Space the Nation
Space the Nation
On Space the Nation, we take our love of science fiction (and fantasy and horror) and smash it together with our professional passions: international relations (as brought to the table by Tufts University professor and Washington Post columnist Dan Drezner) and cultural criticism (as brought to the table by political columnist Ana Marie Cox). It's a highly informed but hilarious conversation that starts with an examination of a particular text (everything from Ursula K. LeGuin to the MCU, Star Trek to Colson Whitehead) and veers into current events, mental health practices and imagined conversations between Ted Cruz and the Predator. For people who like white papers and graphic novels, Chapo Trap House and what Political Science Twitter used to be. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Apr 25, 2022 • 1h 2min
S2E13: THE CITY WE BECAME
Ana and Dan don’t have white tendrils growing out of the back of their necks, what are you talking about? NK Jemisin’s first foray into the “city as a living thing” micro-genre will delight fans of New York City but is a bit rough around the edges, like some neighborhoods we could name. There is a bit of IR in this book. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 18, 2022 • 57min
S2E12: THE VAST OF NIGHT
Ana and Dan enroll in the Everett Sloan School of Broadcast Journalism and start baking biscuits. Why didn't the chipmunk make an end-credits appearance? Does Fay care more about her switchboard duties or her journalism career? How in the heck did they make this movie for less than a million dollars? There is IR in this movie. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 11, 2022 • 53min
S2E11: EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
Ana and Dan stick googly eyes to the middle of their foreheads and verse jump into this wildly creative and simply wild family drama disguised as a many-worlds thriller. This movie has it all: Laundry! Taxes! Dildos! And, of course, IR. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 4, 2022 • 1h 6min
S2E10: SCHLOCK OR AWE? DEMOLITION MAN
Ana and Dan sit down for a nice meal at Taco Bell and discuss the much-quoted but less seen Sandy Bullock vehicle. Wow, it's dark! How did Dr. Cocteau come to power? Who was John Spartan's lawyer and can I get his number? Do you really want to know what the seashells are for? There is a surprisingly reactionary take on capitalism in this movie. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 28, 2022 • 1h 7min
S2E9: TRAIN TO BUSAN
Ana and Dan tape up their forearms to fight through the living dead and talk about a movie that (SPOILER ALERT) has a critique about capitalism. How exactly is the infection spread? What's so great about the mom? Why doesn't South Korea have more zombie movies in general? There is IR in this movie. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 21, 2022 • 1h 6min
S2E8: CONTACT (UNLOCKED)
Ana and Dan gather at the Very Large Array to discuss a Very Earnest Movie. Why are female scientists the only ones who need tragic origin stories? How can you build a second 333B space contraption without anyone noticing? What vitamins did Jodie Foster take to avoid having chemistry with Matthew McConaughey? There is IR in this movie but not much of a critique of capitalism. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 14, 2022 • 1h 19min
S2E7: MINISTRY FOR THE FUTURE
It's the end of the world and we're going to have lots of meetings about it. But also: terrorism. There is IR in this novel! A lot of it! And an incredibly heavy-handed critique of capitalism! We still hated it! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Feb 28, 2022 • 1h 26min
S2E6: 2012 UNLOCKED
Ana and Dan are determined to keep broadcasting Space the Nation right up until the supervolcano blows, of course we are. We conclude Emmerichary on a minor key: This is the Emmerich movie with the most IR and this is the movie with the worst IR. Should the president refuse the chance to survive the apocalypse? Why would China agree to help out the rest of the world? Who is Jackson Curtis' editor and can we get his number? There is a critique of capitalism in this movie. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Feb 21, 2022 • 57min
S2E5: MOONFALL
Ana and Dan laugh and laugh and laugh. The penultimate episode of Emmerichary, the reason Emmerichary exists: We talk about Moonfall, the greatest movie of 2022 so far. How do you fly a space shuttle "without electricity"? Would a Lexus really be the best vehicle to be driving during the apocalypse? Nuking the moon! What could go wrong? There is IR in this movie. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Feb 11, 2022 • 1h 6min
S2E4: THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW
Ana and Dan break some cane-backed chairs to use as snowshoes and try to avoid Chekov's wolves as they ponder the appeal of this preposterous movie. Can anti-climate-change skepticism propaganda be helpful if it engages in the exact kind of ludicrousness that skeptics accuse scientists of? Did Frank have to die? Did he have to die shouting, "Jack!"? And how old was Jake Gyllenhaal? There is IR in this movie. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
