Home Podcasts The Mary Sue Squad: A Pop Culture Podcast

The Mary Sue Squad: A Pop Culture Podcast

The Mary Sue Squad 32 Episodes Jun 4, 2026

Three best friends get together to critique popular books, movies, games, music, and other pop culture topics. They share their opinions on fan favorites and least favorites, offering a mix of humor and honest reviews. The podcast is a casual conversation among friends who love pop culture.

Episodes

Dungeon Crawler Carl Jun 4, 2026 01:48:50 Can three simple girls enjoy a boys book for boys? Today we find out with Dungeon Crawler Carl, a book written perhaps without our exact target demographic in mind (crude humor, a very manly protagonist, and lots and LOTS of violence definitely included). Will we love our dear Carl, who fights to survive in an alien-made dungeon crawl designed to kill him, or will we politely pass? Find out on thi

Bonus: Our Cozy Season Faves Feb 26, 2026 01:37:44 The end of one year and the beginning of the next can be a cold and dreary time--which is why we got together to discuss the things that are making us happy! Recorded in the fall, we discuss spooky favorites, upcoming releases we are excited for, and games, books, and shows that are still keeping us thinking into the new year.

The Cruel Prince Oct 31, 2025 01:17:32 A rat tail is always a red flag, ladies. Or is it? This week we discuss The Cruel Prince. We talk the religion of faerie and its influence on fantasy novels past and present, and if the soggy fishsticks of the human world (not a euphemism) are preferable to a life of beautiful danger in the fairy realm.

Sunrise on the Reaping Jul 31, 2025 01:36:45 The games are hungrier than ever before as we jump into the backstory we never knew we needed: Haymitch. We discuss the power of propaganda and the disempowering of collective action. We do not discuss whether Woody Harrelson did the movies so he could act out his dream role as a man with hair.

The Sword of Kaigen Jun 20, 2025 01:56:42 A loveless marriage, a disillusioned child, and a disastrous war story, oh my! The Sword of Kaigen is a highly rated self-published book that begs us to venture into territory heretofore unexplored on the pod: into the wild, wild world of epic fantasy. Will we survive our foray into the passages of long exposition, or will we be defeated by the descriptions of unnecessary backstory? Whatever happe

Pride and Prejudice - 1995 vs. 2005 May 28, 2025 01:42:18 It's the 20th anniversary of the 2005 movie adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice! In honor of the occasion, we watched the movie and compared it to its popular cousin, the BBC's 1995 Pride and Prejudice miniseries. What did each adaptation bring to the table? Why do we love the immaculate vibes of the 2005, and which Mr. Darcy is the definitive Mr. Darcy? Join us to find out

The Song of Achilles Apr 25, 2025 01:43:36 A classic Homeric poem turned love story, The Song of Achilles will have you sighing, groaning, and maybe even weeping for our two star-crossed lovebirds. But the real question is . . . on a scale of Feyre to Bella Swan, how passive a protagonist is Patroclus? Join us to find out!

Funny Story Mar 1, 2025 01:43:57 Funny Story may not make you laugh but it will have you asking a lot of big questions, like is sex in a shared eating space okay if it's with your roommate? Is Michigan an actual beach vacation destination? Or, are they still a 10 if they moan when they eat? We get into it with Emily Henry's Funny Story.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow Feb 1, 2025 01:50:32 When a two besties turned coding geniuses decide to program their next game together, they can't dream of where their efforts would take them . . . just like we couldn't dream of where our thoughts were going to land with Gabrielle Zevin's book, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow. Did we enjoy the books (as gamers (TM))? Did we sympathize with Sadie or Sam more? Tune in to find out.

Are Video Games . . . for Girls? Dec 1, 2024 01:43:37 Video games are getting more and more mainstream as people find their favorite niches, and in preparation of our read of Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, we gather 'round to chat about video games and our experience with them! Join us for an informal discussion that ranges from our shared love and thoughts about Zelda to the troubles of other people judging you for video games and being a woman t

Babel Oct 31, 2024 01:57:30 I think the only joke we can make about this book is that its full title is Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution. This book is for people who hate nonfiction but are interested in history and need a narrative structure with fantasy candy coating to make the medicine go down. And boy did it go DOWN. We get into it, y'all.

Divine Rivals Sep 3, 2024 01:33:53 Another romantasy book that has been popular on booktok, Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross is a World War 1-esque, enemies-to-lovers story that isn't quite as ~spicy~ as some of the other books in the genre. Did we enjoy this tamer entry? Did we buy the enemies-to-lovers arc? Come along with us as we discuss journalism, war propaganda, and writing styles in our newest episode!

The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology - Our Review Part Two Jul 30, 2024 01:28:46 SURPRISE! Like TSwift herself, we had so much to say about The Tortured Poets Department album (which was really an Anthology), that we split this episode into a two-parter.

The Tortured Poets Department - Our Review Part One Jul 30, 2024 01:39:32 We're millennials so of course we're gonna talk about our lady, Taylor Swift. In this episode we dig into the meaty lyrics and synthy, sorrowful vibes of Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department - THE break up album from the queen of break up albums. Oh boy do we get into it.

