The Podyssey *TEASER*

Summary

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Episode Overview

Theme:
This TEASER episode of Red Scare, titled "The Podyssey," features Anna Khachiyan and Dasha Nekrasova dissecting a new film adaptation of the Odyssey myth, directed by Christopher Nolan. The discussion centers on its much-debated casting choices—especially regarding diversity and the appearance of key mythological figures—and critiques the performances and aesthetics from both a pop-cultural and classical perspective.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Critiques of Casting and Diversity Choices

• Zendaya as Athena

  • The hosts discuss audience discontent with Zendaya's casting, often perceived as "diversity casting." However, they find her fitting for the ethereal, goddess-like qualities of Athena.
    • "That was another kind of like, quote, diversity casting that didn't really bother me because she's all kind of like an ethereal being. She's the goddess, you know, so she can look, whatever." — Film Critic 2 (00:13)
    • Her role is considered poorly defined and underutilized:
      "Her role was very unclear. She was like, also Odysseus's like, AI companion who would show up periodically to offer advice." — Film Critic 1 (00:31) "She just didn't really have much to do in this film. Yeah, she was underutilized." — Film Critic 2 (01:23)

• Comparison to Sydney Sweeney

  • Some suggested Sydney Sweeney for Helen of Troy, reflecting a yearning for conventional beauty:
    • "Everybody's like, oh, yeah, like, they should have cast Sydney Sweeney as Helen of Troy. But I mean, Zendaya is a serviceable Athena. She's like, tall and athletic, like a huntress." — Film Critic 1 (00:46)

2. Analysis of Supporting Cast

• Benny Safdie as Agamemnon
  • The hosts note confusion and audience disagreement about Safdie’s role as Agamemnon, commander of the Greek forces, highlighting both his under-the-helmet performance and a notorious underworld sequence.
    • "Clad in heavy armor with his face mostly hidden by a helmet, Safdie delivers a commanding physical performance during a memorable underworld sequence." — Film Critic 1 (02:26)
  • They summarize his narrative arc—and Clytemnestra’s betrayal—in a tongue-in-cheek tone:
    • "Clytemnestra betrays him because he sacrificed their daughter earlier to the gods for favorable winds." — Film Critic 1 (02:42)

3. Lupita Nyong'o as Helen of Troy

• Physical Depiction and Audience Response

  • The hosts address backlash against casting Nyong’o, including debate over traditional depictions of beauty. They challenge right-wing critics’ expectations while reflecting on her otherworldly physicality.
    • "You don't really get a sense for her beauty at all. Not even for any physical reasons, but because she's also just kind of like a weird, po faced scolding harpy." — Film Critic 1 (03:13)
    • "She looks like a newbo woman shot by Leni Riefenstahl and she has like a perfect symmetrical baby face and like a rock hard body." — Film Critic 1 (03:43)
  • They do note her visual impact and suspension of disbelief:
    • "If someone did look like this, maybe like they would be really captivated by just like, how like exotic and different she did look." — Film Critic 2 (04:08)
    • "In that scene where she's like smothered in gold and has the scar, I could like suspend my disbelief or whatever." — Film Critic 2 (04:25)

• Lack of "Classical" Beauty Presentation

  • The discussion criticizes the film for not embracing the ultra-glam femininity prevalent in earlier depictions:
    • "All these right wing guys want like some yassified... Anna de Armas or something. They want like the original Troy where everyone has like lash extensions and like barrel curls and like push up bras on." — Film Critic 2 (04:34)
    • "Yeah, yeah. It's like the Victoria's Secret Runway show. She has wings. She has like Nikkei of Samothrace wings." — Film Critic 1 (04:53)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On underused talent:
  "I feel like she and Matt Damon are actually both good actors." — Film Critic 1 (01:31)
• On right-wing film fantasizing:
  "If they let right wing guys make it ever like a belly chick, that's what all the chicks would just look like." — Film Critic 2 (05:04)
• On the film’s flattened aesthetic:
  "The whole, like, aesthetic of the film was kind of like down dowdy and English." — Film Critic 2 (01:10)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:13–01:31: Zendaya as Athena; general misgivings & underuse
• 02:03–02:51: Benny Safdie as Agamemnon; confusion and performance notes
• 03:03–04:25: Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy; debates on beauty, visual impact, and classical references
• 04:34–05:04: Satire on traditionalist casting desires & fantasy aesthetics

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Tone & Takeaways

True to the Red Scare style, Anna and Dasha navigate the controversies and audience obsessions with casting through a sardonic, conversational lens—balancing pointed criticism with humor, and resisting culture war talking points in favor of their own intuitive, aesthetic sensibility. The episode playfully mocks both the excessive attention to traditional beauty and performative diversity, finding the actual artistic choices of the movie lacking in imagination and energy above all.

