Episodes
@episodesnewsletter.bsky.social
Writings on culture, identity, and a bunch of other things from @emilystjams.bsky.social and friends. Premium subscribers get newsletters every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Subscribe today at episodes.ghost.io!
In this week's Monday Rundown: holiday classics, webs of lies, and a game designed to irritate your friends and loved ones.
Episodes Monday Rundown November 24–30 2025
This week: holiday classics, webs of lies, and a game designed to irritate your friends and loved ones.
episodes.ghost.io
December 1, 2025 at 4:03 PM
In this week's Monday Rundown: holiday classics, webs of lies, and a game designed to irritate your friends and loved ones.
Happy Thanksgiving from your pals at Episodes! We've got an open thread on your fave movie from your birth year going for paid subscribers; if you're already one, click below and jump on in! (And if you aren't a paid subscriber yet, you can become one today at episodes.ghost.io !)
What's the best movie from the year you were born?
Discuss amongst yourselves! (And/or, read our answers below.)
episodes.ghost.io
November 28, 2025 at 4:25 PM
Happy Thanksgiving from your pals at Episodes! We've got an open thread on your fave movie from your birth year going for paid subscribers; if you're already one, click below and jump on in! (And if you aren't a paid subscriber yet, you can become one today at episodes.ghost.io !)
In this week's Monday Rundown: summer blockbusters, feel-bad Bible cinema, and a cake.
Episodes Monday Rundown November 17–23 2025
In this week's Monday Rundown: summer blockbusters, feel-bad Bible cinema, and a cake.
episodes.ghost.io
November 24, 2025 at 5:00 PM
In this week's Monday Rundown: summer blockbusters, feel-bad Bible cinema, and a cake.
It's time for this month's premium subscriber mailbag!
November mailbag!
This month: Food! So many questions about food! Also, the Criterion Closet, stage plays, and Pluribus.
episodes.ghost.io
November 21, 2025 at 4:03 PM
It's time for this month's premium subscriber mailbag!
In this week's Monday Rundown: a better-late-than-never binge watch, Emily's favorite romance author, and two plays of wildly varying quality.
Episodes Monday Rundown November 10–16 2025
This week: a better-late-than-never binge watch, Emily's favorite romance author, and two plays of wildly varying quality.
episodes.ghost.io
November 17, 2025 at 4:01 PM
In this week's Monday Rundown: a better-late-than-never binge watch, Emily's favorite romance author, and two plays of wildly varying quality.
In this week's premium newsletter, @lilywrites.bsky.social on Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein, Gothic melodramas, and showing vs. telling
On Gothic sincerity and del Toro's Frankenstein
Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein wears its themes on its sleeve. Lily Osler writes on how that works – and how it doesn't.
episodes.ghost.io
November 14, 2025 at 4:03 PM
In this week's premium newsletter, @lilywrites.bsky.social on Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein, Gothic melodramas, and showing vs. telling
In this week's Monday Rundown: a great concert, a new obsession, and a mildly frustrating romance read
Episodes Monday Rundown November 3–9 2025
This week: a great concert, a new obsession, and a mildly frustrating romance read.
episodes.ghost.io
November 10, 2025 at 4:02 PM
In this week's Monday Rundown: a great concert, a new obsession, and a mildly frustrating romance read
In this week's premium Friday newsletter, @lilywrites.bsky.social on how power and violence work in the films of Yorgos Lanthimos
In Bugonia, power always says "please"
Yorgos Lanthimos' latest movie is a psychedelic nightmare about the ways the powerful use social niceties to pacify their own consciences, writes Lily Osler.
episodes.ghost.io
November 8, 2025 at 1:47 PM
In this week's premium Friday newsletter, @lilywrites.bsky.social on how power and violence work in the films of Yorgos Lanthimos
A quick announcement for November!
tl;dr — Emily is taking November mostly off to write a book! This means free Wednesday newsletters are on hold all month. But Monday Rundowns, the monthly mailbag, and essays by @lilywrites.bsky.social will still run for paid subscribers!
tl;dr — Emily is taking November mostly off to write a book! This means free Wednesday newsletters are on hold all month. But Monday Rundowns, the monthly mailbag, and essays by @lilywrites.bsky.social will still run for paid subscribers!
