301: Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden - November 2025 Book Club
- unabridgedpod
- 12 minutes ago
- 25 min read
Have you read Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm), or maybe watched one of the adaptations, and wondered how it holds up today? In Episode 301, Jen and Ashley dive into this beloved classic as our November Book Club pick. We start with a Bookish Check-in before diving into our discussion. We talk about what surprised us when revisiting The Secret Garden, from Mary’s truly contrary beginning to the way nature, friendship, and “a bit of earth” transform both Mary and Colin over time. We also spend time on the harder pieces that haven't aged well despite the hopeful story at the center of the novel.
For pairings, Ashley recommends Sharon M. Draper’s Out of My Mind (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm), and Jen brings Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) into the conversation. We wrap up with our Unabridged Favorites for this month. We’d love to know your thoughts on The Secret Garden and any pairings you’d suggest, so come chat with us on social media @unabridgedpod and let us know what you think.
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Full Transcript for Episode
[00:00:35] Jen: Hi everyone, and welcome to episode 301. Today we are talking about Frances Hodgson Burnett' The Secret Garden, our November book Club book. Before we get started, we're gonna do our book check-in. Ashley, what are you reading?
[00:00:48] Ashley: One of the ones I'm reading right now is Sangu Mandanna's A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping. I absolutely loved, like one of my favorites was The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, and I actually thought this was part of a series because the covers are really similar. I think that was probably my only basis for that.
[00:01:11] It is not part of a series, so if you are holding out and wanting to make sure you read The Very Secret Society first, that is not necessary. You could read this one separately. It is a standalone. Or at least those two are not affiliated. I haven't finished, so I'm not sure if this one is the beginning of a series; however, those two are separate.
[00:01:28] But anyway, I absolutely love, I love Mandanna's books. In her books that I have read, like both of these, there's just this really atmospheric element that is so cozy and inviting, and there's a lot about found family.
[00:01:42] So even though, again, these are separate storylines, I think that element of finding your place and making space for yourself and the world is true in both books. So this one focuses on Sera Swan, and she was a very powerful witch as a young witch. And, so powerful that it attracted all this attention.
[00:02:03] And there's the guilt, and they have these expectations about what kinds of families are going to have a lot of power and that kind of thing. And so she was a bit of a surprise, but she is discovered to have a lot of power, andwhen she's still relatively young, her great aunt Jasmine dies unexpectedly, and she resurrects her from the dead.
[00:02:22] And that enables the guild to exile her. And she loses a treminnous amount of her power. And so that happens and so then she's running this in, so she's been exiled now. She's in Lancaster. She runs this magical inn that has all of these quirks. And one of the quirks is that the only people who can find the inn are ones who really need it.
[00:02:49] So people come and whenever they come upon it. When they are really down on their luck, they're lost. They're just in need of something and she doesn't always know what those things are. But that is how people discover the inn. So she and her resurrected, great Aunt Jasmine are there. There's also a fox involved who was also doing, witchy shenanigans, and things went awry.
[00:03:17] And so she is now, Clemmie is her name. She is now in fox form permanently and wants to not be in that form anymore. And in the past, Sera could have helped with that because she was that level of power, but she no longer has her power. So, the Fox Clemmie is quite interested in helping Sera regain her power in order to selfishly help herself out of her own curse situation that she's under.
[00:03:43] So there's just like a lot of shenanigans happening. So in the beginning, you're starting to discover this about the inn, and then somebody who is curmudgeonly and who is like a historian in the guild. He and his sister, who is much, much younger than he, are traveling, and his name is Luke. And Luke and Posey, his sister, who is autistic and often has a lot of scrutiny placed on her from the guild, and from there, there's just not a lot of support for them.
[00:04:09] They're kind of on the go and wind up stumbling upon this inn, and he does not want to be there. But things begin to unfurl about how, again, very atmospheric, right? So it's just about how things are different in that space, more welcoming, quirkier, and all of those kinds of things. And so Luke and Posey are sort of discovering these interesting things about the inn.
