Princess and Tessa kick off #SpookySeason with Mike Flanagan's newest series, The Midnight Club. They gush over the return of actors from the Mike Flanagan cinematic universe, and debate whether or not a DVD could be as haunted as a VHS tape. (No way, VHS tapes are 100x more haunted. It's a horror rule)
Princess and Tessa kick off #SpookySeason with Mike Flanagan's newest series, The Midnight Club. They gush over the return of actors from the Mike Flanagan cinematic universe, and debate whether or not a DVD could be as haunted as a VHS tape. (No way, VHS tapes are 100x more haunted. It's a horror rule)
Geeked-Ep20-MIX_V3.mp3
CLIP: [00:00:01] Geeked.
PRINCESS: [00:00:04] What's up, my haunted gals? Ghouls and nonbinary ghosties.I am Princess Weekes.
TESSA: [00:00:10] And I am Tessa Netting.
PRINCESS: [00:00:12] And you are listening to the Geeked podcast, your one stop shop for fandom conversations, pop culture, media discourse. All the things we love about being nerds online.
TESSA: [00:00:24] Yes, each week we skim the surface of what's popular in geek culture. Then Deep dive into the lore of a Netflix world bigger than our own.
PRINCESS: [00:00:32] And today we are kicking off Pumpkin Spice spooky season right with Mike Flanagan's The Midnight Club. The man never misses. And we are very chilled and very scared.
TESSA: [00:00:44] So scared, so chilled, so excited. Because Princess, this is my favorite time of the year. All the ghosts, all the witches, all the summonings. Ooh, I love it. But of course, First Princess, I got to know what has got you geeked this week.
PRINCESS: [00:01:03] What got me geeked this week, Tessa, is I went to New York Comic-Con. The pumpkin spice latte of Comic-Cons. You guys get the summer one and we get the all we got the little fall one. And there were definitely some really fun things there. I love that they had, like a whole tabletop gaming section downstairs.
TESSA: [00:01:22] Oh, so nice.
PRINCESS: [00:01:24] Yeah, there were some really cool things. There was a lot of stuff for Black Adam Sons and stuff for a Titans are of course amazing. Netflix shows getting to show off what's coming up new for them. It was the like the last year. New York Comic-Con was like still there. But this year felt a lot like pre-COVID. New York Comic-Con for for better and for worse. But I really I always enjoy getting to see friends, supporting local artists. I got a really spicy Batman Catwoman pic, which I'm very happy about. So what any opportunity to support artists, creators that are just writing and illustrating the stories that we love and bringing characters we love to life in new, interesting ways. That's my favorite part, is just celebrating that artistic expression. So New York Comic-Con is what got me geeked this week.
TESSA: [00:02:17] Oh, I love that so much. I think that New York Comic-Con was the first con that I ever went to.
PRINCESS: [00:02:25] So fun.
TESSA: [00:02:26] Yeah, I went so long ago and I remember I wore a Katniss Everdeen costume and I went all by myself. I didn't know anybody, and I just walked around the convention by Myself. Because I had like a free day or something. And, I loved it. I was like, This is great. And now it's so much bigger. Like, because New York Comic-Con, even compared to San Diego, used to be so, so small. And even now I feel like it's gotten a lot bigger than it used to be like ten years ago, which is when I went, you know.
PRINCESS: [00:02:58] Yeah, it's huge. Like now that the whole Javits Center is like up and at 'em, they, they have like press on one whole side. They have artist alley on one whole side. It was it was really intense. And of course, Oscar Isaac was there and Brendan Frazier was there and it was just like it was. So the endorphins were hitting.
TESSA: [00:03:18] Oh, definitely. That's like one of my favorite things about conventions is just like not only do you get to find out fun information and get to, if you're lucky enough, have press interactions. But the best part is just being surrounded by all of like the fellow fans and like you said, like supporting artists, like getting to shop. And not only get that like the coolest, most unique things you'll ever see that you won't be able to find anywhere else but that you're supporting someone else that loves that thing too. It's just like the best feeling in the world. And everybody's a lot of people are dressed up, are in, like, cool, nerdy clothing. So then you can, like, either compliment them or be like, Oh, my God, where did you get this? I love this shirt you're wearing. Tell me right now. So it's just like I just love a big, big roomful of nerds together. It's my fave. Can't go wrong.
