Generation BSC: A Baby-Sitters Club Podcast

EM007: Emergency Meeting - Netflix Season One, Episode Two: Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls!

July 21st, 2020  |  39 mins 32 secs

claudia, emergency meeting, netflix series

The Emergency Meetings continue with Kate and Lauryn’s discussion of Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls, episode two of The Baby-Sitters Club on Netflix. Despite the title and general concepts being the same as the second book in the main series, we note that the Phantom Caller concept has been significantly modified and the related Phantom Phone Calls from Trevor Sandbourne and Alan Gray are non-existent. We discuss how this makes sense, but the shoehorning in of the Phantom Caller metaphor to retain that reference to the original leaves us a little disappointed with that aspect, while loving the episode as a whole. We get our introduction to Richard Spier in one of several nods to horror movies (and a clear indication of just how big a drama king he is). Parent/child relationships, expectations, and lack of communication are the big theme in this book, which we explore through our discussion of the Kishi parents with both Claudia and Janine and Kristy with Liz (also known forever to us as Edie) and Watson. Karen Brewer makes her first significant appearance and we are here for it. Her spooky energy is everything we didn’t know we needed. We touch on how great this show is at fleshing out these characters and showing their motivations when they do things that might otherwise seem out of character, how well it justifies original plot points despite updates to technology, Nancy Meyers kitchen porn, Mary Anne’s opportunity to be clever despite the lack of early warning system necessities, just what soigné actually means, and how the costumes chosen by Claudia and Stacey are so indicative of who they are.

EM006: Emergency Meeting - Netflix Season One, Episode One: Kristy’s Great Idea!

July 14th, 2020  |  33 mins 33 secs

emergency meeting, kristy, netflix series

Kate and Lauryn are back with the first Emergency Meeting episode in their summer mini-series to discuss the (hopefully first) season of The Baby-Sitters Club on Netflix! It’s a revisiting of Kristy’s Great Idea, updated to modern day. We discuss how the themes of the episode compare with those of the book it’s based on and find that this one sticks pretty close in spirit, if not in actual plot. There’s a fun montage of Edie trying to find a babysitter that we feel does a great job of justifying why the BSC would be useful and needed even with all the technology we have available today. We touch on how great it is that the kids on the show actually look like kids and discuss how perfectly cast everyone seems to be (with the caveat that there will be further discussions of potentially problematic casting when it comes to Jessi). We laugh at the fact that there is an actual “Danny Tanner Moment,” while appreciating that the show does a great job of turning it into a conversation rather than a parental soliloquy. We absolutely love of Watson and his inclusion in this episode in very integral ways that give us the foundation for his relationship with Kristy we were lamenting not being able to see when we discussed Kristy and the Walking Disaster. Edie’s parenting style when in comes to Kristy vs. Sam and Charlie gives us an opportunity to discuss how we wish the show had done better in some ways. We also obsess over the fashion, question how much kids actually babysit today, praise the level of detail in production design, and round out the episode quoting Kristy’s Breakfast Club-y essay voiceover.

EM005: Emergency Meeting - Mary Anne in Quarantine!

May 26th, 2020  |  47 mins 48 secs

emergency meeting, mary anne

Kate and Lauryn hold their final (for now) Emergency Meeting to discuss what Mary Anne’s doing in quarantine (with some general final thoughts on the rest of the BSC and Stoneybrook in general). We agree that Mary Anne is feeling EVERYTHING and using a regimented schedule to stay focused on maintaining connections and helping others and avoiding getting bogged down by those emotions. Her dad likely kept up his rules about the phone and computer initially, but realized the need to allow more flexibility for Mary Anne to stay connected and coordinate Zoom calls with the BSC and their babysitting charges to try to maintain as much normalcy as possible. Mary Anne is likely relying a lot on Logan, the girls in the BSC, and Mimi for emotional support and an outlet for her feelings, due to her dad’s more closed-off approach to emotions. We agree Mary Anne is probably putting together her own pop culture challenges (e.g., reading every book in a series, watching the entire series of a show, or finishing all the books that have won a certain award) to give her a more passive activity that still allows her to feel like she’s accomplishing something. We ponder what the adult versions of the girls would be doing and in a roundabout way, when examining ourselves at thirteen, realize that extrapolating from thirteen years old is actually a pretty reasonable approximation of where they’ll end up as adults. We touch on Dawn (being the parent), Mallory (writing and dealing with her large family), and Jessi (ballet, ballet, ballet), discuss Lauryn’s copyright-infringing BSC flyer for her own club, ponder which house we’d want to quarantine at, confirm the abundance of BSC fanfic on the internet, and (of course) discuss what Cokie Mason is doing in quarantine (trolling the girls while secretly wanting to be their friend).

EM004: Emergency Meeting - Stacey in Quarantine!

