The following podcast contains explicit language.

I'm Benjamin Frisch and this is the Slate Culture Gab Fest, Where'd You Go, Jar Jar Binks edition?

It's Wednesday, August 21st, 2019. On today's show, Where'd You Go, Bernadette?

Is the new movie from director Richard Linklatter, him of the before trilogy, Dase and Confused,

Boyhood, and more. The film stars Kate Blanchett, and it's an adaptation of the novel of the same

name by Maria Semple. Then, a Black Lady sketch show is the new HBO series entirely written and starring a cast of

black women. It's irreverent, smart, and very, very funny. And finally, we discuss Slate's list

of the 25 most important characters of the last 25 years with Slate's Forrest Wickman.

We'll debate the list and just how important Jar Jar Binks is really.

If it's not totally obvious, I am not Stephen Metcalf. I'm Benjamin Frisch, the producer of this

here show, as well as Slate's decodering podcast. Steve, unfortunately, is off this week,

running with a pack of extremely well-shorn dogs upstate. Julia Turner is also out.

She's combination bird and whale watching from a helicopter off the coast of Los Angeles.

And Dana Stevens, too, is out.

She's in seclusion at a convent in Idaho.

That one is actually true.

It's not a joke.

So today I'm joined on this very special bizarro episode of the Culture Gab Fest for her first time ever hosting the show, a writer at Slate, the great Rachel Hampton. Hi, Ben. Welcome. Thank you. I'm also joined by June Thomas, the senior managing producer of the Slate Podcast Network. You know, it's funny, June, that you're the senior managing producer, and yet you've never appeared on a podcast before. Exactly. You know, to prepare for the show today, I actually went out, I ate apple pie and I shaved a dog.

It wasn't actually my dog, but I just shaved one anyway just to get in character.

So I'm ready.

Yeah.

We ask a lot of our hosts here.

...