A November hiatus
An announcement
episodes.ghost.io
November 5, 2025 at 4:15 PM
A quick announcement for November!
tl;dr — Emily is taking November mostly off to write a book! This means free Wednesday newsletters are on hold all month. But Monday Rundowns, the monthly mailbag, and essays by @lilywrites.bsky.social will still run for paid subscribers!
tl;dr — Emily is taking November mostly off to write a book! This means free Wednesday newsletters are on hold all month. But Monday Rundowns, the monthly mailbag, and essays by @lilywrites.bsky.social will still run for paid subscribers!
In this week's Monday Rundown: KPop Demon Hunters, del Toro's Frankenstein, and two different Paranormal Activities
Episodes Monday Rundown October 27–November 2 2025
This week: KPop Demon Hunters, del Toro's Frankenstein, and two different Paranormal Activities
episodes.ghost.io
November 3, 2025 at 4:29 PM
In this week's Monday Rundown: KPop Demon Hunters, del Toro's Frankenstein, and two different Paranormal Activities
In this week's premium Friday newsletter: the feedback loop of horror cinema, YouTube, and our declining social contract
Shelby Oaks, Bring Her Back, and the context collapse of YouTube horror
The video platform has been influencing films for years. That's only going to happen more, writes Emily St. James.
episodes.ghost.io
October 31, 2025 at 3:03 PM
In this week's premium Friday newsletter: the feedback loop of horror cinema, YouTube, and our declining social contract
In this week's free Wednesday newsletter: need a quick scare before Halloween? Episodes' staff has you covered with 14 picks ranging from 19th century short stories to games to play with your friends over candlelight!
14 under-the-radar tales to freak you out this Halloween
Including movies, books, podcasts, and asking your friends to tell you a scary story.
episodes.ghost.io
October 29, 2025 at 3:38 PM
In this week's free Wednesday newsletter: need a quick scare before Halloween? Episodes' staff has you covered with 14 picks ranging from 19th century short stories to games to play with your friends over candlelight!
In this week's Monday Rundown: The Wicker Man, the new Last Dinner Party album,, and so much found-footage horror!
Episodes Monday Rundown October 20-26 2025
This week: The Wicker Man, the new Last Dinner Party album, and so much found-footage horror
episodes.ghost.io
October 27, 2025 at 3:06 PM
In this week's Monday Rundown: The Wicker Man, the new Last Dinner Party album,, and so much found-footage horror!
In this week’s Friday newsletter: Many of Taylor Swift’s fans feel betrayed by The Life of a Showgirl, her most recent album. @emilystjams.bsky.social considers why that is, and what her own feelings on the record, and Taylor, say about parasociality, self-identity, and hiding by telling the truth.
Maybe I don't need Taylor Swift anymore
Emily St. James on transition, changing tastes, and why so many Swifties seem to HATE her new album
episodes.ghost.io
October 24, 2025 at 3:02 PM
In this week’s Friday newsletter: Many of Taylor Swift’s fans feel betrayed by The Life of a Showgirl, her most recent album. @emilystjams.bsky.social considers why that is, and what her own feelings on the record, and Taylor, say about parasociality, self-identity, and hiding by telling the truth.
In this week's Monday Rundown: If I Had Legs I'd Kick You, some horror classics, and Rilo Kiley in concert.
Episodes Monday Rundown October 13 - 19 2025
This week: If I Had Legs I'd Kick You, some horror classics, and Rilo Kiley in concert.
episodes.ghost.io
October 20, 2025 at 5:30 PM
In this week's Monday Rundown: If I Had Legs I'd Kick You, some horror classics, and Rilo Kiley in concert.
This week's premium subscriber newsletter is the long-awaited October mailbag! Inside: which Golden Age directors could pull off found footage, unexpected comfort watches, TV reboots, and more from @emilystjams.bsky.social (and a little from @lilywrites.bsky.social)
October mailbag!
This month: Which classic Hollywood director could have crushed a found-footage movie? Also: It's spooky season!
episodes.ghost.io
October 17, 2025 at 3:28 PM
This week's premium subscriber newsletter is the long-awaited October mailbag! Inside: which Golden Age directors could pull off found footage, unexpected comfort watches, TV reboots, and more from @emilystjams.bsky.social (and a little from @lilywrites.bsky.social)
In this week's free newsletter: @lilywrites.bsky.social on Longlegs, J-horror, and what American horror film could gain from telling more stories about the past usurping the present
American film could use a little more J-horror in it
American horror looking to break clichés should borrow some ideas from Japanese horror films, writes Lily Osler.
episodes.ghost.io
October 15, 2025 at 3:09 PM
In this week's free newsletter: @lilywrites.bsky.social on Longlegs, J-horror, and what American horror film could gain from telling more stories about the past usurping the present
In this week's Monday Rundown: a bunch of movies from 1946, Paul Tremblay's best, and DID YOU KNOW HOW LONG IT TAKES THE YEARLING TO SHOW UP IN THE YEARLING? A LONG TIME!!!
