What happens when a classicist, novelist, and pundit enter a bar? (ha ha) Bad jokes aside, we are living through a *moment* in popular culture, fraught with man-splaining, flooded with click-bait nonsense, and—most worryingly—oozing sexism, racism, and transphobia. Who better to guide you through a close read of Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” but your favorite Tertiary hosts, Heaven-Leigh and Justin?

The good news is, between our hot takes on Nolan’s adaptation, we also debate progressive tax systems and whether or not Jason Statham should make any more movies.

Want to be a part of the Tertiary community? Follow us on Instagram, send us an email at tertpod@gmail.com or fill out our Google Form to submit a question that we’ll answer in a future episode.

Assigned Reading

• Buy “The Odyssey,” translated by Emily Wilson on Bookshop here.
• Explore “Homer: The Iliad and The Odyssey (Different Translations of the Opening Lines)” here.
• Read Emily Wilson’s scathing review of Nolan’s adaptation of The Odyssey, “An Uncomplicated Man,” here.
• Read Joyce Carol Oates’ response to Wilson’s review here.

Further Reading

• Read Claudia Dreifus’s exit interview with Ben and Jerry, “Passing the Scoop,” for The New York Times here.
• Watch the entirety of Jason Statham’s filmography, duh.
• Compare Kilmartin and Cox’s translation of Stanislaw Lem’s “Solaris” (here) with an ebook version of Bill Johnston’s translation (here).
• Buy Lydia Davis’ brilliant collection of essays on translating Proust, “Essays Two,” on Bookshop here.

Our intro and outro music comes from “Cloud Dancer” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0.

Ever get out of a movie and wish you could sit down with your closest, smartest friends and yap about it? Well, Movie Clubbers, that’s the gist of this very special Sidequest. In the heart of a heatwave, we brought our mics all the way to the movie theatre parking lot, just for you.

But we aren’t about vain pursuits, here at Tertiary—your favorite hosts Heaven-Leigh and Justin breakdown the complicated politics in the background of Curry Barker’s freshman film, “Obsession,” including the internet’s incel subculture, Hollywood’s Gen Z breakouts, and the scourge of toxic male entitlement.

Want to be a part of the Tertiary community? Follow us on Instagram, send us an email at tertpod@gmail.com or fill out our Google Form to submit a question that we’ll answer in a future episode.

Assigned Reading

• Watch Curry Barker’s “Obsession,” duh.

Further Reading

• Read Emma Cieslik’s essay “‘Obsession’ and the Rise of Incel Horror: When Men’s Entitlement Becomes the Monster” here.
• Read Benjamin Lee’s interview with Barker, “‘I never thought people might feel threatened by us’: YouTuber Curry Barker on his big horror ascent,” here.
• Read “Annie Bot” by Sierra Greer, here.
• Watch “Companion” (2025).

Our intro and outro music comes from “Cloud Dancer” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0.

What does it mean to lead a good life? What does it mean to be a good person? We can all agree the universe doesn’t tend to offer clean answers to these kinds of questions—but your favorite Tertiary hosts, Heaven-Leigh and Justin, decided to tackle them anyway. The trouble, of course, is that a warming planet, barbaric geopolitics, and collapsing economy complicate the ways we ask these questions. Even so, this week, we sink our teeth into existentialism, and we’re excited to hear what you think!

Interested in continuing the conversation? Send us an email at tertpod@gmail.com or fill out our Google Form to submit a question that we’ll answer in a future episode.

Assigned Reading

• Read the EBSCO research starter for Either/Or by Soren Kierkegaard here.

Further Reading

• Find Kate Bowler’s Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I've Loved on ThriftBooks here.
• Read u/Boring_Net_299’s “Ranking philosophers based on their sexiness” on Reddit here.

Our intro and outro music comes from “Cloud Dancer” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0.