May 12th, 2020  |  33 mins 47 secs

emergency meeting, stacey

Kate and Lauryn’s ongoing focus on the girls and what we think they’re doing to handle quarantine continues with an examination of Stacey’s situation in particular. We think Stacey’s going a little stir-crazy due to her lack of yard and outdoor space, her parents, and her high-risk status due to her diabetes and have divergent ideas about how she’s dealing with school, with Kate discovering she apparently has VERY strong opinions about the type of student Stacey is (i.e., one who would freak out if she got a C). Kate thinks Stacey is focusing on aspirational imaginary outfits and Lauryn contemplates a lifestyle blog for the tween set. And (of course) keeping up with the girls in Stoneybrook and Laine and finding enjoyment in having so much time to talk to them. In lieu of our typical check-in, we take a page from some of our favorite podcasts and focus on the positives with our own fucking hoorays and what’s making us happy recently (Never Have I Ever; the Parks & Recreation reunion; The Science of Sci-Fi by Erin Macdonald; Harry Potter audiobooks; Star Wars Day (a/k/a Kate's birthday) and Star Wars generally; and friends and family). We end with a HUGE thank you to all the healthcare and other essential workers keeping us safe and the world running.

EM003: Emergency Meeting - Claudia in Quarantine!

April 28th, 2020  |  30 mins 1 sec

claudia, emergency meeting

Kate and Lauryn continue with their emergency meetings to check in with each of the girls and discuss what we think Claudia is doing during her COVID-induced quarantine. We disagree initially about how Claudia reacts to school being cancelled, with Lauryn focusing on the schoolwork aspect and Kate focusing on the interpersonal face-to-face interactions. We touch on how we think Claudia and Janine are handling being quarantined together (likely exactly how they have in the two books where their relationship has been a focus – conflicts initially, but coming around to understanding). We discuss whether Claudia is on the front lines of mask-making, either actually making them or possibly finding ways to decorate the masks, especially to make them more fun and less scary for kids. Knowing Claudia’s love of junk food and Nancy Drews, we discuss how we think Claudia is getting more of these things to satisfy her needs and whether her parents have maybe softened their position on these items given what’s going on in the world. Lauryn pretends that Amazon doesn’t exist in the version of 2020 that the BSC is in for purposes of our discussion and Kate questions whether Claudia would even use it if it was available. We definitely agree Claudia is using her time at home to focus on her art (and exploring new media) and on fashion and creating amazing outfits, potentially creating (or expanding) a fashion Instagram or blog. We again end with a quick check-in on how we’re feeling and getting through self-isolation this week.

Stay safe and healthy everyone!!

EM002: Emergency Meeting - Kristy in Quarantine!

April 14th, 2020  |  22 mins 30 secs

emergency meeting, kristy

Kate and Lauryn are going a little stir-crazy in self-isolation and have called another emergency meeting to discuss how we think Kristy is doing in quarantine (with the intent being to discuss each of the girls and beyond as this continues). Kristy is definitely being pragmatic about the situation and doing what she can to make the best of the situation and help however she can. Regarding the BSC, Kristy is, of course, being Kristy and coming up with all kinds of ideas about how the BSC can continue to help their charges and families (while keeping the Club going generally). In particular, we think she’s using technology to coordinate specific Zoom (or otherwise) meetings between individual babysitters and families while also doing something akin to their day camp arrangement, with daily appointments where kids can drop in (or not). (The technology will likely become an integrated part of the BSC’s repertoire, particularly for connections with kids (or babysitters) who have moved away.) In the physical world, we think Karen and Andrew (rather than David Michael as mistakenly referenced in the episode) are likely staying with the Thomas-Brewer house (and maybe their mom is there too à la the Bruce Willis/Demi Moore quarantine situation) and Kristy is keeping them and David Michael busy and engaged to allow Watson and Edie to continue working. Kristy is probably coordinating walk times with human Shannon and their respective dogs along with group hopscotch trails and scavenger and bear hunts in her neighborhood and the old neighborhood where the rest of the BSC lives to get kids outside and moving. We end with a check-in on how we’re feeling and getting through self-isolation this week.

EM001: Emergency Meeting re: State of the World and Netflix Series Information!

April 3rd, 2020  |  24 mins 13 secs

emergency meeting

Kate and Lauryn call their first emergency meeting for an update on the state of the world and the state of the podcast before getting into a discussion of the recent releases and knowledge-drops related to the upcoming Netflix BSC series. We already knew Netflix was making a show and that Alicia Silverstone and Mark Feurstein were involved, but the details since then have been completely under wraps. In the last few weeks, however, there has been a major release related to the girls and their portrayers and what the show is going to look like. We get into our thoughts on the casting and costuming, both immediate knee-jerk reactions and our more in-depth analysis, and what we are anticipating, expecting, and hoping for from the series. (Note that Kate was clearly too excited and talking/reading too quickly and inadvertently initially says that Malia Baker is Latina – clarified later in the episode, but Malia is black and Xochitl is Latina.)

Stay safe and healthy everyone!!