Generation BSC: A Baby-Sitters Club Podcast

EM014: Emergency Meeting - Netflix Season One, Episode Eight: Kristy's Big Day!

September 8th, 2020  |  40 mins 20 secs

emergency meeting, kristy, netflix series

The Netflix mini-series continues with Kate and Lauryn’s discussion of Kristy’s Big Day, episode eight of the first season. Edie and Watson’s wedding has arrived and we end up with mixed feelings about this one. In particular, we discuss missing the large-scale babysitting job and last-minute DIY nature of the wedding in the book, the overly fancy and “done” nature of the wedding in the show, and the significant issues related to money and expectations – Watson’s lack of focus or care about spending it and the implications on the family as a whole, Edie’s focus of her concerns about Watson’s spending solely on Kristy, and Edie’s reaffirming that she expects more of Kristy (not to mention that this is because Kristy’s her favorite). Notwithstanding some of our concerns, we, of course, express our great love for Karen, Morbidda Destiny, and Marc Evan Jackson. We take an on-topic tangent to discuss appropriation related to the practices of Aunt Esme and her share circle and a broader approach to spirituality and related practices. And of course the episode wouldn’t be complete without a conversation about all the wedding fashion (and Kristy’s very on brand SECOND grey sweatsuit).

EM013: Emergency Meeting - Netflix Season One, Episode Seven: Boy-Crazy Stacey!

September 1st, 2020  |  50 mins 4 secs

emergency meeting, netflix series, stacey

The mini-series conversation on the Netflix series continues with Kate and Lauryn's discussion of episode eight of the first season - Boy-Crazy Stacey!

EM012: Emergency Meeting - Netflix Season One, Episode Six: Claudia and Mean Janine!

August 25th, 2020  |  58 mins 25 secs

claudia, emergency meeting, netflix series

Kate and Lauryn keep up the mini-series discussion about the Netflix series with a conversation about episode six of season one, Claudia and Mean Janine, and also delve a little deeper into The Claudia Kishi Club.

EM011: Emergency Meeting - Netflix Season One, Episode Five: Dawn and the Impossible Three!

August 18th, 2020  |  40 mins 29 secs

dawn, emergency meeting, netflix series

Kate and Lauryn’s Netflix discussion continues this week with a conversation about Dawn and the Impossible Three, the fifth episode of the first season. It’s another episode that stays pretty true to the plot of the book on which it’s based with an in-depth look at who Dawn is, why she (and her mom) came to Stoneybrook, and just how much she’s willing to do to get into the Baby-Sitters Club. We focus on the various father-child (mostly daughter) relationships that are covered, compared, and contrasted throughout this episode – focusing in particular on the differences between Dawn’s and Kristy’s relationships with their respective dads. Those differing relationships bring things to a head in Dawn and Kristy’s relationship, with Dawn doing what she does best and helping Kristy get to the heart of why she’s upset and lashing out. In examining how Kristy and Dawn interact throughout this episode, we confirm just how much we love the relationship between these characters and again gush about how much we love Dawn. We touch on the ridiculousness of the girls calling all parents in their lives (clients and otherwise) by their first names, narrative fake-outs, crystals, and how disgusting it is in TV and movies when people put their shoes on beds, couches, and coffee tables without a care in the world.

EM010: Emergency Meeting - Netflix Season One, Episode Four: Mary Anne Saves the Day!

