Hacks
Sweater Weather
Naomi and Aaron discuss the excellent HBO comedy Hacks, starring Jean Smart and Hannah Einbender. Also, we chat about Canada geese attacking university students, Ken from Barbie being Canadian because he's played by Ryan Gosling, Hacks as wish fulfillment for creative types, the challenge of making standup comedy funny in fiction, and Calgary’s variable air pressure. Sweater Weather podcast website: Naomi on Instagram: Naomi on Facebook: Naomi’s website: Aaron on Instagram: Aaron on TikTok: Aaron on YouTube: Aaron on Facebook: Aaron on X: Aaron on Bluesky: Aaron’s...
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The Last of Us
Sweater Weather
Naomi and Aaron talk the haunting HBO drama, The Last of Us, which just premiered its second season, starring the terrific Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsay. We also have a heart-to-heart about the Canadian Happiness Index, Aaron's pitch to the CBC for a Letterkenny-meets-Red Dawn prestige show, Naomi waiting for news about her novel, fake deadlines in the publishing industry, seeking recognition, our limited experience playing video games, and seeing Banff and Calgary and other Canadian places pop up in The Last of Us. Sweater Weather website: Naomi on Instagram: Naomi on Facebook: ...
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This Hour Has 22 Minutes
Sweater Weather
In this episode of Sweater Weather, we kick things off with jokes about Mark Carney’s bestselling book and Mike Myers flaunting a Canadian Tire shirt on SNL, exploring what a truly "made in Canada" store might stock. But the heart of this episode is our revisiting This Hour Has 22 Minutes, the Canadian sketch comedy mainstay that's been running on the CBC since 1993. We reminisce about its edgy allure in our teen years, when it felt like must-see TV. Naomi loved Mary Walsh’s fearless Marg Delahunty, who ambushed politicians with Xena-inspired flair. Then we chat about the current cast’s...
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Adolescence
Sweater Weather
In this episode, we kick things off talking Amazon's sale of "Canada as a 51st state" merchandise and the strong opinions it has generated among famous Canadians, as well as some questionable examples of Canadian Content available on Amazon Prime. But the main focus of our discussion is the British mini-series, Adolescence, which centers around a 13-year-old boy accused of a serious crime. We'll discuss the series' unique cinematic style, filmed as a single take to create a sense of relentless tension . We will also delve into the challenges parents face in understanding...
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Canadian Bacon
Sweater Weather
In this episode of Sweater Weather, Aaron starts off by telling some jokes about the Canadian election: Who would fictional Canadian characters vote for? What should you do now that the GST on first homes is gone? Naomi laughs politely. Then we talk about Canadian Bacon, the 1995 film from director Michael Moore, starring John Candy, Rhea Perlman, and Alan Alda, a satire about an American president who declares war on Canada to boost his approval ratings. We liked many of the film's gags poking fun at Canada and Canadian stereotypes, but the real focus of the film is US culture and politics,...
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The Bay
Sweater Weather
In this episode of Sweater Weather, we’re chatting about the iconic Hudson’s Bay Company. From its astonishing roots in Canadian history to its role as a shopping haven for generations, we’re sharing our personal memories about wandering the aisles as teens, breaking up with bad boyfriends in the food court, and scoring those legendary (and somehow, perpetual) 70% off sales. Could this episode be the the very last BAY DAY ever?! Sweater Weather podcast (Video): Sweater Weather podcast (Audio): Naomi’s website: Naomi on Instagram: Naomi on Facebook: Aaron’s...
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Mad Men
Sweater Weather
In this episode of Sweater Weather, we chat about the iconic TV series Mad Men, exploring its themes, characters, and why it might just be the "Great American Novel" of television. We kick things off with some personal writing updates—Naomi is deep into ghostwriting and editing, while Aaron has written about 20,000 words of a novel he hopes will end up being very short. But the real focus is on Mad Men, which Naomi recently rewatched and Aaron experienced for the first time. From Don Draper’s enigmatic charm to Peggy Olson’s groundbreaking journey, we dissect the show’s portrayal...
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The Great Canadian Novel
Sweater Weather
In this week's episode of Sweater Weather, we discuss what constitutes The Great Canadian Novel. After sharing our personal writing updates—Naomi's ghostwriting projects and Aaron's progress on a comedic novel—we tackle the complex question of national identity in literature. We explore how Canadian literature often defines itself in opposition to American culture, and we examine why Canadian writers tend to focus on the "marginalized" (according to one of our sources) rather than the powerful elite. From Margaret Laurence's The Diviners to Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, we debate...
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The Wild Robot
Sweater Weather
In this episode of Sweater Weather, Aaron and Naomi kick things off with a chat about their writing projects, genre expectations, and how different types of thrillers evoke distinct emotions. They discuss the balance between entertainment and edification in storytelling and what makes a book emotionally immersive. Then, they shift gears to talk about The Wild Robot, the Oscar-nominated animated film based on the bestselling middle-grade novel. We discuss how Roz, a robot stranded in the wilderness, learns to care for a gosling and forms a cooperative society with the island’s animals....
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Severance
Sweater Weather
After an update on our writing — Aaron is trying to choose what novel to write next, Naomi is busy with editing and ghost-writing projects — we discuss the Apple TV thriller Severance, focusing on its intriguing sci-fi premise and character-driven narrative. Severance presents a world where people undergo a procedure to become unaware of their outside lives during their workday, essentially becoming a different person, with "outies" having no memory of their "innies", and vice-versa. We discuss how this concept raises issues about identity and resonates with anyone who dislikes their job....
info_outline*TW: This episode includes discussion of sexual violence.* Today we talk Ducks, Kate Beaton’s celebrated graphic memoir — winner of Canada Reads, a New York Times Notable Book — about her two years working in the oil sands of Fort McMurray, where men outnumber women fifty to one. Harsh economic realities forced Beaton to leave her Cape Breton home for northern Alberta, where she found strange beauty in a desolate landscape, and human connection in the midst of sexual harassment, danger, and even violence. The book gorgeously and heartrendingly depicts a time, place and culture. For our discussion, we're joined by Marc Herman Lynch, author of the novel Arborescent (2020) and a cartoon enthusiast who grew up in Fort McMurray.