40: Henson Perspective: Guest-starring Florence Henderson
Tonight, our panel discusses questions of lasting importance: Do "pig slurs" deserve to be answered with violence? Was Kermit really flirting with our pal Flo? Is calling Florence Henderson that overly familiar and fundamentally disrespectful? 
1hr 18m Nov 17, 2021
1hr 18m
39: Henson Perspective: Guest-starring Peter Ustinov
Pete and Ben muse over Peter Ustinov's dated ethnic impressions, "One-World" philosophy, and award nominations, while engaging in their own intractable and tangential debate on the value of the French language. Sacre bleu!
1hr 16m Nov 09, 2021
1hr 16m
38: Henson Perspective: Guest-starring Lena Horne
Ben and Pete start down the winding, uncertain path of developing a grand unified theory of whether the Muppet Show is a filmed stage show, a television show within a show, and whether the viewing audience exists in the Muppet Show universe. Oh, and they also review the sketches, guest, etc., etc., per usual.
1hr 17m Nov 01, 2021
1hr 17m
37: Henson Perspective: Guest-starring Paul Williams
Sometimes repeating the same joke over and over makes you go from laughing at it to hating it to laughing at it again. Sometimes it makes you wonder why an episode was nominated for an Emmy. Join Pete and Ben as they lose their patience for short jokes, but stand tall for the performance chops and emotional depth of Paul Williams.
1hr 15m Oct 25, 2021
1hr 15m
36: Henson Perspective: Guest-starring Joel Grey
Ben and Pete experience continuity whiplash as they revisit an episode from earlier in production that doesn't quite mesh in tone or format with the other episodes reviewed so far.  So they break format as well, and plunge straight through the running order, with only a minor detour where Ryu, Ken, and Gonzo each try to destroy a car as quickly as possible.
1hr 13m Oct 20, 2021
1hr 13m
35: Henson Perspective: Guest-starring Ruth Buzzi
Pete and Ben find some giant legs of mutton to chew on, as well as other topics of conversation: namely, whether Scooter's origin is too far from what his character evolves into, what is or isn't actually a joke, and just how good Ruth Buzzi's Twitter feed is.
1hr 10m Oct 11, 2021
1hr 10m
34: Henson Perspective: Guest-starring Sandy Duncan
Ben and Pete try to figure out what it means to enjoy an episode and yet still feel like the guest-star is a mismatch with the material. And how is that possible when the guest is clearly giving it her all? Come for the central question, stay for diversions into ALF, Love Never Dies, and Ben saying the words "episode" and "premise" far too often.
1hr 11m Oct 04, 2021
1hr 11m
33: Henson Perspective: Guest-starring Jim Nabors
Pete takes control of the mic and the guest trivia as he and Ben discuss the second US broadcast of The Muppet Show and which segments worked, along with the vicissitudes of lip-syncing, the inherent comedy of an upright piano, and Disney's warning labels.
1hr 10m Sep 27, 2021
1hr 10m
32: Henson Perspective: Guest-starring Rita Moreno
From the third leg of the unstable milking stool that is The Perspective umbrella of podcasts comes an analysis of the first season of The Muppet Show on this, the occasion of its 45th anniversary. (We were too impatient to wait another five years!) Join Ben and his new co-host Pete for an analysis of the first U.S. syndicated broadcast.
1hr 10m Sep 20, 2021
1hr 10m
31: Farced Perspective, 7 July 1971: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
In this super-sized anniversary analysis, enjoy Anna and Ben's discussion about whether children's entertainment has a duty to be moral, whether Gene WIlder was scripted or unhinged, and whether this film holds up to either scrutiny or our childhood memories. And try not to count how many times Ben says something is "Fascinating..."
1hr 24m Jul 10, 2021
1hr 24m
30: Python Perspective, Episode 18: Live from the Grill-O-Mat
For the low, low cost of your entire savings, Ben and Nathan will remove this broadcast containing "sponsored" content by the University of Edinburgh Press, musings on the academic definition of satire, and pointed trivia about Royal societies, all of which could add up to divorce, premature retirement, and criminal proceedings for a company director in Bromsgrove...
1hr 8m May 16, 2021
1hr 8m
29: Farced Perspective, 19 February 1971: Cold Turkey
Anna and Ben cough, gasp, and wheeze their way through the 1971 Norman Lear satire about a whole town that tries to quit smoking, Cold Turkey. Will they come to a consensus about whether the film unfairly judges the characters or successfully establishes stakes, or will Big Tobacco keep their findings from the light of day?