PRINCESS: [00:04:08] It's so fun. Yeah, I had a great time. What has got you geeked this week?
TESSA: [00:04:12] Oh, man, this week, probably this is going to be a little lame, but what's got me geeked this week is that I get to go on a little firm retreat with Joe's entire law firm. So it's going to be me and the lawyers, baby.
PRINCESS: [00:04:29] You're going to be. It's like suits all over again, you're going to be, oh, so excited. That's so fun. I feel like you will just enjoy spending time with your husband and, and seeing how the other half lives, you know, like.
TESSA: [00:04:43] Oh my gosh, one of my favorite things is to like have conversations with lawyers. And I just want to find out, like, something in their life that isn't about law because all they want it, like the thing they feel most comfortable talking about is law. But I'm like, Tell me your best vacation you've ever been on. Tell me like you're the best movie. You've seen in the past year, like, give me anything and we could talk about it. And then so it's always like I always had get fun conversations out of them because normally they're just like talking about work all the time. But I'm like you, if you said to yourself.
PRINCESS: [00:05:11] I know, well, you are. I think you are a human ice breaker, quite frankly. So like just having you around me that this is probably going to be the best lawyer trip that they've ever been on. So anything what should get them geeked this week is being in your presence.
TESSA: [00:05:28] Thank you, Princess. I appreciate it. I want to start us off going into the Midnight Club. Princess, you need to repeat after me. All right.
PRINCESS: [00:05:40] Yes.
TESSA: [00:05:41] To those before.
PRINCESS: [00:05:42] To those before.
TESSA: [00:05:44] To those after.
PRINCESS: [00:05:45] To those after.
TESSA: [00:05:47] To us now and to those beyond.
PRINCESS: [00:05:50] To us now and to those beyond.
TESSA: [00:05:52] Seen or unseen.
PRINCESS: [00:05:54] Seen or unseen.
TESSA: [00:05:56] Here, but not here.
PRINCESS: [00:05:58] Here, but not here.
TESSA: [00:06:02] And y'all better have been raising a glass because I was like, We got to start this by doing that little toast that they did every single time because I loved it. I absolutely loved everything about the show. It was one of those things where it just got better and better for me, and by the end I was sobbing. So bless.
PRINCESS: [00:06:22] Yes, I loved the show so much. I really love horror for teens. I think teen horror is such an important part of like the horror experience. Like, not just like a great hour movie, de-bloodified for teens, but something really made to deal with teenage issues. And just this was filled with so much validated teenage angst. Which Christopher Pyne, who is the writer of the book The Midnight Club, is very familiar with. And I just found myself just like really emotionally attaching to these kids and just the whole time being like, Man, I hope this works out for y'all. Like, but then I don't. And also it was just so great to see Heather logging camp because as you well know, that's, that's Nancy from Nightmare on Elm Street Girl. And she was here playing a billion different roles. So proud of her.
TESSA: [00:07:19] She is amazing. So my friends, James and Chelsea, they run this horror channel called Dead Meat. And she officiated their wedding. And it was the coolest, most amazing thing. And she was like the nicest human. And yeah, she's the queen of horror. So it's just, like, so cool to see her in this. And she did an amazing job. And like the twist at the end, I was gagged. It was so good.
PRINCESS: [00:07:43] I could not stand. I just was so happy that she got to play like this really nuanced role. I feel like, you know, the grande-dams of horror are like they're like our elders in the sense that they they carry so much like cultural capital. And so, like, when you get cast in these things, it just feels so good cause it really, like, it makes me more invested to see them succeed, if that makes any sense.
TESSA: [00:08:07] Yeah. And I think it's so nice that like the people that are making these horror movies and horror shows, they, they sort of see how they are, like, culturally relevant and how they are a part of horror. And they respect that and they like, want to have them in their project so that fans, not only will fans of horror really enjoy that, but it's sort of like telling them how much they love them as well, you know what I mean? It's just such a respectful thing and I think it's so nice and let's continue to do it because it just feels like, Oh, this is our little niche thing. And I'm like, yes, it is a little niche thing. And that's what makes it so cool too. Like because people that are bigger fans, like broader fans of horror, might not notice that. But then the ones that are it's just like a little a little not a little wink, a little thing to them. And I think that's great. I always love that as a big nerd. I always think that's the best lesson.
