Shari - thank you so much for taking the time to recap this!
I agree with your "It's like listening to a group of girlfriends chatting away" impression: I listened on it on 1.5 times the speed, and sometimes, it got very giggly & busy. I don't know yet if that's an... atmosphere I want to spend 40+ minutes a week in. but I love your 9021OMG recaps, and I'm even reading your OC recaps (even though I've never properly watched The OC) because the recaps are so good & the "Welcome to the OC, Bitches" podcast seems so analytical & insightful about TV storytelling.
I expect "Drama Queens" to be busier and less... journalistic, but that's fine because they all sound SO likeable and their friendship/closeness is pretty tangible.
I like hearing Sophia talk on talk shows because she often talks about dark situations or workplace troubles or self-improvement stuff. I think Sophia can be super-insightful - but then, she frames nearly EVERY thought she has as "super-insightful", and that can get a little tedious if no one challenges her on that. here, with two quick-witted people who know her well, I expect great things:
they all love to talk about power imbalances. they don't seem to love gossip, per se. their angle is more "I had a high-pressure job and I was being manipulated & very young. here's what I learned from that". sooo...
I don't think they loved the show/product, and I don't think they will always be super-respectful about scripts etc. they certainly love snark. and Sophia's self-help "here's why that was SO insightful & we learned so much!" lingo is... a great tool, in a way, to make sense of stuff. but it's also the ONLY tool I've heard Sophia use in interviews, and she uses it on nearly every topic or situation. with Joy & Hilarie around, that won't work for hours and hours.
I think this podcast/set-up has the potential to get pretty deep (and maybe dark or bitter or dismissive, at times). I don't think it will get deep about the TV production side of things. but I'm super-intrigued, for now - because their "bad things happened, good things happened, we want to share what this means to us" angle is so relatable.
Stefan, thanks so much for reading this and the other ones. It really means a lot.
I think your descriptions and analysis here are right on. It DID feel "giggly and busy" and that makes me worried about when a fourth person is added to the mix. Sometimes less is more. I've never been a big Sophia fan (though I agree with her politically) and completely agree with what you're saying about her tendencies. My hope is that her podcast experience, with her own "Work in Progess" podcast, will be an asset here. And I hope that Hilarie's previous experience as an interviewer will be an asset as well.
"Welcome to OC, Bitches" is absolutely analytical and insightful, as you said, and that's part of why I'm really enjoying it. "9021OMG" is the complete opposite. Perhaps "Drama Queens" will fall somewhere in the middle? They risk being too dark if they focus too much on the offscreen trauma and risk being too silly if it's all jokes and fluff.
And while they are completely entitled to their experiences and perspectives, I hope they aren't always dumping on the show and can respect other people's contributions to it, whether that's the writers or other cast members or even the wardrobe team. At the same time, I can't fault them for snark because my writing is full of snark!
The premise is there, but as we've seen with "9021OMG," it's all in the execution. But as we've also seen with "9021OMG," some people will love it regardless! Time will tell...
1) Would it be better produced than “9021OMG”? I assume this will all depend on Sophia, Bethany and Hilarie. Since iHeart does not seem to care about the few issues that 90210MG has, I don't think they will try to make a better product for Drama Queens, so it will all depend about how good the 3 actresses are at podcasting, both on-air and behind the scene. I haven't listened to it, but I heard a lot of good things about Sophia's other podcast (Work in progress), so I think the final product should be fairly good.
2) Are they going to tackle one episode each week/Are they really committed to this for the long haul? I think so, unless the project is not successful and iHeart pulls the plug. But they seem off to a really strong start - they got nearly 350k followers on Instagram in 2 weeks, which is crazy, especially for a podcast!
3) How will Sophia balance this weekly obligation with the production of “Good Sam”? I think so too, it's just a few hours per week for her to rewatch the episode/record the podcast. She doesn't have kids, unlike Hilarie and Bethany, so I think it's very doable!
4) And what will happen when they reach season 7 — will Hilarie stick around for the later seasons even though she wasn’t part of them? I guess so, would be fun to hear her take on the storylines (including the reallyyy bad ones).
Regarding Mark Schwahn, I think it will be a delicate balance between acknowledging what they described as a toxi set and other problematic behaviours, and (I assume) iHeart radio being careful about them throwing sentences that could have them sued for defamation. Will be interesting. I know Sophia recently mentioned that she often had to fight because she thought her character was way too sexualized/was often walking around in underwear in situations where you usually aren't in your underwear. have recently rewatched the first 7 eps and I saw an example of something like that in episode 1, it was Peyton wearing only a towel at Nathan's house after taking a shower, and walking in the house and then seeing Nathan and his dad and saying "Hi, Mr. Scott" in a flirty tone - soooo weird and like, no young girl sleeping over at her boyfriend's house would do that!!! Hopefully we'll get a lot of insights about that, maybe we'll hear about cringey oversexualized lines/scenes that the girls managed to convince the execs to cut off.
Otherwise, like you, my impression on the ep is that it was a bit disorganized - at some point, I was like "Is this an intro episode, or an Episode 1 episode with just a reeallyyy long intro?!"
