Chemistry Read

Gerri Florence & Mia Fileman

The conversations you wish had happened after the credits rolled.

Chemistry Read is a smart, funny culture podcast unpacking the TV shows, movies, books and documentaries we can’t stop thinking about, and what they reveal about relationships, friendship, sex, identity and human behaviour. No celebrity gossip, just the conversation that starts when the story ends.

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9 episodes
fortnightly
Avg 30 min
English

Episodes 9

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S1 · E8
Friday · 22 min
The Watch List: Overrated, Underrated & Movies That Raised Us
Gerri doesn’t rate Forrest Gump, and Mia’s not mad, just disappointed. This week we’re going back through the archives for the films and TV that made us who we are. Mia reckons Friends is too formulaic, which Gerri takes personally. Then it’s our most underrated picks, including a Stephenie Meyer film Mia has seen more times than she can count, and a thriller Gerri dares Mia to pick the ending of. Gerri’s older brothers let her watch horror far too young (she still doesn’t love sleeping home alone), while Mia’s most disturbing pick is the reason she’s never touched drugs. And yes, My Girl absolutely tricked us both. We finish with what’s on our watch list, so pop into The Lab and help us choose. A bit of housekeeping. We recorded this one before Ted Lasso, so when we say that’s coming next, it’s actually already out (go and listen). Gerri also grabbed the wrong mic, so forgive the audio this week. We’re a very professional operation. Next time it’s The Love Hypothesis on Prime Video. Watch it first, because it has spoilers. The credits might have rolled, but the conversation is just getting started. LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE Come and talk about it with us in our Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1058747346689664 Follow us on Instagram or Threads: @chemistryreadpod
S1 · E7
October 15 · 38 min
Ted Lasso Season 4: We Still Believe (in this show)
Ted Lasso is back, Gerri is wearing a Roy Kent jersey, and Mia has notes on Zelda. Neither of us expected a season four, so did the comeback earn it? But first, Gerri’s quiz: Ted or Not Ted. Alice Chilton asks Rebecca if she ever considered a female coach, and Rebecca says no. Gerri can’t let go of the apology that follows, and Mia weighs in on what Alice really needed to learn from Ted. Rebecca and Matthijs go from moving in together, to a break-up and then to an engagement so fast Gerri got whiplash. While Mia ponders why TV keeps giving strong women men’s worst habits. Then there’s Beard’s fake tan, and Zelda, who Mia has VERY strong feelings about. We cried over Mae, and ask whether the Diamond Dogs reunion comes close to the dart scene. Then for the Cold Read, Mia the marketer asks Gerri for the season’s silliest marketing plot line. Next time it’s The Love Hypothesis on Prime Video. Watch it first, because there will be spoilers. The credits might have rolled, but the conversation is just getting started. LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE Find us on Threads: chemistryreadpod Come and talk about it with us in our Facebook group: The Lab Follow us on Instagram: @chemistryreadpod This episode talks about suicide and grief. If it brings anything up for you, Lifeline is there 24/7 on 13 11 14 or at https://www.lifeline.org.au
September 25 · 41 min
A Guitar Is Not An Apology: 10 Things I Hate About You
Patrick never says sorry. Instead, he buys Kat a guitar, and Ellen Hooper (filling in while Mia's away) is not having it. 10 Things I Hate About You is Ellen's favourite film of all time, which gets us asking why some films stay with you for life. Someone Ellen knows who's ten years younger calls it formative. Her mentor, ten years older, couldn't wait for it to end. So how much of a cult classic comes down to the age you meet it at, and how much is just a genuinely great script? Rewatching it now as mums in long-term relationships, we love it and we grapple with it. Kat was a lot of people's early exposure to feminism. Walter, Kat and Bianca's dad, is the comic relief everyone remembers (hello, pregnancy suit). But there's one throwaway line about the girls' mum that neither of us had noticed in twenty years, and it changes how you see him. As for Ms Perky writing erotica between counselling sessions, that would not fly with a modern audience. Our Lab Partner Nell explains the Taming of the Shrew connection, because one of us is an English teacher but has never read it. Then it's Gerri's Cold Read: who actually gets tamed? In two weeks, Mia's back for a chat about the episodes that have been released for Ted Lasso Season 4 (Gerri says Season 5 in the show - but you know what she meant!). Catch up first, because there will be spoilers. The credits might have rolled, but the conversation is just getting started. LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE Co-Host: Ellen Hooper Lab partner notes: Nell Casey Come and talk about it with us in our Facebook group: The Lab Follow us on Instagram: @chemistryreadpod