PRINCESS: [00:09:03] Part of being a nerd is knowing your history, and if you know your horror history, you will just love and like, you'll just love so many the little details that they do to allude to. Exactly. It's like, Oh, I see you. I see you. I see you, Mike.
TESSA: [00:09:15] Right, exactly. And it's one of those things where I wasn't sure, like where the Midnight Club was going to fall for me because every single, like, Mike Flanagan show has always surprised me. Every single one, it's like it's one of those things where I start out and I'm like, Oh man, how is this going to compare to Hill House? Oh, man, how is this going to compare to this and this and this? And this was so different than everything else, which again, I should have known because everything else that he's done was so different too that. It was so brilliant. And it but at the end, I just like you said, you feel so connected to these characters and you feel like like again, you feel like you were there with them, like you were raising a glass saying the thing like hearing their stories, which I also thought was so fun and brilliant that each episode they got to dive into these stories and then these like kids got to play the other characters. And I was like, Oh, yes. Oh, I love this. It was beautiful, campy. It was like. And then, of course, the classic, like little Mike Flanagan touches of like the the jump scares that are very, very, very well done not over used.
CLIP: [00:10:26] What's in the basement. I dare you. No, he doesn't. It takes a lot to scare me. No, wait don't. Don't. Don't actually go down there.
TESSA: [00:10:35] He is the only one that can do jump scares that actually like makes me yell and scream. For the most part, I'm okay. The only time I get scared from jump scares is if I'm on like in Halloween horror nights or something where someone coming at my face. Right. For the most part in movies. I'm okay. But I swear to God, this man was always like one, at least one in every show that I watch that I just completely lose my mind. And there was one with the old lady that I just screamed my head off.
PRINCESS: [00:11:08] As an adult, I can probably count on like two hands. The amount of times I've had, like, legitimate jump scares as an adult, like The Conjuring got me like, It. And like every time there's always, like you said, there's always a moment in one of his shows Where you just kind of like where you just got too comfortable. You got to it, you got too comfortable. You were probably listening really deep to one of these monologues soliloquies, and you're just like, Really? And all of a sudden you're like. And then it's just like, you got Flanaganned.
TESSA: [00:11:37] Yeah, we got Flanaganned. But it's so well done because so many jump scares, I don't know. It's like, I don't want to say it's cheap because it still works, but it's like it's usually just you're staring at something for so long and then something comes up. But he will, like, capture your brain and your emotions into, like, what's happening, that you're distracted by it, by your emotional feelings towards these characters. And then a jump scare happens and you're like, Oh, my God. Okay.
PRINCESS: [00:12:04] Absolutely brilliant. Well, for our audience, who hasn't seen this, would you want to take us through what the Midnight Club is about?
TESSA: [00:12:13] Sure. So the Midnight Club is a new horror series from Mike Flanagan, and it starts out at Brite Cliff, which is this hospice with a mysterious history. It's this big old house, which, again, I love.
CLIP: [00:12:28] Welcome to Brite Cliff.
TESSA: [00:12:28] I love a spooky house and then a club, a midnight club of eight teens with terminal illnesses. They sneak into a library to meet each night at midnight and they tell their own stories. And while they're doing so, they make this pact that if, like you are the first to die, you must do everything in your power to reach out to the other side, to give proof of the afterlife. So they're like also looking for signs of like the supernatural afterlife from beyond the veil.
PRINCESS: [00:12:58] Absolutely.
TESSA: [00:12:58] And then you just add in this freakin cult like we had in this Paragon cult and oh, my God, the only thing I love more than, like, horror is putting a little cult in there. Forget it.
CLIP: [00:13:11] Welcome to your first official night in the Midnight Club.
PRINCESS: [00:13:13] And also that the leader of the of this new cult is the super religious woman from midnight mass. It took me a second even click. Because they were just she was giving to different energies. I'm like, wait, is that woman? I was like, Uh huh. It was like, this kind of like it's her. Like, it's different now. But then the reveal happened. I'm like, I knew I couldn't trust you.
