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Science Fiction Double Feature! After a week off, Elana and Steven are covering the fifth and sixth episodes of Season 6 of the Venture Brothers: “Tanks for Nothing” and “It Happening One Night.”

In this podcast we continue to explore the series as pop culture history geeks, drawing out themes and references present in each episode. Steven is a Professor of US history. Elana has a BA in Studied Warhol A Lot (came in handy for episode 6). Expect more then 15 minutes of expertise.

On demand: iTunes ¦ Sound Cloud ¦ Stitcher

Love the Venture Bros cartoon but afraid of missing the myriad of historical references and layers of meaning behind each episode? Join pop culture and history experts Elana Levin and Steven Attewell (whose secret identity is that he’s an actual historian) for our Podcast examining each episode of Season 6 of this hit Adult Swim show.

This episode is about Season 6 Episode 4: “Rapacity In Blue“.

The Venture Bros. cartoon on Adult Swim references everything from Hannah-Barbara to Marvel, David Bowie to the Big Bopper, cult cinema, Oscar Wilde to Henry Kissinger. The show’s central theme is failure– the reality of life after the promises and optimism of the 60s space age have faded. But also the positive value of failure as a way to learn and grow, of making unpleasant realities better, and ultimately whether you can learn to keep the joyfulness of youth without its illusions.

On demand: iTunes ¦ Sound Cloud ¦ Stitcher

Love the Venture Bros cartoon but afraid of missing the myriad of historical references and layers of meaning behind each episode? Join pop culture and history experts Elana Levin and Steven Attewell (whose secret identity is that he’s an actual historian) for our Podcast examining each episode of Season 6 of this hit Adult Swim show.

This episode is about Season 6 Episode 3: “Faking Miracles“.

The Venture Bros. cartoon on Adult Swim references everything from Hannah-Barbara to Marvel, David Bowie to the Big Bopper, cult cinema, Oscar Wilde to Henry Kissinger. The show’s central theme is failure– the reality of life after the promises and optimism of the 60s space age have faded. But also the positive value of failure as a way to learn and grow, of making unpleasant realities better, and ultimately whether you can learn to keep the joyfulness of youth without its illusions.

On demand: iTunes ¦ Sound Cloud ¦ Stitcher

Back by Popular Demand Elana and Steven dive in to the second episode of The Venture Bros. called “Maybe No Go“. The Venture Bros. cartoon on Adult Swim references everything from Hannah-Barbara to Marvel, David Bowie to the Big Bopper, cult cinema, Oscar Wilde to Henry Kissinger. The show’s central theme is failure– the reality of life after the promises and optimism of the 60s space age have faded. But also the positive value of failure as a way to learn and grow, of making unpleasant realities better, and ultimately whether you can learn to keep the joyfulness of youth without its illusions.

In this podcast episode Elana and Steven continue to explore the series as pop culture history geeks, talking about the latest episode, drawing out themes and references.