Tropes and clichés abound in this particular Netflix genre. What started the trend of releasing these Teen romantic comedies exclusively on Netflix? What marketing and development strategies led to the recent success of The Kissing Booth and To All the Boys as franchise films? Besides Noah Centineo and Jacob Elordi's abs. Also, what do we do with all the low-self-esteem rom coms like Sierra Burgess, Tall Girl, and Dumplin'?

Let us know if you want us to do a deep dive into the TV Tropes for any of these movies in the comments below!
Tweet at us if you have an idea of what trope we should talk about next! @talkingTropes
Watch the video podcast here: https://youtu.be/IyezQ5W14hs

Special thanks to our Editor, Logan McBride

Talking Tropes 61: Netflix and the Teen Rom-Com

Behind Her Eyes is a 2021 Netflix series starring Simona Brown, Eve Hewson and Tom Bateman. It's a romantic thriller that ends with a twist, Adele (Hewson) turns out to be a body swapper and DOUBLE-TWIST, her real name is Rob and she's a MAN! With special guest Talia Paone (@thepizzataco), we break down how transphobic twists like this are baked into so many body-switching, body-swapping, and gender-bending media. We also take a look at some nostalgic examples of Freaky Friday stories from our childhoods. 

Tweet at us if there's a Body-Switching movie or trope you want us to discuss @TalkingTropes
Check out our Video podcast at https://youtu.be/MbR5VV6ayDg

Talking Tropes 63: Transphobic Body-Swapping in Behind Her Eyes

It's another recap of an obscure Stanley Tucci IMDB credit! Here we continue the chronicles of Tucci's long time collaboration with Steve Buscemi in one of Steve's first starring roles. This Sundance-winning art film depicts the absurdist vision of a filmmaker named Adolfo and his con-man "producer" Joe. Tucci plays Gregoire, a wacky French neighbor. Does any of it hold up? Listen and find out!

Tweet at us if you want to be a guest Stan on a future episode @TalkingTropes
Watch our Video podcast here https://youtu.be/4gJjqYCfuTc
Special thanks to our editor Logan McBride

Stanning Stanley Tucci in... In the Soup (1992)

The latest round of reboots, remakes, and retellings have taken on a new trend of villain origin stories or "villagins." What can we learn from the popularity of this trope in just the last five years? Does it say something about the role of trauma in media, the joys of cruelty and revenge, our sense of justice and happy endings? Let us know your thoughts
Tweet at us @talkingTropes to let us know what you thought of Cruella or what trope we should talk about next.
Special thanks to our editor Logan McBride
Watch our video podcast here: https://youtu.be/Gl5_6HLD-QA

Talking Tropes 64: Cruella and the Villain Origin

Tucci the dognapper? It's a timely follow-up to our Cruella review, where we talk about how much we love Stanley Tucci in Beethoven, starring a St. Bernard and Charles Grodin as they butt heads to see who is the alpha of the Newton household! 

The audio quality might be a bit lower because we had to use the backup recording. Oops! 

Watch the video podcast here https://youtu.be/-KTs6dzkiXk
Tweet at us if you want to be a guest Stan on a future podcast @talkingtropes
Special thanks to our editor Logan McBride

Stanning Stanley Tucci in... Beethoven (1992)

In a special 4th of July episode, we compare two notable examples of Aliens invading America in the immediate aftermath of the cold war. How do these stories compare to the cold war-era films they draw from? 

Tweet at us @TalkingTropes to share your favorite alien invasion story

Talking Tropes 66: Independence Day vs Mars Attacks

The Tooch plays Muerte, a buffoonish and stereotypical latino criminal who wants revenge on CIA agent Jeff Blue and his wife Jane for humiliating him in an attempted mugging. Tucci said of the role at the time that this was the most physically demanding film he had ever worked on, and the only one so far to make him take off his pants on screen. You won't believe our Tucci fun fact this week!
Special thanks to our editor Logan McBride
Tweet at us @talkingTropes if you would like to be a guest stan on a future podcast. 
Watch the video podcast here: https://youtu.be/U11F7xG_zOg

Stanning Stanley Tucci in... Undercover Blues (1993)

Tucci plays a deadbeat, pathological liar, ex-husband to a waitress who gets a surprise tip of 2 million dollars from Nic Cage, who plays a lottery winner and the greatest cop in NYC. Is this movie Tucci's most naked role? Literally? And is it a hidden gem or a piece of propaganda for the New York Post? Find out in another Stanning Stanley Tucci!!!