TESSA: [00:13:38] Like, I knew it. I knew it. Yeah. The Flanagan universe. We love to see them all in the different universes is my favorite. But yeah, again, it's just perfect casting. I don't know how they do it. Every single Mike Flanagan show the casting is so on par. They all can do their monologues, baby, and they do them so well. It is. I swear, these shows are like theater. It's almost like you're watching theater because it is so well done. The characters are so developed. The themes are so deep. It's it's so good. God, I like I just want everybody to watch all of these shows because it's some of the best television that I've ever seen.
PRINCESS: [00:14:23] And I think what Flanagan does that's really works for me is that, you know, how we do the whole like, Oh, this is like a blah, blah, blah hour long movie. It feels like he like he's doing a very long play. And each of these are different acts and so in each act you get like a little bit more. And it's like, I really love that. I love that he's not afraid to space things out, that he's really allowing the episodes to speak for themselves and continue on the story. And that to me is more engaging than a lot of these shows that don't start off until like four episodes in and they're like, Well, you're going to binge it. I think he really knows how to use the streaming platform to give us a little bit of everything.
TESSA: [00:15:02] Oh, 100%. And so many people don't do that. It's I can't remember who I think it was Eric Kripke, who is saying this, that a lot of people, especially showrunners now, are creating mini movies when he's like.
PRINCESS: [00:15:17] The guy from the Boys. Yeah, yeah.
TESSA: [00:15:19] It's like, you still are like creating television. It's like the ones that are doing it right are the ones that are thinking about the medium that you're watching. And I think Mike Flanagan does that so well. It's like he doesn't get caught up in like, Oh, we're going to make all these little mini movies like, No, it's cohesive. It has you guessing. It ends on something that makes you want to keep watching. And it's so well done.
PRINCESS: [00:15:41] Absolutely. And he cares. You can tell that he really loves horror, which I think is really fun. And I, I also was going back and I just really liked Christopher Pike's work. So he's the author who wrote the book at the Midnight Club is based on and like if you look at the original cover for it's like so old school 90s horror like all as white kids just kind of like what like just looking wide eyed into the cover. And I was wondering, like the. The show is so diverse and in a way that I was just like, Wait, I don't think this is accurate, but like to the books, which I don't care about obviously, but I was wondering like what came across that? And then I found this, this interview with Christopher Pike on electric literature from 2019, and he talks about how he really didn't write a lot of diversity into his work, but that, you know, he ceased pushing for it for a while until Fall Into Darkness was published. And then Tatyana Ali, who is from the Fresh Prince of Bel Air, was also in it, and he talks about how he wished he had done differently.
TESSA: [00:16:52] Oh, interesting.
PRINCESS: [00:16:53] So it was just interesting now to get an adaptation of his work that does that differently now. So now he gets to have the diversity that he wanted while also being accountable for the fact that he didn't, you know, include it at the beginning, which I really appreciated.
TESSA: [00:17:06] Oh, I didn't know that. That's so great.
PRINCESS: [00:17:08] Yeah.
TESSA: [00:17:09] That's cool that he said that.
PRINCESS: [00:17:11] Yeah, it was. It was a fun thing to find when I was going through my little, you know, backstory research about everything. I think that it made the text richer because I. I totally spaced out that this was a period piece until they're like, I got you the new PlayStation, and it was the old school PlayStation. I was like, Oh. Oh, we're back.
TESSA: [00:17:31] Right, right. You see, like, the old computers. And you're like, Is this just because it's an old house? Or is like Nope.
PRINCESS: [00:17:38] I thought just the homies were broke. You know, I just I, I was just like, you know, if it works, it works. I'm not going to judge who's working on a budget. But then when you see that and then you see the the rotary phones and I think is this weird thing where like, I will forget that cell phones don't exist until I am forced to deal with it. Like I remember when I was watching Stranger Things and I'm like, Why don't you just text her? And I'm like, All right, you can't if you actually can't do that. But I just it just stresses me out.
TESSA: [00:18:07] I know, right? But so many plots from the nineties wouldn't make any sense. Like it was all because they didn't have phones.
PRINCESS: [00:18:15] They didn't have cell phones. Like imagine just an Apple Watch would have so, so many lives, you know?