[00:04:32] So I'm not finished yet, but it is a lot of fun and interesting and like I said, there are just some elements that I really like in Mandanna's work of things like how do we support each other and how do we find our true selves and like connect to people who really understand us for all that we areand so yeah, that's what it's like so far.
[00:04:52] So again, that is Sangu Madanna's A Witch's Guide To Magical Innkeeping.
[00:04:57] Jen: Oh, that sounds so good. I still have not read the first. I know. Not a sequel. I still have not read the first book, which has been on my list since you talked about it. I know. I'll love it. It's just, yes.
[00:05:07] Ashley: So good. I love it. There's a lot of fun world-building too, that is not heavy lift world-building for people who are intimidated by that, but it is just well done, well-crafted. What about you, Jen? What are you reading?
[00:05:18] Jen: So I am reading, well, technically I just finished, but I'll cheat a little bit. Dodie Smith, I Capture The Castle. I'm reading this with my chunky classics Buddy Read Group. And this is a classic that was published in 1948. And I had read it before, but it's been like 20 years, according to Goodreads, and I remembered virtually nothing.
[00:05:37] And so when we voted on this one, I was like, oh yeah, I bet that'll come back to me quickly. And honestly, it hasn't. I don't know, I must just not have read it very well the first time. But it is about a 17-year-old named Cassandra Mortmain, and she lives in the British countryside with her family. So the book is Epistolary; it's told entirely through her journal.
[00:05:57] She wants to be a writer. And so she decides that she's going to write everything that happens to her family and to her over this six-month period, and her family is eccentric is a mild term for what they are. So, they live in a castle because her father published a very successful novel and got a little bit of money, and was just enchanted by this castle and decided he wanted to live there, and of course, could not afford it, even though he'd made some money, he convinced the owner to give him a 40-year lease.
[00:06:30] So they have a40-yearr lease on this castle after the family moved in. So it's Cassandra and her brother and sister, her sister's older, her brother's younger. And then her parents, her mother died, and her father went basically totally blank. Like, he can't write at all anymore, so there is absolutely no income coming into the house, and they are quite poor.
[00:06:55] Her father did remarry, this woman named Topaz, who was an artist's model in London and is herself pretty quirky, even amongst this family. And she occasionally will work just to bring in money, but it takes a lot out of her, and she has to travel and be away from the family for a long stretch of time. So she doesn't really like that.
[00:07:17] They had a servant who died, and the servant's son, check, still lives with the family, and he is desperately in love with Cassandra, which everybody sort of knows, but nobody really acknowledges because it's horribly awkward. She doesn't really share those feelings, and he will sometimes go to work.
[00:07:39] And pay, that's the only time they have any money. So like, they don't have towels, they don't have enough to eat. They've had to sell off most of the furniture and artwork that was in the castle to have enough to live on. And her father just sits in this little, like, side house and reads mystery novels, and that's all he does.
[00:07:58] So, yeah, I had some moments of frustration reading about the family. But anyway, her voice is really strong, and it is such a joy to read. I think that the author Dodie Smith, who also wrote 101 Dalmatians. But anyway, Smith really captures the voice of a 17-year-old girl who is trying to work through all of this, what her obligation to her family is, you know, what, how she feels about her father and her stepmother for making all of this happen.
[00:08:28] So then, unexpectedly, the owner of the home of the castle dies, and his family from the United States comes to, you know, take care of his accounts and work through everything. And his son, well, he has two sons, but his one son is of marrying age. He's the one who would inherit everything. And so the obvious answer seems to be that Cassandra's older sister is Rose.
[00:08:54] Could marry this guy named Simon, and then all of their financial woes would be taken care of. But Rose doesn't really like Simon, so you very much get into this whole idea of, you know, almost like an arranged marriage. It's this very archaic, I feel like, very British idea of marriage for money.
[00:09:11] It feels like an Austin novel at times, and Cassandra is really conflicted because again, this would be great for the rest of the family, but she very much wants. Rose to marry for love. She doesn't want Simon to be taken advantage of just for his money because she really likes him. So yeah, you get into all these interpersonal conflicts.