I had also totally forgotten about the Tara from season 9 until I read your recap, haha.
I also agree that it's a lot to have 3 female voices on an audio medium. At some moments, I had a hard time distinguishing between Hilarie and Bethany's voices, as opposed to Sophia's, which is very unique.
Looking forward to it, hopefully the next ep (the real Episode 1 ep) will be a bit more organized!
1. I agree. I am hopeful that Hilarie, Joy, and Sophia will do a better job than Tori and Jennie and that'll make a difference even with them both podcasts being from iHeart.
2. The social media success is really incredible and I'm guessing that was reflected in the listening numbers for the first edition too. I think it'll blow "9021OMG" out of the water, but it'll matter more what the numbers are months from now than what they are this week, you know? Like does this initial success continue or not.
3. That's a fair point about Sophia not having the same kind of familial obligations. TV is just a very demanding schedule, so it'll be impressive if she pulls both commitments off.
4. I think she sort of indicated in this first installment that she will be watching 7 through 9. I can't wait for her take. I hope she's honest in her reactions about it and doesn't soften her opinions just because of Joy and Sophia.
I agree on a delicate balance re: Mark, and I've been thinking a lot about the defamation risk too. It's going to be interesting and telling when they name names and when they don't.
I was fine with this first one being somewhat disorganized and hectic, but I don't want that going forward. So I'm very curious for the next one, but also curious for the ones weeks from now -- what feedback will they consider and adjustments will they make? There's a long road ahead.
Is Bethany Joy Lez actually going as Joy?! I always referred to her as Bethany, haha. I can't remember what Hilarie and Sophia were calling her on the podcast!
3. I thought Good Sam was a movie? IMDB lists it as a TV movie!
4. Yes, she definitely did mention that!
I also wonder if they'll have Chad on the podcast. Not sure if we should read into Hilarie not mentioning him the two times you noticed she did that. Hilarie and Chad are still following each others on Instagram. But Sophia & Bethany/Joy are not following him, and vice-versa. It might be a bit awkward with Sophia and her divorce from him :/. We'll see!
She has changed her name professionally a lot over the years, but I think she's always stuck with "Joy" personally.
"Good Sam" is an upcoming CBS series that will premiere midseason. Sophia is the lead.
I wonder the same about Chad and potential awkwardness. He and Hilarie have remained close as far as I can tell, but I can't imagine what their plan is for the podcast with him or even the Brooke-Lucas storylines.
Shari - thank you so much for taking the time to recap this!
I agree with your "It's like listening to a group of girlfriends chatting away" impression: I listened on it on 1.5 times the speed, and sometimes, it got very giggly & busy. I don't know yet if that's an... atmosphere I want to spend 40+ minutes a week in. but I love your 9021OMG recaps, and I'm even reading your OC recaps (even though I've never properly watched The OC) because the recaps are so good & the "Welcome to the OC, Bitches" podcast seems so analytical & insightful about TV storytelling.
I expect "Drama Queens" to be busier and less... journalistic, but that's fine because they all sound SO likeable and their friendship/closeness is pretty tangible.
I like hearing Sophia talk on talk shows because she often talks about dark situations or workplace troubles or self-improvement stuff. I think Sophia can be super-insightful - but then, she frames nearly EVERY thought she has as "super-insightful", and that can get a little tedious if no one challenges her on that. here, with two quick-witted people who know her well, I expect great things:
they all love to talk about power imbalances. they don't seem to love gossip, per se. their angle is more "I had a high-pressure job and I was being manipulated & very young. here's what I learned from that". sooo...
I don't think they loved the show/product, and I don't think they will always be super-respectful about scripts etc. they certainly love snark. and Sophia's self-help "here's why that was SO insightful & we learned so much!" lingo is... a great tool, in a way, to make sense of stuff. but it's also the ONLY tool I've heard Sophia use in interviews, and she uses it on nearly every topic or situation. with Joy & Hilarie around, that won't work for hours and hours.
I think this podcast/set-up has the potential to get pretty deep (and maybe dark or bitter or dismissive, at times). I don't think it will get deep about the TV production side of things. but I'm super-intrigued, for now - because their "bad things happened, good things happened, we want to share what this means to us" angle is so relatable.
Stefan, thanks so much for reading this and the other ones. It really means a lot.
I think your descriptions and analysis here are right on. It DID feel "giggly and busy" and that makes me worried about when a fourth person is added to the mix. Sometimes less is more. I've never been a big Sophia fan (though I agree with her politically) and completely agree with what you're saying about her tendencies. My hope is that her podcast experience, with her own "Work in Progess" podcast, will be an asset here. And I hope that Hilarie's previous experience as an interviewer will be an asset as well.
"Welcome to OC, Bitches" is absolutely analytical and insightful, as you said, and that's part of why I'm really enjoying it. "9021OMG" is the complete opposite. Perhaps "Drama Queens" will fall somewhere in the middle? They risk being too dark if they focus too much on the offscreen trauma and risk being too silly if it's all jokes and fluff.