1hr 12m Mar 01, 2021
1hr 12m
28: Farced Perspective, 9 February 1971: Little Murders
Anna and Ben venture into the heretofore unknown territory of 1971, and investigate Jules Feiffer's and Alan Arkin's Little Murders. They forensically dissect the romantic power dynamics between Elliot Gould's and Marcia Rodd's characters, but come to very different conclusions about the essence and impact of Donald Sutherland's satirical preacher. If they agree, fine; if they disagree, also fi...
1hr 18m Feb 15, 2021
1hr 18m
27: Python Perspective, Episode 17: The Buzz Aldrin Show
The BBC would like to apologize for the following summary: just for the halibut, Nathan and Ben fish through the episode's many inside references and call-backs, floundering to find a unifying theme. They cod have found something better than this one, but you know what they say: hake it 'til you make it! Reach for the stars and bream big!
1hr Jan 16, 2021
1hr
26: Python Perspective, Episode 16: Déja Vu
Tonight, on "It's the Mind", we examine the phenomenon of déja vu, that strange sensation when it feels like Nathan and Ben have already talked about the possibility of last minute edits, Scottish "racism", the hilarity of explosions, and the world record for balancing eggs before.
58m Jan 02, 2021
58m
25: Farced Perspective, 24 December 1970: The Aristocats
Anna and Ben divert somewhat from the traditional format of the podcast and after comparing The Aristocats to its canine antecedents and pondering feline genetic— and financial! — inheritance, they get lost in the weeds of discussing Disney's influence on and responsibility to popular culture. So much so that after the quiz on "catnappings", there was no time left for their five favourite moments!
1hr 6m Dec 25, 2020
1hr 6m
24: Farced Perspective, 5 December 1970: Brewster McCloud
Anna and Ben convene in a fallout shelter under the Houston Astrodome to discuss the fiftieth anniversary of Robert Altman's dark fable. They discuss whether commercial art can be "High Art", whether fairy tales need to make sense, and the great Marshmallow Test of all our lives.
1hr 11m Dec 07, 2020
1hr 11m
23: Farced Perspective, 7 November 1970: The Phantom Tollbooth
Anna and Ben receive a mysterious package that sends them on a journey of critical analysis regarding Chuck Jones' animated adaptation of The Phantom Tollbooth. They confer about educational theory, converse about mindless tasks, and chat about wordplay before being subjected to the demon that is the terrible Trivium, um, trivia contest.
1hr 2m Nov 15, 2020
1hr 2m
22: Python Perspective, Episode 15: The Spanish Inquisition
Nathan and Ben discuss the increasing public ire the six Python Boys are willing to display about the BBC, whether the existing show was the result of last minute edits, and charm of expecting a running gag. But nobody expects a quiz about the 1963 film Charade and a digression about 1992's tech espionage film Sneakers!  Bwah-ha-ha-haaa!
58m Oct 14, 2020
58m
21: Python Perspective, Episode 14: Face the Press
Nathan and Ben return with a scheme called "The Other Podcast" where we threaten to analyse episodes of Monty Python's Flying Circus if you don't listen.  The next podcast scheme might be the turning point. Until then, enjoy their musings on Graham Chapman's depictions of camp and a quiz on Cartesian Dualism.
1hr 9m Oct 09, 2020
1hr 9m
20: Farced Perspective, 12 September 1970: Five Easy Pieces
Anna and Ben sit down to investigate the rebellious origins of BBS Productions' film Five Easy Pieces. While not actually a comedy, they examine it as a forerunner of Nicholson's manic performances and an extension of Rafelson's work with The Monkees, and then delve into trivia surrounding the classical music featured in the soundtrack.
1hr 13m Sep 13, 2020
1hr 13m
19: Farced Perspective, Episode W861: The Apartment Complex
Anna sits in with Ben to once again revisit anniversary cinema and discuss Billy Wilder's The Apartment on the event of its sixtieth anniversary. Does the romance hold up under contemporary power strictures, how has Mad Men influenced our opinions about office culture in the '60s, and who knows anything about that mishegas down at Cape Canaveral?
1hr 13m Jul 05, 2020
1hr 13m
18: Python Perspective, Episode 1975: Rutland Weekend Television
Diverting somewhat from the mainstream of their remit, Nathan and Ben celebrate the 45th anniversary of the original broadcast of Eric Idle's Rutland Weekend Television by watching the first episode, "Gibberish", and weighing it against half a century of Python comparisons.