TESSA: [00:18:19] Oh, God. Like Friends wouldn't exist. All of Friends would not exist without. If they had cell phones. I wanted to ask you, because there's so many different kids and characters like do you have a character that you like liked the most, that you connected with that you thought was like acted really well? Like, tell me your faves. I want to know.
PRINCESS: [00:18:42] Oh, my God, I loved so many characters I felt like. But I think I just have to tell what my favorite story was and just get me.
TESSA: [00:18:49] That's a good one. Yeah, let's start with that.
PRINCESS: [00:18:51] I think my favorite was the video game storyline. That was the one where it's our hot boyfriend.
TESSA: [00:18:58] Oh, yes, yes, yes.
PRINCESS: [00:19:00] Yeah. He comes back and he's played the older version of the character and you're like, This guy's twists and turns. It was so Terminator. I was sitting here like, Oh, shit, you know, just like I was mind was blown. I really like that episode. It was romantic, it was tragic, it was everything. And I just thought to myself, like, I just want to stay in this story forever. I got so invested. Like, to me that was my favorite because it told us so much about sort of like who that character was. It was like, you know, connecting him to the whole romance he has with the other character. And it was just really well acted and will really well done. And I was just so excited to see our play has been out there that I was just like, He's back, everybody.
TESSA: [00:19:44] Oh, same.
PRINCESS: [00:19:45] Rahul kohli He played Sherif Hassan in Nice and he was also in the haunting of Bly Manor. He's super hot. I want him to be Reed Richards. I'm just saying. So, yeah, I love that episode just because I felt like it really just it set up so many relationships. It told a really good, self-contained story.
TESSA: [00:20:07] So would that be very similar to a story that you would maybe tell?
PRINCESS: [00:20:12] I definitely would have more witches involved. I definitely would have like, oh, there's a witches curse. Like the witch one was also really good because I'm like, Oh, man, she saved the white man. Now her best friend's going to die. Don't you hate when that happens? Like, I was just, like, truly, truly every. Every practical magic's worst nightmare.
TESSA: [00:20:32] Right. Oh, my God. Okay, so yours would be video games plus some witches.
PRINCESS: [00:20:37] Yeah. Video game witches is this where I'm going.
TESSA: [00:20:40] Yeah, that would be perfect. My favorite story that was told was the cyborg story. It was the story that Spencer told about who, like, they taped the future at 3 a.m., and then they started, like, betting and falling in love and then messing with the future. And then there's just, like, the biggest, most ridiculous twist at the end. It's like, Oh, no he's a cyborg who escaped back in time, but then he removed his skin and I just screamed. What is going on?
PRINCESS: [00:21:19] It was like, that was so 90s because you know that it had been made today. It would have been like some weird NFT shit, but it's like. But it's all Terminator inspired and it's just like, I got it. You guys are you guys are teenagers of the 90s. This is your frame of reference?
TESSA: [00:21:38] Yes, exactly. The videotapes as well. It felt very like the ring and that always freaked me out. So I'm like, oh, they're using videotapes. Something's going to happen.
PRINCESS: [00:21:47] There's no scarier format than a VHS, like sorry Blu ray. But you're just aren't terrifying.
TESSA: [00:21:54] Though nothing ever happened with DVDs. I guess it was like, you know, no ghosts, no entities, nothing. You get trapped in there. It's just, like, not physical enough, I guess. I don't know.
PRINCESS: [00:22:04] Yeah, I think it's because they would so easily scratch if a demon tried to get into it, you know what I mean? Like, if you try to get your 4K super ultra version of the Batman and it's like, no, you can't. The demon made it unwatchable. I won't even load.
TESSA: [00:22:18] Right. Oh, my God, that's so funny. I don't even know what would like what would the equivalent be? Now, it's just like the demon logged into your past. What? Like they know your login to you're streaming.
PRINCESS: [00:22:28] They would hack your answer and your thing. You're like, you're like, I got hacked. And it's like, for real. For real. Like, all of a sudden, all your social media is like all your conver- you know that there's an episode of some show, I think it was Assassination Nation where like the plot was that someone hacked into those girls text messages and like put it all publicly. And I remember I was sitting with my friend and we both gasped because we were like, Oh, oh, no, I don't want no one seeing my chats. Those are for.
