism, while Henrique points to her training, her home, her music and her webcomic as evidence that she already knows how to pursue difficult goals.That leads to a candid conversation about self-worth, authenticity and being a good friend to yourself. Henrique rejects the idea that adulthood requires conformity and tells Michelle that maintaining her creativity and identity counts as success. The discussion includes anxiety, tears and fear of failure, but it also demonstrates the practical tenderness of their friendship: Henrique secretly arranges a grocery delivery after Michelle realizes she forgot cookies and tortillas, then voices support for her next step.The episode opens with Henrique’s enthusiastic recommendation of Everything Everywhere All at Once. He praises its multiverse story, immigrant-family drama and unexpected defense of kindness, and describes a rock-universe sequence that reminds him of his friendship with Michelle. Other tangents include anime posters, haunted houses, Fire Punch, the Andes survival story dramatized in Alive and the idea of hosting classic cartoons. Together, those detours turn a stressful career announcement into a funny, encouraging conversation about change, creativity and choosing yourself.LinksEmail the hosts: [email protected]

Henrique Couto tries to save a trip to the groomer by trimming Chicano and Henwolf’s nails at home—and turns an ordinary chore into a late-night panic. Chicano’s dark nails make the quick difficult to see, but his small nick stops bleeding. Henwolf kicks during the final clip, leaving Henrique with a bloody paw, a trail across the floor and a terrifying wait to see whether the bleeding will stop. The dogs, meanwhile, remain far calmer than their horrified owner.Recorded in April 2022, Henrique recounts holding pressure on Henwolf’s paw, ordering supplies and fruit through a delivery service and staying beside her until the crisis passes. He also describes the strange aftermath: the dogs sleep peacefully while he scrubs the carpet and periodically discovers another missed spot. Listener stories about stepping on pets, clipped nails and a farm cat hiding in a car engine turn the frightening experience into a larger conversation about the guilt and fear that come with caring for animals.Michelle answers with a painful kitchen story of her own. A plant labeled as a sweet Asian pepper turned out to produce Serrano peppers, and a dried flake found its way into her eye while she prepared dinner. She describes trying to feed Gigs and search for help while unable to keep the affected eye open. Henrique compares the incident with accidentally touching his eyelid after handling habaneros and with unpacking a shattered bottle of extremely hot pepper sauce.These stories include improvised responses to animal bleeding and eye irritation, but the hosts are sharing personal experiences—not medical or veterinary instructions. Around them, the friends debate browser-tab overload, Henrique’s diet and where people physically feel hunger before ranking bell peppers, poblanos and New Jersey long hots. The original dog-paws-and-peppers idea survives intact, now with the specific mishaps that made both halves of the conversation memorable.LinksEmail the hosts: [email protected]

Recorded on March 30, 2022, Henrique Couto and Michelle react to the announcement that Bruce Willis was stepping away from acting after an aphasia diagnosis. Henrique revisits the criticism surrounding Willis’s many direct-to-video roles and the earpiece visible in some recent performances, arguing that those choices look different in light of the family’s news. The hosts compare his workload with Nicolas Cage’s run of VOD movies and reject the idea that a creative professional must treat every paying job as a prestige project.That defense of commercial work leads to potboilers, young-adult horror and R.L. Stine’s extraordinary publishing pace. Henrique recounts how Stine moved from comedy and Eureka’s Castle to Fear Street and Goosebumps, sometimes producing new books on punishing schedules. He and Michelle debate formulas, sparse character descriptions, ghostwriters and whether declining quality is evidence of deception—or simply what happens when a publisher keeps demanding more.Then Star Trek turns the episode into the accidental politics discussion promised in the original notes. The hosts disagree over whether casting political figure Stacey Abrams in Star Trek: Discovery is reason enough to avoid the series, compare Picard with Deep Space Nine and argue about when allegory becomes preaching. A listener’s comment about socialism in Star Trek expands the debate into capitalism, anarchism, taxation, healthcare, scarcity and the replicator economy. These are personal opinions from a 2022 livestream, not medical, legal, financial or political guidance.Around those subjects, the friends discuss diet changes, vegan and Mexican food, intermittent fasting, the McDLT, birds nesting in hair, retail jobs at Hot Topic and Spencer’s Gifts and how they first met through mutual friends on MySpace. Even Michelle’s iPad alert makes its cameo. The conversation is messy, lively and surprisingly civil: hosts and listeners disagree sharply, clarify their positions and keep talking about Star Trek, creative work and the kind of future they hope people can build.LinksEmail the hosts: [email protected]

Recorded in March 2022, Henrique Couto celebrates an unlikely grocery-store victory: after weeks without seeing Diet Sprite, he finally finds Sprite Zero in stock. That small discovery starts a wide-ranging soda conversation about pandemic-era supply disruptions, 7UP and its store-brand relatives, Diet Coke, Fresca, Dr Pepper, cream soda and the regional names for mixing every fountain flavor into one cup. Michelle likes soda, but her indifference to Henrique’s prized Sprite becomes part of the joke.The episode then becomes an informal tour of microphones and musical instruments. Henrique demonstrates a vintage Sennheiser broadcast mic, explains why some voice microphones also work well on drums and compares owning several microphones with a guitarist keeping instruments for different sounds, tunings and jobs. Listeners join in with guitar collections and session-work stories, while Henrique and Michelle discuss acoustic guitars, bass, ukulele, violin, mandolin, harmonica, banjo and keyboards. Yes, Michelle is still “too good” to play bass.Henrique also explores musical memory. A trip to a former rock quarry brings Fiona Apple’s “Red Red Red” back into his head even though he has not played it in years, reminding him how quickly he learned orchestra pieces by ear. The hosts learn the word audiation for hearing music internally, compare songs that return without warning and discover that both can voluntarily tense an inner-ear muscle to create a low rumbling sound.Around those themes are new glasses, browser problems, wind chimes, the dogs on camera and stories about learning instruments without chasing technical perfection. The hosts’ casual health and diet remarks are personal opinions from the recording, not medical guidance. What begins with a missing soft drink becomes a warm conversation about sound: how beverages and music acquire memories, why the right tool can make creativity more inviting and how even silly regional nicknames for mixed fountain drinks can carry a history.LinksEmail the hosts: [email protected]

Recorded in March 2022, Henrique Couto and Michelle ask a deceptively simple question: what is the hardest thing you have ever had to finish? Henrique is closing out one long-term movie project while preparing to complete another, and he describes how technical problems, artistic choices, pandemic disruption and his experience with COVID-19 changed a skill that once felt like his calling card. Michelle pushes back on the idea that her albums were easy, turning the original episode note into a candid exchange about the hidden labor behind creative work.The hosts compare their processes for declaring a project finished. Michelle recalls rerecording much of Sidewalks after an early version did not feel right, then explains why she checks mixes on different speakers and listens for problems rather than perfection. Henrique remembers panicking over the sound of his album Uke or Consequences before discovering that a loose iPod cable was playing only one channel. Together they discuss time management, deadline fatigue and the point where another revision stops helping.A listener’s unfinished movie opens an extended conversation about independent filmmaking and found footage. Henrique argues that the format can turn limited gear and experience into part of the storytelling, comparing supposedly recovered video to novels framed as journals or diaries. The discussion ranges from Dracula and H. P. Lovecraft to Henrique’s own found-footage productions, while emphasizing the work required to complete even a deliberately rough-looking film.Elsewhere, the pair revisit The Batman, Spider-Man: Homecoming and superhero stories with universe-sized stakes; celebrate the chemistry of Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones in Men in Black; and coax a sick friend into attempting the movie’s rap on the livestream. Henrique closes with film-distribution history from Sam Sherman’s When Dracula Met Frankenstein, including stories about Al Adamson and distributor Jerry Gross.LinksEmail the hosts: [email protected]

