Pop Culture Role Call
392 episodes - English - Latest episode: 9 days ago - ★★★★★ - 34 ratingsPop Culture Role Call is a weekly podcast that reviews television and movies from different characters’ perspectives. Each week our geek panel (panel of hosts) watches the same TV episode or movie each assigned their own character role. They will only watch scenes that their character is present in, leaving them with only part of the bigger picture.
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Episodes
Buffy Season 4 Wrap Up - The Odd Vampire Couple
August 08, 2018 22:39 - 55 minutes - 38.2 MBWith Buffy season 4 fading slowing into the distance, the scooby gang huddles around a beautiful new table to try and piece it all together. Topics for discussion: "Favorite episode?", "Predictions for season 5?", "How bad was Taad anyway and how much do we REALLY not want him in season 5?", etc. Thanks to everyone for listening and thank you double to our friends who sent in questions! Enjoy!
S04E22 - Fever Dream - Restless
August 02, 2018 01:14 - 1 hour - 100 MBWhoa. Was that the finale? Or a dream of a finale? Or a dream in a dream in a finale? Join us as we fever dream our way through the last episode of the season!
S04E21 - If a Forrest Dies in the Woods - Primeval
July 25, 2018 23:55 - 49 minutes - 34.3 MBHowdy folks! It's action time for this TV show that sometimes has action. The gang is hot to trot, strapped up, and heading in to show Adam what for! But who needs guns, stakes, knives, etc? That stuff is SOOooo boring. We take a page out of Captain Planet's playbook and show Adam what happens when he messes with the power of friendship. Thanks for listening!
S04E20 - Laser Guns or Whatever - The Yoko Factor
July 18, 2018 12:37 - 1 hour - 45 MBConsidering that Buffy went to LA last episode to emotionally complicate Angel's life, it's only fair he does the same for us. How does the calm, cool, and suave Angel get along with the regular, plain, and average Taad (Riley)? Meanwhile, while Buffy is getting her boys in line, the very foundation of the Scooby Gang is being shaken by misinformation. Thanks for listening!
Angel S01E19 - The Shaggy Defense - Sanctuary
July 11, 2018 20:55 - 52 minutes - 35.9 MBWe take a break from the rigmarole of Sunnydale this week to check in with our resident LA bad boy, Angel! Brian Batmans onto the podcast opposite Stas to discuss the ins and outs of a relationship we all thought was dead. It starts with Angel shirtless on a bed with Faith and ends with some classic Taad (Riley) bashing. Thanks for listening!
S04E19 - Basic - New Moon Rising
July 05, 2018 14:19 - 1 hour - 70.2 MBIt's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's a werewolf! Oz is back and ready to shake things up. Season 4 episode 19 is the episode for lovers, past and present. Love triangles, being basic, and reused plot points abound. Thanks for listening!
S04E19 - Basic - New Moon Rising
July 05, 2018 14:19 - 1 hour - 70.2 MBIt's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's a werewolf! Oz is back and ready to shake things up. Season 4 episode 19 is the episode for lovers, past and present. Love triangles, being basic, and reused plot points abound. Thanks for listening!
S04E18 - Go Out With a Bang - Where the Wild Things Are
June 27, 2018 21:16 - 59 minutes - 41.3 MBWell listeners, time to turn on some Marvin Gaye and slip into something a little more comfortable. Season 4 episode 18 is the sexiest episode of Buffy yet! Well, Buffy and Taad (Riley) have a sexy episode, the rest of us are dealing with a child abuse poltergeist haunting a frat house. This show is kinda weird, huh?
S04E17 - Jonathan the Vampire Slayer - Superstar
June 20, 2018 22:58 - 46 minutes - 32.1 MBHey fans! Jonathan here, thank you all for tuning into Season 4 Episode 17 of the world's most popular podcast, Pop Culture Role Call. It was hard to fit in a recording session between filming Star Wars and doing press for my new platinum single "Jonathan II: Electric Boogaloo", but you're worth it! Big shout out to the Dalai Lama for producing, as always <3
S04E16 - Producer James Knows What He's F*&$ing Doing - Who Are You?
June 13, 2018 21:18 - 1 hour - 71.1 MBWell hey there, Julia! Faith....er "Buffy(?)"...er..."Fluffy(?)".. hmm.. anyway, Julia is back in this episode to give us the full rundown you were all clamoring for. It's a long one, but there is a lot to unpack and not everyone at the table agrees on the effectiveness of the episode's intended emotional plot devices. But hey, what fun would it be if we always agreed? Time to get a little bit weird and pull this show's second Freaky Friday. Thanks for listening!