Tweet at us @talkingtropes if you want to be a guest Stan on a future podcast
Watch the Video Podcast here: https://youtu.be/oMcaRy7pNog

Stanning Stanley Tucci In... It Could Happen To You (1994)

Wahoo! Flux is actually living up to the hype with two completely different episodes with wildly different tones and plot structure! Sontarans riding horseback and whacky time shenanigans galore in this recap of the second and third episodes of Series 13 of Doctor Who. 

Tardis Tropes Flux 2: Sontarans and The Planet Time

Hope you had a good Thanksgiving! This week, we look at some classic American tropes related to hair color. Do Gentlemen Prefer Blondes? Do they have more fun? Is there a darker side to the trope of the dumb blonde? Let's find out.

You can watch our video podcast here: https://youtu.be/HhV6X982ODU
Tweet at us @talkingtropes if you have a hot take about blondes, brunettes or any hair color on the visible spectrum!

Talking Tropes 71: Blondes have more Tropes

It's a spoiler-filled recap of the penultimate episodes of Doctor Who: Flux.  Village of the Angels and Survivors of the Flux continue a trend of alternating straightforward monster episodes and convoluted multi-plot episodes. Secrets are revealed but are any of them satisfying? What does the Division actually do? Did Joseph Williamson, the top hat man actually have a point? Listen and jump into the void with us. 

Tardis Tropes Flux 3: Angels and Exposition

It's the finale of the Flux and what an awfully dull adventure it all was. Are any secrets revealed in this big finale? No? Well you should listen to us talk about it anyway.

Tardis Tropes Flux Finale

Tucci plays a crooked Assistant DA in this remake of a 1940s mob movie. Joined once again by Nicolas Cage, and now by college classmate Ving Rhames, Tucci gives a fantastic dramatic performance while eating a hot dog. In Tucci News, we read selections from Tucci's September feature in an in-flight magazine. 

Stanning Stanley Tucci in... Kiss of Death (1994)

First episode of the new year has us asking, What is Real? A little bit of Baudrillard and The Matrix: Resurrections help us understand why Facebook is now called Meta and why our reality is becoming harder to distinguish from virtual reality.  Let's trace the history of the Metaverse to its source and look at how HBO Max is using it to showcase its intellectual property in The Matrix, Ready Player One, and even Space Jam.  

Please Tweet at us @talkingtropes or I swear to god I will make a Talking Tropes NFT. You have to stop me by tweeting what you think of this podcast or a topic we should do next or the blockchain will be stuffed full of TTNFTs. 

Talking Tropes 72: The Matrix into the Metaverse

An obscure art-house film starring Tucci, who spends most of the movie bound and gagged. It ultimately fails to deliver on the psychosexual stage-play aesthetic and just comes across as if someone adapted a porno for the festival circuit. But Tucci is still good in it!

Tweet at us @talkingTropes if you want to be a guest Stan on a future podcast

Stanning Stanley Tucci in... Sex & The Other Man (1995)

Am I feeling some déjà vu? I feel like I'm in a time loop reviewing another Chris Chibnall Dalek episode on New Year's Day 2022. This time Chibnall seems to have hit his mark with memorable characters and a fun time looping premise, but a beat-by-beat recap reveals that none of it actually makes any sense at all! Join us on this fantastic journey and let us know what you think by tweeting us @talkingtropes

Tardis Tropes: Eve of the Daleks Recap and Review

Tucci reunites with indie director Alexandre Rockwell to do a little character acting with Rosie Perez. Somebody to Love is a boring title, but is there some hidden artistry here? Or is this just an American take on a Fellini film that sacrifices the New Wave aesthetic?