Recorded in March 2022, Henrique Couto arrives with what he realizes are literal blue suede shoes: a new pair of turquoise suede moccasins. That small purchase sends Henrique and Michelle into a cheerful tour of collecting, fandom and the objects that become funnier as they get less glamorous. Henrique shows off a Terminator 2 mug, trading-card memories and the prized centerpiece of his collection—a giant Italian poster for Shocking Dark, the movie once marketed as Terminator 2.The poster story has everything a collector fears and loves. Henrique describes making a low offer online, discovering that the Italian double sheet was far larger than expected and then spending more on a custom frame than on the poster itself. Along the way, he explains why original movie posters should not be permanently mounted and recalls other favorites from Tourist Trap, Hard to Die, Not of This Earth, Chopping Mall and Scanner Cop.Then the original notes’ sandwich mystery takes over. Is bread between bread still a sandwich? Does a hot dog count? What about a cheesesteak, calzone, open-faced pizza, cereal, oatmeal or ice cream? The hosts and livestream audience test each definition until Michelle again refuses to reveal what she thinks a pizza actually is. A food thermos filled with miso soup and macaroni, the infamous “fork sandwich” salad and favorite food aromas all join the increasingly hungry debate.The conversation eventually reaches horror-comedy territory through Motel Hell, cannibal movies and the famous Farmer Vincent’s fritters. Henrique also recommends the music of Ray Mattis, whose credits include Ouija Room, Girl in the Crawlspace and Scarecrow County. The hour closes with food smells, garlic, Earl Grey tea and a characteristically awkward disagreement about whether cannibalism is ever acceptable.LinksEmail the hosts: [email protected]

Recorded in February 2022, Henrique Couto says he is finally beginning to feel like himself again after being ill, then celebrates by recounting a run of movie-theater visits. His capsule reactions cover Jackass Forever, Moonfall, Licorice Pizza, Blacklight, Dog and Uncharted. The food tie-in arrives with Little Caesars’ Batman Calzony, a bat-shaped combination of pizza and calzone that immediately exposes Michelle’s strong—but no longer entirely secret—opinions about what deserves to be called pizza.The hosts test the boundaries with BLT pizza, taco pizza, pierogi pizza, loaded-baked-potato pizza and a Japanese restaurant’s sushi pizza. A Kitchen Nightmares compilation adds an enormous greasy pie advertised as thin crust, raw dough and more examples for Henrique and Michelle to judge. They agree that even disappointing pizza can still be enjoyable, but price, execution and expectations matter when a restaurant asks customers to treat it as something special.Then the debate turns regional. Henrique and Michelle compare New York and New Jersey slices with Chicago deep dish, Detroit-style squares and the thin, square-cut pizzas associated with Dayton and nearby Midwestern chains. They discuss fresh versus canned mushrooms, black olives, anchovies, extra sauce and well-done crust, plus the abundance of neighborhood pizzerias and diners on the East Coast. Michelle remains willing to eat nearly any pizza, yet still refuses to offer a final universal definition.The conversation closes with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze and its opening montage of New Yorkers eating pizza. Henrique remembers needing a pie whenever he watched the movie as a child, recalls Ernie Reyes Jr. as Keno and notes wrestler Kevin Nash’s turn as Super Shredder. It is a nostalgic finish to an hour spent asking whether pizza is a set recipe, a regional tradition or simply something you recognize when you see it.LinksEmail the hosts: [email protected]

Recorded in February 2022 after a nearly three-week break, Henrique Couto recounts a second bout of COVID-19 and the slow return of his voice. He compares it with his much harder illness the year before, explains why a sore throat and congestion disrupted his podcast schedule and says he is finally doing much better. This is a personal account from that moment, not current health information or medical guidance.Before getting sick, Henrique had driven to northern Michigan for a writing retreat. He describes buying groceries away from the storm, then white-knuckling the long trip back to Dayton through ice, snow and poor visibility. The trip’s highlight was riding a Ski-Doo on Houghton Lake, a huge frozen expanse where he reached high speeds, stopped near shore for lunch and saw the Christmas trees local riders used to mark old ice-fishing holes.Henrique also recalls walking on nearby Higgins Lake and how dramatically the scenery and temperature changed away from shore. The wide-open ice felt like a desert, while snowmobile access made restaurants and shops along Houghton Lake part of the day’s route. The story is presented as a 2022 travel memory—not frozen-lake or vehicle-safety advice—and Michelle’s fear of cold water offers an appropriately cautious counterpoint to his enthusiasm.The conversation turns to Jackass Forever as Henrique prepares to return to a movie theater. He explains why he sees Jackass as creative stunt comedy with roots in carnival geek shows, praising Johnny Knoxville’s cannon-shot angel pose and Steve-O’s modern versions of old sideshow acts. Michelle remains unconvinced because watching real injuries makes her squeamish. Moonfall, Licorice Pizza and the Tom Green Show round out a short comeback episode about recovery, risk and the things each host considers fun.LinksEmail the hosts: [email protected]

Recorded in January 2022, Henrique Couto asks listeners where they hope to go after two years of limited travel. His own answer is northern Michigan, where he plans to spend five days writing in a secluded house followed by two days off. The combination of snow, isolation and a screenwriter alone in a cabin sounds like the setup for a horror movie, but Henrique is excited by the chance to work without internet access and perhaps try snowmobiling.Preparing for a seven-day solo stay becomes its own project. Henrique inventories eggs, bread, tortillas, cheese, canned soup, bacon, pancake mix, maple syrup, soda and emergency caffeine while Michelle questions nearly every choice. Their planning session moves from pancakes and French toast to grilled cheese, quesadillas, breakfast burritos and the practical challenge of feeding yourself when every meal has to be anticipated in advance.The food discussion expands into childhood cooking and comfort meals. Henrique recalls learning boxed macaroni and cheese, ramen, guacamole and hot sauce; Michelle remembers helping her mother cook; and both compare vegetarian chili, meat substitutes, V8 as a soup base and the creativity of transforming leftover pasta sauce into chili. Pieces of April, Primordial and Speed enter the conversation through stories about Thanksgiving cooking, deliberately bleak shelf-stable meals and movie scores.Michelle jokes that she is not going anywhere and expects to keep working on the post-apocalyptic webcomic Stray Cats. The hosts also consider what a truly restorative trip might look like, whether a remote retreat can still count as work and how leaving Chicano and Henwolf behind complicates Henrique’s excitement. The result is an episode about dream destinations, creative solitude, cabin meal planning and all the small decisions that make leaving home feel real.LinksEmail the hosts: [email protected]