Transcript

[Film Critic 1]

Who, who greenlit this?

[Film Critic 2]

I guess they let Nolan. Nolan do his thing. I like, I mean, okay, I know people were upset about Zendaya.

[Film Critic 1]

Yeah.

[Film Critic 2]

That was another kind of like, quote, diversity casting that didn't really bother me because she's all kind of like an ethereal being. She's the goddess, you know, so she can look, whatever.

[Film Critic 1]

However, the diversity castings, like, really, like, not the problem.

[Film Critic 2]

You also just didn't really do much.

[Film Critic 1]

No, like, her role was very unclear. She was like, also Odysseus's like, AI companion who would show up periodically to offer advice.

[Film Critic 2]

Yeah. And be like, you're doing.

[Film Critic 1]

Lend an ear. Yeah. But also, like, had no particular role or purpose. I don't mind Zendaya. I mean, I guess hate that she's like a mulatta and they think that she's being forced upon us and everybody's like, oh, yeah, like, they should have cast Sydney Sweeney as Helen of Troy. But I mean, Zendaya is a serviceable Athena. She's like, tall and athletic, like a huntress.

[Film Critic 2]

She. At the premiere, she looked more Athena esque than she did in the film. But I guess the whole, like, aesthetic of the film was kind of like down dowdy and English.

[Film Critic 1]

Yeah.

[Film Critic 2]

But I find her very cute and to be a very good actress, actually. But she just didn't really have much to do in this film. Yeah, she was underutilized.

[Film Critic 1]

I feel like she and Matt Damon are actually both good actors.

[Film Critic 2]

Yeah.

[Film Critic 1]

I'm just gonna stop talking. Put the mic to the.

[Film Critic 2]

Red Scare podcast. Ladies and gentlemen, a lot of people

[Film Critic 1]

were mad about Benny Safdie being in the movie.

[Film Critic 2]

Benny Safy was in the movie.

[Film Critic 1]

Yeah. Who was he was. Who was he? Was he.

[Film Critic 2]

No, he wasn't. Who is. Who is Agamemnon? Who the. Who the is Agamemdon. He's good or bad?

[Film Critic 1]

He's like a king.

[Film Critic 2]

Yeah.

[Film Critic 1]

He plays Agamemnon. Yeah. Clad in heavy armor with his face mostly hidden by a helmet, Softy delivers a commanding physical performance during a memorable underworld sequence.

[Film Critic 2]

Okay.

[Film Critic 1]

He's the commander of the Greek forces of Troy.

[Film Critic 2]

So he got the helmet on.

[Film Critic 1]

Climenestra betrays him because he sacrificed their daughter earlier to the gods to. For favorable wins.

[Film Critic 2]

Huh. Okay. Didn't. Yeah, didn't clock that. But also didn't really know who that was.

[Film Critic 1]

And also, like, yeah, I guess there's a lot of, like, controversy about, like, Lupito Nyong' o being cast as, like, the. The beauty, the most beautiful woman in the realm whose, like, face launched A thousand ships. But like, you don't really get a sense for her beauty at all. Not even for any physical reasons, but because she's also just kind of like a weird, po faced scolding harpy with.

[Film Critic 2]

Well, when you see her, she already has the. She's been disfigured, I guess, which I

[Film Critic 1]

don't know when they're like retrieving her from Troy, I guess.

[Film Critic 2]

But yeah, she could have been. I mean, she is very beautiful.

[Film Critic 1]

Classically, you know, I mean, Lupita Nyong' O, actually, I think like has something. She looks like a newbo woman shot by Lenny Riefenstahl and she has like a perfect symmetrical baby face and like a rock hard body. Like.

[Film Critic 2]

Well, in that way worked actually for me because she's so like dark.

[Film Critic 1]

Yeah. She's so, you know, she's so exotic

[Film Critic 2]

that you're like, oh, like this. Yeah. If someone somehow, like, if someone did look like this, maybe like they would be really like captivated by just like, like how like exotic and different she did look.

[Film Critic 1]

Yeah. Like in that scene where she's like smothered in gold and has the scar,

[Film Critic 2]

I could like suspend my disbelief or whatever. And. Yeah. You know, that didn't.

[Film Critic 1]

But she doesn't act or talk like a beautiful woman.

[Film Critic 2]

But all these like right wing guys want like some yassified, like.

[Film Critic 1]

Yeah, they want Sydney Sweeney. They're like.

[Film Critic 2]

Yeah. Anna de Armas or something. They want like the original Troy where everyone has like lash extensions and like barrel curls and like push up bras on.

[Film Critic 1]

Yeah, yeah. It's like the, the Victoria's Secret Runway show. She has wings. She has like Nikkei of Samothrace wings.

[Film Critic 2]

If they let right wing guys make it ever like a belly chick, that's what all the chicks would just look like.