Space the Nation

Ana and Dan would not volunteer for a road trip across a ruined America, even if it involved Gen-X micro-targeted mid-90s nostalgia. We break down The Electric State, a film that raises big questions about AI labor and passive entertainment but then does nothing interesting or coherent with them. The most expensive film Netflix has ever made (no, seriously), yet everything looks like a student film shot in the mustard aisle. The Tuch Tuches it up! Giancarlo Esposito does chillingly casual menace! All in vain. There’s class war, robot angst, and echoes of Terminator, The Road, and that Fallout series I forgot to finish. There’s some IR in this episode, and a critique of capitalism that feels like a drone strike from above.

Ana and Dan would not volunteer to die over and over again, even to be a working-class counterpoint to an obvious Trump parody. We explore the existential horror of being a disposable clone in a world that treats human life like office supplies. There’s class war, clone angst, and echoes of Moon, The Prestige, and Severance. Also: One of us finds the romance compelling, the other is skeptical. There's some IR in this episode and a critique of capitalism that will hit you like a giant pill bug.

Ana and Dan's outies prefer two scoops of ice cream in a serving, but they (the ice cream scoops) must be the same flavor. Our return to Lumon coincides with our own intense interest in being able to disassociate from the real world! But trauma will reveal itself with or without you remembering it specifically. There is a critique of capitalism and some IR in this TV show.

Ana and Dan didn't realize their "palate cleansing" entry into Nuclear Winter would be about the heroism of civil servants and fighting against a racist autocracy founded by businessman-turned-despot. There is IR in this movie.

Ana and Dan hang onto their shopping bags for this slog through one of the most downbeat takes on the apocalypse that is not actively promoting a cult. CONTENT WARNING: For people who watch the news.

Ana and Dan would never leave Rusty outside the fallout shelter. We discuss the movie that made Gen X the nihilist losers we are—and find more humanity than we remembered. This is the first of three in our Nuclear Winter 2025 series (Threads and The Postman are dropping soon).CONTENT WARNING: Not intended as commentary on current events, but you may find yourself reminded. Also, there's some IR in this episode.

Ana and Dan wish you a happy Valentine's Day, this podcast will erase itself as it plays. Revisiting this scifi art-house classic after 20 years reveals some of its deep flaws and something about Young Dan's wistful notions about bookish young men and Manic Pixie Dream Girls. If you loved this episode's saltiness about saccharine tales, perhaps it would make a good gift for the sober sweetheart of your dreams?

For the last day of Fishmas, my true love gave to me an extremely well-produced piece of sh*t—and a partridge in a pear tree! Dan and I dive into The Prophecy, an Audible Original that proves our thesis: Laurence Fishburne makes everything better. We attempt to untangle its apocalyptic theology, its oddly specific hydrology content (like, really specific), and its absolute refusal to acknowledge how national security actually works. Come for the biblical name drops, stay for the moment I realize I’ve accidentally hate-listened to the whole thing.

Dan and Ana stop fighting long enough to have a civilized drink. We're wrapping up Fishmas, the most wonderful time of the year, with what might be the most delightful installment yet. There's a lot of discussion of Chapter One in this episode; you'll likely need to watch both to fully appreciate both Chapter Two and this discussion!