Recorded in January 2022 after an Ohio snowstorm, Henrique Couto turns a chosen snow day into an excuse for comfort food. He walks Chicano and Henwolf, makes grilled cheese and revisits the chicken-and-dumplings recipe associated with his late aunt Betty. The meal brings back holiday gatherings, her insistence on simple ingredients and the last Christmas when Henrique cooked the family specialty for her instead.Snow-day entertainment includes Until Dawn, the interactive horror game in which player decisions determine who survives. Henrique explains the quick-time controls, the challenge of holding the controller still and the deaths already caused during a new playthrough, while noting co-writer Larry Fessenden’s independent-horror background. The hosts also celebrate stovetop popcorn, Jiffy Pop and Henrique’s use of Flavacol to recreate a movie-theater flavor at home.Then Henrique and Michelle watch Kay’s Cooking videos featuring spaghetti, lasagna, Mexican-inspired food and two attempts at egg fried rice. Their reactions move between concern, curiosity and Michelle’s reluctance to judge a meal she cannot taste. The discussion examines presentation, technique and the strange intimacy of watching someone learn publicly, without treating the hosts’ improvised observations as cooking or food-safety advice.A longtime listener’s arrival shifts the final stretch into podcast nostalgia. Henrique recalls The Freak Forum, The Hen House, Ustream broadcasts, Skype callers, music-and-comedy formats and the old Podsafe Music Network. Memories of a pumpkin-themed horror story and the recurring “political bear” sketch reveal how much of his present audio work grew from those early experiments. What begins as chicken and dumplings becomes a two-hour conversation about family recipes, online creativity and the communities that form around live shows.LinksEmail the hosts: [email protected]

Recorded in January 2022, Henrique Couto and Michelle begin with an expensive but reassuring round of pet updates. Henwolf’s hard bump turns out to be an infected nodule, Chicano remains under observation after an earlier tumor, and Michelle discusses Gigs’ arthritis and dental care. Stories about a rambunctious husky mix and a veterinarian whose own dog cannot tolerate the clinic keep the check-in affectionate rather than clinical.A bottle of Clearly Canadian opens a tour of nostalgic drinks and treats. Henrique investigates why the sparkling beverage disappeared from view, remembers TCBY frozen yogurt and talks with listeners about Royal Crown Cola, Diet Rite, maple candy and candy-cane hazards. His love of sour flavors leads to a vivid childhood story about eating so many Warheads that he damaged his tongue, while Michelle argues that tartness is simply a sad flavor.Movies steer the conversation from the revenge-android oddity Steel and Lace to Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Henrique explains an extended scene involving the Terminator’s learning chip and why John Connor’s relationship with machines matters across the franchise. That becomes a bridge to Star Trek: The Next Generation, Data’s legal personhood, his daughter Lal and the way synthetic life stories ask audiences to reconsider consciousness and ownership.The original notes’ comedy-Twitter rabbit hole takes over with TNG Season 8, a parody account built from imaginary episode summaries involving Picard, Worf, Riker, Geordi, Data and Barclay. Henrique then introduces Sad Paul Giamatti, whose fictional version of the actor documents meals, money trouble and low expectations with relentless melancholy. The playful feeds give the title its “Next Giamatti” joke and turn an episode about pets and candy into a celebration of deeply specific internet comedy.LinksEmail the hosts: [email protected]

Spoiler warning for Parasite: recorded in January 2022, Henrique Couto and Michelle finally compare reactions to Bong Joon Ho’s Academy Award-winning thriller. Michelle is struck by the humiliating “basement smell,” the flood and the working family returning to serve their employers immediately after disaster. The hosts examine how the poor Kim family lies its way into jobs yet proves capable of doing them, while the wealthy Park family is neither innocent nor a simple collection of villains. Their discussion centers on class, aspiration and the film’s refusal to make desperation morally tidy.The movie talk branches into Snowpiercer, Okja, Cobra Kai and the circular exchange between Japanese manga, anime and international film. Then Henrique discovers the Italian sword-and-sorcery Ator series with the audience before revisiting Troll 2, Claudio Fragasso’s famously strange story of vegetarian goblins turning people into plants. The hosts react to selected clips, including Grandpa Seth, the family’s poisoned meal and the immortal argument over hospitality.During the livestream, the YouTube feed is briefly interrupted after the Troll 2 excerpts. Henrique interprets it as an automated copyright action and argues that their commentary should qualify as fair use; the episode does not independently establish which rights holder or system caused the interruption. That confusion preserves the original notes’ point that watching Troll 2 clips created platform trouble, while keeping a 2022 incident from becoming a current claim about YouTube or MGM.The final act is a search for a “waifu simulator” that becomes an impromptu playthrough of Katawa Shoujo. Instead of quick dating choices, Henrique finds a long visual novel about Hisao, a teenager with a heart condition who transfers to Yamaku Academy for students with disabilities. He reads through the hospital backstory while Michelle chooses the library over an intrusive question about a classmate. The game’s disability language and the hosts’ improvised jokes can be insensitive; the segment is presented as a chaotic artifact of the livestream, not a medical or disability resource.LinksEmail the hosts: [email protected]

Recorded on December 29, 2021, this loose year-end episode keeps the original notes’ joke: Henrique Couto and Michelle announce a review of the year, then mostly avoid reviewing it. Instead, they compare Christmas celebrations, from Henrique’s roast-duck dinner and abandoned latke plans to Michelle’s family visits, new smartwatch and holiday-movie viewing. A new webcam and a sleepy Chicano on “doggo cam” turn the livestream itself into part of the catch-up.The monkey talk begins with Link, the 1986 British horror film starring Elisabeth Shue and Terence Stamp. Henrique describes discovering its unusually polished killer-ape thriller setup, while Michelle explains why monkeys frighten her and reacts to the trailer. Their search expands to the orangutan performers behind Link and Clint Eastwood’s Every Which Way but Loose and Any Which Way You Can. Claims about animal treatment raised during their improvised research are not repeated here because the episode does not verify them.Michelle also reports back on Fatman, the dark Christmas movie with Mel Gibson as Santa Claus and Walton Goggins as the hitman pursuing him. She likes the film’s world-building and the assassin’s affection for his hamster, although both hosts find the third act less compelling than the premise. Henrique adds a spoiler-light reaction to Spider-Man: No Way Home, praising its fan service, character work and readable action while separating his enthusiasm as a Spider-Man fan from his assessment of the film on its own.Live-chat questions widen the conversation into Michelle’s music and webcomics, including At the End of Everything, as well as anime, streaming recommendations and the economics of independent horror distribution. Henrique discusses those platforms only from his experience at the time; no service availability or payment figure should be treated as current. A listener’s COVID-19 quarantine also prompts personal illness stories and viewing suggestions, not medical advice. It is a warm, wandering holiday hangout built around movies, pets, audience banter and considerably more monkey talk than year-end analysis.LinksEmail the hosts: [email protected]

Recorded just before Christmas 2021, Henrique Couto and Michelle compare holiday-spirit levels while preparing for a celebration that may not look the way either expected. The catch-up moves through homemade cookies, a Christmas sweatshirt, eggnog experiments, roast-duck plans, family visits and neighborhood lights. Michelle is doing the traditional things without feeling especially festive, so Henrique and the live audience search for ways to make the season gentler rather than insisting on a particular mood.That search opens into the episode’s heartfelt center: Henrique describes Christmas as a celebration of hope and an excuse to notice what is good before life moves on. After a difficult change in his own plans, he remembers that adults can build traditions around the friends, food, films and generosity that matter to them. Michelle may not share every part of his philosophy, but she recognizes its warmth. Their exchange turns the “true meaning of Christmas” premise into an honest conversation about making a holiday your own.Movies and music provide the comic route back toward cheer. Henrique enthusiastically explains Fatman, the dark Christmas action comedy starring Mel Gibson as Santa Claus and Walton Goggins as the man hunting him, focusing on the film’s inventive world-building rather than promising current availability. The hosts compare favorite sad and old-fashioned Christmas songs, touch on Scrooged and other seasonal movies, and let the chat propose increasingly ridiculous solutions for Michelle’s holiday slump.The original notes’ dog joke also gets a full payoff. Doggo cam follows Henwolf and a dreaming Chicano, while Henrique repeatedly argues that both dogs should accompany him to Michelle’s house. Michelle protects her cat Gigs’s peace and refuses. Beneath the bit is real affection for pets, chosen family and the people who show up. Technical glitches, a surprise package and one very dark Santa video keep the livestream loose, but the closing message stays kind: celebrate if you want, skip what does not fit and look for whatever hope the season can still hold.LinksEmail the hosts: [email protected]

Recorded in December 2021, Henrique Couto is finally feeling festive after wrapping gifts and preparing for a Christmas party, but Michelle is still waiting for the holiday mood to arrive. The livestream begins with last-minute presents, Henrique adjusting to a new computer and Chicano’s return to doggo cam. Michelle has been baking and watching seasonal movies, yet doing the expected activities has not produced the Christmas cheer Henrique hopes to find for her.His first plan is a tour through Tiny Tim performances. They watch the singer move from sincere falsetto and ukulele standards such as “Tiptoe Through the Tulips” and “Livin’ in the Sunlight, Lovin’ in the Moonlight” to eccentric later appearances. Some material relies on stigmatizing illness-based shock humor and has aged badly, so the episode’s language is not reproduced here. The musical detour eventually reaches Roddy Piper’s wrestling-themed version of “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” along with Henrique’s warm memory of meeting his childhood hero.The conversation then develops into a thoughtful discussion of outsider music and artistic influence. Wild Man Fischer and Daniel Johnston prompt questions about work created by people facing serious mental-health challenges, while Jad Fair and Mojo Nixon lead the hosts to compare inspiration with imitation. Henrique objects to performers copying another artist’s visible struggles as an aesthetic. He and Michelle trace how their own voices changed through filmmaking, live music and comics, including Michelle’s early magical-girl stories and Henrique’s move beyond horror comedy.Holiday movies, dark seasonal stories and Chicano’s strategically timed naps keep the tone playful between those deeper subjects. Henrique offers increasingly elaborate movie and music suggestions; Michelle remains honest that she is doing the expected activities without quite feeling Christmas. The result preserves the original notes’ promise of fun songs and pro wrestling while adding the episode’s more surprising creative theme: artists may begin by echoing their heroes, but sustained work can reveal a voice of their own.LinksEmail the hosts: [email protected]

Recorded in December 2021, Henrique Couto opens with the update listeners awaited: Chicano had visited a veterinary oncologist after a removed tumor proved cancerous, and the news at that appointment was cautiously hopeful. Earlier heart testing delayed surgery, and the pathology report brought fresh uncertainty. At the time of recording, Chicano was comfortable at home and the plan was continued veterinary monitoring—not a guarantee about his later health and not medical advice for another pet.The story is as much about loving a rescue dog as it is about treatment decisions. Henrique recalls fearful reactions that he interprets as signs of Chicano’s past mistreatment, along with the dog’s growing trust and determination to befriend visitors anyway. A live doggo cam shows Chicano sleeping on his favorite couch while Henrique processes the exhaustion of waiting through the appointment. The details preserve the original notes’ reassuring tone without repeating private costs, fundraising totals or clinical percentages that could be mistaken for general guidance.From there, Henrique and Michelle compare unusually vivid stress dreams. Their examples include an unwanted tattoo performed by a dentist, an inexplicably angry parent, forgotten items after a long drive, endless falling or bouncing, trying to run without speed, fighting a pillow and being unable to keep one’s eyes open. They distinguish ordinary nightmares from sleepwalking and sleep paralysis through personal experience only; joking references to disability and mental health are not treated as diagnoses.The final stretch turns to Jewish identity and the end of Hanukkah. Henrique asks how the noun “Jew” and the adjective “Jewish” can sound in different contexts, while Michelle offers her own perspective rather than a universal rule. They also touch on candles, latkes and the holiday’s final night before Gigs tries to eat wallpaper. Some jokes and terminology are dated or insensitive, but the grounded through-line is friendship: one host worried about his dog, both hosts trading anxiety stories and Michelle supplying personal context where Henrique’s questions outrun his knowledge.LinksEmail the hosts: [email protected]

Recorded during Hanukkah 2021, Michelle finally finds menorah candles after searching four grocery stores. The victory comes halfway through the holiday, and her next challenge is remembering the potatoes and onions for latkes. Henrique Couto asks how the candles fit, why a full box contains so many and whether people still use oil menorahs, leaving Michelle to explain her own practice while repeatedly reminding him that a search engine is not a substitute for context.That setup preserves the original notes’ joke about Henrique finding everything Jewish funny, but the humor comes with a warning. Their improvised searches wander into novelty merchandise, wordplay and stereotypes that can be insensitive or offensive. Rather than reproduce slogans or slurs, these notes foreground Michelle’s personal Hanukkah experience: finding the right candles, choosing colors, counting what the holiday requires and hoping to make potato pancakes before it ends. Her answers describe her traditions, not rules for every Jewish listener.The episode’s other major discovery hook is a reaction tour through strange 1990s commercials. Henrique and Michelle revisit Pop-Tarts flavor clouds, Duracell’s plastic people, a surreal Pokémon live event, baby dolls with bodily functions, classic Super Soakers, Burger King choices, animated pizza, Mentos, Capri Sun and a Casio label maker. The brand names identify archival ads discussed in the recording; the segment does not claim those products, prices or promotions are current.Label-maker envy leads to QR codes, personalized household labels and the ethics of stealing office equipment, all firmly in joke territory. The live-show experiment then drifts through pajamas versus “soft pants,” holiday-horror atmosphere and videos of unusually calm robbery victims and failed thefts. An early pet update also contains Henrique’s premature belief that Chicano’s tumor was benign; the following episode corrects that assumption, so it is not repeated here as fact. The result is a loose holiday livestream mixing Hanukkah frustration, commercial nostalgia, pets and increasingly elaborate internet detours.LinksEmail the hosts: [email protected]

Recorded just after Thanksgiving 2021, Michelle and Henrique Couto compare two very different holiday tables. Michelle maps out stuffing, rice pilaf, broccoli casserole, marshmallow-topped yams and a crowded dessert spread, while Henrique champions mashed potatoes, deviled eggs, cornbread pudding and his mother’s twice-baked potatoes. Cranberry preferences, potato skins and a family pie order from Frisch’s Big Boy turn the meal into a playful regional-food argument.Henrique’s exhausting holiday continues through two family dinners and a late movie night with friends. The annual double feature pairs Planes, Trains and Automobiles with Dutch, then everyone stays for the 2021 horror comedy Black Friday. He explains why the retail-worker setting hit home, why the gathering lasted until 3:30 a.m. and why making potato latkes was less appealing when they could not be served straight from the stove.Then the title’s “talk” becomes a real announcement. After 108 conversations, the hosts explain that this was the final episode in the show’s original podcast-first format. Their 100th-episode livestream had been fun enough to inspire a looser interactive version built around audience participation and reaction videos. As described in this 2021 recording, live video would happen when their schedules allowed, archived video would remain available and edited audio would continue on the podcast feed.The episode also checks in on Michelle finishing Squid Game after a social-media tease spoiled part of its mystery. A final Hanukkah tangent finds her searching Wegmans for menorah candles and explaining that the holiday begins the previous evening on the Jewish calendar. Thanksgiving food, seasonal movies and a format experiment make this a transition episode that still sounds unmistakably like Michelle and Henrique.LinksEmail the hosts: [email protected]