And while they are completely entitled to their experiences and perspectives, I hope they aren't always dumping on the show and can respect other people's contributions to it, whether that's the writers or other cast members or even the wardrobe team. At the same time, I can't fault them for snark because my writing is full of snark!
The premise is there, but as we've seen with "9021OMG," it's all in the execution. But as we've also seen with "9021OMG," some people will love it regardless! Time will tell...
I was excited to hear your take on this episode!!
Here are my predictions...
1) Would it be better produced than “9021OMG”? I assume this will all depend on Sophia, Bethany and Hilarie. Since iHeart does not seem to care about the few issues that 90210MG has, I don't think they will try to make a better product for Drama Queens, so it will all depend about how good the 3 actresses are at podcasting, both on-air and behind the scene. I haven't listened to it, but I heard a lot of good things about Sophia's other podcast (Work in progress), so I think the final product should be fairly good.
2) Are they going to tackle one episode each week/Are they really committed to this for the long haul? I think so, unless the project is not successful and iHeart pulls the plug. But they seem off to a really strong start - they got nearly 350k followers on Instagram in 2 weeks, which is crazy, especially for a podcast!
3) How will Sophia balance this weekly obligation with the production of “Good Sam”? I think so too, it's just a few hours per week for her to rewatch the episode/record the podcast. She doesn't have kids, unlike Hilarie and Bethany, so I think it's very doable!
4) And what will happen when they reach season 7 — will Hilarie stick around for the later seasons even though she wasn’t part of them? I guess so, would be fun to hear her take on the storylines (including the reallyyy bad ones).
Regarding Mark Schwahn, I think it will be a delicate balance between acknowledging what they described as a toxi set and other problematic behaviours, and (I assume) iHeart radio being careful about them throwing sentences that could have them sued for defamation. Will be interesting. I know Sophia recently mentioned that she often had to fight because she thought her character was way too sexualized/was often walking around in underwear in situations where you usually aren't in your underwear. have recently rewatched the first 7 eps and I saw an example of something like that in episode 1, it was Peyton wearing only a towel at Nathan's house after taking a shower, and walking in the house and then seeing Nathan and his dad and saying "Hi, Mr. Scott" in a flirty tone - soooo weird and like, no young girl sleeping over at her boyfriend's house would do that!!! Hopefully we'll get a lot of insights about that, maybe we'll hear about cringey oversexualized lines/scenes that the girls managed to convince the execs to cut off.
Otherwise, like you, my impression on the ep is that it was a bit disorganized - at some point, I was like "Is this an intro episode, or an Episode 1 episode with just a reeallyyy long intro?!"
I had also totally forgotten about the Tara from season 9 until I read your recap, haha.
I also agree that it's a lot to have 3 female voices on an audio medium. At some moments, I had a hard time distinguishing between Hilarie and Bethany's voices, as opposed to Sophia's, which is very unique.
Looking forward to it, hopefully the next ep (the real Episode 1 ep) will be a bit more organized!
Myriam
Thank you, Myriam!
1. I agree. I am hopeful that Hilarie, Joy, and Sophia will do a better job than Tori and Jennie and that'll make a difference even with them both podcasts being from iHeart.
2. The social media success is really incredible and I'm guessing that was reflected in the listening numbers for the first edition too. I think it'll blow "9021OMG" out of the water, but it'll matter more what the numbers are months from now than what they are this week, you know? Like does this initial success continue or not.
3. That's a fair point about Sophia not having the same kind of familial obligations. TV is just a very demanding schedule, so it'll be impressive if she pulls both commitments off.
4. I think she sort of indicated in this first installment that she will be watching 7 through 9. I can't wait for her take. I hope she's honest in her reactions about it and doesn't soften her opinions just because of Joy and Sophia.
I agree on a delicate balance re: Mark, and I've been thinking a lot about the defamation risk too. It's going to be interesting and telling when they name names and when they don't.
I was fine with this first one being somewhat disorganized and hectic, but I don't want that going forward. So I'm very curious for the next one, but also curious for the ones weeks from now -- what feedback will they consider and adjustments will they make? There's a long road ahead.
You're welcome :)
Is Bethany Joy Lez actually going as Joy?! I always referred to her as Bethany, haha. I can't remember what Hilarie and Sophia were calling her on the podcast!
3. I thought Good Sam was a movie? IMDB lists it as a TV movie!
4. Yes, she definitely did mention that!
I also wonder if they'll have Chad on the podcast. Not sure if we should read into Hilarie not mentioning him the two times you noticed she did that. Hilarie and Chad are still following each others on Instagram. But Sophia & Bethany/Joy are not following him, and vice-versa. It might be a bit awkward with Sophia and her divorce from him :/. We'll see!
She has changed her name professionally a lot over the years, but I think she's always stuck with "Joy" personally.
"Good Sam" is an upcoming CBS series that will premiere midseason. Sophia is the lead.
I wonder the same about Chad and potential awkwardness. He and Hilarie have remained close as far as I can tell, but I can't imagine what their plan is for the podcast with him or even the Brooke-Lucas storylines.