Waiting for this episode is like waiting for rain in this drought. . .

Ashley and Sara live vicariously through Hillary Duff to see their dreams of becoming a diner girl (or just living in an attic?) come true. This one’s a millennial classic, folks! Come for the 11% Rotten Tomatoes rating, stay for the on-screen T9 texting. And never forget - don’t let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.

Articles + Links:⁠

18 Little Details And Tidbits You'll Never Unsee Again In "A Cinderella Story", by Farrah Penn for Buzzfeed, published on April 7, 2020⁠

⁠Chad Michael Murray Has The Perfect Idea For "A Cinderella Story 2", by Haley Sprankle for Brit + Co, published on June 10, 2024⁠

⁠Filming locations⁠

⁠The 1994 Northridge Earthquake⁠

Pack your bags—we’re headed to cozy town! This week, Ashley and Sara take a nostalgic detour through their childhood hometown before venturing into the dreamiest fictional towns ever created. Sure, some of them may have a suspiciously high crime rate, but that won’t stop us from wanting to move in. Warm vibes, charming streets, and just a few mysterious happenings? Sounds like home to us!

It’s part 2, Betty Heads! We are back this week with Part 2 of our discussion on the (cult) classic Ugly Betty. Today, we will discuss Sara’s love of series finales, our other favorite episodes, more villain chat, and the groundbreaking representation that made Ugly Betty a multi-culti hit.

Articles/Links:

Ugly Betty’s Problematic Transgender Character Arc: An Expose, By Tanner Muller, written for Star Observer, published on January 20, 2021

Wilhelmina is the True Trans Character of Ugly Betty, By Cass Ball for The Niche, published on November 14, 2019

Eric Mabius Slams ABC over ‘Ugly Betty’ Axe, By Catriona Wightman for Digital Spy, published on June 1, 2011

Ugly Betty star Rebecca Romijn reveals she ‘jumped at the chance’ to play trans character Alexis Meade, By Marcus Wratten for Pink News, published on July 6, 2023.

Hey, cozy friends! Today, we will be chatting about one of Ashley and Sara’s favorite comfort watches, Ugly Betty, which aired on ABC from 2006-2010. Despite only running for four seasons (please reboot!), Betty Suarez stole our hearts and kept Ashley’s dream of working at a high-end fashion machine alive for many years to come.

In Part 1 of our two-part series on Ugly Betty, we discuss what makes this show so loveable and dive deep into the friendships, rivalries, family dynamics, and romantic relationships throughout the series.

Articles/Links:

KT Tunstall - Suddenly I See Music Video

The Devil Wears Prada A New Musical

Remembering Silvio Horta

Henry Reddit rant

'Ugly Betty' Star America Ferrera Is 'Heartbroken' Over the Death of Show's Creator Silvio Horta, By Ashley Horcher for People, Published January 7, 2020

Happy Valentine’s Day, my loves!

In today’s episode, Ashley and Sara chat about the TV and movie villains that have stolen our hearts over the years. From the dramatic to the downright dastardly, there are some villains that we just can’t help but root for. We also unpack a few other villains that the internet loves (or loves to hate) and find out which Y2K villain Sara wants to take to prom.

Articles:
TV And Movie Villains That Were So Good We Were Almost Rooting For Them - by Benjamin Dzialdowski, published on Buzzfeed, January 29, 2023.

Reclaiming Queer Coded Disney Villains - by Max Newman, published by The Michigan Daily, November 14, 2023.

It’s about to get downright cozy in here, millennials! Welcome to our new show, Comfort Culture, where we chat about the TV shows, movies, and memories that warm our anxious little 30-something hearts.

In our first episode, we discuss the ONE COMFORT WATCH TO RULE THEM ALL Peter Jackson’s epic adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s literary masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings.

From finding our first crushes in Middle Earth to strong female characters and tender male friendships, we break down a few of the reasons that these films have brought us so much comfort over the years.

Editor’s note: A warm beverage, a fluffy blanket, and a fluffier pet are recommended but not required when listening to this podcast.

Article:
“How ‘Lord of the Rings’ Became ‘Star Wars’ for Millennial Women” By Nikita Richardson, published on Nytimes.com on 12/19/2021.

Hello friends! It's the end of an era—Don't Look Under the Med has officially come to a close. We are so grateful for all those who have listened to and supported us over the past two seasons!

But wait! Don't go anywhere just yet. Sara and I will be starting a new podcast called Comfort Culture, which will launch on Thursday, 2/6/25. This podcast will explore the nostalgic movies and TV shows that shaped our childhood and continue to provide us comfort today as two anxious millennial adults. We will dive deep into some of our favorites, like Lord of the Rings and Gilmore Girls, unpack the themes that keep us coming back for more, and celebrate the good, the bad, and the ugly phases of growing up in the time of video stores, landlines, and Y2K.

We would love it if you'd like to stick with us for this new chapter- all you have to do is stay subscribed right here and tune in for new weekly episodes of Comfort Culture in February.

With that, we bid a fond farewell to Don't Look Under the Med. All episodes will be archived one week from today, on January 15th. Thank you again, listeners.

Bye, for now!