TESSA: [00:23:00] That's what the demons would do for sure. They'd like, go and change, like your favorite. You'd be like, This isn't my cue, this isn't it?
PRINCESS: [00:23:07] Yeah.
TESSA: [00:23:07] This is like, I would never put this on here. Like, what are you talking about? This wasn't watched, like, just little things and then.
PRINCESS: [00:23:13] Turns off your two Factor.
TESSA: [00:23:17] Like, oh, man, I can't. Now we need this. Mike Flanagan, if you're listening, please. The next one that you do make it this and it will be the most terrifying thing that all Gen Z has ever watched. So that was one of my favorites. But honestly, like every story I just thought was so clever, and especially how they like wove in parts of their own lives, it was kind of brilliant.
PRINCESS: [00:23:45] I loved it. Absolutely. I thought the funniest one was definitely the Jesus girl's noie thing just it was so over the top and twisty. I was like, Oh, this girl is definitely like watching Dick Tracy and doing all this stuff. I live for it. But yeah, it was very funny. I thought that was probably like the campy is one. That was another one where I was like, What year is this? Because when she's like, he gave me oral herpes. I was like, girl. I was like, what? You know, like. You're like, girl everybody got that. What are you talking about? And then. And then it was like, Oh, it's the nineties. They don't know. They're still yeah, they're still living in these sex negative times.
TESSA: [00:24:27] 100%. It was, it was very, very funny. Like little those little nods were just brilliant. And then also just all the kids personalities, like worked really well. And they, I don't know, they just had great chemistry. Like the group of them. You just really believed that they were friends. And then at the end, when they were all like, you know, sacrificing things for each other, I'm like, damn, they all love each other. Like, Damn, I would do this for my friends, you know? It's like, shit.
PRINCESS: [00:24:55] You know? It was so funny because I because obviously I'm not religious in that way. So, like, the Jesus girl was like, you know, messed with spirits. I was like, she's not wrong, guys. Just like, I was like, do the witchcraft, but also make sure you know what you're actually doing. Because I'm like, Have you done the research? Do you have the ashes together? Do you have your circle to contain the Spirit if it should escape? Right. I needed to know what that what their whole research process was.
TESSA: [00:25:21] Not enough. They did not research enough, that's for sure. Especially at the end. I was like, Girl, get out of there. She's using you. Do you not see this? Like, she almost drank that poison. And I was like, I can't.
PRINCESS: [00:25:33] The moment any adult, just like any kind of stranger danger. The moment an adult goes to you, an actual teenager is like, I need you to help me do this is when you're like, Uhuh. No thank you. You got capitalism on your side. You need to go figure this shit out on your own.
TESSA: [00:25:49] I agree. I agree. It was one of those things where I'm like, Oh, no, no, no, no. Like either way, even if, like, this girl did, like, you know, live forever and have this secret, I'm like, what would you think that she's just going to give it to? Like, Girl, what do you do it like? How do you think that this all immortal woman is just going to be like, You know what? I like you. I'm going to save you and give you the secret. It's like, now, come on, you got to know that people aren't going to do that. Like, even the ones with the power, they're not going to do it. Don't trust. Too much trust.
PRINCESS: [00:26:23] Too much trust. They are young. And I think it's funny because I think sometimes in horror there's like a wide range, like there's the biggest spectrum of likable to unlikability characters as in horror, because like sometimes they either go for unlikable or they make them super precocious. And I love that these kids are not, quote unquote, realistic, because I don't think any kid is going to soliloquy like that. But because they're so sick and because they're like tat this place where they've had to like adultify so quickly. It makes sense that they are a this morbid and be like this like intense about like their feelings and everything because they have like they feel like they have to feel everything now or it's too late.
TESSA: [00:27:07] Yeah.
PRINCESS: [00:27:07] And so I feel like that lends itself to creating like the kind of melodrama and like stuff that Flanagan so likes to, like, move horror around. It was very effective to me.
TESSA: [00:27:17] I agree. It felt more I mean, as realistic as it could be, it felt more believable than just like, oh, here's all these kids, just like you said. So all could engage about their lives. But there are some big themes in this that even I mean I mean, again, I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was surprised because like I at the end, like when they were talking about love and how like you are hope and it's like I'm going to die. But, you know, dying is a really shitty reason not to live like, fuck, man. Damn.
