Free the Squee

Stacy Watnick and Heather Berberet · theincomparable.com

Do you like to peel back the obvious and examine all the layers of your favorite characters and stories from all types of media? So do we! Join us, Drs. Stacy Watnick and Heather Berberet, a couple of nerdy, queer psychologists, as we put all things pop culture on the therapy couch, explore the joy of storytelling and Free The Squee! Dropping whenever we get a a free hour in our schedules.

25 episodes

1mo ago latest

monthly cadence

English language

▶ Play latestRSS feed Website Tv Film Reviews

https://feeds.theincomparable.com/fts

Episodes 25

24: He Aged Into His Judgment and His Sideburns
1mo ago · 41:40
Hello fellow nerds! Join Heather, Stacy and The Amazing One for the rollercoasters of Disneyland and California Adventure, a promenade through Bridgerton’s latest season, sprinklings of Stranger Things and Heated Rivalry (watch out for Stacy’s heart!) followed by many, many thoughts about how streaming is changing visual media. We’ve got a shout-out to our upcoming panel at San Diego Comic Con (come see us!!) and a question for you all in the Incomparable Discord! Join us for a lot of laughs and, as always, comedy gold in the outtakes (just after the end-credit music)....
23: I'm Not Sure I Haven't Been Angry the Whole Time...
3mo ago · 46:16
Hello fellow nerds! We’re back after a short hiatus and super excited to talk Nine Inch Nails (mostly Trent Reznor), Gallifrey One, the Olympics and My Melody. We even dabble a little in sports psychology. It’s a strange combination, but we think it works....
22: Everything Is Performance Art
7mo ago · 47:53
Welcome to our first episode of 2026, fellow nerds! We’ve got a far-ranging episode for you this time, from the tents of the Great British Bake Off to the New York clubs of Saturday Night Fever. Let’s talk bakes, handshakes and getting Prue to smile. Speaking of smiling, what’s your favorite dance movie? Listen in to hear what tops the list for Stacy, Heather and maybe even for our sound engineer and fact checker Chelsea....
21: Men in Corsets and Women in Well-Tailored Suits
9mo ago · 29:57
Hello nerds and welcome to our 21st episode! Join us as we fangirl over Cynthia Erivo, chatting about her tv specials, live performances, Harriet and, of course, Elphaba. We also discuss our current tv faves: Alien: Earth, Stranger Things 5, The Diplomat and expereince a shared flashback to The West Wing. And are you ready for Mouin Rouge “film to stage” compare and contrast? Let’s do this!...
20: The Spooky Season Spectacular Spectacular
10mo ago · 1:48:08
Hello Halloween nerds! Are you ready for an EXTRA long episode?? Heather, Stacy and Chelsea (The Amazing One) have created a super-sized episode covering 125 years of witches! Join us as we walk The Witches Road (hee hee!) and examine the witches of Oz, from the original Frank Baum books to the various shades of Wicked. Wonder with us at silent witch films of the early 1900s and cackle over a cauldron of 1990s witches, like Sabrina, the Charmed sisters, Tara/Willow and The Craft. But wait, there’s more! We HAVE to talk about Black Phillip (yes, the goat) in The...
19: We Have To Talk; It's Burning In My Soul!
11mo ago · 31:21
Hello fellow nerds! Welcome to our 19th Episode. Join Heather and Stacy as we debrief two big conventions: San Diego Comic Con and World Con. We chat panels, artists, authors and all the things about fandom conventions that bring the squee. Want to hear about the upcoming Vampire Lestat season from AMC’s Immortal Universe, a BBC Doctor Who activation, or the new Lucas Museum of Narrative Art? It’s all here. Then, it’s time to talk Demon Hunters…the K-Pop kind. Hang out with us for an episode where fans interact with creators, media brings joy, and fandom really can seal the...
18: One Third Content, Two Thirds Reaction Shots
1y ago · 44:15
Hey fellow nerds!! Welcome to Episode 18, our summer episode! We dish on what is real (or not!) in reality tv (think: The Ultimatum, The World’s Toughest Race, Naked Attraction) and talk about all the things we’re excited about for summertime! Comic Con, anyone?? Head to the Drive-In with Heather, take a dip in our TBR pool (on your seating of choice!), and chat Bechdel, Eames and Moms Who Write. Check out our Instagram at free_the_squee_podcast for more content and join The Incomparable Membership program to chat with us on Discord! Happy summer, nerds!...