Gideon the Ninth Jun 25, 2024 01:28:25 Lesbians in spaaaaace! Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir is one of Nikkita's favorite books, but what did Kaitlyn think of the gothic vibes? Did Mackenzie appreciate the incredible descriptions of gore? Listen in to hear our thoughts on the incredible triumph that is Muir's debut novel.

Welcome to The Mary Sue Squad: A Pop Culture Podcast Jun 25, 2024 00:06:52 We've rebranded! Welcome to The Mary Sue Squad, where we play, read, and watch all sorts of media and chat about it. Come have fun with us!

Fourth Wing Apr 1, 2024 01:39:15 Fourth Wing, the 2023 Winner for Best Romantasy, Goodreads Choice Award aaaaaand the worst book we read in 2023. Listen, we respect the hustle, but this one wasn't for us. Still we had so many laughs, so laugh with us!

Crescent City Mar 11, 2024 01:47:01 Get into the hit Crescent City series by Sarah J. Maas by listening to our hot takes about sexy fairy alphaholes and special golden girls in our episode about House of Earth and Blood.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Feb 29, 2024 01:40:04 We revisit Suzanne Collins's Panem in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes to discover the story of President Snow's descent into tyranny--with mixed results. Did we like being in a dictator's head for an entire book? Listen in to find out.

Bonus: Taylor Swift's "Midnights" Oct 21, 2023 01:28:12 We did something a little different this episode** and wanted to share our love for Taylor Swift, the modern poet and lyricist herself, by sharing our thoughts about her most recently released *new* album, "Midnights." Now this episode was recorded in December 2022, before her record-breaking eras tour and before her breakup with longtime boyfriend Joe Alwyn. Our thoughts about her love

Midnight Sun Sep 22, 2023 01:20:08 We're back to the Twilight story, but this time we are in our main emo man's head: Edward! Is he a better character now that we are in his perspective? The jury's out.

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder Mar 10, 2023 01:11:04 This book is why none of us can go for walks in the woods with our earphones in anymore. Thanks Holly.

Twilight Mar 10, 2023 01:13:58 Twilight reduxe. We go back to where it all began: would we befriend Bella, or leave her to the werewolves? Was Edward’s sleeveless shirt a fashion don’t? (It was.)

Austenland Aug 12, 2022 00:55:52 Mr.Darcy: is he worth the hype? In this episode we discuss Shannon Hale’s 2007 classic Austenland. We talk romance as a traditionally feminine genre, how portrayals of dating have changed, and why Martin had a fridge stocked with root beer, of all things. We definitely talk about the movie way too much in this episode but how can you not talk about Jennifer Coolidge??

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea Jun 9, 2022 01:17:39 When you're just trying to get away from that one annoying guy but you can't because you're tethered by the red string of fate. In the spirit world. Beneath the sea. It's Axie Oh's The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, and we're talking dragons, sleeping gods, and inconvenient soul mates. Don't worry - we get into it. 

Six of Crows Mar 28, 2022 01:03:02 A hardened criminal stalks the streets of Ketterdam with his crew, and he just so happens to shop at Hot Topic. In this episode, we dig into Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows and discuss real MVP Inej, Nina x Matthias, and how deep our love for Jesper runs (real deep). Don't worry - we get into it. 

Fangirl Jan 28, 2022 01:40:06 For many of us, college is a cringey coming of age and a stress-fueled reality check. Fangirl manages to represent this perfectly, albeit more charmingly. Heads up: there’s a lot of discussion of fanfic - hope you know your Omegaverse, because we get into it.

The Kingdom of Back May 14, 2021 01:35:23 Oh, Nannerl. History did you dirty, but fortunately Marie Lu's fantasy novel, The Kingdom of Back, is here to put you centerstage where you should've been all along. In this episode, we discuss Wolfgang's lesser-known sister, the child-prodigy Anne Marie, and the fantasy world they created together as we struggle to pronounce German. Don't worry - we get into it.

Children of Blood and Bone Mar 31, 2021 01:28:35 A kick-ass heroine with hair that gets curlier the more magical she becomes, an enemies-to-lovers romance, West African-inspired magic, and giant, rideable cats: this book is so friggin awesome it's unfair to ask us to sum it up with a pithy description. In this episode, we review Tomi Adeyemi's critical triumph Children of Blood and Bone. We discuss representations of violence in YA, the real-wor

Wilder Girls Jan 13, 2021 01:33:20 It's all fun and games until someone grows a second spine. In this episode, we take a walk on the wild side of YA literature with Rory Power's novel Wilder Girls. We talk body horror, female representation in survivalist novels, and whether or not the dinghy has sailed on Hetty and Reese's relationship—don't worry, we get it into it.

A Court of Thorns and Roses Dec 8, 2020 01:32:37 Welcome to the sexiest court of the fey! We dissect the journey of the main protagonist, Feyre, as she navigates the magical (and terrifying) world of Fairy. We discuss depictions of sexuality in the YA genre, gendered power dynamics in fantasy, and whether or not Tamlin was worth the effort. Don't worry - we get into it.

The Hunger Games Nov 9, 2020 01:49:33 Is The Hunger Games a feminist novel? Three twenty-somethings weigh in on dystopian tropes in YA, Katniss's issues with her mother, and how perfectly (or imperfectly) cast the movie was. Don't worry—we get into it.

The Mary Sue Squad: A Pop Culture Podcast

Episodes

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