PRINCESS: [00:27:54] But there is something about, like, being on the, like, teenagers and why people love to write for teenagers. Because for most teenagers, depending on, like, your class and everything, like that's your invincible period where you have like the most time to, like, figure out who you are. Like, the reason why people write YA is not because they just love teenagers. It's because being a teenager,.
TESSA: [00:28:15] There's no responsibility. There's freedom.
PRINCESS: [00:28:19] Yeah, you can do things. You're like at this liminal space. People want to explore that. And I think that you have these kids who are like, Really they're adults in a lot of ways, but they are stunted because of how their illness has had to put them into this, you know, almost put them on ice in terms of their development. They have to like kind of stay in this in-between stage between adulthood and childhood forever because they can't be fully independent, but they're not kids. And I think that makes it all that much more complicated. And it reminds me of, like, why teens are good protagonists for these kind of stories, because adults would have just been like, All right, I got to get out of here.
TESSA: [00:28:57] They're like, All right. This is the end. It's been a good run.
PRINCESS: [00:29:00] I don't have to pay rent anymore. Is this free? I was like, What's the health care situation going out? What? Or who is paying for everything? Of course, my my 30 year old self, I'm like, all right, so who is this medicaid? Is Blue Shield covering these costs, like, what's happening?
TESSA: [00:29:16] And I wanted to ask you, like surrounding all of that, like because they all had to sacrifice something of theirs too, like the five sisters or whatever, when they were performing that little ritual. And Princess, do you know, do you have an item that means a lot to you that you would sacrifice them for your friend?
PRINCESS: [00:29:36] Yeah. I mean like, I feel I feel like despite everything, I don't really hold on to material things. I think if there was going to be anything that I was going to like get rid of, I have my my late cousin's jacket that I and that I kept just to remind me of him and keep him close. So I think if I was going to give up something to save a friend that was really personal and meaningful, it would be that. Mm.
TESSA: [00:30:01] That's nice. Yeah.
PRINCESS: [00:30:02] Depends on the friend.
TESSA: [00:30:04] Yeah. That's kind of what I was thinking about.
PRINCESS: [00:30:08] How good of a friend.
TESSA: [00:30:09] That's kind of horrible. But I was just like, because I was thinking about all my stuff, and I'm like, well, the most important thing to me is like my wedding bands, but it's like, I'm not going to give that up for anyone other than Joe.
PRINCESS: [00:30:22] Joe's emergency get out of jail summoning card. Yeah.
TESSA: [00:30:26] Right. Exactly. Exact. That's his Horcrux like that's for him. Yeah. So it's like for a friend. I got to find something else. And then also, it's like, what friend are we talking about? Do I have to save? What about my sister? Does she have to have one? Do I have to have, like, certain items? Like just in case? Like for her?
PRINCESS: [00:30:43] It's like, you know, I would give up anything to save my brother or my mom or my dad or like my closest friends, but like close associates. Yeah. You know, maybe, maybe my signed Anne Rice book, you know, that would I would give, you know, how a bunch or signed book copies. I'm like, all right, each friend can get one.
TESSA: [00:31:03] Right? I like, okay, let's figure it out. Which friend is going to get this side of you? Like, go go through all your put it all in a box.
PRINCESS: [00:31:10] Yeah, like, okay. Like, I feel like if it was you, I'd be like, all right, here, all my signed harry Potter editions, they. They were only collecting dust anyway.
TESSA: [00:31:20] Yeah. Throw anything even Harry Potter related and into the fire. Yeah, that would save me for sure.
PRINCESS: [00:31:28] The only reason I'll keep Harry Potter around is just to save you.
TESSA: [00:31:31] Just. Oh, my gosh, that is the biggest sacrifice you can make. So I really, really do appreciate it. But I just again, I thought that was very well done. It's it was such a nice thing to see there. Just I don't know, I'm a fucking sucker when it comes to friendship, man. When it comes to, like, found family, having, like, love being the most powerful thing. Whenever you do that, I'm a bawling mess. So you did it to me, Flanagan. You, you made me sob at the end. So. Good job, sir. And that's that's another thing that I just want to mention that he does so well is he makes your fear personal. Like he knows sort of like what makes you human and what makes you the most scared is like the personal shit that. Yeah, like death. Like death is like the scariest thing. It's the most feared, but also like, not talked about. And so to deep dove into that and with kids, with teenagers, with people that are at this vulnerable state like you were talking about it's it's amazing. On that note, Princess, what is your one more thing that you want to add.
