Podcast Summary: "Ride" with Benito Skinner & Mary Beth Barone
Episode: Déjà vu + This Thing I Can't Describe (Jan 7, 2026)
Podcast Network: Dear Media

Episode Overview

Kicking off 2026 in signature banter, Benito Skinner and Mary Beth Barone return for another deeply unserious and oddly profound episode of Ride. This week’s ride-along covers the joys and quirks of déjà vu, the intimate whimsy of how people save their loved ones in their phones, the complexities of living “with a face” in 2026, and the enduring hope for romantic whimsy. With plenty of digressions about films, family, and self-reflection, this is an exploration of small wonders and the self-aware bimbo energy that defines the podcast.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Time Travel, Movie Tangents, and the Art of Having a Face

• The duo kicks off by playfully riffing on the concept of time travel (00:45 – 01:12), referencing movies like The Time Traveler’s Wife, 17 Again, and Freaky Friday.
• Benito and Mary Beth muse about the sometimes problematic tropes of age/time-swap films, and Benito recounts crying on a plane while watching Jurassic World, lauding Scarlett Johansson’s new energy:

  “She’ll speak on anything, it seems. And I mean, this is a total compliment.” – Mary Beth (02:05)

• Conversation pivots to beauty and authenticity in maintaining their faces, eschewing some cosmetic interventions while conceding to small indulgences.

  “I really want to commit to having one [face] for my whole life and not putting something man made on there.” – Mary Beth (04:02)
  “I do get Botox, but I’m just saying, like, I would like to keep most of my features. I do like them.” (04:40)

2. Social Rituals, Odors, and Whimsical Complaints

• Mary Beth shares tales from a recent event, recounting the risks and amusement of pungent hors d'oeuvres in tight quarters (06:06) and the polite panic that surrounds potent perfumes.
• Benito and Mary Beth riff on crapshoot vs. crab shoot, introducing a new in-joke for the podcast (07:00).

  “It’s a crapshoot… But crab shoot—I think is kind of cool. Well, that’s my new restaurant.” – Benito

• A wider meditation follows about giving and receiving feedback from the podcast’s Reddit (08:03).

3. Friendship, Family, and Parenthood

• They reflect on the oddness of choosing not to have children and how “the right ones” to be parents are sometimes the ones least interested (09:35–10:12).

  “The people that I’m like, oh god, you’d be such a good mom, they’re like, ugh, absolutely not.” – Benito (09:57)

• Both share warm nostalgia for Big Daddy, admitting childhood crushes and dissecting the character dynamics of Sandler films (10:29–11:09).

4. Phones, Nicknames, and the Tiny Windows of Love

• Mary Beth’s “thing she can’t describe” is the habit of peeking at how Uber drivers and others save their significant others’ names in their phones (21:14–22:32).

  “One of the drivers…had his wife saved as ‘my one and only’ with a heart emoji.” – Mary Beth (21:51)
  “It’s so, like, intimate to see something like that.” (22:17)

• Benito and Mary Beth contrast the whimsy of unusual contact names from their own lives (“Kitty,” “Lorelai,” or “The Wife”), wishing for a world with more nickname affection and less formal contact lists (22:32–24:26).

  “The wife is so classic. I think the wife is so amazing.” – Benito (24:22)

5. Deja Vu: Magic, Memory, and Existential Comedy

• Benito introduces déjà vu as his ride-or-die (34:31–41:08).

  “Deja vu is this feeling of like, oh my god, this exact thing has happened before, and I feel like I’m back at that place. It is the Time Traveler’s Wife…” – Benito (35:37)
  “It’s as close as we get to magic, I swear to god.” – Benito (35:52)

• Both share their theories: the neuroscientific (“your brain files memories out of order”) vs. the metaphysical (“it’s kind of magic and inexplicable”).

  “It really just casts a light on the limits of science…we can’t explain what it is.” – Mary Beth (36:56)

• Discussion of how universal déjà vu is, speculation about whether twins or AI could experience it, and celebration of the French for coining the term—and for their inventiveness in language (38:28–39:39).
• Benito, ever the romantic, encourages listeners to try to experience déjà vu:

  “Try to get it today. It’ll just make you feel little gooseies…You could never predict when it’s going to hit.” (37:38, 38:20)

6. The Return of Romance and New Year Intentions

• Both reflect on intentions for 2026: more presence, more gratitude, material pleasures (“more fruit leather…purses”), and embracing whimsy and romantic possibility (18:28–19:33).

  “Only two more months and you’ll maybe let someone talk to you… I ride for the whimsy. The whimsy of you.” – Benito (45:22)

7. Miscellaneous Gems & Tangents

• Mary Beth confesses to hiding exes from her iPhone’s People tab post-breakup (26:28–26:43).
• Digressions include a nostalgia trip to the era of custom ringtones, family photo backgrounds, “neutralized attraction,” and shared affection for the mundane.
• Both roast each other in love, muse about IQ ads on the subway (46:38), and end with riffing on the limits of science, word origins, and wrapping up the episode in typical fashion—plenty of inside jokes, laughter, and lightly roasty affirmations.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (Timestamps included)

• “She’ll speak on anything, it seems. And I mean, this is a total compliment.” – Mary Beth (02:05)
• “I really want to commit to having one [face] for my whole life and not putting something man made on there.” – Mary Beth (04:02)
• “One of the drivers…had his wife saved as ‘my one and only’ with a heart emoji.” – Mary Beth (21:51)
• “Deja vu is this feeling of like, oh my god, this exact thing has happened before… It is the Time Traveler’s Wife…” – Benito (35:37)
• “It’s as close as we get to magic, I swear to god.” – Benito (35:52)
• “Try to get it today. It’ll just make you feel little gooseies.” – Benito (37:38)
• “Only two more months and you’ll maybe let someone talk to you… I ride for the whimsy. The whimsy of you.” – Benito (45:22)

Key Segments & Recommended Listening

• Time travel tangents, movies, & authenticity: 00:42 – 05:00
• Event stories: scent & snack disasters: 05:31 – 07:30
• Family & parenthood musings: 09:32 – 10:19
• Contact names & the intimacy of phone nicknames: 21:14 – 24:26
• Deja vu discussion, theories, personal stories: 34:47 – 41:08
• Setting new year intentions, embracing romance & whimsy: 18:28 – 19:33, 45:22 – end

Episode Tone & Vibe

The episode delivers quintessential “Ride” energy: playful, self-referential, and a little bit absurd, but deeply earnest about small pleasures and the strangeness of everyday life. Mary Beth and Benito’s bimbo brilliance is in full effect—riffing, roasting, name-dropping, and finding wonder in everything from Uber driver console screens to the cosmic weirdness of déjà vu.

For New Listeners

This episode is a perfect blend of offbeat friendship, candid self-disclosure, and comedic insight. Expect digressions, inside references, and the occasional earnest reflection—but above all, a warm, rambling, and highly entertaining journey through the anxieties, aspirations, and odd joys of a new year.

Ride at Dawn!