Pop Culture Happy Hour (NPR) – "Frankenstein And What's Making Us Happy"

Date: November 7, 2025
Hosts & Guests: Linda Holmes, Aisha Harris, Glenn Weldon, Barry Hardyman

Episode Overview

This episode of Pop Culture Happy Hour centers on Guillermo del Toro’s eagerly anticipated film adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, now streaming on Netflix. The panel—along with guest Barry Hardyman—dives deep into the film's themes, performances, visual style, and contemporary resonance, particularly as it relates to creation, responsibility, and AI. They also discuss the enduring appeal of the original novel, the changes in this adaptation, and how these map onto modern anxieties. The episode closes with each panelist sharing “what’s making them happy” this week, featuring a blend of books, television, film, and audio drama.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Initial Impressions and Aesthetic Praise

• Aisha Harris introduces the film’s premise and principal cast: Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein, Jacob Elordi as The Creature (00:21–01:19).
• The group is immediately taken with the film’s visual splendor and thematic depth, with special mention of its effectiveness on a big screen.
  • Linda Holmes: “This is a really beautiful movie. Even though it's a very gruesome movie in many respects... it has a kind of a lonely enormousness... Huge rooms, huge lab, huge landscapes. And it really emphasizes, I think, the isolation of Victor and how that's part of his madness.” (02:21–03:36)
  • Barry Hardyman coins the term “cozy but gruesome” (04:01), highlighting how the visuals make it feel inviting despite its horror elements.

2. Themes: Creation, Responsibility, and Modern Resonance

• The existential and ethical questions at the novel’s core are foregrounded. The hosts note how Del Toro’s adaptation resonates with current discussions around artificial intelligence and technological advance.
  • Barry Hardyman: “There is no way that anyone who is... worried about the progression of technology and in particular, AI right now isn't thinking about this in this movie.” (04:27–05:06)
• Linda Holmes notes that Victor is driven by self-interest, with the film focusing more sharply on his neglect of his creation—a theme the group ties to both parenting and technological innovation.

3. Performances and Character Dynamics

• Jacob Elordi’s performance as the Creature garners particular praise, with references to his “gargantuan yet humanizing turn” and his ability to channel both brute force and vulnerability (04:38–04:44, 07:25–08:39).
  • Aisha Harris: “Jacob Elordi... is able to use his height and his stature to turn him into, like, this kind of, like, sexy man, half man... There are moments in this film that are sort of erotic... Like, everything about this is beautiful. It's complicated.”
• The erotic and familial undertones—specifically the father-son dynamic—are discussed as both a fresh and, at times, heavy-handed interpretation. (08:39–10:32)

4. Comparing Book vs. Film: Changes and Their Impact

• Del Toro’s adaptation shifts the narrative focus and amplifies Victor’s villainy to throw greater sympathy on the Creature, making some character relationships more complex.
  • Glenn Weldon: “So he sets out to make Victor even more of a jerk than he is the book and, by extension, make the creature more sympathetic.” (09:31–10:32)
• The film moves away from classic "big, scary monster" tropes, bringing more attention to the wrong done to the Creature by his creator.
• The adaptation is praised for pulling the story out of “Halloween monster” territory and making it relevant for current generations, with pointed parallels to tech ethics and ambition.

5. Thematic Connections: Technology, Parenting, and Legacy

• The group draws parallels between Victor’s actions and modern dilemmas—whether in AI, technological innovation, or parenthood.
  • Aisha Harris: “…yes, you can apply it to tech and AI, but also you can apply it to actually deciding to have a child or birthing. Absolutely none of us has to be here, but then we're here...” (13:24–14:55)
• Del Toro’s adaptation is lauded for its timing and relevance, exposing the “sturdiness” of Mary Shelley’s original framework.

6. Strengths and Critiques of the Adaptation

• The panel feels the adaptation is strongest when adhering to the spirit and structure (“bones”) of the original novel but is less successful when over-emphasizing certain dramatic arcs, e.g., the father-son dynamic.
  • Barry Hardyman: “...where it's sort of...the parts that are weaker for me are the ones that tend to lean away from the bones... the father-son dynamic, which is really banged over your head.” (15:05–16:05)
• They appreciate Del Toro’s attempt to invert audience sympathies, starting the film with the audience likely to feel for Victor, only to then unravel that initial sympathy.