Content warning: this 2021 conversation includes childhood bullying, homophobic harassment, physical assaults, school-shooting context and discussion of pet surgery. Henrique Couto recalls being pushed down stairs, struck by a heavy library door, spat on during bus rides, targeted with prank calls and followed home. He explains why adults telling him to fight back could not solve the problem, and why fear eventually led him to spread a dangerous rumor about carrying a stun gun after Columbine.Michelle remembers confronting two classmates through angry voicemail messages, but she also describes how difficult it can be to decide whether an experience “counts” as bullying. Together the hosts compare physical intimidation with psychological cruelty and ask what bullying looks like after school. Henrique argues that adult bullies often present themselves as outsiders while using lies, gaslighting and backhanded compliments against friends or coworkers. Michelle recognizes similar dynamics without naming private people or treating disputed workplace stories as settled fact.Henrique applies that lens to independent filmmaking. When A Bulldog for Christmas reached Walmart, some colleagues framed their congratulations as moral criticism or accusations of selling out. He distinguishes a stranger’s negative review from personal manipulation by someone who knows you, then credits sincere messages from viewers and friends with helping him continue through financial and creative uncertainty. Former classmates who later apologized for bullying also earn his respect for acknowledging the harm and risking rejection.The episode opens while Chicano is undergoing growth-removal surgery. Earlier heart monitoring had changed the anesthesia plan, and pathology had not yet established whether the growth was benign or malignant. Community help with unexpected veterinary bills and Michelle clearing time to keep Henrique company provide an immediate contrast to the bullying discussion. A recent visit with a longtime friend in Georgia reinforces the same conclusion: cruelty can follow people into adulthood, but dependable friendship and specific encouragement still matter.LinksEmail the hosts: [email protected]

Content warning: this 2021 conversation includes childhood bullying, homophobic harassment, physical assaults, school-shooting context and discussion of pet surgery. Henrique Couto recalls being pushed down stairs, struck by a heavy library door, spat on during bus rides, targeted with prank calls and followed home. He explains why adults telling him to fight back could not solve the problem, and why fear eventually led him to spread a dangerous rumor about carrying a stun gun after Columbine.Michelle remembers confronting two classmates through angry voicemail messages, but she also describes how difficult it can be to decide whether an experience “counts” as bullying. Together the hosts compare physical intimidation with psychological cruelty and ask what bullying looks like after school. Henrique argues that adult bullies often present themselves as outsiders while using lies, gaslighting and backhanded compliments against friends or coworkers. Michelle recognizes similar dynamics without naming private people or treating disputed workplace stories as settled fact.Henrique applies that lens to independent filmmaking. When A Bulldog for Christmas reached Walmart, some colleagues framed their congratulations as moral criticism or accusations of selling out. He distinguishes a stranger’s negative review from personal manipulation by someone who knows you, then credits sincere messages from viewers and friends with helping him continue through financial and creative uncertainty. Former classmates who later apologized for bullying also earn his respect for acknowledging the harm and risking rejection.The episode opens while Chicano is undergoing growth-removal surgery. Earlier heart monitoring had changed the anesthesia plan, and pathology had not yet established whether the growth was benign or malignant. Community help with unexpected veterinary bills and Michelle clearing time to keep Henrique company provide an immediate contrast to the bullying discussion. A recent visit with a longtime friend in Georgia reinforces the same conclusion: cruelty can follow people into adulthood, but dependable friendship and specific encouragement still matter.LinksEmail the hosts: [email protected]

Recorded in November 2021, Henrique Couto has finally started Squid Game and Michelle is several episodes ahead. They discuss the show’s early portrait of debt, gambling and desperation without revealing its later twists, then compare its present-day competition with other death-game stories. Henrique is especially struck by the protagonist winning money rather than simply losing it: the occasional victory helps explain why gambling remains so dangerous. Michelle weighs that reading against the anime versions of the genre she already knows.Parasite becomes the next Korean screen-story flashpoint when Henrique discovers Michelle has never seen it. He insists on sending her a copy and praises its class conflict without revealing the plot. Their exchange turns the source note’s vague “Korean cinema” promise into a specific conversation about Squid Game, Parasite, subtitles and why both stories connect economic pressure to character choices. The hosts’ opinions belong to this 2021 recording, not a definitive survey of Korean film or television.A separate movie tangent finds Henrique reviewing Marvel’s Eternals. He finds the large cast difficult to connect with and interrogates the story’s rule that its heroes may fight alien Deviants but cannot intervene in human history. References to the Holocaust and Hiroshima make this section potentially sensitive, while discussion of the film’s international edits and theatrical prospects is preserved only as dated commentary. Michelle also describes transferring to a more supportive workplace and relearning how much authority her supervisor role actually carries.Finally, a consumer dog-DNA test rewrites Henwolf’s origin story. Despite repeated guesses that she was part Saint Bernard, Collie or Australian Shepherd, the reported four-breed result identifies Boxer, pit bull, Chow Chow and German Shepherd ancestry. Henrique studies possible relatives, coat traits, her barrel chest and a family tree dominated by breeds she barely resembles. He treats his explanation as amateur speculation, gives Wolfie the new nickname Bruiser and abandons confident predictions before Chicano’s results arrive.LinksEmail the hosts: [email protected]

Recorded after Halloween 2021 and the season’s first Ohio frost, Michelle and Henrique Couto compare trick-or-treat turnout in their neighborhoods. Michelle welcomes younger families and celebrates her mother finally exhausting a huge candy supply after moving to a more walkable area. Henrique also sees more small children than in previous years. Hearing them laugh and play after trick-or-treating convinces him that elaborate decorations are worthwhile and that Halloween, however much adults love it, still belongs to kids.Henrique recounts an all-night local horror event followed by a Halloween spent answering the door in a bloodied hospital-patient costume. Fog, green lighting and his position behind the window made the effect scarier than intended, although one fearless child proudly announced that scary movies could not frighten him. Four rolls of gauze also left Henrique sore and hiding a real forehead cut beneath the fake blood—a discovery he made only after repeatedly trying to scrub the “makeup” away.Technology supplies a second nostalgia thread. A noisy printer revives Michelle’s story about once mistaking printer sounds for an intruder, while a garage hard drive unexpectedly reveals digital photos last saved in 2004. Henrique remembers paying extra for Kodak Picture CDs so he could build websites before scanners and camera phones were commonplace. The hosts also check in on Michelle’s home-inspection plans, including historical coursework in termites and radon, without turning the conversation into professional advice.Michelle’s Halloween viewing includes an unnamed comedy-horror anime about a girl who sees spirits and survives by pretending she cannot. She also finally watches Trick ’r Treat after Henrique sends it to her, prompting memories of a compressed Freddy Krueger marathon during her shoulder recovery. Anime gives way to Star Trek: The Next Generation, the Pluto TV rotation and Jean-Luc Picard’s repeated torture stories. Candy, costumes, aging technology and comfort viewing make this a distinctly post-Halloween catch-up.LinksEmail the hosts: [email protected]