S04E15 - Born to Be Giles - This Year's Girl
June 06, 2018 18:57 - 49 minutes - 34 MBOne of those classic "setup episodes" coming at you this week! A whole lot of talking and a whole lot of chilling in Xander's basement. Joss also took one of his plot device chacters out of cryogenic fugue as Faith punches her way back into our lives. What does this mean for the Scooby gang, and does it have anything to do with The Initiative or Adam? Who knows. Maybe we will find out next week. Thanks for listening!
S04E14 - The Taad That Got Away - Goodbye Iowa
May 30, 2018 18:37 - 52 minutes - 36 MBWell hey there! Season 4 episode 14 is here and full of "The Initiative" drama, for better or worse. Willow and Xander have kind of taken a back seat for the last couple of weeks while Buffy and Taad (Riley) fell head first into an ocean of plot devices. We meet Adam, our weird pseudo-technabomination monster, and son(?) of the recently murdered Maggie Walsh. Also, Taad is apparently addicted to some buff-dude meds and started abusing all of his friends? Whadda guy. Thanks for listening!
S04E13 - A Murder of Bros - The I in Team
May 23, 2018 19:10 - 55 minutes - 38.2 MBHey there lovely listeners! This week we really start to dig into the nitty gritty of The Initiative. Well....Buffy does, and doesn't exactly include the rest of the Scooby gang until it's pretty much too late. But we have our own things going on and we don't need any testosterone fueled arm punches to be happy. At least, that's what we tell ourselves. Thanks for listening!
S04E12 - Guy Fieri Demon - A New Man
May 16, 2018 23:14 - 1 hour - 63.5 MBHey there, listeners! Did you miss us? Because we definitely missed y'all. Thank you again to Kyle and Nile from It Gets Weird for stepping in for our mid-season movie episode and hopefully our episode in their feed was able to tide you over during our break week. We are back with season 4 episode 12, and it's time to get some dirty deets on Taad (Riley) and his G.I. Joe crew, "The Initiative". Giles get's a few cold shoulders and we even get another visit from our old....pal?...enemy?...any...
Movie Break: Legend (1985)
May 02, 2018 15:13 - 1 hour - 73.7 MBPop Culture Role Call is getting weird this week as our good friends Kyle and Nile take up the scene splitting mantle. In our first podcast cross over, the two temp hosts break down the movie Legend (1985). Is this a terrible movie, or does Tom Cruise just have a stupid face? Is seeing Tim Curry play an 8 foot tall buff Satan enough to save the film? Thanks for listening. Find more of It Get's Weird at @itgetsweirdpodcast on Facebook, @itgetsweird on Twitter, and at www.itgetsweird.libsyn....
S04E11 - Alabama Slamma - Doomed
April 25, 2018 20:50 - 1 hour - 60.4 MBWelcome back, listeners! Season 4 episode 11 is in the bag and we all learned a lot. We learned that Spike can beat the crap out of monsters, just not human people. For all of his shortcomings, Spike knows what he likes, and what he likes is hedonistic violence. We also learn that Taad (Riley) and Buffy are an item? I think we learned that. The show doesn't quite know how to make up its mind on that front. Thanks for listening!
S04E10 - Boreanaz Fan Girl - Hush
April 18, 2018 12:44 - 1 hour - 54.7 MBSeason 4 episode 10 is here and it was SO GOOD! The name of the episode is "Hush", which might ring a bell for those long time Buffy fans out there. When two creepy, suited demons and their legion of straight-jacketed minions curse Sunnydale with muteness, we get to see how Joss holds up with no witty banter. Willow meets a new witch friend and the gang gets some TA Taad (Riley) confirmations. Those confirmations come in the form of a laser gun?! Thanks for listening!
S04E09 - You Woke, Tadd - Something Blue
April 12, 2018 00:22 - 1 hour - 56.1 MBThere is more than one way to heal a broken heart, friends! You could wait it out. You could binge watch The Great British Baking Show. You could unknowingly use dangerous magics to cause pain and chaos, thus attracting the attention of a council of vengeance demons. All valid and reasonable options. This week Willow does one of those things, but I'm not saying which. Thanks for listening!