17: That's Emotional. Did You Have Snacks?
1y ago · 49:17
Welcome to Episode 17, fellow nerds! Stacy broke her ankle, so we’re talking about injuries and how to help…or not! Heather and Stacy have a May The Fourth chat, discuss a list of books that are impossible to describe, and share all the feels of watching Bluey. If you’d like to self-reflect, pick up a new book, parent or be reparented, this is the episode for you!...
16: Kyle MacLachlan Under the Christmas Tree
1y ago · 30:23
It’s Squee time again! Join us for an episode jam packed with joy. We’ll walk you through our adventures at the 35th Gallifrey One Convention, including our interviews with classic Who companions Frazier Hines, Wendy Padbury and Katy Manning! We get into some personal Dune history for Heather (you won’t believe how close Heather got to Muad’Dib!) and a very brief referendum on Tom Bombadil. There’s a splash of psychology too, listeners, so if you’ve ever wondered what to call it when you word-ramble into the wilderness, take a listen!...
15: Gearing Up for Gally
1y ago · 7:22
Get ready, fellow nerds! We’re gearing up for Gallifrey One with a mini-episode! Heather and Stacy are brimming with Squee for this year’s convention. We’ll be interviewing companions, bringing valentines and stickers…and Stacy is SO READY for ribbons! Hear all the details in our pre-Gally episode!...
14: What's In The Box?!?
1y ago · 34:21
FTS offers another “first”- this time a live unboxing version of Tell and Tell. It might be bigger on the inside…We tempt and tease each other with our current favorite TV (Bad Sisters and Silo), and take a trip into Tangent Town to discuss our culturage heritage when we’re supposed to be discussing nerd food. Please note: The wildly divergent content of this episode and our inability to stay on topic in no way reflects how our brains work....
13: Nice and Close with Our Face Huggers
1y ago · 39:23
Welcome to our 13th episode! We dish about how we got here (from podcast engagement to podcast marriage) and thank some folks who helped us along the way. We had a celebrity sighting and perhaps a bit too much familiarity with ALIEN: Romulus swag from the Comic Con 2024 panel. Heather brings a serious and timely topic to the pod - how to use your senses to stay grounded when things feel really big and scary. Join us for some solid squee and some solid psychology....
12: Science, Psychology and Mutants
1y ago · 52:25
It’s our 1st anniversary, the spawn have launched and the Squee is back! We packed so much into this episode! Stacy and Heather talk all things X-Men, from the 90s animated show to the films to voice talent in the new X-Men 97 series. Heather loves on and laughs at Jesse Martin’s new show, The Irrational, and we Squee our way through the highlights of Comic Con 2024. But wait, there’s more! Our Books on Tape Segment is back, with trans teens and gothic horror (we talk WITCHES friends), and a Middle Eastern pirate mom! There’s so much to love...
11: Yeah Right, Vogue Contacted You
2y ago · 1:08:59
Get ready Squee Fans, we’ve got a lot of happy ground to cover! Heather and Stacy get into Bridgerton (sex and costumes!), queer women’s voices, like Billie Eilish and Chappell Roan, and then bring it all together for our favorite episode of Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor thus far…ROGUE! In fact, we’ve got a wee timey-wimey adventure of our own right in the episode. There is so much squee, we recommend listening alllll the way to the end of the episode. ;)...
10: I'm Chewing Glass About It
2y ago · 23:07
Arrgh Fellow Nerds, it be pirate time! Join us for a special mini episode, where Heather, Stacy and our magical guest Mikayla (aka Younger Spawn) dish the tea on the pirate drama Black Sails. Newly on Netflix, this Starz original show was billed as a gritty prequel to Treasure Island, but it is So. Much. More! Join us as we talk character arcs, queer narratives and Squee quite loudly over Long John Silver....
9: Permission to Squee (Especially in Sweden)
2y ago · 54:06
Strap in, friends! We’ve got so much to talk about this month, including Cowboy Carter, embracing our fandom selves — past and present, revisiting the 80’s, Heather’s first in the wild fan encounter, and Stacy’s first-time guesting on another podcast. (We’re a poly podcast.) Mostly, we’ve got a lot of squeeing going on....