September 10 · 34 min
Bridgerton: Simon Didn’t Say “I Burn for You”
We're going back to December 2020 for a full Bridgerton rewatch. We rank every season, argue over the steamiest couple, and launch a new segment: The Cold Read - where our hosts put one another on the spot. Mia's favourite is season four, Sophie and Benedict, for that below-stairs storyline. Gerri's still loyal to season one, Daphne and Simon, even while admitting Simon's "a problematic human" she can't stop finding hot. For steamiest couple, we're both firmly Team Anthony and Kate. We also get into the choreography behind those scenes: an intimacy coordinator, and a camera that holds thirty seconds longer than you'd expect. Then the stuff that doesn't hold up so well. Daphne and Simon's wedding night, what Violet did and didn't tell her daughter, and whether a show this obsessed with the female gaze is actually progressive or just dressed like it. We don't land on a tidy answer. From there it's female friendships: Eloise and Penelope, Lady Danbury and the Queen, and Cressida's slow turn from season one villain into one of Mia's favourite characters in the whole show. Next episode, we're doing a midway check-in on the new season of Ted Lasso. LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE Lab partner notes: Narelle Wilson and Rebecca Lamont Come and talk about it with us in our Facebook group: The Lab Follow us on Instagram: @chemistryread.pod Celebrate the milestones giveaway: Share your favourite parenting milestone and enter to win a $500 gift card and sleep support package. The credits might have rolled, but the conversation is just getting started. Podcast produced by: Oleksandr Hedz.
August 28 · 37 min
Why We Are Obsessed with Cults
Why are we so fascinated by cults, and why do so many of us assume we’d never be the kind of person to join one? In this episode, we talk about what cult documentaries reveal about belonging, control, charisma and human behaviour. From Gloriavale and NXIVM to Trust Me, The False Prophet and Keep Sweet Pray & Obey, we look at what draws people in, why leaving is so hard, and the uncomfortable overlap between cult tactics and some corners of entrepreneurship and online business. We also ask the bigger question: when does community stop being connection and start becoming control? Mentioned in this episode: Devotion: Obedience or Betrayal Keep Sweet Pray & Obey Trust me: The False Prophet Seduced: Inside the NXIVM Cult LET’S CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION Facebook Community: Chemistry Read Podcast: The Lab Chemistry Read on Instagram: @chemistryreadpod The credits might have rolled, but the conversation is just getting started. Podcast edited by Oleksandr Hedz: hedz.ny@gmail.com
August 13 · 34 min
Heated Rivalry and the Art of Chemistry
We couldn't get enough of hot romance and hockey, so we went back for another hit. This time we explore Heated Rivalry on HBO Max. We talk about why this show felt heavier and more grown-up than Off Campus, and what we, and our listeners, loved so much about the show. We get into Ilya and Shane's slow burn, the cottage episode neither of us can stop thinking about, and we discuss the legend; Kip’s Dad. Scott and Kip break our hearts a little, and we spend a good chunk of the episode arguing about who the real villain of this show even is and we have our first real disagreement as co-hosts 🤣 We talk about consent and emotional safety, plus the women quietly holding these men together. And yes, we ask the personal questions we were wondering about and conduct research that would make for some questionable search history. Next episode, we're going deep on cult documentaries, so start thinking about which ones have stuck with you. LET’S CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION Facebook Community: Chemistry Read Podcast: The Lab Chemistry Read on Instagram: @chemistryreadpod The credits might have rolled, but the conversation is just getting started. Podcast edited by Oleksandr Hed: hedz.ny@gmail.com