[00:09:28] So it's really delightful. I've really loved it. I think primarily, I think Cassandra's voice is the star of all of it because the events themselves, while they are again, eccentric. It's nothing you might not have read somewhere else, but I think because Cassandra writes about it in such an engaging way and Smith really captures the way a 17-year-old would think about them, I think.
[00:09:52] Yeah, I just really enjoyed it, so I'm glad I reread it. 'Cause again, I did not remember
[00:09:57] much. Yeah. So that’s Dodie Smith’s I Capture The Castle.
[00:10:01] Ashley: Huh. I hadn't heard anything about that, and I also didn't realize that Smith had done 101 Dalmatians, which, of course, I have seen, but have not read.
[00:10:09] Jen: That's fascinating. Yeah, I had heard that at one point, so it kind of came back to me, but I'd totally forgotten. And yeah, so now I wonder, I don't know who the narrative voice in 101 Dalmatians is. So anyway, they made me wanna pick that up.
[00:10:21] Ashley: Alright, well, we are going to segue to our main book today, which is Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden.
[00:10:27] Jen: So here is a synopsis. When orphaned Mary Lennox comes to live at her uncle's great house on the Yorkshire moors. She finds it full of secrets. The mansion has nearly 100 rooms, and her uncle keeps himself locked u, and at night she hears the sound of crying down one of the long corridors. The gardens surrounding the large property are Mary's only escape.
[00:10:46] Then Mary discovers a secret garden surrounded by walls and locked with a missing key. One day, with the help of two unexpected companions, she discovers a way in. Is everything in the garden dead, or can Mary bring it back to life? All right, so here's our big discussion, Ashley. What were your overall impressions of the Secret Garden?
[00:11:06] Ashley: Well, first I couldn't remember if I had ever read it, so when we started I was like, I wonder if I've read this. I'm not quite sureand I definitely had seen the film at some point. And so I had a vague idea and I remembered it being really sad, which in some ways now I don't find it sad. So I think that was interesting that was like my takeaway was that it was a sad book, but I did not remember how contrary Mary is at the beginning.
[00:11:34] Yeah, so like overall, I mean, I absolutely loved it. I thought it was so sweet and I really enjoyed the evolution in all respects. Like I loved seeing Mary change. I loved seeing Colin change. I loved getting to know Dickon and Martha, and their sweet mom. Mean, I adored it and I didn't find it true to be sad.
[00:11:57] And so it's interesting to me that that's what I held onto. Now, I don't know. I mean, of course the beginning is horrific and so maybe as a kid, that is the thing. And I haven't re-watched the films. Like I don't know, I just remember like I have it on my shelf and like I thought, whatever you do with my girls, and like, I don't think so because like, all I remember is that it's sad.
[00:12:15] Then, in the, you know, rediscovery and reading it, I'm like, oh, like this is lovely. And I think it's been a long time since I read something where I disliked the person so intensely in the beginning and then came to love her so much. And I think that part is just really cool. So yeah, it's overall really fun.
[00:12:34] Glad that I revisited the story again. I don't, I definitely hadn't read it as an entirety, but, you know, I had an idea about it from childhood, and I'm glad that I revisited it because I thought it was just lovely and hopeful and really well done. What about you, Jen?
[00:12:50] Jen: Yeah, so I had read it before, but I think I was a child when I read it, and I read A Little Princess as well. I feel like I read them fairly close together, and I had seen movie adaptations of both books. Yeah, much more recently. So I definitely think that is what has stuck with me.
[00:13:08] But yes, I loved it as well. I just felt like this was the book I needed right now to just look at how these characters are able to find joy in what's around them. And they have been through some horrific things. And I think, you know, Dickon and Martha are living pretty rough lives, and yet they're able to find joy in what's around them.
[00:13:32] I mean, there were parts we should acknowledge. There are parts that have not aged well, right? There's a definite colonialist perspective. The way that they talk about the people in India is not good, and you know, some disability rep problems, but I still thought, for what it was, I just thought it was beautiful.
