Podcasts by A Bit Much

Ep 120: It’s Just the Tunnel from 2022-06-04T23:41:45

Loyalties and alliances are constantly tested and renegotiated as the last remaining humans try to ensure their survival in a mostly-dead world. We discuss the treatment of addiction as a moral ...

Ep 119: Extenuating Circumstances from 2022-02-15T14:00

After a nice, long, unannounced and somewhat unintended break, Jenna and Megan are back at it, analyzing and agonizing over our favorite morally fraught television program. We talk about Diyoza,...

Ep 118: Good Guys from 2021-07-06T12:00

It's been six years since the world ended AGAIN, and our favorite characters are back at it, trying to save their friends and keep the human race alive. We discuss Clarke's mythologizing of her ...

Ep 117: The Head and the Heart from 2021-05-25T13:00

As Season Four - and the surface of the earth - comes to a fiery end, characters are scrambling to figure out how they'll survive the next 5+ years of nuclear fallout. Octavia experiences the bu...

Ep 116: It's Unity Day from 2021-04-29T00:14:13

It's Octavia's time to shine as she enters the conclave to fight for Skaikru. Through her cooperation with other warriors, her memory of Lincoln's beliefs, and her witnessing how far Luna has fa...

Ep 115: Who We Want To Be from 2021-03-24T02:01:50

In the last days before the arrival of a deadly radiation wave, our characters are faced with fewer and fewer options for survival. We discuss Jaha's conspiracy theories, Monty's admirable commi...

Ep 114: The Same Old Excuse from 2021-01-26T14:00

In these episodes, a series of increasingly unfortunate events cause the characters to become more and more desperate for a plan to survive the encroaching nuclear radiation. Jasper provides lev...

Ep 113: Just Different Variations of the Trolley Problem from 2020-12-30T01:12:01

Our friends from the 100 may have just solved one apocalypse, but as Season 4 begins they're faced with another one, as well as several smaller yet more immediate crises. These kids just can't c...

Ep 112: An Unexpected Worsening from 2020-11-01T16:00

As Season 3 comes to an end, our favorite characters face increasingly dangerous and high-stakes challenges, making one last ditch effort after another to save themselves and their loved ones. B...

Ep 111: It felt like hope from 2020-08-25T12:00

As we move into the back half of Season 3, the threat of ALIE is ever-growing, while her ethical considerations seem to disappear. We get to flashback to the 100 as naive teen criminals and see ...

Ep 110: An Excessive Amount of Tranquilizing from 2020-07-21T12:00

This episode of A Bit Much has some heavy stuff, which is saying something, considering what is typical for The 100. We talk about major character deaths, and the way that thes...

Ep 109: Blood might have blood? Sometimes? from 2020-06-30T12:00

Everything kind of takes a turn for the worse here. Clarke convinces Lexa to take a controversial stance, Raven joins a cult, and Bellamy makes some deeply out-of-character choices. On the brigh...

Ep 108: I know you because you're like me from 2020-06-16T20:13:56

War among the clans is impending, the threat of a creepy AI is spreading, and the brief peace enjoyed by the Arkadians seems to be crumbling. There's a lot going on at the start of season 3, and...

Ep 107: None of us is innocent from 2020-05-19T19:55:48

As season two concludes, the characters must all grapple with what their moral standards are and what they're willing to do to protect themselves and the people they love. We discuss trust and b...

Ep 106: Sacrifice, Faith, and Stupidity from 2020-03-12T02:57:04

Things heat up as the Arkadians struggle to maintain an alliance with the grounders, and life in Mount Weather becomes increasingly dangerous for the 47. Clarke tries to become more cold-hearted...

Ep 105: Thanks, Princess from 2020-01-29T02:41:28

Welcome to the Finn Collins show, where we talk about the highs and lows (but mostly lows) of Finn's character arc. Other topics of discussion include zombies, badass power struggles, and Book!O...

Ep 104: Those are my people from 2020-01-08T06:23:37

The second season starts in true The 100 fashion - messy, complex, with heavy themes and high adrenaline. The book also gets more complicated and messy, but not in a good way. We discus...

Ep 103: First Murders Galore from 2019-12-10T13:00

As the first season comes to a close, tensions raise on all sides - matters of personal drama, warfare, and survival all become more urgent. We meet new characters and are reintroduced to old on...

Ep 102: Violence is the only thing these people understand from 2019-11-07T05:28:22

In this episode, Megan and Jenna look at the middle of Season 1 (and a few book chapters, which are...inconsequential). We discuss the introduction (and conclusion) of a new villain, the paralle...

Ep 101: Space Criminals from 2019-10-22T23:19:11

In The 100, it's 97 years after a nuclear apocalypse, and the only known living humans live on a space station called the Ark. When once again facing the threat of extinction, the leade...

Ep 100: A Bit More from 2019-10-09T03:41:04

It's the beginning of a new era. In this announcement episode, we discuss the future of A Bit Much.

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Up In My Jam (All Of A Sudden) by Kubbi
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Ep 44: A Separate Peace from 2019-08-14T00:55:31

A Separate Peace tells a nuanced story about friendship, jealousy, and wartime. We discuss queer readings, underlying savagery, and the merging of identities. We also complain about the...

