2 Cents Critic

Jumping onboard the program today is Katherine Wela Bogen, who has just become a debut author by publishing Queering Him, a novel that takes you through the intense and messy relationship between Avra and Kieran. In addition, Katie is a clinical psychology PhD student and cohost of the political podcast SuperHumanizer, concentrating her energy on queerness, sexuality, sexual trauma, supporting Palestine, and more—all from her own bisexual and Jewish perspective. Biphobic attitudes, laying out the definitions of BDSM and kink, queer people having to operate outside of a traditional script for sex, appreciation for one of the best TV shows of 2025 (yes, it’s Heated Rivalry), and what Katie has planned for Avra and Kieran’s story in their future books comprise quite a bit of the conversation for this episode.

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Katie’s Good Word: Delta of Venus by Anaïs Nin

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Tune in as Andy (Fat Dude Digs Flicks Movie Podcasts) regains his comfy old guest seat in order to unpack Dead Again, the 1991 neo-noir romantic thriller about a private investigator’s mission to help an amnesiac and nonverbal woman recover her memories—a path that ends up uncovering a strange connection between her and a murder from several decades ago. Thoughts on Kenneth Branagh as a director, Robin Williams being talented enough to distract us from the exposition-dumping of his side role, showing love for the tropes of amnesia and hypnotism, and nostalgia for older thrillers from the 90s or so that were willing to go places (including Kiss the Girls and What Lies Beneath) arise as a few of the topics for this episode.

Directed by Kenneth Branagh, Dead Again stars Branagh, Emma Thompson, Derek Jacobi, Wayne Knight, Andy Garcia, Robin Williams, Richard Easton, Jo Anderson, Hanna Schygulla, Campbell Scott, and Miriam Margolyes.

Spoilers for What Lies Beneath start at 33:00 and end at 33:50
Spoilers for Dead Again start at 34:40

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Good Word:

• Andy: Candy Cain Kills and Candy Cain Kills Again: The Second Slaying by Brian McAuley
• Arthur: Dinner in America

Reach out at [email protected] if you want to recommend things to watch and read, share anecdotes, or just say hello!
Be sure to subscribe, rate, and review on iTunes or any of your preferred podcasting platforms!
Follow Arthur on Twitter, Goodpods, StoryGraph, Letterboxd, and TikTok: @arthur_ant18
Follow Arthur on Bluesky: @arthur-ant18
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Tune in as Anna (@banananna024/@formergleek) jumps back into their guest seat so that she and Arthur can lay out their rankings of the top ten TV shows of 2025. Hollywood’s campaign to blacklist Melissa Barrera, the relatability of Carol Sturka, defending Trinity Santos, and rejecting the incorrect opinion that Heated Rivalry is merely “yaoi slop” land as some of the discussion matter for this episode.

Spoilers for The Studio: 00:41:10 to 00:41:20
Spoilers for Severance, Season 2: 01:12:10 to 01:12:35

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Good Word:

• Anna: My Lady Jane
• Arthur: Charlie’s Angels (2000)

Reach out at [email protected] if you want to recommend things to watch and read, share anecdotes, or just say hello!
Be sure to subscribe, rate, and review on iTunes or any of your preferred podcasting platforms!
Follow Arthur on Twitter, Goodpods, StoryGraph, Letterboxd, and TikTok: @arthur_ant18
Follow Arthur on Bluesky: @arthur-ant18
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Tune in as Kate Hergott (Bookwild) jumps onboard the program for a breakdown of Ace of Spades, the 2021 YA mystery-thriller book by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé that follows two Black students at a private school as they endure dogged harassment from an anonymous threat who’s looking to expose their secrets and sabotage all the hard work they’ve put into creating a good life for themselves. Chiamaka being a Blair Waldorf type, the racialized element of Black people’s hair, drawing connections between this novel and One Battle After Another, and a recommendation for the Peter Jackson film Heavenly Creatures turn out to be a few of the talking points on this episode.

TW: racism, misogynoir, homophobia, outing of queer characters, death, murder, violence, car accident (in the past), gaslighting, emotional abuse, infidelity, implication of sexual assault (in the past), parental death (in the past), suicide attempt (in the past), suicidal ideation, drug use and abuse, alcohol, fire, vomit, and gun violence

Spoilers start at 19:25

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Here’s how you can learn more about Palestine and Israel

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Good Word:

• Kate: Heated Rivalry
• Arthur: Anna and the Apocalypse

Reach out at [email protected] if you want to recommend things to watch and read, share anecdotes, or just say hello!
Be sure to subscribe, rate, and review on iTunes or any of your preferred podcasting platforms!
Follow Arthur on Twitter, Goodpods, StoryGraph, Letterboxd, and TikTok: @arthur_ant18
Follow Arthur on Bluesky: @arthur-ant18
Follow the podcast on Twitter: @two_centscritic
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @twocentscriticpod
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Tune in as Rolo Tony (@PoorOldRoloTony) hops back into his guest seat so that he and Arthur can dish out their rankings of the top ten movies of 2025. The hosts’ honorable mentions, encouraging audiences to listen to Black people and Black women’s perspectives on One Battle After Another, the punk rock nature of kindness and hope, and comparing If I Had Legs I’d Kick You to The Babadook and Nightbitch stand out as some of the talking points for this episode.

Spoilers for The Long Walk: 23:00 to 23:10
Spoilers for If I Had Legs I’d Kick You: 02:07:30 to 02:07:45

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Here’s how you can learn more about Palestine and Israel

Here’s how you can keep up-to-date on this genocide

Here’s how you can send eSIM cards to Palestinians in order to help them stay connected online

Good Word:

• Rolo Tony: Sister Midnight
• Arthur: Wandance and Scatman (ski-ba-bop-ba-dop-bop) Official Video HD - Scatman John

Reach out at [email protected] if you want to recommend things to watch and read, share anecdotes, or just say hello!
Be sure to subscribe, rate, and review on iTunes or any of your preferred podcasting platforms!
Follow Arthur on Twitter, Goodpods, StoryGraph, Letterboxd, and TikTok: @arthur_ant18
Follow Arthur on Bluesky: @arthur-ant18
Follow the podcast on Twitter: @two_centscritic
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @twocentscriticpod
Follow Arthur on Goodreads
Check out 2 Cents Critic Linktree