Episodes Monday Rundown October 6 - 12 2025
This week: A bunch of movies from 1946, Paul Tremblay's best, and DID YOU KNOW HOW LONG IT TAKES THE YEARLING TO SHOW UP IN THE YEARLING? A LONG TIME!!!
episodes.ghost.io
October 13, 2025 at 3:06 PM
In this week's Monday Rundown: a bunch of movies from 1946, Paul Tremblay's best, and DID YOU KNOW HOW LONG IT TAKES THE YEARLING TO SHOW UP IN THE YEARLING? A LONG TIME!!!
In this week's premium newsletter, @emilystjams.bsky.social examines what David Osit's new documentary Predators says about the complex legacy of "To Catch a Predator" and the comforting illusion of control.
A brilliant new documentary puts "To Catch a Predator" under the microscope
David Osit's Predators examines not just the show but the culture that produced it, Emily St. James writes.
episodes.ghost.io
October 10, 2025 at 3:09 PM
In this week's premium newsletter, @emilystjams.bsky.social examines what David Osit's new documentary Predators says about the complex legacy of "To Catch a Predator" and the comforting illusion of control.
In this week's Monday Rundown: Taylor Swift, Chappell Roan in concert, and one of the year's best films.
Episodes Monday Rundown September 29 - October 5 2025
This week: Taylor Swift, Chappell Roan in concert, and one of the year's best films.
episodes.ghost.io
October 6, 2025 at 3:02 PM
In this week's Monday Rundown: Taylor Swift, Chappell Roan in concert, and one of the year's best films.
In this week's Friday newsletter: on One Battle After Another, Superman, and the possibility of change in a world where cycles feel eternal
One Battle After Another is about this moment in history. And every other time too.
All of the things that make the film timely really mark its timelessness, writes Emily St. James.
episodes.ghost.io
October 3, 2025 at 4:24 PM
In this week's Friday newsletter: on One Battle After Another, Superman, and the possibility of change in a world where cycles feel eternal
In this week's free newsletter, @emilystjams.bsky.social argues that the appeal reactionaries find in AI slop nostalgia isn't about what's present in these videos, but what's missing from them
You don't miss your childhood. You miss not being angry.
Emily St. James on AI nostalgia, fascism, and our longing for less technology.
episodes.ghost.io
October 2, 2025 at 3:03 PM
In this week's free newsletter, @emilystjams.bsky.social argues that the appeal reactionaries find in AI slop nostalgia isn't about what's present in these videos, but what's missing from them
In this week's Monday Rundown: Freaky Tales doesn't entirely work, but it's fun, and a lot of Nazis die in it. So that's something!
Episodes Monday Rundown September 22 - 28 2025
This week: Freaky Tales doesn't entirely work, but it's fun, and a lot of Nazis die in it. So that's something!
episodes.ghost.io
September 29, 2025 at 3:01 PM
In this week's Monday Rundown: Freaky Tales doesn't entirely work, but it's fun, and a lot of Nazis die in it. So that's something!
In this week's Friday newsletter: @lilywrites.bsky.social on how Silksong's beauty and difficulty are inextricably connected. episodes.ghost.io/silksong-rev...
Silksong hates you because it wants to teach you to dance
A game already notorious for its difficulty finds art and beauty amid destruction, Lily Osler writes.
episodes.ghost.io
September 26, 2025 at 3:26 PM
In this week's Friday newsletter: @lilywrites.bsky.social on how Silksong's beauty and difficulty are inextricably connected. episodes.ghost.io/silksong-rev...
In this week's free Wednesday newsletter: a new staffer at Episodes, and an invitation to help us write the next chapter of the newsletter!
Meet Episodes' new managing editor
Plus: Tell us what sorts of things you'd love to see in the newsletter.
episodes.ghost.io
September 24, 2025 at 3:33 PM
In this week's free Wednesday newsletter: a new staffer at Episodes, and an invitation to help us write the next chapter of the newsletter!