[00:13:52] And the scenes when they're working in the garden and when Mary and Colin are discovering the joy of making things grow, and the joy of being together and being active and being outside, oh, I just kept getting teary because it's just really beautiful. So it was a great reread for me.
[00:14:12] Ashley: Yeah, I think it's really poignant. Like, there are a lot of parts where it's like, you know, when she talks about, like, Colin smiled, and it transformed his face, and she was like, I'd never thought about how different someone looks when they smile. So like those moments, but yes. I'm glad you mentioned not aging well, and like the mental health component as well.
[00:14:31] So I think both like the physical disability pieces, and then like you said, like there was classist stuff and the colonial mentality. But then also like the idea that like you can just like wish something away and then it goes away, I think it's, misrepresentation. However, I do think there's something to be said, as we know, you know, with like regulating your body makes a big difference for your overall physical and mental health.
[00:14:55] And like, that's kind of what they're learning to do is like connecting to their body and space and like being out in nature and finding such joy and peace in it, which I think is, you know, resonant.
[00:15:06] Jen: Yeah. Absolutely. All right, well, let's move on to one specific thing that worked for us. What worked for you, Ashley?
[00:15:13] Ashley: I think something I really loved was the way that the natural world unlocked so much for so many of the characters. Like, I think that is probably the part that I enjoyed the most, was like the Robin and like Mary discovering that like the Robin knows them and wants to know what they're doing, and it's like part of their lives.
[00:15:36] And there's even that tiny little part where we see Robin's perspective. And I think all of that is just lovely, and it strikes me as true when people make space like in so many ways in our lives, and even though this is set a long time prior to our current moment in history, it's still, you know, very much like you are in your lived human life.
[00:16:00] That can be very detached from the natural world. And then like finding ways to reconnect, and like I loved, I mean, the part where she wanted the bit of earth, and her uncle is like, yes, you may have a bit of earth, you know, and do with it what you can basically. I mean, I thought all of that and the ways that he shut himself off through grief and wanted to close off the thing that had brought such joy because it also brought death, which he felt. You know, I think all of that was just really powerful, too. So yeah, I think that's what I absolutely loved about it was just them discovering that like things come up out of the ground and that, you know, when you do the water and the sun comes, all of the connection also to it being magical and like this is a form of magic, I think.
[00:16:44] I mean, I thought it was lovely. I thought it was beautiful and endearing, and again, it struck me as true. That is something that, like a lot of times in our day-to-day life today, and it would've been true for them as well, we've like lost that connection, and it's through finding it again that we find happiness.
[00:17:01] Yeah. What about you, Jen? What's something that worked for you?
[00:17:03] Jen: Of course, the book's focus is mostly on the children, and I think they are amazing. But I also love the adults. You mentioned several of them who come to be such mentors and such advocates for them.
[00:17:16] So, Mrs. Sowerby, Dickon, and Martha's mother, and then Ben and I just think the way that they are able to look past the unpleasant surfaces that these children put forth. I mean, I could argue for good reason, I'll talk about that more in a minute.
[00:17:34] But yeah, I think like Mrs. Sowerby is caring for all of those children, and yet at great cost to herself, she helps to provide what she knows that they need. And I think that her influence is such that you see, once she says something, the people who are caring for them start to see them from a different point of view.
[00:17:56] And so just the power that taking the time to understand what they need and to provide it, Ben, you know, has that curmudgeonly introduction and is a curmudgeon, but he also cares for the children, and is excited when he sees them happy and when he starts to see them flourish and helps to support that.
[00:18:16] So yeah, I just thought that was really beautiful and something I absolutely did not remember from the first time through. I just remember the kids interacting and feeling like they sort of worked through everything on their own. And of course, they have to take steps to make changes, but I don't think they could have done it without the support of some of those adults.
[00:18:33] So I really love that this time through.
[00:18:35] Ashley: Yes. I thought that was an important piece as well. And even Colin's mom, who is not present, I think all of the ways that he interacts with the painting and the way that changes over time, are only because of his own perception of what could have been true about his mom. I think all of that was really powerful as well.
[00:18:56] Yeah, I think in a lot of ways, the adults, like you said, the children are at the center, but it is through the love and support of the adults who help them and make these profound transformations.
[00:19:06] Jen: Yes, absolutely. All right. What's a quote that you would like to discuss from the book?
[00:19:11] Ashley: I thought there were a lot of great ones. Like I said, I loved all the stuff about nature as magic, and like what magic is in the world, and like Dickon being magic and his mom being magic. Like, I just think all of that was really lovely and hopeful. And like you said, Jen, I mean, you know, for a child who has endured a lot, and had no opportunity to craft her character or her view of the world or anything. She's never, She's been so isolated and has suffered so much, like she's never had a chance to think about any of those things. And that's true in many ways of Colin as well. And so, you know, I loved all that, but I'm gonna go with the quote that is, " At first, people refuse to believe that a strange new thing can be done.
[00:19:51] Then they begin to hope it can be done. Then they see it can be done, then it is done. And all the world wonders why it was not done centuries ago." And I just love that because I think we see how, for the kids, that's kind of what's happening for them is that they think they know something about the world and the thing they know is that it's a really hard and awful and cruel place, and that they don't need to make any effort to enjoy.
[00:20:19] And then as they come to start to imagine that maybe there's something to enjoy, their entire perception of the world changes. And so I feel like, and of course we see with Colin, and like you said, Jen, I mean there, there are problematic pieces of this, right? But there is an element for him of, because he was told from infancy that all these problems existed that has shaped the way that he understands himself and the world.
[00:20:44] And so I think this idea of like, that it could, things could be different than we perceive them to be, has to come from our imagination. We have to imagine that something could be different from what it is in this moment. And it's only through doing that that we can start to hope for it. And then we can start to see the thing happen.
[00:21:01] And then, and I love that last line there where it's like, and then it's like, why didn't this happen ages ago? You know? And I think we just see that so much in the world, and I think it rings really true in the book, so, yeah.
[00:21:11] What about you? What's a quote for you?
[00:21:13] Jen: Yeah. I actually think this goes really well with yours. I just chose a very short one. It's "and delight reigned", and I think the book does such a good job celebrating those moments of delight, the moments when. The children are laughing, and the adults around them are startled because they haven't heard laughter before
[00:21:34] and I just think that shift was so notable and so moving. I was just trying to find it this morning. I recently read an article that caught my attention because I knew we'd be discussing this one, and it was from someone who herself was going through a period of grief. And realized, looking back, that she was just being horrible to everyone around her.
[00:21:56] And then she read The Secret Garden and saw Mary and Colin and how they were acting toward everyone, and just really empathized with their point of view. Because, like you were just saying, Mary and Colin both have had lives shaped by grief and lives not shaped by any sort of positive force. So, Mary was so neglected by her parents and was able to have this really negative relationship with everyone around her.
[00:22:28] That you see how, why would she be a pleasant person to be around? And so I thought, yeah, that moment when things start to shift and she starts being grateful to the people around her and recognizing their strengths and the things that people do for her, and then she's able to play that role for Colin, I just thought was really beautiful.
[00:22:47] And so when the book celebrates delight, I thought it was very meaningful because it was not easily earned. But it was earned eventually, and that change felt really sincere to me. So yeah. I loved that.
[00:22:58] Ashley: Yes, yes. And even when Colin and Mary are getting to know each other and any interest either one has, the other one is completely sincere because they feel no pressure to in any way. Please, anyone else, like they're only in it for themselves. It is entirely selfishly motivated, and I think that's part of what makes them have a really genuine friendship.
[00:23:23] Jen: Yes.
[00:23:24] Ashley: Because you know, in that time where he is having the huge tantrum and they go and they get her and they're like, please see if you can do something. And she goes in there and lets him have it, and it like reigns him in. I think, you know, again, they're not concerned about anybody but themselves.
