Pop Xulture Newsletter # 28

List of Thanksgiving TV Episodes. 11/27/24

Like last year (see Newsletter here), I’m giving you a list of Thanksgiving episodes to watch. But first, a few things I’ve been working on…

Xurrent News

I had the pleasure of publishing “How Politics Shape and Twist Relationships” with Mere Orthodoxy earlier this month. It’s an article exploring the genius of Apple TV's film Tetris tying interpersonal relationships to economic systems.

I’m also working on an exclusive article for you subscribers on 2024’s connection to 1985 media, which should be out mid-December.

Thanksgiving!

Two weeks ago I gave you a short blurb on gratitude (you can read here or listen here:

And I was surprised and grateful to be interviewed on “The Ride Home” radio show about Part 1 (listen here)!

Thanksgiving as Benevolence, Part 2: Easily Rationalized Miracles

In Part 1 I talked about how gratitude gets our focus off ourselves and drives us to acknowledge an external, benevolent Force. That action helps us relinquish the illusion of control and sometimes seems strangely personal. In my experiences there has been an anticipatory, benevolent, spiritualnatural power who I believe to be God. As promised, here are several stories from my life. These are not the “least” or “greatest” of my experiences since I’m not trying to prove God’s existence, simply that I have been cared for by a personal source for which I feel gratitude. 

When I was six all I wanted was to play soccer, but my parents missed the cutoff and the league wouldn’t accept more kids. I prayed “hard” for two days and we got a call that there was an opening. 

Another time, in junior high, I got bronchitis which turned into pneumonia. I stayed home from school on antibiotics for three weeks and the doctor said if I still had a fever the next day I’d have to be hospitalized. I prayed repeatedly and that night my fever broke and I started to get better. 

Finally, on February 26, 2004, as newlyweds, my wife and I had $690 due for rent. We were dirt poor so, hesitantly, we went to the ATM to check our balance. It was $690.03! We had a roof over our heads for another month and a little extra. 

As I mentioned last time, any skeptic could easily explain these stories away. There will always be an excuse to rationalize mysterious circumstances. But if we choose to be thankful then we should recognize external forces doing good, because gratitude acknowledges something outside our power. If I receive a present, there is a giver. If I’m given a test retake it’s because my teacher showed mercy. And if I narrowly avoid being hit by someone running a red light, it’s not because I have superhuman driving powers.

At what point do I acknowledge maybe there is Someone else in control? In fact, it takes hard work maintaining the illusion of control and, oddly enough, simplistic faith isn’t the reason for gratitude. Thankfulness is healthy because we were created to be outward-focused. For me, that means thanking God for His blessings and thanking others for their generosity. Hopefully that thankfulness drives us to mirror benevolent behavior.

List of 2023 Fogle Thanksgiving Episodes Watched

• A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (TV Short 1973). Synopsis. A classic nominated for two Emmys, winning “Outstanding Individual Achievement in Children’s Programming.”

• New Girl: “Thanksgiving” (S1, E6). Episode synopsis. A fun episode, which works well because the characters are finding their personalities while keeping the show’s idiosyncrasies. Justin Long’s character is funny, but adds a secondary layer of contrast against the guys.

• Bob’s Burgers: “Stuck in the Kitchen with You” (S12, E8). Episode synopsis. This episode being set in a retirement home is an endearing reminder of why this show is quirky yet honest and sweet. And I always enjoy how Bob uses different voices to speak for the different types of food. Bonus:

northtowharf

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• Everybody Hates Chris: “Everybody Hates Thanksgiving” (S2, E8). Episode synopsis. Chris Rock’s observationalist humor coupled with authentic family dynamics is comedy gold. And Wayne Brady’s cameo is not to be missed.

• Friends: “The One with All the Thanksgivings” (S5, E8). Episode synopsis. Friends is unequivocally the algorithms go-to for Thanksgiving themed episodes. Each character shares their worst Thanksgiving but because they’ve known each other so long, we get the benefit of both humorous individualized and group situations. There’s a reason this has a 9/10 on IMDb and ranks high among top episodes of the entire series.

• Fresh off the Boat: “No Thanks-giving” (S3, E5). Episode synopsis. An interesting premise of “thanks-taking,” so the family opens their restaurant to capitalize on Thanksgiving. 

• King of the Hill: “Spin the Choice” (S5, E4). Episode synopsis. When John Redcorn wants to connect with his “estranged” son, Bobby takes on the indigenous people cause. Oddly, this was the second episode in a row that had a theme of “thanks-taking.”

Xoncluding Thoughts

I hope you enjoyed this Newsletter, have a great Thanksgiving!

Thanks, in Him,

-Chris (the Bearded Wonder) Fogle