Angel S01E08 - Mr. Mumford Invented the Cello - I Will Remember You
April 04, 2018 22:00 - 51 minutes - 35.3 MBWait a second...this isn't Sunnydale this is L.A! Only one of our hosts watched anything this week since Buffy goes to visit Angel and see what his TV show is like. Turns out, it's a little more noir and has a lot more cello in the opening theme. Big thank you to Producer James for MC'ing and Brian for letting us visit his show and answering our Angel questions.
S04E08 - Plenty of Werefish in the Sea - Pangs
March 28, 2018 18:42 - 1 hour - 57.8 MBIt's Thanksgiving Day for our friends in Sunnydale, so grab your silverware and your culturally insensitive opinions on the celebration of Native American genocide! If we still haven't gotten it right in 2018 what are the chances we got it right in the year 2000? But bless em, they tried(ish). Producer James and Brian both step in to give voices to Giles and Angel respectively and we thank em for it! It's a packed episode so thank you for listening.
S04E07 - I'm a Normie - The Initiative
March 21, 2018 20:11 - 1 hour - 45.5 MBHello and welcome to season 4 episode 7! Oz may have left us, but luckily we get some new boy action in here to fill the gap. Spike and Taad (Riley) both make a pretty big showing this week, both with their own agenda. Taad wants to court our very own Buffy while Spike is more on the "draining Willow of blood" side of things. But hey, that's just Sunnydale for ya. Thanks for listening!
S04E06 - Chugga Chugga Boo Hoo - Wild at Heart
March 14, 2018 20:52 - 1 hour - 72 MBThis week is a Willow and Oz episode... You know what that means, right? And no, it's not "a new celebration of a beautiful romance". A huge thank you to our good friend Nile from the It Gets Weird podcast for reprising his role as Oz this week! It's always hard to have your heart broken, but it stings less when coming from a friend. I think.
S04E05 - Tiptoeing Around Murder - Beer Bad
March 07, 2018 20:47 - 1 hour - 42.4 MBBuffy is still suffering from a serious case of Post-Parker Depression this week and needs to unwind. Luckily, her good buddy Xander just got a job at a local college bar and is primed with words from the heart. All the while, a new "cute musician girl" is lulling the boys of the Bronze into some kind of lusty stare based coma, and Willow isn't happy about it. Thanks for listening!
S04E04 - Thomason's Pinterest Account - Fear, Itself
February 28, 2018 22:11 - 1 hour - 57.8 MBA ghoulish greetings to all our listeners out there! Everyone ready for a Halloween episode? The gang is invited to a frat party on this most spooky of holidays, which includes a trip through a haunted house. But this house isn't just haunted with pinterest flare, it's also haunted with demons and junk!
S04E03 - A Literal Red Flag - The Harsh Light of Day
February 21, 2018 19:13 - 1 hour - 63.2 MBWell hey there, friends! Season 4 episode 3 of Buffy is here and full of love, loss, and frat party PSAs. Xander is back with some real screen time and maybe a new girlfriend? We aren't exactly sure yet. But Spike is also here so who cares about all that other junk. Thanks for listening!
S04E02 - Momma Bird, Baby Bird Time - Living Conditions
February 15, 2018 15:16 - 1 hour - 55.6 MBYet another week of getting used to the college life, and things seem to be going pretty normal (in the “Buffy” sense of normal, that is). Buffy is convinced that her roommate is a total monster, cause who else but a demon would have Celine Dion on loop. Join us as we try to deal with annoying roommates, food labels, and baby-birding in the world of higher education. Thanks for listening!
S04E01 - Rootin' Tootin' - The Freshman
February 07, 2018 21:14 - 1 hour - 65.4 MBSEASON 4 IS HERE! Get out your flatbill visors and boom boxes, because we are going to college! It's a whole new world for Buffy and the gang, but some are taking it better than others. Willow is thriving like a beautiful lilly tended by the loving hand of institutionalized learning. Buffy is doing... fine-ish? Thanks for listening!
Movie Break: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) - Part 2 - Size 13, Manolo Blahnik
January 31, 2018 17:09 - 1 hour - 51.4 MBTime for the Pop Culture Role Call movie break, part 2 of 2, where we take our "one character's scenes only" formula (patent pending) and apply it to the Buffy the Vampire Slayer film! WE...ARE...DONE! Come on in and find out how it all ended. Did Buffy and Pike live happily ever after, or, did Lothos and Buffy join as one in their greater destiny? Does anyone care? Thanks for listening!
Movie Break: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) - Knife Attack!