Full spoiler and content warning: Michelle and Henrique Couto dissect Halloween Kills from its 2021 release through the ending, including graphic fictional murder, mob violence and suicide. Michelle likes the film but prefers Halloween (2018), especially its stronger comic balance and more complete story arc. Henrique reads the sequel as a deliberate bridge to Halloween Ends: the townspeople’s final attack appears to stop Michael Myers, only for him to rise again, suggesting that the Shape is more than an unusually durable man.The hospital pursuit supplies their biggest thematic debate. Haddonfield residents turn fear into a mob, mistake another escaped patient for Michael and help drive an innocent person to his death. Henrique defends the repeated “Evil dies tonight” chant as purposeful rather than accidental camp, tracing it to a “Love lives today” donation sign earlier in the film. Michelle appreciates seeing how the town responds to decades of trauma but hopes the franchise has completed this part of the mob story.Franchise fan service becomes both evidence and reward. The hosts discuss returning characters, callbacks to earlier Halloween timelines, the Silver Shamrock masks from Halloween III, the alternate history of Tommy Doyle and the recreated Dr. Loomis. Big John and Little John stand out because the film lets them become funny, affectionate residents of the Myers house before killing them. Michelle agrees that making victims quickly likable gives the violence weight instead of treating every death as disposable spectacle.That care explains why Henrique embraces the movie despite its unevenness. He compares the approach with reboots that borrow a famous title while discarding the source’s identity, including the Rob Zombie Halloween films and a later Friday the 13th adaptation. Michelle connects the problem to manga-to-anime projects made without affection for the original work. A closing candy update identifies strawberry bonbons and peanut butter kisses from their prior Halloween conversation, providing a sweet exit from a long discussion of Michael Myers, grief and murder.LinksEmail the hosts: [email protected]

Recorded in October 2021, Henrique Couto celebrates replacing an off-brand 65-inch television with his first name-brand set, a 65-inch Samsung QLED. The smart remote automatically recognizes his 4K Blu-ray player, Roku and soundbar, while HDR makes new Halloween restorations look dramatically different. One feature keeps distracting him: automatic dimming during dark scenes. He buys a traditional remote and enters the television’s service controls to change it, a personal experiment described here rather than recommended technical guidance.A search for what makes OLED displays “organic” sends Michelle and Henrique into chemistry they openly do not understand, eventually producing the episode’s joke that televisions must be made of people. Michelle’s real news is more grounded: a former instructor has offered her home-inspection work in Pennsylvania. The opportunity gives her an email address, a path to field experience and a reason to pause plans for her own company, but it also activates her fear of disappointing an employer before she has completed a single inspection.Halloween planning takes over from there. Henrique has stocked four giant bags of candy, programmable lights, colored floods, fog and barking dogs for a front-door scare. He remembers past costumes inspired by Tourist Trap, Leatherface, Ghostface, The Purge and Dr. Giggles, plus the year he sat motionless beside the candy until a young ninja approached. Michelle prefers handing out candy beside ghosts and fake spiderwebs, and the hosts compare nostalgic strawberry-wrapped sweets, orange-and-black taffy and neighborhood trick-or-treat traditions.For seasonal viewing, Henrique rotates Trick ’r Treat, Murder Party and John Carpenter’s Halloween while waiting for visitors. He also reviews the 2021 Slumber Party Massacre remake, praising its playful reversal of slasher conventions while distinguishing a loose reboot from a scene-for-scene remake. Michelle contributes a haunted-house story about an insurance adjuster calling a landline that an unseen older woman seems to answer. New screens, a new career and old-fashioned Halloween mischief make this a technology-heavy spooky-season catch-up.LinksEmail the hosts: [email protected]

Recorded in October 2021, Henrique Couto shares the making of Beggar’s Night, a six-minute Halloween horror short created as he began easing back into production after a long interruption. He explains why his supporters had asked for more short films, how the project fit his plans to rebuild a regular filmmaking rhythm and why a night shoot in the woods offered the right experiment for a seasonal story.The behind-the-scenes centerpiece is Henrique’s attempt to power modern LED film lights with portable battery banks. He describes the brighter hard-source lighting, the tradeoffs of working far from an outlet and the practical frustration of navigating a dark set between takes. A garage cleanup full of costumes, props and equipment extends the filmmaking conversation, as does his hope of eventually reviving Popcorn Fodder. These are personal production recollections, not electrical or set-safety guidance.Michelle and Henrique then turn toward Halloween traditions: pumpkin patches, squirrels that attack jack-o’-lanterns, competing trick-or-treat dates, trunk-or-treat events and the ambition to become the house that gives away the best candy. Their jokes about Mischief Night, egging and smashed pumpkins lead to the spontaneous phrase “pipsqueaks and Melvins,” which became the podcast title but is not the name of Henrique’s film.The episode also captures Michelle’s slow 2021 home-inspector licensing process, including a request to clarify errors-and-omissions insurance paperwork. Henrique anticipates Halloween Kills, while Michelle recommends the found-audio podcast Within the Wires. A 1988 Nickelodeon Halloween special featuring Marc Summers and magician Lance Burton completes this lively mix of independent horror filmmaking, seasonal nostalgia and creative friendship.LinksWatch Beggar’s Night Email the hosts: [email protected]

Recorded in October 2021, Henrique Couto and Michelle follow their live 100th episode by comparing the movies, television and podcasts carrying them into spooky season. Henrique has just returned from Cinema Wasteland and settles into a spoiler-light review of Mike Flanagan’s Midnight Mass, praising its isolated-community mystery and the complexity of its religious themes without revealing the story’s central surprise.That review opens a broader Mike Flanagan conversation spanning Hush, Gerald’s Game, Doctor Sleep, The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor. The hosts debate long episodes, binge-watching and the strange claim that modern audiences lack attention spans when popular movies keep growing longer. No Time to Die, Venom: Let There Be Carnage and the approaching release of Halloween Kills all enter the discussion as 2021 viewing plans rather than current availability advice.Michelle recommends Within the Wires, the found-audio anthology set across an alternate world and connected to the creators behind Welcome to Night Vale. Henrique’s enthusiasm for hidden stories inside ordinary media leads to alternate-reality games and an idea for a multipart Weekly Spooky production. Their watch list also includes American Horror Stories, Creepshow on Shudder and Only Murders in the Building, the comedy-mystery starring Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez.The conversation closes with a snapshot of Michelle’s home-inspection business preparations. She had arranged Pennsylvania radon-inspection support while waiting on a New Jersey application that required additional proof of her exam and insurance. The hosts’ remarks about radon are jokes, not health or professional guidance. Together, the episode offers a 2021 time capsule of horror streaming, audio fiction, true-crime comedy and two friends trading recommendations.LinksEmail the hosts: [email protected]

Recorded live in September 2021, Henrique Couto and Michelle celebrate 100 installments of This Show is Awkward with listener questions, technical mishaps and the unpredictable rhythm of audience chat. Looking back to the podcast’s November 2019 beginning, they consider what it means to create a weekly conversation with no fixed subject—simply two longtime friends making each other laugh without a script or commercial goal.The questions turn Michelle’s difficulty choosing “starter anime” into a lively recommendation list. Attack on Titan, Death Note, Cowboy Bebop, the first season of My Hero Academia, Erased and Steins;Gate all enter the debate, with Re:Zero offered as an example of a more demanding starting point. Michelle also tells the story behind her song Banned at Mugshots, inspired in part by the Crass song Banned from the Roxy and a memorable Philadelphia café performance.Movies, food and creativity keep the live show moving. The hosts revisit Phantasm, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Gone Girl and Planes, Trains and Automobiles; compare favorite dishes including Mexican rice and beans, soup, pesto and udon; and discuss Inktober and conversational improv. Henrique reflects on his early Ustream broadcasts and explains why this informal podcast gives him a creative outlet distinct from the more produced Weekly Spooky.A filmmaking question brings practical perspective from Henrique’s directing career: be friendly, arrive on time, stay sober and understand that a screen actor often performs for the director rather than a responsive crowd. He contrasts stage feedback with the quiet concentration of a film set and names Nothing Good Ever Happens among his proudest projects. Audience identities, health claims and stale promotions have been omitted, leaving an energetic milestone built around friendship, anime, movies and making art for its own sake.LinksEmail the hosts: [email protected]

