Everything Is Content

Hello EICulture Vultures. Our gorgeous Beth is ill this week, everyone say get well soon Beth!

So we were all rooting for this new Netflix documentary series to give us an unfiltered and balanced look into the unbelievably problematic world of America’s Next Top Model. The question is…did it?

So for anyone who hasn’t watched it, Netflix released “Reality Check: America’s Next Top Model” on the 16th of February, and in three separate hour-long episodes it dives into the creation of the show which was hosted by Tyra Banks and then briefly Rita Ora, the many scandals that happened during its 24 seasons- or cycles, as the show called them- and how it all fell apart. We hear from many former contestants, as well as former judges J “Miss J” Alexander and Nigel Barker, and creative director on set Jay Manuel. But most controversially, Tyra Banks also appears and has her say- something people are having a lot of feelings about, and which we will get into.

More TV news! A new limited series from Ryan Murphy's anthology franchise has captured the minds and hearts of the internet, myself included, it documents the intense, whirlwind romance and subsequent tragic marriage of John F. Kennedy Jr. played by Paul Anthony Kelly and Carolyn Bessette played by Sarah Pidgeon, Based on Elizabeth Beller's book Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, the show explores their rise as a 1990s "It Couple" while highlighting the immense, often suffocating pressure of fame, paparazzi, and legacy. We give our thoughts!

Thank you so much to Cue podcasts for the edit.

We hope you enjoy! O, R, B x

Ruchira's been loving : Alysa Liu, There Will Be Blood

Oenone's been loving: Derry GIrls, Museum Of Pop Culture with Josh Widdicombe

We were all rooting for Tyra Banks to give us some answers – but this America’s Next Top Model documentary gaslights its audience

Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model review – Tyra Banks comes across terribly in this exposé

Love Story Is Doing Daryl Hannah Dirty

Secrets And Lies

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Happy Hump day EICrunchies! So last week an Instagram post by a child-free creator went semi-viral. The post explored the perspective of its child-free creator (Danni Duncan) and many other child-free people who have felt sad when a friendship has changed following a mate having a baby, and want spaces to express that freely. In the visuals for the post she writes:

"I know your kids come first but I still believe friendship should go both ways so that makes me selfish. I understand you’re busy but I still hope to hear from you, so that makes me needy. I don’t expect the same time as before but I do hope for some effort, so that makes me unrealistic. I miss our friendship and I’ll say that out loud, so that makes me difficult. Or maybe I’m not a horrible friend. Maybe I just believe friendship should survive life changes. And that both people deserve to be seen.”

And we wanted to discuss this- with your help. We ask: is it fair for CF women to express their sadness when a friend has a baby? Is it on mothers to cross the divide or should those of us without kids do the heavy lifting? Are some friendships just seasonal? And where on EARTH are the dads in all this?

Thank you all SO much for your takes on this- as empathetic, thoughtful and considered as ever. We luuuuurve being in conversation with you all. O, R, B x

Links:
Danni's post
Danni's follow up post
Waterstones - Lessons from a Default Parent by Lou Beckett
Psychology Today - The Ring Theory

Book recs from listeners:
Ghosts by Dolly Alderton
So Thrilled For You by Holly Bourne
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Good morrow EICinephiles!

Apparently there's a new film out atm? Some kind of rom-com thing starring Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie?

J.K. We've come home, let us in your windows i.e. your headphones. It's time to discuss the most divisive film of 2026 (and yes, we know it's only February). It's our bumper Wuthering Heights special.

Join us on horseback as we ride through the film and share our takes before disembarking and take a promenade through the wild discourse of the film. We end with a balanced investigation into Emerald Fennell and how she became one of the most divisive filmmakers of our time.

Thank you for listening and let us know your hot takes in the comments. Do you disagree with any of us? We'd love to know below!

In partnership with Cue Podcasts.

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This week Oenone reccomended Wuthering Heights (the book). Beth loved Lord of the Rings and How To Get to Heaven From Belfast. Ruchira loved Sorry Baby and A Little Bit Fruity's episode with Ashley St Clair.

Finally, a Smooth-Brained Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights review – Emerald Fennell’s astonishingly bad adaptation is like a limp Mills & Boon

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Happy Wednesday EIConversationalists. This week we ask, should everything be content?

As of early February 2026, there are at least seven major television and streaming documentaries specifically focused on the case of Lucy Letby. The latest documentary The Investigation of Lucy Letby landed on Netflix earlier this month, featuring, in their words ‘never-before-seen footage as well as interviews with case investigators, a friend of Letby, and one of the victims’ parents.’

The words “digitally anonymised” popped up every time the grieving mother, or Letby’s college friend, “Maisie”, appeared on screen, because although the documentary used their real voices, and real words they used Ai generated humans to represent them.

In a piece for Newsweek H. Alan Scott writes, ‘On paper, the logic is sound. In practice, it is deeply unsettling. The closer you look, the more the illusion unravels. They are talking FaceTuned images—avatars trapped in the uncanny valley, mimicking sorrow without any of the soul, Instead of honoring the victims and grappling with the incomprehensible horror of Letby's crimes, we are left debating the ethics of a visual effect.’

Netflix defended the decision to Esquire, stating the technology was used "to protect the anonymity of the contributors at their request."

The evening standard said it was 'a morally egregious use of AI slop'

Aside from the AI issue which we go into, we can’t stop thinking about how many documentaries are popping up, seemingly constantly, about things that have just happened or are still happening.

Do true crime documentaries need to have such a big place in our culture?

Thank you so much for all of your opinions and takes on this topic, we love being in conversation with you all. O, R, B xxoxo

The Investigation of Lucy Letby review – this sensationalist take isn’t what this awful case needs

Why The Investigation of Lucy Letby's 'Digitally Anonymised' Documentary is Causing Controversy

Lucy Letby’s parents: Netflix show is an ‘invasion of privacy’

Netflix’s Use of AI Deepfakes is a Betrayal of True Crime

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Hello EICruisers! This week on the pod we're all over the map of pop culture, discussing everything from Brooklyn Beckham's tattoo cover-ups to cancelled RHONY stars to Taylor Swift's Croydon music video to France's open letter "reminding" 29-year-olds to have babies.

We also get deeper into the newly released batch of Epstein files and discuss the fallout so far, how we're choosing to consume this news and why nobody can seem to easily frame this story.

There's also some soul-searching to be had as the three of us ask... are WE performative? One commenter thought so after last week's episode. No hate to them (promise!) but it did make us think... where has this insult come from and what does it actually mean?

Beth's been loving Schitt's Creek and a dognapping drama, Ruchira's been loving Bad Bunny's Super Bowl Halftime Show and Oenone's been loving Industry and chatting to old men in Waterstones (more on her Substack here).

Thanks so much for listening! If you've read this far could we pleeeeease be cheeky and ask for a rating, review or a share of the podcast on your socials? It really helps us grow and keep making EIC. Love you! O, R, B

In collaboration with Cue.

Links:

The Guardian - France's letter to 29-year olds to remind them to have babies
Nasdaq - Ring Super Bowl Ad Promoting AI Pet Search Raises Privacy Fears
How to Survive the Broligarchy - We all live in Jeffrey Epstein's world by Carole Cadwalladr
"Jmail" (Epstein Files Gmail mirror)
Pod Save America
The Guardian - So the Epstein scandal is about politics? Silly me for thinking it's about the mass abuse of women and girls.
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