Stanning Stanley Tucci in... Somebody to Love (1994)

In this episode, we take a look at the controversy surrounding Netflix's Don't Look Up. One of us liked it! We also look at the history of the Doomsday Comet trope in film and television. Armageddon, Deep Impact and more comedic fare like Seeking a Friend for the End of the World. Is doomsday upon us?

Tweet your Don't Look Up hot takes @talkingtropes

Talking Tropes 73: Comets and Commentary in Don't Look Up

This is the BIG ONE! If you only listen to one episode of Stanning Stanley Tucci, pick this one. Tucci's directorial and screenwriting debut, Big Night (1996). Co-starring Tony Shalhoub, we recap the real Italian-American story of two brothers trying to save their restaurant from the brink of bankruptcy. Listen to hear about Tucci's real life inspiration for the film, (There's even a secret reference to Tucci's role in Miami Vice).

Tweet at us your first memory of seeing Big Night @talkingtropes and let us know if you want to be a guest Stan on a future podcast.

Stanning Stanley Tucci in... Big Night (1996)

It's Chris Chibnall's last episode before the Centenary special and his final farewell. It's a pirate-themed adventure set in Qing dynasty China with a returning baddie, THE SEA DEVILS! In some ways, it's exactly what you'd expect from a Chibnall episode, but in other ways, it is  WORSE. Listen to our hot takes on the lack of chemistry between The Doctor and Yaz!

Tardis Tropes: Legend of the Sea Devils Recap and Review

*SPOILERS* Happy Halloween everybody, it's the much anticipated finale of Chris Chibnall's final season of Doctor Who! What do you think of Yaz, the Doctor, and Chris's exit? 
Tweet at us @talkingtropes and 
keep an eye out for more Tardis Tropes content as we wait for the60th anniversary.

Tardis Tropes: Power of the Doctor Recap

Recap and discussion of Part 1 of the RTD2 Specials, now available on iPlayer and Disney+

Tardis Tropes 60th Anniversary Specials: The Star Beast

Recap and discussion of Part 2 of the RTD 2 Doctor Who specials, now available on iPlayer or Disney+

Tardis Tropes 60th Anniversary Specials: Wild Blue Yonder

Let's talk about Will they/Won't they relationships. Who's worse: Ross Geller or Ted Moseby? Where did this trope come from? How has it changed? Why won't it just go away?

Talking Tropes Season 1

Talking Tropes #1 : Will They Or Won't They?

Where does Thanos rank among the MCU baddies and antagonists? Today we discuss the bad, the bad, and the ugly of Marvel Villainy. 

Spoilers 
ALL MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE FILMS AND TV SHOWS

If you disagree with our picks for best and worst villain, you can let us know on twitter @talkingtropes and if you want us to make better content and access exclusive perks, please donate to our patreon @ patreon.com/talkingtropes

Special thanks to Logan, our editor. If not for him, you'd have to listen to a lot more coughing and long digressions about Josh Brolin's Filmography.

Talking Tropes #8: Who is the Worst MCU Villain?

It's farting aliens vs. impossible girls. It's bad wolf vs. silence will fall. It's Rose vs. Clara and Tennant vs. Smith. This podcast will weigh the good tropes with the bad on the most divisive sci-fi show in the history of time and space. Who was the better Doctor Who showrunner? We look at the good tropes and the bad of New Who do determine Who wore it best.

Talking Tropes #11: Moffat Vs. Davies Showrunner Showdown

Get ready for Spider-palooza, as we deep dive into the cinematic spider-verse for the next three weeks! To kick it off, we're talking about the franchise that launched the modern superhero genre vs Andrew Garfield's dreamy eyes and spoiler alert: everyone's opinions are WRONG, including ours. 

Thanks to our editor Logan McBride! You can find him online @loganmchollow or email him at loganamcbride@gmail.com.

Talking Tropes #18: All Your Spider-Man Opinions Are Wrong

We take a quick look at the epilogue to Steven Universe: The Movie, which is the epilogue to Steven Universe: The Show. Is this the end? And is it the ending we wanted, or the ending we deserved?