August 11th, 2020  |  40 mins 29 secs

emergency meeting, mary anne, netflix series

Kate and Lauryn jump back into the episode-specific discussions for the summer mini-series to discuss episode four of the Netflix series, Mary Anne Saves the Day. The show does a good job again of hewing close to the plotline of the book of the same name, with some great updates. For example, while a 1980s babysitter might successfully evidence her maturity solely be staying calm and calling 911, a 2020s babysitter needs to do more to take agency and find her voice. Here, Mary Anne shows her maturity in standing up for and speaking on behalf of Bailey, the trans girl she’s babysitting. We go back and forth on the pros and cons of Bailey’s storyline here, ultimately coming down on the positive side – appreciating in particular that Bailey being trans isn’t presented as a “thing” for Mary Anne to learn about and get comfortable with, rather that Mary Anne is presented the opportunity to speak up for Bailey when she can’t after the medical professionals misgender her. We talk about the fight the girls have (which is focused solely on Mary Anne, rather than being a collective fight as in the book), Dawn’s introduction, ongoing awesomeness, and status as an over-sharer, the reimagining of Dawn and her mom and the greater implications of the change in their race and the dropping of Jeff as a character. We also touch on Claudia’s plaid Clueless homage, chairs with hidden candy-stashing compartments, the “Mary Anne is a Boss” playlist and its greater implications, and the fantastic sequin content of Bailey’s wardrobe and agree to disagree on just what the definition of a “meet cute” is.

EM009: Emergency Meeting - A Conversation with Anna Nguyen re: The Claudia Kishi Club and the Netflix Series!

August 4th, 2020  |  55 mins 31 secs

claudia, emergency meeting, guest, netflix series

Kate and Lauryn are joined this week by Anna Nguyen, a PhD student in rhetoric and composition who also uses her Instagram (@whatwouldclaudiawear) to document her own sartorial choices and meta-literary commentary on the Baby-Sitters Club. We discuss Sue Ding’s documentary, The Claudia Kishi Club, and the Netflix series generally and touch on some specifics from the book series as well. In our discussion, we examine the model minority myth and the othering of Claudia in descriptions related to such myth. Anna notes that the legacy of Claudia for Asian Americans is largely positive and shares her concerns on why she feels differently. In doing so, she unpacks the significance of identity categorizations and the tendency to universalize experiences in monolithic ways. We dive into the cultural impact of the new Netflix series, the general reception and reactions since its release, and why we (as a culture) might not be viewing it as critically as we watch and discuss. The concepts of “white excellence,” the “white savior complex,” and “black shows” vs. “white shows about black characters” come up in our discussion of the series and the books themselves when we deconstruct Kristy’s characterization in particular, including a discussion of how changing the race of some of the characters for the show had broader implications in the interpersonal reactions. We round out the conversation with an examination of the opportunities in our future discussions related to socioeconomic issues, racism, and the use of Native American imagery and names.

One small correction: In a reference to the problematic Asian character in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Anna mentions Mickey Rourke as the actor in that role. Mickey Rooney appeared in Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

EM008: Emergency Meeting - Netflix Season One, Episode Three: The Truth About Stacey!

July 28th, 2020  |  44 mins 30 secs

emergency meeting, netflix series, stacey

Kate and Lauryn continue their summer mini-series and discuss The Truth About Stacey, episode three of the Netflix series. Conceptually, this episode sticks pretty close to the book, with the (thankfully) dropped miracle cure/quack doctor aspect, due in large part to our greater understanding of Type 1 Diabetes in children. The issues with Stacey’s parents now arise from their misunderstood concern about protecting Stacey, which Stacey reads as embarrassment and internalizes. The Baby-Sitters Agency is reimagined as a high school-aged group with significantly more business and marketing savvy, but with the same disdain for actually being good babysitters, run by Lacy Lewis, a Disney Channel series level mean girl who turns the villainy up to 11 when she releases a video of Stacey going into diabetic shock. We use this episode to praise the creators of the series for taking the opportunity to make the parents (in particular in this episode, the McGills) into more fully-formed and real-feeling characters (and Kate takes the opportunity for a cilantro-based analogy that maybe works?). We praise Sam for putting in words the problem with using “Club” in their name, but come to realize through discussion that the BSC really is a club, despite also being a business. We discuss some of the highs and lows of updates and representation in the show versus the books and recognize that there is a lot more to discuss on those aspects as we continue through our mini-series. And as always, we wrap up our discussion with a conversation about fashion, with a primary focus on Stacey and Claudia here and where Lauryn succinctly states that Claudia is fashion and Stacey is more ready-to-wear (and we say that with love).

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.