1hr 7m May 12, 2020
1hr 7m
17: Farced Perspective, Episode 4077: The M*A*S*H Report
A one-off episode in honor of the fiftieth anniversary of the theatrical release of Robert Altman's M*A*S*H and inspired by avoiding the stress and pressure of social distancing.  Join Ben and special co-host Anna as they discuss the sexism, criticism, and other isms embedded in the trauma and drama of this wartime comedy.
58m Mar 19, 2020
58m
15: Python Perspective, Episode 13: Intermission
Nathan and Ben come to the end of the first series of the Flying Circus, weigh the episode's anarchic nature, tally its in-jokes, and other phrases, man. Money isn't real, but their hiatus until the next episode will be. There will now be a whopping great intermission.
1hr 5m Jan 11, 2020
1hr 5m
14: Python Perspective, Episode 12: The Naked Ant
Nathan and Ben heed the legend of the Sloan Rangers and peer into the inherited tendencies of the landed gentry. As they weigh the tension of delaying the expectations of an obvious laugh, does that mean they're falling for stalling? Or mauling for trawling, or squalling while zalling? "Zalling"? Is that even a word?
55m Jan 04, 2020
55m
13: Python Perspective, Episode 11: The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Goes to the Bathroom
Nathan and Ben offer context on celebrity boutiques and the internal lives of Python's characters, while speculating on editing and group dynamics. And a quiz on Gumbies is deadly enough to qualify for the Batley Townswomen's Guild historical re-enactments.
1hr 3m Dec 28, 2019
1hr 3m
12: Python Perspective, Episode 10: "Untitled"
Nathan and Ben delve into the episode's running question: is this satire or "zany madcap humour", or does one change to the other as references fade from currency? Can they find an answer by looking at daredevil stunts, wooden hosts, and the censoring of lurid libraries?
1hr 5m Dec 21, 2019
1hr 5m
11: Python Perspective, Episode 09: The Ant — An Introduction
Nathan and Ben try to figure out how to pronounce "Brian Equatol" and whether his permissiveness is a secret foil for repression or just delicious raunch.  They also still are finding Python legacy firsts this late in the series, and lamenting their utter unfamiliarity with Spanish. 
1hr 7m Dec 14, 2019
1hr 7m
10: Python Perspective, Episode 08: Full Frontal Nudity
Nathan and Ben reminisce about performing the Parrot Sketch in high school and where it fits into Python's notoriety repertoire. They also try to define the essence of the word "silly" and determine if silly is always funny.
57m Dec 07, 2019
57m
9: Python Perspective, Episode 07: You're No Fun Anymore
Nathan and Ben discuss the statistical probability of different nationalities winning at tennis and the relative distances across both galaxies and countries. Somehow all of this connects to camel-spotting, custards, controlling your own destinies, and creatures from another planet. Listen... IF YOU DARE!
1hr 2m Nov 30, 2019
1hr 2m
8: Python Perspective, Episode 06: It's The Arts
Nathan and Ben discuss the silent women and loud racism in this episode, and whether the audible crunching of the finest, baby dew-picked frogs is better live or recorded. 
58m Nov 23, 2019
58m
7: Python Perspective, Episode 05: Man's Crisis in the Latter Half of the 20th Century
Nathan and Ben go off on tangents about meeting the Pythons in the wild, sped-up film, silent movie techniques, Peanuts, and police corruption. They also occasionally talk about sketches and moments, and tweak the Monty Python Minute.
1hr 10m Nov 16, 2019
1hr 10m
5: Python Perspective, Episode 04: Owl-Stretching Time
Nathan and Ben lounge in the Cardiff Rooms, Lybia, and trace this episode's running references to masculinity, plastic explosives, fresh fruit, interruptions, and whether those teeth (yes, teeth), in ancient times, walked over England's mountains green.
48m Oct 26, 2019
48m
4: Python Perspective, Episode 03: How to Recognize Trees
Nathan and Ben muse on pedagogy, repetition, and other arboreal aspects of a town full of Supermen, dirty cutlery, and a spot of innuendo down at the pub, if you know what I mean. Whoooooa, eh?
49m Oct 19, 2019
49m
3: Python Perspective, Episode 02: Sex and Violence
Nathan and Ben discuss the difference between "avine" and "ovine" aviation, a man with three buttocks, and men who secretly want to be mice, while unpacking the impact of a classic French primer.
50m Oct 12, 2019
50m
2: Python Perspective, Episode 01: Whither Canada?
Nathan and Ben summarize Proust Python's origins and talk about Arthur "Two Sheds" Jackson, Picasso painting while riding a bicycle, and The Funniest Joke in the World.
51m Oct 05, 2019
51m