Recorded in September 2021 during a thunderstorm, Henrique Couto and Michelle settle into fall with a run of spooky movie nights. Henrique recalls choosing Jaws: The Revenge and A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master for his belated birthday screening, then looks ahead to Elvira’s 40th-anniversary marathon on Shudder. The Movie Crypt and Henrique’s own Babysitter Massacre also enter this enthusiastic horror-season conversation.Michelle’s home-inspection studies supply the episode’s most practical subject: recognizing termites and other wood-destroying organisms. She explains that she was midway through a course focused partly on pesticide application, even though her goal was identifying visible signs of damage rather than treating a property. These remarks describe her training at the time, not pest-control, pesticide or licensing advice.A perfectly timed spam call interrupts the termite discussion. Henrique politely tells a caller promoting a Medicare supplement plan that he is not eligible, then describes receiving several senior-benefit and final-expense calls each day. From there, a joke about addressing government paperwork becomes “to your mom, care of New Jersey,” the phrase behind the original episode title. No phone numbers, companies or claims from the caller are repeated.The second half moves from contract fatigue to lawyers on television. Henrique discusses Goliath, Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad while the hosts debate legal billing, courtroom drama and constitutional protections as personal opinions rather than legal guidance. A lighter finale recalls homemade iron-on shirts: Michelle printed her own characters, while Henrique recreated a wrestler’s design in MS Paint and took it to Sir Speedy. Horror favorites, scam-call overload and the awkward path toward a new profession make this a distinctly 2021 snapshot.LinksEmail the hosts: [email protected]

Recorded in September 2021 after a two-week break, Henrique Couto returns from a cabin vacation and HorrorHound Weekend in Cincinnati. His quiet getaway included kayaking, campfires and late-night movies—until distant dogs and a deep sound in the woods convinced him and Rachel that a black bear might be nearby. They calmly put out the fire and went inside; the animal was never seen or confirmed.The cabin story makes room for the gentler side of the trip: tiny frogs, dragonflies, fish, turtles and a stream-fed wetland explored by kayak. Back home, Henrique marks his 35th birthday and shows off a Dr. Stone shirt featuring Senku that Michelle gave him. Michelle, meanwhile, describes the 2021 paperwork she was assembling for her home-inspection business, including insurance documentation and a New Jersey application.Another milestone belongs to Weekly Spooky, which had reached 100 episodes with a two-part collection of new stories. Henrique praises Michelle’s compact horror contribution, Normal Shit, and compares its campfire-story economy with her earlier writing. He also reflects on introducing convention visitors to an anthology podcast they could sample in any order as its seasonal audience began growing again.The final stretch is a spirited tour of Halloween traditions. Henrique compares Ohio’s shifting Beggars Night schedule with Mischief Night, then describes fog at the front door, generous bowls of candy, familiar scary movies and a jack-o’-lantern pizza. The hosts discuss Shudder’s Ghoul Log, Joe Bob Briggs, Elvira’s anniversary marathon, Trick ’r Treat and scary stories from online communities. Wildlife theories, platform schedules, business status and event details are all preserved as personal memories from 2021, not present-day guidance.LinksEmail the hosts: [email protected]

Recorded in September 2021, Henrique Couto approaches his 35th birthday by asking Michelle for life advice—only to discover she is busy navigating a milestone of her own. Michelle had just received the Pennsylvania DBA for Our Best Home Inspections and was mapping the remaining steps toward operating a home-inspection business. The original title’s “errors and omissions” joke refers to professional liability insurance, not a collection of mistakes.Their conversation follows Michelle’s startup checklist as she understood it at the time: a Pennsylvania tax form, insurance, a business bank account, New Jersey licensing paperwork, a website and business cards. She and Henrique compare do-it-yourself website builders with hiring a designer, consider domain ownership and professional email addresses, and joke about social media, a car magnet and a deliberately terrible advertising jingle. This is a historical account, not business, tax, insurance or licensing advice.Michelle also inventories the equipment she expected to carry: backup flashlights, a tape measure, an infrared thermometer, a reversible screwdriver, a GFCI outlet tester and a collapsible ladder. For roof observations, she mentions a drone, binoculars or direct access depending on the situation. The hosts’ loose exchange reflects preparation in progress; it should not be treated as a complete professional toolkit or as safety guidance for roofs, electrical systems or drone use.Around that central startup story, Henrique reflects on recording two shows in a row for the first time since his COVID-19 recovery and solicits ideas for the approaching 100th conversation. The friends also trade birthday jokes, discuss travel plans and compare the frustration of specialty insurance with Henrique’s complaints about a hybrid-car fee. Grounded in 2021, the episode captures the uncertainty, research and humor behind turning a new credential into a real small business.LinksEmail the hosts: [email protected]

Recorded in September 2021, Henrique Couto spots a Facebook ad for a Hawaiian shirt covered with Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers and Leatherface. His search for a trustworthy seller uncovers the same design across unfamiliar storefronts, inconsistent prices and products that appear to be dropshipped. Michelle recalls finding a suspiciously cheap Labyrinth collectible copied from an artist’s Etsy listing, while Henrique tells a comic cautionary tale about ordering a picnic table and receiving a watch.The shopping discussion reflects the hosts’ personal experiences, not a verified finding about any named seller or financial advice. Henrique compares Etsy and Amazon listings and explains why he preferred familiar payment protections, but those 2021 policies and prices may have changed. The conversation is repeatedly interrupted by Michelle’s computer freezing, transforming an online-shopping story into an unplanned technology comedy.Henrique then prepares for a birthday cabin trip and HorrorHound Weekend in Cincinnati, his first convention since the COVID-19 disruption. He recalls inducting his late friend Andy Copp into the Horror Host Hall of Fame for directing Shock Theatre and discusses returning as the ceremony’s host while representing Popcorn Fodder. Cinema Wasteland was next on his calendar, though every event detail is presented historically rather than as a current listing.A long vacation debate completes the episode. Henrique imagines a beach trip to El Salvador, while Michelle prefers a remote Pennsylvania cabin or a journey through Japan, especially Hokkaido. They compare heat, crowds, language learning, termites and destinations with their usual dark humor. Crucially, Henrique is urging Michelle to consider a vacation—not proposing that she relocate somewhere dangerous. Crime, public-health, airfare and cryptocurrency claims from the conversation were omitted because they were speculative, sensitive or tied to 2021 conditions.LinksEmail the hosts: [email protected]