January 24, 2018 20:31 - 1 hour - 53.7 MBWelcome everyone to the Pop Culture Role Call Movie Break, Part 1 of 2, where we take our "one character's scenes only" formula (patent pending) and apply it to a movie! But this time it's a bit closer to home than you might expect. Did you know that Buffy had a movie before the TV show? Did you know it's....not great? Let's jump into this 90's mess and see what it has in store!
Buffy Season 3 Wrap Up - NCIS: Some S#!t
January 17, 2018 23:04 - 1 hour - 63.5 MBHello friends, welcome to our Season 3 Wrap-up episode! What a ride it has been. Collin, Stas, and Mike sit down, wine in hand, and try to make some sense of it all. We answer a few questions from you, our listeners, and even have a special guest. A big thank you to Golden Groves for giving us a sneak peek into the mind of The Mayor, and for letting us barrage him with questions about his relationship with Faith!
S03E22 - Fight or Flight or Suck - Graduation Day, Part 2
January 03, 2018 20:10 - 1 hour - 53.3 MBAND THIS IS IT. Welcome to the finale of Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 3! The Mayor's big plan is coming to fruition, and his ascension is nigh. How will we stop this elder god, this true form of evil? Is it: A) The power of love? B) The power of friendship? or C) A big old explosion? Cast your votes and enjoy the episode!
S03E21 - Professor Murder - Graduation Day, Part 1
December 27, 2017 21:30 - 1 hour - 77.6 MBHello and welcome, friends! The penultimate episode of Buffy season 3 is here and it's a good one. The Mayor is really selling the whole "eating an entire town then turning into a big ol' demon man" thing. But who has time to save the lives of thousands when there are teen romances to pour over with enthusiasm? Ya know? Thanks for listening!
S03E20 - 300 Year Old Creep - The Prom
December 20, 2017 17:10 - 1 hour - 51.4 MBIt isn't looking great for the Sunnydale power couple, as Buffy and Angel change their relationship status to "it's complicated" the day before prom. Willow is also out there making huge life choices, and Xander even learned what socialist means. It's a big week!
S03E19 - Everything is Spiders - Choices
December 13, 2017 23:10 - 1 hour - 47.8 MBHello listeners! It's coming up on the end of Buffy season 3 and the show seems to know it. Things are starting to heat up around Sunnydale, and the gang even gets some face time with our new Big Bad. Unfortunately, that Big Bad is our invincible and ancient mayor. Which might be a metaphor or something? I'm not sure. He is a fun villain though, that's for certain!
S03E18 - Sudowoodo Silence - Earshot
December 06, 2017 22:58 - 1 hour - 64.2 MBWelcome to the newest episode of Pop Culture Role Call! This episode is completely packed to the gills. And that's not in a "Sunnydale High Swim Team" kinda way. Turns out, you can catch demon telepathy powers like a bad cold. Who knew? I'm sure that the ability to read minds in a tormented high-school will be a net positive! Thanks for listening.
S03E17 - It Was On the Cheek - Enemies
November 29, 2017 21:22 - 1 hour - 53.9 MBBrian returns as Angel to discuss a roller coaster of an emotional episode. From the logistics of magical artifact haggling to Faith's wardrobe choices one thing is for certain, Xander deserves to get punched in the face.
S03E16 - Tested and Arrested - Doppelgangland
November 23, 2017 03:51 - 1 hour - 47.4 MBIt's finally a Willow episode, this week on Pop Culture Role Call! We are seeing double in Sunnydale, after Willow and Spin Witch get magical. An attempt to summon an otherworldly necklace instead brings forth a vampiric doppelganger. Thanks for listening!
S03E15 - #squadproblems - Consequences
November 15, 2017 18:41 - 1 hour - 49.4 MBOh, Faith... Things aren't great for the gang right now Y'all, I'm sorry to say. Turns out, manslaughter doesn't just resolve itself overnight, especially when nobody is turning you in for it. This episode happens to be light on the fun and heavy on the moral ambiguity of civilian casualties during times of war. You know, classic "fun vampire teen" stuff. Thanks for listening!
S03E14 - Nostalgic Vampires - Bad Girls
November 08, 2017 17:53 - 1 hour - 43.4 MBOn this week's episode we get some rebellious teen slayer action! Faith is back in a big way, here to be the little devil on Buffy's shoulder. A devil that commits regular old "human manslaughter"... There is also something about a vampire cult and a sword? But that's small, non-manslaughtering potatoes in the grad scheme of the episode.