Ep 43: The Hunger Games from 2019-07-18T03:25:47

For this special, face-to-face recording, we chose a story that's had a big impact on our lives and on the genre it popularized: The Hunger Games. It's a story that takes an outlandish ...

Ep 42: The Warriors from 2019-06-26T03:41:01

Sol Yurick's 1965 novel The Warriors depicts the harsh and incomprehensible realities of gang life for young men in New York City. The movie adaptation removes much of the violence and ...

Ep 41: To All the Boys I've Loved Before from 2019-06-04T13:00

To All the Boys I've Loved Before has everything we could ask for - a fake dating plot, complicated family dynamics, and beautiful 20-something leading actors. Both the book and movie h...

Ep 40: Silver Linings Playbook from 2019-05-15T04:25:50

Silver Linings Playbook is a story about family, romance, mental illness, books on a high school English syllabus, violence, and the Philadelphia Eagles. The novel does an excellent job...

Ep 39: Brain on Fire from 2019-04-24T03:43:59

Brain on Fire, a memoir about a young woman who suffered from a rare autoimmune disease that ravaged her brain for a month, can be summed up with the following quote from this episode: ...

Ep 38: The Host from 2019-04-02T13:36

In 2008, Stephenie Meyer took a break from sexy vampire stories and published an adult sci-fi novel. It had some potentially fascinating ethical quandaries, a fair amount of problematic ideas su...

Ep 37: Dumplin' from 2019-03-12T11:00

Dumplin' tells the story of Willowdean Dickson, a Texan teenager who participates in a beauty pageant in order to prove to herself and the world that there's nothing she can't do. It's ...

Ep 36: Stardust from 2019-02-20T02:47:01

Stardust weaves a beautiful and complex story drawing on fairytale lore, but also incorporates mature concepts. Jenna complains about some dollar-store plastic flowers. Megan is cheated by Jeff ...

Ep 35: The Danish Girl from 2019-01-20T05:05:06

The Danish Girl is a fictionalized retelling of the life of Lili Elbe, a trans woman in 1920's Europe, and one of the first people to undergo sex reassignment surgeries. We talk a lot a...

Ep 34: Sense and Sensibility from 2018-12-24T19:09:40

In this episode we dip back into Jane Austen's oeuvre and discuss Sense and Sensibility. Topics include How to Tell a Man is a Scoundrel, the romantic power of locks of hair, and medica...

Ep 33: Fantastic Mr Fox from 2018-12-06T03:44:56

In this episode, we discuss Roald Dahl's Fantastic Mr Fox, and Wes Anderson's more expansive take on the story. Megan points out that even humans are animals. Jenna praises some incredi...

Ep 32: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants from 2018-11-14T04:16:51

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is about four teenage friends who go their separate ways for the summer, each experiencing their own trials and triumphs, and remaining connected b...

Ep 31: Shutter Island from 2018-10-30T12:00

For our Halloween episode, we discuss Shutter Island, a psychological thriller about an investigation at a psychiatric facility where something is not quite right. We cover subjects like the pow...

Ep 30: Nightflyers from 2018-10-16T12:32

Nightflyers is a sci-fi novella written by George R. R. Martin, adapted into a movie in 1987. We discuss Martin's masterful world-building, get into some ethical conundrums involving cl...

Ep 29: Brokeback Mountain from 2018-09-26T04:33:34

Brokeback Mountain was a critically acclaimed and groundbreaking movie that was ruthlessly ridiculed by many middle schoolers. It's a story about two men who fall in love, and the deep dissatisf...

Ep 28: The Lightning Thief from 2018-09-04T12:00

In this anniversarial episode of A Bit Much, we take on the joy and terror of The Lightning Thief. This first entry in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series is an excellent book fo...

Ep 27: Wild from 2018-08-21T12:00

Wild is a memoir that tells of Cheryl Strayed hiking the Pacific Crest Trail in order to fix her mess of a life. It's a story about resilience, forgiveness, and blisters. Like, a lot of...

Ep 26: The Great Gatsby from 2018-07-31T12:00

Money! Parties! Complicated interpersonal relationships! Mob activity! The Great Gatsby has all this and more. Megan appreciates the problem with having human attachments. Jenna will no...

Ep 25: Beautiful Creatures from 2018-07-17T12:00

In this episode on Beautiful Creatures, we talk a lot about potential - such as the potential that Lena might turn into a Dark witch, or the potential that this could have been a great ...

Ep 24: The Choice from 2018-06-26T07:24:39

Are you a woman who's confident, but unaware of it? Are you a man who uses Tupperware and will someday build a house with your bare hands? Then you'll feel right at home in this novel by Nichola...

Ep 23: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe from 2018-06-12T18:58:09

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was C. S. Lewis's first story about Narnia, a magical alternate world that blends Christian and pagan concepts. In this episode, we discuss prophesy pitfalls...

Ep 22: The Martian from 2018-05-29T12:00

The Martian tells the story of Mark Watney, an astronaut stranded on Mars. It's scientifically detailed but completely ignores psychological probabilities. Megan wonders what Mark Watne...

