James Bond’s Sexistential Retreat Edition

James Bond’s Sexistential Retreat Edition

From Culture Gabfest by Slate Podcasts

April 1, 2026 · 53 min

About this episode

The episode discusses various topics including a workplace comedy, a show about a James Bond-like actor, and Robyn's new album.

On this week’s show, Dana is joined by Slate’s own Nadira Goffe and Richard Lawson, of the Critical Darlings podcast. Their first agenda item is Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat , the second installment of the workplace comedy/reality show hybrid which places an unknowing everyman in a made-up scenario populated entirely by actors. Does the second season deliver a heart-warming moral test in the form of comedy or a manipulative prank? They discuss. Next for more funhouse mirror television, they take up Bait , the Riz Ahmed-starring and created show about a Riz Ahmed-like actor vying for the role of James Bond. The show is stuffed with ideas and Ahmed’s charm, but they debate whether its conceptual martini sufficiently shaken or stirred. Finally, it’s time to go out, wear something nice, and push as they take a listen to Sexistential , the new album by Swedish dance pop queen Robyn. Though the “Dancing On My Own” singer has a new partner on the dancefloor in her young son, motherhood and midlife make for some real club classics. On a bonus episode for Plus subscribers, they take up the question, as posed in a recent New Yorker article, of whether “plagiarism is that bad?”…

People in this episode

Host: Dana

Guests: Nadira Goffe, Richard Lawson

Topics covered

  • comedy
  • television
  • music
  • James Bond
  • workplace culture

Keywords

  • James Bond
  • comedy
  • television
  • Robyn
  • Riz Ahmed

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Slate, Critical Darlings, Hallmark Channel

Products: Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat, Bait, The Way Home

Books & works: Sexistential, Dancing On My Own, WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA

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