S03E13 - That's a Knife! - The Zeppo
November 01, 2017 16:04 - 1 hour - 50 MBWe have ourselves a Xander episode this week, folks! While the rest of the gang is off dealing with the biggest, spookiest, deadliest threat ever to grace our fair city, Xander decides to take a job as the wheelman for a local criminal enterprise. Can the rest of us save reality from the brink of annihilation without Xander's help? Probably, but thanks for listening!
S03E12 - Marketing Licenses on Ice - Helpless
October 25, 2017 21:50 - 1 hour - 59.9 MBHappy Birthday Buffy Summers! The Watchers even got you a special gift for your 18th, consisting of debilitating drugs and physical assault. Our "good guys" everyone! Give em' a round of applause. Let's see if Buffy can overcome and make it to 19 unscathed. Thanks for listening!
S03E11 - Bicep Justice - Gingerbread
October 18, 2017 17:39 - 1 hour - 76.9 MBHello listeners! We are back from our mid-season break, and ready to talk more Buffy. This week's episode is packed with SUPER fun themes like oppression, emotionally abusive patenting, government censorship, and oh so much more. It's a hoot and a half, trust us. Thanks for listening!
Bonus Angel Episode - Tai Chi Details
October 04, 2017 20:45 - 43 minutes - 29.9 MBThis week we take a quick break from season 3 to talk more in-depth with Angel about what he has REALLY been up to these last few seasons. How does he feel about the whole “death and re-birth” motif? How has he held up after a few hundred years of torture in the demon version of hell? How was doing shirtless Tai chi with Buffy next to the spot where she murdered you into a mystical fiery vortex? All this and more coming atcha! Thanks for listening, and thank you again to our Angel surrogate ...
S03E10 - 1838 Dublin Hair - Amends
September 27, 2017 15:42 - 1 hour - 62.1 MBBig thanks to our sometimes producer, all the time Angel surrogate Brian for sitting down with us this week! Without his much needed insight we would have never known that the gang's best bad boy used to have sweet mutton chops. Sucks he is being haunted by some eyeless occult dudes though, and on Christmas no less. Thanks for listening!
S03E09 - Emotionally Intense Hallway - The Wish
September 20, 2017 16:11 - 1 hour - 43.9 MBThis week we are joined by Sam, a friend of the family from the podcast This Is It - @ThisIsItPod! Something strange is about to happen in Sunnydale, I can feel it in my bones. Sam sat in to give a voice to Cordelia, who is doing about as well emotionally as the rest of the gang. But Cordelia has something the rest of us don't: a new character who does dramatic spins and (maybe?) grants wishes. Thanks for listening!
S03E08 - I'm Sniffing Around a Secret - Lovers Walk
September 12, 2017 23:36 - 1 hour - 48.9 MBWhat ever happened to the stable relationships of Sunnydale? Why did Joss take them all away? This week everything comes tumbling down. A big secret is revealed that shakes our group to its core, and Spike is back in town for help winning back Drusilla's heart. Thanks for listening!
S03E07 - Cantaloupe! Cantaloupe! Cantaloupe! - Revelations
September 04, 2017 19:59 - 1 hour - 61.1 MBThis week we are joined by our special guest Julia, who is here to give a much needed voice to everyone's favourite nude, crocodile wrestling slayer, Faith! The main plot has something to do with a demon gauntlet that shoots lightning. That's cool and all, but the bigger story is that Angel is back from the Hellnado, and smooching on Buffy! We have some things to discuss, so thanks for listening!
S03E06 - Daughters Watch Your Mothers - Band Candy
August 29, 2017 15:28 - 1 hour - 39.1 MBThis week on Pop Culture Role Call! Something about a snake demon and a baby eating cult? Honestly though, that's just small potatoes compared to the wonderful (albeit magically amplified) budding romance of our two favourite Sunnydale adults! Can you guess who? Hint: rhymes with Schmiles and Schmuffy's Schmom. Thanks for listening!
S03E05 - Take the Dump And Move On - Homecoming
August 23, 2017 14:09 - 1 hour - 41.5 MBIt's Homecoming week in Sunnydale which means two things: 1) a lot of teenage popularity contest drama, and 2) a SAW style murder game at an old abandoned cabin. You know, like, just high school stuff. Thanks for listening!
S03E04 - Pasty Marshmallow Boy - Beauty and the Beasts
August 16, 2017 17:22 - 1 hour - 43.9 MBThis week we have a another classic whodunnit, and the Sunnydale gang is on the case! Oz, our primary suspect, is in his three night werewolf cycle as two Sunnydale locals suspiciously wind up mauled. But on the Hellmouth...nothing is quite as it seems. Thanks for listening!