Ep 21: She's the Man (Twelfth Night) from 2018-05-17T17:17:55

Can you FEEL the ENERGY in this ROOM? Welcome to the first episode of A Bit Much in which the hosts are in the same physical location! We're here to talk about the 2006 movie She's the Man, and ...

Ep 20: Slaughterhouse-Five from 2018-05-01T12:00

Slaughterhouse-Five is the most notable of Kurt Vonnegut's novels, and tells the story of Billy Pilgrim as he hops around in time, reliving various points in his life. Megan agrees with...

Ep 19: The Princess Diaries from 2018-04-17T13:00

Meg Cabot's The Princess Diaries was adapted into one of the most iconic movies of the early 2000s, which both of us adore. Our opinions on the book are less harmonious. Megan is always...

Ep 18: Slumdog Millionaire from 2018-04-03T13:00

Slumdog Millionaire and the book it was based on both deal with heavy themes like poverty, abuse, and discrimination. But there's also joy and humor and serendipity to be found in these stories....

Ep 17: Mrs Dalloway from 2018-03-20T17:52:27

Mrs. Dalloway is a modernist novel about the endless march of time and the things from our pasts that haunt us. It was also, unfortunately, published shortly after 1923, so it is still ...

Ep 16: Brooklyn from 2018-03-06T18:33:38

Jenna and Megan, #1 Tony Fiorello fans, are here to talk about Colm Toibin's Brooklyn. We talk about the American Dream, Megan anticipates a nefarious betrayal, and we get into a heated argument...

Ep 15: Maximum Ride from 2018-02-20T11:00

What is there to say about Maximum Ride? In this episode, we valiantly explore this bizarre, often cringe-worthy story about children with bird wings. Jenna expresses bewilderment and d...

Ep 14: Confessions of a Shopaholic from 2018-02-06T17:57:52

Confessions of a Shopaholic is a story that manages to be both totally frivolous, and a stark look at addiction. We talk about how material objects make us happy. Jenna rocks some initi...

Ep 13: Paper Towns from 2018-01-23T17:36:26

In this episode we talk about Paper Towns, a book that Megan begrudgingly admits she enjoyed! We introduce a new segment called Peeing Around Your Friends. We applaud the realistic portrayal of ...

Ep 12: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy from 2018-01-09T20:26:27

Jenna and Megan express their differing philosophies about Life, the Universe, and Everything. Megan forgets the names of aliens. Jenna enjoys the sole musical number of the film. We confront th...

Episode 11: Beowulf from 2017-12-26T20:19:37

In our final episode of 2017 we talk about Beowulf, an Old English epic poem, and a bizarre movie adaptation of it from 2007. We discuss Beowulf's unlikely fatal flaw, the up-and-coming new reli...

Episode 10: The Outsiders from 2017-12-12T18:25:57

The Outsiders is about beautiful boys in tragic circumstances who are very tender with each other. What more could you possibly ask for? Jenna mixes up the names of Johnny and Ponyboy, ...

Episode 9: Divergent from 2017-11-28T19:26:44

Divergent is an intense story that takes some narrative risks. Do those risks always pay off? Listen to find out! Megan gets into some train technicalities. Jenna rails against symbolic...

Episode 8: The Devil Wears Prada from 2017-11-14T17:37:14

The Devil Wears Prada: a bestselling novel made iconic by its movie adaptation. We discuss the good (Stanley Tucci) and the bad (some cringe-worthy descriptions of New York). Megan insi...

Episode 7: Coraline from 2017-10-31T18:20:48

For this creepy Halloween episode, we read and watched Coraline! During our discussion we take several more tangents than usual, and say the phrase "drawing room" more in this hour-long podcast ...

Episode 6: Pride and Prejudice from 2017-10-17T17:32:02

Apologies in advance for how bad we are at pronouncing English placenames. Did you know that Pride and Prejudice is over 400 pages long? We had forgotten this fact. We argue over whethe...

Episode 5: Eragon from 2017-10-04T00:40

Things get heated in this episode, as Jenna has an unhappy past with this movie. Then again, Megan thinks Jenna has a crush on the demonic sorcerer villain, so maybe she's just riled up about th...

Episode 4: The Giver from 2017-09-19T11:17

This week we discuss the OG young adult dystopia: The Giver. We complain about unnecessary heteronormative romantic subplots, and Megan makes a timely Taylor Swift reference.

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Episode 3: Fight Club from 2017-09-06T00:13

In this episode, we get a little metatextual. Megan takes a hard stance against people who believe in astrology, and her own great grandmother. Jenna emphasizes her lack of fighting prowess.

Episode 2: The Maze Runner from 2017-09-05T23:44

We spend a fair amount of time critiquing the swear words used in the Maze Runner. Jenna reveals that she's never truly known love, and we ultimately conclude that the sun is homophobic.

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Episode 1: The Princess Bride from 2017-09-05T11:49

Jenna breaks some news to Megan. Megan reveals that she's been a fan of seeing characters suffer since childhood, and Jenna fails to pronounce Cary Elwes' name.

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