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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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  • 6 episodes
  • fortnightly
  • Avg 29 min
  • English

Episodes 6

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  • 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.

Showing 1–6 of 6 episodes