7. Novel vs. Classic Films: Returning to Intellectual Roots

• The panel remarks how Elordi’s Creature more closely resembles the literary figure: intelligent, reflective, and ultimately alienated—not just a brute.
  • Glenn Weldon: “The creature grows intellectually, philosophically, aesthetically, and he still gets rejected. That is either a critique or an endorsement of the British class system...” (17:21–18:08)
  • Classic film versions (e.g., Boris Karloff’s) are compared, with the book Creature’s richness reinstated in Del Toro’s vision.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Barry Hardyman (re: parental responsibility):
  “Victor Frankenstein is nothing so much as a really annoyed postpartum mom during part of the movie. And I really felt for him.” (05:06)
• Linda Holmes (on Del Toro’s style):
  “The first time you're introduced to a woman character, she's gonna have some diaphanous veil, like, floating out, and she's gonna be dressed all in red. And I appreciated that very much.” (03:59–04:00)
• Glenn Weldon (on audience sympathy manipulation):
  “In this film, Isaac is playing Victor as this preening fop who keeps telling everyone what a genius he is... so we never waste any time, like empathizing with Victor. And there’s something not subtle about that.” (09:31–10:32)
• Aisha Harris (on adaptation’s relevance):
  “…I'm really grateful that we get it in the now because of everything, the way it feels. So in conversation with everything that is happening.” (13:24–14:55)
• Glenn Weldon (comparing the Creature’s literary journey to the film):
  “The Karloff film kept him a lumbering brute so he could be scary. The book Creature, he reads Plutarch and Goethe and Milton... So he's out here going, ‘I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed,’ while Karloff was out here going ‘fire bad.’” (17:21–18:08)
• Linda Holmes (on phrase origin):
  “There's a reason why the phrase you've created a monster came into being. And as far as I know, it's of this story.” (16:08–17:21)

Important Segment Timestamps

• 00:21–01:19 – Episode introduction, film premise and cast
• 02:21–04:01 – Visual and thematic impressions
• 04:11–06:51 – “Cozy but gruesome,” themes and AI parallels
• 07:25–10:32 – Performances, changes to book, shifting sympathies
• 13:24–14:55 – Modern relevance, tech and parenting parallels
• 15:05–16:08 – Critique of adaptation choices
• 17:21–18:08 – Literary vs. film Creature
• 18:38 – Listeners asked for their thoughts, closing of Frankenstein discussion
• 20:57–27:47 – “What’s Making Us Happy” recommendations

"What's Making Us Happy" – Recommendations Roundup

Barry Hardyman (21:04)

• Book: What We Can Know by Ian McKeown
  • Post-apocalyptic, thematically rich for fans of Cloud Atlas, Possession, Station 11
  • “...when the apocalypse comes, love will remain and so will poetry, crucially.” (21:32)

Linda Holmes (22:26)

• TV: The Perfect Neighbor (Netflix documentary)
  • Explores a neighborhood feud escalating to tragedy—a tough, impactful watch
  • “It is not a happy story... but it is, I think, very good at communicating the dangers of conflicts that are racist in a lot of their origins.” (22:44–24:20)

Glenn Weldon (24:32)

• Audio/TV: Talking Heads monologues by Alan Bennett, performed by Patricia Routledge
  • “There is an intimacy to these monologues that headphones bring out... she finds the pathos, but she never gives into it. She uses it.” (24:32–26:07)

Aisha Harris (26:08)

• Film: Cloud (dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa)
  • Modern action thriller about online hustle and its dark consequences
  • “...it feels both of the moment, but also it will be timeless, because who doesn't love an action thriller? Who doesn't love one that is really focusing on the human condition in a very modern way?” (26:08–27:47)

Tone and Style

The episode is lively, insightful, and collegial, with all panelists trading wit and references as they debate the adaptation’s merits and themes. The tone is accessible and intelligent, mixing careful analysis with humor. The hosts are unafraid to critique beloved auteurs or highlight thematic overreach, all with good-natured banter.

For fans of pop culture, this episode offers a deep yet entertaining look at how a classic can be revitalized for the present moment—and provides recommendations perfect for cozy, reflective autumn viewing and reading.