TT Mini 3: Steven Universe Future

We run through all three film adaptations of Richard Matheson's novel "I Am Legend" to discuss pandemics, isolation, and dehumanization. Themes which obviously have no relevance to what we're going through now. Spoilers for The Last Man on Earth (1964), The Omega Man (1971), and I am Legend (2007).

Talking Tropes 44: I Am The Last Omega Man Legend On Earth

Aang invades the Fire Nation capital in the most action packed high stakes episode yet! Meanwhile Korra has two recap episodes in a row, one of which is a clip show. Why? Budgets.

ATLA B3E10 The Day of Black Sun Part 1: The Invasion
ATLA B3E11 The Day of Black Sun Part 2: The Eclipse 
ATLA B3E12 The Western Air Temple
Lok B4E7 Reunion
LoK B4E8 Remembrances

Avatar the Last Korra 23: Eclipse Show

Two prison breaks in the same podcast? It must be Christmas. Sokka and Zuko go on a secret mission to the Boiling Rock, while Bolin annoys the Beifongs (and us) going to save Opal's parents and siblings. Also Aang learns firebending and Korra fights vines?

ATLA B3E13: The Firebending Masters
ATLA B3E14: The Boiling Rock Part 1
ATLA B3E15: The Boiling Rock Part 2
LoK B4E9: Beyond the Wilds
LoK B4E10: Operation Beifong

Avatar the Last Korra 24: Jailbreakers

Snowpiercer, Mortal Engines, and Battlestar Galactica represent three approaches to the same story: urban spaces need to be packed up and transformed into vehicles in order for humanity to survive.

What do these stories represent within capitalism and what does society look like when it is put on wheels and must constantly move forward?

Talking Tropes 47: World on Wheels

Row row, fight the power of a giant Mecha Suit made out of platinum. Meanwhile Katara and Zuko seek sweet vengeance and the Gaang goes to the theater. WE'RE ALMOST DONE WITH THIS RECAP!!!

ATLA B3E16 The Southern Raiders
ATLA B3E17 The Ember Island Players
Korra B4E11 Kuvira's Gambit
Korra B4E12 Day of the Colossus

Avatar the Last Korra 25: Tenzin Topha Gurren LagAang

Now that it's over, let's discuss the queen of queer redemption arcs, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power! Spoilers abound.

Talking Tropes 48: She-Ra Deep Dive

Wait, how can it be whitewashing if they're animes? And look! Shyamalan has more POCs than James Cameron in his big budget 3D Avatar movie, so I guess we're all good. 

Hannah and I do a little bonus recap as part of our "Avatar the Last Korra" recap series where we compare and contrast Avatar the Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra episode by episode. 

Check out the recaps from the beginning here: https://soundcloud.com/talkingtropes/sets/avatar-the-last-korra

Tweet at us @TalkingTropes to let us know what media we should recap next!

Avatar the Last Korra BONUS: The Shyamalan Adaptation

What's the most American holiday? Thanksgiving! And what's the most American TV show? NCIS of course. We return to our most beloved(?) crime procedural and all of their bizarre and tangentially Thanksgiving-related specials. 
Watch here for the video podcast: https://youtu.be/TOL6Rz1puX4
Or tweet us your favorite Thanksgiving episode @TalkingTropes

Talking Tropes 57: A Very NCIS Thanks-Gibbs-ing Special

Two cousins continue to watch every Stanley Tucci IMDB credit. In Wiseguy (1989), a CBS crime drama, Tucci plays Ricky Pinzolo, a crime boss in the Garment district on 7th Ave. NYC. He tries to defraud and acquire the business of one Eli Sternberg, a Jewish businessman played by none other than Jerry Lewis. An undercover cop named Raglin, with the help of his boss McPike (played by Breaking Bad's Jonathan Banks) try to take him down from the inside.
Watch the video podcast here: https://youtu.be/2mVQbNgN9jA
If you love Stanley Tucci, tweet at us @talkingtropes

Stanning Stanley Tucci 8: Wiseguy

A Podcast about writing cliches, their origins, and their impacts on the stories we tell. Just two cousins with enough trope to hang themselves.
Follow us on twitter @TalkingTropes

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