Ep 43: Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha and Bob Balaban as Foucault with Leah Steuer, PhD (c)

[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (tvN, 2021). She addresses Kim Seon-ho’s scandal, and how to pick up the pieces in the aftermath of #MeToo to find healing. Grace’s guest is Leah Steuer, PhD Candidate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who specializes in television audience studies and affect theory. Leah is also Grace’s old friend from back in the UCLA master’s degree days in Los Angeles. They start out by discussing The Many Saints of Newark (2021) (spoilers ahead) and The Sopranos (spoilers ahead), then dive into academia and graduate school stresses, adjuncting, the impossibility of capitalist expectations, meaningful living, affect theory, charting new research terrains methodologically in audience studies, Foucault’s acid trip in Death Valley through the help of Dr. Simeon Wade, Bob Balaban, Ray Liotta, self-doubt, imposter syndrome and mental health. Comedian Ai Yoshihara (@aiyoshihara3 on Instagram) closes out with some hilarious answers to Grace’s flashcard questions based on Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha. Follow @KDramaSchool on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Visit kdramachool.com to learn more.