Recorded in August 2021, Henrique Couto describes using YouTube’s copyright tools to find reaction videos and unauthorized uploads of his films. The discovery opens a candid creator-rights conversation about deciding when a fan response helps a movie and when a complete upload crosses the line. He also recounts resolving a delayed licensing payment for Stirring, his Christmas short about a monster hiding in a tree, without naming or accusing the distributor in these notes.Michelle’s home-improvement project supplies the episode’s other major problem. She notices cracks on the exposed exterior foundation and white mineral deposits on the wall’s interior side, patches several areas with concrete crack filler and learns how to use a caulk gun. The hosts identify the deposits as efflorescence based on Michelle’s course material, but this is an in-progress personal account—not structural, waterproofing or home-repair guidance. Cosmetic paint is never presented as a fix for water or foundation concerns.Finding a convincing finish proves harder than filling the cracks. Michelle compares stone-texture spray paints from Rust-Oleum and Krylon, only to encounter indoor-only labels, unavailable colors and samples that look different once sprayed. Trips to Lowe’s and Michaels turn into a running search for the right gray. Henrique proposes marble-look contact paper and connects the idea to the gleaming mausoleum walls in Phantasm.The friends close with Michelle still waiting for Pennsylvania paperwork for her planned DBA and with ideas for the approaching 100th conversation. Those business, product-stock and platform details are preserved as 2021 history rather than current information. The result is an episode about creators protecting their work, the comedy of a deceptively complicated paint match and the limits of learning a household project in real time.LinksEmail the hosts: [email protected]

Recorded in August 2021, the day after his great-aunt Betty died, Henrique Couto pauses the usual comedy to remember the woman who was effectively his grandmother. He speaks candidly about the strange rhythms of grief after a prolonged illness and about the importance of saying “I love you” while someone can hear it. Michelle gives him room to decide, moment by moment, whether to change the subject or keep telling stories.Henrique remembers Aunt Betty and her late husband Charles as steady support for him and his mother. Their home hosted years of Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, with cold soda over crushed ice and family recipes always close at hand. Charles shared his enthusiasm for technology and gospel music, while Betty arrived in her familiar red minivan whenever the family needed practical help. These memories emphasize care and belonging without publishing private medical, financial or location details.Some of the warmest stories show Betty welcoming Henrique exactly as he was. She accepted his unconventional childhood clothes, took pride in his filmmaking and once welcomed a small movie crew into her orbit. When school bullies followed him home, she raced over and fiercely chased them away before comforting him. Henrique reflects on how that protection shaped the loyalty he hopes to offer the people he loves.A malfunctioning thermostat provides a brief comic counterpoint. In his restless grief, Henrique replaces it with a Google Nest and experiments with schedules and voice controls; the pricing, compatibility and wiring discussion reflects one personal 2021 DIY experience, not electrical or HVAC instruction. Michelle’s Weekly Spooky story “Normal Shit” also receives a brief mention. At heart, however, this is a loving oral remembrance of holiday traditions, everyday kindness and a formidable family protector.LinksEmail the hosts: [email protected]

Henrique Couto opens with a tiny legal windfall: a $2.15 payment from a Google+ profile class-action settlement. The real victory belongs to Michelle, who drives an hour to take the National Home Inspector Examination and passes despite expecting the worst. Her blunt celebratory text gives Henrique a chance to recognize how far she has come toward a new home-inspection career.Passing the exam does not make every next step obvious. Michelle is still sorting through school documentation, a New Jersey application and questions about an employer identification number, a DBA and working across state lines. Both hosts openly admit that they do not know the answers and eventually land on the sensible conclusion that some questions require a qualified professional. Their 2021 paperwork conversation is personal history, not legal, tax, licensing or business advice.The mood changes when Gigs, Michelle’s cat, begins limping after an unknown mishap. Michelle rearranges her workday for a veterinary visit and describes the medications prescribed for pain and inflammation, while Henrique tries to reassure her that ordinary cat activity may explain the strain. The cause is never established, so the story remains a worried pet owner’s account rather than a diagnosis or veterinary recommendation.Then unexplained scratches on Michelle’s arm trigger the episode’s most awkward spiral: what if a bat entered the house? No bat was seen, no bite or rabies exposure was observed and Michelle was not diagnosed or treated for rabies; even she says the marks look like cat scratches. From there, the friends riff on bats, raccoons, skunks, opossums and wildlife guidance, turning health anxiety into escalating comedy. The historical research they read aloud should not replace current medical, veterinary or public-health advice.LinksEmail the hosts: [email protected]

Recorded in August 2021, Henrique Couto describes being interviewed for Mom N’ Pop: The Indie Video Store Boom of the ’80s / ’90s, director Bobby Canipe Jr.’s then-in-production documentary about independent video rental shops. The conversation explores the stores that existed beyond Blockbuster, Hollywood Video and Movie Gallery, including the wonderfully local practice of renting tapes from tanning salons and other unexpected businesses.Henrique and Michelle trade memories of Easy Video, Video Val’s, West Coast Video, Family Video and public-library VHS shelves. Henrique recalls repeatedly borrowing The Wizard of Speed and Time, crossing a busy road for rentals and discovering movies through whatever happened to be available. A friend’s work as a 1990s video broker adds another angle: large chains sold off former new releases, and smaller stores bought the used tapes for their own shelves.The warmest section considers what video-store nostalgia is really trying to recover. Michelle remembers watching movies and anime with her family, while Henrique pictures pizza, tapes, Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction and late-night Space Ghost with his mother. They agree that reopening a rental counter cannot fully recreate childhood, yet familiar rituals can echo those memories. The discussion expands into old and new music, changing tastes and the value of remaining curious rather than living only inside nostalgia.The episode also captures two smaller 2021 milestones: Henrique sells an older iPad through eBay, and Michelle prepares to take the National Home Inspector Examination the following day. Her result was not yet known during this recording, despite the original notes’ playful prediction that she passed. Together, these stories create a thoughtful celebration of VHS culture, family movie nights and the moments that make physical media matter.LinksEmail the hosts: [email protected]

Spoiler and content warning: recorded in August 2021, Henrique Couto discusses The Forever Purge and earlier Purge films, including political extremism, fictional murder and major plot details. He traces the series from The Purge through Anarchy, Election Year and The First Purge before reviewing the fifth film’s central idea: the annual violence refuses to end, and survivors head toward Mexico seeking asylum. His response mixes genuine enthusiasm with questions about the story’s border logic and political themes.Henrique also gives a mostly spoiler-light review of M. Night Shyamalan’s Old. The beach-set thriller’s accelerated-aging premise fills him with dread about aging, illness and time, but he praises its mystery and final revelations. That reaction leads into a quick appreciation of Shyamalan’s run from The Visit through Split and Glass. All release and theater talk reflects the film’s 2021 theatrical moment rather than current availability.Michelle brings a very different kind of suspense from a field inspection at a flipped house. In her account, the roof had been layered over an older roof and splashed with paint, the heating and cooling system behaved unpredictably, and the electric water heater produced no hot water. She and the inspector work through the confusing switches, breakers and thermostat behavior while Henrique supplies comic questions. This is a trainee’s recollection of one property, not a diagnosis, repair guide or professional home-inspection advice.The episode opens with a personal update about Chicano after veterinary cardiology testing. Henrique says the dog’s heart disease and arrhythmia were described as early or mild, that Chicano was acting normally, and that another monitor was recommended for later follow-up. The hosts’ relief, Michelle’s growing inspection experience and Henrique’s improving stamina place the conversation firmly in its 2021 setting. Together, the stories connect horror-movie anxiety with the real uncertainties of pet care, recovery and learning a new career.LinksEmail the hosts: [email protected]