July 30 · 25 min
Voicemails for Isabelle: Was it Worth the Hype?
Voicemails for Isabel is sitting at 87% on Rotten Tomatoes. We are not so convinced. This week's rom-com gives us grief that actually breaks your heart, a haunted voicemail inbox, a suspiciously familiar face, and a leading man we've already started recasting before the credits rolled. Naturally, we had thoughts. We talk about why the sister relationship is the one thing in this film that felt real, the childhood flashbacks, quoting The Notebook, adorable nicknames and a choreographed dance from when that they still doing as adults. We also get into the cystic fibrosis representation, and why a familiar face turning up as their dad sent us both down a "wait, where do I know him from" spiral. We're less kind about the toxic-chef subplot dragging down every kitchen scene, a timeline that genuinely doesn't hold together, and why neither of us can buy Nick Robinson as this particular kind of romantic lead. We get into which twists we saw coming a mile away versus the ones that actually caught us out, and why the ones that work tend to be about character rather than plot. Then there's the Easter eggs, a Sleepless in Seattle marquee, firework colours and foreshadowing. Next week we're back on the ice for Heated Rivalry - so make sure you catch up before the episode drops. LET’S CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION Facebook Community: Chemistry Read Podcast: The Lab Chemistry Read on Instagram: @chemistryreadpod The credits might have rolled, but the conversation is just getting started. Podcast edited by Oleksandr Hed: hedz.ny@gmail.com
July 23 · 39 min
Ep 1: Why We Couldn’t Stop Thinking About Off Campus: Garrett Graham and Women’s Pleasure
Why We Couldn't Stop Thinking About Off Campus: Garrett Graham and Women's Pleasure We finished Off Campus, watched it again, and still weren't done talking about it. In our first-ever episode, we're getting into why a college hockey romance has women from their twenties to their sixties in a chokehold. We talk about the difference between toxic chemistry and actual chemistry (One Tree Hill, Twilight and Tell Me Lies have a lot to answer for), the sexiest moment of the whole series, which is probably not the one you're thinking of, and why it matters so much that Garrett notices things. We also get into why emotional safety is hot, and how we all managed to spend two decades being sold the dangerous one who ghosts us instead. We chat about Jules, and what happens when a show trusts its audience instead of always explaining itself. We explore the trope of the third-act breakup, which is usually so lazy, but this one felt earned. And of course Kierkegaard, because a nineteenth-century Danish philosopher turns out to be the key to understanding a breakup in a hockey stadium car park. Then there's every millennial reference the showrunner buried in there, from Dirty Dancing to Sixteen Candles to that Friends bathtub scene, plus the indie musicians whose careers this show has quietly changed. Next week we're talking about film Voicemails to Isabelle. Watch it first, because there will be spoilers. LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE Andrea's Elle Kennedy reading order Logan giving the part to the Season 3 lead Quote from Star.xo about Kirkeguard LET’S CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION Facebook Community: Chemistry Read Podcast: The Lab Chemistry Read on Instagram: @chemistryreadpod The credits might have rolled, but the conversation is just getting started. Podcast edited by Oleksandr Hed: hedz.ny@gmail.com
July 20 · 2 min
Chemistry Read Trailer
The credits may have rolled but the conversation is just getting started. We all have that moment: the credits roll, and your first thought is "I need someone to talk to about this." We're Gerri and Mia from the Chemistry Read podcast. Each episode we unpack the stories everyone else has moved on from in TV series, films, podcasts and documentaries. Not celebrity gossip or episode recaps, but the ideas beneath them. Relationships, human behaviour, parenting, friendship, culture, feminism, philosophy. The moments that made us pause, cry, laugh or immediately text a friend.

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