
The final episode of Culture Gabfest features reflections on the film Juno and discussions about cultural habits after life transitions.
A eulogistic weepfest? A “valediction forbidding mourning”? A conscious unthroupling? All of the above? Believe it or not, the time has come for Steve, Dana, and Julia to convene the Culture Gabfest panel for the very last time. Before saying goodbye, they look back at the very first piece of culture they ever gabbed about on their inaugural episode in February 2008: the film Juno . Does the indie darling written by Diablo Cody, directed by Jason Reitman, and starring Elliot Page as a sardonic, pregnant teenager hold up after 18 years? And, what does rewatching it in 2026 reveal about how culture has changed? They discuss. Next, the panel welcomes on the grand poobah of SFOPs June Thomas to counsel them through the inevitable change in one’s cultural habits that comes after a big life transition. They get into why June stopped watching TV and the truly wild mix of things in her YouTube algorithm. Finally, we hear from you our dear, dear listeners. Steve, Dana, and Julia respond to some of your many beautiful emails and voice memos. In our bonus episode for Slate Plus subscribers, past Gabfest producers spill the beans on what it was like to make this show…
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