PRINCESS: [00:32:55] My one more thing is when you have to choose between your semi creepy head mistress or the creepy woman in the forest, it is best to just ask the group what they're thinking. You know, don't hold it to yourself. Just be very transparent and be like, all right, we got a creepy head mistress. We got a creepy lady in the forest. Which one is worse? And honestly, it's usually going to be the vegan. No shade to vegans, but you know exactly what y'all can be like sometimes. It's the vegan.
TESSA: [00:33:27] Thank you Princess, for that insight into not trusting vegans. Uh for me.
PRINCESS: [00:33:34] Not magical ones. Not.
TESSA: [00:33:36] True. Honestly, a magical vegan would be an amazing supervillain. So.
PRINCESS: [00:33:40] Scott Pilgrim.
TESSA: [00:33:42] Oh, my God. That's right. Stop. Wow, that's. That's perfect.
PRINCESS: [00:33:47] See!
TESSA: [00:33:47] Well, what do you. You convinced me. What can I say? Any magical vegans out there? We're on to you. So my one more thing would have to be. I wrote down like a lot of quotes from this show because one of my favorite things after watching like a Mike Flanagan show is I talked to like my friends, like Brizzi and Lizzie and we just like, say our favorite quotes. And one of the quotes that was one of my faves was the freakin poem that she was reading at the end that she wants to be read when she dies. And a line in there was, Love doesn't die, people do. And it just I don't know. Just recently, I visited my, I'm not going to cry. I visited my grandma's grave with my mom and my sister. And it just really reminded me and this did as well, which again was probably why I was sobbing that like even though people may pass on like the way that you keep them alive is through the love that they had for you and that they had for the other people in your life. And if you keep their love alive, then they will forever be alive.
PRINCESS: [00:35:04] Agreeed.
TESSA: [00:35:05] That's where I want to end it because I'm a cheeseball and love makes me cry.
PRINCESS: [00:35:11] And I love you. And I don't ever cry about that.
TESSA: [00:35:13] I love you. Perfect.
PRINCESS: [00:35:18] We did it. Okay I'll you know this spooky-doopy drill. If you like us, follow us. You can find the geek podcast wherever we listen to podcasts. Everywhere you go, anywhere you want it, that's the way you need it. And for those of you who absolutely cannot get enough of us, let us know in a five star review.
TESSA: [00:35:37] That's right. The Geeked podcast is hosted by me, Tessa Netting.
PRINCESS: [00:35:41] And me Princess Weekes.
TESSA: [00:35:43] You can find me on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, anywhere on the Internet at Tessa Netting.
PRINCESS: [00:35:48] And you can find me on YouTube as Princess Weekes and on Twitter as Weekes Pricess next week. I'm so excited we get to talk about school for good and even one of my favorite books series finally comes to light. I cannot wait. I'm already a Stan. Tessa. We're gonna have such a good discussion.
TESSA: [00:36:05] I am hype.
PRINCESS: [00:36:07] Can't wait, cannot wait. So for this step, this is a Netflix geeked and spoke media production.
TESSA: [00:36:12] Kelly Kolff is our producer and Ryes Mendoza is our associate producer and DaLaura Patton is our coordinating producer and a special thanks to Carson McCain.
PRINCESS: [00:36:21] Sound Design in Engineering by Evan Arnett, who also composed and performed our original theme.
TESSA: [00:36:26] Our executive producers are Keisha TK Dutes, Brigham Mosley Alia Tavakolian and Keith Reynolds.
PRINCESS: [00:36:33] To stay updated on all things Geeked be sure to follow us at Netflix Geeked on Twitter, Instagram and the tiktoks.
TESSA: [00:36:39] Thank you so much for listening. Good bye.
PRINCESS: [00:36:44] Bye!
TESSA: [00:37:01] Happy Halloween. Oh man.
CLIP: [00:37:01] Geeked