Ep 331: Girls, Reducta

Sure, we’re looking at Girls for the second week in a row. Maybe because we think the show is worth it or maybe it’s because we’re all out of ideas. You decide. We’re too busy concentrating on what makes good TV. Meanwhile there’s also terrible ads to talk about and letters to read out. That’s alright, you sit right there, we’ll do everything. Courteney Hocking is in this episode. You like her.

[audio:http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/media.boxcutters.net/BCep331.mp3|titles=Episode 331|artists=Boxcutters]

Notes

One Thing

  • Mr and Mrs Murder, Ten, 8:30 Wednesday
  • Steam Punks! 4:35pm Saturday ABC3

19 Comments

  1. David Boxcutter says:

    Introducing a show that you record from a radio station’s studio by saying that you don’t listen to radio? Awkward.

    Also, what’s up with all the Letters to Boxcutters coming from email? Last year, Brett basically stated that the email wasn’t being read, and we should comment on the blog instead.

  2. Lyndal Boxcutter says:

    @David Boxutter – Brett says a lot of things, I would think by now that you’d take his pronouncements with a grain of salt!

    I wanted to let the Boxcutter’s audience know about a new Brett’s Special Fancy that I’ve been using with great success. It’s an extension for Chrome called Hola Unblocker and I’ve seamlessly been watching Hulu and streaming from US network sites since I installed it. The beauty of it (apart from it working without causing lags etc) is that you don’t need to activate it or turn it off, it just kicks in when needed and gets out of the way when not.

  3. David Boxcutter says:

    Hey Lyndal,

    Yeah, I usually take Brett’s statements with an entire truckload of salt, but he actually seemed believable in the comments that he was not reading email.

    If I had known that (1) Boxcutters was coming back and that (2) emails were being read, I would have emailed my admiration for MasterChef: The Professionals before the first 2013 episode aired, which might have been useful to that episode.

    Of course, I was utterly shocked that MasterChef was mentioned in the first episode of the year. That was completely unexpected, so I thought I would have had more time to write my email once it was confirmed Boxcutters was not cancelled for 2013.

  4. David Boxcutter says:

    P.S:

    I forgot to mention the Reducta ad. This is a revolutionary product that could end world hunger. All we need to do is airdrop crates of Reducta over Africa, and then all the food problems will be solved.

    IT REDUCES HUNGER!

  5. Glenn Peters says:

    Oh wow. That Hola thing works.

    Thanks Lyndall!!!

    (that many exclamation marks)

  6. Trudy Boxcutter says:

    Dear Boxcutters

    I was a listener who asked you to discuss Girls S02E05 ‘One Man’s Trash’ and who also suggested that Courtney may be required to provide a female perspective on it. While I am v grateful at your attempt at this, I’m not sure that you quite got to the heart of the matter.

    For me, ‘One Man’s Trash’ is one big female wet dream. We are so used to seeing male wet dreams writ large that many of us can’t wrap our heads around seeing the opposite, and so descend into commentary about Hannah not being able to get a guy that hot etc. etc..

    The wet dream markers are: the beautiful (not just kinda cute, but amazingly gorgeous) doctor, who skillfully rushes to the rescue when you faint in his state-of-the-art shower, who lives in a stunning apartment that he decorated (eg stylish and handy) , who seems to really mean it when he tells you how beautiful you are during sensual lovemaking (when that is not the popular opinion, as Hannah herself remarks), and who takes a day away from his very important life-saving work to spend time with you (without you asking him to).

    I think this was presented intentionally and subversively by Lena, hinted at during the bare-chested ping-pong scene which was a bit piss-taking in its over-the-top silliness, and forces you to see how fantastic this entire scenario is. Then, real life creeps in, Hannah’s neuroses come to the fore and the good doctor shrinks away. Reality bites – wet dream over.

    One enduring theme of Girls that is represented both within and outside of this episode, is Hannah’s enjoyment of her less-than-perfect body. Importantly, not only does she enjoy it, but so too do her various sexual (and often cute) partners. And correct me if I’m wrong, but I do not recall Hannah ever complaining about the size of her butt or the size of her boobs; or asking anyone is she looks fat in her onesies.

    What a treat for female viewers, and how wonderful for all of us to witness this paradigm-shift and for it to become part of popular culture.

    You go Girls!!

  7. I am slightly annoyed that Courtney decided that in discussing “Girls”, it was appropriate to start dissing the sexual attractiveness or otherwise of Seth Rogen.

    Surely, the point of getting past the whole “you must be this beautiful to be on TV/sleep with this person” thing, is to make sure it goes away, not to splat it on both genders? Can’t we just admit that physical attractiveness is not a singular notion where one type appeals to all, and that all body and personality types are allowed on TV?

    • courteney says:

      I do apologise for how that came across, Fred. Considering how much time I spend exhorting the virtues of my boyfriend Louis CK & his show, I guess I assumed people would understand that I was making a point about the media assumptions of such body parts – that Seth Rogan *is* assumed “beautiful” & “attractive” where Lena Dunham is not allowed to be assumed the same. But next time I will endeavour to clarify better the difference between articulating my own thoughts & that of the broader medium. x

    • Trudy Boxcutter says:

      Fred

      For time immemorial we have seen ‘average Joes’ get the babes and I think Courtney’s point was that we are so accepting of that but recoil in disbelief when a ‘plain Jane’ gets
      Dr McHotAs. So, instead of rushing to the defence of Seth Rogen (or any other not-Patrick-Wilson guy), at this juncture, can’t we just rejoice in the little step forward this show has made for the way in which women are represented? Ta much.

      • I can rejoice in the step forward in the show, while not rejoicing in the way Courtney chooses to comment on it. They are two separate things.

  8. Glenn Peters says:

    Does Dr McHotAs do bulk billing?

  9. David Boxcutter says:

    What the fuck just happened?

    I’m trying to watch MasterChef, and this ad comes on, where there’s a whole stadium filled with people cheering for an overweight woman, because it’s the Biggest Loser or something.

    What the fucking fuck?

  10. Michael Boxcutter says:

    I was listening to the stuff you were discussing about Girls and I thought you were just shortening ‘2 Broke Girls” and I was like WTF? Well, I eventually worked it out…

  11. Hi,
    After listening to Josh’s problems with Ten’s catchup service, I thought I’d mention that I had watched all three episodes of Mr and Mrs Murder the night before the podcast went up, and I didn’t have the problems that Josh had while it switched to the next part. It may have helped that I was using Chrome Ad Block (https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/adblock/gighmmpiobklfepjocnamgkkbiglidom), which also removes the ads. I do watch Ten’s catchup regularly, and the breaks between videos generally happen on natural end of scenes.

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