[00:23:38] Like she doesn't care what happens and whether he is better or not by how she responds, but sometimes it is that true interaction, especially because so much of what they've had prior was with someone who is paid to serve them and therefore cannot. Let them have it in the way that, perhaps, they need to, you know?
[00:24:00] And so, yeah, I think all that was just really fun to see evolve.
[00:24:04] Jen: All right. How about a pairing? What would you pair with this one?
[00:24:07] Ashley: So mine is an unusual one. It is not on the nose, but it did come to my mind, because I think there are some significant similarities. And so it is Sharon M. Draper's Out of My Mind. Jen, have you read this
[00:24:20] Jen: I have, well, I haven't read the series. I've read the first book.
[00:24:23] Ashley: I love this book so much. But the reason it came to my mind is that Melody is the main character, and she cannot talk because of cerebral palsy. She is an extremely intelligent child. But everything is contained within her mind. And at the beginning of that book, she has never, she's 10, I think she's definitely around the age of Colin, and she has never been able to communicate her thoughts to other people.
[00:24:50] And a big part of that story is about her getting a device where she will then be able to communicate, and so in a lot of ways, I think the reason that that storyline of like having lived so much of your life in isolation and not able to connect. And so her isolation, she has a very loving family, but her isolation is because she cannot communicate with them.
[00:25:10] But similarly, Colin has had all these experiences that have shaped him up to this age, that have made his interaction with the world completely isolated. And for him, negative, and I mean, even though Melody likes her attitude is really negative. Even so, she's had tons of negative experiences.
[00:25:30] There's a lot of generalizing about people assuming that she does not have the intellectual capacity either, since she cannot communicate. And so there's just a lot of interactions she's having all the time that are super, super negative. And so I just, it came to my mind because it's a lot about having something to navigate as a kid that you're navigating for a long time, that really impacts how well and how much you can interact with other people. And like I said, for her also, there's this significant shift. So for him, it's like the arrival of Mary and the fact that he suddenly has this connection that he never had before.
[00:26:01] And the way that opens up his world, and then for Melody, it's very much about her getting this device, and then she starts to learn to use the device. And so suddenly her entire. The world is just very different from what it was prior. So again, not on the nose, it is quite different, but I did think there were a lot of similarities.
[00:26:18] I also would argue that there are similarities as far as tone and atmosphere in the book. And just kind of the, like, life is hard, but our attitude about it makes a big difference, and like makes a big impact on how much we experience joy. So I think that piece is relevant as well. So again, that's Sharon M. Draper's Out of My Mind.
[00:26:37] Jen: Oh, I think that's a great pairing. Yeah.
[00:26:40] Ashley: Not, a traditional one maybe, but I did feel like there were some connections there. What about you, Jen? What's your pairing?
[00:26:46] Jen: Yeah, mine is sort of more traditional, so I'm choosing Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre, and I was really intrigued. You know, there's so much made of Mary's plainness, and she's an orphan. So that made me think of Jane Eyre because I just think that was a thread running through that book to see how it affects the way other people see them, and how it affects.s
[00:27:08] their own vision of who they are. And I think they're both such strong characters and have, yeah, they come to understand who they are very deeply. And so Jane Eyre is not a children's book, but I do think those parallels are really interesting to consider, and just the ways that shape each character's journey.
[00:27:31] Now with Jane, you get to see her go into adulthood, and romance comes into it, so it will take you far past it. But when Jane is first orphaned, she has a lot of grief to overcome, and she has a lot of negative experiences that she has to work through, and so to see her resilience reminded me of Mary's in the Secret Garden.
[00:27:54] So yeah, a Partial pairing maybe. I don't know that you could read it with a kid and stop partway through, but the orphanage part and living with her aunt and everything. Yeah. So that's
[00:28:04] Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre would be a recommendation.
[00:28:06] Ashley: Oh yeah. Yeah. I like that. That's an interesting connection.
[00:28:10] Jen: Yeah. All right. How many bookish hearts would you give? This one?
