It Was A Disaster
Hugging And Learning
Like a mummy, or a vampire, or any number of monsters that rise at Halloween — WE’RE BACK!!! It’s Chelsea and Andy’s favorite time of year, and we couldn’t resist getting together for an impromptu surprise episode. Join us as we deep-dive into the cursed nonsense that is The Paul Lynde Halloween Special. We’ve got witches, we’ve got truckers, we’ve got disco, we’ve got special guest appearances from everybody from Betty White to KISS. Join us, so you can help us prevent this from ever ha
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The Most Special Episode, Part 2
Hugging And Learning
We’ve come to the end of the rainbow, friends and colleagues. It’s been a fantastic 101-episode-long ride, and we’re so happy that you came along. Before we ride off into the sunset (jk, it’s a pandemic, we never leave our apartments), we’d like to wrassle one last VSE with you — part two of the accursed BICYCLE MAN. It’s got all the icky feelings and inappropriate jokes of part one, with 200% more police detectives. Come along.
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The Most Special Episode, Part 1
Hugging And Learning
The time has finally come. In this most cursed year of this darkest timeline, we must re-watch and re-evaluate one of the most cursed VSEs of all time. The one that started it all — which is apt, because after 100 episodes, we have nearly come to the end of the Hugging & Learning rainbow. Join Chelsea, Andrew, and Miles for the penultimate episode of our podcast, as we evaluate what, if anything, we have to learn from this bone-chilling tv artifact today.
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Emotional Rollycoaster: Part 2
Hugging And Learning
“Welcome to Hamilton High, where all the students major in drugs!” H&L is back with a real classic of the “Just Say No” genre. We’ve got an earnest protagonist, we’ve got grade-A freakouts, we’ve got future Oscar winners judo-kicking out of second-story windows. Will CARING SO MUCH triumph over indifference, drugs, and swimming? Or will yet another suburban teen succumb to his poorly-defined life pressures and terrible taste in friends? Join us to find out!
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Ep 098: Emotional Rollycoaster: Part 1
Hugging And Learning
“Welcome to Hamilton High, where all the students major in drugs!” H&L is back with a real classic of the “Just Say No” genre. We’ve got an earnest protagonist, we’ve got grade-A freakouts, we’ve got future Oscar winners judo-kicking out of second-story windows. Will CARING SO MUCH triumph over indifference, drugs, and swimming? Or will yet another suburban teen succumb to his poorly-defined life pressures and terrible taste in friends? Join us to find out!
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Momchiatrist and the Conference of Secrets
Hugging And Learning
Won’t someone please hug Terry? He moves like a ghost through his own life; in the words of his sister, “he’s just kinda there.” When Terry goes punk, it’s not so much rebellious as inevitable. But, wait! What does this mean for Mom’s big anti-punker conference?! Is this an afterschool special FOR MOMS?? Join Chelsea, Andrew, long-suffering Terry, some of The Weirz, and the psychiatrist from Space Jam as we decipher what, if anything, we can learn from an afterschool special about the waning day
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Murder, She Twote
Hugging And Learning
What’s the only thing more fun that a lighthearted came of Clue with friends? Only a high-stakes reality TV version of the game that strangers take way too seriously! Come with us on a journey back to 2013, when ABC turned a half-built mansion into CSI: Beverly Hills, at almost unfathomable cost and with mediocre results. The game… is murder! But somehow, as always, it all comes back to Melora Hardin.
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Saved By the Cowbell
Hugging And Learning
It’s a little wild and a little strange that this is our first HEY DUDE episode. And it’s a doozy of a debut — this is the LOST episode of the beloved Nickelodeon show. “Lost,” you say? Imagine if Sam Shepard wrote most of an episode of this light teen comedy, and you’ll soon figure out why. Join us for a deep dive into the fraught interpersonal relationships of the adult children of alcoholics, and also stinky feet jokes.
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Jesus Koala
Hugging And Learning
Have you ever heard of Gospel Bill? If not, let’s close that #blessed chapter of your life. Join Andrew, Chelsea, and the rest of the Dry Gulch Gang as we attempt to keep the devil out of our thoughts from way down deep inside God’s pouch. Confused? Don’t worry. We are, too.
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Golden Wonka
Hugging And Learning
What could be better than an episode of THE GOLDEN GIRLS in These Troubling Times™? How about an episode TGG that’s also THE WIRE, a rom/com, and a George Clooney vehicle all at once?! This week, we explore the twists and turns of a singular episode of sitcom television, and also launch our GoFundMe campaign to raise the $3MIL we need to purchase the Golden Girls house, which has just come on the LA real estate market. We’re doing important work over here. Join us.
info_outlineMany of the very special episodes we’ve watched thus far have been misguided, off-putting, and tone-deaf — but never has one outright assaulted us before today! Back in 1982, child stars were just disposable puppets and consent was a foreign concept. Give this a listen if you dare, but be forewarned: you’ll become an accessory to this mess as well.
Show: DIFF’RENT STROKES \\ “A Case of Overexposure,” Season 5, Episode 8
Air Date: November 20, 1982
Find it: on Hulu +Starz or Amazon Prime +Starz
Snack: Brami Italian Snacking Beans
Further Reading: