by Danielle Hanley & John McMahon
When you spend the bulk of your life reading, writing, and building lesson plans, sometimes your brain needs a break. Join two of your favorite political theory professors - Danielle Hanley and John McMahon - as they switch gears from the world’s so-called great books to break down some of your favorite TV shows. The twist? Only one of your hosts has seen the show before. First up? The Americans.
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Publishing Since
3/10/2022
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July 2, 2026
This week, John and Danielle are joined by their friend and returning guest Michaela Rife! Together, these three dig into Season 6 Episode 3, “Urban Transport Planning,” using the frame of nostalgia to structure their discussion. They start with their takes on the Soviet cooking club as a key entry point into the topic and then consider Philip’s return to spying later on to flesh out their discussion. They tackle how Stan is fighting counterintelligence nostalgia and the construction of the final scene before moving onto the segments, where Michaela interrogates Danielle on her takes to everyone’s enjoyment! In Glas, Michaela treats everyone to an analysis of art in the season thus far, and it turns out an actual art historian is more useful than your trusty hosts. Together they all consider whether Paige is a nepo baby before some music drops and an EST revamp in Borrowed Nostalgia. They welcome Michaela to TRAGEDY SZN in the Cave with a quick trip into Euripides’ Electra, and Michaela gives us a lot to think about with her reference to Svetlana Boym in TheoryShip. -- Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
June 25, 2026
Lace up those skates, prepare your tuna melt, and lock in for an open skate through the show Heated Rivalry with THREE special guests joining John: Ray Carman makes his NQGB debut while stalwarts Amy Schiller and Regan Levitte make their triumphant returns to the show. The team examines the show’s eroticism, queerness, gender politics, and more, in addition to of course covering the main characters/character pairings. HR’s style is discussed from the music drops to the phallic logos to everything in between, while the show’s engagement with romance and fannish tropes becomes a consistent touchpoint as the squad debates how safe (or not) the show is. In our version of a penalty box, one of the four (guess who) couldn’t resist strident criticism of the narrative structure and editing, depiction of masculinity, and more. Finally, The Cave brings Foucault, Vito Russo, and Lauren Berlant and Michael Warner, among others, to HR, with about the results you’d expect. Happy Pride! -- Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
June 18, 2026
Well, well, well - look what happens when your chickens come home to roost. John and Danielle are back at it for The Americans Season 6 Episode 2, “Tchaikovsky.” Tackling the ways past decisions and events shape the present conditions for different characters, they begin with some meta-reflections on what it means to be in the sixth and final season of the show. They then unpack the different chickens that Elizabeth, Philip, and Stan must contend with over the course of the episode. They touch on Elizabeth’s lies, Paige’s existence as a spy, and Sofia and Gennadi. In the Dossier, Danielle once again beats the drum of Renee as a spy, which John (as usual) ‘no-comments’ - stay tuned for more Renee check-ins in later episodes. Glas has Claudia and Erica, and of course, MAIL ROBOT BACK! We are treated to a chat about Reagan’s dementia and Jack Kevorkian in Borrowed Nostalgia. There’s another installment of TRAGEDY SZN in the Cave as Danielle guides us on an exploration of Aeschylus’ Libation Bearers, with the added bonus of some creative TheoryShips too. Enjoy! -- Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
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When you spend the bulk of your life reading, writing, and building lesson plans, sometimes your brain needs a break. Join two of your favorite political theory professors - Danielle Hanley and John McMahon - as they switch gears from the world’s so-called great books to break down some of your favorite TV shows. The twist? Only one of your hosts has seen the show before.
First up? The Americans.
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