[00:28:14] Ashley: I'd say five. I really enjoyed it. What about you?
[00:28:16] Jen: Yeah. Same.
[00:28:17] Ashley: I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would, honestly, especially when I started, I was like, oh, my word.
[00:28:22] Jen: It's dark at the beginning.
[00:28:24] Ashley: She is terrible. And everyone's so sick. And I'm like, oh my gosh, like her parents just felt awful prior to them all being ill.
[00:28:31] And so, yeah. And then the cholera, I was like, oh gosh,
[00:28:36] Jen: It's a really dark beginning.
[00:28:38] Ashley: Yes. So, anyway, it's a lot of fun to move from that.
[00:28:42] Jen: Yeah, I would recommend A Little Princess as well, but I remember that one being just incredibly sad as well. So I'd be interested to reread that and see if that's the part that sticks with me as well. But yeah, the children's books that take you into the darkest depths of the soul are tough. That's a tough way to begin.
[00:29:01] Ashley: For sure.
[00:29:02] Jen: All right. Well, we are going to end with our Unabridged favorites. Ashley, what do you wanna highlight today?
[00:29:07] Ashley: I wanted to share, I'm sure I've shared this one sometime in the past, but I'm gonna go with the Great British Baking Show. I'm sure I'm not the only one in our Unabridged community who is watching the latest season. But it's just been really fun. They have their newest season out, and I just absolutely love that show, and I think I love the community aspect of it, and I think.
[00:29:29] What they're able to do so well is capture within a competition a really uplifting attitude of everybody just really cheers each other on and does incredible work, and they really hope for each other. And so, yeah, I think that doesn't happen that often in the shows that are competitive in nature, and I just love it.
[00:29:49] So that's been fun. I find that to be a very enjoyable, cozy watching experience, though, even so, it is intense during the different parts. So I usually do not watch right before bed because I'm like, ah, oh no, it's not gonna turn out. So that's okay. What about you, Jen? What's yours?
[00:30:09] Jen: Mine is The Diplomat. We just finished season three of that, and that show, it's one of those that is exactly as long as it needs to be, but I always wish it could be longer because yeah, I could just watch it all day every day. So Keri Russell Stars as a career diplomat
[00:30:26] who is promoted because a bunch of complicated circumstances into a role as an ambassador, and her husband, who's played by Rufus Sewell. That's complicated. Yeah, it's just this series of political machinations that lead her into the upper echelon of the US government. Yeah, by season three, it's tough to describe, but a lot of stuff is happening.
[00:30:50] But Allison Janney is in season three. Bradley Whitford is in season three, so it's bringing back some of my favorite actors from The West Wing, if you're a fan and they're part of it. And yeah, it just has these incredible twists and turns that keep your attention. But in the midst of it all, Keri Russell is this person who doesn't care how our hair looks and just wants to make sure her armpits don't stink.
[00:31:12] And it is just trying to get through the world and not offending anybody, even though she doesn't really care; she's just trying to do it for the country. And she's pretty crass, so it's really fun to watch her 'cause usually I feel like she's so composed in the roles that she plays and has it so together.
[00:31:27] And so in this one, yes, she's a lot of fun. There's a lot of physical comedy, which is unexpected in the show. It's just fantastic. So yeah, that is the diplomat.
[00:31:37] Ashley: Oh, that sounds fun.
[00:31:38] Jen: It's really good. Yeah. Potentially, there are parts that are quite stressful, so yeah, definitely not a before-bedtime viewing show for, yes, it would be more stressful than the Great British Baking Show, but it's great. All right, everyone. Well, thank you so much for listening. We'd love to know what you thought of the Secret Garden or if you have any pairings that you would recommend. Thanks so much.
[00:31:59] Ashley: Do you have comments or opinions about what you heard today? We'd love to hear them. You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @unabridgedpod or on the web at unabridgedpod.com for ways to support us to get more involved. You can sign up for our newsletter. Join a Buddy Read or become an ambassador.
[00:32:19] Jen: Thanks for listening to Unabridged.
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