8: You Can Ship a Ship Ship
2y ago · 58:35
Stacy and Heather revisit a previous squee: The Taylor Swift Eras Tour, and talk about an up and coming new squee, Aliette de Bodard’s The Red Scholar’s Wake. Speaking of squee, it’s time to debrief Gally! There’s a lot to unpack about the world’s largest and longest running Doctor Who Con (and a rather long ribbon roll to boot!) In honor of cherry blossom season we spend some time with Japanese culture. Our Tell and Tell this episode is all about tea and remarkable Japanese tableware. We touch on customs and meaning making, and why it might be okay to...
7: One Ribbon Isn't Enough
2y ago · 54:37
This episode is bigger on the inside as Heather and Stacy talk the return of David Tennant and Catherine Tate in the 2023 Doctor Who Specials, Ncuti Gatwa as the Flirty Doctor (you heard it here first, people!), anticipating Free The Squee’s first appearance at the Gallifrey One Convention, and Heather’s Ode to Verity Podcast. But first, it’s time to get a little serious about cultural gaffs, friendship and making amends. Let’s get going- we’ve got a lot of ground to cover and we left our TARDIS at home....
6: Vampires Are Worth Shin Splints
2y ago · 39:14
Hello there fellow nerds, and welcome to our first episode of 2024. Stacy and Heather are joined by the fabulous and brilliant Mikayla, aka Younger Spawn, for some fangirling over Percy Jackson! But before we get there, we talk about Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee, Dolly Parton and her new album, Rockstar. We chat collabs, what it means to cover vs. re-tell a song, and how much voice and context can change meaning. Then, there might be some squeeing over NOLA and a certain vampire. Storytelling weaves this episode together: perspective, meaning making, connection, and how stories become..
5: "Your Zayde Is a Level 20 Archdruid?!?"
2y ago · 1:22:24
Happy Holidays, fellow nerds! Join Heather and Stacy, and our special guest Annette Wierstra! Annette is the Director of Agents of Smooch, another Incomparable Podcast, and we can’t think of anyone better to go round and round with us as we review Round and Round, Hallmark Channel’s latest Hannukah movie! Join us as we schmooze about time loops and tradition, the twists, the turns, and the magic dreidel!...
4: Target Fangirls and the Uterati
2y ago · 34:37
What happens when two segments of a fandom collide? Join us for Heather’s adventures in Target to find out! Then keep listening as Stacy and Heather try to answer the question: where are all the menopausal stories in pop culture? Not just menopause, but what’s up with the complete absence of women’s experience of their bodies at all? It’s an episode full of questions! Where is the face cream? Where have all the hormones gone? Who are the Uterati?...
3: Horror is a Trench (Not a Bucket)
2y ago · 45:05
It’s spooky season! Heather and Stacy talk all things horror (sometimes with explicit language, eek!) including why humans might like a good jump scare. With special love for the Flanaverse (All Hail Kate Siegel!) and a nod to Freddy down on Elm Street, let’s get into what scares us and what brings us together....
2: Let's Give Them Something To Talk About
2y ago · 33:08
Heather and Stacy introduce their new opening segment, Content and Process. (Which is what? Exactly?) What’s it like to see yourself or your hometown on TV? When does representation matter and why? And how do we talk about it allllll without interrupting the flow? Let’s get into it, people!...
1: Just Open The Damn Door
3y ago · 23:19
Welcome to our first official Squee! We’re keeping it short and sweet in our debut episode. Stacy puts San Diego Comic-Con on the couch, wondering if the single unlocked door opening morning indicates an ADHD diagnosis or if the Con is just stuck in perpetual adolescence. Heather dishes about attending a summer concert by little known singer/song-writer, Taylor Swift....
0: Free the Squee!
3y ago · 8:42
Do you like to peel back the obvious and examine all the layers of your favorite characters and stories from all types of media? So do we! Join us, Drs. Stacy Watnick and Heather Berberet, a couple of nerdy, queer psychologists, as we put all things pop culture on the therapy couch, explore the joy of storytelling and Free The Squee! Dropping whenever we get a a free hour in our schedules. First episode coming August, 2023....